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Utah became the latest state to regulate bathroom access for transgender people after Republican Gov. Opponents noted not all states allow people to change their birth certificates and that many trans people don’t want to have surgery. West Virginia’s Legislature is considering a transgender bathroom bill for students this year. “Nobody I know cares if a transgender woman comes into their bathroom, uses it for its intended purpose and walks out,” Birkeland said. Equality Utah, a nonprofit organization that advocates for LGBTQ+ rights, advocated for the amendment but still opposed the bill.

Persons: Spencer Cox, ” Cox, Tennessee —, Kera Birkeland, ” Birkeland Organizations: Republican Gov, West, Republican, American Civil Liberties Union of Utah, Senate, Equality Locations: Utah, — Alabama, Arkansas, Florida , Idaho , Iowa , Kansas , Kentucky, North Dakota , Oklahoma, Tennessee, West Virginia’s, Salt Lake County, Equality Utah

The total for the latest open enrollment period marks a 30% increase from a year ago, based on past enrollment figures published by the health policy research organization KFF. Officials said the figures include 5 million new signups and more than 16 million people with 2023 ACA plan coverage. West Virginia, which has expanded Medicaid, saw the largest percentage increase in enrollment at 80%. “Marketplace coverage is very important to those in those states whose incomes are under 138% of poverty,” says Sara Collins, vice president for health care coverage and access and tracking health system performance for The Commonwealth Fund. “It is a reflection of the lack of Medicaid expansion in those states.”An analysis by KFF notes ACA health plan enrollment has increased each year during the Biden administration.

Persons: It’s, Xavier Becerra, “, ”, Sara Collins, KFF, Biden, Donald Trump, Trump, Cynthia Cox, Cox, signups, ” Cox, Collins, ” Collin Organizations: Biden, “, Social Security, Affordable, ” Department of Health, Human Services, District of Columbia, Commonwealth Fund, American Locations: Texas, enrollees, Florida, West Virginia, signups

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (AP) — A West Virginia prison inmate whose infant daughter has been missing for more than two years has been indicted on murder and other charges, authorities said. Without elaborating, the statement said investigators collected evidence indicating Overstreet was responsible for the death of Angele Nichole Overstreet and for concealing and disposing of her remains. Marshals Service, and state police and other agencies from West Virginia and Kentucky. Political Cartoons View All 1277 ImagesPolice in May 2021 asked for the public's help in locating the baby. West Virginia Child Protective Services reported her missing after checking with Overstreet regarding custody issues in Kentucky.

Persons: HUNTINGTON, Shannon Patrick Overstreet, Overstreet, Angele Nichole Overstreet Organizations: FBI, U.S . Marshals Service, Huttonsville Correctional, Herald - Dispatch, Police, West Virginia Child Protective Services Locations: W.Va, West Virginia, Cabell County, Huntington, Kentucky, West

☆ Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin Won’t Run for Re-Election in West Virginia
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Katy Stech Ferek | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Sen. Joe Manchin said his decision was one of the toughest he has had to make in his lifetime. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty ImagesWASHINGTON—Sen. Joe Manchin (D., W.Va.) said Thursday that he won’t run for another term in the U.S. Senate, as he faced a tough re-election bid in a state that has turned more conservative during his tenure. The decision is expected to hurt Democrats’ effort to hold on to the Senate, which they currently control 51-49. West Virginia is seen as one of Republicans’ top pickup opportunities, along with Montana and Ohio, and Manchin was seen as the only Democrat who had a shot at holding on to the seat.

Persons: Sen, Joe Manchin, Anna Moneymaker, WASHINGTON — Sen, Manchin Organizations: Getty, WASHINGTON, U.S . Senate, Senate, Republicans ’, Democrat Locations: U.S, West Virginia, Montana and Ohio

☆ Biden’s economic scorecard touts fragile advantage
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Ben Winck | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +11 min

And if the political strategist James Carville was right that “it’s the economy, stupid,” the next several months could make or break Joe Biden’s economic record. As things stand, the current ruler of the free world touts a fragile advantage. Households’ disposable income after adjusting for inflation hit a record $20 trillion in the month that Biden’s measure was approved, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. STUDENT LOANSForgiving swaths of student debt was another of Biden’s campaign promises, but his efforts have so far failed. And with higher interest rates making debt service more expensive, Biden’s spending could come back to bite him on election day.

