The West Virginia Library Commission is hoping folks across the state will read Kentucky Poet Laureate Frank X. Walker’s book Affrilachia. The book is this year’s choice for the One Book, One West Virginia program.

After three failed attempts to pass a bill that would make marijuana available to those who would benefit from its medicinal properties, Delegate Mike Manypenny (D-Taylor) continues to press on. With three republicans cosponsoring his bill this past session, a public hearing on the issue late in the regular session, and a successful resolution to study the issue sponsored by House Health Committee Chair Don Perdue (D-Wayne), Manypenny appears to be gaining some traction on the issue.

The West Virginia Surface Owners Rights Organization pays close attention to natural gas drilling development in the state. The group is now focusing attention on a new issue related to the activity.

With a vote expected in Congress next week, Senator Joe Manchin says he will not support a U.S. military strike over alleged chemical weapons attacks by President Bashar Al-Assad on the people of Syria.

The fifth annual West Virginia Music Hall of Fame induction ceremony may not be until November but those interested in this year’s inductees got a chance to learn a bit about them at a special showcase Saturday night at the Governor Hulett C. Smith Theatre at the Tamarack in Beckley.

Department of Revenue Secretary Robert Kiss said projections show a significant funding gap as the state prepares for Fiscal Year 2015. That means targeted reductions and another possible request from Gov. Tomblin for cuts from state agencies.

In a repeat performance, the Marshall University Forensic Science Graduate Program is ranked number one in the nation among forensics institutions.

A program in Huntington that provides meals to children throughout the summer will end on Thursday. Organizers say it’s one of the only source of nourishment for some of the children until school starts.

U.S. Prosecuting Attorney William Ihlenfeld says the chief and his top ranking lieutenant were forced to resign to avoid facing federal criminal charges.

West Virginia is the only state in the Union that was created as a direct result of the Civil War. When war broke out in 1861 and Virginia seceded from the Union, some living in that state’s western regions saw it as an opportunity to break away and create a new state.

Legislative interims in Wheeling this week have lawmakers considering a variety of issues that will develop over the next year. One of the biggest of those, the state’s Medicaid expansion.

Children from all over north central West Virginia and the surrounding areas are making their way into Preston County to meet a new resident movie star. His name is Zack. He’s 18 feet tall, and he likes to eat carrots.

Twelve years and several education performance audits later, McDowell County is once again in full control of its school system. It’s been a decade-long effort for the high-poverty county to meet state standards.

The For the Kids by George Children’s Museum is the newest addition to the George Washington Heritage Trail, a 136-mile scenic byway that winds its way through Jefferson, Berkeley and Morgan counties.