Charleston Gazette

Eastern Panhandle Counties Lead Population Increase

balow@wvgazette.com Look out, Wood County. Berkeley County is gaining on you.

Economists Predict Best Growth in 20 Years, Job Creation, Exports, Consumer Spending Offset Oil Prices, Interest Rate Hike

The Associated Press WASHINGTON - The economy appears headed for a banner year despite a springtime spike in energy prices and a recent increase in interest rates.

Child Care Survives Cutback, Agency Oks $37 Million in Welfare Cuts

philk@wvgazette.com Department of Health and Human Resources officials have given final approval to $37 million in annual spending cuts for the state's welfare-to-work program, Division of Family Assistance Director Sue Buster said Tuesday.

63 From W.Va. Could Return to Duty

The Associated Press As many as 63 former Army and National Guard troops from West Virginia can expect to receive their call-up papers to support military missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Edwards Seen As Top Debater, Dems Hope Strengths Outweigh Potential Pitfalls

The Associated Press WASHINGTON - In selecting Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina as his running mate, Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry put aside past differences with his former rival and picked a man whose strengths offset some of his own weaknesses.

Latest Military Deaths in Iraq

As of Tuesday, 868 U.S. service members have died since the beginning of military operations in Iraq last year, according to the Defense Department. Seven U.S. Marines assigned to the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force were killed Monday and Tuesday in western Iraq.

Tables Turned: Vigilante Group Threatens Zarqawi, 7 Marines Die in 2 Days; Car Bombing Kills 14 Iraqis

The Associated Press BAGHDAD, Iraq - An armed vigilante group threatened on Arab television Tuesday to kill Abu Musab al-Zarqawi for terrorist attacks that have killed Iraqis. It marked the first internal threat made against the Jordanian terrorist.

Missing Marine Is Free, Brother Says

The Associated Press BEIRUT, Lebanon - Family members of Cpl. Wassef Ali Hassoun said Tuesday they have received word that the Lebanese-born U.S. Marine - who was kidnapped in Iraq and at one point was reported beheaded - is free and well.

Ex-Gauley Bridge Police Chief to Appeal in U.S. Court

Former Gauley Bridge Police Chief Lee Edward Jones, convicted of multiple counts of sexually abusing boys, had his appeal denied by the state Supreme Court last week. His lawyer, Thomas Smith, said Tuesday they had appealed the case to U.S. District Court.

Fines Mount for Putnam Philanthropist

cbroadwater@wvgazette.com WINFIELD - Putnam County commissioners continued daily fines Tuesday for a county philanthropist with a junk-ed plot of land along U.S. 35.

Judge Frees User Fee Funds for City Use

A judge Tuesday released nearly $100,000 in user fee money held out of the paychecks of state workers who work in Charleston. The ruling by Kanawha Circuit Judge James Stucky adds to the more than $400,000 already collected by city officials from private employers with employees. The money comes from the $1 per week user fee approved by City Council earlier this year.

Mail Pouch Under Fire at Museum

The Associated Press A picture of a Mail Pouch sign on a barn has been a fixture at the West Virginia State Museum since it opened in 1976, but anti- smoking advocates say something is missing from the exhibit - a sign warning of smokeless tobacco's health risks.

Parking Garage Collapse Still a Mystery

johnheys@wvgazette.com Hospital and city officials still do not know why a 30-foot section of the parking garage at Charleston Area Medical Center General Hospital collapsed Friday evening.

U.S. Pilot in 'Friendly Fire' Found Guilty

The Associated Press NEW ORLEANS - A U.S. fighter pilot who mistakenly bombed Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan in 2002, killing four, was found guilty Tuesday of dereliction of duty and was reprimanded and docked a month's pay, or nearly $5,700.

Survey Says Edwards Favored by Delegates

The Associated Press WASHINGTON - Sen. John Edwards was John Kerry's top choice for vice president - and the overwhelming favorite of delegates to the Democratic National Convention.

State Democrats Laud Edwards Pick, Background Will Appeal to Voters, An

chriswetterich@wvgazette.com Courage is the word that comes to Scott Segal's mind when he thinks about his close friend, John Edwards.

Persistently Optimistic, From Mill Town to Law to U.S. Senate, Edwards' Aim Was True

The Associated Press WASHINGTON - When John Edwards showed up in Chapel Hill, N.C., to start law school, classmate David Huffine thought of him as "just like all the rest of us - a good ol' boy" from the rural South, a decent student, an athlete, a nice guy with whom to hang around.

City Police Investigate Pizza Robbery

A pizza deliveryman told Charleston police he was robbed at gunpoint Tuesday night. The Papa John's Pizza deliveryman told police two men robbed him about 10 p.m. near the intersection of Mountain and Dorchester roads, said a police spokesman.

Wrong-Way Car Injures Two On I-64 in Putnam

TEAYS VALLEY - Interstate 64 in Putnam County was closed for hours Tuesday night after a car going the wrong direction smashed into a truck. Two people were hospitalized with serious injures after a Ford Mustang apparently drove the wrong way on Interstate 64 in Putnam County crashed into a truck, Putnam county emergency dispatchers said.

St. Albans Council Enlists Ex-Member to Fill Vacancy

The St. Albans City Council appointed a former councilman Tuesday night to fill a vacancy left in May by Bob Barnette's death. Jerry Hicks, a lifelong resident of the city who is retired from Bayer Corp., was picked to fill Barnette's council-at-large seat in a 4-3 vote over Mike Reed, a retired teacher. Bob Myles got no votes.