West Virginia

USS West Virginia sailor killed during Pearl Harbor attack to be buried in California, WVU to host annual ceremony – WV MetroNews

Published

1 year ago

December 6, 2024

USS West Virginia sailor killed during Pearl Harbor attack to be buried in California, WVU to host annual ceremony – WV MetroNews

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — A sailor killed serving on board the USS West Virginia during the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor will be laid to rest on the same day a tribute will take place at the ship’s mast.

Navy Fireman 2nd Class William Kubinec

Ohio native and Navy Fireman 2nd Class William Kubinec will be buried Friday in the Northern California Veterans Cemetery shortly after the start of West Virginia University’s annual Pearl Harbor Day ceremony that will take place in Morgantown.

Kubinec’s relatives are expected to be in attendance for the California ceremony after his remains were identified as part of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency program. Kubinec is remembered as someone who always put others ahead of himself.

Coming from a working family when times were hard, his niece Kathie Svoboda said one year when his family didn’t have a Christmas he asked the principal and was permission to take the school tree home.

“The last day of school before Christmas vacation, he went to the principal if he could take the Christmas tree home to his family, because they didn’t have a Christmas tree,” said Kubinec’s niece Kathie Svoboda discussing her family’s memories of her uncle. “So he carried the tree home so his family could have a Christmas tree,” she said.

Kubinec was killed on the USS West Virginia when the battleship was struck by six torpedoes during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. He was among 106 other sailors that died during the attack that resulted in the ship sinking on an even keel, leading to its eventual return to service. As a Navy fireman who worked on the mechanics of the ship even as it was sinking, Kubinec was among many who gave their lives to make sure their fellow seamen could survive, but also to give the ship a chance of still being salvageable.

“From what I understand, the guys working in the engine room controlled flooding, and they sacrificed themselves so it would go straight down,” said Svoboda. “And not list over into ships beside it or into the sailors who were flung into the water from the explosion,” she said.

The U.S.S. West Virginia mast standing in the center of the WVU campus today. PHOTO: WVU Photo

Kubinec will be buried at the Northern California Veterans Cemetery on Friday starting at 2 p.m.

The annual Pearl Harbor Day ceremony hosted at WVU will take place outside of Oglebay Hall, where the original mast and bell of the USS West Virginia are located. The event will be hosted by the WVU Center for Veteran, Military, and Family Programs, where they will be joined by keynote speaker retired U.S. Army Major George Davis and members of the WVU ROTC.

“He was commissioned as a military intelligence officer, and then he was selected to attend flight school,” said WVU Center for Veteran, Military, and Family Programs Director Penny Lipscomb, listing Davis’ accomplishments. “So he did a couple of tours in Vietnam, and then also he was stationed in the Pentagon for a couple of years and in Korea, where he flew along the DMZ,” she said.

Davis, who is currently the commander for Chapter 45 of the Disabled American Veterans in North Central West Virginia, will have his remarks followed by a traditional 21-gun salute that will be fired by the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 548 and Post 9916. The USS West Virginia bell will also be rung to pay tribute to the 106 sailors who died during the attack on Pearl Harbor. For those wishing to pay respects, it will be free to attend and will take place outside of Oglebay Hall rain or shine.

“I think we should all remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country, I think it’s not done enough,” Lipscomb said.

The ceremony will take place on Friday starting at 10 a.m.

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West Virginia

Biggest Surprises and Disappointments from West Virginia’s 2025 Portal Class

Published

11 hours ago

December 18, 2025

Press Room

The transfer portal officially opens here in a couple of weeks, so before the madness begins, we’re going to take a look back at last year’s West Virginia portal class, highlighting some of the biggest surprises and disappointments.

Biggest surprises

West Virginia University offensive lineman Donovan Haslam | Christopher Hall – West Virginia on SI

For this group, we’re keeping it all positive. These are players who rose above expectations and turned out to be pretty solid players.

OL Donovan Haslam (Austin Peay) – He’s far from a finished product, but he helped West Virginia get through some of its issues toward the end of the season when he replaced Walter Young Bear in the starting lineup. WVU will bring in competition for him, but he’s at least a capable option, just needs more development. That play he had dragging Diore Hubbard for a first down may have been a penalty, but it may have been the most determination we saw from a lineman all year.

BAN Devin Grant (Incarnate Word) – The stats may not show his impact, and sometimes that happens with a role player. His playmaking was very timely. Every time the Mountaineers desperately needed a sack, tackle for loss, or turnover, Grant delivered. He’s someone the staff would love to have for another year.

LB Ben Bogle (Southern Illinois) – Although he didn’t start, Bogle was the Mountaineers’ best run defender in the second level, and it really wasn’t close. As a matter of fact, he graded out as the best run stopper on the entire team. He’ll be in contention to start at the MIKE spot in 2026.

Biggest disappointments

West Virginia University Bandit Jimmori Robinson | Christopher Hall – West Virginia on SI

Before I get started here, I’m not including offensive linemen Walter Young Bear and Kimo Makane’ole, simply because they did not come to WVU with big expectations. Yes, they played poorly, but this category is for players who didn’t live up to expectations, in one way or another.

RB Tye Edwards (Northern Iowa) – Obviously, this isn’t a performance-based performance as Edwards injured his hip in the Backyard Brawl and was eventually lost for the season. Not having his physicality really hurt WVU’s offense and its ability to run the football. Had he been healthy, perhaps they could have won another game or two.

