Across the nation, more than 390,000 children rely on foster care. However, a shortage of licensed foster homes is creating a national crisis. While official foster care cases are carefully tracked, many informal examples of kinship care aren’t part of the data. For this Us & Them episode, we hear the experiences of those who’ve been part of the foster care system.
High waters are creating dangerous conditions in southern West Virginia. Dispatchers say some residents are being evacuated.
Emergency dispatchers in Wyoming County say that the rainfall Wednesday morning caused a mudslide. One resident in Jesse told dispatchers that part of the mountain slid into their residence. Deputies are on scene evaluating the situation.
Several roads in Wyoming County including route 971 in front of Westside High School are closed. Students were not in class because board members made the proactive decision to cancel school Wednesday, anticipating high waters in the region.
Some roads are also closed in Raleigh County due to high waters including parts of Airport Road between the Mining Academy and the Raleigh County Airport. Traffic is being rerouting because dispatchers say parts of the road have caved in.
Dispatchers also say about 10 homes were evacuated from Violet Lane in Beaver because of rising waters.
Video by Mel Petrey, standing on the bridge by Beaver hardware in Raleigh County.
Some roads in Mercer County are also closed. McDowell County officials are currently out in the region to assess the damage while Summers County is reporting no issues at this time.
Dispatchers throughout the region are bracing for more flood conditions.
In Pineville, West Virginia, a town of 500, residents filled up the front rows of the county courtroom recently. They came to hear the latest legal update on a battle some have been fighting for generations - securing clean water. Bobby Lee Keen and his wife Patsy attended the hearing.
“How come they have people living like they're in a third world country and the United States of America?” asks Bobby Keen.
Two deer tested positive for chronic wasting disease in Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, marking the disease's first documented occurrence in the park.
The West Virginia Department of Human Services Bureau for Medical Services released updated data following the completion of the state’s Medicaid unwinding period.