CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Governor Patrick Morrisey told reporters the focus of the ongoing work to find and rescue a missing miner in Nicholas County is to remove water from a flooded coal mine.
“The big, strategic goal right now is to drain as much water as possible to give the mine rescue individuals the opportunity to go in and further their search,” Morrisey said during a press conference a the Federal Courthouse in Charleston following a meeting with U.S. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin Wednesday.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A Trump administration official says a visit to West Virginia Wednesday will help him better know the state’s manufacturing and economic landscape.
Lee Zeldin
EPA administrator Lee Zeldin joined U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito on a tour that included stops at Toyota plant and the John Amos Power Station in Putnam County and the Nucor Steel of West Virginia construction site in Mason County.
Zeldin also took part in a roundtable discussion with state manufacturers and Gov.

INSTITUTE, W.Va. – The basketball season tips off in the Kanawha Valley this Friday with a growing tradition in the Earl Lloyd Classic at West Virginia State University.
The weekend of hoops recognizes State alum Earl Lloyd, the first African-American to appear in an NBA game. Yellowjackets head men’s basketball coach Bryan Poore said Lloyd was both a spectacular player and a tremendous friend.
“He was just a special human being, more so than just being a special human being. He was a diamond. I

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Schools across West Virginia are requesting more than a quarter of a billion dollars in state funds for school safety improvements during the 2025-26 school year.
That figure was revealed on Wednesday at the West Virginia Board of Education’s meeting with the presentation of the 2024-25 West Virginia School Safety and Security Report.
“Local counties spent $40,709,676 last year, and then we are requesting $252 million moving forward,” School Facilities Director Micah Whitlow

West Virginia schools have lost 2.5% of their students in the past year, state Superintendent Michele Blatt said today.
The state’s student enrollment is now 234,957 students, Blatt said during a state Board of Education meeting.
The ongoing loss of student population has been a major factor in a wave of school closures across the state.
Within the past week, the Roane County Board of Education voted to close two elementary/middle schools and consolidate students into other nearby schools.
The

Today on MetroNews This Morning:
–Congressman Riley Moore believes the House will approve the measure to reopen the federal government today
–Governor Morrisey says the search for a missing coal miner is still very much a rescue operation
–Barbour County’s Superintendent says consolidation of the county’s middle schools was the best move for the current situation
–In Sports: Rich Rod and Gibbie talk about this weekend’s road tests for the Mountaineers and Thundering Herd
Listen to “MetroNews

PHILIPPI, W.Va. — The plan adopted by the Barbour County Board of Education for a middle school and an elementary school was inevitable, according to superintendent Eddie Vincent.
As a result of the unanimous 5-0 vote Monday, the district will close the Belington Middle School, Kasson Middle School, and Philippi Middle School—those students will be moved to the Philip Barbour High School. The board also approved the closure of the Junior Elementary School; those students will relocate to the

WASHINGTON, D.C. — West Virginia Second District Congressman Riley Moore says he’ll vote in favor of the continuing resolution to reopen the federal government when it comes up before the U.S. House Wednesday afternoon.
Riley Moore
The Senate passed the measure on a 60 to 40 vote Tuesday. It extends government funding to Jan. 31, 2026. The Senate also passed three appropriations bills.
The government shutdown has lasted for 42 days.
“We’ve basically ended exactly where we started, exactly where