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Exploring the Origins of ‘West by God Virginia’

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On this West Virginia Morning, we explore the history of a certain, very well-known phrase throughout the Mountain State – “West by God Virginia.” And we look at the latest news headlines.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs said Tuesday it is investigating allegations of “potential wrongdoing” resulting in multiple patient deaths at a VA hospital in West Virginia.

And an Oklahoma judge has found Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiaries helped fuel the state’s opioid drug crisis, ordering the consumer products giant to pay $572 million to help address the problem.

Here at West Virginia Public Broadcasting we’ve been asking listeners what they wonder most about West Virginia. The latest question that won out in a public poll online comes to us from St. Albans resident Trish Hatfield. She asked, “Where does the phrase ‘West by God Virginia’ come from?” Our Eastern Panhandle reporter Liz McCormick reached out to experts across the state. Here’s what she found.

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 West Virginia University, Concord University, and Shepherd University.

Our news director is Jesse Wright. Our producer is Glynis Board.