West Virginia
Morrisey predicts $400M budget deficit next year, ending Justice’s ‘rocket ship ride’ for WV • West Virginia Watch
Sen. Jim Justice, who promised rocket ship rides and boasted big budget surpluses, has left the new Gov. Patrick Morrisey with a problem: a projected $400 million deficit beginning next year.
Morrisey, who is in his first week on the job, said that the deficit was what his administration had found as of this week.
“We’re talking about what we’ve inherited. It’s not factoring in any new spending priorities or any proposed additional tax cuts,” he said Thursday at the state Capitol in Charleston, West Virginia.
“These problems weren’t created overnight,” he continued. “ … I can tell you that we do believe that there are significant structural problems with the budget, and I’m committed to fixing it.”
The Republican, who campaigned on ending big government spending, said the projected deficit doesn’t mean his administration won’t be able to offer another tax cut to residents or pay raises to teachers. He said they’re still a possibility his administration will address rising health care costs impacting the Public Employees Insurance Agency.
“I’ve been very clear that I want West Virginia to be even more competitive with all the states that we touch,” Morrisey said. “But we’re going to have to look at this, and it’s going to take a while for anyone to go through this … I know that I remain very optimistic despite a lot of the big spending that’s occurred.”
Morrisey declined to put the blame specifically on Justice, saying, “I’m not going to talk about any individuals.” Justice, a Republican, was sworn into the U.S. Senate on Tuesday, forgoing the first 10 days of his Senate term.
Justice faced a $500 million budget deficit when he took office as governor in 2017.
He consistently commented on his work turning around the state’s financial situation, and he regularly touted his multi-million dollar surpluses. Justice was adamant that lawmakers keep a flat budget. Meanwhile, state health leaders said they needed nearly $300 million to address pressing issues in West Virginia, like the substance abuse crisis. Education leaders said they needed $258 million to implement necessary school safety measures amid a national rise in school violence.
Last month, Justice told the Parkersburg News and Sentinel, “For all I know, we do not have a hole for [fiscal year] 2026 at all … the next budget will surely depend on decisions that are made by the next folks that come in and the Legislature and on and on and on.”
This year’s budget bill, passed by the House and Senate on the last night of the 2024 regular legislative session, set the general revenue budget for the current fiscal year at roughly $4.9 billion, 5% less than Justice’s introduced version of $5.3 billion.
Morrisey said on Tuesday that there had been “a lot of spending” in the last few months under Justice, adding that he would be “analyzing that rocket ship ride.” His administration will review a number of recent economic announcements under Justice, and non finalized contracts could be eliminated as he seeks to save money.
“The era of big spending is over. It’s over. In West Virginia, the time for spending beyond our means is over,” Morrisey said.
Already taking steps to address spending
Morrisey said that he expects the state to meet budget goals this year through June 30, the end of the current fiscal year. The shortfall in this year’s budget is temporarily being replaced by a one-time provider tax cash balance, he said.
He emphasized that he already began cutting costs, including an executive order issued on Tuesday that eliminated any state dollars tied to diversity initiatives. Another executive order requires state agencies to make a plan for more efficient spending.
In an effort to save money, Morrisey said that he will work with the Legislature to consolidate the existing Department of Economic Development with the Department of Commerce and to consolidate the existing Department of Arts, Culture and History with the Department of Tourism. The considerations are “an initial step toward making state government more efficient and effective,” according to Morrisey.
He was unable to offer specifics about any potential job cuts in an effort to save money.
Despite the budget hole, Morrisey will push his tax cut in collaboration with the Legislature.
“I do believe that West Virginia needs to continue to emphasize a reduction in taxes to become the lowest in the region,” he said.
Morrisey will present his proposed budget to lawmakers when the regular 60-day legislative session begins next month.
“We will continue to try to garner every efficiency out of state government, because our taxpayers deserve nothing less,” he said.
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West Virginia
West Virginia Lottery results: See winning numbers for Mega Millions, Daily 3 on Jan. 9, 2026
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 Friday, Jan. 9, 2026 results for each game:
Winning Mega Millions numbers from Jan. 9 drawing
12-30-36-42-47, Mega Ball: 16
Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Daily 3 numbers from Jan. 9 drawing
5-4-4
Check Daily 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Daily 4 numbers from Jan. 9 drawing
3-0-4-6
Check Daily 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash 25 numbers from Jan. 9 drawing
01-05-06-07-12-13
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.
West Virginia
West Virginia set to welcome No. 22 Kansas – WV MetroNews
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — A half hour or so had passed since West Virginia men’s basketball coach Ross Hodge recorded his first Big 12 win with the Mountaineers holding off Cincinnati 62-60 on Tuesday night.
Hodge expressed feeling fortunate that his team was able to overcome a late lapse where saw a six-point lead became a five-point deficit, and WVU (10-5, 1-1) avoided falling victim to a poor finish that was problematic in narrow neutral-site setbacks to Clemson and Ohio State.
