Latest news with #WVNS
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Prosecutor warns of potential charges against women who miscarry in West Virginia
BECKLEY, WV (WVNS) — Could women in West Virginia who miscarry at home be charged with crimes related to disposal of a body, if they flush or bury fetal remains? Raleigh County Prosecuting Attorney Tom Truman said that a number of criminal charges under state code, including felonies, could be levied against a woman who flushes fetal remains, buries them, or otherwise disposes of remains following an involuntary abortion, also called a miscarriage. It was unclear if prosecutors could levy similar criminal charges against husbands or others who helped a woman during a miscarriage. Following the U.S. Supreme Court's reversal of Roe v. Wade, which offered federal protections for legal abortion, a Trumbull County prosecutor in Warren, Ohio, levied criminal charges against a pregnant woman who flushed her toilet after miscarrying at home at 21 weeks. Ohio voters have since enshrined legal abortion rights in the state Constitution via ballot. An abortion ban remains in effect in West Virginia. West Virginia state code bars a woman from facing criminal charges for her own abortion. However, Truman said on Friday, May 30, 2025, that a number of prosecuting attorneys in the state have discussed with him and other prosecuting attorneys their willingness to file criminal charges against women in pregnancy loss situations, by using state law related to disposal of human remains. U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito says she would consider a national ban on abortion but doubts it will be an issue Similar to the prosecution of the Ohio woman, whether or not to file a criminal charge would be left to the discretion of the prosecuting attorney, so women may be unable to predict the outcome of each situation. 'The kind of criminal jeopardy you face is going to depend on a lot of factors,' Truman explained. 'What was your intent? What did you do? How late were you in your pregnancy? Were you trying to hide something, were you just so emotionally distraught you couldn't do anything else?' 'If you were relieved, and you had been telling people, 'I'd rather get ran over by a bus than have this baby,' that may play into law enforcement's thinking, too,' he explained. Truman added that women who miscarry at nine weeks or later could potentially face charges. ''Isn't there a difference between somebody that's eight months pregnant and nine weeks pregnant?'' said Truman. 'Those are going to be decisions that are going to have to be parsed out.' Mercer County man charged with displacement of a dead body State law does not require a woman to notify authorities when she miscarries, but Truman said that women who miscarry in West Virginia can protect themselves against potential criminal charges by reporting the miscarriage to local law enforcement. 'Call your doctor. Call law enforcement, or 911, and just say, 'I miscarried. I want you to know,'' advised Truman. Truman said he was unwilling to file charges in such cases. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Planned PEIA rate increases elicit concern from lawmakers and policyholders
BECKLEY, WV (WVNS) – Hundreds of thousands of West Virginians with PEIA coverage are set to see rate increases in the coming months. With increases of up to 16% in premiums expected to impact certain West Virginia residents as early as July according to PEIA, members of the general public along with state lawmakers have voiced concerns regarding the coverage provider. While many say a change is in order, no one can seem to agree on how to appropriately address financial concerns associated with the program. 'We keep doing things that they tell us is going to fix the problem and then it ends up not fixing the problem,' Delegate Eric Brooks told 59News. 'We'll see what the options are when we get back down there. I think the governor is really pushing for a Special Session to deal with this before January when we have our next legislative session.' A bill introduced during the most recent session of the West Virginia Legislature – House Bill 2623 – would abolish PEIA altogether, though some detractors have characterized the legislation as reckless. The bill was under consideration by the House Committee on Health and Human Resources at the time the most recent legislative session was brought to a close. Governor Patrick Morrisey told 59News he has been working with the legislature to address issues with PEIA, citing an overall need for fiscal responsibility on the state level. 'We have a lot of tough challenges ahead. I've mentioned that we have PEIA that'll be coming up in the upcoming months,' said Morrisey. 'We've been diligently working on that and are starting to have conversations with the legislature. We want to get that right because we have to make sure that we help West Virginia reach her potential.' Several delegates have said they expect to be called in for a session to address PEIA specifically, and the governor says he hopes to address the issue in the coming months, though an official call for a Special Session of the legislature has yet to be made at this time. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Tazewell County looks for clarification after reportedly being wrongfully included on 'sanctuary jurisdictions' list
TAZEWELL COUNTY, VA (WVNS) — Officials in Tazewell County reportedly stated that the County was incorrectly listed on a federal 'sanctuary jurisdictions' list. According to a press release on Friday, May 30, 2025, officials in Tazewell County found that the County was wrongly added on a list of reported 'sanctuary jurisdictions' under Executive Order 14287. The press release stated that the listing is allegedly incorrect and does not show how the County deals with immigration enforcement or public safety. We're unsure why Tazewell County appeared on this list. We are in the process of contacting the appropriate federal offices to request clarification and are asking that this be corrected without delay Eric Young | County Administrator According to the press release, Tazewell County reportedly never had a policy that prevented or limited cooperation with federal immigration authorities, and that the County works with federal partners and follows state and federal laws to help with the safety of the community. The press release stated that officials in Tazewell County are working to talk with the Department of Homeland Security and figure out the situation, as well as to make sure that information in the future shows correct information about practices and policies in the County. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Lawmaker says public, private schools play a role in educating foster children in WV
