West Virginia
Capito Secures Grant Funding for Various West Virginia Efforts – West Virginia Daily News
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WVDN) — U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), a leader on the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced grants from various federal agencies and other organizations to deliver funds for projects she championed, including healthcare, education, research, environmental cleanup, infrastructure, economic development, and drug use prevention projects.
More information on each project can be found below:
HHS FUNDING: Senator Capito, Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS), announced grants from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for a variety of health service projects in West Virginia.
- $7,104,407 in HHS Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) funding to the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (WV DHHR) (Charleston, W.Va.).
- $2,500,000 in HHS funding to First Choice Services, Inc. (Charleston, W.Va.) to provide high quality insurance navigation services in West Virginia.
- $2,398,129 in HHS Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Science grant funding to the WV DHHR (Charleston, W.Va.).
- $1,600,215 in HHS Preventive Health and Health Service Block grant funding to the WV DHHR (Charleston, W.Va.).
- $1,575,743 in HHS Maternal and Child Health Services grant funding to the WV DHHR (Charleston, W.Va.).
- $270,458 in HHS Rural Health Care Services Outreach program grant funding to West Virginia University (WVU) (Morgantown, W.Va.).
- $228,000 in HHS research grant funding to WVU (Morgantown, W.Va.) to develop machine learning frameworks for public health intervention in rural America.
- $199,122 in HHS Substance Abuse Prevention grant funding to Hampshire County (Romney, W.Va.).
- $169,703 in HHS Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grant funding to the WV DHHR (Charleston, W.Va.) for Pediatric Mental Care access.
DOL FUNDING: Senator Capito, through her role as Ranking Member of the Labor-HHS Appropriations Subcommittee, secured grants from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) for workplace safety and injury prevention.
- $160,000 in DOL funding to Marshall University (Huntington, W.Va.) for education and training to help workers and employers recognize serious workplace hazards and employ injury prevention.
- $149,933 in DOL funding to WVU (Morgantown, W.Va.) for education and training to help workers and employers recognize serious workplace hazards and employ injury prevention.
EPA FUNDING: Senator Capito, Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, announced funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Fish and Wildlife Services (FWS) for a variety of programs in West Virginia, including funding made available through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). Ranking Member Capito helped negotiate and craft portions of the landmark legislation.
- $35,451,000 in EPA IIJA funding to the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WV DEP) (Charleston, W.Va.) to support a fund that will distribute low-interest loans for water infrastructure projects.
- $30,845,000 in EPA IIJA funding to the WV DEP (Charleston, W.Va.) to support a fund that will distribute low-interest loans for clean drinking water projects.
- $12,726,000 in EPA funding to the WV DEP (Charleston, W.Va.) for capitalization grant funding for the state Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) program.
- $7,690,000 in EPA IIJA funding to the WV DEP (Charleston, W.Va.) for capitalization grant funding for the state Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) program.
- $3,345,000 in EPA funding to the WV DEP (Charleston, W.Va.) for a capitalization grant for the CWSRF program with a primary purpose to address emerging contaminants. Emerging contaminants refer to substances and microorganisms, including manufactured or naturally occurring physical, chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear materials, which are known or anticipated in the environment, that may pose newly identified or re-emerging risks to human health, aquatic life, or the environment.
- $2,000,000 in EPA IIJA funding to the Raleigh County Recreation Authority (Beckley, W.Va.) for Brownfields cleanup projects.
- $1,872,000 in EPA funding to the WV DEP (Charleston, W.Va.) for clean water projects.
- $1,500,000 in EPA funding to the Bel-O-Mar Regional Council (Wheeling, W.Va.) to inventory, characterize, assess, and conduct cleanup planning and community involvement related activities at West Virginia Brownfields sites.
- $500,000 in EPA IIJA funding to the New River Gorge Rural Development Authority (Beckley, W.Va.) to clean up a Brownfield site.
- $500,000 in FWS funding to the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay (Washington, D.C.) to improve forest habitats in the Chesapeake across West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.
