Ken Ward Jr.

West Virginia's Abandoned Well Problems Weak enforcement has allowed West Virginia's abandoned oil and gas well problem to spiral. Fixing it could support thousands of jobs.

ohiorivervalleyinstitute.org/west-virgini...

Documents Reveal a Web of Financial Ties Between Trump Officials and the Industries They Help Regulate ProPublica is releasing a trove of disclosure records that detail the finances of more than 1,500 Trump appointees, including former lobbyists, industry executives and at least a dozen officials who d...

www.propublica.org/article/trum...

State officials won’t answer questions about ICE partnership after judges rule arrests violated the Constitution - Mountain State Spotlight State agencies have worked alongside immigration officers to make unconstitutional arrests. Elected officials wouldn’t answer questions about it.

mountainstatespotlight.org/2026/03/05/i...

Happy to private message you the @mtnstspotlight.bsky.social bank information and IRS designation ... just let me know.

Judges in a Trump stronghold condemn ICE tactics “If the government may simply seize someone without due process, there is no check on its ability to seize anyone,” one judge wrote.

www.politico.com/news/2026/03...

Bruce Springsteen & The ESB - The Daily Show August 6th, 2015. www.facebook.com/SpringsteenChile

vimeo.com/135677864

Morrisey said he was “fixing foster care.” His main proposal won’t repair the broken system. Gov. Patrick Morrisey’s foster care plan brings kids back to West Virginia, but it still leaves the state overreliant on group homes.

mountainstatespotlight.org/2026/02/25/m...

Bruce Springsteen - Streets Of Minneapolis (Irish Folk Version) YouTube video by Ethan Gontar

www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4o0...

Scientific studies calculate climate change as health danger, while Trump calls it a 'scam' The Trump administration has revoked a scientific finding that climate change is a danger to public health, an idea that President Donald Trump called “a scam.”

apnews.com/article/clim...

“I Have Been Here Too Long”: Read Letters from the Children Detained at ICE’s Dilley Facility Hundreds of children are currently being held with their parents at an immigration detention center in Dilley, Texas. In letters and drawings, eight kids convey the pain of feeling trapped with no end...

www.propublica.org/article/ice-...

The Secret IRS Files: Trove of Never-Before-Seen Records Reveal How the Wealthiest Avoid Income Tax ProPublica has obtained a vast cache of IRS information showing how billionaires like Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Warren Buffett pay little in income tax compared to their massive wealth — sometimes, ev...

We found that Jeff Bezos paid *zero* taxes in 2007 and 2011.

In fact, he reported making so little in 2011 that he even claimed and received a $4,000 tax credit for his children.

This is how he did it (published 2021):

Third ICE detainee released in West Virginia by federal judge U.S. District Judge Thomas Johnston ordered the release of a third immigrant detained by ICE in West Virginia.

UPDATE from @mtnstspotlight.bsky.social's @erinbeck.bsky.social on the federal judges in West Virginia rejecting Trump immigration crackdown:

mountainstatespotlight.org/2026/02/04/t...

Opinion | The Rot Goes Deeper Than ICE

www.nytimes.com/2026/01/30/o...

Two CBP Agents Identified in Alex Pretti Shooting The two federal immigration agents who fired on Minneapolis protester Alex Pretti are identified in government records as Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection officer Raym...

www.propublica.org/article/alex...

How ICE arrests of immigrants in West Virginia are overstepping constitutional limits President Trump’s immigration crackdown has come to West Virginia, prompting ICE raids that threaten to trample the Constitution

On Friday, ICE issued a press release touting immigrant arrests in WV, guaranteeing its narrative got traction. Look through your feed. You'll see what I mean.

Here's @mtnstspotlight.bsky.social's account, which gives the full story of what's going on:

mountainstatespotlight.org/2026/01/31/i...

How ICE arrests of immigrants in West Virginia are overstepping constitutional limits President Trump’s immigration crackdown has come to West Virginia, prompting ICE raids that threaten to trample the Constitution

ICYMI

mountainstatespotlight.org/2026/01/31/i...

Even in West Virginia -- where 70 percent of the ballots were cast for President Trump -- there is strong opposition to the ICE raids and immigration crackdown.

Read @erinbeck.bsky.social's @mtnstspotlight.bsky.social piece for the story the government's press release doesn't give you.

How ICE arrests of immigrants in West Virginia are overstepping constitutional limits President Trump’s immigration crackdown has come to West Virginia, prompting ICE raids that threaten to trample the Constitution

If you're hearing a lot about ICE arrests in West Virginia, you want to read this @mtnstspotlight.bsky.social story to understand what's really going on here:

mountainstatespotlight.org/2026/01/31/i...

How ICE arrests of immigrants in West Virginia are overstepping constitutional limits President Trump’s immigration crackdown has come to West Virginia, prompting ICE raids that threaten to trample the Constitution

mountainstatespotlight.org/2026/01/31/i...

How ICE arrests of immigrants in Wes President Trump’s immigration crackdown has come to West Virginia, prompting ICE raids that threaten to trample the Constitution

NEW: How Trump’s ICE raids in West Virginia are overstepping constitutional limits

mountainstatespotlight.org/2026/01/31/i...

Won’t You Be My Neighbor? | Lady Gaga Original YouTube video by Rocket

www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3o5...

Bruce Springsteen pens new Trump protest song, 'Streets of Minneapolis' The song, released Wednesday, describes how “a city aflame fought fire and ice ’neath an occupier’s boots,” which Springsteen calls “King Trump’s private army.”

www.pbs.org/newshour/art...

Believe Your Eyes People are risking their lives to document agents in Minneapolis.

Believe your eyes

www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...

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Our end-of-year fundraising campaign ends TONIGHT! Support West Virginia news: mountainstatespotlight.fundjournalism.org/join/?campai...

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As we wind down 2025, here are 12 stand-out examples of accountability reporting we published this year.

mountainstatespotlight.org/2025/12/29/2...

Share your experience with West Virginia’s PEIA Mountain State Spotlight is a nonpartisan, reader-supported investigative journalism outlet covering West Virginia. Around 125,000 West Virginians work for state or local government. Many of them…

Are you or a family member a public employee who relies on the Public Employee Insurance Agency? We want to hear from folks who will share their experiences or concerns about the plan. docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Join | Mountain State Spotlight Mountain State Spotlight is supported by people like you. Support Mountain State Spotlight today.

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If you rely on this reporting, please support it.

NEW: West Virginia got federal money to help foster kids succeed as adults. The state sent millions of dollars back.

mountainstatespotlight.org/2025/12/16/w...

Brown shooting victims were aspiring brain surgeon, talented musician Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, a freshman, and Ella Cook, a sophomore, were killed at Brown University on Saturday.

www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2025/...