The West Virginia delegates to the Democratic National Convention voted Monday to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential election, according to an announcement from the party.

Harris, the first Black woman to be nominated as a presidential candidate by a major political party, will break barriers and “pave the way for a more inclusive and representative democracy,” the party said in a statement. 

“Vice President Harris has been a steadfast advocate for reproductive rights,” Teresa Toriseva, the Democrats’ vice chair and candidate for attorney general, said in the statement. “In light of recent attacks on reproductive freedom, her commitment to safeguarding these rights is crucial. 

“We need her leadership to ensure that every woman has the autonomy over her own body and the freedom to make her own health care decisions,” she said. 

President Joe Biden announced Sunday he would not seek re-election to the office, ending weeks of speculation about his candidacy after a lackluster performance at last month’s debate against his  Republican opponent, former president Donald Trump. Biden on Sunday endorsed Harris. 

Del. Mike Pushkin, D-Kanawha, chair of the Democratic Party, said earlier Monday he “wholeheartedly” supports Harris. 

“When we elected President Biden, we also voted for Kamala Harris as vice president,” he told West Virginia Watch. “One of the roles of vice president is to be the president, if God forbid, something happens to the president. So to me, it’s the most logical choice, without hesitation, [to] support Kamala Harris [for] president.”

Harris needs 1976 votes at the national convention to secure the nomination. West Virginia has 25 delegates and two alternates. The convention is slated for next month in Chicago.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) – A miles long police chase ended Monday night on Interstate 64 East in Charleston.

It started as Ohio State Highway Patrol pursuit going into West Virginia. The chase went through Putnam County and continued on I-64 E into Charleston where it ended at the I-64/I-77 interchange.

Dispatch says two people were taken into custody and there are no injuries reported.

Several agencies were involved including the Ohio State Highway Patrol, West Virginia State Police, U.S. Marshals, Nitro Police, St. Albans Police, South Charleston Police, Charleston Police, and the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office.

Additional details are unavailable now. Keep checking the WSAZ app for the latest.

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Cleveland-Cliffs announced Monday it will produce electrical transformers in a $150 million investment at a West Virginia facility that closed earlier this year.

The company hopes to reopen the Weirton facility in early 2026 and “address the critical shortage of distribution transformers that is stifling economic growth across the United States,” it said in a statement.

As many as 600 union workers who were laid off from the Weirton tin production plant will have the chance to work at the new facility. The tin plant shut down in February and 900 workers were idled after the International Trade Commission voted against imposing tariffs on tin imports.

The state of West Virginia is providing a $50 million forgivable loan as part of the company’s investment.

“We were never going to sit on the sidelines and watch these jobs disappear,” West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice said in a statement.

The Cleveland-based company, which employs 28,000 workers in the United States and Canada, expects the facility will generate additional demand for specialty steel made at its mill in Butler, Pennsylvania.

In a statement, Lourenco Goncalves, Cleveland-Cliffs’ president, chairman and CEO, said distribution transformers, currently in short supply, “are critical to the maintenance, expansion, and decarbonization of America’s electric grid.”

The tin facility was once a nearly 800-acre property operated by Weirton Steel, which employed 6,100 workers in 1994 and filed for bankruptcy protection in 2003. International Steel Group bought Weirton Steel in federal bankruptcy court in 2003. The property changed hands again a few years later, ultimately ending up a part of Luxembourg-based ArcelorMittal, which sold its U.S. holdings to Cleveland-Cliffs in 2020.

Weirton is a city of 19,000 residents along the Ohio River about 40 miles (64 kilometers) west of Pittsburgh.