RB Jaylan Knighton (SMU) – Who? Yeah, Jaylan Knighton, the guy who never played a down for the Mountaineers. The SMU transfer was expected to be the No. 2 to Jahiem White, which would have formed a pretty strong duo, albeit behind a bad offensive line. He had some academic issues that led to his dismissal in fall camp.

BAN Jimmori Robinson (UTSA) – Without question, the biggest disappointment of all. Robinson was expected to be an elite pass rusher for WVU and an all-league caliber player. I wouldn’t throw all of the blame at his feet, though. Some of it can be attributed to the late start with the NCAA, taking forever with his eligibility, which ended up going to court. Some of it could be the fit in the defense as well. Regardless, Robinson fell well short of expectations, finishing with just 0.5 sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss one year after recording 17 TFLs and 10.5 sacks at UTSA.

West Virginia

WV Lottery excited about Powerball drawing, sixth largest jackpot ever – WV MetroNews

Published

23 hours ago

December 17, 2025

Press Room

WV Lottery excited about Powerball drawing, sixth largest jackpot ever – WV MetroNews

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The West Virginia Lottery is one of the millions around the nation that will have their eye on tonight’s Powerball drawing.

The Powerball jackpot sits at $1.25 billion, an estimated cash value of $572.1 million. That marks the sixth largest jackpot in the game’s history, and it is just the second time where the game has seen back-to-back jackpots over a billion dollars.

The drawing will be at 10:59 p.m.

“It’s exciting for the lottery and it’s exciting for our players,” said West Virginia Lottery acting director David Bradley. “As excited as we are for our players and for the state and the revenue it generates, we always encourage our players to play responsible.”

Bradley says even if that billion-dollar ticket get hit elsewhere, there will be other big tickets to look out for tonight.

“We’re excited too about the other levels that win. People are excited when they win $5, $20, and $100, and we’re grateful for our players and our retailers and the people that support the lottery,” he said.

Bradley announced Tuesday morning during a lottery commission meeting that two other large tickets had been hit in the state in recent weeks.

A $500,000 ticket was purchased at Martinsburg Wal-Mart, and a $50,000 ticket was sold at the GoMart in Sophia.

In 2025 alone, four different million-dollar tickets were sold in the state. The most recent came a month ago from rural Hardy County at the Misty Valley Grocery in Mathias. Bradley said today that the ticket has not yet been claimed.

Earlier in the year, million-dollar tickets were sold at the Par Mar #17 in Hurricane and the Mardi Gras Casino in Nitro. Neither ticket was claimed.

“When you buy a ticket, make sure you sign the back of it. We encourage all of our players to be sure to check those tickets because you never know. We tell them to look in their car seats, under the car seats, in their book bags, in their purses, gym bags, and jackets.”

WV Lottery financial successes:

The lottery is coming off a strong month of November, where revenues totaled $109,626,000, which is about $14 million ahead of projections.

Total traditional sales for the fiscal year are up six percent — an increase of $31 million from fiscal year 2025. As of the end of November, the Lottery is nearly 13 percent ahead of revenue projections for the year.

So far this year, the Lottery has transferred nearly $300 million to the state for proceeds helping veterans and seniors, the state’s tourism department, the state School Building Authority, and the Promise Scholarship.

“At the Lottery, we do an awful lot of good and we’re important to the state budget. To do good for those programs out there, that’s what makes us happy. I want to make sure people know that when they play, it goes for a good cause.”

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West Virginia

West Virginia Lottery results: See winning numbers for Mega Millions, Daily 3 on Dec. 16, 2025

Published

1 day ago

December 17, 2025

Press Room

Are you looking to win big? The West Virginia Lottery offers a variety of games if you think it’s your lucky day.

Lottery players in West Virginia can choose from popular national games like the Powerball and Mega Millions, which are available in the vast majority of states. Other games include Lotto America, Daily 3, Daily 4 and Cash 25.

Big lottery wins around the U.S. include a lucky lottery ticketholder in California who won a $1.27 billion Mega Millions jackpot in December 2024. See more big winners here. And if you do end up cashing a jackpot, here’s what experts say to do first.

Here’s a look at Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025 results for each game:

Winning Mega Millions numbers from Dec. 16 drawing

20-24-46-59-65, Mega Ball: 07

Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Daily 3 numbers from Dec. 16 drawing

0-7-5

Check Daily 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Daily 4 numbers from Dec. 16 drawing

3-0-0-1

Check Daily 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 25 numbers from Dec. 16 drawing

02-05-06-08-23-24

Check Cash 25 payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

When are the West Virginia Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 11 p.m. ET on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 10:59 p.m. ET Tuesday and Friday.
Lotto America: 10:15 p.m. ET on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Daily 3, 4: 6:59 p.m. ET Monday through Saturday.
Cash 25: 6:59 p.m. ET Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.

Winning lottery numbers are sponsored by Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network.

Where can you buy lottery tickets?

Tickets can be purchased in person at gas stations, convenience stores and grocery stores. Some airport terminals may also sell lottery tickets.

You can also order tickets online through Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network, in these U.S. states and territories: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Washington D.C., and West Virginia. The Jackpocket app allows you to pick your lottery game and numbers, place your order, see your ticket and collect your winnings all using your phone or home computer.

Jackpocket is the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network. Gannett may earn revenue for audience referrals to Jackpocket services. GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-GAMBLER, Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY). 18+ (19+ in NE, 21+ in AZ). Physically present where Jackpocket operates. Jackpocket is not affiliated with any State Lottery. Eligibility Restrictions apply. Void where prohibited. Terms: jackpocket.com/tos.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a USA Today editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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