West Virginia

One candidate for West Va. governor defends abortion bans. The other wanted abortion on the ballot

Published

2 months ago

October 30, 2024

One candidate for West Va. governor defends abortion bans. The other wanted abortion on the ballot

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — The closest West Virginia voters could come to having their say at the ballot box on whether abortion should be legal in the post-Roe v. Wade era might be in this year’s governor’s race.

State Attorney General Patrick Morrisey and Huntington Mayor Steve Williams have been leaders and occasional allies in the fight against drug abuse in West Virginia, both working to stem the flow of pharmaceuticals into the state with the highest opioid death rate in the nation.

But when it comes to reproductive rights, the two could hardly be further apart.

Morrisey, the Republican nominee, has been a vigorous defender of West Virginia’s comprehensive ban on abortion, which includes few exceptions. Williams, his Democratic opponent, tried but failed to get an abortion referendum on the November ballot.

Now he is betting that the divide over the issue is larger than Republicans think, even in a GOP-dominated state that voted in support of Trump in every single county in 2016 and 2020.

“As I see it, freedom will be on the ballot one way or another,” said Williams, who has been meeting with independent, Republican and Democratic women unhappy with lawmakers’ restrictions.

Unlike some other states that have taken a vote on abortion following the end of federal protections, West Virginia has no citizen-led ballot initiative process. The only way to get a ballot question is with a vote of the legislature, which has Republican supermajorities in both chambers and ignored a petition Williams submitted with thousands of West Virginians’ signatures.

Amendments to preserve abortion rights have gotten traction even in GOP-leaning states like Kansas and Kentucky, where residents voted in favor of access to the procedure. Even in a state as Republican-dominated as West Virginia, the distinction between candidates could matter to some voters.

As governor, Williams said he would continue to pressure lawmakers to put abortion on the ballot or to lessen restrictions. If they continued to refuse to do either, he said he’d restore access through executive order.

Morrisey says West Virginia is a “pro-life state” and has cited a 2018 vote in which just under 52% of voters supported a constitutional amendment saying there is no right to abortion access in West Virginia. But that vote — during a low-turnout midterm election — took place four years before the U.S. Supreme Court determined that there is no constitutional right to abortion, handing the matter back to the states.

The 2018 vote also had to do with state funding of abortion, which some voters might oppose without wanting access completely eliminated, advocates say.

Not long after that, West Virginia passed its ban — becoming one of 13 states to make abortion illegal.

Morrisey argued that voters can turn lawmakers out if they don’t like what they do.

“My opponent is part of the Biden-Harris far-left movement,” he said. “And that’s not what West Virginians are looking for. ”

But Margaret Chapman Pomponio, executive director of the abortion rights and reproductive health advocacy nonprofit WV FREE, said she has “zero doubt” that West Virginians would vote for abortion rights if they had the chance.

“Lawmakers will not do it because I believe they know that they would lose,” she said.

She worries that people don’t know how restrictive the law really is.

After the Dobbs decision, the legislature convened more than once to debate abortion ban proposals. During their first special session in July 2022 that adjourned after lawmakers failed to agree, “the public outcry was intense,” Chapman Pomponio said, with protesters rallying at the state Capitol.

When the legislature was called back in September, the law was quickly approved with no public comment period.

“I think that really does create a sense of distrust, anger and apathy because they did not feel heard or respected,” Chapman Pomponio said. “Why go to the polls if you know that your elected officials are going to ignore you?”

She said West Virginia Free’s 501(c)(4) sibling organization — the WV FREE Action Fund — has been reaching out to voters to try to mobilize them ahead of the election and have found that many people don’t fully understand how limited the exemptions are.

Adult victims of rape and incest, for example, can obtain abortions in-state up until they are eight weeks pregnant, while child victims have up to 14 weeks. Victims are required to report their assault to law enforcement 48 hours before the procedure, something advocates point out could be a barrier because most victims don’t ever report their assaults to law enforcement.

“We have to continually explain to people that the exemptions have been very disingenuously portrayed by politicians who want the public to think that there’s more compassion in the ban than there is,” she said.

According to AdImpact, which tracks campaign spending on advertising, Democrats have spent almost nothing on the governor’s race, while Morrisey and Republican groups backing him have spent more than $36 million on ads for his campaign.

