The Charleston Gazette (Charleston, WV) articles from March 2006

The Charleston Gazette (Charleston, WV) archives from March 2006

EDITORIAL: Free mind?: Not in Afghanistan: Not in Afghanistan.(Editorial)
March 31, 2006... Mar. 31--FREEDOM of religion means that neither the government, nor your employer, nor the schools, nor your community can tell you how to worship, or whether to worship at all. Each person is free to reach his or her own conclusions on the...

Dow makes more cuts: Some workers could be rehired by Bayer affiliate.
March 31, 2006... Byline: Jennifer Ginsberg Mar. 31--The hundreds of Dow employees who will lose their jobs by 2009 are the people who power Bayer MaterialScience's site on Blaine Island in South Charleston. Dow-owned Union Carbide Corp. announced...

Stamping plant vote may mean closure: Company demands pay benefit cuts from union.
March 31, 2006... Byline: Jennifer Ginsberg Mar. 31--A vote today by union members of South Charleston's Union Stamping and Assembly plant could decide whether or not the facility remains open. The 300 members of the United Auto Workers Local 3399 who...

Board OKs text for math.
March 31, 2006... Byline: Anna L. Mallory Mar. 31--Kanawha County elementary students will be taught a new but highly debated philosophy of math for the next five years. Teachers say children will learn the entire process involved while solving math...

Sexual predators topic at community forum.
March 31, 2006... Byline: Dave Gustafson Mar. 31--When someone is arrested for a sex crime against a child, it should not be a surprise when it turns out they are known and trusted by the victim and their family, a Kanawha County deputy told a community...

Beardain making bid for No. 3 QB.
March 31, 2006... Byline: Doug Smock Mar. 31--HUNTINGTON -- He will spend the spring fighting to be something higher than fourth banana in the Marshall quarterback pecking order, but Wesley Beardain is turning a few heads in the first week of spring...

EDITORIAL: Senate races: Amateur hour at the DSCC: Amateur hour at the DSCC.(Editorial)
March 31, 2006... Mar. 31--IF YOU go to the Web site for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, you get a troubling message. These are the folks who are in charge of trying to change the balance of power in the U.S. Senate. Lately they've been sending...

Pharmacist gets probation in drug thefts.
March 31, 2006... Byline: Tom Searls Mar. 31--A former Putnam County pharmacy assistant who stole drugs while at work was placed on three years of probation and to ordered pay restitution to the business. U.S. District Judge John Copenhaver punished...

Putnam residents clear the air on indoor smoking.
March 31, 2006... Byline: Charles Shumaker Mar. 31--WINFIELD -- At one point during Thursday's public forum regarding Putnam County's indoor smoking regulations, Hurricane resident Wes Reed asked smokers or those who support smoking indoors to raise their...

The Charleston Gazette, W.Va., Dave Hickman column: Wright's road to WVU full of detours.
March 31, 2006... Byline: Dave Hickman Mar. 31--MORGANTOWN -- You've got to like Barry Wright, if for no other reason than the journeys he's made and the trials and tribulations he professes to have encountered along the way. A lot of them sound eerily...

Kanawha offender-rehab center gets $50,000.
March 31, 2006... Byline: Andrew Clevenger Mar. 31--Attorney General Darrell McGraw presented the Kanawha County Commission with a $50,000 check Thursday to help with expenses at the county's day reporting center, which is operating near its 75-person...

Herd baseball invading APP: Marshall opens home half of C USA schedule tonight against Central Florida.
March 31, 2006... Byline: Doug Smock Mar. 31--There are signs that Marshall's baseball foray into Conference USA isn't as hopeless as, say, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays' chances in the AL East. The most notable sign came this week when the Thundering Herd...

Prep baseball: SC storms past Winfield 12-2.
March 31, 2006... Byline: Tommy R. Atkinson Mar. 31--WINFIELD -- South Charleston looked to be in midseason form Thursday evening while Winfield still has a few kinks to work out. Black Eagles freshman right-hander Jack Hudson kept the Generals...

EDITORIAL: Victims: GIs pay ugly cost: GIs pay ugly cost.(Editorial)
March 30, 2006... Mar. 30--PRESIDENT Bush sucked America into his unnecessary Iraq war -- and now many young soldiers are paying a ghastly price for it. The story of a Navy surgeon who saved 30 wounded Marines during the battle of Fallujah in late 2004 was...

