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W.Va. Gov. Justice reveals change of heart on DHHR split

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W.Va. Gov. Justice reveals change of heart on DHHR split


CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) – From beginning to loss of life, the West Virginia’s Division of Well being and Human Assets touches each side of your life. The mammoth entity additionally spends extra of your tax {dollars} than every other state company.

But, state lawmakers say its shortcomings are many, together with points with foster care and assist for the mentally disabled.

The state Senate has taken fast motion this week — its first vote on Wednesday, 32-1, to reorganize the DHHR.

The proposal, Senate Invoice 126, splits DHHR into three completely different businesses by December — a Division of Well being Services, Division of Human Companies and a Division of Well being.

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The senate’s majority chief, Sen. Tom Takubo, R-Kanawha, instructed WSAZ it provides every workforce its personal head coach. He used a sporting analogy, explaining it’s more practical than having one head coach on your little one’s baseball, basketball and soccer groups with each sport being performed on the similar time.

“You can provide laser focus to the issues in every of these divisions, in order that we are able to streamline it and it advantages the individuals probably the most,” he mentioned.

Takubo mentioned different advantages embrace much less pink tape for faster hiring and higher accountability.

“Human nature would say, in case you and I are on the identical workforce, I don’t wish to blame you and also you don’t wish to blame me, and on the finish of the day, whose harm by that? It’s the folks that’s being served,” he mentioned.

However West Virginia has been right here earlier than.

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Final 12 months, Gov. Jim Justice vetoed a invoice to separate DHHR in two. He then paid $1 million in taxpayer funds to the McChrystal Group for a report that in its conclusion, ”disagrees that splitting DHHR into two departments.”

Two months after touting the report, the governor seems to have a change of coronary heart this week in his interview with WSAZ NewsChannel 3 Investigative/Political Reporter Curtis Johnson.

“DHHR. Senate Invoice 126. Splitting it into three businesses,” Johnson requested. “Are you for or towards that.”

“I’m actually not towards it,” Justice replied. “You recognize, lots of people would say, ‘Ah, Justice, you’ve acquired to be useless towards that,’ and all the pieces. Nope. I’m not. I’m towards us leaping and completely doing one thing that will not be good.”

Justice spoke of latest management at DHHR — Interim Secretary Jeff Coben, state COVID Czar Clay Marsh and Joint Interagency Activity Pressure Director Jim Hoyer — calling them “superstars.”

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The trio assigned Dec. 12, 2022, to steer DHHR reforms after the retirement of former Secretary Invoice Crouch.

“These issues have been right here for many years, however so far as dividing it up and all the pieces, I’m not in opposition to that,” Justice instructed Johnson.

“You vetoed it final 12 months,” Johnson requested in response. “You’re saying you’ll really signal it this 12 months?”

“It was a really shortly put collectively factor, that would have been an actual mistake,” Justice replied “A two-page, in a short time put collectively state of affairs final 12 months.”

That proposal was really eight pages, though it was launched on the thirty sixth day of final 12 months’s 60-day legislative session.

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But, Takubo agreed, this 12 months’s invoice is healthier thought out.

“Yeah. I agree,” he instructed Johnson. “I agree and there’s been much more dialogue over the previous 12 months and much more enter by people within the know.”

“Now we’ve had loads of time and all the pieces, and if the powers that be come to me with one thing that makes respectable sense and all the pieces, I’ll be on board as a result of like I’ve mentioned, I solicit all the nice concepts,” Justice instructed Johnson.

“So that you see Senate Invoice 126 as completely different from what previous final 12 months?” Johnson requested in response.

“It might very effectively be,” Justice mentioned. “You recognize, I haven’t checked out it and all the pieces intimately but.”

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Takubo mentioned he believes Justice is “palms in” on reforming the company.

“He needs to see West Virginia higher, simply as we wish to see West Virginia higher, and DHHR is tackling among the most troublesome issues that we’re going through,” he mentioned.

Senate Invoice 126 now awaits motion within the state Home.

Delegate Amy Summers, chairwoman of Home Well being and Human Assets, tells WSAZ NewsChannel 3 that she stays in dialog with the governor’s workplace and her committee will take up an equivalent invoice on Tuesday.

In different legislative information, Justice’s 50% reduce within the state’s revenue tax has superior from committee and was obtained on the Home ground Friday morning.

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West Virginia

2026 athlete Vann planning return trip to West Virginia

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2026 athlete Vann planning return trip to West Virginia


Middletown (Oh.) 2026 athlete Jordan Vann found out about his scholarship offer from West Virginia after the coaching staff visited his school during the evaluation period.

And now the plan is for him to make it back to campus to get another look at the school.