- $500,000 in FWS funding to Cacapon and Lost Rivers Land Trust (Capon Bridge, W.Va.) wildlife habitat conservation in the Cacapon and Lost Rivers Watershed.
- $741,514 in EPA funding to the WV DEP (Charleston, W.Va.) to support air pollution control efforts in West Virginia.
- $439,000 in FWS funding to Trout Unlimited (Arlington, Va.) to protect native brook trout in West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle.
- $419,000 in FWS funding to the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin (Rockville, Md.) to improve eel passage on the Potomac River in West Virginia and Maryland.
- $269,500 in FWS funding to the West Virginia Land Trust (Charleston, W.Va.) to protect forests and working lands to restore James Spiny Mussel habitat.
- $74,100 in FWS funding to Cacapon and Lost Rivers Land Trust (Capon Bridge, W.Va.) to protect biodiversity in West Virginia’s Cacapon Watershed.
DHS FUNDING: Senator Capito, a member of the Senate Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, announced a variety of grants from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), including the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
- $300,000 FEMA Emergency Preparedness Grant award to Camp Torah, Inc. (High View, W.Va.).
- $150,000 FEMA Emergency Preparedness Grant award to the West Virginia Tree of Life Congregation (Morgantown, W.Va.).
- $150,000 FEMA Emergency Preparedness Grant award to Emmanuel Baptist Church DBA: Emmanuel Christian School (Clarksburg, W.Va.).
- $150,000 FEMA Emergency Preparedness Grant award to Enslow Park Presbyterian Church (Huntington, W.Va.).
- $150,000 FEMA Emergency Preparedness Grant award to First Baptist Church of Saint Albans (St. Albans, W.Va.).
- $150,000 FEMA Emergency Preparedness Grant award to Habitat for Humanity of the Mid-Ohio Valley (Vienna, W.Va.).
- $150,000 FEMA Emergency Preparedness Grant award to the Herbert J. Thomas Hospital Memorial Association (South Charleston, W.Va.).
- $150,000 FEMA Emergency Preparedness Grant award to Iskcon New Vrindaban, Inc. (Moundsville, W.Va.).
- $149,250 FEMA Emergency Preparedness Grant award to Wheeling Country Day School (Wheeling, W.Va.).
- $148,705 FEMA Emergency Preparedness Grant award to St. Michael Church and School (Wheeling, W.Va.).
- $143,050 FEMA Emergency Preparedness Grant award to Shuck Memorial Baptist Church (Lewisburg, W.Va.).
- $142,300 FEMA Emergency Preparedness Grant award to the Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club of Charleston (Charleston, W.Va.).
- $141,050 FEMA Emergency Preparedness Grant award to St. Joseph the Worker Parish School (Weirton, W.Va.).
- $116,000 FEMA Emergency Preparedness Grant award to Randolph Street Baptist Church (Charleston, W.Va.).
- $101,074 FEMA Emergency Preparedness Grant award to Union Mission Ministries, Inc. (Charleston, W.Va.).
- $58,000 FEMA Emergency Preparedness Grant award to Hope for Appalachia, LLC (Charleston, W.Va.).
- $55,100 FEMA Emergency Preparedness Grant award to CenterPoint Bible Church (Falling Waters, W.Va.).
- $35,803 FEMA Emergency Preparedness Grant award to Union Mission Ministries, Inc. (Charleston, W.Va.).
- $24,249 FEMA Emergency Preparedness Grant award to the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston (Wheeling, W.Va.).
- $19,491 FEMA Emergency Preparedness Grant award to Union Mission Ministries, Inc. (Charleston, W.Va.).
- $15,380 FEMA Emergency Preparedness Grant award to the African American Community Association of Jefferson County, W.Va.
NSF FUNDING: Senator Capito also secured grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for academic research projects at WVU, Concord University, and Marshall University.
- $632,019 NSF award to WVU (Morgantown, W.Va.) for a project titled “CAREER: Advancing Fairness in Biometric Systems: Towards Security and Privacy Enhancement.”
