Erica Peterson

Read it here: mountainstatespotlight.org/2025/01/30/fos… /end

And while the state has made progress filling some of the vacancies, it’s not enough. Even if they had no vacancies, the agency’s own estimate is that they would still need about 136 more workers to handle the current caseloads and population. 6/

For years, WV hasn’t had enough social workers to handle the large number of kids in foster care. This isn’t new. But it’s such a foundational problem — for kids, biological parents and foster parents — that it became the subject of part 2 of my @mtnstspotlight investigation 1/

NEW: West Virginia’s foster care system depends on grandfamilies. It does little to support their mental health needs. buff.ly/3EcUaIq

We’ll have more to come in this series tomorrow and Thursday. For kids like Sadie and Orion, I hope you’ll take a few minutes to read this story: mountainstatespotlight.org/2025/01/28/fos… /end

Both Sadie and Orion spent nearly all of their childhoods in the WV foster care system and were so thoughtful and open about it. Both were unwaveringly generous in sharing their stories with me, and giving me permission to share them with other West Virginians. 6/

Today, @mountainstspotlight published part 1 of my investigation into whether West Virginia’s foster care system has fixed one of the many issues that’s been in the news over the past decade: an over-reliance on group homes and institutions for kids with mental health issues. 1/

Thanks to @IRE_NICAR and @DougMeigs for the opportunity to write about how journalists can use the Knight Election Hub to cover local elections!

News! We've relaunched the Knight Election Hub to make it open to all. You’ll still need to apply for free access to “premium” services but we're expanding access so every newsroom can understand and explore all the tools that are available to them. knightelectionhub.org

Newsrooms: Election Day is in 138 days. Feel like you’ve got a solid plan and everything you need to cover the election? If not, this 🧵 is for you.

A must-read from @allen_siegler, with powerful images from @walkyourcamera and @duncan_slade — who also edited!

Want to hold powerful people and institutions in West Virginia accountable to the public? Come be an editor at @mtnstspotlight buff.ly/3UXp4cp