How SNAP’s work requirements is hurting one West Virginia woman

How SNAP’s work requirements is hurting one West Virginia woman

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law by President Donald Trump a year ago, imposed stricter work requirements in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. With some exceptions, recipients must do at least 80 hours per month of work, training or volunteering. The law also increased the upper age limit for work requirements from 54 to 64.  About 2.5 million Americans lost food benefits [https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/25-million-americans-lost-food-aid-months-after-passage-gop-megabill-study-finds] in the six-month period following the Republican-passed law. In West Virginia, the Department of Human Services said late last year the expanded work requirements would affect 36,000 residents. Among them is 62-year-old Helen Comer [https://westvirginiawatch.com/2026/07/06/15k-west-virginians-have-lost-food-assistance-benefits-because-of-big-beautiful-bill-changes/]. She started receiving SNAP benefits after she quit her job at a bank to care for her ailing parents full time. But earlier this year, her benefits were cut to $24 a month because she’s under 65 and not working. In Episode 37, you’ll hear from Comer about how SNAP’s rules don’t leave room for nuance and why that hurts beneficiaries across the country. You’ll also get a weekly wrap-up from Daybreak [https://www.newsfromthestates.com/newsletter/daybreak] newsletter writer Madyson Fitzgerald [https://www.newsfromthestates.com/author/madyson-fitzgerald]. She’s got you covered with the latest on: the debate over death row in the South, the fallout after South Carolina U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham’s death, and the future of Daylight Saving Time. Episode produced and edited by Mallory Cheng. Music for Stories From The States composed by David Singer [https://www.davidsingerfilm.com/]. A special thank you to West Virginia Watch Deputy Editor Lori Kersey.  Click here [https://www.newsfromthestates.com/episode/how-snaps-work-requirements-hurting-one-west-virginia-woman] for the full transcript. Relevant reading from States Newsroom outlets and partners:  * 14K West Virginians have lost food assistance because of Big Beautiful Bill changes [https://westvirginiawatch.com/2026/07/06/15k-west-virginians-have-lost-food-assistance-benefits-because-of-big-beautiful-bill-changes/] (West Virginia Watch) * Food stamp changes will cost states billions, raising fears about SNAP’s future [https://stateline.org/2026/07/09/food-stamp-changes-will-cost-states-billions-raising-fears-about-snaps-future/] (Stateline) * North Dakota could pay millions for high SNAP error rate [https://northdakotamonitor.com/2026/07/13/north-dakota-could-pay-millions-for-high-snap-error-rate/] (North Dakota Monitor) * One year after ‘One Big Beautiful Bill Act’: 98K fewer Pennsylvanians on SNAP [https://penncapital-star.com/health-care/one-year-after-one-big-beautiful-bill-act-98k-fewer-pennsylvanians-on-snap/] (Pennsylvania Capital-Star) Got questions? An episode idea? Email us at podcast@statesnewsroom.com [podcast@statesnewsroom.com] Photo: 14,000 West Virginians have lost SNAP food assistance because of Big Beautiful Bill changes. (Photo by Cami Koons/Iowa Capital Dispatch)

In Indiana, a US citizen needed to prove her right to vote

Indiana election officials have canceled or rejected the voter registrations for hundreds of immigrant Hoosiers under a recent proof of citizenship law [https://indianacapitalchronicle.com/2026/04/16/civil-rights-advocates-fear-citizenship-verification-law-could-block-many-naturalized-voters/]. One analysis found 981 existing voters had registrations canceled, and another 644 prospective voters have been rejected — or about 62% of the 2,602 people processed. Charrie Stambaugh [https://indianacapitalchronicle.com/2026/07/02/longtime-citizen-flagged-voter-registration-revoked-in-proof-of-citizenship-debacle/] was one of those people. Stambaugh has been a U.S. citizen for nearly three decades and has cast a ballot in every election since she became eligible to vote.  In Episode 36, you’ll hear from Stambaugh about the frustrating re-registration process and the importance of election integrity to  Indiana voters.  You’ll also get a weekly news wrap-up from Evening Wrap [https://www.newsfromthestates.com/newsletter/evening-wrap] newsletter writer, Danielle Gaines [https://www.newsfromthestates.com/author/danielle-gaines] and Daybreak [https://www.newsfromthestates.com/newsletter/daybreak] newsletter writer Madyson Fitzgerald [https://www.newsfromthestates.com/author/madyson-fitzgerald]. They got you covered on the latest on: the offshore wind industry, immigration detention centers and the future of skill games in Pennsylvania.   Episode produced and edited by Mallory Cheng. Music for Stories From The States composed by David Singer [https://www.davidsingerfilm.com/].  Click here [https://www.newsfromthestates.com/episode/indiana-us-citizen-needed-prove-her-right-vote] for the full transcript. Relevant reading from States Newsroom outlets and partners: * Indiana rejects, cancels voter registration for more than half of flagged immigrant Hoosiers [https://indianacapitalchronicle.com/2026/06/09/indiana-rejects-cancels-voter-registration-for-more-than-half-of-flagged-immigrant-hoosiers/] (Indiana Capital Chronicle) * DOJ letter threatens Arizona election officials with prosecution as Fontes calls it ‘intimidation’ [https://azmirror.com/briefs/doj-letter-threatens-arizona-election-officials-with-prosecution-as-fontes-calls-it-intimidation/] (Arizona Mirror) * Petition to clarify South Dakota proof of citizenship law shot down over technicality [https://southdakotasearchlight.com/2026/07/08/petition-to-clarify-south-dakota-proof-of-citizenship-law-shot-down-over-technicality/] (South Dakota Searchlight) * Court decision blocking NH voter file transfer the latest loss for Trump administration [https://newhampshirebulletin.com/2026/07/01/court-decision-blocking-nh-voter-file-transfer-the-latest-loss-for-trump-administration/] (New Hampshire Bulletin) Got questions? An episode idea? Email us at podcast@statesnewsroom.com [podcast@statesnewsroom.com] Photo: American flags sit atop a wooden table before a naturalization ceremony at the federal courthouse in downtown Indianapolis on Thursday, July 3, 2025. (Photo by Leslie Bonilla Muñiz/Indiana Capital Chronicle)