Meetings raise speculation on Dow's future.
March 30, 2006... Byline: Jennifer Ginsberg Mar. 30--Meetings this morning between Dow Chemical Co. officials and the company's 900 West Virginia employees have stirred up speculation of job losses and mergers. Allan Fowler, Dow's vice president and...

Investigators hope to talk to McCloy.
March 30, 2006... Byline: Ken Ward Jr. Mar. 30--Federal and state investigators have asked to interview Sago Mine disaster survivor Randal McCloy Jr. as soon as possible, officials said Wednesday. "We're very interested in hearing what Mr. McCloy has...

Di Trapano in hospital, free on bond.
March 30, 2006... Byline: Dave Gustafson Mar. 30--Charleston lawyer Dante di Trapano turned himself in to Florida authorities on an outstanding warrant during the weekend and is being treated in a hospital there, his lawyer said Tuesday. Also, di...

City police to honor officer who saved woman from fire.
March 30, 2006... Byline: Dave Gustafson Mar. 30--A Charleston police officer is being heralded for saving a woman from a burning apartment building last week. Cpl. T.B. Hawley said he was patrolling on Washington Street about 1 a.m. March 23 when he...

Putnam to try library levy again.
March 30, 2006... Byline: Charles Shumaker Mar. 30--TEAYS VALLEY -- When Putnam County voters last considered a levy to add money to the county's library system, the issue failed in 1988 and twice within six months in 1990. By the third failed attempt,...

Plant won't make bricks: Meeting tonight on Greenbrier power facility.
March 30, 2006... Byline: Tara Tuckwiller Mar. 30--A proposed Greenbrier County power plant that would burn a gigantic pile of coal waste left by the bankrupt Leckie Smokeless Coal Co. has dropped one part of the plan -- manufacturing bricks from the coal...

Council OKs low-income pharmacy for W.Va.: Plan s goal is more free medicine.
March 30, 2006... Byline: Scott Finn Mar. 30--Low-income West Virginians may soon find it easier to receive free prescription drugs under a program approved Wednesday by the state Pharmaceutical Cost Management Council. Right now, people seeking free...

Whittaker pub late on lottery payment.
March 30, 2006... Byline: Scott Finn Mar. 30--A Cross Lanes pub owned by Powerball winner Jack Whittaker didn't have enough money in its account recently to cover a $7,000 payment it owed the West Virginia Lottery Commission. When the Lottery...

The Charleston Gazette, W.Va., Mitch Vingle column: Everhart's rise, Herd at APP, raising Kane.
March 30, 2006... Byline: Mitch Vingle Mar. 30--Ye olde notebook: -- The story broke nationally Tuesday night. ESPN's crawl at the bottom of your TV screen announced that Fairmont native Ron Everhart was being hired as the head basketball coach at...

WVU notebook: Schmitt causes very little griping.
March 30, 2006... Byline: Dave Hickman Mar. 30--MORGANTOWN -- One of the rites of spring around West Virginia is the daily displeasure expressed by Rich Rodriguez for any number of areas of his West Virginia football team. It's not that the fifth-year...

The Charleston Gazette, W.Va., Jeff Rider column: Shove earned Gordon respect.
March 30, 2006... Byline: Jeff Rider Mar. 30--WHO SAYS YOU can't put a price tag on respect? For Jeff Gordon, it only cost $10,000 -- which is how much NASCAR fined the four-time Nextel Cup champ for shoving Matt Kenseth following Sunday's race at...

Pizzeria Uno out, W.Va. Bistro in.
March 30, 2006... Byline: Jennifer Ginsberg Mar. 30--Wednesday was Pizzeria Uno's last day on W.Va. 34 in Teays Valley. At 4 p.m. today, the restaurant opens as West Virginia Bistro. "Unos and us were just not seeing eye to eye. We decided to switch...

Court won't hear Chrysler appeal.
March 30, 2006... Byline: Ken Ward Jr. Mar. 30--The West Virginia Supreme Court has declined to consider DaimlerChrysler's appeal of the award of more than $140,000 in legal fees and costs to a couple who sued over a defective car. Justices voted 3-2 this...