- $594,458 NSF award to WVU (Morgantown, W.Va.) for a project titled “NANOGrav Student Teams of Astrophysics Researchers Undergraduate Pathways (STARS-UP): Infrastructure for the Two to Four-Year College Transition.”
- $400,000 NSF award to WVU (Morgantown, W.Va.) for a project titled “Course-Based Undergraduate Research: The Magnetic Analysis and Measurement Project.”
DOE FUNDING: Senator Capito announced grant funding from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for a hydrogen project affecting West Virginia.
- $909,269 in DOE funding for IN-2-Market Inc. (Follansbee, W.Va.) for a hydrogen project that will affect the community in and around Follansbee, W.Va.
DOT FUNDING: Senator Capito, a member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, also secured funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) for a variety of projects.
- $6,302,717 in DOT Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) funding to the City of Morgantown, W.Va. for a runway extension project at Morgantown Municipal Airport.
- $6,529,858 in DOT funding to the U.S. Forest Service for road and bridge repair in northern West Virginia stemming from May 2023 storms.
- $5,561,238 in DOT funding to the U.S. Forest Service for road and culvert repair in the South Fork of the Cranberry River Basin stemming from August 2022 storms.
- $2,165,080 in DOT funding to the U.S. Forest Service for road and trail cleanup and repair in the Monongahela National Forest stemming from June 2019 storms.
- $1,590,763 in DOT funding to the U.S. Forest Service for road and trail repair in the Monongahela National Forest stemming from May 2023 storms.
- $250,032 in DOT funding to the U.S. Forest Service for road and trail repair in the Monongahela National Forest stemming from October 2017 storms.
- $200,620 in DOT funding to the City of Fairmont, W.Va. for a project that will aim to reduce traffic congestion in the city.
EDA FUNDING: Senator Capito also secured funding from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) for several West Virginia projects.
- $2,800,000 in EDA funding to the Greenbrier Airport Authority (Lewisburg, W.Va.) to construct a new hangar and increase airport service.
- $1,033,698 in EDA funding to the Marshall University (South Charleston, W.Va.) to support expansion and redevelopment of the Marshall Advanced Manufacturing Center in South Charleston.
- $799,926 in EDA funding to Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical College (Moorefield, W.Va.) to support development of a new Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) training program at Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical College.
- $717,116 in EDA funding to WVU (Morgantown, W.Va.) to support expansion of the Vantage Ventures Accelerator program, providing technical assistance to small, technology-based businesses.
DOJ FUNDING: Senator Capito also announced three grants from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for victim of crime support programs.
- $4,433,069 in DOJ funding to GO33 Justice and Community Services (Charleston, W.Va.) to assist and support victims of crime.
- $1,308,132 in DOJ funding to GO33 Justice and Community Services (Charleston, W.Va.) for STOP (Services, Training, Officers, Prosecutors) Violence Against Women Formula grant funding.
- $515,000 in DOJ funding to the Legislative Office of the State of West Virginia (Charleston, W.Va.) to assist and support victims of crime.
NPS FUNDING: Senator Capito also delivered grant funding from the U.S. National Parks Service (NPS) for two Land and Water Conservation (LWCF) projects.
- $250,000 in NPS LWCF funding to the City of Morgantown, W.Va. for Morgantown’s Bike Skills Pump Track.
- $113,515 in NPS LWCF funding to the Pleasants County Commission (St. Marys, W.Va.) to improve to renovate the Pleasants County Aquatic Center.
West Virginia
Why is Popular Bracketologist Still Considering West Virginia for NCAA Tournament?
Losing to Kansas State wiped away all hope for West Virginia to make the NCAA Tournament. That seems to be the clear consensus in the Mountain State, but is there actually still a chance? Well, I guess so.
ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi still has West Virginia listed as a team to consider, the second team outside of the “next four out” grouping.
Lunardi’s current NCAA Tournament bubble
Last Four Byes: Missouri, Texas A&M, Texas, Ohio State
Last Four In: SMU, Santa Clara, New Mexico, Indiana
First Four Out: VCU, Auburn, Virginia Tech, Cincinnati
Next Four Out: San Diego State, USC, California, Seton Hall
Next: Stanford, West Virginia, Oklahoma, Arizona State
How is this even possible?
