Charleston Gazette

Programming Glitch Affects State Ballots: ; Corrected Memory Cards Just in Time for Early Voting

A programming glitch is forcing election officials in Kanawha and 18 other counties to retest their optical scanning voting machines on the eve of the general election. Early voting begins today for the 2008 election. But Kanawha County Clerk Vera McCormick said a programming error in the state's automated voting machines could have resulted in incorrect results for at least one state race.

Portfolio Value has Lost About $1 Billion: ; Unrecoverable Actual Losses Are $35 Million

West Virginia's $10 billion-plus investment portfolio lost about another $200 million of value in August, bringing total investment losses since July 1, 2007, to about $825 million, the executive director of the state Investment Management Board told legislators Tuesday. However, Craig Slaughter said actual losses from unrecoverable investments in stock of companies like Lehman Brothers that collapsed during financial upheaval is much smaller, in the range of about $35 million.

Kanawha Judge Retires (for Now): ; King Wants Time to Weigh Future, but Could Return

Longtime Kanawha Circuit Judge Charles King resigned on Tuesday, less than a month before the general election, saying he wants to take a few months to decide whether or not to return to the bench in January. King said he resigned so that he can start to draw his state pension. If he is re-elected, he could legally collect both his state pension and his salary as a judge if he decides to return to the bench.

Natural Gas Rates Could Rise

Staff writer West Virginia natural gas customers could see their heating bills rise as much as 38 percent this winter.

In Food L Making Minis

In Local L Boooooo!

The Read: ; Palin's Reformer Image Takes Hit; Alaska Governor has Checkered Past On Ethics

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, whose reformer image took a hit in a report concluding she abused her powers to settle a family score, has skirted state ethics rules before for personal benefit and used her office to help friends and supporters, according to an Associated Press review of records. Palin's first try at statewide office, after six years as mayor of Wasilla, was an unsuccessful run for lieutenant governor in 2002. To raise money, she improperly used her City Hall off...

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Readers' Voice

* Joe Biden is one of the most important men in this country. * Hindsight is 20/20. Only those without vision cling to the past.

Wildfires Burn 27 Square Miles; Firefighters Guard Homes

LOS ANGELES - Flames whirled dangerously close to homes Tuesday as gusty Santa Ana winds sent the biggest of southern California's wildfires flaring in hilly brushlands on Los Angeles' northern edge. Firefighters with hoses guarded houses as helicopters unleashed loads of water on hot spots of the 9,872-acre blaze charring slopes above the San Fernando Valley communities of Porter Ranch and Granada Hills.

Coal Industry, Unions Criticize Fed Drug Test

BEAVER - Labor unions and mine operators on Tuesday criticized proposed federal rules to expand drug testing to include more than 116,000 coal miners, asking for sweeping changes to the proposal or for it to be dropped. Mine operators praised the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration for tackling what they consider a major safety problem across the country. But they told agency representatives during a hearing that the rules are less stringent than drug testing already in place throug...

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New Sentencing Set for Would-Be Bomber

SEATTLE - The resentencing for would-be millennium bomber Ahmed Ressam has been scheduled for December. U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour set the hearing for Dec. 3 in Seattle.

Strip of Grass Planned for West Side Riverbank

A strip of grass could extend along the lower Kanawha riverbank from Magic Island to Patrick Street under the city and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' plan to shore up the bank. But West Side residents will not gain a third walkway, midway between the lower walkway and the river, as a corps scientist proposed Tuesday at a meeting of the city's Riverfront Committee.

Biden Predicts Win in W.Va.

At a rally a few miles from the West Virginia border on Tuesday, Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Joe Biden predicted he and Sen. Barack Obama would win West Virginia in the Nov. 4 presidential election. According to NBC, Biden asked the crowd in St. Clairsville, Ohio, "Which way is West-By-God-Virginia?" He then said, "I want to send a message to West Virginia - we're going to win in West Virginia! ... We're going to shock the living devil out of y'all!"

Final Debate Will See Leader Image Fight

WASHINGTON - Barack Obama and John McCain will both pursue the image of a strong leader in troublesome economic times as they meet Wednesday night for their third and final presidential debate. Their face-off comes as Obama widens his lead in typically Democratic states and campaigns with an air of optimism about his prospects, while McCain seeks a way to gain ground and finds himself defending traditionally Republican states with less than three weeks left in the race.

Meltdown Overshadows Plans for W.Va. College Bond Sales

West Virginia still plans to offer around $78 million in bonds to fund college campus construction projects, but officials say they realize there may be no buyers. Higher education officials will meet Thursday to review bids from bond underwriters and lawyers for the contract to craft the planned bond issue.

State Briefs

Pittsburgh doctor dies climbing at Seneca Rocks SENECA ROCKS - A Pittsburgh doctor fell to her death while climbing Seneca Rocks on Sunday, according to West Virginia State Police.

Putnam to Pick Ems Center Bid This Week

WINFIELD - The Putnam County Development Authority will announce its bid selection to build a new emergency medical services center by the end of the week. Board members will make their selection at 10 a.m. on Friday, county administrator Brian Donat said Tuesday.

Study Links C8 Levels, High Cholesterol

Mid-Ohio Valley residents with greater levels of C8 in their blood also tended to have higher levels of cholesterol, according to the first results from a panel studying the chemical's health effects. The three-person science panel found the risk of higher cholesterol was about 50 percent greater among residents with more C8 in their blood.