West Virginia

Transgender care polices in W.Va., NC are discriminatory, judge rules

Published

2 years ago

April 29, 2024

Transgender care polices in W.Va., NC are discriminatory, judge rules

State health care plans and government-funded insurance programs cannot exclude coverage for gender-affirming medical care, a federal appeals court ruled Monday.

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 8-6 to affirm two lower court rulings ordering North Carolina and West Virginia to roll back policies that exclude coverage for gender-affirming care. North Carolina’s state health plan does not cover treatment “in connection with sex changes or modifications and related care,” and West Virginia’s Medicaid program covers only some gender-affirming treatments.

Attorneys for both states argued in court that the policies were based only on cost concerns, not animus toward transgender people. Judge Roger Gregory, writing for the majority Monday, said the states’ restrictions are “obviously discriminatory.”

“Because we hold that the coverage exclusions facially discriminate on the basis of sex and gender identity, and are not substantially related to an important government interest, we affirm the district courts,” Gregory wrote in the majority opinion. “We further hold that the West Virginia exclusion violates the Medicaid Act and the Affordable Care Act.”

A federal judge in 2022 ruled that North Carolina’s health plan discriminates against transgender people by excluding coverage for gender-affirming medical care. The same year, another court ruled that West Virginia’s Medicaid program must provide coverage for care.

In a statement Monday, Tara Borelli, senior legal counsel at Lambda Legal and the lead attorney on both cases, said the 4th Circuit’s ruling “will save lives.”

“It confirms that discriminating against transgender people by denying critical medical care is not only wrong but unconstitutional,” she said. “No one should be denied essential health care, but our clients in both cases were denied coverage for medically necessary care prescribed by their doctors just because they’re transgender.”

“West Virginia’s denial of medically necessary care just because of who I am was deeply dehumanizing,” said Shauntae Anderson, one of the plaintiffs in the case against the state’s Medicaid program. “I am so relieved that this court ruling puts us one step closer to the day when Medicaid can no longer deny transgender West Virginians access to the essential healthcare that our doctors say is necessary for us.”

Gender-affirming health care for transgender minors and adults is considered medically necessary by major medical organizations, though not every trans person chooses to medically transition or has access to care. Twenty-four states since 2021 have banned treatments for transgender youths, according to the Movement Advancement Project, a nonprofit that tracks LGBTQ laws, and legislation in some states also restricts access to care for adults.

In more than a dozen states, gender-affirming care is explicitly excluded from state employee benefit plans, and Medicaid policies in 10 states exclude coverage for transition-related care for individuals of all ages. In three states, Medicaid can be used to cover the cost of gender-affirming care for transgender adults but not minors.

West Virginia’s Republican attorney general, Patrick Morrisey, responding to the 4th Circuit ruling with a vow to take the case to the Supreme Court.

“Decisions like this one, from a court dominated by Obama- and Biden-appointees, cannot stand: we’ll take this up to the Supreme Court and win,” he said in a statement. Morrisey, who is currently campaigning for governor of West Virginia, last week said he also plans to appeal a separate 4th Circuit ruling blocking the state from enforcing its restrictions on transgender student-athletes to the Supreme Court.

North Carolina State Treasurer Dale Folwell (R), whose office oversees the state’s health plan, said Monday’s 4th Circuit decision was “untethered to the reality” of the fiscal situation of the plan, which is “facing the real risk of looming insolvency.”

“Accordingly, the Plan cannot be everything for everyone — our priority is to provide coverage that does the most good for the highest number of people with the finite resources we have available,” Folwell said in a statement.

“As I have said consistently, I respect the rule of law and, therefore, will continue to follow every legal avenue available to protect the Plan and its members,” he added.

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West Virginia

West Virginia Lottery results: See winning numbers for Powerball, Lotto America on Jan. 10, 2026

Published

4 hours ago

January 11, 2026

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, Jan. 10, 2026 results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from Jan. 10 drawing

05-19-21-28-64, Powerball: 14, Power Play: 3

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lotto America numbers from Jan. 10 drawing

06-15-20-22-25, Star Ball: 10, ASB: 02

Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Daily 3 numbers from Jan. 10 drawing

6-3-7

Check Daily 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Daily 4 numbers from Jan. 10 drawing

3-0-6-8

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.

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West Virginia

West Virginia Lottery results: See winning numbers for Mega Millions, Daily 3 on Jan. 9, 2026

Published

1 day ago

January 10, 2026

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.

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.

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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West Virginia

West Virginia set to welcome No. 22 Kansas – WV MetroNews

Published

2 days ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

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.”

Jan 6, 2026; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers head coach Ross Hodge celebrates after defeating the Cincinnati Bearcats at Hope Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images

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.”

Jan 6, 2026; Lawrence, Kansas, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Darryn Peterson (22) shoots as TCU Horned Frogs forward Xavier Edmonds (24) defends during the second half of the game at Allen Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images

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.”

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