Charleston Gazette

Sc Man Faces Charges in Sexual Abuse of Boy

A South Charleston man was charged Thursday with sexually abusing the child of a woman he has known for about 20 years. George E. Robbins, 38, of 4510 Brown St., South Charleston, sexually abused a boy under 16 for about two years, according to the complaint filed in Kanawha County Magistrate Court.

Mortgage Foreclosures Set Record: ; Slump in Housing Market Biggest in 16 Years

WASHINGTON - A record number of homeowners got an unpleasant notice in their mailboxes this spring that their mortgages were being foreclosed. The grim prospect is that thousands more of those notices will crop up in mailboxes in coming months as the steepest slump in housing in 16 years contributes to a widening mortgage crisis.

Gauley River 'Open for Business' Today: ; Thousands Stream to State Seeking Adrenaline Rush

rsteelhammer@wvgazette.com FAYETTEVILLE - The Gauley River season, the annual fall pilgrimage for whitewater adrenaline addicts, gets underway today. More than 50,000 thrill-seeking rafters and kayak adventurers will come to central West Virginia for 23 days of world-class rapids running.

No Respect for Mother Nature: ; Vandals Waste Little Time in Destroying Additions to New Coal River Preserve

rustymarks@wvgazette.com Vandals already have struck at a new 30-acre Coal River nature preserve.

No Respect for Mother Nature

Charleston Revises Flood-Plain Boundaries: ; Fema Maps Updated

Want to know more? For information on whether your home is in Charlestons 100-year flood plain, call the city Planning Department at 348-8105. balow@wvgazette.com

15,000 Vote in Poll for Slogan On 1st Day: ; Manchin Playing Politics, Critics Say

How to vote State residents can vote on their preferred state slogan until Sept. 19 at www.wvgov.org, www.wv.gov, or www.wvtourism.com. They can also call (866) SLOGAN-4. Editorial, 4A

Jihad Supporters in Italy Stay Under the Radar: ; Small Amounts of Money in Transfers of Funds Overseas to Islamic Extremists Draw Little Notice

MILAN, Italy - Prosecutors call it terrorism on the cheap. Every few weeks, the Tunisians would stop at a bank or Western Union office and wire funds to a city in Europe or the Middle East. No one took much notice. The sums were small - sometimes only a few hundred dollars - and thousands of other people were doing the same thing across Italy, many of them immigrant workers sending money home.

Suicides On Rise, Especially for Girls

ATLANTA - The suicide rate among preteen and young teen girls spiked 76 percent, a disturbing sign that federal health officials say they can't fully explain. For all young people between ages 10 and 24, the suicide rate rose 8 percent from 2003 to 2004 - the biggest single-year bump in 15 years - in what one official called "a dramatic and huge increase."

National Briefs

Craig to give up fight to finish Senate term WASHINGTON - Republican senators expressed relief Thursday that embattled Sen. Larry Craig has signaled he is highly likely to surrender his seat within a few weeks rather than fight to complete his term.

Pa. Democrat Presses for Table Games Legislation

CANONSBURG, Pa. - The state legislature's highest-ranking Democrat said Thursday that Pennsylvania should consider expanding its slot machine parlors to include table games such as poker and blackjack. House Majority Leader Bill DeWeese told colleagues at a special committee meeting in Washington County that while it may be premature to expect such games to win approval, it was not too soon to debate the issue.

Search Teams Expand Hunt for Lost Aviator Steve Fossett

MINDEN, Nev. - Search teams dramatically expanded their hunt for adventurer Steve Fossett to encompass 10,000 square miles of rugged mountains and desert Thursday after nearly four discouraging days yielded no trace of his single-engine plane. "As you can imagine, trying to make that needle stand out in a haystack that big is going to be a real challenge," Nevada Civil Air Patrol Maj. Cynthia Ryan said. "It's going to be frustrating for a lot of people who were hoping for results early on."

Clay Center Finds a Brand: ; Advertising Spot Addresses Identity Crisis

bobschwarz@wvgazette.com Ever since the Clay Center for the Arts & Sciences opened four years ago, it has had an identity problem that its leaders have worried about. Was this huge new building a performing arts center, was it a science museum or was it an art museum?

With No Slots, Thistledown Owner to Sell: ; Ohio Track Cites Competition with Neighbor States

CLEVELAND - The owner of Thistledown racetrack plans to sell and is blaming the decision on an inability to operate slot machines, which Ohio racing industry leaders say has made it difficult to compete with neighboring states that offer higher purses. Magna Entertainment Corp. said in a statement that it's pursued other gambling for Thistledown in suburban North Randall for several years and that the thoroughbred track is losing money without it.

Reward Offered in Wyoming County Mine Arson

COAL MOUNTAIN - A $27,500 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of an arsonist who torched more than $5 million worth of equipment at a strip mine in Wyoming County. Two end-loaders worth $2.2 million apiece and another one valued at $750,000 were declared a total loss following the Monday night fire at Dynamic Energy Strip Mine in Coal Mountain, state Fire Marshal's Office spokeswoman Kim O'Brien said Thursday.

Court Briefs

Grand jury indicts five on drug charges HUNTINGTON - Five people were indicted by a federal grand jury on drug charges on Wednesday, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced.

Milton Man Dies of Beating Injuries

MILTON - Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of a Milton man who died Wednesday after a weekend beating. Ricky Williams, of Milton, died at St. Mary's Hospital in Huntington as the result of a fight on Sept. 1, Milton Police Chief G.F. Mullins confirmed Thursday. The case, which police had been investigating as a battery, is now a homicide investigation, Mullins said.

29 Face Prostitution Charges

Charleston police arrested 29 people for prostitution Wednesday evening, said Sgt. S.A. Cooper, Charleston Police chief detective. "We had two undercover female officers from Kanawha County police posing as prostitutes. As men solicited, they were arrested," Cooper said. "Some of the girls were wanted for other [prostitution] charges, some for soliciting undercover officers posing as johns."

W.Va.'S Deficient Dams

The Department of Environmental Protection Dam Safety Program listed 38 dams in West Virginia as being deficient in 2004, the last year the list was compiled. A deficient dam is one that "exhibits one or more design or maintenance problems that may adversely affect the performance of the dam during a major storm, or over a period of time, resulting in a potential for loss of life or property." Dam Safety Program Manager Brian Long said since 2004, problems with six dams have been resolved and...

State has Many Potentially Deadly Dams, Group Says

A group that monitors the health of the nation's rivers is raising concern about West Virginia's dams, but the manager of the state's dam safety program says improvements have been made in recent years to protect downstream residents. The Washington, D.C.-based American Rivers group said Thursday that 30 dams in West Virginia are deemed deficient and represent a threat to residents and property downstream.