The 2025 Point In Time count kicked off Wednesday at 4 p.m. It’s an annual 24-hour survey of the number of homeless people on a single night in January.
Hundreds of workers and volunteers have kicked off a statewide effort to count every person in West Virginia who is experiencing homelessness.
The 2025 Point In Time count kicked off Wednesday at 4 p.m. It’s an annual 24-hour survey of the number of homeless people on a single night in January.
Workers ask age, race and gender but also try to identify what brought each person into homelessness.
Mandated by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the effort goes hand in hand with similar counts taking place across the United States and serves as a kind of census for monitoring trends and identifying unmet needs.
The final tally is likely to have an impact on funding and resources.
“Once those numbers are collected, we get those population totals, those demographic totals, and those numbers are passed along to the Department of Housing and Urban Development,” Paige Looney, a data management specialist with the West Virginia Coalition to End Homelessness, said.
“That feeds into the annual Homeless Assessment Report, which is a report to Congress that provides those nationwide estimates of homelessness that goes on to determine funding allocations be it for shelters, rental assistance, prevention funds, housing assistance and so on.”
“We get information on veterans, folks fleeing domestic violence. We’ve reached out as far as why people are interested or not interested in shelters, necessarily, if people are experiencing some form of eviction process, how they came to be experiencing homelessness,” she saidd.
Looney said it would not be surprising to see an increase over last year’s count.
“There’s a couple different contributing factors. Obviously, the COVID 19 pandemic had a big impact on some of those numbers, and the effects of that are still very real. In addition to that, any COVID relief funding that we’ve had in the past and eviction prevention funds are more limited now,” she said.
“In addition, the big thing I’d like to stress is the lack of affordable housing.
Times are tough, and if you miss a paycheck, you can certainly end up on the street in these more rural areas, especially, it’s really, really tough to find an affordable place to live.”
Many volunteers offer blankets, food and resources even for those who opt not to participate in the survey. Final numbers are expected by mid-February.
On this West Virginia Morning, News Director Eric Douglas discusses the state of West Virginia’s foster care system with Erica Peterson, editor at large for Mountain State Spotlight.
On this West Virginia Morning, News Director Eric Douglas discusses the state of West Virginia’s foster care system with Erica Peterson, editor at large for Mountain State Spotlight. This week, the nonprofit newsroom is publishing Peterson’s three-part investigation into the state’s foster care crisis.
Meanwhile, the inflation rate has dropped in recent years, but remains a concern for many Americans. John McGary with WEKU asked Kentucky residents about their thoughts on inflation with a new administration in Washington.
West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
Eric Douglas produced this episode.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
A building at Coolfont Resort in Morgan County was devastated by a fire Sunday night, local emergency response officials said.
Coolfont Resort, a mountainside retreat located near Berkeley Springs, was devastated by a structure fire Sunday night, which destroyed the property’s main building.
Dispatchers were notified Sunday at 9:33 p.m. that Coolfont’s Treetop Restaurant & Lounge had caught fire, according to Morgan County E911 Director Marshall Younker.
Over several hours, Younker said 16 emergency response agencies from Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia attended to the blaze, including fire, hazmat and medical teams. No injuries were reported.
Among the respondents was the Hancock Volunteer Fire Department of Washington County, Maryland, led by Chief Robert Hoopengardner. Hoopengardner told West Virginia Public Broadcasting that the fire resulted in what “appeared to be” a total structural loss, but that emergency respondents contained it to the single building.
“We were there pretty much all night,” he said. “I think the last crews probably left around 5:30 or 6:00 [a.m.].”
Hoopengardner said the cause of the fire is yet to be determined. His team arrived at the scene later than most units, and the building’s rear side had already been engulfed in flames by then, he said.
On Monday morning, the Town of Bath — a municipal government located within Berkeley Springs — stated on Facebook that the fire had “rekindled,” but that local emergency respondents were working to extinguish it.
The Berkeley Springs Volunteer Fire Department, which led Sunday’s emergency response effort, did not immediately respond to phone call or email requests for comment on this story. Emergency response officials who spoke to WVPB did not mention any subsequent fires on site.
Despite the winter frost, Sunday’s fire was one of several to strike the Mountain State over the weekend. The West Virginia State Fire Marshal’s office reported that four residents across the state died from separate incidents over the weekend in a Monday Facebook post.
That included multiple fatal fires, plus a gas leak and explosion at a Harrison County residence Sunday.
Emergency respondents from 16 different agencies attended to the fire at Coolfont Resort, working several hours from Sunday night to Monday morning.