Massey mine was cited in days before fatal fire: State found inadequate ventilation.
March 30, 2006... Byline: Ken Ward Jr. Mar. 30--The day before two miners died in a conveyor belt fire, Massey Energy's Aracoma Alma No. 1 Mine was cited for a serious mine ventilation violation, according to new state records obtained Wednesday. On...

EDITORIAL: Cheated: Blacks left out in cold: Blacks left out in cold.(Editorial)
March 30, 2006... Mar. 30--DO YOU realize that the average white American family has $67,000 net worth, while a typical black household has just $6,166 in assets -- less than one-tenth as much? Did you know that more black U.S. men are in prison (791,600)...

Older Bush no longer part of Carlyle Group.
March 30, 2006... Byline: Paul J. Nyden Mar. 30--Chris Ullman, spokesman for The Carlyle Group, said former President George H.W. Bush is no longer affiliated with the international investment group. Carlyle recently acquired the Wheatland Tube Co., a...

Med schools forgo self-insurance.
March 29, 2006... Byline: Phil Kabler Mar. 29--Legislators last year gave the Marshall and West Virginia University schools of medicine authority to self-insure for medical malpractice coverage, but it appears both institutions will remain covered by the...

Carry-out cuisine: It s a family affair at Hilltop Market.
March 29, 2006... Byline: Judy Grigoraci Mar. 29--How long has it been since you have paid 25 cents for a hot dog? Alana Jones, owner of the Hilltop Market in South Charleston, rolled back the prices on March 18, selling 258 "West Virginia tube...

Million-dollar recipe combines waffles and spinach.
March 29, 2006... Byline: Judy Grigoraci Mar. 29--Anna Ginsberg of Austin, Texas, won the $1 million grand prize in the 42nd Pillsbury Bake-Off with an old-fashioned chicken and stuffing recipe, updated for two. The surprising ingredient in her stuffing...

Court to hear appeal of flood death case.
March 29, 2006... Byline: Andrew Clevenger Mar. 29--The state Supreme Court agreed on Tuesday to hear the appeal in a wrongful-death case filed by the family of a Charleston woman who drowned during a 2000 flood. The justices voted 4-0 to hear the case...

Family sues agencies, alleges child molestation.
March 29, 2006... Byline: Andrew Clevenger Mar. 29--The family of two children who were allegedly molested by a driver for a social services agency has sued the state Department of Health and Human Resources. The Children's Home Society of West...

Herd up and running: Players prefer afternoon practice over morning.
March 29, 2006... Byline: Doug Smock Mar. 29--HUNTINGTON -- Yes, they were rusty. Exhausted? It didn't seem that way. If nothing else, Marshall players hit the ground running as spring practice opened Tuesday at Joan C. Edwards Stadium. And running,...

A new home: Brooklyn native enjoys pace of life in adopted state.
March 29, 2006... Byline: Joe Morris Mar. 29--To New York's attorney general, West Virginia is the picture of economic ruin. He might be surprised to learn that some native New Yorkers, being of sound mind and body, actually prefer to live here. On...

Board rethinks math decision.
March 29, 2006... Byline: Anna L. Mallory Mar. 29--Elementary teachers who expect to use the recently adopted math textbooks next year may need to stop planning their lessons. The Kanawha County Board of Education plans to review its adoption of...

Putnam raises salaries, cuts taxes a little.
March 29, 2006... Byline: Charles Shumaker Mar. 29--WINFIELD -- Putnam County officials used some financial breathing room in the county's new budget to buy new emergency vehicles, raise some salaries and slightly reduce taxes. County commissioners...

U.S. in a jam in Iraq, war reporter Arnett says.
March 29, 2006... Byline: Morgan Kelly Mar. 29--The worsening turmoil in Iraq leaves the United States with only a few options for stabilizing the fractured country and none of them will be easy, veteran war reporter Peter Arnett told an audience at the...

Computer deal reviewed: Investigation launched into possible overcharges.
March 29, 2006... Byline: Scott Finn Mar. 29--At least two state agencies are investigating an Ohio-based technology company after competitors said it was charging the state too much for computer supplies and service. The state Higher Education Policy...

Putnam coaches sue over limits on playing time.
March 29, 2006... Byline: Charles Shumaker Mar. 29--WINFIELD -- Four Putnam County high school softball coaches sued the West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission Tuesday over a rule that restricts the number of games baseball and softball...

