Leah Willingham
@LeahMWillingham
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@AP journalist based in wild, wonderful West Virginia. 📧:lwillingham @ap .org. 💫🗞️ “To pay attention, this is our endless and proper work.” — Mary Oliver
Charleston, WV
Joined October 2014
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The Welch News is just one of the thousands of U.S. newspapers to shutter since 2005, a crisis its owner called “terrifying for democracy” & one disproportionately impacting rural Americans.
“Like, can any of y’all hear us out here screaming?”
My latest:
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The clinic staff spent Friday canceling the appointments of 60-70 patients scheduled for abortions in the coming weeks.
“Some patients broke down and could not speak through their sobbing. Some patients were stunned and didn't know what to say. Some patients did not understand.”
The only abortion clinic in West Virginia is no longer performing abortions, as of today.
“Roe has never been enough, but in states like West Virginia, it was the only thing protecting abortion access,” executive director Katie Quinonez said.
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The only abortion clinic in West Virginia is no longer performing abortions, as of today.
“Roe has never been enough, but in states like West Virginia, it was the only thing protecting abortion access,” executive director Katie Quinonez said.
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The Women’s Health Center of West Virginia opened in 1976 as the state's 1st abortion clinic. For the past 7 years, it has been the only clinic offering abortions in West Virginia as others have shuttered amid an increasingly hostile political climate.
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The clinic is committed to staying open to provide STI testing and treatment, birth control and other services. But eliminating abortion services will slash the clinic’s budget by 40%.
“Obviously, if we cannot close our budget gap, we might have to make cuts,” Quinonez said.
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Staff at an Alabama clinic had to turn away patients in the waiting room. Some had traveled from Texas.
“A lot of them just started breaking down crying. Can you imagine if you had driven 12 hours to receive care in this state and you are not able to?”
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Women’s Health Center of West Virginia staff are now referring patients to . People enter their zip code, the first day of their last menstrual period & their age and the site populates a list of the closest clinics where they can access abortion services.
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Also, the clinic said are referring patients who need assistance funding travel out-of-state to the National Abortion Federation Hotline Fund:
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New: The University of Mississippi Medical Center will now mandate employees and students be vaccinated against COVID-19. The policy is a reversal from a previous rule put in place in July that allowed people to skip the vaccine if they wore an N95 mask.
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The Women’s Health Center of Maryland in Cumberland, roughly 5 miles from West Virginia, will open its doors in June to provide abortions to patients across central Appalachia, a region clinic operators say is an “abortion desert.”
My latest for
@AP
:
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Professional news: Yesterday was my last day in Mississippi. Starting Jan. 18, I’ll be in Charleston, West Virginia working as the
@AP
’s statehouse bureau correspondent. I’m sad to leave MS, but so excited to see what’s next in the mountain state!
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I cannot tell you how much of my time reporting in West Virginia over the last year and a half+ has been spent watching people get cut off at crowded & emotional public hearings as they plead for services or resources not to be cut. The sense of déjà vu is getting to be a lot!
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At the University of Mississippi Medical Center, where the state has set up its 2nd parking garage field hospital.
“We all know Delta is different,” State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs said. “Instead of women burying their parents, we’re seeing women bury their children.”
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Democratic Del. Danielle Walker - the West Virginia Legislature’s only openly LGBTQ+ member - joins crowds gathered outside the Senate chamber to protest a bill that would outlaw certain health care for transgender minors, including hormone therapy.
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For the people who ask: "Why don't they just leave?"
I wrote about a Louisiana family bracing at home for one of the most powerful hurricanes ever to strike the U.S. (From
@AP
)
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I have seen Mississippi's state health officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs look disheartened during past news conferences, but today feels different. The state is reporting 957 new cases and 44 deaths.
"There's only so much we can do," he said. "The coronavirus is the worst it's been."
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I packed up my car and left my hometown in New Hampshire two weeks ago to move across the country to Jackson, Mississippi for a reporting job covering poverty and state government for
@AP
through
@report4america
.
