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West Virginia approves more pay for corrections workers as lawsuit is filed over conditions

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West Virginia approves more pay for corrections workers as lawsuit is filed over conditions


CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia’s state Legislature approved millions of dollars in raises and bonuses for corrections employees Tuesday, the same day as a lawsuit was filed against Republican Gov. Jim Justice and other state leaders over working conditions in the state’s regional jails and prisons.

The Republican-dominated state Legislature approved more than $21 million in pay increases for corrections officers and bonuses for other staff, along with a number of other policies meant to lessen the burden of jail and prison workers. The spending bills were passed during a special session called by Justice earlier in the week.

The funding for corrections passed along with a number of other appropriations, including $150 million to the State Road Fund for equipment and paving and $45 million to support Marshall University’s growing cybersecurity program.

The special session came a year after Justice declared a state of emergency and called on the state National Guard to help stop steep worker attrition at the state’s jails and prisons, which have a vacancy rate of more than 30%.

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Justice previously declared a state of emergency for the state’s jails and prisons in 2017.

“We’ve got to take care of the people that are making sure we don’t look like a Third World country out there with the way that we’re taking care of our prisons,” Republican Del. Brandon Steele of Raleigh County said on the House floor Tuesday.

Action on the bills came as a federal lawsuit was filed Tuesday seeking to force the state to spend $330 million to improve prison and jail conditions and fill worker vacancies. The lawsuit alleges “inhumane living conditions” in the correctional facilities and accuses Justice and others of ignoring overcrowding and failing to provide regular funding for upkeep, WVNS-TV reported.

A spokesperson for the governor didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment on the lawsuit.

Lawmakers approved over $21 million for correctional officer pay increases Tuesday, and two one-time bonuses of $2,294 for other jail staff who are not correctional officers, like kitchen staff — one payment will come immediately, and another six months later. The total cost of the bonuses will be around $71,127.

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Additionally, lawmakers passed a bill requiring that the state provide temporary identification cards to people released from incarceration at no cost. The legislation was a clarification of a bill passed in 2019 that said the state must make “efforts to assist” people in obtaining identification cards after release.

The new legislation also increases the time the temporary identification cards are valid, from 90 to 180 days. Republican Del. Larry Kump said the bill seeks to help reduce recidivism in the state corrections system.

Another bill passed Tuesday requires larger cities in the state to pay county commissions for the daily costs of housing certain inmates in jails who appear before a magistrate court instead of a municipal court. A different bill authorizes the state Supreme Court to develop a pretrial release program for people convicted of nonviolent misdemeanors. The original version of the bill that passed the Senate earlier in the week also included non-violent felonies, but that was scrapped by the House.

“Although the House amendment slightly narrows the potential programs that the Supreme Court may develop, it provides a starting point that may be expanded in the future,” Republican Senate Majority Leader Tom Takubo said before the Senate greenlit the House’s version Tuesday night.

Another bill that passed would bar the use of state funds for medical procedures in state jails and prisons unless they are medically necessary, as defined by the medical professional treating the patient. Lawmakers approved an amendment that would allow for birth control to be covered by state funds if requested by an inmate.

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Some of the funding for the appropriations approved this week is to come from the $1.8 billion surplus the state ended the fiscal year with in June, while other funding involves reappropriating money from other sources.

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Associated Press reporter John Raby contributed to this report.





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Virginia

Connor Shellenberger’s goal in double OT lifts Virginia lacrosse to Final Four

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Connor Shellenberger’s goal in double OT lifts Virginia lacrosse to Final Four


TOWSON, Md. — With a trip to the NCAA men’s lacrosse tournament’s Final Four in the balance, Connor Shellenberger delivered another signature moment during a storied career that has put him on the short list of the greatest players to wear a Virginia uniform.

The sixth-seeded Cavaliers’ all-time leader in points scored 2:20 into double overtime to secure a thrilling 11-10 win over third-seeded Johns Hopkins on Sunday afternoon in the NCAA quarterfinals at Towson’s Johnny Unitas Stadium. Shellenberger’s 31st goal of the year sent Virginia to the national semifinals for the third time in four years and for the 26th time in program history.



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Five takeaways from UVA baseball’s sweep of Virginia Tech

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Five takeaways from UVA baseball’s sweep of Virginia Tech


The Virginia Cavaliers baseball team ended the regular season with a bang, taking all three from the Virginia Tech Hokies.