Photo Credit: Hancock Volunteer Fire Department
In December, a brushfire in a nearby Cacapon Mountain area of Morgan County burned more than 100 acres of forest cover, WVPB previously reported.
Coolfont Resort did not respond to an email request for comment on this story. But since local media outlets first reported on the fire Sunday, numerous local and county organizations took to social media to express support for the Coolfont team and guidance for community members.
The Town of Bath notified residents via Facebook that the use of local water resources by fire respondents could temporarily cause low water pressure.
“We kindly ask for your understanding and patience during this time, as our brave firefighters continue their crucial work to bring the situation under control,” the post read.
Coolfront Resort has been a lodging and recreation mainstay for Morgan County since the 1960s, located at the base of Cacapon Mountain. The property features a lake, hiking trails, indoor swimming facilities and conference rooms, according to the resort website.
The Berkeley Springs-Morgan County Chamber of Commerce said in a Facebook post that their “hearts go out” to the resort staff and owners.
“Coolfont has been more than just a business. It’s been a cornerstone of life in Morgan County, offering great food, drinks, wellness and a venue for countless events,” the post read. “Many of us have personal stories tied to Coolfont, from community gatherings to quiet retreats.”
The chamber of commerce added that local organizations and community members are “ready to support” the resort “in any way we can.”
“While the loss is immense, we are deeply grateful that there was no loss of life — a testament to the swift actions of employees and emergency personnel,” they continued. “We’re here to help you rally, rebuild, and come through this stronger, because that’s who we are. Morgan County strong, always.”
On this West Virginia Morning, some supporters of President Donald Trump have expressed hope he would lower the cost of everyday goods through tariffs.
On this West Virginia Morning, some supporters of President Donald Trump have expressed hope he would lower the cost of everyday goods through tariffs. For the Appalachia Mid-South Newsroom, Stan Ingold spoke with an economist about the economic impacts of a tariff.
In recent years, there has also been a rise in reports of tick-borne disease across Appalachia. John Skaggs of WMMT in eastern Kentucky reports on why cases are so high.
West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
Maria Young produced this episode.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
E-Z pass users across the country — including West Virginia — are receiving text messages from a fake E-Z pass number. It’s part of a text messaging scam.
The West Virginia Parkways Authority is warning E-Z Pass users against a text messaging scam.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has issued a statement saying E-Z pass users across the country are receiving text messages from a fake E-Z pass number. The scam tells users they have an outstanding toll balance and should enter personal and financial information online to avoid a late fee.
The parkways authority said these messages are completely fraudulent and urges users to refrain from clicking any links they receive unprompted, and to delete the text off of their phones immediately.
“The West Virginia Parkways Authority has been made aware of the rise of text messaging scams targeting individuals and we urge anyone who has received this message to delete it, do not click on the link or provide any financial information as this is an attempt to obtain your credit or debit card information,” Jeff Miller, executive director of the West Virginia Parkways Authority said.
Any users who have clicked the link and completed the form should notify their bank and the West Virginia Parkways Authority. The authority is urging customers who have received a text to file a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.
As the apple industry continues to struggle, West Virginia growers hope a change in government administrations won’t mark the end of federal and state aid.
Apple trees barren from the recent winter frost span miles of backroad in West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle. In a few months, the trees will flower; come autumn, they will bear local growers bushels of ripe fruit.
Blossoming apple trees are a familiar sight for the region and play a key role in the local agriculture industry. But federal and state officials say market woes have placed the future of West Virginia’s orchards at risk.
That is a reality Don Dove, general manager for Orr’s Farm Market in Martinsburg, has felt first hand.
Dove says demand for his apple supply has waned. One-third of the apples his team grows go toward food processing, but processing companies have requested fewer and fewer apples since 2023. That year, about 20 percent of his total apple crop went unclaimed, he said.
“It added a real big stress onto our crop there, right off the bat, as soon as we started picking,” he said. “That’s when we knew we had a problem.”
Orchards remain in jeopardy
Dove is not alone. The importation of apples and apple concentrates for food processing from countries with lower labor costs has widely displaced domestic growers.
In early 2024, retail prices for apples grown in the United States fell to a three-year low, according to Catharine Weber, agricultural economist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Economic Research Service.
Weber delivered data on the current state of the U.S. apple industry through a prerecorded video presentation at a regional forum Thursday. The event was hosted by the Farmlink Project, a nonprofit that helps domestic farmers redistribute excess produce to eliminate food waste.