Short answer? I don’t really know.
My best guess as to why? Two things: the respect for the Big 12 and the opportunities left on the table, and two, an incredibly weak bubble.
Should West Virginia beat UCF on Friday, it will give the Mountaineers a 9-9 record in Big 12 play. That’s not as much of a guarantee to make the dance as having a winning record, but still, it’s an impressive mark, especially when, in this instance, they would have wins over Kansas, BYU, and sweeps over Cincinnati and UCF.
If you ask me, they still have too many bad losses for it to matter. I mean, even if they got red-hot out of nowhere and made it to the Big 12 championship game next week, is that enough? Potentially, but that’s a big IF.
The one thing WVU does have on its side is the number of Quad 1 wins, which they have five of. Virtually every other team in college basketball that has a minimum of five Quad 1 victories is expected to make the tournament. In that previously mentioned scenario, they would add at least one more Quad 1 win in the conference tournament, giving the committee something to think about.
The bubble is just incredibly weak, though. Like, how in the world is Auburn, who is 16-14 currently, the second team out of the field? Cincinnati, which WVU swept and has the same record as, is the fourth team in the “first four out” grouping.
At this point, the only path I see is for the Mountaineers to cut down the nets in Kansas City — good luck with that. We could be having a very different conversation if they didn’t lallygag their way through the first 30 minutes of the games against Utah and Kansas State.
West Virginia
Buckle up: West Virginia launching seatbelt enforcement campaign Friday
Buckle up, Upshur County. Starting Friday, March 6, law enforcement officers across West Virginia will step up seatbelt enforcement as part of a statewide Click It or Ticket campaign running through March 23.
The West Virginia Governor’s Highway Safety Program (GHSP) announced the high-visibility mobilization as a warm-up to the national seatbelt campaign in May. The goal is to ensure every occupant — front seat or back, driver or passenger — is buckled on every trip.
“During this mobilization, law enforcement officers across West Virginia will be out in full force. They will be strictly ticketing drivers who are unbuckled or who are transporting children not properly restrained in car seats,” said Jack McNeely, Director of the GHSP.
The numbers behind the campaign are sobering. In 2023, 40% of passenger vehicle occupants killed in West Virginia crashes were unrestrained. The state’s seatbelt usage rate has also slipped — from 91.9% in 2024 to 91.6% in 2025.
Rural drivers face elevated risk despite a common assumption that country roads are safer. In 2023, 65% of the state’s traffic fatalities occurred in rural areas, compared to 35% in urban centers.
Under West Virginia law, wearing a seatbelt is required. A citation carries a $25 fine, though McNeely says the real point isn’t the penalty.
“Click It or Ticket isn’t about the citations; it’s about saving lives,” he said. “A ticket is a wake-up call. It is far less expensive than the alternative — paying with your life or the lives of your family and friends.”
For more information about the West Virginia Governor’s Highway Safety Program, visit highwaysafety.wv.gov or call 304-926-2509.

West Virginia
West Virginia man accused of threatening Trump, ICE agents indicted
CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WCHS) — A West Virginia man accused of threatening to attack President Donald Trump and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement workers was federally indicted this week.
Cody Lee Smith, 20, of Clarksburg was indicted on two counts of threats to murder the president, one count of influencing and retaliating against federal officials by threat of murder and one count of influencing a federal official by threat of murder, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of West Virginia.
Smith is accused of making a series of public posts on Instagram encouraging and threatening the murder of Trump, those who support him, Israelis and “all government officials,” the news release said.
The indictment also alleges that Smith sent a direct message via Instagram to Donald J. Trump, Jr., stating he would kill his father by cutting his “jugular.”
In a phone call with the ICE tip line, Smith also threatened to kill ICE agents in Clarksburg and employees staffing the tip line.
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Smith faces up to 5 years for each of the presidential threat charges and faces up to 10 years in federal prison for each of the remaining counts.
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