Opioid Settlement

On this West Virginia Morning, while officials from Cabell County argue in court that three drug distributors owe the county and the City of Huntington $2 billion, Wood County is moving to restrict treatment care facilities.

On this West Virginia Morning, education reporter Liz McCormick spoke with Chris Harrington, director of Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute at Michigan Virtual School, to get some perspective on ways to have successful virtual learning – and the importance of reliable internet access.

On this West Virginia Morning, a West Virginia artisan has taken something as mundane as a turkey call and turned it into a work of art, capturing the history and tradition along the way.

West Virginia will opt out in hopes of local governments being able to pursue lawsuits on their own, the attorney general said Wednesday.

The yearslong effort by state and local governments in the U.S. to force the pharmaceutical industry to help pay to fix a nationwide opioid addiction and overdose crisis took a major step forward Tuesday when lawyers for local governments announced they were on the verge of a $26 billion settlement with the nation's three biggest drug distribution companies and the drugmaker Johnson & Johnson.

On this West Virginia Morning, we explore the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on higher education. Also, we have news updates on a landmark opioid trial in Charleston, on two closing power plants in the state and a petition seeking better protections against black lung disease.

Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said Tuesday he doesn’t agree with the settlement formula, which would allocate funds largely based on population. He said West Virginia needs a bigger piece of the pie, since it was hit so hard by the opioid epidemic.

The city and county are half way through an unlikely federal trial.

The City of Huntington and Cabell County are in federal court, taking prescription opioid distributors to task. If the city and county win their lawsuit, that could result in a payout of tens of millions of dollars. And in theory, that money could help fix the problem. Health reporter June Leffler asked Dr. Lyn O’Connell how much a big settlement could loosen the grip opioids have on her community.

A consultant to big-name prescription opioid manufacturers will pay out a $10 million settlement to West Virginia, Attorney General Patrick Morrisey announced today.McKinsey & Company worked for Purdue Pharma and other companies to market and sell prescription painkillers, which states like West Virginia claim increased the opioid crisis at home.