ICEd Out: ‘Who holds them accountable?’ (Part 3)

Immigration and Customs Enforcement coming into Tremont Township in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania seems familiar to some people there – and not in a good way. Many residents had no idea a detention center could be built there until reading about it in a news article [http://google.com/url?q=https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/12/24/ice-immigrants-detention-warehouses-deportation-trump/&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1781723439225241&usg=AOvVaw2dVWU4BC5yhBTT6j3ux6Dc]. They felt blindsided by their local politicians. Now community members worry their area will get taken advantage of again.  In Episode 35, we explore the risks the project in Schuylkill County pose to an area that’s already struggling to mitigate harms from unwanted industries past and present.  Because of the absence of public input regarding the ICE detention center, residents worry whether their local officials will hold DHS accountable for how the town’s resources will be used.   “ICEd Out: Detention center plans meet resistance in Pennsylvania’s coal region” is a series that explores how commonwealth residents are pushing back against the facilities. The Pennsylvania Capital-Star's [https://penncapital-star.com/] Emily Previti [https://penncapital-star.com/author/epreviti/] spent time in Coal Region to find out how the plan is landing with residents, elected leaders and business owners. ICEd Out is a limited series from Folo PA, the Pennsylvania Capital-Star’s podcast, produced by Emily Previti [https://penncapital-star.com/author/epreviti/] and edited by Tim Lambert [https://penncapital-star.com/author/tlambert/]. Special thanks to WITF [https://www.witf.org/] for the use of their studios.  You can listen to the full series here [https://penncapital-star.com/podcasts/]. Episode produced and edited by Mallory Cheng [https://www.newsfromthestates.com/author/mallory-cheng]. Music for Stories From The States composed by David Singer [https://www.davidsingerfilm.com/].  Relevant reading from States Newsroom outlets and partners:  * Schuylkill County wrestles with spectre of immigration detention center plan [https://penncapital-star.com/civil-rights-social-justice/schuylkill-county-wrestles-with-spectre-of-immigration-detention-center-plan/] (Pennsylvania Capital-Star) * Immigration Enforcement [https://www.newsfromthestates.com/rising-trend/immigration-enforcement] (News From The States) Got questions? An episode idea? Email us at podcast@statesnewsroom.com [podcasts@statesnewsroom.com] Photo:  A sign advertising a fish fry at the Tremont Borough Fire Company in Tremont, Schuylkill County on March 12, 2026. (Photo by Jessica Kourkounis/Pennsylvania Capital-Star).