Vann, 6-foot-0, 180-pounds, got word of the news after tight ends coach Michael Nysewander stopped by his school and let him know that he was impressed with his film as well as his frame.

“I also had a conversation with coach (Henry) Weinreich and coach (Rich) Rodriguez on the phone. They seemed enthusiastic about me and I am excited to build a strong relationship,” he said.

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The Rivals.com three-star prospect is being targeted at any of the three safety positions in the West Virginia defense at nickel, strong or free in large part due to his athleticism and feel for the game.

Vann has already visited Morgantown twice last season for camps and once for the spring game and was highly impressed with what he was able to see during each stop. Now, he plans to take a trip to campus to spend time with the new coaching staff in order to get to know them better.

“I really enjoyed it. The atmosphere was amazing and the facilities were top notch,” he said. “I’m thankful for the opportunity that the West Virginia staff has given me.”

Vann is placing a strong emphasis on where he is going to be developed on and off the field as well as get the best education.



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As Mountaineers try to regain winning form, more offensive production a necessity – WV MetroNews

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As Mountaineers try to regain winning form, more offensive production a necessity – WV MetroNews


MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — As West Virginia tries to battle through its longest and lone losing streak this season, first-year head coach Darian DeVries has made it known desired results can’t become a reality until the Mountaineers display defensive improvement.

“When we’re good, it’s our defense,” DeVries said. “We’ve talked about shooting and all that stuff. It just doesn’t matter. When we guard, that’s where our group has a chance to be special and can do some really good things against good teams.”

Yet as WVU has allowed its last three opponents to shoot a combined 47.8 percent, the Mountaineers have lacked offense in losses to Arizona State, Kansas State and most recently Houston, when DeVries’ team was held to a season-low 49 points and matched the program’s lowest point total since February 2020 loss to Kansas. 

Slow starts and poor perimeter shooting have plagued the Mountaineers (13-7, 4-5), as they were held to 19 points over the first 20 minutes in Wednesday’s 14-point setback to the Cougars. 

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It marked the third straight game the Mountaineers went to halftime with 23 or fewer points, and over that stretch, they have made 23-of-80 field-goal attempts in the first half, including 6-of-34 three-pointers.

“That’s completely on the players,” WVU swingman Toby Okani said. “Our coaches do everything they need to do to get us prepared for every game plan and they have terrific scouts. We have to want it more. We haven’t arrived and we know that. We have to play with more confidence on the defensive end.”

West Virginia shot a plenty respectable 20 for 43 against the nation’s top defensive team Wednesday, but the Mountaineers hardly attempted more than a shot per minute after finishing with 12 turnovers and being out-rebounded 34-19, including 13-5 on the offensive end.

“They play at a very slow tempo and we’re their cousin,” Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson said. “We’re right there with them. It isn’t like we’re the ’90 Vegas team now.”

The Mountaineers have failed to surpass 60 points and are shooting 37.3 percent (63 for 169) during the ongoing skid. That percentage has been significantly hampered by an inability to hit from the perimeter, with the Mountaineers a dismal 12 for 68 on three-pointers since knocking off then-No. 2 Iowa State back on January 18.

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Javon Small and Jonathan Powell made two triples apiece Wednesday to comprise all of WVU’s production from behind the arc as the Mountaineers finished 4 for 18. That duo has accounted for 92 of the team’s 177 treys this season, but both are 5 for 19 on triples during the losing streak.

Amani Hansberry, third on the squad among available players with 22 threes, has made 1-of-14 three-point attempts starting with the loss to the Sun Devils.

“I guess we could try punting them in. JP’s had a rough week, but he’s a really good shooter, so he has to continue to shoot,” DeVries said. “His percentages are going to equal out by the end of the year. Unfortunately, he’s going through a little bit of a shooting slump. 

“Amani [Hansberry] hasn’t shot it well. [Wednesday] we tried to put more of an emphasis on getting downhill and getting to the rim, but your shooters have to shoot them when they’re open. Otherwise, you’re just going to be driving into people that are waiting for you with three guys at the rim. JP had some great looks. I want him to take all eight of those again. Hopefully, on Sunday it’s a 5 for 8, because it will be at some point. This week has been really tough shooting the ball.”

Jan 29, 2025; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers guard Javon Small (7) shoots a three point basket during the first half against the Houston Cougars at WVU Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images

Small, WVU’s leader in a number of statistical categories and the Big 12’s top scorer with an average of 19.1 points, continues to receive about as much attention as he possibly can from opponents.

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Wednesday marked the first time in a West Virginia uniform that Small failed to reach double-figure scoring as he was limited to eight points on 3-for-7 shooting. 

While Small scored 22 points in the loss to the Wildcats, he was held in check the previous game and scored 10 of his 14 points on free throws, while shooting 2 for 11 against the Sun Devils.