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Breaking: Mississippi Health Dept Spokesperson Liz Sharlot says another child has died of coronavirus in the state. Officials learned of the death yesterday. The child, between the ages of 11 and 17, is the 5th to die of coronavirus in Mississippi since the pandemic's start.
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Press were turned away from Huntington High’s protest today by campus security. This video was taken by a student:
My latest for
@AP
: "Between calculus and European history classes at a West Virginia public high school, 16-year-old Cameron Mays and his classmates were told by their teacher to go to an evangelical Christian revival assembly."
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@daggerhaft
They are! The clinic is referring patients to . Patients enter their zip code, the first day of their last menstrual period, their age and it automatically populates a list of the clinics closest to them that can provide abortion care.
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My latest for
@AP
: "Between calculus and European history classes at a West Virginia public high school, 16-year-old Cameron Mays and his classmates were told by their teacher to go to an evangelical Christian revival assembly."
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An entire county school system in coal-producing West Virginia is going solar, representing the biggest-ever single demonstration of sun-powered renewable electricity in Appalachian public schools.
My latest for
@AP
:
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My latest for
@AP
: Tudor’s Biscuit World is facing a complaint from the National Labor Relations Board after an investigation found evidence the company unlawfully disciplined and threatened employees who tried to form a union.
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Over a century of overgrowth on a West Virginia hillside has erased any trace of "Little Egypt," a forgotten burial ground for dozens of immigrant coal miners.
“There are 80 people here nobody has said a prayer over in a long time."
My latest for
@AP
:
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The reporting
@ameliaknisely
has produced on DHHR & West Virginia's foster care system is unparalleled and vital work. There is so much to admire about Amelia -- her intelligence, her empathy, her drive. Truly one of the very best reporters in the state. This is devastating news.
West Virginia Public Broadcasting has parted ways with one of its reporters after alleged retaliation from WVPB operational management and pressure from the Department of Health and Human Services.
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If this outburst from Sen. Karnes (one of several within the first few minutes of today’s floor session) is any indicator of how the rest of the day is going to go here at the West Virginia Capitol….. It’s going to be a very long day
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I couldn’t have asked for a better first year in this job. Since I was a kid growing up in Concord, I dreamed of becoming a reporter for
@ConMonitorNews
. Some days I still have to pinch myself. Thank you
@NENPA
for the recognition. I am proud to be Rookie of the Year!
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My cat REFUSES to stop scurrying up the Christmas tree the moment I leave the room
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Mississippi State Epidemiologist Dr. Paul Byers just said during a call with state pediatricians that 20,000 students are currently quarantined for COVID-19 exposure in Mississippi. That’s from data reported by 800 schools last week, he said.
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“For me, the elimination of these programs simply means that they are trying to continue with the erasure of Appalachian voices and Appalachian stories.”
My latest for
@AP
:
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West Virginia University's classification among the highest level of American research universities is often lauded by the same state leaders who have been unwilling to listen the experts when it comes to gender-affirming care.
My latest for
@AP
:
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A 16-year-old girl panicked when she got a call from West Virginia's only abortion clinic saying her appointment was canceled.
“She started crying and said, ‘I don’t know what’s going on. Can I give the phone to my mom, so you can explain to her?’”
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My latest for
@AP
: Workers at a franchise of Tudor's Biscuit World are hoping they will soon be members of West Virginia's first unionized fast-food restaurant.
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How many $450 Cameo videos would Brett Favre have to sell to pay back the $600,000 he still owes the state of Mississippi after taking $1.1M in funds meant for needy families?
More than 1,300.
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Rosemary Ketchum became West Virginia's first openly transgender elected official when she won a seat on the Wheeling City Council in 2020. Now, she's running for mayor.
My latest for
@AP
:
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Walker said the issues that prompted her to run for office are the same ones that will drive her ACLU work.
