Amelia Ferrell Knisely

Amelia Ferrell Knisely

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Amelia Ferrell Knisely is an investigative reporter at West Virginia Watch. Originally from Rand, she started her career in television news in her home state before moving to Nashville and reporting for The Tennessean. Amelia returned to West Virginia in 2019 through Report for America to write about poverty for the Charleston Gazette-Mail, where she documented the state’s 10,000 homeless students and growing child hunger problem. She went on to work at Mountain State Spotlight and West Virginia Public Broadcasting. Amelia’s work, which regularly focuses on child welfare, people with disabilities and social services, has won several national awards. She and her husband, Sean, have three daughters.

Del. Kimble challenges election loss, says GOP ballots exceeded number of registered GOP voters
West Virginia

Del. Kimble challenges election loss, says GOP ballots exceeded number of registered GOP voters

Jun 08, 2026
Amelia Ferrell Knisely
Citing possible “voting irregularities,” House of Delegate member Laura Kimble, R-Harrison, will formally challenge the results of the recent primary election after her narrow loss by six votes to Tim McNeely. She is seeking to confirm if any non-Republican voters...
Children suing WV over troubled foster care system granted appeal, suit will move forward 
West Virginia

Children suing WV over troubled foster care system win appeal, suit will move forward 

Jun 04, 2026
Amelia Ferrell Knisely
Foster children suing West Virginia officials over the state’s troubled child welfare system will have another chance to pursue legal action following a successful appeal. The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday reversed and remanded a decision last year...
Hardesty stresses WV public schools must accommodate families, will change Pre-K enrollment policy 
West Virginia

Hardesty stresses WV public schools must accommodate families, will change pre-K enrollment policy

Jun 04, 2026
Amelia Ferrell Knisely
West Virginia is changing its pre-K enrollment eligibility rule to give families more flexibility to enroll 5-year-olds in the program rather than moving them to kindergarten if parents feel that would benefit their children. The change has kicked off a...
WV native creates online state school closure tracker; 70% of closures impacted elementary schools
West Virginia

WV native creates online state school closure tracker; 70% of closures impacted elementary schools

Jun 04, 2026
Amelia Ferrell Knisely
A team at the University of Michigan has created an online tool to track school closures and consolidations in West Virginia as the state is grappling with population decline and widespread school financial issues. The project was led by Roane...
Report disputes claims about recent ICE arrests in WV, says 75% of immigrants had no criminal record
West Virginia

Report disputes claims about recent ICE arrests in WV, says 75% of immigrants had no criminal record

Jun 02, 2026
Amelia Ferrell Knisely
A new report from the American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia said that numerous statements made by state officials about a winter immigration crackdown in West Virginia were false or misleading. Three-quarters of the people arrested during the 15-day...
Lawyers that helped WV foster children sue state officials over troubled system still seeking appeal
West Virginia

Lawyers who helped WV foster children sue state officials over troubled system still seeking appeal

Jun 02, 2026
Amelia Ferrell Knisely
A sweeping lawsuit brought by foster children against West Virginia continues to seek an appeal after a federal judge tossed the lawsuit out, saying the problems couldn’t be resolved by a court. Many of the child welfare issues included in...
Coalition asks state leaders to immediately pause WV school closures as lawmakers mull funding fix
West Virginia

Coalition asks state leaders to immediately pause WV school closures as lawmakers mull funding fix

Jun 01, 2026
Amelia Ferrell Knisely
A coalition of families, educators and community members has called for an immediate pause on school closures in West Virginia so lawmakers have time to address the state’s antiquated school funding formula. West Virginia has seen an accelerated wave of...
Outside group warns of ‘silencing’ judges, backs WV judge facing discipline for foster care comments
West Virginia

Outside group warns of ‘silencing’ judges, backs WV judge facing discipline for foster care comments

May 29, 2026
Amelia Ferrell Knisely
An out-of-state conservative legal group urged for charges to be removed against a West Virginia circuit judge who spoke out about the state’s troubled foster care system and use of hotels to house children. The American Center for Law and...
While TANF cuts loom, Morrisey considers giving money to education group linked to his donations
West Virginia

While TANF cuts loom, Morrisey considers giving money to education group linked to his donations

May 27, 2026
Amelia Ferrell Knisely
Gov. Patrick Morrisey is mulling over giving up to $16 million dollars of West Virginia’s federal anti-poverty grant to Star Academy, a for-profit education company that is supposed to help struggling middle-school students. At the same time, the governor has...
Services for West Virginia youth aging out of foster care not meeting demand, new survey finds
West Virginia

Services for West Virginia youth aging out of foster care not meeting demand, new survey finds

May 22, 2026
Amelia Ferrell Knisely
Youth aging out of foster care in West Virginia need help with obtaining housing and a vehicle, learning life skills and accessing mental healthcare, according to a new survey of services. The current continuum of care is still falling short...
After Morrisey vetoed help for WV kids aging out of foster care, support programs could still expand
West Virginia

After Morrisey vetoed help for WV kids aging out of foster care, support programs could still expand

May 20, 2026
Amelia Ferrell Knisely
After Gov. Patrick Morrisey vetoed a bill to help children aging out of foster care, the state is still looking to expand support services for this population. Teens and young adults aging out of foster care are at high risk...
While WV pilots new foster care intake system, overloaded CPS workers still a concern
West Virginia

While WV pilots new foster care intake system, overloaded CPS workers still a concern

May 20, 2026
Amelia Ferrell Knisely
In the wake of a child’s starvation death, West Virginia is piloting a new system for how Child Protective Services workers make decisions about foster kids’ cases. But the rollout isn’t paired with additional CPS staffing, prompting concern from Del...