Charleston Gazette back issues from April 2006:
DeLay aide sets fraud guilty plea: Tom Rudy admits conspiracy with lobbyist Jack Abramoff
Apr 01, 2006; ... WASHINGTON - A former top aide to Rep. Tom DeLay pleaded guiltyFriday to conspiracy and promised to help with an investigation ofbribery and lobbying fraud that has already netted three convictionsand sparked calls for ethics reform in Congress. Tony Rudy, DeLay's former deputy ...
UAW refuses to yield: Stamping plant may face closure over contracts
Apr 01, 2006; ... jginsberg@wvgazette.com An overwhelming majority of union members at the Union Partnersstamping plant in South Charleston voted not to open their contracton Friday. Officials with United Auto Workers Local 3399 believe theirdecision could mean the 84-year-old plant will ...
Delphi plan may slam auto industry: UAW expects long, difficult strike if judge OKs firm's bid to cut contracts, wages
Apr 01, 2006; ... DETROIT - When Robert S. "Steve" Miller took over as chairman andchief executive of auto parts supplier Delphi Corp. last summer, theveteran of turnarounds at Bethlehem Steel and Chrysler Corp. said theera of hefty union wages, underperforming plants and defined-benefitpensions was ...
Dow cuts will hurt economy: Suppliers, retailers fear 350 lost jobs
Apr 01, 2006; ... By Jennifer Ginsberg jginsberg@wvgazette.com Dow-owned Union Carbide Corp.'s job-cut announcement Thursday willaffect more than those nearly 350 employees. Companies that do business with Dow might notice a slump in theirsales. Shops where people spend their extra money also ...
Y to accept new members: Increasing rolls could solidify decision to stay in old building
Apr 01, 2006; ... bobschwarz@wvgazette.com Charleston's YWCA will reopen its membership rolls beginningMonday. The move marks another step toward calming waters that becameroiled four months ago when YWCA board members declared they weregoing to abandon their 85-year-old building and shed ...
Convicted sniper wants to represent himself
Apr 01, 2006; ... ROCKVILLE, Md. - Convicted sniper John Allen Muhammad on Fridayrefused to back down from his decision to represent himself in hislatest murder trial, but agreed to let the court find an attorney tohelp with the case. Judge James Ryan asked Muhammad to reconsider his decision to ...
Peterson family offers reward: for 'real killer'
Apr 01, 2006; ... MODESTO, Calif. - Scott Peterson's family said Friday it isoffering a $250,000 reward for information leading to an arrest inthe murder of his pregnant wife. Peterson was convicted of killing Laci Peterson and the couple'sunborn child on Christmas Eve 2002 and is on death row at ...
Moussaoui jury still out
Apr 01, 2006; ... ALEXANDRIA, Va. - Jurors in the death-penalty trial of ZacariasMoussaoui ended a third day of deliberations Friday without decidingwhether the confessed al-Qaida conspirator is eligible for the deathpenalty. The jury has considered Moussaoui's fate for 121/2 hours sincereceiving ...
Court briefs
Apr 01, 2006 ... Couple sues school board, employee A Gallagher couple has sued the Kanawha County Board of Educationand one of its employees, according to papers filed in KanawhaCircuit Court on Friday. In their lawsuit, John and Andrea McCune allege that Lisa Brown ofChelyan assaulted ...
WVU death ruled accident: Student apparently was playing the 'choking game'
Apr 01, 2006; ... tomsearls@wvgazette.com A Kanawha County student at West Virginia University who was founddead in his dormitory room late Wednesday died from accidentalhanging, university officials said Friday. Jonathan David Hansen, 21, of Elkview had apparently beenparticipating in an ...
Judge to arrange security at Ga. trial
Apr 01, 2006; ... ATLANTA - A judge Friday limited the sheriff's authority toprovide security at the murder trial of accused courthouse gunmanBrian Nichols and said he, not the sheriff, will gather a team ofofficers from around the state to do the job. The decision came after Nichols' defense ...
MOUNTAIN STATE'S MOST WANTED
Apr 01, 2006 ... Each week, The Saturday Gazette-Mail runs information aboutsuspects wanted by local, state and federal law enforcementauthorities in connection with a variety of crimes. If you work for a law enforcement agency in West Virginia andwould like to suggest a person for Mountain ...