Area students talk about drinking.
March 29, 2006... Byline: Anna L. Mallory Mar. 29--Parents need to talk to their children about drugs, but more importantly they need to pay attention to what young adults are doing. That was the message from about 10 students at a town hall meeting...

EDITORIAL: Sago: Investigation continues: Investigation continues.(Editorial)
March 29, 2006... Mar. 29--INTERNATIONAL Coal Group announced that a lightning strike sparked the Jan. 2 explosion that killed 12 workers and seriously injured another at its Sago Mine in Upshur County. The company's conclusion is interesting because no one...

EDITORIAL: Well done: 718 million investment: 718 million investment.(Editorial)
March 29, 2006... Mar. 29--QUIETLY, a beneficial public investment was made in the final hours of the Legislature's session by Gov. Joe Manchin, Senate President Earl Ray Tomblin, House Speaker Bob Kiss and other leaders. They earmarked an amazing $718.4...

'Handmade music': Couple create radio show in basement studio.
March 29, 2006... Byline: Rusty Marks Mar. 29--Ed and Karen McDonald have a big house in Keyser, a recording studio and their own radio show. Can fame and fortune be far behind? "If I were a good business person I wouldn't be doing this," said Ed...

Mistakes can be deadly in this high-pressure job.
March 29, 2006... Byline: Rusty Marks Mar. 29--One day in 1984, Mike Forman's buddy was telling him about air traffic controllers. "That sounds interesting," Forman recalls saying. "How do you get that job?" "I think you have to join the Air Force."...

State's ski season to end Sunday.
March 29, 2006... Byline: Rick Steelhammer Mar. 29--Although a surplus of late-season snow remains on the slopes, skiers and snowboarders will have only until Sunday to make their final runs of the season in West Virginia. Snowshoe Mountain in...

Family settles lawsuit against Fayette board.
March 29, 2006... Byline: Susan Williams Mar. 29--A young man whose best friend died in a cabin that belonged to his former school principal settled a lawsuit this week against the Fayette County Board of Education. In 1997, former Beckwith Elementary...

State regulators missed inspections at Aracoma: Electrical problems found after fatal fire in Logan mine.
March 29, 2006... Byline: Ken Ward Jr. Mar. 29--Massey Energy Co. violated state electrical safety rules dozens of times at its Aracoma Alma No. 1 Mine, but state inspectors did not discover the problems until after two miners died in a January fire,...

Wheeling, W. Va., newspaper chain sponsored Bush visit.
March 29, 2006... Byline: Eric Eyre Mar. 29--When the Wheeling Area Chamber of Commerce went looking for help to defray the costs of President Bush's visit to West Virginia last week, the chamber turned to an unlikely sponsor: the company that owns the...

EDITORIAL: Sunshine: Clouded government: Clouded government.(Editorial)
March 28, 2006... Mar. 28--IT'S ironic that just after National Sunshine Week, dedicated to government openness, Gov. Joe Manchin argued for more secrecy in government. The governor's office appealed a Kanawha Circuit Court decision stating that West...

EDITORIAL: Read: Read read read read: Read read read read.(Editorial)
March 28, 2006... Mar. 28--AS a black kid in a crime-ridden Detroit slum, Ben Carson seemed destined for failure. His mother had dropped out of school after third grade and was raising him and his brother in a squalid tenement. By the fifth grade, Ben was an...

More Weirton Steel jobs at risk?
March 28, 2006... Byline: Paul J. Nyden Mar. 28--More Weirton Steel workers could lose their jobs when a Pennsylvania plant closes later this spring, a union official said Monday. The Wheatland Tube Co. sent layoff notices to 125 hourly employees and...

Firms expand at city business incubator.
March 28, 2006... Byline: Eric Eyre Mar. 28--The Charleston Area Alliance approved $220,000 in loans Monday to build two office spaces at the economic development group's business incubator in Charleston's warehouse district. The renovations will allow...

State giving Overbrook $500,000: Crowded South Hills elementary school to gain 4 classrooms.
March 28, 2006... Byline: Anna L. Mallory Mar. 28--Sometimes, Barbara Floren randomly encounters desks and chairs cluttering the narrow hallway of her school building. Students have to be active to learn, she said, and using a closet-sized space doesn't...