Yet as is generally the case in the Big 12, there was little time to savor the result, and it was time to turn the attention to No. 22 Kansas, Saturday’s opponent for a noon tip inside Hope Coliseum.
The matchup against KU and its two-time National Champion head coach Bill Self airs on FOX.
“I have a ton of respect for coach Self and Kansas. Thankful, honestly. That would be the emotion. Thankful to be in this league,” Hodge said. “This is the third best basketball league on the planet. It’s the NBA, the Euro League and the Big 12. With that comes really good catches and really good players. More than anything, an appreciation and thankfulness. Once the ball gets tipped, it really is like your team is trying to out-execute his team and you don’t spend a lot of time thinking about any of that other than how can I help our guys execute better in these stretches and play better defense. That’s where your mind is.”
For at least one night, Hodge was able to breathe a sigh of relief after late three-pointers from both Honor Huff and Treysen Eaglestaff, the latter of which came with the shot clock winding down in a well-defended attempt out of desperation that was instrumental in helping the Mountaineers prevail past the Bearcats.
Later Tuesday night, KU (11-4, 1-1) overcame a 15-point deficit with inside 5 minutes remaining, staging one of its infamous improbable rallies at Allen Fieldhouse to defeat TCU in overtime, 104-100.
“We didn’t guard. We didn’t rebound,” Self said. “Our body language stunk for a good portion of the game. We played with different energy levels individually throughout the game. We were spectators and didn’t create activity. There were a lot of things we didn’t do the other night, but at the end of the day, we should show ourselves that we can do it, because we did it under the most intense, pressure-packed situations.
“That’s why the last 4 minutes of a game are the most important 4 minutes, because if you make a mistake, you can’t recover. Even though we made a couple mistakes in the last 4 minutes, it was still about as well-played as any stretch that we’d had during the game and when it counted the most.”
Self has been displeased with the Jayhawks’ defense over two Big 12 games, with KU allowing 181 points, including 168 through regulation.
“We just haven’t been connected on the defensive end like we were prior to Christmas,” he said.
WVU presents a quality chance for KU to rectify its defensive issues as the Mountaineers are 15th among 16 Big 12 teams in overall scoring (74.1 points per game) and scoring within Big 12 games (60.5). At 45.4 percent, WVU ranks 14th in the league in field goal percentage.
But Self knows his team must be aware at all times of Mountaineer guard Honor Huff, who leads the conference with 60 three-pointers and made 6 of 10 against UC after going 1 for 8 the previous outing at Iowa State.
Huff has at least four made threes in eight games this season as well as another in which he shot 3 of 4 from distance. Additionally, Eaglestaff is 14 for 34 from long range over the last five contests.
“They let their shooters shoot it and they have three guys that can, but two of them really can and will shoot a lot of them,” Self said. “We have to do a great job of defending the arc.”
The Mountaineers continue to be solid defensively and rank second to Houston in scoring defense among Big 12 teams at 61.5 points. WVU held Cincinnati to 22 for 62 shooting and 10 two-point field goals.
“You have to be able to play long stretches of quality basketball to win games. We were fortunate to win if I’m being really honest,” Hodge said. “Our first shot defense was good. Holding a team to [35] percent from the floor is good enough to win. [WVU’s] nine assists to 15 turnovers is not going to win you games a lot of nights. We did out-rebound them [37-33]. We got to the free-throw line. We didn’t necessarily make them at the rate we need to [7 for 13], but we made the big ones late.”
The Mountaineers will be tasked with trying to limit one of college basketball’s most feared offensive players and top pro prospects in 6-foot-6 KU freshman Darryn Peterson.
Peterson has played in only six games due to a hamstring injury and scored a career-high 32 points against the Horned Frogs, but sat out the extra session with cramping.
He is averaging 22.5 points on 50 percent shooting and has made multiple treys in all six games, while shooting better than 43 percent beyond the arc.
“He feels good. He’s full speed,” Self said.
Tre White, a 6-7 swingman, is the team’s second-leading scorer at 15 points, followed by 6-10 forward Flory Bidunga (14.3 points, 9.1 rebounds) and guard Melvin Council Jr. (13.7 ppg).
WVU, which has yet to record a Quad 1 or Quad 2 victory, is 10-0 at home this season and 7-5 against the Jayhawks in Morgantown.
“In this league, you better take care of home,” Hodge said. “It’s the Big 12. Every game is going to be challenging in its own way.”
West Virginia
West Virginia Lottery results: See winning numbers for Daily 3, Daily 4 on Jan. 8, 2026
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 Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026 results for each game:
Winning Daily 3 numbers from Jan. 8 drawing
8-1-9
Check Daily 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Daily 4 numbers from Jan. 8 drawing
9-6-6-7
Check Daily 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash 25 numbers from Jan. 8 drawing
02-05-06-11-12-17
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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