Skakel attorneys told to name 2 men implicated in 1975 murder
Apr 01, 2006; ... STAMFORD, Conn. - A judge ordered attorneys for Kennedy cousinMichael Skakel, convicted in the 1975 murder of a teenage neighbor,to identify two men they say have been implicated in the killing. Skakel, now 45, is seeking a new trial based on a claim by Gitano"Tony" Bryant, a ...
Twin receives up to 20 years in rape
Apr 01, 2006; ... BOSTON - A man convicted of rape after two mistrials over DNAevidence that could have come from his identical twin was sentencedFriday to up to 20 years in prison. Darrin Fernandez, 31, who is already serving time for an earlierrape, lost the third trial last week after ...
Landfills searched for missing student
Apr 01, 2006; ... EWING, N.J. - Authorities planned Saturday to search twoPennsylvania landfills for a missing college student after his bloodwas found in and around a trash bin outside his dormitory. John Fiocco, 19, was last seen early March 25 at his dormitory atThe College of New Jersey after ...
Underwood still in hospital: Jay recovering from back surgery
Apr 01, 2006; ... tomsearls@wvgazette.com Former Gov. Cecil Underwood was listed in satisfactory conditionFriday in a Charleston hospital, preparing to enter his third week inthe hospital, while U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller will be recovering froman operation for the next few months. Underwood ...
Capito donates questioned contributions to Sago fund
Apr 01, 2006; ... Former top Delay aide pleads guilty in lobbyist fraud probe. 1A pjnyden@wvgazette.com Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., will donate $45,000 incontroversial campaign contributions to the Sago Mine Fund set up tohelp families of the miners who died in the January tragedy ....
Location, location, location
Apr 01, 2006; ... Joshua Hamrick of Webster Springs Middle School won the WestVirginia Geographic Bee on Friday. One hundred students from acrossthe state gathered at the Roosevelt Center on ...
MU to hold second election soon
Apr 01, 2006 ... A month after a botched student government election, MarshallUniversity students will head to the polls again in a couple ofweeks. School officials hope the results this time will be more accurate. In the first vote, school officials said, hundreds of votes werecast from the ...
Prevent child abuse, yes or no?
Apr 01, 2006; ... In all the squawk over child abuse this winter, lawmakers forgotto do anything that might actually prevent children from beingabused. Part of the blame goes to the overwrought supporters of the so-called Logan's Law. They distracted attention by insisting onvengeful double ...
Dems need to act while GOP fights
Apr 01, 2006; ... WASHINGTON - It's frustrating. The three overlapping forces thathave sent this country in so many wrong directions - the conservativemovement, the neoconservative movement and the Republican Party - arewarring among themselves, doing their best impression of crabs in abarrel, and ...
Smiles and scowls
Apr 01, 2006; ... To Charleston police officer T.B. Hawley, being honored forbravery because he crawled into a burning West Side home and carriedout a trapped woman, Sharon Tolbert. To the state Pharmaceutical Cost Management Council, creating a"central fill pharmacy" where low-income West ...
Warming: Unseen danger
Apr 01, 2006; ... WONDERFUL spring warmth is returning to the Mountain State.Blossoms are sprouting everywhere. Tiny leaf buds create a green hazeover woodlands. This kind of warming is delightful, after the bleak winter - but adifferent sort of climate warmup poses serious danger to all ...
State briefs
Apr 01, 2006 ... Bus hits tractor-trailer in Garrett County, Md. FRIENDSVILLE, Md. - A charter bus carrying 39 children crashedFriday into a tractor-trailer in western Maryland, seriously injuringthe bus driver, state police said. Police identified the bus driver as Shirley Robinson, of ...
Spring cleaning
Apr 01, 2006; ... ABOVE: St. Albans sanitation workers unload trucks full of trash behind the Chelyan Go-Mart on Fridayafternoon as part of the annual Kanawha County spring cleanup.Residents can dispose of waste, including large appliances, at thesite from 8 ...
FAYETTE COUNTY: Addressing the issue of addressing
Apr 01, 2006; ... susanwilliams@wvgazette.com FAYETTEVILLE - As of Thursday, every road in Fayette County had aname. For several reasons, including emergency responders who sometimeshave trouble finding rural addresses, West Virginia counties havebeen working for several years to name every ...
Mortar shell kills three women in Baghdad: Monthly death toll for U.S. troops drops
Apr 01, 2006; ... BAGHDAD, Iraq - A mortar shell exploded Friday on a street innorthern Baghdad, killing three women in their homes. Elsewhere,soldiers discovered the bullet-riddled bodies of six men wearinghandcuffs - apparently the latest victims of sectarian death squads. Three car bombs also ...
