West Virginia

Decades of friendship: Willie Akers remembers Jerry West

Published

11 months ago

June 12, 2024

Decades of friendship: Willie Akers remembers Jerry West

WEST VIRGINIA (WOWK) – Basketball legend and West Virginia native Jerry West knew thousands of people, and millions knew him, but it’s safe to say one person who knew him best lives in Logan County, West Virginia.

Willie Akers has been able to call Jerry West his friend for nearly 70 years. The pair met at the leadership academy, Mountaineer Boys State, in 1955 and the rest is history. The news of West’s passing has made Wednesday a tough day for Akers. The last time the two spoke was just Tuesday.

The duo agreed to play at WVU together and did everything they could by each other’s side while they were in Morgantown.

“We were there from that time on. It was just a dream because we studied together, took classes together – everywhere we went was together,” Akers said. “And sometimes people thought there was something wrong with us ’cause we were playing ball and that was it. But we had a wonderful life and friendship from that time up until the very last minute.”

But when they were in high school, they competed against one another. When asked if he preferred playing with or against West, Akers knew his answer without hesitation.

“With him. He was too good to play against, but he was just a certain kinda guy that everybody liked him and they appreciated what he did,” Akers said.

The pair of friends both played in the inaugural game at the Logan Field House in 1958, which is now called the Willie Akers Arena. In that game, West Virginia University played William and Mary College, with WVU taking home the win.

Akers remembers his dear friend as a humble man who was more than just his legendary basketball career. Akers says becoming “The Logo” didn’t change that.

“He didn’t think he was worthy of it,” Akers said. “It’s the truth! I know he’s proud of it but he said that ‘I don’t know, it’s okay.’ But that’s the way he is. He has all of these trophies and whatnot in the Greenbrier where he owns the restaurant with Jim Justice. And all that stuff means nothing to him.”

Akers tells WOWK 13 News West was far more charitable than anyone really knows because he didn’t make a big deal of his actions.

“Jerry West was a person that didn’t want people to know what he had done. He liked to be in the background of it, but he didn’t want anybody giving him any publicity for it. I could name you many things that he has done for the university, but I’m not going to get into that because he didn’t want me to,” Akers said.

Beyond the public moments, there were also some very private ones. Over the years, Jerry West has spoken of his struggles with depression, and Akers was one of the people who helped him pull through some of the darkest times.

The two have shared milestones in their lives and their families’ lives throughout their decades of friendship, and now Akers and their families are mourning this monumental loss together.

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West Virginia

West Virginia Lottery results: See winning numbers for Powerball, Lotto America on May 17, 2025

Published

4 hours ago

May 18, 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 Saturday, May 17, 2025 results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from May 17 drawing

07-34-40-42-52, Powerball: 15, Power Play: 2

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lotto America numbers from May 17 drawing

16-18-24-25-34, Star Ball: 02, ASB: 04

Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Daily 3 numbers from May 17 drawing

4-1-5

Check Daily 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Daily 4 numbers from May 17 drawing

7-5-7-5

Check Daily 4 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. Our News Automation and AI team would love to hear from you. Take this survey and share your thoughts with us.

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West Virginia

Reviewing the WVU basketball recruiting class: 2020

Published

21 hours ago

May 17, 2025

Press Room

Reviewing the WVU basketball recruiting class: 2020

Since WVSports.com has examined the previous recruiting classes in football, we now turn our attention to the hardwood and look at how the recruiting classes have fared.

For the purpose of this report, we take a look at the 2020 recruiting class given the fact that the entirety of the class has left the program.

2020 class:

(four recruits; one guard, one forward and two bigs)

(one four star, two three stars, one unranked)

(2 West Virginia, 1 Texas, 1 New Jersey)

Stats: 91 games, 6.5 points, 1.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 41.4-percent, 29.9-three

Johnson was a high scoring option from the junior college level but took some time to find his footing in college. He saved his best season for last as Johnson averaged 11.7 points per game more than double what he had done in his first two years. He was the only member of his recruiting class that stayed through his entire eligibility and stepped up into a lead role at the end of his college career.

Stats: 43 games, 2.9 points, 2.1 rebounds, 0.4 assists, 33.6-percent, 31.9-three

Cottrell dealt with a torn Achilles that derailed his true freshman season with the program and then struggled to find a real fit in his second year with the program. Cottrell did increase his production across the board in his second season but left after that year where he would transfer back to his native Las Vegas.

Stats: 12 games, 0.7 points, 0.6 rebounds, 0.2 assists, 30-percent, 16.7-three

Thweatt spent two seasons at West Virginia but really struggled to find his footing with the program appearing in only 12 games during that time. He was limited as a role player and the New Jersey native elected to enter his name into the transfer portal after those two years and has bounced around since then.

Stats: 20 games, 0.05 points, 0.95 rebounds, 0.05 assists, 25-percent, 0-three

Ndiaye was always considered a project when the West Virginia Mountaineers first added him late in the process from Beckley Prep. Well, in his two years with the West Virginia basketball program that’s exactly how it played out. Ndiaye appeared in only 20 games and simply didn’t make much of an impact before exiting the program and transferring to South Carolina Upstate.

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West Virginia

Former jail supervisor sentenced to 17 years for coverup of fatal assault of West Virginia inmate

Published

2 days ago

May 16, 2025

Press Room

Former jail supervisor sentenced to 17 years for coverup of fatal assault of West Virginia inmate

A former supervisor of the Southern Regional Jail in Beaver, West Virginia was sentenced to 17 years in prison on Thursday for covering up an assault by correctional officers that led to the death of a 35-year-old inmate, Quantez Burks, three years ago.

A federal jury convicted former lieutenant Chad Lester in January of three counts of felony obstruction charges that included witness tampering, conspiracy to tamper with witnesses, and giving false statements. In his efforts to cover up the assault, Lester allegedly threatened subordinate officers with violence and retaliation, added false statements to multiple officers’ reports, and instructed officers to give a false cover story to investigators in addition to personally giving his own false statements.

Seven other officers involved in the fatal assault of Burks pleaded guilty and testified against Lester during his trial last year. Specifically, Mark Holdren, Corey Snyder and Johnathan Walters pleaded guilty to conspiring to use unreasonable force that ultimately led to Burks’s death while Ashley Toney and Jacob Boothe pleaded guilty to “violating Burks’s civil rights by failing to intervene when other officers used unreasonable force.” Steven Wimmer and Andrew Fleshman pleaded guilty to conspiring to use unreasonable force.

Aside from Lester, Wimmer is the only other corrections officer to be sentenced as of Thursday. Five of the remaining officers are scheduled to be sentenced next month while Fleshman’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for July.

Acting US Attorney for the Southern District of Virginia, Lisa Johnston, said after the sentencing:

On the defendant’s watch, correctional officers killed an inmate, and the defendant conspired with them to cover up their crimes…The defendant violated the public’s trust in the law enforcement system he had sworn to uphold

The case was investigated by the FBI field office in Pittsburgh.

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