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Jessica Riley

Jessica Riley is graduating with both a bachelors and masters in journalism from West Virginia University in the spring of 2026 who specializing in digital journalism. 

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How are opioid settlement funds being spent in your state? You can use FOIA to find out

Industry giants are paying out settlement money to state, local and tribal governments across the country to help address the damage caused by the opioid overdose epidemic. Billions of dollars could reach towns and neighborhoods that have survived an epidemic that has killed more than 800,000 people in the United States, changing lives and communities forever.

But is the money really being spent in ways that will help the country recover? If reporters aren’t watchdogging and making sure the pub...

WVU in the News: Politically-connected W.Va. GameChanger program receives opioid funds amid doubts from experts

Alfgeir Kristjansson, social and behavioral sciences professor at WVU School of Public Health and co-director of the West Virginia Prevention Research Center, weighs in on the true impact of the GameChanger program.

Alfgeir Kristjansson, social and behavioral sciences professor at WVU School of Public Health and co-director of the West Virginia Prevention Research Center, weighs in on the true impact of the GameChanger program.

Politically-connected program gets opioid funds while experts warn it may not work

On a Tuesday afternoon, Michelle Allen is in her office in an empty Robert C. Byrd High School. Allen is the career and technical instructor at RCB and also runs GameChanger, the school’s prevention education club.

In an empty classroom, Allen walks over to a desk where a three-ring binder sits. It contains about 25 pages of materials that GameChanger has provided, including a theme for each month and suggested activities, many of which come from other national prevention education programs, like Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Reed School of Media and Communications | Rising waters, rising risks: How climate change and aging infrastructure are affecting flood risk in West Virginia

Jessica Riley |


Friday, December 05, 2025



ELKINS, W.Va. – Nearly 40 years later, the memories of the
1985 flood still sit vividly in the minds of West Virginians who lived through
it. 

Amy Moore, who grew up in Parsons and lived there during the Election Day Floods,
said she recalls that day like it was yesterday. 
“It had been raining, and my dad came home from work and said the streets were flooding
in town, which was ki...

Reed School of Media and Communications | The complicated history behind one of West Virginia’s darkest landmarks

Jessica Riley |


Friday, October 31, 2025



Wide view of Warden's office at West Virginia Penitentiary on October 15. Credit:
Sierra Worden/WVU Reed School of Media


A group of visitors trails behind a tour guide, their footsteps echoing down hallways
that once held hundreds of men. The guide’s voice carries through the corridor,
describing the daily brutality of life behind these gothic stone walls. 
As the group enters t...

Reed School of Media and Communications | ACLU WV: National Motto in schools could blur separation of church and state

Jessica Riley and Jerenie Sands |


Wednesday, August 20, 2025
 



Courtesy of WVVA News. Image depicting language, dimensions and color of the
sign schools are required to display.


ELIZABETH, W.Va. — As West Virginia schools hang signs that display the national
motto, “In God We Trust,” a debate is unfolding over whether the law that requires
the signs preserves American heritage or edges public education closer to...

New Flights From Yeager And Using Opioid Funds For Prevention Efforts, This West Virginia Morning - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Home » New Flights From Yeager And Using Opioid Funds For Prevention Efforts, This West Virginia Morning

On this West Virginia Morning, Breeze Airways is bringing back nonstop service from Charleston to Tampa – with plans to add four new destinations in the next two years. And the state has its eye on two places in particular.

Also, an investigation by journalism students at WVU uncovers the details about which counties are using their opioid settlement funds for prevention efforts designed to...

Politically-connected program gets opioid funds while experts warn it may not work • West Virginia Watch

On a Tuesday afternoon, Michelle Allen is in her office in an empty Robert C. Byrd High School. Allen is the career and technical instructor at RCB and also runs GameChanger, the school’s prevention education club.
In an empty classroom, Allen walks over to a desk where a three-ring binder sits. It contains about 25 pages of materials that GameChanger has provided, including a theme for each month and suggested activities, many of which come from other national prevention education programs, lik...

Politically-connected W.Va. GameChanger program gets opioid funds and doubts from experts - WV MetroNews

Editor’s Note: This story identified GameChanger Director Joe Boczek’s daughter as having experienced an overdose, but has been corrected to reflect her longer-term struggle with addiction.
The Price of Recovery: As millions in opioid settlement funds reach West Virginia, counties are making high-stakes choices about how to spend it — revealing the tension between political priorities, financial pressures, and community needs in a state still grappling with the epidemic’s deep scars.
This story...

Politically-Connected W.Va. GameChanger Program Receives Opioid Funds Amid Doubts from Experts

On a Tuesday afternoon, Michelle Allen is in her office in an empty Robert C. Byrd High School. Allen is the career and technical instructor at RCB and also runs GameChanger, the school’s prevention education club.


In an empty classroom, Allen walks over to a desk where a three-ring binder sits. It contains about 25 pages of materials that GameChanger has provided, including a theme for each month and suggested activities, many of which come from other national prevention education programs,...

What to know about WVU’s Learning Centers

WVU’s Learning Centers offer a variety of tutoring services and workshops to students across several majors to improve studying and professional skills. The centers provide multiple assistance options for students, including in-person, virtual and drop-in appointments, encompassing 15 different learning centers and workshops across campus, according to the tutoring website. Barbara Mullinix, program director for REACH Student Success, has been overseeing the program since 2016. She said WVU’s tu...

How to prepare for 2025 study abroad trips

With the study abroad application process for the spring 2025 semester currently underway, there are many factors for students to consider when making travel plans.

Study abroad trips are offered to all majors at WVU, ranging across several countries and varying from one week to a year depending on the program.

Currently, one national and 14 international trips are being offered for Spring Break 2025, visiting countries including Germany, Ireland, Italy, Ecuador and more. All Spring Break trip offerings can be found on WVU’s Education Abroad program search index, and students must apply by Nov. 1.

WVU researchers to receive $1.6 million grant for sustainable energy research on cattle farms

West Virginia University animal and agricultural scientists were recently awarded $1.6 million from the Department of Energy for their proposal of research regarding adding solar energy to cattle farms. The proposal entails placing two separate types of solar panels on cattle farms to see the impacts on animal performance, soil health and water content within the soil. Matt Wilson, professor of animal sciences in the WVU Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design and founder of t...
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