Persons: Joe Biden, Ken Cedeno, James Carville, Joe Biden’s, “, aren’t, Breakingviews, it’s, Biden, Donald Trump, Mitch McConnell, ”, Realtor.com, Congressional Republicans haven’t, haven’t, WALL, Lauren Silva Laughlin, Sharon Lam, Aditya Sriwatsav Organizations: Edmond's Catholic, REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, House, Republican, AMERICAN, ACT, Brookings Institution, Analysis, Walmart, Nordstrom, Deere, Caterpillar, Republicans, Commerce Department, Micron, Bank of America, Gallup, Federal Reserve, United Auto Workers, RSM, Congressional Republicans, Biden, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Conservative, Thomson Locations: St, Rehoboth Beach , Delaware, U.S, New York, Arizona, West Virginia

ATLANTA (AP) — The state of Georgia will start paying for gender-affirming health care for state employees, public school teachers and former employees covered by a state health insurance plan, settling another in a string of lawsuits against Georgia agencies aiming to force them to pay for gender-confirmation surgery and other procedures. The December lawsuit argued the insurance plan illegally discriminated by refusing to pay for gender-affirming care. But Brown said Thursday's settlement requires the health plan to pay for care deemed medically necessary for spouses and dependents as well as employees. That means the health plan could be required to pay for care for minors outside the state even though it's prohibited in Georgia. “The plan can’t treat the care any differently from other care that’s not available in the state,” Brown said.

Persons: “, ” David Brown, Micha Rich, Benjamin Johnson, Brown, it's, ” Brown, John Doe, ” Rich, Jeff Amy Organizations: ATLANTA, State, of Community Health, Civil, University, Georgia, University of Georgia, Department of Community Health, Circuit, Appeals, Georgia Department, School District, Family, Children Services, U.S, Opportunity Commission Locations: Georgia, Atlanta, Clayton County, Houston, Houston County, U.S, Bibb, Macon ., Paulding County, North Carolina, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Iowa, Florida, Arizona

Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral arguments in cases Thursday involving the coverage of gender-affirming care by North Carolina’s state employee health plan and the coverage of gender-affirming surgery by West Virginia Medicaid. During the proceedings, at least two judges said it’s likely the case will eventually reach the U.S. Supreme Court. Both states appealed separate lower court rulings that found the denial of gender-affirming care to be discriminatory and unconstitutional. “West Virginia is entitled to deference where they're going to take their limited resources," he said. Chambers certified the lawsuit as a class action, covering all transgender West Virginians who participate in Medicaid.

Persons: it’s, Tara Borelli, —, Borelli, John Knepper, Knepper, “, Caleb David, Virginia's, ”, Chuck Chambers, Huntington, Chambers, Patrick Morrisey Organizations: —, Circuit, Virginia Medicaid, U.S, Supreme, Lambda, Constitution, World Professional Association for Transgender Health, West, U.S . Centers, Medicare, Services, District, Affordable, West Virginians, West Virginia Inc, Public Employees Insurance Agency, West Virginia Republican, “ Locations: CHARLESTON, W.Va, North Carolina, West Virginia, Richmond, North Carolina’s, Virginia, U.S, “ West Virginia

☆ What’s the Best State to Retire In? (Hint: It’s Not Florida.)
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Michael Kolomatsky | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

If you’re approaching retirement, there are important real estate decisions to make. A new study from Bankrate scored all 50 U.S. states in five separate categories to determine which were the best (and worst) to retire in. Topping the list for best retirement state was Iowa, which finished third in affordability and 11th in health care. West Virginia, the most affordable U.S. state, ranked third, followed by Missouri (fifth most affordable) and Mississippi (second most affordable, seventh best for weather). In case you’re wondering, the retirement mecca of Florida finished eighth overall, with third-place scores in both the well-being and weather categories.

