West Virginia

West Virginia will receive more elk from federal facility in Kentucky; worker injured in process – WV MetroNews

Published

2 years ago

January 10, 2024

West Virginia will receive more elk from federal facility in Kentucky; worker injured in process – WV MetroNews

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – West Virginia’s elk herd will get another boost of imported animals. Governor Jim Justice announced during his State of the State Address the state is in the process of bringing another group of elk from the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area near Cadiz, Kentucky to the Tomblin Wildlife Management Area in southern West Virginia.

“We’ve got 40 more elk on the way to West Virginia,” Justice said during Wednesday’s State of the State Address.

But Justice also announced a DNR worker had been injured in the process.

MetroNews was able to confirm the details Wednesday night.

At around noon Wednesday the DNR worker was getting into a truck at the Lakes Recreational Area when a gas-powered tranquilizer gun with a double safety device failed and it discharged into him. He was not holding the gun at the time, officials said.

DNR officials on the scene administered NARCAN and called for an ambulance. The worker was flown to a hospital in Nashville, Tenn. where he was still in ICU as of Wednesday night.

Justice said he was told the worker was going to be okay.

The worker’s name has not been released.

Elk plans

The new group of elk will mark the third time West Virginia has received elk from the U.S. Forest Service facility. The original reintroduction included 24 animals from L-B-L in 2016. The state received another 18 animals in 2018. West Virginia also received a large shipment of elk from the state of Arizona after the first two transfers from the federal facility in western Kentucky.

West Virginia Division of Natural Resources officials expect to received 40 elk in the latest transfer, half of which are expected to be females and half of those females are expected to already be bred.

West Virginia Elk Project Leader Randy Kelley expected the transfer to provide a much needed boost to the slowly growing population of elk in the southern West Virginia coalfields.

“We’re to the point now where we have more home grown elk than we have imported elk, which is why we’re so young from a population dynamics standpoint. That’s just the natural order of things,” said Kelley.

A number of the original elk reintroduced into West Virginia since 2016 have died from a variety of different natural occurrences. Brain worm claimed a number of the elk. Among the Arizona additions to the herd, many died waiting to be released in a mandatory federal quarantine during the hottest months of summer. That’s not expected to be an issue with the current transfer.

Relationships between the federal and state agencies are vastly improved, and the elk from L-B-L are considered a different situation.

Since the Arizona elk were from a free ranging herd, the stipulations were different. The Land Between the Lakes facility is considered, by regulation, a “captive cervid facility.” The animals there are regularly tested for bovine tuberculosis. The testing and quarantine requirements for transport are far less stringent under the captive circumstances.

The elk, which will eventually be released in Logan County, have already been rounded up, tested for TB, and are awaiting clearance of negative tests to be transported to West Virginia. They’ll be released in a “soft release” at the release facility on the Tomblin Wildlife Management Area.

The LBL facility is run by the U.S. Forest Service which is a division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. According to Kelley, although by regulation a captive cervid facility, the elk have blood lines which trace to a wild population.

“They’re from a wild herd at Elk Island in Alberta, Canada. They’re not an inherent farm raised elk. The blood line is pure to wild elk in Canada,” Kelley explained.

Other states have used animals from the Land Between the Lakes facility to start elk reintroductions in other parts of the United States. The facility also supplied the original elk released by the National Park Service in the Great Smokey Mountains.

Kelley said it was unlikely West Virginia would be able to get another round of elk from the wild herd in Arizona. Since their transport to the Mountain State, regulations with regard to CWD and transporting wild cervids have changed dramatically.

“I doubt we’ll be able to do that again until we have a live animal test for CWD,” he said.

Several states and universities are involved in various research projects trying to find a reliable test for the virus. So far, the only known reliable test requires the animal to be dead.

Kelley, in an address to state lawmakers during December interim meetings, indicated the state has roughly 100 to 110 elk on the ground. When quizzed about the possibility of when a controlled hunt for elk could be allowed, he indicated other states which have had successful reintroductions have not opened up a season until the herd reached 200 to 300 animals. He expected that to be the benchmark for West Virginia to begin consideration of a hunting season as well.

Teams from the West Virginia DNR will collaborate with officials from the West Virginia Department of Agriculture and volunteers from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation to transport the elk from western Kentucky to West Virginia in the coming days.

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West Virginia

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

Published

5 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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