Farmlink invited apple growers from across Appalachia to the event. The afternoon forum followed a tri-state meeting that morning, which aimed to familiarize Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia farmers with various forms of state and federal aid available to agriculture businesses in Appalachia.
Farmlink organizers used the second meeting to inform Appalachian growers like Dove about the state of the apple industry and solicit feedback over how to best support their business needs.
“These are wonderful farming families from wonderful communities that have got the most nutritious produce item we could have — and that is the apple — to improve food insecurity and nutrition health in our country,” said Mike Meyer, head of farmer advocacy for Farmlink.
At his orchard, Dove said the fallout from West Virginia’s apple market issues has not been as severe as it could have been. That is because orchards like Orr’s Farm Market found support from the state and federal government and their work with Farmlink.
Apple growers from Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia met in Martinsburg Thursday to discuss the state of the apple industry with the nonprofit Farmlink Project.
Photo Credit: Jack Walker/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
When the state stepped in
In 2023, the USDA allocated $10 million to the West Virginia Department of Agriculture (WVDA) through the Agricultural Adjustment Act, a 1933 law that allows the government to subsidize agricultural oversupply. The USDA provided a subsequent $3.1 million in 2024.
The WVDA allocated this funding to nonprofits like Farmlink, which coordinated the distribution of extra apples to food banks and hunger relief programs nationwide, while paying farmers for the produce.
Between September and December 2024, Farmlink distributed 18 million pounds of West Virginia-grown apples to food insecurity charities, Meyer said. 3.3 million pounds of apples were sent to recipients within the state, including 49 charities.
“We hope to grow the program,” Meyer said. “We’ve been successful in West Virginia for two years. It’s a large, team effort.”
Jody Sims works for Kitchen’s Farm Market, an apple and produce business based in the Berkeley County community of Falling Waters. Last year marked her first time working with Farmlink, and she said the redistribution process was a boon for business.
“They have been amazing. They help with finding food banks that are willing to take the loads,” she said. “20, 30 minutes later, they’re calling you back: ‘Hey, I got a truck coming. How many loads you got?’”
Meyer said Farmlink hopes to model its work in surrounding states around its partnership with West Virginia state officials. This could help regional apple growers through a tough spot, he said.
But the future of efforts like these depends on a renewal of government funding. With new elected officials being inaugurated on both the state and federal levels this month, Meyer said Farmlink is reaching out to new administrations to keep programs like these going.
Barren amid the off-season frost, fruit trees stretch across the property of Orr’s Farm Market in rural Berkeley County.
Photo Credit: Jack Walker/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
An uncertain season ahead
Meyer said it is unlikely for demand issues in the apple industry to end soon.
“When I think about 2025, I think it will be a similar supply situation to 2023 and 2024,” Meyer said. “I think, unfortunately, some of these markets are gone for good — particularly in the eastern United States.”
Federal officials with the USDA are currently looking into long-term solutions, but Meyer and the team at Farmlink are hoping a new slate of elected officials will renew shorter-term forms of aid in the interim.
Amie Minor-Richard serves as assistant commissioner of the WVDA, under recently reelected Commissioner Kent Leonhardt. She said there is no “one direct program” that will solve issues in the industry, but that the WVDA hopes state and federal representatives will provide farmers broad support.
Minor-Richard said the WVDA’s is advocating for a reexamination of policies surrounding apple importation to ensure that domestic farmers “are on a level playing field.”
“We don’t want to lose our apple orchards here in the United States, because then we’ll have to depend on foreign countries to provide us our nutrition,” she said. “That’s a scary, scary idea.”
The WVDA is advocating for a higher tax credit for farmers donating excess produce, in addition to a renewal of redistribution support for the state’s apple growers, Minor-Richard said.
But funding for redistribution support from groups like Farmlink has previously come from budget appropriations on the federal level. In the past two years, former Sen. Joe Manchin led the effort to secure this funding.
With Manchin’s seat now filled by the state’s former governor, Sen. Jim Justice, R-W.Va., Minor-Richard said the WVDA intends to discuss the program with the Justice administration.
While Minor-Richard said Justice was supportive of agriculture in the past, his delayed inauguration meant these conversations are yet to take place. She added that WVDA have also reached out to the office of incumbent Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., regarding federal forms of aid.
“We hope to have those conversations in February,” Minor-Richard said.
In the meantime, farmers like Dove are bracing for a season of uncertainty ahead. Without financial support from the government, he worries that the Eastern Panhandle’s apple industry could face serious risk.
“It really could fold up quickly without the proper funding and proper safety net,” he said.
