West Virginia

Gov. Justice Appoints His Wife, First Lady Cathy Justice, to West Virginia Board of Education

Published

2 weeks ago

November 8, 2024

Press Room

Gov. Justice Appoints His Wife, First Lady Cathy Justice, to West Virginia Board of Education

photo by: Steven Allen Adams

First Lady Cathy Justice, Gov. Jim Justice, and Babydog celebrate Tuesday night at the Greenbrier Resort following Gov. Justice’s U.S. Senate victory.

CHARLESTON — Saying she was “covered up in qualifications,” Gov. Jim Justice announced Thursday that he had appointed his wife, first lady Cathy Justice, to the West Virginia Board of Education.

“I had to do a whole lot of selling and talking to Cathy about this,” Justice said Thursday during his weekly administration briefing from the State Capitol Building. “I’m honored to announce the appointment of our first lady, Cathy Justice, to the West Virginia Board of Education. She will do an amazing job. Really and truly, Cathy loves kids beyond good sense.”

Cathy Justice is a graduate of Woodrow Wilson High School in Raleigh County in 1970, where she met Gov. Justice. Both went to Marshall University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in secondary education. She also worked as a substitute teacher in the Raleigh County School system.

As first lady, Cathy Justice has become the face of the Communities in Schools program, which works to connect at-risk students and their families to resources, such as academic assistance and tutoring; basic needs, such as clothing and food; behavior intervention and modification; career preparation; community service, crisis intervention, life skills, mental health services, and more.

According to the state Department of Education, Communities in Schools was first introduced in Greenbrier County in 2004, but the program began expansion in 2018 during Justice’s two four-year terms as governor. Now, the program serves all 55 counties, with 298 site coordinators between 285 schools, benefiting more than 117,000 students. Through Communities in Schools, Cathy Justice has also placed 42 therapy dogs in schools.

“They work that they’ve done with Communities in Schools in all 55 of our counties and all the good stuff that Cathy has done, it’s amazing,” Justice said. “She has surely earned her stripes as far as the good stuff she is doing for kids. I’m really proud. In the beginning, I couldn’t get Cathy across the finish line on this, but I think she will do an amazing job. She’s fired up now and ready to go and to do the job.”

Cathy Justice will succeed Dr. Daniel Snively, whose term expired on Monday. Snively, the director of the Heart Center at Huntington Internal Medicine Group, was appointed by Gov. Justice in 2019 to fill the remaining term of Elkins attorney Joseph Wallace, whom the governor appointed in 2017.

This is not the first time a governor has appointed their spouse to the state Board of Education. Then-governor Joe Manchin appointed first lady Gayle Manchin to the state board in 2007. She continued to serve after Manchin won election to the U.S. Senate in 2010 and 2012, serving twice in the rotating position of state board president before resigning in 2015.

Now the co-chair of the Appalachian Regional Commission, Gayle Manchin has education bachelor’s and master’s degrees from West Virginia University and Salem International University. She taught school in Marion County and was on the faculty of Fairmont State University.

Nine of the 11 members of the state Board of Education are appointed by the governor. Appointed members serve overlapping nine-year terms and no more than five of the appointed members can belong to the same political party.

Addressing questions about her qualifications and whether the appointment represented nepotism, Justice said First Lady Justice was more than qualified. Gov. Justice – who is wrapping up the final two months of his second and final four-year term — won election to the U.S. Senate Tuesday night.

“How could you possibly think that Cathy is not just covered up in qualifications,” Justice said. “The job she has done is off the chart. She’s very, very qualified. She has a secondary (education) degree from Marshall University. There is no way I could find someone no matter where they are who is more qualified than Cathy Justice for this job. I think she will do great.”

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West Virginia

Watch: West Virginia Football 2024 Senior Day Ceremony

Published

1 hour ago

November 23, 2024

Press Room

Watch: West Virginia Football 2024 Senior Day Ceremony

West Virginia football held their Senior Day Ceremony on Saturday ahead of their game against UCF.