Persons: that’s, Bankrate Locations: Iowa, Delaware, West Virginia, Missouri, Mississippi, Florida

☆ The top 10 most expensive states to live in based on living expenses — Hawaii is 50% above the national average
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-06 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

This amounts to 35% of the annual US household average income of $70,784. Hawaii residents, however, pay around 50% above this national average — forking out an average of $3,070 for their monthly expenses. Getty ImagesMonthly bill expense per household: $2,7274. Getty ImagesMonthly bill expense per household: $2,5696. Getty ImagesMonthly bill expense per household: $2,41310.

Persons: Justin Sullivan, Joseph Sohm, Barry Winiker Organizations: Service, Hawaii, Utilities, Swiet, Getty, ., Maryland, House of, New York New, Washington Housing, . Colorado Colorado, Alaska Locations: Hawaii, Doxo, Wall, Silicon, New York, California , New Jersey, Massachusetts, West Virginia , Mississippi , Arkansas , Oklahoma, Kentucky, Hawaii Lanai, California, San Francisco, . New Jersey Newark , New Jersey, . Massachusetts Pittsfield , Massachusetts, House of Annapolis , Maryland, . Connecticut, Hartford, Connecticut River , Connecticut, New York New York City, Seattle , Washington, . Colorado Colorado Springs , Colorado, Alaska Anchorage , Alaska

☆ Opinion | Oklahoma’s Religious Public Charter School Would Be an Affront to Taxpayers Everywhere
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Rachel Laser | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

In June, Oklahoma’s Statewide Virtual Charter School Board approved the nation’s first religious public charter school. The Archdiocese of Oklahoma City and the Diocese of Tulsa were given permission to open St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School in August 2024. That’s right, a religious public school, funded by the state’s taxpayers. Proponents hope this model will spread to the dozens of other states that allow charter schools. Seven percent of public school students in the country attended charter schools as of the fall of 2021, and that number continues to grow.

Persons: Isidore of Organizations: Charter School Board, Oklahoma City, Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School Locations: Oklahoma, Archdiocese, Tulsa, St, Isidore of Seville, . Texas, Idaho, Kentucky, Missouri, Louisiana, West Virginia, United States

☆ How much you need to earn to be in the top 1% in every U.S. state
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Mike Winters | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

In Connecticut, households need to earn an annual income of $952,902 or more to be part of the top 1% of earners. While residents in more urban states tend to earn more, they also generally have a higher cost of living, which somewhat offsets those larger incomes. ConnecticutTop 1% income threshold: $952,9022. MassachusettsTop 1% income threshold: $903,4013. West VirginiaTop 1% income threshold: $367,582DON'T MISS: Want to be smarter and more successful with your money, work & life?

Persons: That's Organizations: Connecticut, Massachusetts, California, . New, Washington, New York, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, New Hampshire, Wyoming, Virginia, Maryland, Texas, Utah, Minnesota, Nevada, South Dakota, Pennsylvania, . North Dakota, Georgia, Oregon, Arizona, Idaho, North Carolina, Montana, Kansas, Rhode, Tennessee, Alaska, Nebraska, Delaware, Vermont, Wisconsin, South Carolina, Michigan, Maine, Missouri, Ohio, Hawaii, Iowa, Indiana, Alabama, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, Kentucky, New, Mississippi, West Virginia Top Locations: Connecticut, West Virginia, California, New York, Southern, Mississippi, Iowa, . New Jersey, New Mexico

☆ 10 states where homeowners put the most money toward housing costs—No. 1 isn't New York or California
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Mike Winters | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

It compared median income in each state to housing costs, which included mortgages, taxes, insurance, utilities and HOA fees. The analysis used 30% since it's a common benchmark for housing costs in a monthly budget. Known as the "30% rule," financial planners typically recommend putting no more than 30% of household income toward housing costs. While the median income in these states is significantly higher than the bottom-ranked states, housing costs are also elevated. As with fourth-ranked Rhode Island, there's a limited amount of land to develop in Hawaii, which has pushed up housing costs.

