Charleston Gazette

Kanawha Soldier Killed in Iraq

A Kanawha County soldier was killed Wednesday in Baghdad, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Defense. Capt. Benjamin D. Tiffner, 31, died of wounds from an improvised explosive device, the release said. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), based in Fort Campbell, Ky.

Failed Assassin Given 22 Years: ; 'Junior' Welch Tried to Blow Up Clay's Sheriff

aclevenger@wvgazette.com A Clay County man was sentenced in federal court Thursday to almost 22 years in prison for his role in a plot to blow up the sheriff in 2005.

Wvea Seeks $35k Start Pay: ; As 5,500 Teachers Near Retiring, Union Says Good Pay Will Draw People In

davinwhite@wvgazette.com The state's largest teachers' union will press the Legislature to make $35,000 the starting salary for teachers.

Fed Chief has Mix of Good, Bad News

WASHINGTON - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said Thursday that economic growth will slow noticeably in coming months while surging oil costs will raise inflation pressures. But he said the economy is nowhere close to the stagflation nightmare of the 1970s and he predicted an economic rebound by mid-2008. Testifying before the Joint Economic Committee, Bernanke acknowledged a host of problems facing the economy, from a deeper- than-expected housing slump to a lingering credit crunch and...

Congress Says First 'No' to Bush Veto: ; Senate Confirms Mukasey As 81st Attorney General

WASHINGTON - President Bush suffered the first veto override of his seven-year-old presidency Thursday as the Senate enacted a $23 billion water resources bill that includes millions of dollars for West Virginia projects despite Bush's protest that it was filled with unnecessary projects. The 79-14 vote included 34 Republicans who defied the president. Enactment was a foregone conclusion, but it still marked a milestone for a president who spent his first six years with a much friendlier Cong...

Kroger Workers Vote On New Contract: ; Union Official Predicts 4-Year Pact Will Be Approved

morris@wvgazette.com Union employees of Kroger Co. in West Virginia voted Thursday on a four-year contract that bolstered wages and health benefits but that might also steadily raise insurance premiums.

Roberts, Son Face Scrutiny

TULSA, Okla. - A Beverly Hills house and country club membership. Vacations in Palm Springs and the South Seas. A closet as big as an apartment, stuffed with hundreds of pairs of shoes, suits, dresses and golf shoes. People with close ties to TV evangelist Oral Roberts and his son, Richard, say they witnessed such extravagances years before a recent lawsuit accusing them of lavish spending engulfed the ministers and their debt-ridden university in scandal.

Readers' Voice

* To Walker Machinery, sorry about the jobs, but you need to consider the number of underground coal miners who were displaced and lost their jobs due to mountaintop removal using Caterpillar machinery. * The best part of being poor is I can't afford to buy my children toys, so therefore I don't have to worry about them being exposed to lead from China. I knew being poor wasn't bad, but now it's a blessing.

Oil Spill Floods S.F. Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO - An oil spill fouled miles of fragile coastline Thursday, sending environmentalists scrambling to save tarred marine life and leaving local officials questioning the Coast Guard's response to the ship collision that triggered the slick. About 58,000 gallons of oil spilled from a South Korea-bound container ship when it struck a tower supporting the San Francisco- Oakland Bay Bridge in dense fog Wednesday. The accident did not damage the span, but the vessel's hull was gashed, o...

Mountain Blessing Set: ; for Saturday in Ansted

If you go The blessing of the mountains will take place at 10 a.m. Saturday on Fire Tower Mountain just above Ansted. The public is welcome. susanwilliams@wvgazette.com

Guardian Sought for Megan Williams: ; Prosecutor Fears People Not Acting in Her Interests

gharki@wvgazette.com The prosecutor in the Megan Williams case says he filed a motion for the court to appoint a legal guardian for Williams because the people around her may not be acting in her best interests.

Workers Ok Huntington Hospital Pact

HUNTINGTON - Union workers at Cabell County Huntington Hospital overwhelmingly approved a new contract Thursday. Members of the Service Employees International Union District 1199 voted 535-25 to accept the agreement, organizer Joyce Gibson said.

Court Briefs

W.Va. man convicted in drug store robberies FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS, Ill. - A West Virginia man suspected of being involved in more than 100 pharmacy robberies in 12 states has been convicted of conspiracy to unlawfully enter pharmacies to steal controlled substances.

State to Honor Five for Voting Efforts

tomsearls@wvgazette.com Every two years John Denbigh and his employees at Casto & Harris in Spencer fight against deadlines to get election equipment and supplies to county voter registrars around the state. But in 2006 - when federal law mandated voting machine changes across the state - the firm was really under the gun.

No Charges Filed in Dam Fatalities

PITTSBURGH - A towboat master's license was suspended for 18 months after his vessel was swept over a dam in 2005, killing four crewmembers, but no criminal charges will be filed in the case, a U.S. Coast Guard official said Thursday. The Coast Guard released a long-awaited report on the accident Thursday.

Ex-Wvu Player Indicted

A former Capital High School football standout was among 10 people indicted by a federal grand jury on various drug charges Thursday, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced. Todd Allen Robinson, 35, of Charleston, is charged with aiding and abetting the manufacturing of methamphetamine, the release states.

Dealer Says O.J. Burst in with Group

LAS VEGAS - A memorabilia dealer accusing O.J. Simpson of robbing him testified Thursday that the former football star burst into a hotel room with a handful of other men, including one wielding a gun, and carried off hundreds of collector's items. Bruce Fromong, one of two dealers allegedly robbed, said he had expected to meet with an anonymous buyer on Sept. 13, when Simpson arrived with others "in a military invasion fashion" and shouted that the items belonged to him.

State Reaches Tax Settlement with Us Airways

philk@wvgazette.com West Virginia will accept a settlement of 16 cents on the dollar from US Airways for delinquent property taxes accrued while the airline was in chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

State Briefs

Town urges to conserve after water hits low level CAMERON - Residents are being urged to conserve water after the city's reservoir fell to 12 feet below normal because of a lack of rain.

Psc to Probe Cabell 911 Fee Use

rustymarks@wvgazette.com Members of the state Public Service Commission agreed Thursday to investigate Cabell County's diversion of 911 fees to pay for courthouse pay raises.