The Pew Charitable Trusts Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

West Virginia Loses Population, Despite National Growth

West Virginia is one of only two states to lose population in the last 10 years, according to recently-released data analysis by the non-profit The Pew Charitable Trusts.

According to census data analyzed by the group, West Virginia has lost about 34,500 people since 2008. Over the last decade, the data showed West Virginia’s population dropped two-tenths of a percent each year on average.

Illinois, the only other state with a no population gain, showed a zero percent growth rate.

“A shrinking or slow-growing populace can be both a cause and an effect of weakened economic prospect,” the authors stated. “Though a smaller population can lead to a reduction in some types of spending, it also means there are fewer residents to help cover the costs of long-standing commitments, such as debt and state employee retirement benefits.”

The researchers said West Virginia and Illinois had little to no population growth in-part because of their location. For decades, people have been moving away from states in the Northeast and Midwest toward warmer regions with better employment opportunities and lower costs of living.

West Virginia is also distinctive in that the state sees more deaths than births, and “has recorded population losses for the past six years” according to the analysis.

Nationwide, U.S. population growth has slowed. The Census Bureau expects population trends to continue downward citing low birth rates, aging baby boomers and slowing immigration.

The fastest-growing states were predominantly in the West and South, with Utah topping the list.

The Presidential Race from the Viewpoint of West Virginians

On this week’s episode of Viewpoint, host Ashton Marra talks presidential politics with West Virginia native Paige Lavender, senior politics editor with The Huffington Post.

Subscribe to Viewpoint on iTunes

Lavender discusses the Wednesday evening NBC forum where both Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton appeared on the same stage, although separately, to discuss national security and their qualifications to be the next command-in-chief.

Reporter Anne Li brings us the latest from the courtroom as the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals hears oral arguments in a case involving a former state senator who now wants to be placed on November’s ballot as an independent running for Kanawha County Clerk.

The Pew Charitable Trusts updates its Election Performance Index, or EPI, after every major election, and the 2014 results show West Virginia is actually improving when it comes to the administration of its elections. MIT Political Science Professor Charles Stewart, who has worked with Pew on the project since its creation in 2008, talks about the importance of West Virginia’s improvements.

Health Impact Project Announces Grants for Seven Southern and Appalachian States

Seven southern and Appalachian states, including West Virginia, received Health Impact Project grants yesterday from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Pew Charitable Trusts to promote health in southern and Appalachian states.

The goal is to fund projects aimed at addressing health inequities in southern and Appalachian states.

Organizations in Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and West Virginia each received funding. Each grantee is tasked with developing an evidence-based action plan for addressing the social, economic and environmental factors that lead to disparities in health outcomes from one population to another.

In West Virginia, Williamson Health and Wellness Center received the grant. According to the press release, the health center will try to use community-led tourism and economic development to launch new outdoor recreation businesses such as kayaking tours and biking and running competitions. The hope is to improve both employment and physical activity opportunities in Williamson.

The projects’ development is funded through October of 2016 at which time the grantees should be prepared to launch their respective initiatives.

Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, with support from the Benedum Foundation.

Where Do I Vote? Pew Can Point You in the Right Direction

Over the past few months, you’ve no doubt been battered by an onslaught of campaign advertisements from the candidates themselves and from outside organizations trying to sway your opinion.

Now that early voting has started in West Virginia, campaigns are ramping up their outreach to voters, but even after you make your decisions, do you know where to go to voice those opinions? Sometimes finding your polling place can be harder than you think.

The Pew Charitable Trusts’ Voting Information Project is looking to make voting as easy as possible for voters across the country.

Combining resources from Google, Facebook, Twitter and many, many others, the organization has created a new website where you, the voter, can simply type in your mailing address and your early voting location, polling place for Election Day and a sample ballot are all provided in seconds or less. The site also offers the hours of operation for polling places and a link to directions.

“We joined forces to make official election information available where people look for it most—online and on mobile devices,” said Zach Markovits, who manages Pew’s Voting Information Project.

“Get to the Polls” provides information for voters in all 50 states and the District of Columbia quickly and for free.

West Virginia’s Secretary of State’s Office provides a similar service for free on their website as well. Voters can search for their polling place by simply typing in their name.

West Virginia Partners with Pew for Study of Juvenile Justice System

Recently, Governor Earl Ray Tomblin has been touting the successes of last year’s Justice Reinvestment Act in reducing prison and jail populations, as well as reducing the recidivism rate for prior offenders. While those initiatives have proved successful for adults, problems remain in the juvenile justice system.

On Wednesday, Tomblin and other state officials announced a partnership with the Pew Charitable Trusts in hopes to better understand some of those issues and make improvements.

“Between 1997 and 2011, West Virginia experienced the largest increase in youths confined to juvenile facilities of any state in the country and was one of only four states in the United States to increase commitment rates even as other states were able to reduce both juvenile crime and commitments,” Tomblin said of the issues faced by the state’s juvenile justice system.

A 2013 study from Pew shows West Virginia saw a 94% increase in juvenile commitment during the 15-year period Tomblin mentioned, ranking the state worst in the country during those years. In 2011, the state housed 327 juvenile offenders, up from 192 in 1997.

Despite the state closing the Youth Industrial Home in Salem last year after a lawsuit and criticism over it’s ineffectiveness on rehabilitation, Tomblin pointed to the results of that closure as providing better opportunities for young offenders.

“Young people once housed at Salem were transferred to our juvenile centers where they are receiving better educational opportunities in an environment that better promotes rehabilitation,” said Tomblin.

In hopes to improve further, state officials are teaming up with the Pew Charitable Trusts to comprehensively study the juvenile justice system. The goal, Tomblin said, is to implement research driven methods to help shape policy that keeps young people out of trouble while saving taxpayer money.

As part of the study, Pew will evaluate programs from the Division of Juvenile Services, the Department of Health and Human Resources, and the state Department of Education. They will also examine demographics of youth offenders and what crimes are being committed.

“This is about achieving more public safety, this is about improving outcomes for kids, and it’s about enhancing accountability,” said Pew state policy director Jake Horowitz. “It’s about doing all of those things while curtailing the taxpayer burdens of the corrections system.”

House Speaker Tim Miley was among the lawmakers, Supreme Court Justices, and other officials that joined Governor Tomblin for Wednesday’s announcement.

“Whenever we as a legislative body or as individual members–or at the governor’s office, for that matter–tackle anything within the criminal justice system, there’s always concern that that means we’re going to be more lenient,” said Miley. “That’s not necessarily what this study is going to reveal to us.”

Miley echoed Gov. Tomblin and other state officials in emphasizing rehabilitation rather than incarceration and providing opportunities for young people to be contributing members of society.

“We always lose sight of the fact that there is life after punishment. Obviously, community safety is paramount,” Miley explained. “But, if we’re going to put people in our criminal justice system with an expectation of leaving that system, we have to be prepared for life after punishment.”

Tomblin said an Intergovernmental Task Force on Juvenile Justice and Child Welfare will soon be created to review data trends, evaluate the programs for juvenile delinquents, and make policy recommendations for future legislation.

Pew’s study is expected to be complete by December, allowing lawmakers time to examine the findings in time for the next regular session of the legislature, which begins in January.