☆ Vivek Ramaswamy's firm courts GOP officials as he pushes businesses to stay out of politics
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Brian Schwartz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +14 min

Scott Olson | Getty ImagesRepublican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy built his White House bid around urging companies to stay out of politics. The messages show Ramaswamy's firm actively engaged with GOP state leaders who have defended the fossil fuel industry and criticized environmentally conscious investment standards. Ramaswamy on Thursday defended the firm's engagement with GOP officials, saying bigger firms BlackRock, Vanguard and State Street have conducted similar practices with state officials across the country. Strive has become one of the more vocal opponents of ESG investing and has gained enough notoriety to challenge the likes of fossil fuel giant ExxonMobil . Ron DeSantis, have often attacked ESG investing standards and corporations that support social causes — an increasingly common refrain within the GOP.

"Right now, the permitting process for clean energy infrastructure, including transmission, is plagued by delays and bottlenecks. The White House is backing a bill by Manchin of West Virginia, who has grown more critical in recent months of the administration's attacks on the fossil fuel industry. The White House released a detailed fact sheet outlining reform measures its seeking, including helping clean energy projects like wind and solar get on the grid faster. Manchin's legislation sets a two-year limit on environmental reviews of major federal energy projects, including ones on fossil fuels and directs the president to designate at least 25 high-level energy projects and prioritize their permitting. The White House said it is using existing authorities to speed permitting of energy projects.

☆ Here are the 5 key takeaways from this year's Milken Global conference
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Dakin Campbell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

The pullback by banks is raising the hopes of those in the private credit industry. Some panelists and others who spoke in the hallways of the event suggested that there was a large-scale handoff from private equity to private credit. Many private-equity firms are scrambling to raise private credit funds to take advantage. "I don't think this is the end of private equity, but the environment certainly favors private credit," he said. And that will show up in lower returns for private credit funds, she said.

☆ The 10 Senate seats most likely to flip in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Simone Pathe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +19 min

The GOP needs a net gain of one or two seats to flip the chamber, depending on which party wins the White House in 2024, and it’s Democrats who are defending the tougher seats. Jim Justice announcing his Senate bid in West Virginia – the seat most likely to flip party control in 2024. In a presidential year, the national environment is likely to loom large, especially with battleground states hosting key Senate races. Two businessmen with the ability to tap into or raise significant resources could be in the mix – Eric Hovde, who lost the GOP Senate nomination in 2012, and Scott Mayer. Still, unseating Cruz in a state Trump won by nearly 6 points in 2020 will be a tall order.

☆ GOP Gov. Jim Justice set to launch bid for Joe Manchin's Senate seat in West Virginia this week
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

West Virginia Governor Jim Justice (R) and US Senator Joe Manchin (L), Democrat of West Virginia, attend a roundtable discussion on the opioid epidemic with local and state officials at the Cabell-Huntington Health Department in Huntington, West Virginia, July 8, 2019. West Virginia offers the GOP perhaps its best chance to flip a Democratic seat next year. Justice's team believes a Senate bid by the governor could make Manchin less likely to seek reelection, the GOP source told CNBC last month. Former President Donald Trump, who is deeply popular in West Virginia, backed Mooney in his most recent House election. Justice is set to announce his Senate bid at his own resort, furthering intermingling the governor's business and politics.

☆ Juul to pay $462 million to six states in its largest settlement ever
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Jordan Valinsky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —Juul Labs, the e-cigarette maker, is paying $462 million to six US states and DC in the largest multi-state settlement yet for the troubled company that has been accused of contributing to the rise of vaping among youth. Based on responses to the 2022 National Youth Tobacco Survey, 14.1% of high school students and 3.3% of middle school students reported using e-cigarettes within the previous 30 days. California is getting $175.8 million, Illinois is getting $67.6 million, Massachusetts is getting $41.7 million, Colorado is getting $31.7 million, New Mexico is getting $17 million and District of Columbia is getting $15 million. West Virginia said on Monday that Juul is paying $7.9 million for similar accusations of marketing toward youth. Last summer, the FDA ordered Juul products to be removed from the US market.

