RICHMOND, Va. — Advocates of recreational marijuana sales in Virginia were dealt a setback Tuesday, when Gov. Abigail Spanberger vetoed companion bills that would have allowed dispensaries to begin opening Jan. 1. The veto comes as a surprise to many in the Old Dominion State, after she said she would sign the bill.Spanberger’s decision is just the latest twist in the long and complicated effort to legalize recreational sales, now entering its sixth year. In 2021, the Virginia legislature passed a bill that legalized possession of up to an ounce of marijuana, allowed residents to grow up to four plants, […]

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PRESS RELEASE: MARSHALL ATHLETICS NEW ORLEANS – Marshall Track & Field had nine athletes named to Sun Belt All-Conference teams on Tuesday, its most as a program since joining the league.   As champion in Long Jump, Lara Check earns SBC First Team All-Conference for the second time in 2026. The senior is now a three-time All-Conference member after garnering Third Team accolades in outdoor season last spring. Check is in position to qualify for the NCAA East First Rounds next week in Kentucky.  The Herd earned four additional Second Team All-Conference marks from there, including by way of Gabriel Urraca’s silver […]

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ASHLAND, Ky. — A Magoffin County man has been sentenced to more than four years in prison, after he was found with multiple firearms, despite a previous felony conviction. Andrew Gustaf Nielsen, 44, of Salyersville, pleaded guilty Feb. 9 to a federal charge of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Nielsen was arrested last May, after the Magoffin County Sheriff’s Office raided his home and found him in possession of six firearms, despite his previous felony conviction in Idaho for possession and distribution of marijuana and LSD, aggravated assault and a parole violation. He came under investigation after […]

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FRANKFORT, Ky. — Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman says his office is continuing efforts to ensure the state’s elections remain free, fair and secure. Speaking Tuesday from the Attorney General’s Election Integrity Command Center in Frankfort, Coleman said voters should report suspected election law violations through the state’s Election Fraud Hotline or online reporting system. As of noon on Election Day, the hotline had received 54 complaints involving possible election law violations from 27 Kentucky counties. Since the beginning of the year, the office says it has received 350 complaints from 87 counties statewide. The hotline is staffed live from […]

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CHARLESTON W.Va. — An $8 million grant will help Save the Children expand West Virginia’s rural child care and early education workforce. The majority of West Virginia households face barriers to child care access, and there are not enough providers to meet demand. Brooke Smith, West Virginia assistant state director for Save the Children, said the organization is working to build up the local workforce with funding from the Appalachian Regional Initiative for Stronger Economies. “Providers don’t have enough available slots, creating long wait lists for some parents,” Smith observed. “Some of our rural counties in West Virginia have as few as […]

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