A daily look at U.S. military deaths in Iraq
Apr 01, 2006; ... As of Friday, March 31, 2006, at least 2,327 members of the U.S.military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003,according to an Associated Press count. The figure includes sevenmilitary civilians. At least 1,824 died as a result of hostileaction, according to the ...
Jill Carroll said to be 'emotionally fragile'
Apr 01, 2006; ... BAGHDAD, Iraq - Jill Carroll, described as "emotionally fragile,"went reluctantly to Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone - theplace her captors had warned her was infiltrated with insurgents -and spent Friday in seclusion, recovering from 82 days of captivity. In a video posted ...
Institute stabbing was self-inflicted, official says
Apr 01, 2006 ... A West Virginia State University student apparently stabbedhimself earlier this week and lied to deputies that he had beenattacked, a spokesperson said. "He signed a statement that he made up part about the attackers,"university spokeswoman Pat Dickinson said. The student ...
Blue Creek man arrested after standoff at his house
Apr 01, 2006 ... The Kanawha County SWAT team arrested a Blue Creek man Fridayafternoon after a two-hour standoff at his home. Larry Thomas Keeling Jr., 35, of the 300 block of Blue Creek Roadnear Elkview, surrendered to heavily armed deputies and West VirginiaState Police about 5 p.m. after an ...
CORRECTION
Apr 01, 2006 ... A headline in Friday's Gazette wrongly identified the professionof a woman sentenced for ...
World weather
Apr 01, 2006 ... Amsterdam 59 44 Rain Athens 69 50 Clr Baghdad 85 61 Clr Berlin 53 33 Rain Bermuda 68 57 Rain Cairo 79 56 Clr Calgary 50 31 Snow Dublin 57 44 Rain Hong Kong 80 71 Rain Jerusalem 74 50 Clr London 59 47 ...
National weather
Apr 01, 2006 ... Anchorage 39 29 PCldy Atlanta 76 59 PCldy Boston 63 51 PCldy Charlotte,N.C. 79 57 PCldy Chicago 52 41 Rain Cincinnati 58 48 PCldy Cleveland 56 48 PCldy Dallas-Ft Worth 82 67 Rain Denver 67 37 PCldy Detroit 51 43 ...
Helpful break: Students use spring break time to travel to the Gulf Coast and help rebuild
Apr 01, 2006; ... amallory@wvgazette.com Elizabeth Gillispie is back in class now at West Virginia WesleyanCollege. She still laments the passing of her spring break. But she's not missing lazy days at the beach or devouring boxes ofcookies in front of the television. She's haunted by the ...
New mobile labyrinth gets its first workout this weekend
Apr 01, 2006; ... susanwilliams@wvgazette.com The Episcopal Diocese Of West Virginia has bought its first mobilelabyrinth, and people interested in prayer and meditation can givethe path its first try this weekend. The Rev. Joyce Wilkinson, interim pastor at St. Luke's EpiscopalChurch on ...
CN section on recycling earns award,: teaches kids
Apr 01, 2006 ... Charleston Newspapers has won a top honor in the SouthernNewspaper Publishers Association's 2006 Newspaper in Education/Literacy Awards. The newspaper company won first place among newspapers in the75,000 to 150,000 circulation category. For the past four years, the NIE ...
By the way
Apr 01, 2006 ... St. Anthony to host awards dinner Tuesday Bud and Mary Agnes Keener will receive the lifetime achievementaward when St. Anthony Parish, 1000 6th St. W., hosts its annualawards benefit dinner Tuesday. Mrs. Keener served the parish as part-time secretary. Her husbandhelped with ...
JOURNEYMAN: Praise in the key of God
Apr 01, 2006; ... Angie sang from her heart. She was an inspired singer. She sangboldly from the pew behind us. Her voice rose joyously, filling thevaulted space above the small congregation. It mattered little to Angie that often her voice was slightlybeneath the notes printed on the hymnal page ....
Mother Teresa statue display draws protest from Muslims
Apr 01, 2006; ... TIRANA, Albania - A northern Albanian city decided Friday todisplay a bust of Mother Teresa in the main square, despite claimsfrom some Muslim groups that it would damage religious harmony. The Culture Ministry's proposal to put the statue in Shkodra, 70miles north of the capital, ...