The Mountaineers honored 29 seniors who walked and met head coach Neal Brown along with Athletic Director Wren Baker before running onto the field.

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West Virginia

West Virginia 98-28 Lafayette (Nov 22, 2024) Game Recap – ESPN

Published

9 hours ago

November 23, 2024

Press Room

West Virginia 98-28 Lafayette (Nov 22, 2024) Game Recap – ESPN

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — — Ja’Naiya Quinerly had 19 points, Sydney Woodley scored 15 off the bench and No. 13 West Virginia posted a wire-to-wire 98-28 victory over Lafayette on Friday night.

Quinerly made 6 of 12 shots with four 3-pointers for the Mountaineers (6-0), who have yet to play a road game this season. She added five rebounds, four assists and three steals. Woodley hit 4 of 5 shots with two 3s and pitched in with five steals and four rebounds.

Kylee Blacksten finished with 13 points and six boards for West Virginia. Jordan Thomas contributed 11 points, five assists and four rebounds. Reserve Tirzah Moore scored 10.

Abby Antognoli had 11 points to lead the Leopards (1-4), who fell to 0-3 away from home. Antognoli made just 1 of 6 from 3-point range for Lafayette which shot 2 of 17 from distance.

Watson and Jordan Harrison made 3s in the first 27 seconds as West Virginia grabbed a quick two-possession lead. Quinerly made both of her 3s in the quarter to help the Mountaineers take a 22-8 lead.

Moore followed her two successful free throws with a 3-point play to spark an 11-0 run to begin the second period and West Virginia cruised from there. The Mountaineers led 45-15 at halftime and 78-19 at the end of the third.

West Virginia will host High Point on Friday.

—— Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball

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West Virginia

How to Watch West Virginia vs. UCF: Time, TV Channel, Live Stream – November 23, 2024

Published

18 hours ago

November 23, 2024

Press Room

Data Skrive

One of the best runners in college football will be featured when RJ Harvey and the UCF Knights (4-6) take on the West Virginia Mountaineers (5-5) on Saturday, November 23, 2024.

Go to ESPNU to watch the Knights battle the Mountaineers.

Keep up with college football all season on FOX Sports.

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Learn more about the UCF Knights and the West Virginia Mountaineers.

How to Watch UCF vs. West Virginia

When: Saturday, November 23, 2024 at 3:30 p.m. ET
Location: Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown, West Virginia
Live Box Score: FOX Sports

UCF’s 2024 Schedule

Date	Opponent	Score
8/29/2024	vs. New Hampshire	W 57-3
9/7/2024	vs. Sam Houston	W 45-14
9/14/2024	at TCU	W 35-34
9/28/2024	vs. Colorado	L 48-21
10/5/2024	at Florida	L 24-13
10/12/2024	vs. Cincinnati	L 19-13
10/19/2024	at Iowa State	L 38-35
10/26/2024	vs. BYU	L 37-24
11/2/2024	vs. Arizona	W 56-12
11/9/2024	at Arizona State	L 35-31
11/23/2024	at West Virginia	–
11/29/2024	vs. Utah	–

UCF 2024 Stats & Insights

UCF owns the 57th-ranked defense this season (355.4 yards allowed per game), and has been better on offense, ranking eighth-best with a tally of 464.6 yards per game.
UCF is averaging 201.8 passing yards per game offensively this year (93rd in the FBS), and is giving up 239.5 passing yards per game (96th) on the other side of the ball.
The Knights rank 32nd in scoring offense (33.0 points per game) and 80th in scoring defense (26.4 points allowed per game) this season.
The Knights rank 28th in run defense this year (115.9 rushing yards allowed per game), but they’ve been shining on offense, ranking second-best in the FBS with 262.8 rushing yards per game.
Despite sporting a bottom-25 defense on third down that ranks 22nd-worst in the FBS (44.4% third-down conversion rate), UCF has had more success offensively, ranking 42nd in the FBS by posting a 43.3% third-down conversion rate.
With 11 forced turnovers (96th in the FBS) against 15 turnovers committed (80th in the FBS), the Knights (-4) have the 95th-ranked turnover margin in college football.