Support for investment flexibility exists, board chief says.
March 28, 2006... Byline: Phil Kabler Mar. 28--Members of the West Virginia Investment Management Board will weigh their options after the late-session demise of a bill that would have allowed the board to expand its investment portfolio to include real...

Chamber poll ranks state's tort system the most unfair.
March 28, 2006... Byline: Paul J. Nyden Mar. 28--The U.S. Chamber of Commerce released rankings Monday that show West Virginia has the most unfair tort liability system in the country. The study, conducted by the Harris Interactive polling company, is...

The Charleston Gazette, W.Va., Dave Hickman column: Indiana possibly courting Beilein.
March 28, 2006... Byline: Dave Hickman Mar. 28--MORGANTOWN -- Cleaning out a crowded notebook and a cluttered mind while wondering if anyone else still has George Mason and LSU in their brackets: John Beilein was apparently never a serious candidate...

W.Va. children most abused: Legislature court to work on prevention.
March 28, 2006... Byline: Scott Finn Mar. 28--Children in West Virginia are more likely to die from abuse and neglect than kids in any other state, according to data from the federal Department of Health and Human Services. West Virginia led the nation...

WVU spring football: Williams a surprise addition to WVU's defensive backfield.
March 28, 2006... Byline: Dave Hickman Mar. 28--MORGANTOWN -- Pernell Williams has surprised people before, so don't be shocked if he does it again. It seems like only yesterday -- and in fact it almost was, coming less than a year and a half ago --...

Getting ready for retail: Kanawha City shopping plaza in the works.
March 28, 2006... Byline: Sarah K. Winn Mar. 28--Kanawha City is getting a new shopping center, but its developer isn't ready to say what exactly will be sold there. The plaza, stretching almost 19,000 square feet, is adjacent to the Bob Evans restaurant...

EDITORIAL: Potpourri:.(Editorial)
March 27, 2006... Mar. 27--RUNNING for governor of New York, Democratic Attorney General Eliot Spitzer lamented that the state's northern sector, wracked by job loss and population decline, "looks like Appalachia. This is not the New York we dream of."...

Alum Creek couple wins TV cash; now they could win a new house.
March 27, 2006... Byline: Rusty Marks Mar. 27--Things are looking up for Donald and Myrna Cook. They're guaranteed a check for $100,000, and might win a $2 million home in North Carolina. "We've got a one-in-three chance at the whole shebang,"...

A bigger picture: BMI generally effective but it needs help some say.
March 27, 2006... Byline: Morgan Kelly Mar. 27--The Body Mass Index is among the more popular tools people use to determine if they are overweight or obese. By comparing a person's height to their weight, the scale comes up with a number -- 25 and over is...

Copperfield performances more than just figments.
March 27, 2006... Byline: Amy Robinson Mar. 27--David Copperfield promised to wow Charleston audiences with his "Intimate Evening of Grand Illusion." Sunday night, he kept his word. In two nearly sold-out Clay Center performances, he dazzled with...

Crew's heroics awe cruise fire passengers.
March 27, 2006... Byline: Sarah K. Winn Mar. 27--The deadly fire aboard a Caribbean cruise ship last week hasn't scared some Charleston-area passengers away from taking to the seas again. "Did it feel life threatening? At one point it did," said Bill...

7-member concert 'naturally' good.
March 27, 2006... Byline: Amy Robinson Mar. 27--Attendees of Saturday night's Naturally 7 concert at the Clay Center certainly got their money's worth. For the price of admission, they were treated to essentially three shows in one during the...

EDITORIAL: Rip-off: Alternative fuels: Alternative fuels.(Editorial)
March 27, 2006... Mar. 27--AFTER the oil embargo of the 1970s, Congress passed the Crude Oil Windfall Profits Tax Act of 1980. Section 29 of that act awards tax credits to companies working to develop alternative fuels. The idea was a good one. For nearly...

Arnett to talk about war's effect on Iraqis.
March 26, 2006... Byline: Paul J. Nyden Mar. 26--News coverage of the Iraq war too often focuses on government briefings, says Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Peter Arnett. On Tuesday, he will speak at the University of Charleston on what life is like for...

