WV counties set the rules for opioid funds — with no one watching

Politically-connected program gets opioid funds while experts warn it may not work • West Virginia Watch

Michelle Allen is the career and technical instructor at Robert C. Byrd High School and also runs GameChanger, the school’s prevention education club. (Sam Nichols | West Virginia University)On a Tuesday afternoon, Michelle Allen is in her office in an empty Robert C. Byrd High School. Allen is the career and technical instructor at RCB and also runs GameChanger, the school’s prevention education club. In an empty classroom, Allen walks over to …

WV counties set the rules for opioid funds — with no one watching

As millions in opioid settlement funds reach West Virginia, counties are making high-stakes choices about how to spend it — revealing the tension between political priorities, financial pressures, and community needs in a state still grappling with the epidemic’s deep scars.