Church activities
Apr 01, 2006 ... Anniversary * The usher board ministry will celebrate its 31st anniversary at3 p.m. Sunday at the Community Missionary Baptist Church, 920 AmityDrive. Guest speaker will be the Rev. Keith Walker, pastor of MountZion Baptist Church, along with his choirs and congregation. Thetheme ...
Poles' affection for Pope John still strong
Apr 01, 2006; ... WARSAW, Poland - Poles mark the first anniversary of Pope JohnPaul II's death Sunday with their beloved native son still very mucha public presence, with some here even crediting him with continuedinfluence in the strongly Roman Catholic country's politics. People flock to movies ...
On April 1, all the world loves a fool
Apr 01, 2006; ... "SPRINGTIME is coming/ Sweet lonesome little birdie/ Your echo inthe woodlands I hear ... ," Mom sings to me as we have our dailytelephone conversation. It is amazing how she remembers songs andpoems, and fails to recognize her own grandchildren. It still soothesme to hear her sing the ...
Obituaries: Obit
Apr 01, 2006 ... Harry T. Brammer Harry T. "Mike" Brammer, 82, of St. Albans died March 31, 2006, atThomas Memorial Hospital, South Charleston. Born Aug. 15, 1923, he was a son of the late Harry and MaryElizabeth McComas Brammer. He was also preceded in death by his wife,Mary Belle Brammer; ...
U.N. mission condemns jailing of Haiti prisoners
Apr 01, 2006; ... PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - The U.N. peacekeeping mission in Haiti onFriday condemned the jailing of thousands of people who have not beenconvicted of a crime, saying the practice violated prisoners' humanrights. Only 10 percent of some 4,000 prisoners have been convicted, ...
Beckley woman accused of breaking into homes
Apr 01, 2006 ... BOLT - A Beckley woman was arrested early Friday after sheallegedly broke into two homes by throwing herself through the doors,Raleigh County deputies said. Bridget Rene Sizemore, 31, of Beckley was in the 300 block of GlenRogers-Ravenscliff Road in Bolt when she got into an ...
La. politicians tour damage from Rita
Apr 01, 2006; ... COW ISLAND, La. - Gov. Kathleen Blanco and legislators set out bybus Friday to tour the lingering damage of last fall's HurricaneRita, a major storm that was overshadowed by the even moredestructive Katrina a month earlier. Blanco said the tour ofsouthwestern Louisiana, similar to a ride ...
Examiners find no lesions in Shenandoah River fish
Apr 01, 2006; ... SHENANDOAH, Va. - A task force seeking the cause of massive fishkills in the Shenandoah River is investigating scattered reports ofdead sunfish and smallmouth bass in recent weeks. In 2005, 80 percent of the smallmouths and redbreast sunfish werewiped out in the South Fork. The ...
Standard raised for mine safety director: New law to take effect on June 8
Apr 01, 2006; ... Legislation sought by Gov. Joe Manchin and signed into law thisweek will put West Virginia in the middle of the pack when it comesto credentials for a state's underground mine safety director. The law (HB4596) requires at least five years' education ortraining in underground ...
Medicare drug safeguard ends
Apr 01, 2006; ... WASHINGTON - A safeguard designed to ease elderly patients'transition into the Medicare drug program ended Friday, and thatmeans some people will find they have to pay for their medicine out-of-pocket. The government had told insurers they must cover a 90-day supplyof a drug, ...
Remains in WWII bomber identified
Apr 01, 2006; ... SUFFOLK, Va. - Human remains found inside the wreckage of a WorldWar II bomber in New Guinea have been identified as those of aSuffolk woman's brother, who disappeared more than 60 years ago. Fern Lord learned Thursday that DNA testing confirmed that thebones belonged to her ...
Va. Beach completes Navy jets plan
Apr 01, 2006; ... NORFOLK, Va. - Virginia Beach leaders said a plan to keep Navyjets at Oceana Naval Air Station exceeds the requirements of thefederal base-closing commission - without having to condemn about3,000 homes near the base's runways. "We feel that we had mission impossible," Virginia ...
Excellent adventure worth the wait
Apr 01, 2006; ... IT WAS the trip we'd never gotten to take together. When my lifelong friend, Ed Sullivan of Wheeling, suggested takingin an NFL Europe game a couple of years ago, I scoffed. "Yeah, right," I said. "Right after I win the lottery." Like Ed, I harbored an odd (some would say ...