Erma Byrd dies at 88.
March 26, 2006... Byline: Susan Williams Mar. 26--The high school sweetheart U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd married almost 69 years ago, Erma Ora James Byrd, died Saturday at their home in McLean, Va. Byrd and members of their family were with her when...

The Main Ingredient: Purple praise Black rice cooks up handsomely.
March 26, 2006... Byline: Robert J. Byers and Tara Tuckwiller Mar. 26--If you were out shopping in an American city and felt like a snack, you might find a street vendor to sell you a hot dog. In Thailand, the ho-hum street snack is something we might...

In the Kitchen.
March 26, 2006... Byline: Robert J. Byers and Tara Tuckwiller Mar. 26--Product: Chef Paulie Gourmet Cutting Board Producer: Chef Paulie Inc., Englewood, N.J. Commentary: We are split on this product. Tara sees it as a big, clunky piece of plastic...

Fayette leader says debt being paid.
March 26, 2006... Byline: Paul J. Nyden Mar. 26--George S. "Steve" Pilato, president of the Fayette County Board of Education, has tax liens of about $240,000 against him and his businesses. Pilato incorporated G. Enterprises Inc. in 1991 and...

W.Va. sets standard for 527s: Mountain State a test bed for election funding rules to cover nonprofit groups.
March 26, 2006... Byline: Tom Searls Mar. 26--West Virginia lawmakers might have been watching out for their own political survival when they enacted new laws regulating how nonprofit 527 groups can spend election funds, but their actions have drawn...

'CCC Boys': Depression era program left lasting legacy in W Va.
March 26, 2006... Byline: Rick Steelhammer Mar. 26--SEEBERT -- "Our greatest primary task is to put people to work," newly elected President Franklin D. Roosevelt said during his first inaugural address on March 4, 1933. The darkest days of the Great...

Whole new ballgame for Herd: Snyder s first spring brings different look.
March 26, 2006... Byline: Doug Smock Mar. 26--The first major difference in Marshall's spring practice, logistically: Tuesday's workout will be the first of 15. Under coach Mark Snyder's predecessor, the Thundering Herd would be entering its third week,...

Offense lagging in Mountaineers workout.
March 26, 2006... Byline: Mike Whiteford Mar. 26--MORGANTOWN -- The big hit delivered by senior linebacker Jay Henry told the story of the defense's upper hand in West Virginia's fourth day of spring football practice. During an assortment of drills at...

Fastest Mountaineer? Slaton, by a hair.
March 26, 2006... Byline: Mike Whiteford Mar. 26--MORGANTOWN -- The speediest Mountaineer was either quarterback Pat White or tailback Steve Slaton. That much was common knowledge when the two sped past opposing defenses last year -- White for 952...

Building on success: After return trip to Elite Eight UC looks to future.
March 26, 2006... Byline: Tommy R. Atkinson Mar. 26--As the sting of defeat began to subside, University of Charleston coach Sherry Winn was able to gain clarity on the just-completed season. The Golden Eagles (31-3) lost to Grand Valley State 74-59...

W.Va. turkey hunters reap safety benefits.
March 26, 2006... Byline: John McCoy Mar. 26--West Virginia's spring turkey season won't begin until April 24, but the turkey safety season is well underway. This is the time of year when conservation officers and volunteers teach hunting safety to...

Federal judge blocks expansion of Massey mine.
March 26, 2006... Byline: Ken Ward Jr. Mar. 26--The latest courtroom battle to curb mountaintop removal coal mining is starting to heat up. On Friday, a federal judge in Huntington blocked expansion of a Massey Energy mine near the intersection of...

EDITORIAL: Tainted: Baseball s blind eye: Baseball s blind eye.(Editorial)
March 26, 2006... Mar. 26--Barry Bonds will spark controversy as long as he plays baseball and after he retires from the San Francisco Giants. Now 41, Bonds has hit 708 career home runs -- six fewer than Babe Ruth and 47 fewer than Hank Aaron, who holds the...

Feathered but fraternal: Grouse befriends Cross Lanes man.
March 26, 2006... Byline: John McCoy Mar. 26--POCA -- The two friends meet every day atop a remote Putnam County ridge. One of them rides a four-wheeler. The other one flies there. The one who rides the four-wheeler is a 71-year-old man. The one who...