☆ Florida's fight over Safe Haven 'baby boxes' are part of a larger culture war over abortion
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Safe Haven Baby Boxes let distressed moms safely and anonymously surrender unwanted newborns instead of dumping them in trash cans or worse. About 145 Safe Haven baby boxes were installed throughout nine states since 2016, and similar bills were recently approved or signed in four other states. About 145 boxes have been installed since the first in 2016, with 25 newborns surrendered through one, Safe Haven Baby Boxes says. Safe Haven Baby Boxes says the average response time is two minutes. A Safe Haven trains fire departments and hospitals on how to implement the current law.

☆ Mountain Valley Pipeline's West Virginia water permit tossed by court
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Clark Mindock | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Circuit Court of Appeals found several defects in the review the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection conducted before issuing the permit. They told the court the agency ignored Equitrans' history of violating state water regulations when it issued the permit under the Clean Water Act. A spokesperson for the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection said they're reviewing the decision. The permit is one of the last remaining hurdles for the multi-billion dollar project, which would carry natural gas between West Virginia and Virginia. For West Virginia: Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, Michael Williams and Lindsay See of the state attorney general’s office and Jason Wandling of the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection.

March 3 (Reuters) - Republican-backed bills introduced in legislatures in several U.S. states target the use of a planned merchant code for credit card transactions at gun retailers that is intended to detect suspicious firearms and ammunition sales. read moreMajor credit and debit card companies have committed to using the "merchant category code" for gun sellers, a development welcomed by gun control advocates who call it an important new tool for investigating suspicious purchases. FLORIDAA bill introduced in Florida is meant to prohibit banks and other companies in the payment-settlement process from assigning the code "separately from general merchandise or sporting goods retailers." The bill passed the state House of Representatives on Feb. 9 and is under consideration in the state Senate. West Virginia's bill was passed by the state House of Delegates on Feb. 3 and awaits further action in the state Senate.

☆ Democrats will be defending a slim Senate majority in 2024. Here's an early look at the states that will likely be in play for both political parties.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The 2024 Senate elections — which will run concurrent with the presidential race — are approaching. In 2024, 34 senators will be up for reelection: 20 Democrats, 11 Republicans, and three Independents. But Sinema's election itself is another matter; she has not yet announced whether she will run for reelection in 2024. He has not yet decided if he will run in 2024, but Republicans have been eyeing his seat for years. But he has done it before, winning in 2018 despite Republicans going all-out to defeat him.

Known in the legal world as the “death penalty” of child welfare, it can happen in a matter of months. One in 100 U.S. children — disproportionately Black and Native American — experience termination through the child welfare system before they turn 18, the study found. Still, longer timelines can also reflect a stronger focus on family reunification and a willingness to devote greater resources to meet that goal, child welfare experts say. And some child welfare advocates have criticized the law’s focus on narrow initiatives like parenting classes, which they say fail to address poverty and the other root causes of neglect that prompt most child welfare cases. Snodgrass said she never imagined when her child welfare case started that she could lose her rights to her children.

Some 19 of the 50 U.S. states have now at least partially blocked access on government computers to TikTok, which is owned by Beijing-based ByteDance Ltd. Jamf Holding Corp (JAMF.O), which sells software to organizations to enable filtering and security measures on iPhones and other Apple (AAPL.O) devices, said its government customers have increasingly blocked access to TikTok since the middle of this year. TikTok on Monday reiterated a statement, saying the company was "disappointed that so many states are jumping on the political bandwagon to enact policies based on unfounded falsehoods about TikTok that will do nothing to advance the national security of the United States." West Virginia State Auditor JB McCuskey said he did the same for his agency. U.S. officials and TikTok have been in talks for months about a national security pact that would address the concerns about China's access to data on TikTok's more than 100 million U.S. users.

☆ Couple sentenced in plot to sell U.S. submarine secrets by hiding intel in peanut butter sandwich
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

In one of them, Diana Toebbe told her husband to flush the letter down a toilet after reading it. Prior to sentencing, Jonathan Toebbe described his battles with stress in taking on additional duties and his own battle with alcohol. The couple was arrested in October 2021 after Jonathan Toebbe placed a card in Jefferson County, West Virginia. Prosecutors had sought three years for Diana Toebbe. An FBI agent posing as a foreign government’s representative made contact with Toebbe, ultimately paying in cryptocurrency for the information Toebbe was offering.

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