Despite Not Following Finance Law, Seven Huntington Municipal Election Candidates to Remain on Ballot
Six candidates for Huntington City Council and one for the mayoral race have seemingly violated a campaign finance law that should have prevented them from appearing on the ballot. If they win, their candidacy could be challenged in court.
The Fantastic Life of Dr. Joseph De Soto: False Claims Made by the Presumptive Delegate from West Virginia’s 91st District
From claims about providing health care in West Virginia to saying he’s “negotiated with ISIS” on behalf of US intelligence, De Soto appears to have campaigned on a largely fabricated picture of his life.
Now, he’s running unopposed for the House of Delegates with the backing of the West Virginia Freedom Caucus.
VIDEO: Charleston Police Point Guns at Black Fitness Coach Outside MLK Jr. Community Center
Body worn camera footage shows how officers mistook a community leader for a shooting suspect. Officers quickly realized that Mike Kelly, despite matching the description of a “tall, Black male”, had nothing to do with the shooting in question.
In Lieu of Termination: Tracking Police Officers in West Virginia Who Change Departments After Misconduct Incidents
When police are fired or allowed to resign in “lieu of termination” for misconduct in West Virginia, they can switch departments. Public records show what happened and where they end up.
Anonymous website attacking WV gubernatorial candidate revealed to be operative with ties to Team Morrisey fundraising partner
An investigation into an anonymous website revealed Caiden Cowger, the Director of the Family Policy Council of West Virginia, set up the site to make claims about candidate Moore Capito’s personal life. Cowger’s role as a member of the Upshur County GOP Executive Committee calls into question the group’s relationship to Capito’s opponent, Attorney General Patrick Morrisey.
Cabell County, Huntington flood victims want assistance, not more development projects in their watershed
A 2022 report from the US Army Corps of Engineers has identified decades of government development without appropriate precautions as a factor in flooding. Residents are holding out hope that government agencies can help stop the flooding, but are pessimistic.
Pre-Regatta park arrests highlight police targeting of unsheltered people in Charleston, W. Va.
Charleston police arrested 16 unsheltered people the day before the city’s multi-million-dollar annual festival. Records not only show police coordinated the arrests with the city’s municipal court and event coordinator, but they fit an 18-month trend of police targeting the city’s unsheltered population.
West Virginia lawmakers seek to expand war on drugs by bringing back the death penalty
West Virginia politicians try labeling fentanyl a “weapon of mass destruction” and are spreading misinformation about it in hopes of bringing back the death penalty.
W. Va. legislature inadvertently bans test strips for “emerging threat” Xylazine
According to a DHHR email obtained by Dragline, a bill that put the animal tranquilizer on the controlled substance schedule (SB 546) also made the distribution of test strips for it illegal. Without testing, experts say overdose crisis will worsen.
Amid statewide abortion ban, Women’s Health Center expands access
As West Virginia lawmakers passed an abortion ban aimed at “closing the only clinic in the state,” they stirred up an army of supporters, ushering in an increase in financial support for the organization. Despite discontinuing abortion services at that clinic, the Women’s Health Center is expanding the healthcare services it provides in state and is opening a second clinic in Maryland — one of the states with the fewest restrictions on abolition in the nation.
Gazette-Mail staff say Skaff abuses power as president
House Minority Leader and President of HD Media, Doug Skaff (D – Kanawha), allegedly directed staff to delete a story about his 2015 gambling scandal from the paper’s website. Reporters who’ve worked under Skaff say his conflicted presence undermines the Pulitzer Prize-winning paper’s integrity.
Report: W.Va. terminates parental rights at twice the rate of any other state
A new study from ACLU and Human Rights Watch reveals W. Va. leads nation in termination of parental rights.
Marshall students discuss interaction with president over university’s mishandling of sexual assault on campus
During a protest outside of President Brad D. Smith’s office, students were invited inside to discuss their own frustrations over the University’s handling of sexual assault cases. After their protests, students sat down with Dragline to discuss the interaction with Marshall’s president and their demands moving forward.
Over one-third of W.Va. police departments post people’s mugshots on social media. People say the practice has ruined their lives.
A Dragline survey shows 38 percent of police departments in the state put images of people they’ve arrested on their social media accounts. Departments say it’s a valid form of publicizing the work they do. Critics say it’s a return to the days of government-backed public humiliation.
Despite medical breakthroughs, HIV stigma is still killing West Virginians
At the intersection of the overdose crisis and most concerning HIV outbreak in the nation, there is still no cure for stigma.
Across West Virginia's three largest cities, homelessness is often treated like a crime
Despite their progressive reputations, Huntington, Charleston and Morgantown struggle to implement solutions in tackling homelessness.
W.Va. jails deny detainees the most effective treatment for substance use disorder: their prescribed medication
People who were on Suboxone at the time they were arrested report being denied access to the medication in state jails. Experts say the consequences can be deadly.
Overdose deaths for W.Va. jails remain unreported for 2021
A nationwide survey of 45 states showed by 2019, West Virginia was leading the nation for fatal overdoses in jails. Two months after that report was released, the state stopped reporting overdose deaths to the public.
Emergency motion filed in federal court over W.Va. Corrections’ “lack of basic compliance” with CDC protocols
A report from a doctor who has inspected 30 facilities across the country expressed “urgent concern” over what he called “the most dangerous approach to medical isolation I have encountered since the outset of the pandemic.”
Experts don’t trust state’s “artificial” COVID-19 data for correctional facilities
Over the past month, an average of 160 people in state custody have been tested daily for COVID-19. That means on any given day, officials are only aware of the COVID-19 status for 1.6% of the more than 10,000 people incarcerated in West Virginia.