ICEd Out: ‘Couldn’t get much worse’ (Part 2)

Tremont Township in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, has only one stop light, but the 300-person community is now at the center of the national immigration debate.  The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is planning to convert an old warehouse in the area into a 7,500-person detention facility. Many of Tremont’s most vocal residents are wary about whether their township can support the ICE facility.  Some see the planned detention center as a workforce opportunity, while others fear it will only exacerbate the community’s economic and environmental problems. In Episode 34, we’re handing the reins to our States Newsroom colleagues at the Pennsylvania Capital-Star for Part 2 of their series “ICEd Out.” “ICEd Out: Detention center plans meet resistance in Pennsylvania’s coal region” [https://penncapital-star.com/podcasts/] is a new series that explores how commonwealth residents are pushing back against the facilities. The Pennsylvania Capital-Star's [https://penncapital-star.com/] Emily Previti [https://penncapital-star.com/author/epreviti/] spent time in Coal Region to learn how the plan is being received by residents, elected leaders and business owners. She found people grappling with being thrust into the national immigration debate and – once again – with the possibility of exploitation by outsiders. ICEd Out is a limited series from Folo PA, the Pennsylvania Capital-Star’s podcast, produced by Emily Previti [https://penncapital-star.com/author/epreviti/] and edited by Tim Lambert [https://penncapital-star.com/author/tlambert/]. Special thanks to WITF [https://www.witf.org/] for the use of their studios.  You can listen to the full series here [https://penncapital-star.com/podcasts/]. Episode produced and edited by Mallory Cheng [https://www.newsfromthestates.com/author/mallory-cheng]. Music for Stories From The States composed by David Singer [https://www.davidsingerfilm.com/].  Relevant reading from States Newsroom outlets and partners:  * Schuylkill County wrestles with spectre of immigration detention center plan [https://penncapital-star.com/civil-rights-social-justice/schuylkill-county-wrestles-with-spectre-of-immigration-detention-center-plan/] (Pennsylvania Capital-Star) * Florida still owes $603 million on immigration enforcement contracts [https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/06/17/florida-still-owes-603-million-on-immigration-enforcement-contracts/] (Florida Phoenix) * Q&A: What Deborah Ross saw inside the ICE processing facility in Cary, North Carolina [https://ncnewsline.com/2026/06/15/qa-what-deborah-ross-saw-inside-the-ice-processing-facility-in-cary/](NC Newsline) Got questions? An episode idea? Email us at podcast@statesnewsroom.com [podcasts@statesnewsroom.com] Photo: Bernie Gardula walks with his dog Jade near his office at Rausch Creek Off-Road Park in Pine Grove, Schuylkill County, on March 12, 2026. (Photo by Jessica Kourkounis/Pennsylvania Capital-Star)

A System of Harm: investigating New Hampshire’s disability care program

For months, The New Hampshire Bulletin [https://newhampshirebulletin.com/] investigated case after case of abuse and neglect in the state’s intellectual and developmental disability care system, which relies on private agencies to provide care to individuals.  What they found exposed systemic failures in oversight and harm prevention, publicly reporting families’ stories of loss and trauma for the first time.  In Episode 33, you’ll hear from reporter William Skipworth [https://newhampshirebulletin.com/author/wskipworth/] from The New Hampshire Bulletin [https://newhampshirebulletin.com/].  Skipworth won the prestigious 2026 Livingston Award for local reporting [https://statesnewsroom.com/press-releases/new-hampshire-bulletins-william-skipworth-wins-livingston-award-for-local-reporting/] for the three-part series, A System of Harm [https://newhampshirebulletin.com/tag/system-of-harm/]. Previously, as a reporter in Missouri, he wrote about abuse [https://missouriindependent.com/2025/02/24/developmentally-disabled-missourians-suffer-abuse-death-in-states-dysfunctional-system/] of Missourians with developmental disabilities within the state’s care system. Finally, Daybreak [https://www.newsfromthestates.com/newsletter/daybreak] newsletter author Madyson Fitzgerald [https://www.newsfromthestates.com/author/madyson-fitzgerald] shares the top stories she’s watching. Episode produced and edited by Mallory Cheng. Music for Stories From The States composed by David Singer [https://www.davidsingerfilm.com/]. Relevant reading from States Newsroom outlets and partners:  * A series of tragedies exposes patterns of abuse and neglect in New Hampshire’s disability system [https://newhampshirebulletin.com/2025/11/10/a-series-of-tragedies-exposes-patterns-of-abuse-and-neglect-in-new-hampshires-disability-system/] (New Hampshire Bulletin) * More Iowa care homes cited for violations related to disabled residents’ money [https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2026/03/17/more-iowa-care-homes-cited-for-misusing-disabled-residents-money/] (Iowa Capital Dispatch) * Developmentally disabled Missourians suffer abuse, death in state’s dysfunctional system [https://missouriindependent.com/2025/02/24/developmentally-disabled-missourians-suffer-abuse-death-in-states-dysfunctional-system/] (Missouri Independent)  Got questions? An episode idea? Email us at podcast@statesnewsroom.com [podcast@statesnewsroom.com] Photo: Community Bridges, based in Concord, is one of 10 nonprofit area agencies in New Hampshire serving people with disabilities. The agencies “operate within the guidelines and regulations established by the Department of Health and Human Services.” (Photo by Allegra Boverman/For the New Hampshire Bulletin)