A West Virginia journalist was fired final month after exposing alleged abuse of disabled folks within the state’s well being company.
Amelia Ferrell Knisely stated she had been warned to cease reporting on allegations that the West Virginia Division of Well being and Human Assets was hiding data on the remedy of disabled individuals in state care within the weeks earlier than she was let go from her part-time job at West Virginia Public Broadcasting.
“I used to be let go from my job at WVPB final week following threats from DHHR about my reporting on DHHR’s remedy of individuals with disabilities,” she wrote on Twitter Dec. 28.
Final month, Knisely printed that an advocacy group was accusing the state of failing to correctly institutionalize disabled individuals. The state, the group alleged, was “‘affected person dumping’ or ‘warehousing sufferers’ by permitting them to stay unnecessarily institutionalized,” she wrote.
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Knisely stated leaders on the Well being and Human Assets division had “threatened to discredit” WVPB.AP
She additionally reported on a letter Republican Senate President Craig Blair despatched to Gov. Jim Justice asking for a proper probe into the allegations.
The fired reporter stated leaders on the Well being and Human Assets division had “threatened to discredit” WVPB, a publicly funded tv and radio community.
“It’s essential for the press to carry authorities companies accountable,” Knisely stated in an announcement Tuesday. “It have to be emphasised that these occasions adopted my reporting on the mistreatment of individuals with disabilities, who’re in state care.”
WVPB is a publicly funded tv and radio community.Fb / West Virginia Public Broadcasting
She claimed the order got here from WVPB Government Director Butch Antolini, the previous communications director for the Justice. Antolini stepped as much as the job in 2021 — his predecessor was ousted after Justice overhauled the company’s governing board. Justice himself had a historical past of making an attempt to eradicate the annual $4 million in state funding for WVPB.
Antolini has not commented on Knisely, however different officers denied any effort to affect protection.
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West Virginia Academic Broadcasting Authority chairman William H. File III claims Knisely was not fired and nonetheless stays on the station’s payroll. He famous that Antolini “was not coerced or pressured by anybody.”
Knisely claims the state requested her for a “full retraction” on a narrative she wrote in November, one month after she was employed at WVPB.
Knisely says the West Virginia Division of Well being and Human Assets was hiding data on the remedy of disabled individuals in state care.Fb / WV Division of Well being & Human Assets
Although that didn’t occur, her information director, Eric Douglas, advised her she might now not cowl the state’s Well being and Human Assets division as a result of the state was threatening to discredit the community.
Knisely filed a human sources criticism about interference together with her reporting on Dec. 15, however was advised simply 5 days later that part-time positions have been being eradicated. Her e-mail and key card stopped working round that point.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — Jordan Harrison scored 20 points and No. 13 West Virginia used a strong second quarter to defeat Bowling Green 78-47 on Tuesday night.
The Falcons hung with the Mountaineers for one quarter, trailing 18-15. West Virginia scored the first six points on the second quarter and closed with an 11-0 run with 3-pointers from three different players to lead 37-19 at the break.
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The Mountaineers were 8 of 15 from the field while the Falcons were 2 of 12 with nine turnovers.
JJ Quinerly added 14 points with six assists and four steals and Celia Riviere had 11 points off the bench for West Virginia (4-0), which shot 53% from the field but made just 12 of 21 free throws and had 16 turnovers.
Amy Velasco scored 18 points for the Falcons (2-3), who had 27 turnovers that cost them 36 points.
Velasco had three 3s and 11 points in the third quarter when Bowling Green cut a 20-point deficit to 13 but Jordan Thomas and Kylee Blacksten had two layups each and Kyah Watson capped an 11-0 burst with a 3-pointer and the lead was 55-31.
A 15-0 run in the fourth quarter cemented the rout.
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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Only six of 133 FBS teams, and two at the Power Conference level, allow more passing yards on average than West Virginia in 2024.
No Power Conference program is surrendering more yards per completion than the 14.19 of the Mountaineers, which ranks ahead of only three FBS teams.
Yet as West Virginia (5-5, 4-3) looks to gain bowl eligibility come 3:30 p.m. Saturday when welcoming Central Florida, the Mountaineer run defense has come into question for good reason.
