Charleston Gazette

Small Manufacturers Converge at Summit

paulwilson@wvgazette.com Gary and J. Kay McClure's family was devastated in the 1980s when Gary lost his job as a boilermaker.

Putnam General Ceo Resigns

johnheys@wvgazette.com The chief executive officer at Putnam General Hospital resigned Monday, according to a statement released by the hospital.

England Hearing Delayed

RALEIGH, N.C. - A military court hearing to determine whether Pfc. Lynndie England will be tried on charges that she abused prisoners at the infamous Abu Ghraib prison has been delayed until next month, a Fort Bragg spokeswoman said Monday. The Article 32 hearing had been scheduled to start at 8 a.m. today.

Generals Can Be Questioned: ; Lawyers for Abu Ghraib Prison Scandal Defendants Win Access

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Lawyers for two defendants in the Abu Ghraib prison scandal won the right Monday to question top U.S. generals to bolster arguments their clients were following lawful orders in their treatment of inmates. The order, issued by a military judge at pretrial hearings, compels Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, and Gen. John Abizaid, chief of the U.S. Central Command, to give depositions.

Inside

Another space barrier broken An ungainly looking rocket plane punched through the Earth's atmosphere and then glided home to a desert landing Monday in history's first privately financed manned space flight.

Private-Sector Spacecraft Rockets Into History: ; Nongovernmental Suborbital Flight Is Mankind's First

MOJAVE, Calif. - A rocket plane soared above Earth's atmosphere Monday in the first privately financed manned space flight, then glided back to Earth for an unpowered landing. SpaceShipOne pilot Mike Melvill was aiming to fly 62 miles above the Earth's surface, and he just exceeded that goal, reaching 62.21 miles, according to radar data.

Bush Visits Ohio to Promote Healthy Marriage Initiative: ; Proposal Part of Welfare Bill Stalled in the Senate

CINCINNATI - President Bush raised money for the Republican Party and promoted his agenda of compassionate conservatism Monday as he and his Democratic rival focus on a key state in their battle for the White House. On his 18th presidential trip to Ohio, Bush promoted his $1.5 billion proposal to offer premarital counseling to parents on welfare.

Kerry Criticizes President's Policies On Science, Research: ; 48 Nobel Prize-Winning Scientists Pledge Support

DENVER - Democrat John Kerry, backed by 48 Nobel Prize winners, on Monday criticized President Bush for allowing ideology rather than facts determine science policies and repeated his pledge to overturn the ban on federal funding of research on new stem cell lines. "We need a president who believes in science again in America," Kerry said. "We need to be prepared, and one of the first things that I will do as president by executive order immediately is reverse the gag rule and also move Ameri...

Nader's Running Mate Is Green Party Activist

WASHINGTON - Presidential candidate Ralph Nader on Monday tapped longtime Green Party activist Peter Camejo to be his running mate, a move certain to boost the independent's chances of winning the Green Party's endorsement this week and its access to ballot lines in nearly two dozen states. "He is a man who has put his principles in practice, who has fought the struggles of the civil rights movement, the labor rights movement in the '60s and '70s," Nader said as he introduced Camejo at a news...

Schwarzenegger Approves Agreement to Expand Five Indian Tribes' Casinos

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed new agreements with five Indian tribes Monday that will allow a major expansion of tribal gambling in exchange for billions of dollars in payments to the state over the next quarter-century. The deal allows an unlimited increase in the number of slot machines at the Indian tribes' casinos. The current compact, signed by then-Gov. Gray Davis in 1999, limits each tribe to 2,000 machines.

State Briefs

Dunbar teen stabbed in fight at Town Center A Dunbar teen was stabbed in a Charleston mall's parking garage Monday night.

Jay Calls for Intelligence Overhaul

The CIA's push to seal large sections of his committee's report on the agency's prewar assessment of Iraq is but one sign that the nation's intelligence system must be revamped, Sen. Jay Rockefeller told The Associated Press Monday. "The problem with the intelligence community is getting them to shift from the Cold War," said Rockefeller, D-W.Va. "Classifying things is a Washington mania, and in the intelligence community even more so, and they often withhold things from each other."

Racetracks Prepare Drivers for Iraq Hazards

WAMPUM, Pa. - Racetracks offering instruction on driving through roadblocks, past roadside bombs and away from fiery ambushes are experiencing an explosion in attendance as government agencies and private security teams prepare for life on the road in Iraq. Analysts say it became clear early in the conflict that the military and Coalition Provisional Authority are most vulnerable while on the road.

Four U.S. Marines Killed in Ramadi: ; South Korea Still Planning to Send Troops to Iraq

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Insurgents gunned down four U.S. Marines west of Baghdad on Monday, and South Korea said it would go ahead with plans to send thousands more troops to Iraq despite a threat by Iraqi kidnappers to kill a South Korean seen pleading for his life on a videotape. A U.S. Army soldier was killed Monday and seven others were wounded in a mortar attack in north-central Baghdad, the U.S. command said. The casualties indicated no let-up in attacks against Americans as the June 30 transfe...

U.S. Military Deaths in Iraq Total 837

As of Monday, June 21, 837 U.S. service members have died since the beginning of military operations in Iraq last year, according to the Defense Department. Of those, 617 died as a result of hostile action and 220 died of non-hostile causes. The British military has reported 58 deaths; Italy, 18; Spain, eight; Bulgaria and Poland, six each; Ukraine, four; Slovakia three; Thailand, two; Denmark, El Salvador, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia and the Netherlands have reported one each.

New Rules to Fight Mixups in Surgery

WASHINGTON - Starting July 1, operating rooms are supposed to be a little safer: Surgical teams must take new steps to prevent operating on the wrong body part or wrong patient. Among the requirements: Much as airline pilots go through a safety checklist before takeoff, surgeons and nurses must take what's being dubbed a "time-out" before cutting. It's to double- check that the right patient is on the table, if he's really to lose a kidney and not a gallbladder - and if so, on which side.

Drug Ads Gnaw at Pet Lovers' Hearts

SEATTLE - As a marketing executive, Marian Salzman knows she shouldn't let the slick advertisements get to her. But as the owner of two golden retrievers, she feels a twinge when she sees a dog limp across her TV screen and hears, "Because the pain is every day - ask your veterinarian about ..."

Tobacco Buyout Study Finds Payment Disparities

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - A tobacco buyout passed by the U.S. House would create huge disparities in payments to quota holders - millions to some but $1,000 or less to many others, a watchdog group said today. The legislation proposes a five-year payout of $9.6 billion. The top 1 percent of quota holders would get 27 percent of the money, the Environmental Working Group said in a report.

For the Blind

Today's Chuckle: ; by Harlan Collins