“At the end of the day, no one wants to know if you are Democrat or Republican. They want to know, are you helping them, or are you hurting them?”
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I’m taking a short break on this beautiful day in Charleston, West Virginia as part of a collective action with the
@APNewsGuild
as we fight for a fair contract.
#UnionStrong
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Hi! I’m a reporter for the Associated Press based in Mississippi. I’m looking for Mississippi families to speak with that decided to unenroll their children from public schools this year due to the pandemic. My email is lwillingham
@ap
.org and my phone number is 769-234-1831.
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Nearly 400 medical professionals in West Virginia have signed onto a letter condemning a bill advancing in the state House of Delegates that would bar transgender youth at risk for suicide from accessing medical interventions like hormone therapy.
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Saw my new governor speak for the first time last night:
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News outlets didn’t defame Don Blankenship when they referred to him as a “felon” after he served a year in prison on a misdemeanor charge in connection with the worst U.S. mine disaster in decades, a federal appeals court ruled.
My latest for
@AP
:
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For YEARS now, Ryan has been the only reporter solely committed to covering statewide education in West Virginia, home to one of the nation's most struggling public school systems.
He is tireless, thorough, compassionate & above all FAIR.
I'm looking for work, so plz DM me or email ryanedwinquinn
@gmail
.com with job opportunities, nationwide. I have 8 years of education & legislative reporting experience, & more atop that.
I also have MANY freelance stories, particularly in WV ed, I can write for outlets that pay.
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A Charleston magistrate dismissed one charge and decided not to impose jail time for another in the case of a protester arrested for disrupting lawmakers as they convened at the West Virginia Capitol in September to pass a near-total abortion ban.
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Hi! I'm a reporter from the Associated Press & I'm looking to speak with essential workers in Mississippi about how they feel about the governor's decision to lift coronavirus restrictions. I would love to hear from as many people as possible! 769.234.1831 or lwillingham
@ap
.org.
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WV State of the State out of context: “All of us can just go to Wendy’s and hang out, Babydog would love that”
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Hi! I'm a reporter for The Associated Press in Mississippi and I'm hoping to speak with residents who signed up for a COVID vaccine appointment for the first time today after eligibility opened up. I'd love to include you! You can reach me at 769-234-1831 or lwillingham
@ap
.org.
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“If we’re doing so well as a state, why are children homeless and hungry?”
My latest for
@AP
:
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Republican Gov. Jim Justice on Wednesday broke with West Virginia’s GOP-majority Legislature to veto a bill that would have loosened one of the country’s strictest school vaccination policies.
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ICYMI: A protester forcibly removed from a chamber gallery at the West Virginia Capitol and later arrested for disrupting legislators as they moved to ban abortion will see all charges dropped against her, if she stays out of trouble for the next 6 months.
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Karnage
Senate’s agenda is carnage as member protests ‘Mr. President!’ and is escorted out
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How Joe Manchin Threw A Wrench In My Friday Plans: an evergreen story
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It all just became a bit more real. A COVID field hospital in a parking lot in Jackson, Mississippi.
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Our West Virginia legislative photographers are always there to capture the big moments. They keep us informed with their work & deserve so much more credit than they get.
Photo by Will Price:
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The Mississippi state flag comes down after a day flying outside the state Capitol building, as Gov. Tate Reeves prepares to sign a bill into law that will remove the Confederate emblem from the flag at 5 p.m.
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A company partly owned by Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves and a business where his wife works were recipients of hundreds of thousands of dollars from a federal rescue package meant to keep small businesses afloat in the coronavirus pandemic.
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@lindsonhere
Lindsey, I hope you’re okay. I’m a journalist with the AP in Charleston. If you’re up to talking about it, I’d love to speak with you. Understand if you need time. Take care!
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A decade ago, the sole grocery store in the city of Itta Bena shuttered. The last bank left a few years later, followed by the pharmacy — lifelines for a small, rural community.
