MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — State Attorney General J.B. McCuskey issued an order last week directing future opioid settlement funds to the state’s general revenue fund rather than the West Virginia First Foundation.
J.B. McCuskey
McCuskey said the types of cases being litigated are much different now and will be handled by lawyers representing cities, towns, and counties.
The first round of lawsuits targeted drug distributors and pharmacy operators; now litigation is focused on Pharmacy Benefit Managers

HAZELTON, W.Va. — The deputy director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, with a criminal history of his own, has stepped down from the post.
Josh Smith
Josh Smith was sworn in on June 9, 2025, as the first senior leader of the organization that had served time. Smith served five years in federal prison in the 1990s and was pardoned by President Donald Trump in 2021.
“It was a slap in the face,” American Federation of Government Employees Local 420 Steward Jason Shaffer said. “To have an inmate

POINT PLESANT, W.Va. — A Mason County woman will spend between three and 15 years in prison in connection to an infant’s death.
Taylor Flint, 25, of Point Pleasant, was sentenced Tuesday for child neglect resulting in death. She was reportedly the caregiver of an 11-day-old infant on October 25, 2025, when the child died. Flint was arrested in March.
According to a criminal complaint, emergency workers found the infant with skull fractures and other traumatic injuries to their head, face, and

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A longtime state corrections officer is the newest member of West Virginia’s House of Delegates.
Gov. Patrick Morrisey
Gov. Patrick Morrisey announced Tuesday that William “Bill” Vest, of Oak Hill, will serve out the remainder of former delegate Elliott Pritt’s term. Vest will represent the 50th District through the rest of this year. Pritt resigned last month amid a federal investigation into alleged sex crimes against a minor and remains in federal custody.
Vest has worked

CLAY, W.Va. — The Clay County community is trying to rally around a family which suffered a painful loss. Brothers James Neal III, 7, and Zayden Hurley, 13, were killed in a car wreck last weekend. A third child who was a friend of the family and also 13 was severely injured.
The family was returning from a football game in Richwood when the driver veered off the road and struck the rear end of a front-end loader on Route 16 at Indoore.
The news spread quickly in the small community and Clay

HUNTINGTON, W.Va – Six properties near Marshall University’s campus, including three fraternity houses, are being vacated due to safety concerns.
The university announced Tuesday it is working with the city of Huntington to support affected students. All six privately owned properties are being closed following an emergency order from the Huntington Fire Marshal.
“We recognize that this is an unexpected and significant disruption for some of our students, particularly at the beginning of the

CHARLESTON, W.Va – After a successful first year, Advantage Valley is again giving West Virginians a chance to sample some of the best the Mountain State has to offer.
“Taste of Appalachia” is back with Advantage Valley announcing the program’s 2026 launch on Tuesday at Capitol Market in Charleston.
“We thought this would be a great way to help them access new markets, because the ‘Taste of Appalachia’ program is designed to put together various vendors into gift boxes. We curated gift boxes,