West Virginia
Justice issues state of emergency in connection with drought conditions – WV MetroNews
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Gov. Jim Justice has declared a state emergency for all 55 counties because of drought conditions.
A Friday afternoon news release from the governor’s office said the proclamation was made in an effort to support West Virginia’s farming community.
“This drought has plagued West Virginia farmers, putting them at risk of losing everything,” Justice said. “We cannot and will not stand by and watch our hardworking farmers suffer from this severe lack of rain. We understand the immense stress and hardship this drought has caused. Right now, our Emergency Management Division is working tirelessly to secure disaster assistance for those in need. Until then, we are committed to doing everything we can to support our agricultural community during this challenging time.”
Justice, who himself has had a lot of experience with farming having owned and worked some of the largest farming operations east of the Mississippi River, has mentioned the dry conditions during several of his media briefings this summer. He has now activated the state’s Emergency Operations Plan.
MORE See current map of drought conditions
The activation instructs “personnel and resources to be ready to respond to any emergencies, and granted specific administrative powers to the Director of the West Virginia Emergency Management Division to ensure essential emergency services are provided efficiently.”
It is especially dry in the Eastern Panhandle, state Agriculture Commissioner Kent Leonhardt said last week.
“Right now the dryness in Jefferson County is the second worst in 130 years and Berkeley County and Morgan County it’s the third worst in 130 years,” Leonhardt said. “This is is a little more serious than we’re used to seeing.”
Leonhardt said if the drought conditions continue, it will continue to impact producing crops as well as those making hay for livestock.
“This is going to hurt second and third cutting of hay,” he said. “We’re going to end up with, maybe not as much volume. It’s one of those variables that we can’t control.”
According to the National Weather Service, Eastern Panhandle counties are considered to be under severe drought, the Northern Panhandle, Central West Virginia and the Greenbrier Valley are under moderate drought while the Huntington-Charleston corridor is considered abnormally dry.
Justice’s state of emergency proclamation for expire in 30 days unless Justice issues a new one.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) – The Verizon Network is currently experiencing a widespread outage across West Virginia.
A service alert was sent to residents in Kanawha County.
Verizon customers should still be able to call 911.
If a Verizon customer experiences an issue with contacting 911, a landline should be used if possible.
However, only contact 911 if there is a true emergency.
At this time, Verizon is not giving an estimated time for restoration.
Copyright 2026 WSAZ. All rights reserved.
JACKSON COUNTY, W.Va. (WSAZ) – Alyssa’s Law passed through the West Virginia Legislature, creating a fund to bring panic buttons and other life-saving technology to schools statewide.
Del. Jonathan Pinson, R-Mason, who helped create Alyssa’s Law, said, “Every teacher, every staff member equipped with a wearable panic button that allows them a literal one push to the 911 center, to local law enforcement and EMS.”
Alyssa Alhadeff was a 14-year-old who died alongside 16 other students in the Parkland school shooting in 2018. Her parents are giving the first official funds to West Virginia through the organization called Make Our Schools Safe.
“They’ll make a contribution this evening of $48,888,” Pinson said. “That number 8 is recurring because it was Alyssa’s volleyball number.”
The state Department of Education is giving $348,888 to the fund, as well.
In Jackson County, local funding helped bring in panic buttons, and deputies are required to spend time in schools every week.
Jackson County Sheriff Ross Mellinger said the panic buttons give local law enforcement maps and an alert to their phone.
“It’s a pretty big lift to get the money and we’re looking at $9.5-10 million to get this thing done, and the sad reality is if we had a school shooting tomorrow, we would bend over backwards to get you the money then, but at that point it’s too little too late,” Mellinger said.
He said he wants to be proactive and encourages other counties to do the same.
Pinson said the cost of technology will drop over time, and Alyssa’s Law allows more safety upgrades in the future.
Pinson said Jackson County is a perfect example of what kind of upgrades are possible.
“Right here in Jackson County, they are unveiling AI driven cameras that can immediately alert the school and local law enforcement if a person of concern were to come on campus,” he said.
Leaders hope this technology can save lives across West Virginia. Pinson said the initial cost for panic buttons is about $20,000 per school and the fund is held with Homeland Security until hitting the goal of about $10 million.
Copyright 2026 WSAZ. All rights reserved.
GRAFTON, W.Va. — The 159th annual West Virginia Memorial Day Parade is set to take place in Grafton on May 25th. The parade will begin at 10 a.m.
This tradition that Grafton residents hold near and dear to their hearts has been recognized nationwide as the longest continuous running Memorial Day parade in the country.
“We tightened up our boot straps, and hopefully we will put on a very nice program and remember what the day is about this year,” Scott Willis, Parade Committee Chairman, said.
In 2016, the West Virginia Legislature designated Grafton’s parade as the Official Memorial Day Parade of West Virginia, a distinction earned through unwavering devotion, remembrance, and community pride.
“Grafton does it right, we really do,” Willis stated. “We hold true to what the day is about and understand the importance of Grafton, as it has the only national cemeteries in the state.”
As the parade continues to grow, Grafton hopes that more volunteers will continue to offer aid and assistance.
“We’re always looking for volunteers,” Willis said. “We’re a complete volunteer organization that puts this on every year.”
In addition to seeking volunteers, to further prepare for this event, Grafton will be hosting organizational meetings every Monday up until Memorial Day weekend at the City Council Chambers. The meetings will begin at 7 p.m. The meetings will aid in discussing volunteer work, logistics of the entire event, and consider some of the success in previous years.
“We feel we have a responsibility not only to the participants and the patrons of this, but our biggest responsibility is to those who lay beneath the white markers at both of our national cemeteries in Grafton because that’s what the day is about,” Willis added.
Those interested in learning more about the event or seeking to volunteer, may email parade@wvmemorialday.com or visit wvmemorialday.com.
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