Charleston Gazette

Safety Consultant Made False Claims, Feds Charge: ; Hospital Inspector Worked in W.Va.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - A man with phony credentials improperly inspected mammography machines and other diagnostic equipment at dozens of East Coast hospitals for 15 years, federal prosecutors said Thursday. But a review of Perry Beale's work at more than 50 hospitals and medical centers in five states and the District of Columbia found there were enough checks in the system to have prevented the machines from endangering anyone.

State Leads Nation in Fema Assistance

laurapack@wvgazette.com West Virginia has received more money for federal disaster assistance so far this year than any other state, but flood insurance for at-risk homes and businesses remains low, Federal Emergency Management Agency officials said Thursday.

9/11 Panel Findings: ; Out-of-Touch Bureaucracy Faced 'Terrorist Entrepreneurs'

WASHINGTON - Creativity. Imagination. Thinking outside the box. The report from the Sept. 11 commission makes abundantly clear that al-Qaida terrorists, tragically, had those abilities and the U.S. government did not.

9/11 Panel Findings: ; Report Urges Major Changes; Clinton, Bush Failed to Make Terrorism a Top Priority, Commission Says

WASHINGTON - America's leaders failed to grasp the gravity of terrorist threats before the devastating attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, taking actions so feeble they never even slowed the al-Qaida plotters, a national commission said in a blistering report Thursday. The panel warned "we are not safe" yet - and called for major intelligence changes. Its work is sure to reverberate across the presidential campaign.

Concert Sold Out

Inside

Soaring insurance Insurance premiums for the Wyoming County Council on Aging, under director Bob Graham, will more than double for this year.

Inside

Move over, Chuck Yeager The federal government has approved a new class of light aircraft, known as "sport pilot/light sport aircraft," that goes into effect Sept. 1.

Inside

Major debut Nitro High graduate J.R. House makes his first major-league appearance as catcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates in a 2-1 10-inning loss to the Braves.

Inside

Channeling Conway Twitty Country singer Anita Cochran, using sophisticated software, is able to record a duet with Conway Twitty, 11 years after his death.

In Perspective

Things to Do Today

"BOXES V: DANCES WITH BOXES": The latest in Contemporary Youth Arts Company's "Boxes" series features 32 local students performing monologues about young people, 8 p.m. Capitol Center Theater, 123 Summers St. Adults, $9.50; students and senior citizens, $5.50. Call 342-6522. ANNEX GALLERY AT TAYLOR BOOKS: Oil paintings by Thom Smith and Tom Acosta plus watercolors by Maggie Aston, through July 31. Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., 226 Capitol St. Call 342-1461.

Council On Aging's Insurance to Double, Board of Risk Says

tomsearls@wvgazette.com Insurance premiums for the Wyoming County Council on Aging will more than double for this year, the executive director of the state Board of Risk and Management said Thursday.

Manchin, Warner Promise Not to Use Paid Poll Workers

Both candidates for governor say they will not use paid poll workers on Election Day in November, although the practice is legal. Democrat Joe Manchin and Republican Monty Warner also said they did not hire poll workers for the May primary.

Readers' Voice: ; Call 357-4451

or e-mail readersvoice@wvgazette.com * If the food stamp program wasn't shipping out their calls to India, there would be more jobs for West Virginians and fewer people would need food stamps.

Flipside

This Saturday

Manchin Outlines Plan for Economy

tomsearls@wvgazette.com Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Joe Manchin unveiled the fourth installment of his "Open For Business" plan Thursday, which he said would educate West Virginia's workforce for better-paying jobs.

Putnam Circuit Clerk May Challenge Last-Minute Nomination of Opponent

cbroadwater@wvgazette.com WINFIELD - Republican incumbent and Putnam County Circuit Clerk Don Wright might challenge the last-minute appointment of a Democratic candidate to the general election ticket.

Ky. Man Who Shot Bear Turns Down Plea Bargain

An eastern Kentucky man charged with illegally killing a bear in his back yard has refused to plead guilty in order to avoid jail time, opting instead to have his case heard in front of a jury. Terry Brock, 36, of Mayking, said the bear was a renegade and that he killed it to protect his family.

Judge Asked to Expand Ruling On Valley Fills: ; Environmentalists Cite Six Other Mines

Environmentalists have asked a federal judge to expand a ban on mining permits issued by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to include six more Southern West Virginia coal mines. The Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition filed its request late Monday with U.S. District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin, who on July 8 concluded that the corps had failed to comply with federal law when it approved the other mining applications under a streamlined process that requires only minimal review.