Now, the lights may go out for all 1,800 residents.
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biscuits were consumed in the reporting of this story !!
At Tudor's Biscuit World in West Virginia, workers are seeking comfort from more than food. Some of the roughly two dozen workers at one of the chain's franchises will vote Tuesday on whether to become the state's first unionized fast-food restaurant.
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West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, days removed from announcing he won’t seek reelection, said that if the nation’s voters give former President Donald Trump another term in the White House, “he will destroy democracy in America.”
My latest for
@AP
:
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In a sweeping 60-page decision, Charleston-based U.S. District Court Judge Joseph Goodwin said Saint Marys Correctional Center inmate Andrew Miller “easily meets his threshold burden of showing an impingement on his rights.”
My latest for
@AP
:
.
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@MCS_BlueVoter
West Virginia law prohibits the use of telemedicine to access medication abortion!
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Marshall University student E.T. Bowen said people are already “terrified on campus as it is.”
“This bill is like throwing kerosene on the wildfire. It's appalling that we even need to say that while there’s still blood on the ground at Michigan State."
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Senate President Craig Blair just ordered for Karnes to be removed from the chamber. He got up & left without a word (as far as I could tell).
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Grateful to
@Report4America
&
@AP
for the chance to tell stories like this one. Looking forward to year 2! 🙏
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“M'Kayla loved the color purple and ripe kiwis. She played the flute and answered to "KK." She was the stereotypical eldest child, with two little brothers, 1 and 5, and her mom Mykel Robinson's only daughter.”
Story by
@HaselhorstSarah
:
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“It would appear Mississippi, the poorest state in the nation, has many unmet needs in nearly every aspect of public life and suffers from decades of neglected maintenance, staffing and underfunding that even the ARPA federal windfall can’t cover.”
Lawmakers wanted input on spending $1.8 billion in pandemic stimulus. They got $7 billion in requests.
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Hi! I'm a journalist for The Associated Press in Mississippi & I'm looking to speak with parents and teachers from school districts that have had to go virtual during these first weeks of school because of COVID outbreaks. I'd love to hear from you! Reach me at lwillingham
@ap
.org
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New: West Virginia and North Carolina’s refusal to cover certain health care for transgender people with government-sponsored insurance is discriminatory, a federal appeals court ruled Monday in a case likely headed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
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Thrilled to start my next chapter working for
@AP
through
@report4america
in Mississippi!!✏️📰 Thanks to everyone for the support!
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discovered the concept of ‘chicken on a stick’ last week and my life is forever changed
I love driving in Mississippi because you’ll pass a gas station sign that says “come see us for the best food in town” & you’ll know it’s probably true
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It all just became a bit more real. A COVID field hospital in a parking lot in Jackson, Mississippi.
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West Virginia’s GOP-dominated Legislature pushed forward a slate of contentious bills Wednesday that would arm teachers, allow people to sue libraries over books that offend them and restrict where transgender kids can use the bathroom at school.
For
@AP
:
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“With no doctors in Mississippi willing to do abortions, five out-of-state doctors rotate through Jackson. Some patients travel hours from small towns in one of the poorest states of the country.”
Great story from
@EWagsterPettus
:
The last
#abortion
clinic in
#Mississippi
is at hub of national debate after US Supreme Court says it will consider a case that could challenge Roe v. Wade
#msleg
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At the West Virginia state Capitol, where lawmakers are expected to take up a sweeping abortion ban bill this afternoon.
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Yesterday, a 17-year-old student tragically died by suicide at a high school in Concord. I saw outlets reporting on this soon after the news broke, prominently displaying details about the method the student used to take his or her life and some using the phrase "commit suicide."
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A group pushing for Manchin to partner with retiring Utah Sen. Mitt Romney to seek a third-party presidential bid filed paperwork to form a formal draft committee with the Federal Election Commission on Thursday.
