Liz McCormick

The 2018 Appalachian Heritage Writer-in-Residence at Shepherd University is Karen Spears Zacharias. Zacharias grew up in a military family but spent most of her childhood in the hills of Appalachia.

During the Vietnam War, her father was killed in action, and his death left a major impact on Zacharias’ life and the lives of her mother and siblings.

It’s been more than 20 years since Martinsburg had an in-patient detox facility. That changed Friday.

The open house for the Paloma Crisis Stabilization & Detox Center attracted dozens from the community. The project took two years and was funded through a state grant of more than $1 million. The center will offer 16 beds to people with substance use disorders. It will be open 24/7.

West Virginia Public Broadcasting is partnering with Shepherd University next week to co-host a free screening of “Recovery Boys” – a feature documentary film directed by Academy Award nominated filmmaker Elaine McMillion Sheldon.

The European-based insulation manufacturing company Rockwool held a handful of community open houses last week at the Jefferson County Community Center. The aim was to better-connect with residents, many of whom don’t want the company to locate in the Eastern Panhandle. Rockwool’s final open house drew a crowd of hundreds who rallied outside to protest the plant.

There’s been contention in recent weeks in Jefferson County between thousands of residents and a new manufacturing plant being built called Rockwool. In response to the pushback, the Denmark-based company has scheduled community open houses through Saturday to engage with community members.

Updated Friday, Aug. 10, 2018 at 8:10 a.m. with additional interviews, plus reactions from local residents and the Jefferson County Commission, and FAQs from the W.Va. DEP.

Higher education leaders in West Virginia announced Wednesday a goal to see more of the state’s workforce with a formal education credential beyond high school by 2030.

Across West Virginia, people are fighting back against the opioid epidemic and pushing the message of recovery. Some of these people run harm reduction clinics – which sometimes include needle exchanges. We meet a nurse in the Eastern Panhandle who runs one of these programs.

The dog and horse racing industries have played a major role in West Virginia’s economy since the mid-1930s. But in recent years, lawmakers at the statehouse have debated whether these industries fit into the state’s economic future. Those who support the racing industry are fighting to see it survive, while others say it doesn’t bring in revenue like it once did.

West Virginia ended its 2018 fiscal year with a budget surplus of almost $30 million, according to Governor Jim Justice. Next, the governor said he’ll look to improving the state’s higher education system.

The governor said Monday in a press conference, 2012 was the last time West Virginia ended a year with a surplus without mid-year cuts.

Academy Award-nominated director Elaine McMillion Sheldon’s newest film “Recovery Boys” is now available on Netflix. The film is a companion to Sheldon’s first film “Heroin(e).”

Happy Retreat is a historic mansion in Charles Town that was once the home of Charles Washington – founder of Charles Town and brother to the nation’s first president. Today, the house is becoming a hub for public events, community outreach, history and tourism.

Can Trump bring coal jobs back to Appalachia? We’re a year-and-a-half into his presidency, and some people, like coal operator Barry Estep, are hopeful.

“Maybe this is a light at the end of the tunnel we’ve all been hoping for, to get things turned around and changed some.”

But others are not so sure that coal has a long-term future. 

West Virginia will be the setting for the latest in a video game series with an international following. The game will feature landscapes, folklore and well-known locations from around the state in a post-apocalyptic time period.

A group of people fighting the opioid epidemic in Berkeley County is garnering national attention (The New Yorker, CBS). In the Hope Dealer Project, three women work together to drive people struggling with addiction to inpatient detox or rehabilitation centers – pushing the message that recovery is possible.

Gov. Jim Justice and his revenue staff say West Virginia is heading toward a budget surplus as the state nears the end of the 2018 fiscal year.

The governor and his revenue staff announced May’s revenue collections were more than $20 million above estimates. The entire month saw nearly $330 million in total revenue collection.

Updated on Monday, June 4, 2018 at 1:45 p.m.

Governor Jim Justice declared a state of emergency for a handful of counties in the Eastern Panhandle this weekend due to flooding from heavy rainfall.

Berkeley, Jefferson, Morgan, Grant, Hampshire, Hardy, Mineral, and Pendleton counties are under the state of emergency. 

Seventeen health science graduate students from across West Virginia are getting money to help pay for their education.

Why? Because the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission has awarded some health sciences grad students a chunk of cash to help pay for their college education – so long as they commit to practicing medicine in a rural or underserved community in West Virginia following graduation.

The City of Martinsburg has sued the federal government over alleged chemical contamination of a drinking water plant.

Martinsburg attorney Kin Sayre filed the claim this month, requesting the Air National Guard pay for damages caused by high levels of two chemicals that the city said seeped into the water supply at the Big Springs water filtration plant in Martinsburg in 2016.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Final Update on Monday, May 21, 2018 at 3:17 p.m.

After several days of continuous rainfall, the Eastern Panhandle is no longer under a flood warning or flood watch by the National Weather Service.

The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources announced state funding is available for two substance abuse recovery programs.

Both the Collegiate Recovery (CRPs) and Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) programs focus on helping adults who suffer from substance use disorders get their lives back on track.