West Virginia
WVSports – What returns for West Virginia football on defense in 2024?
West Virginia finished the season 9-4 in 2023 and it is a big year for the football program for many different seasons.
So WVSports.com looks at just how much the Mountaineers have set to return in 2024 in regard to both snaps and production on the defensive side of the ball.
So, what do the Mountaineers have coming back?
–West Virginia returns 9 of the top 20 players from last season in terms of snaps played. That list includes No. 2 S Anthony Wilson (787 snaps), No. 5 S Aubrey Burks (703 snaps), No. 7 DL Edward Vesterinen (518 snaps), No. 9 DL Sean Martin (490 snaps), No. 10 LB Ben Cutter (464 snaps), No. 12 OLB Tyrin Bradley (327 snaps), No. 15 LB Tray Lathan (264 snaps), No. 16 DL Fatorma Mulbah (241 snaps) and No. 20 DL Asani Redwood (137 snaps).
–Those who will not return for West Virginia are No. 1 CB Beanie Bishop (837 snaps), No. 3 LB Lee Kpogba (777 snaps), No. 4 CB Malachi Ruffin (742 snaps), No. 6 OLB Jared Bartlett (578 snaps), No. 8 S Marcis Floyd (492 snaps), No. 11 DL Mike Lockhart (409 snaps), No. 13 S Hershey McLaurin (302 snaps), No. 14 DL Tomiwa Durojaiye (270 snaps), No. 17 DL Jalen Thornton (217 snaps), No. 18 LB Lance Dixon (182 snaps) and No. 19 Davoan Hawkins (152 snaps).
–Generally speaking, the defensive line was not hit too hard with departures with just Mike Lockhart, Tomiwa Durojaiye, Jalen Thornton and Davoan Hawkins leaving which is a combined 9.5 sacks and 22.5 tackles for loss. But the rest of the defensive line returns a total of 15.5 tackles for loss and 7 sacks along with four of the top eight players in the rotation back.
Related: What returns for West Virginia football on offense in 2024?
–Lockhart will be the biggest loss on the interior considering he accounted for 9 of those tackles for loss but with Mulbah and Hammond Russell the defensive line returns a lot. And Durojaiye is by far the biggest loss on the edge with 6.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks in limited snaps last season.
–At linebacker, the loss of Kpogba is a tough blow as he played the third most snaps on the defense and was the leading tackler with 97 stops, 7.5 tackles for loss and 3 sacks. The good news is that the other inside options such as Cutter and Lathan will return, while the Mountaineers will welcome back Josiah Trotter after he missed this year due to injury. Cutter, Lathan and Caden Biser combined for 106 tackles and all return.
–Outside linebacker returns Bradley after he played 327 snaps and turned that into 22 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and an interception. The loss of Bartlett will be felt as he played 50 games over his career and was the starter but the Mountaineers also addressed this spot in the transfer portal.
–Safety is a mixed bag as key pieces such as Burks and Wilson are back after combining to play 1,490 snaps and 127 tackles and 3 interceptions. But the loss of Marcis Floyd will need to be filled and the program added a pair of transfer safeties in Kekoura Tarnue and Jaheem Joseph.
–No position has been hit harder than cornerback with 1,579 of the 1,778 snaps played exit the position with the departures of Bishop and Ruffin. The two had almost the entirety of the production as well with 104 tackles, 5 interceptions and 25 passes defended. This will be the most wide-open spot on the roster with the coaches bringing in experienced and upside options from the transfer portal in Garnett Hollis, Ayden Garnes, Dontez Fagan and TJ Crandall.
West Virginia
West Virginia has one of the most dangerous parks in America
WEST VIRGINIA (WTRF) – West Virginia boasts some magnificent parks, but one study warns visitors to be cautious when visiting this Mountain State marvel.
Personal injury litigators at Triumph Law, P.C. found that New River Gorge National Park & Preserve is the seventh most dangerous national park in the US.
New River Gorge has 5 deaths per 1 million visits.
Someone dies in a national park every 29 hours and most deaths are due to human factors rather than nature.
Top 10 Most Dangerous National Parks in America
#
National Park
State(s) / District / Territory
Average yearly visits
Total deaths (2013-2023)
Deaths per 1 million visits
1
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument
AZ
215,881
60
25.27
2
Virgin Islands National Park
VI
299,756
33
10.01
3
Upper Delaware Scenic & Recreational River
NY, PA
252,268
17
6.13
4
Colorado National Monument
CO
441,356
29
5.97
5
Big Bend National Park
TX
431,241
28
5.90
6
Denali National Park & Preserve
AK
478,153
28
5.32
7
New River Gorge National Park & Preserve
WV
1,291,650
72
5.07
8
Redwood National and State Parks
CA
444,254
22
4.50
9
Death Valley National Park
CA, NV
1,219,446
51
3.80
10
Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks
CA
1,680,761
69
3.73
The study analyzed data from official fatality rates occurring in 153 popular national parks across America. it gathered data from the US National Park Service spanning 11 years, from the beginning of 2013 until the end of 2023.