Thursday and Friday night were relatively smooth sailing, as the ‘Hoos led almost the entire way en route to 7-3 and 13-3 victories. Saturday night was more of a classic. UVA found themselves down 7-0, just to do exactly what they do best.

The Cavaliers stormed back to tie it in the seventh before eventually, Harrison Didawick launched his 22nd bomb of the season, walking it off in the thirteenth. Virginia saved the best for last in their 17th comeback victory of the season.

UVA finishes the year 40-14 and 18-12 in ACC play. Here is what we are taking away from the weekend:

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Virginia dominates the Commonwealth Clash

The Commonwealth Clash is a year-long battle between ‘Hoos and Hokies where every men’s and women’s sport is weighted equally. As a result of baseball’s series win over the Hokies, UVA will finish on top 15-7 this season, marking their second consecutive title and tied for the largest margin in the competition.

Getting smoked in football practically every season is demoralizing; any Virginia fan would be lying if they said otherwise. Still, there is something to be said about a well-rounded athletics department and how it keeps the fanbase engaged fall through spring.

Evan Blanco and Joe Savino have their best starts

Turning the attention back to baseball specifically, Virginia’s current number one and number two starters ended the year with their best performances to date in orange and blue.

Blanco went 7.1 innings, surrendering two runs (both unearned) and five hits. While only a pair of strikeouts is nothing to write home about, Blanco’s ability to induce weak contact early in counts allowed him to go deep into this game. Quite frankly, he did not get ahead in counts as much as he typically does. But from a results perspective, this is huge. Blanco finishes the regular season with a 6-3 record and a 3.79 earned run average.

Joe Savino followed that up with a quality start of his own. He allowed two runs in five frames, with four hits and four free passes. Again, not the sharpest command, but something you will take every time against a quality Virginia Tech lineup. Damage control is the name of the game with this staff.

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Don’t take Harrison Didawick’s season for granted

I feel like Jake Gelof made us all numb to the significance of explosive home run hitters. Let’s not allow that to happen.

In addition to making his mark in front of over 5,000 in the season finale, Didawick has provided pop in the middle of the lineup throughout the year. He is getting on base at a clip of .425 with a total of 22 long balls. Virginia is a program that’s known for quality at bats and high batting averages. But they broke their team single-season home run record a while ago, in large part because of Didawick.

Eric Becker’s bat is too powerful to keep out of the lineup

When you think Virginia baseball and first years, Henry Ford is most likely the first name to pop into your head and for good reason. Keep Eric Becker in the front of your mind as well, though.

Becker reached base five times on seven trips this weekend, including his eighth bomb of the year. The only reason he is not getting more at bats is his shaky defense at third base.

However, his bat is too good to ignore. Jacob Ference and Ethan Anderson have the DH/catcher platoon locked up and you can’t stick him at first because that’s Ford’s spot. Becker will continue to make most starts at third with Luke Hanson spelling him in situations that require a more sure handed fielder.

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It’s postseason time!

Well, on that note, we turn the page to the next chapter, the conference tournament.

A quick reminder of the weird ACC format:

  • The top 12 teams participate, divided into four pools of three.
  • It is round robin in each pool. If all three teams go 1-1, the highest seeded team wins the pool.
  • From there, the semifinals are set and it is single elimination.

The Cavaliers earned the conference’s fourth overall seed and will be the top ranked team in their pool, which also includes #5 Florida State and #9 Georgia Tech. Virginia is scheduled to play against the Yellow Jackets on Wednesday and the Seminoles on Friday, both at 11 a.m.

The good news is that if Georgia Tech beats Florida State on Tuesday and UVA wins on Wednesday, the ‘Hoos automatically advance to the semis and Friday’s game is essentially meaningless.

As far as the NCAA Tournament is concerned, the sweep puts Virginia in good position to host a regional as one of the nation’s top 16 teams.



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‘How Do You Get Hypothermia in a Prison?’ Records Show Hospitalizations Among Virginia Inmates

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‘How Do You Get Hypothermia in a Prison?’ Records Show Hospitalizations Among Virginia Inmates


RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The Virginia State Police investigator seemed puzzled about what the inmate was describing: “unbearable” conditions at a prison so cold that toilet water would freeze over and inmates were repeatedly treated for hypothermia. “How do you get hypothermia in a prison?” the …



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