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West Virginia

No. 14 West Virginia Upset in Boulder Following Brutal Fourth Quarter

Published

3 hours ago

December 22, 2024

Press Room

No. 14 West Virginia Upset in Boulder Following Brutal Fourth Quarter

Boulder, CO – No. 14 West Virginia took an 11-point lead into the fourth quarter but shot 2-12 from the field and committed four turnovers in the final 10 minutes as the Colorado Buffaloes (10-2) went 9-11 from the floor and stormed back from a 16-point second half deficit to upset the Mountaineers (10-2) Saturday night 65-60.

West Virginia junior guard Jordan Harrsion led the Mountaineers with 18 points and five assists, but Frida Formann put in a game-high 22 points and forwards Lior Garzon and Jade Masogayo led the second half comeback to combine for 22 second half points.

West Virginia junior guard Syndey Shaw started the night with a three and a pair of steals in the backcourt by Harrison that led to layups gave the Mountaineers an early 7-6 advantage.

Frida Formann was off to a hot start, hitting her first three field goal attempts for seven of the nine Colorado points, including a three to give Colorado a 9-7 lead at the 4:30 mark of the first quarter.

The Mountaineers finished the first quarter with a 9-0 run with freshman forward Jordan Thomas leading the way with four points and a 16-9 WVU lead heading into the second quarter.

Jordan Harrsion opened the second quarter with a three to extend the lead to 10, but West Virginia went 3-9 and committed five turnovers while Colorado was 7-15 from the field and cut the deficit to three, 28-25, at the break.

Frida Forman led all scorers at the break with 15 points as Harrison scored a Mountaineer-high 12 points with two assists.

Jade Masogayo cut the WVU lead to one with a lay-in, but West Virginia responded with a 19-4 run, led by guard Kyah Watson putting in five of her eight points on the night for a 47-31 lead with 3:05 left in the third quarter.

Colorado began to build momentum heading into the fourth quarter, despite West Virginia leading by 11.

The Mountaineers went cold in the fourth quarter while the Buffaloes got hot. West Virginia missed its first four shots from the field while Colorado dwindled the lead to five before Harrison got the contested layup and ended a five-minute scoring drought.

The Buffaloes continued their momentum, while West Virginia struggled from the field and extending their run to 22-4 behind nine points from Garzon to build a seven-point lead with 36 seconds remaining in the game and held on for the 65-60 victory.

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West Virginia

How to Watch & Listen to West Virginia vs. Mercyhurst

Published

11 hours ago

December 21, 2024

Press Room

How to Watch & Listen to West Virginia vs. Mercyhurst

The West Virginia Mountaineers (8-2) host the Mercyhurst Lakers (6-8) for the first ever meeting between the two programs.

When: Sunday, December 22

Location: Morgantown, WV, WVU Coliseum (14,000)

Tip-off: 2:00 p.m. EST

Stream: ESPN+

Announcers: Nick Farrell, Warren Baker & Amanda Mazey

Radio: Tony Caridi (PBP), Brad Howe (analyst) Mountaineer Sports Network from Learfield IMG College (Radio affiliates)

WVU Game Notes

– Mercyhurst is the 193rd different team to play a game vs. West Virginia in the WVU Coliseum (non-exhibition).

– West Virginia is 154-38 against teams making their first appearance in the Coliseum.

– West Virginia is currently ranked No. 28 in the latest NCAA NET rankings.

– West Virginia has won 88 of its last 96 games at home in the month of December.

– Javon Small was named co-Big 12 Player of the Week and Tucker DeVries was tabbed as the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week on Dec. 2. Both were named to the Battle 4 Atlantis All-Tournament Team.

– Small was named the Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week on Dec. 3.

– Small has scored 20 or more points in fi ve of WVU’s last seven games.

– With a win over No. 3 Gonzaga, WVU defeated a Top 5 AP team for the second consecutive season. Last season, the Mountaineers downed No. 3 Kansas in Morgantown, 91-85.

– West Virginia played three consecutive overtime games for the first time in school history.

– WVU is 142-13 at home against nonconference teams in the last 23 years, and has won 123 of its last 134 games.

– WVU is 615-187 (.767) all-time at the WVU Coliseum and 256-73 at the WVU Coliseum in the last 21 seasons.