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Hello! I'm a journalist for The Associated Press and am working on a story today about creators who make a living on TikTok -- anywhere in the U.S. If this applies to you, I'd love to talk with you! I can be reached at lwillingham
@ap
.org.
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Unlike measures passed in other states, West Virginia’s law contains a unique exemption: It permits doctors to prescribe medical therapy if a teenager is considered at risk for self-harm or suicide.
My latest for
@AP
:
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Gov. Chris Sununu signed a bill into law this morning which will require all public and middle schools in N.H. to provide free feminine hygiene products in bathrooms starting next year:
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"Normally, the garage is where people park while visiting Mississippi's only children's hospital, a building next door decorated with a logo of a rainbow and sun. Now air-conditioned tents with beds, monitors and oxygen fill the garage's bottom floor."
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ICYMI: A West Virginia school system has passed a policy mandating annual religious freedom training as part of a lawsuit settlement after an evangelical preacher held a revival assembly during the school day that some students were required to attend.
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Very proud of the
@ConMonitorNews
staff for winning Newspaper of the Year tonight from the New Hampshire Press Association. What an honor to have been part of such an amazing, kick-ass team.
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“There was a time, believe it or not, that we cut a ribbon and celebrated a Taco Bell opening in Charleston"
I celebrated the State of the State by hurriedly downing a veggie fiesta burrito from that very Taco Bell before walking into the House of Delegates chamber
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I’m a reporter for The Associated Press & I’m looking to talk with families who have lost power and suffered other damage due to Ida and are worried about how that might impact their ability to get to work or work from home, if their job requires internet service/cell connection.
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"(Justice) is an Appalachian Dickensian character who talks with the endless metaphors and descriptors Faulkner would utilize, lumbering about in Gorilla Monsoon’s body with the vocal stylings of Ben Matlock after a few old fashioneds."
What a turn of phrase,
@four4thefire
In the most recent Washington Examiner magazine:
• Mike Pence on Trump, Jan. 6, and American leadership
• Jim Justice's unconventional Senate quest gives GOP a boost
• The liberalism that swallowed Minnesota
Read it here:
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West Virginia’s GOP-dominated House passed a historic 50% reduction of the state’s personal income tax Wednesday, rejecting a plan from Democrats that would have completely eliminated the tax for the lowest earners in one of the poorest U.S. states.
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BREAKING NEWS: I have now opened my second Red Bull can of election night
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Teachers in Mississippi and at least two other states have died after bouts with the coronavirus since the start of the new school year. Mississippi schools have reported 600+ positive cases among staff.
With Jim Salter for
@AP
/
@Report4America
:
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“Louisiana is smart enough to know it needs a New Orleans. Georgia is smart enough to know it needs an Atlanta,"
@DeKeitherStamps
said. “Why has Mississippi not figured out that it needs a Jackson?”
‘Nobody should have to live like this’: Black residents of Jackson hope the infrastructure bill will fix their city's failing water system. But Mississippi's Republican leaders will need to cooperate.
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Divided Republicans on a West Virginia Senate committee voted to advance a bill that would outlaw certain kinds of healthcare for transgender youth, ignoring pleas from a doctor who said she feared the legislation will put her patients’ lives at risk.
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Feeling very ready to start work today and get to know this new community.
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Honored to have my story recognized here alongside great investigative work by reporters across the country. Support local journalism!
Local journalism of 2019 in review: Throughout the U.S. this year, local reporters aimed to expose wrongdoing in their communities. Here’s just some of what they found:
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“I have learned that being a foster parent, you have to be of a certain privilege to do it. We drained our savings when we took the three kids last summer. It caught me off guard, honestly.”
An important story from
@ameliaknisely
, who always knocks it out of the park:
New: West Virginia’s financial support for foster parents often falls short, leaving them to unexpectedly pay out of pocket for necessities like car seats, clothes, beds — even medical items.
@WV_Watch
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Coal miners plead with feds for stronger enforcement during emotional hearing on black lung rule (
@AP
)
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