BECKLEY, WV (WVNS) — The West Virginia Center for Budget and Policy found in 2023 that West Virginia places children in foster at the highest rate of any state in the country, four times the national average. The study found that while West Virginia had only 0.5% of the national population, 2.2% of American children entering foster care were from West Virginia. The study also found that the number of children in foster care in West Virginia jumped by 57% between 2012 and 2021, despite an overall population decline of 4%. Additionally, the study found that parental rights of West Virginia parents are terminated more often than that of any other state, at a nearly 40% higher rate of speed. West Virginia Delegate Elliott Pritt, a Republican lawmaker who represents District 50, said the foster care system and needs of foster care children and others is now a strong consideration in the state education system. 'The foster care system is inundated with kids, and I think our public schools are inundated with kids that have problems, societal problems, familial problems, and it's not just foster kids,' said Pritt, adding that a number of children in family living situations have needs which require special support from the education system.' Data on public state websites showed around 6,292 foster children were enrolled in public schools in West Virginia in 2023. Ten interesting facts you might not have known about West Virginia Christy Day, spokeswoman for the West Virginia Department of Education, said that 2,142 foster children had an Individualized Education Plan, or an IEP, to meet special educational needs, in the 2023-2024 school year. The data shows that around 35% of students in foster care in 2023 required special education, compared to 22% of students who were not in foster care during the same year. It was unclear on Thursday, May 29, 2025, if the percentage accurately reflected the number of foster children who were in need of an IEP. Pritt said on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, that, due to recent legislation, state law now requires public schools to maintain a certain ratio of counselors, in order to meet students' special needs. Day said that the West Virginia Schools for Diversion and Transition employ professionals who solely provide support to students in foster care, adding that the title of Education Recovery Specialists had been transitioned to a new name, Foster Care Education Specialists. 'This program is a referral-based program and provides services to foster and kinship youth as needed,' Day wrote in an email. 'It also supports those youth identified by schools.' Day said the program assists foster care students and foster parents with document retrieval, enrollment, post high school college planning, programs and support referrals, and transcript analysis. Beckley attorney fears Senate bill could have negative effect on mental health services for at-risk transgender youth in the state Pritt said that private schools also play a role in addressing the educational needs of the state as it relates to students who are in foster care. He said that state law did not grant tax breaks to private schools which admit foster children, but he pointed out that the Hope Scholarship program, which takes money from public school coffers to allow parents or guardians to transfer a child to a homeschool or private school, provides tax dollars to private schools. 'I would hope that now, taking public money, that many of these schools would loosen up requirements or understand that there's a need in our communities, especially religious private schools,' said Pritt, 'that they are serving a community that has needs and that they would accept the applications of some of these kids.' Lawmaker aims to abolish alimony in West Virginia Pritt added that if foster children disagreed with the philosophy of a specific private or public school or homeschool curriculum, they could notify their caseworkers and request a change of educational setting. Day said that the WVDE Office of Special Education oversees the progress of disabled students in public and charter schools. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Spring Fire Season 2025 comes to a close – how it's compared to previous years
BECKLEY, WV (WVNS) — West Virginia's 2025 Spring Fire Season will officially come to a close on Saturday, May 31st. National park visitors to be encouraged to report 'negative' depictions under new order West Virginia's 2025 Spring Fire Season began on March 1st. Now, just a few days before the end of the season, Region 4 has experienced 125 fires with just over 2,500 acres burned. That is according to the West Virginia Department of Forestry's Daily Fire Report. But how does that stack up to previous fire seasons? Mark Hudnall, Service Forester for Raleigh County, said there were minimal differences. 'As a whole, it's about an average season. Probably a little fewer than we had last season when we were in more of a drought-like environment,' said Hudnall. Last year Region 4 clocked in at 153 total fires with more than 3,000 acres burned. Even though the burns may have been average this year, that does not mean that you do not have to be safe about fire. Hudnall said there are several ways the public can help keep fire numbers lower. 'Quit burning on excessively dry and windy days, follow the regulations, make sure to have your ten-foot safety strip around what you're burning, only burn naturally vegetative materials, and have your water hose and your shovel ready to go, and you know, be with it at all times,' said Hudnall. Additionally, Hudnall would like to remind everyone that burning trash and tires is illegal in the state. What recent rainfall means for the rest of spring fire season 2025 West Virginia's next fire season begins in the fall on October 1st, 2025, and will run until December 30th Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