– West Virginia is 206-56 against nonconference teams in regular season games in the last 21 seasons.

– The Mountaineers have posted a winning nonconference record in 32 of the last 33 seasons.

– WVU is 268-99 in its last 367 games against unranked teams, including winners of 151 of its last 183 at the WVU Coliseum.

– West Virginia is the only team in the country that has two players on the same team who averaged more than 20 points per game from last season — Tucker DeVries (21.6 ppg) and Jayden Stone (20.8 ppg).

– Darian DeVries, who led Drake to six consecutive 20-win seasons and has a career .735 winning percentage as a head coach, was named the 23rd head men’s basketball coach at West Virginia University on March 24, 2024.

– DeVries has a record of 158-57 (.735) in seven seasons as a head coach, including a 63-17 (.788) mark in the last two-plus seasons.

– West Virginia returns just 2.8 percent of its scoring from last season’s team (Ofri Naveh).

– The Mountaineers are led by a pair of transfers in Tucker DeVries (Drake) and Javon Small (Oklahoma State). Last season, DeVries was named an Associated Press All-American Honorable Mention selection, while Small earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention honors.

– In addition, Eduardo Andre (Fresno State), Joseph Yesufu (Washington State), Sencire Harris (Illinois), Amani Hansberry (Illinois) and Jayden Stone (Detroit Mercy) were added from the transfer portal.

– WVU has a wealth of experience on its roster who have college basketball experience. Entering this season, they have combined to play 806 games, made 442 starts, scored 7,606 points, grabbed 3,304 rebounds and dished out 1,248 assists.

– Tucker DeVries was named to the 20-member Julius Erving Preseason Watch List, giving annually to the nation’s top small forward.

– Tucker DeVries was named to the preseason Naismith Trophy Men’s College Player of the Year Watch List.

– Tucker DeVries has scored the most points (1,867) of any senior (four-year players only) entering this season. He ranks eighth overall for career scoring by returning players (including fi fth-year) and third in the Big 12 Conference.

– Entering this season, Tucker DeVries has scored the fifth-most points in college basketball since 2021-22. He’s one of 12 players who have scored 1,800 or more points since 2021-22.

– Tucker DeVries has recorded 99 games in double figures.

– Tucker DeVries is 14 points shy of reaching 2,000 for his career.

– Toby Okani scored his 1,000th career point against Georgetown on Dec. 6.

– Javon Small is 17 points shy of scoring 1,000 for his career.

– Darian DeVries is 73-2 when scoring 80 or more points in a game and 139-17 when scoring 70 or more.

– Darian DeVries is 113-21 when holding opponents to 69 points or less and 53-6 when holding opponents to 59 points or less.

– West Virginia was predicted 13th in the Preseason Big 12 Poll by the league’s head coaches.

– West Virginia has made at least one 3-point fi eld goal in 874 consecutive games.

– The Mountaineers have won 150 of their last 168 games when holding opponents to 69 points or less.

– WVU has won 161 of its last 182 and 217 of its last 245 games when holding opponents to less than 69 points.

– West Virginia is 20-5 all-time in games played on December 22.

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West Virginia

West Virginia Contacts Washington State CB Transfer Stephen Hall

Published

19 hours ago

December 21, 2024

Press Room

West Virginia Contacts Washington State CB Transfer Stephen Hall

It’s no secret that the West Virginia coaching staff will be dipping its toes in the transfer portal this offseason, particularly on the defensive side of the ball in the secondary. The Mountaineers were one of the worst pass defenses in the Big 12 and ranked 121st out of 134 teams, allowing 267.9 yards through the air per game.

One player they have identified as a potential helping piece is Washington State transfer cornerback Stephen Hall, who received an offer from West Virginia on Friday. In twelve games this season, Hall recorded 45 tackles, three pass breakups, 2.5 tackles for loss, and an interception. Prior to his two years at Washington State, Hall spent the first two years of his career at Northwest Mississippi CC at the junior college level, where he made it to the national championship.

In addition to West Virginia, Hall has received offers from Houston, Mississippi State, Missouri, Oklahoma State, UNLV, USC, and Virginia Tech.

Technically, he has one year of eligibility remaining, but with the NCAA’s recent ruling regarding eligibility with those who took the junior college route, he may have an additional two years.