West Virginia
West Virginia white couple alleged to have kept five adopted black children ‘locked in barn and used as slaves’
A white couple from West Virginia have been accused of child neglect after allegedly forcing their adopted black children to work as ‘slaves’ and locking them in a barn.
Donald Ray Lantz, 63, and Jeanne Kay Whitefeather, 62, pleaded not guilty at Kanawha County court on Tuesday to multiple charges, including human trafficking of a minor child, use of a minor child in forced labour, and child neglect creating substantial risk of serious bodily injury or death, according to local news outlet Metro News.
They also face allegations of human rights violations, over specifically targeting black children and forcing them to work because of their race, Metro News said.
Kanawha County circuit Judge Maryclaire Akers claimed that the children were “used basically as slaves”, citing what the indictment alleges.
The couple were first arrested in October 2023 after a wellness check led to the discovery of two of the couple’s five adopted children – aged six, nine, 11, 14 and 16 – living in inhumane conditions at a property in Sissonville.
In a previous statement made to the court, Whitefeather alleged that the barn where the 14 and 16-year-old were found in was a “teenage clubhouse” and denied that they were locked in.
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A nine-year-old girl was found inside the main house before Lantz came home with an 11-year-old boy and later, Whitefeather returned with a six-year-old.
Their bail has been set at $500,000 each, up from the previous amount of $200,000.
A trial date for the couple has been set for 9 September.
West Virginia
July hearing set for senator’s challenge of election results • West Virginia Watch
A hearing has been scheduled in the case of a West Virginia senator challenging the results of the primary election, which he lost.
Sen. Chandler Swope, R-Mercer, filed a challenge to the election results in seven Mingo County precincts after losing the Republican primary to opponent Craig Hart.
The hearing will be at 9 a.m. July 18 at the Mingo County Courthouse.
In a notice filed earlier this month, Swope said he intends to challenge all votes cast in seven precincts in Mingo County. He requested to examine poll books across the county and reserves the right to amend the challenge to include additional precincts if irregularities are found.
According to the West Virginia Secretary of State’s Office, Hart won 75% or 2,152 votes in Mingo County, while Swope captured 364 and former state Del. Eric Porterfield had 344.
In total, Hart won the election with 4,847 votes amounting to about 40%, while Swope had 4,384 votes, or approximately 37%. Porterfield had 2,633 or 22% of the votes.
Swope’s challenge includes four affidavits and an unsworn letter from Mingo County voters alleging irregularities with the primary election.
Based on the voter accounts and a Republican turnout of more than 70% percent in 12 of 28 precincts, compared with an approximately 47% Republican turnout for the county during the 2020 primary, Swope’s challenge says it appears many Mingo County voters were improperly given a choice about which primary they wanted to participate in, rather than being given the ballot of their respective party registration.
“These issues span multiple precincts, and in all likelihood, explain the unusually high number of Republican ballots submitted,” Swope’s challenge said.
In a joint motion, Swope and Hart requested a procedural hearing around July 1 to discuss procedural issues ahead of the July 18 hearing. They noted that both have filed Freedom of Information Act requests with the Mingo County Clerk’s Office.
Anthony Majestro, a Charleston attorney representing Hart, said the Mingo commission has agreed to allow them to review the poll books Friday to see if it’s mathematically possible for Swope to win the election in the challenged precincts.
Majestro said Swope’s challenge of specific precincts raises issues of disenfranchising people who correctly voted and possibly affecting other races. Swope’s argument about the high percentage of Republican votes cast in the primary is misleading, Majestro said, because it does not take into account independent voters, the number of which have increased in the past few years as the number of registered Democrats has declined.
According to the West Virginia Secretary of State’s office, in April 2020, Mingo County had 3,291 registered Republicans, 12,691 registered Democrats and 1,987 independent voters. As of April 2024, the county has 5113 registered Republicans, 7,202 Democrats and 2,295 independent voters.
“It shouldn’t surprise anybody that the independents are voting in the Republican primary rather than the Democratic primary, because there were no contested races in the Democratic primary …no local races contested,” Majestro said.
Swope was one of four West Virginia senators to lose seats during the primary election last month.
Mingo County Commission President Nathan Brown did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
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