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In last Saturday’s 49-35 loss to Baylor, West Virginia surrendered a season-high 5.38 yards per rush as the Bears gained 183 yards on the ground and 512 in all. Only Penn State (222) and Kansas (247) had rushed for more yards this season against the Mountaineers.
Now comes the top rushing attack among major programs in UCF, which rushes for 262.8 yards on average to trail only Army among FBS teams.
Of UCF’s 240 first downs gained this season, 141 have come on rushing plays. Compare that to a run-heavy Mountaineer offense that’s generated 223 total first downs and 109 by way of rushing.
Leading the way for one of the more productive rushing attacks in all of college football is fifth-year tailback RJ Harvey, the nation’s third-leading rusher with 1,328 yards and 19 touchdowns on 196 attempts.
“You have to keep great edges on the defense,” WVU defensive coordinator Jeff Koonz said. “You have to keep technique all 11 guys across the board. If you’re the back side guy pursuing the ball, you have to keep technique and keep your shoulders square. He’s a threat to go anywhere at anytime. He understands the blocking and their scheme. It’s a great challenge for us because it all bases off the inside zone scheme that we just saw against Baylor.”
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Another productive outing in Morgantown would allow Harvey to surpass his rushing total of 1,416 yards from last season, when the Orlando native scored 16 times on the ground.
Harvey has faced West Virginia once before, and although the Mountaineers were victorious 41-28 in Orlando last season, the tailback managed 100 yards on 14 carries along with four receptions for 30 yards.
At 5-foot-9 and 208 pounds, Harvey has a combination of power and patience that helps to make him a tough tackle.
“His ability to break tackles and once he gets past the defensive line and linebackers, he can get striking,” said WVU defensive lineman T.J. Jackson, the team leader in sacks and tackles for loss with 5.5 and 12, respectively. “He’s really fast.”
Harvey has rushed for at least 75 yards in every game this season, 126-plus yards on seven occasions and 127 or more yards in four straight contests, during which time he’s totaled 634 yards and 10 touchdowns on 88 carries.
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“The thing that sticks out to me is he breaks tackles,” WVU head coach Neal Brown said. “He does a really good on the inside zone play of getting the safeties and everybody to kind of bottle up and he jump cuts it outside and outruns them. That’s going to be the key. The key is to contain him and not let him get on the perimeter for explosives.”
Nov 16, 2024; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; Baylor Bears running back Bryson Washington (30) runs the ball for a touchdown during the second quarter against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images
Brown has been critical of the Mountaineers’ tackling in each of their last two contests since Koonz has took over as defensive coordinator after the head coach opted for a change three weeks ago today when previous defensive coordinator Jordan Lesley was dismissed.
“We didn’t tackle as well as we needed to at Cincinnati. We tackled really poorly in the first half against Baylor. It was bad,” Brown said. “If we’re going to have the ability to contain their run game, then we’re going to have to tackle at a much higher level.”
WVU has allowed a staggering 948 yards in those two games, though in the first one at Cincinnati, the Mountaineers forced a season-high three takeaways and two amounted to defensive touchdowns in a 31-24 victory.
Baylor then scored touchdowns on five of its six first-half possessions and twice more in the fourth quarter to seal a 49-35 victory and prevent the Mountaineers from putting together consecutive encouraging efforts.
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“We have to have guys attack the ball with leverage,” Koonz said. “We have to understand our leverage. In week 10, you’re probably tired of hearing that. Every coverage and front has a leverage aspect to it. If I’m playing my position and I get to the ball-carrier, I have to attack that ball-carrier with certain leverage, so that if I do miss the tackle, someone else should be close if we’re playing with the effort we’re supposed to be.”
This week, we have: the Ski Film fest with ski pro Amie Engerbretson, the Clay Center; The Steel Wheels at The Purple Fiddle, Thomas; West Virginia Symphony Orchestra, the Clay Center; Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey’s “The Greatest Show on Earth,” Charleston Coliseum; and Nurse Blake’s “Shock Advised Tour,” Charleston Coliseum Theater.
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