Regularly being double teamed when he possesses the ball and brings it into the front court, Small is also playing off the ball some as the Mountaineers ask Sencire Harris, Joseph Yesufu and KJ Tenner to fill the role of point guard. That’s in an effort to try and free the 6-foot-3 Small.

“As a staff, offensively, we’re searching to find more ways to get people involved,” DeVries said. “We don’t have a low post threat that you can just throw it into every time. We were able to with Amani [Wednesday] off of mismatches, but night in, night out, that’s probably not to our advantage. We have to find different ways to get Toby posted. Maybe it’s Amani off a switch. Find more driving opportunities, so we can get downhill and get more of those kick out threes. 

“Otherwise, you end up playing a lot of windshield wiper offense and it’s hard to score when you get that way. Javon was so good for such a long period of time. We rode that as long as we could, but it’s gotten more difficult as we get deeper into league play and people start to copycat how to defend certain players on your roster. They’re certainly doing that with Javon. He’s getting doubled and he’s getting it out of there. We have to do a better job of being more efficient on the back end of that.”

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Gutting Medicaid will take health care away from hardworking West Virginia families • West Virginia Watch

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Gutting Medicaid will take health care away from hardworking West Virginia families • West Virginia Watch


As the largest health insurance program in the country, providing health care to more than 70 million people, Medicaid is an essential pillar of our health care system.

The Affordable Care Act expanded Medicaid to cover more working Americans who do not make enough to afford private coverage. Now, 40 states, both red and blue, have expanded it, saving lives, keeping hospitals open, saving states money and improving the well-being of countless Americans. 

Medicaid is jointly funded by the federal government and the states, and it is supported by 76% of Americans. It covers one in five Americans, including kids, moms, seniors, people of color, rural Americans and people with disabilities.

Every family knows someone who relies on Medicaid.

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In West Virginia, 516,500 of our friends, family members and neighbors are covered by Medicaid — that includes:

  • 49,000 seniors
  • 196,000 children
  • 86,000 people with disabilities

So, why are Republicans in Congress planning to slash trillions from Medicaid to hand out $4.6 trillion in tax breaks to the wealthy?

Republicans in Congress are submitting three proposals that would dramatically reduce federal funding for Medicaid: block grants, per capita caps and reducing Medicaid matching rates. Currently, the federal government pays between 50% and 77% of enrollees’ Medicaid costs, and more for certain high-value services. 

These proposals would blow at least a $235 million hole in West Virginia’s state budget and leave tens of thousands of people uninsured.

Medicaid also helps fund rural hospitals by ensuring more patients can pay for their care. Rural hospitals in Medicaid expansion states, like West Virginia, are 62% less likely to close. In 2023, over 600 rural hospitals were at risk of closing, almost all of which were within non-expansion states. If Congress cuts Medicaid expansion, more rural hospitals will be forced to close their doors.

Medicaid is the single largest payer for long-term care, maternity care and mental health services. Nearly a third of adults have received maternity care, home health care, or nursing home care through Medicaid. Nearly one in five adults nationwide struggling with mental illness have access to care through Medicaid. If Congress has its way, millions of Americans will lose access to essential care.

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Congress is also considering imposing so-called work requirements; however, research shows that work reporting requirements cost states money and do not improve people’s ability to find work.

A large majority of adult Medicaid beneficiaries who can work already do. According to a 2024 analysis, over 80% of working-age adults on Medicaid were working, acting as family caregivers or attending school. 

Proposals that require individuals to regularly document and report hours worked or in school cause eligible people to fall through the cracks. Arkansas, the only state to implement Medicaid work reporting requirements on Medicaid beneficiaries, saw one in four of those subjected to the reporting requirement lose health coverage within six months.

Researchers found that this loss of coverage was generally not because people were unable to comply with the work requirement, but that they found the reporting process itself — the bureaucratic red tape — to be confusing and difficult to comply with, or they were unaware of the requirements altogether. Of those who lost their health coverage due to the work reporting requirements in Arkansas, half reported serious problems paying medical bills, 56% delayed addressing health care needs due to cost, and 64% delayed receiving needed medications.

So, what does all this mean? Fewer dollars mean fewer resources for low-income families, people with disabilities, pregnant women and others who rely on Medicaid for health coverage. The state’s going to lose funding for all those people who lose coverage. Even though these poorer states spend less per resident on Medicaid, their federal reimbursement rate is relatively high, and so the impact of federal cuts is large. 

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Gutting Medicaid will take health care away from hardworking families across West Virginia, instead of helping them — they deserve better, and it is within our power to do so. 

GET THE MORNING HEADLINES.

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