Tennessee photographer Stacy Kranitz is attracting attention for her visceral photos of life in Appalachia and the South. Sometimes her photos are hard to look at, but they’re always compelling. That’s the case with a project published earlier this year. ProPublica’s story, “The Year After a Denied Abortion,” follows a young family in Tennessee.
Members of the state Senate had 25 bills on their morning calendar Monday, passing almost all unanimously. Those bills included:
Senate Bill 623
The bill requires employers in the mining industry to report all positive drug and alcohol tests to the Office of Miners’ Health, Safety and Training. Currently, notification is only required if a miner is discharged.
Senate Bill 476
The bill sets regulations and standards for vehicles being altered to run on alternative fuels. The bill states that no diesel engine modifications for dual fuel retrofit can change the original engine in any way. A similar piece of legislation was passed by the chamber last year, but died in the House of Delegates.
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Cecelia Mason reports on the bill.
Senate Bill 431
The bill lengthens the driver’s license renewal cycle from 5 to 8 years. The bill also allows for the development of an online renewal process and permits individuals with expiring licenses to be notified electronically.
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Ashton Marra reports on the bill.
Senate Bill 469
The bill creates the Veterans and Warriors to Agriculture Program under the Department of Agriculture as a tool to integrate veterans into agriculture jobs. It aims to help West Virginia veterans find employment after returning from combat as well as strengthen the future of the state’s agriculture economy.
All four bills will now move to the House for further consideration.
The West Virginia House of Delegates passed a Senate bill Monday that makes changes to how much money is set aside into the state’s rainy day funds. For the bill to become law, the Senate must concur with an amendment.
The West Virginia Legislature met Sunday evening in response to a call from Gov. Jim Justice to address issues with the state budget passed during the regular session, among others.
Joseph Reeder, a circuit court judge from Putnam County, has been selected as the new U.S. magistrate judge for Huntington. Joseph Reeder was first elected to Putnam County's circuit court bench in 2012, winning reelection in 2016 and 2024.