West Virginia

DHHR Restructuring Bill Heads To Governor – West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Published

2 years ago

January 23, 2024

DHHR Restructuring Bill Heads To Governor – West Virginia Public Broadcasting

On this episode of The Legislature Today, a bill to rename the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) is on its way to the governor for a signature.

In the Senate, lawmakers passed and sent eight bills over to the House, including one controversial bill that permits teachers to teach intelligent design in public school classrooms. Briana Heaney has the story.

In this House, two bills on third reading dealt with aspects of medical and social care.

The legislature’s first public hearing of 2024 will be Wednesday morning on House Bill 4654, regarding public facilities, minors and obscene material. Randy Yohe has more.

Hundreds of students gathered at the Capitol to spread their tobacco-free message. Emily Rice has this story.

And, the legislature’s education committees started off the week discussing who is responsible for maintaining records for special education and teaching about human development. Chris Schulz has more.

Finally, today was Facing Hunger Day at the Capitol. Both major food banks in the state were joined by local food pantries to promote legislative priorities. According to the USDA, more than 1 in 4 children experience food insecurity in the United States. In West Virginia and Kentucky, at least 78,800 seniors are living in poverty.

To continue this discussion, Briana Heaney invited Cindi Kirkhart, the chief executive officer of the Facing Hunger Food Bank, and Senate Minority Leader Sen. Mike Woelfel, D-Cabell, to help us better understand the scope of the problem.

Having trouble viewing the video below? Click here to watch it on YouTube.

The Legislature Today is West Virginia’s only television/radio simulcast devoted to covering the state’s 60-day regular legislative session.

Watch or listen to new episodes Monday through Friday at 6 p.m. on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

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West Virginia

6-year-old autistic child allegedly grabbed around throat aggressively by teacher at West Virginia school, 3 staff members facing charges

Published

5 hours ago

December 3, 2025

Press Room

6-year-old autistic child allegedly grabbed around throat aggressively by teacher at West Virginia school, 3 staff members facing charges

MARSHALL COUNTY, W. Va. (WTRF) – Charges have been filed by law enforcement against three Marshall County educators involving alleged abuse of an autistic child.

The West Virginia State Police began an investigation into this alleged neglect back in October after a complaint was made about a child being abused by a teacher.

Now, some of these school employees are facing felony charges.

The investigation started on Oct. 8 when state police were made aware of an incident involving potential child abuse at McNinch Elementary School that had occurred on Sept. 18.

According to the complaint, a special needs teacher, Kiersten Nicole Moses, grabbed a 6-year-old autistic child by the neck and used both hands to squeeze the student.

The report says the child is non-verbal.

As the investigation continued, Sergeant S.M Durrah learned the alleged abuse was witnessed by an aid, who reported the incident to the school principal, Jane Ann Duffy.

The court filing says Duffy advised that the student needed to be seen by the school nurse, and she later reported the incident to Erin Michelle Cuffaro, the Marshall County Special Programs Director.

The incident was recorded and later viewed by both Duffy and Cuffaro.

The court filing claims the video shows Moses physically grabbing the child’s neck for several seconds; therefore, meeting the requirements for a report to be made through the Child Abuse Hotline.

Per state law, mandated reporters are required to contact the Department of Human Services within 24 hours when they suspect abuse or neglect.

According to the investigating officer, no report was made to the department by school personnel until Oct. 5.

Now, several criminal complaints have been filed against these three educators in the Marshall County Magistrate Court.

The teacher accused of grabbing the child, Moses, faces four felony charges including two counts of battery and assault of a disabled child, strangulation and child abuse resulting in injury.

Duffy, the principal of McNinch Elementary, is charged with one misdemeanor count of failure to report the suspected child abuse.

The county’s special programs director, Cuffaro, also faces several charges including eight felony counts of child neglect resulting in injury, and multiple misdemeanors including failure to report, interference with officers and obstruction.

Investigators say Cuffaro put eight children at risk by not removing Moses from the classroom and failed to report the abuse on at least two occasions.

One of those misdemeanor charges involves text messages between Duffy and Cuffaro describing the incident that had allegedly been deleted by Cuffaro.

7News reached out to Marshall County School officials and were provided a statement by Superintendent Dr. Shelby Haines.

She says, “Our top priority is educating children. We have been and will continue to collaborate with law enforcement, the WV Department of Education, and legal counsel.”

All three educators have been arraigned and posted bond.

Stay tuned to 7News for developments.

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West Virginia

West Virginia Officially Snags Playmaking Linebacker Miles Khatri

Published

18 hours ago

December 3, 2025

Press Room

West Virginia Officially Snags Playmaking Linebacker Miles Khatri

The state of Florida has treated West Virginia well over the years, and certainly in this recruiting class. The latest signee making his way up from Florida is linebacker Miles Khatri.

LB Miles Khatri’s Recruiting Profile

Follow him on X: @MilesKhatri

Height: 6’0″ Weight: 212

Hometown: Pike Road, AL

High School: Pike Road

Other offers: Air Force, Arkansas State, Army, Charlotte, Liberty, North Alabama, Samford, Tennessee Tech, UAB, West Georgia, Western Kentucky.

Scouting Report

Very instinctual player, who does a great job of snuffing out not only run plays but screens. He may not have the ideal size, but he more than makes up for it with his ability to cover ground in a hurry. Once he extends an arm and grabs hold of you, he typically finishes the play right then and there. No wiggling free for extra yardage. Love what he can do in the run game and shutting things down on the perimeter. This season, he registered 93 tackles, 19 tackles for loss, seven sacks, an interception, and one forced fumble. Has a nose for the football and can help put the opposing offense behind the sticks at any given moment.

Projected Playing Time

This is a guy I think defensive coordinator Zac Alley can have a lot of fun with because of his positional flexibility. He can play inside or either outside backer positions, and even played a good deal of nickel for his high school. To be honest, I’m having a hard time predicting a timeline on his path to the field because I’m unsure of where he’ll actually settle in. If he does play Nickel/SAM as well as weakside backer, he could play his way into the rotation by year two. If he happens to stick at one of the backer spots, he may need to wait a little longer. That versatility should help him in one way or another, though.

TUNE IN TONIGHT TO WEST VIRGINIA ON SI

Later tonight, we will have our annual National Signing Day special on our YouTube Page (West Virginia On SI). Be sure to subscribe to the channel to get a notification the second the episode drops. On this year’s show, we’ll be joined by offensive lineman Camden Goforth and pass rusher Noah Tishendorf. We’ll offer a full breakdown of the 2026 class, discussing who could contribute or start from day one, who may need some time to develop, under-the-radar signees, and what the remaining needs are for the Mountaineers in the transfer portal.

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