Scrimmage a chance for youth to step up: WVU Spring practice
Apr 01, 2006; ... dphickman1@aol.com MORGANTOWN - As West Virginia's football team reaches the midpointof spring practice today, it's time to find out if anyone has learnedanything. And Rich Rodriguez hopes to do just that in this afternoon'scontrolled scrimmage at Mountaineer ...
INSIDE
Apr 01, 2006 ... 'Baby' shower LSU's Glen "Big Baby" Davis was met by a throng of Tiger ...
TWO-MINUTE DRILL
Apr 01, 2006 ... Names in the games UC professor wins athletic training award Ericka Zimmerman, who heads the University of Charleston'sdepartment of athletic training, has been named West Virginiaathletic trainer of the year by the West Virginia Athletic TrainersAssociation. The ...
NCAA BASKETBALL: FINAL FOUR: George Mason not ready to go home
Apr 01, 2006; ... More NCAA coverage. 3C INDIANAPOLIS - Before the madness began, before the world camecalling to their campus, hardly anyone outside of Fairfax, Va., knewanything about George Mason's Patriots. Let's just say their fan base has expanded - by millions. They are now ...
Long road back: Ex-Mountaineer Frazier hoping to return to NFL
Apr 01, 2006; ... rickryan@wvgazette.com COLOGNE, Germany - Cornerbacks are supposed to have shortmemories. Get beat one play, just forget about it and get ready forthe next one. Lance Frazier, however, does want to remember a couple of things. Like how it felt to be an NFL starter. And ...
Sports briefs
Apr 01, 2006 ... Favre says he wants to play The Green Bay Packers aren't pressuring Brett Favre to make aretirement decision by today's due date for a $3 million rosterbonus. And even if they were, the quarterback doesn't think he owesthe team a decision this weekend anyway. In his most ...
College softball
Apr 01, 2006 ... Friday's linescores First game Shepherd 100 002 0 -3 5 0 Charleston 000 000 0 -0 4 2 Burnette and Orknskey. Lewis and Stogdale. Top hitters: SU - Small2-4; Orkoskey double, 2 RBI. UC - Zander 1-2; Shoulders 1-3; Taylor 1-3. WP - Burnette; ...
IBL basketball
Apr 01, 2006 ... Friday's game At South Charleston Community Center W.Va. Wild 129, Cuyahoga Falls 124 CUYAHOGA FALLS (Ohio) Hills 9 3-7 21, Freeman 7 0-0 20, Myers 5 0-0 10, Marinchick 1 1-2 4, Conwell 9 3-4 25, Sifford 7 4-6 18, Ingram 10 2-2 ...
Ski report
Apr 01, 2006 ... * Snowshoe Mountain - loose granular machine groomed, 20-34 base,30 of 57 trails, 50 percent open, 4 of 14 lifts, Mon-Fri: 9 a.m.-9p.m.; Sat/Sun: 9 a.m.-10 p.m.; Apr. 2: Closing Day * Timberline Four Seasons - packed powder machine groomed, 20-42base, 28 of 36 trails, 92 percent ...
Prep baseball
Apr 01, 2006 ... Thursday's linescores First game Nicholas 000 101 4 -6 9 0 Grafton 001 000 0 -1 4 2 Doddrill and Persinger. Leach, Mayle (6) and Wininger. Tophitters: N - Doddrill 2-4, HR, 3 RBI; Persinger RBI. G - Stemple RBI;Vincent double. WP - Doddrill; LP - Mayle ....
Area tennis
Apr 01, 2006 ... YMCA Junior Spring Open Finals Boys 10: Jad Malas d. Ryan Massinople 6-2, 6-1 Boys 12: Colton Murphy d. Robert Skolik 7-5, 6-3 Boys 14: Chris Pratt d. Joe White 6-0, 6-0 Boys 16: Brandon McCowan d. Joe White 6-3, 6-1 Boys 18: Jared Walker d. Matt ...
Prep softball
Apr 01, 2006 ... Friday's linescores Sherman 130 06 -10 10 0 Liberty Raleigh 000 00 -0 0 3 Stone and Mann; Daniels and Scott; top hitters; S - Stone 3-4;Meadows 2-3; Trail double. Nitro 160 200 0-9 9 3 Woodrow Wilson 000 020 0-2 2 4 Murphy and Jordan; ...