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

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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.

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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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 March 11, 2026

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The results are in for the West Virginia Lottery’s draw games on Wednesday, March 11, 2026.

Here’s a look at winning numbers for each game on March 11.

Winning Powerball numbers from March 11 drawing

03-06-55-58-63, Powerball: 12, Power Play: 2

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

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Winning Lotto America numbers from March 11 drawing

01-03-22-28-40, Star Ball: 07, ASB: 03

Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Daily 3 numbers from March 11 drawing

1-3-4

Check Daily 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Daily 4 numbers from March 11 drawing

1-1-2-0

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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.

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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WV faith leaders urge state senators to reject camping ban bill

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WV faith leaders urge state senators to reject camping ban bill


BRIDGEPORT, W.Va (WDTV) – Several West Virginia faith leaders are calling on state senators to reject a bill that would criminalize camping on public property, saying the legislation runs counter to Christian teachings on caring for the poor.

The West Virginia Council of Churches released an open letter signed by faith leaders and congregations from across the state, urging senators not to advance House Bill 5319. The bill, sponsored by Delegates Chiarelli and Browning, passed the House of Delegates on March 2 and is scheduled to be heard on Wednesday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. in the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Under HB 5319, it would be unlawful for any person to camp or store personal property — including tents, sleeping bags, tarps, blankets, and similar items — on any public street, park, trail, or other public property in West Virginia.

Penalties would escalate with each violation:

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  • First violation: A written warning, along with information about resources and alternative shelter locations
  • Second violation: A misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $200
  • Third violation (within 12 months of the first): A misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $500, up to 30 days in jail, or both

The bill specifies that each day a violation continues counts as a separate offense. Exceptions include people camping in designated campgrounds, those camping lawfully under state outdoor recreation law, and people sleeping overnight in a registered and insured motor vehicle parked legally.

The open letter, organized by the West Virginia Council of Churches, is signed by member denominations representing millions of Christians statewide — including the Roman Catholic Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, the Episcopal Diocese of West Virginia, the United Methodist Church’s West Virginia Conference, the Presbyterian Church (USA), the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Salvation Army, and more than a dozen other Christian communions.

The letter calls on senators to reject the bill, arguing that criminalizing homelessness conflicts with the Christian call to serve those in need.

“As followers of Christ, we believe in a God who created all beings and loves all creation. And in this nation full of plenty, Christians ask God to open our hearts so that when we see a person in need of a place to sleep, rather than wanting them to be disappeared into a jail cell, we look at them the way God would and ask, ‘How can I help?’”

The letter warns that HB 5319 “will create a revolving door between homelessness and jail, prevent people from getting on a path to stable housing, and make it harder for service providers and law enforcement to focus on solutions that center human dignity.”

It also argues that fines are an ineffective tool: “We cannot disappear human beings, nor expect that people experiencing homelessness have the money to pay any fine.”

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Instead, the letter asks legislators to consider “that the practice of the Christian faith calls us to minister to the homeless and others in economic distress through a variety of ministries including feeding, clothing, and housing programs.”

The letter concludes by calling HB 5319 “antithetical to the life and teachings of Jesus Christ” and asking senators to “roundly reject” the bill.

Read the full open letter here.

The statewide camping ban debate has been building for more than a year. In January 2026, two nearly identical bills — Senate Bill 175 and Senate Bill 184 — were introduced in the legislature, both proposing to make camping on public property a criminal offense. Those bills were referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

HB 5319 represents the version that advanced further, clearing the House of Delegates on March 2.

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The issue has deep roots at the local level. Both Morgantown and Clarksburg passed camping ordinances in late 2024. In April 2025, Morgantown voters chose to keep their camping ban in place after a referendum. But advocates have continued to raise concerns about the lack of shelter capacity — Morgantown alone had nearly 150 homeless residents but only around 50 shelter beds, with roughly 80 people still without a place to sleep even during the winter months.

Prior Coverage:

  • 2 newly-introduced bills could criminalize homelessness in W.Va. with a statewide camping ban



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W.Va. lawmakers push through multiple bills as Saturday deadline nears

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W.Va. lawmakers push through multiple bills as Saturday deadline nears


BRIDGEPORT, W.Va (WDTV) – West Virginia lawmakers continued working as the Saturday midnight deadline approaches.

Senate Action

The Senate passed 12 bills, including one requiring adult content websites to use age verification to block minors. Senators also passed a bill creating a Cold Case Task Force.

House Bill 49-90, targeting gift card crimes, and House Bill 54-37, the Vape Safety Act, also passed unanimously. All four bills now go to the House for concurrence.

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Delegates passed Alyssa’s Law, allowing teachers to wear mobile alert buttons that notify 9-1-1 and trigger a school lockdown in emergencies. The bill is named after a victim of the 2018 Parkland shooting.

Bill 4005, which clarifies jobs prohibited for workers under 16 — including bar work and logging — also passed. Both bills now head to Governor Patrick Morrisey’s desk.

Senate Bill 4 would require bystanders to stay at least 30 feet from first responders.

Senate Bill 75 would allow West Virginia law enforcement to cooperate with officers in bordering states. A bill from the Education Committee would allow teachers with at least 15 years of experience to become certified as school principals.

For more legislative coverage, go to our website at wdtv.com.

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