UCF 2024 Key Players

Name	Position	Stats
RJ Harvey	RB	1,328 YDS / 19 TD / 132.8 YPG / 6.8 YPC 15 REC / 229 REC YDS / 2 REC TD / 22.9 REC YPG
K.J. Jefferson	QB	1,012 YDS (59.3%) / 7 TD / 4 INT 193 RUSH YDS / 2 RUSH TD / 27.6 RUSH YPG
Kobe Hudson	WR	38 REC / 623 YDS / 3 TD / 62.3 YPG
Jacurri Brown	QB	387 YDS (51.5%) / 1 TD / 4 INT 354 RUSH YDS / 4 RUSH TD / 39.3 RUSH YPG
Deshawn Pace	LB	43 TKL / 2.0 TFL / 2 INT / 2 PD
Quadric Bullard	DB	48 TKL / 1.0 TFL / 1.0 SACK
Nyjalik Kelly	DL	36 TKL / 3.0 TFL / 2.5 SACK
Daylan Dotson	DL	23 TKL / 5.0 TFL / 4.0 SACK

West Virginia’s 2024 Schedule

Date	Opponent	Score
8/31/2024	vs. Penn State	L 34-12
9/7/2024	vs. Albany	W 49-14
9/14/2024	at Pittsburgh	L 38-34
9/21/2024	vs. Kansas	W 32-28
10/5/2024	at Oklahoma State	W 38-14
10/12/2024	vs. Iowa State	L 28-16
10/19/2024	vs. Kansas State	L 45-18
10/26/2024	at Arizona	W 31-26
11/9/2024	at Cincinnati	W 31-24
11/16/2024	vs. Baylor	L 49-35
11/23/2024	vs. UCF	–
11/30/2024	at Texas Tech	–

West Virginia 2024 Stats & Insights

West Virginia ranks 53rd with 400.8 total yards per game on offense, and it ranks 99th with 400.8 total yards allowed per contest on the defensive side of the ball.
West Virginia ranks 91st in passing yards per game (202.3), but it has been worse on the other side of the ball, ranking eighth-worst in the FBS with 269.6 passing yards allowed per contest.
The Mountaineers rank 53rd in the FBS with 29.6 points per game on offense, and they rank 102nd with 30.0 points given up per contest on the defensive side of the ball.
The Mountaineers’ run offense has been leading the way for the team, as they rank 24th-best in the FBS with 198.5 rushing yards per contest. In terms of defense, they are giving up 131.2 rushing yards per game, which ranks 49th.
West Virginia ranks 69th in third-down conversion rate (40.2%) on offense, but it has been less productive on the other side of the ball, ranking eighth-worst in the FBS with a 47.2% third-down percentage allowed.
The Mountaineers sport a -5 turnover margin this season, which ranks 100th in the FBS.

West Virginia 2024 Key Players

Name	Position	Stats
Garrett Greene	QB	1,589 YDS (54.6%) / 11 TD / 9 INT 613 RUSH YDS / 5 RUSH TD / 76.6 RUSH YPG
Jahiem White	RB	639 YDS / 5 TD / 63.9 YPG / 5.5 YPC 12 REC / 94 REC YDS / 1 REC TD / 10.4 REC YPG
CJ Donaldson	RB	525 YDS / 7 TD / 52.5 YPG / 4.6 YPC 5 REC / 20 REC YDS / 1 REC TD / 2.5 REC YPG
Traylon Ray	WR	28 REC / 426 YDS / 4 TD / 42.6 YPG
Josiah Trotter	LB	73 TKL / 3.0 TFL / 0.5 SACK / 1 INT
T.J. Jackson	DL	33 TKL / 12.0 TFL / 5.5 SACK
Anthony Wilson	DB	75 TKL / 0.0 TFL / 1 INT / 1 PD
Trey Lathan	LB	50 TKL / 5.0 TFL / 2.0 SACK