Charleston Gazette

Water Problems in Boone County: ; Community Imports Water, Says Wells Contaminated

Residents of a northern Boone County community say their well water is "too toxic to touch," so they're trying to raise $15,000 to deliver barrels of clean water to about 300 homes. The contaminated water in Prenter Hollow has caused widespread health problems, including high rates of gallbladder and kidney disease, community organizers said. Children also suffer from unexplained urinary tract infections and tooth decay.

W.Va. Looks to Protect Jobless Benefits Fund: ; Many States Have Almost Depleted Cash Reserves

With at least 19 states running out of cash to pay unemployment compensation benefits, a West Virginia group will meet next week to come up with ways to assure that the state's relatively stable unemployment trust fund stays that way, the group's chairman said Tuesday. "We're trying to look ahead and see if there are things necessary and changes that may need to be made," said Ron Radcliff, executive director of Workforce West Virginia.

In Focus L Hanukkah Food

In Sports L Boys Basketball

Mother Faces Surgery Following the Holidays: ; Gazette Charities Christmas Fund

Suzie, age 39, worked at a local restaurant until it closed. Although her husband is employed, without Suzie's income, life has been difficult for the couple and their two children, ages 12 and 16. It grew even more difficult after Suzie became ill and was sent to Morgantown, where she was found to have tumors on her spine and an aneurism in her brain.

Major Financial Institutions Stabilized: ; Paulson has No Plans to Ask for Second Half of Bailout Money; Interest Rates Hit Record Low

WASHINGTON - Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said Tuesday that he does not expect any more major financial institutions to fail during the current credit crisis. Paulson also said he has no current plans to ask Congress to make the second half of the $700 billion financial rescue fund available before the Bush administration leaves office on Jan. 20. But he added that the administration was prepared to move quickly, if necessary, to tap the extra resources.

Nominee Sees Coal As Nightmare: ; Chu Worries Carbon Capture Won't Work

ON THE WEB: Watch Chus speech at: www.youtube.com/ watch?v=pLr4YbStc0M The comments about coal come 28 minutes into the speech. President-elect Barack Obama's pick for U.S. energy secretary isn't sold on the idea that technology to capture greenhouse emissions and pump them underground will save the coal industry.

Vilsack to Be Agriculture Selection

DES MOINES, Iowa - President-elect Barack Obama has selected former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack to become his agriculture secretary, according to Democratic officials familiar with the selection process. Obama will announce the nomination of Vilsack today, the officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the selection before the announcement. Obama also plans to announce his nomination of Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar as interior secretary at the same...

The Read: ; Obama Picks Education Chief; Appointee Arne Duncan Is Head of the Chicago School System

CHICAGO - President-elect Barack Obama announced Arne Duncan, the head of the Chicago school system, as education secretary Tuesday and declared that failing to improve classroom instruction is "morally unacceptable for our children." "When it comes to school reform, Arne is the most hands-on of hands-on practitioners," Obama said, making the announcement at a school that he said has made remarkable progress under Duncan's leadership.

Name by Name, Obama's Cabinet Takes Shape

A look at who has made the list and who is being talked about for jobs that are still open: Nominations announced

Tillis Heads Putnam Commission

WINFIELD - Putnam County Commissioner Gary Tillis was selected as the County Commission president for 2009 Tuesday morning. Commissioners serve six-year terms and rotate the position of president every year. Commissioner Steve Andes severed as commission president in 2008. Commissioner Joe Haynes will take the position in 2010.

Manchin Appoints State Police Chief

West Virginia State Police Capt. Timothy S. Pack was appointed State Police superintendent by Gov. Joe Manchin Tuesday, according to a press release from the Governor's Office. Pack has been director of executive protection, the governor's security detail, since May 2007. He joined the unit in 1997.

Next Prosecutor Wants Better Case Management

Newly elected Kanawha County prosecutor Mark Plants wants to install a computerized case management system to keep track of thousands of crimes in Kanawha County and help keep cases from slipping through the cracks of the legal system. The integrated system is one suggestion from a 14-page list of recommendations Plants announced Tuesday.

B.E. Taylor Brings Old, New to Municipal Stage: ; Review

"Friends and family share a cup of joy," a line from a new Christmas song by B.E. Taylor, best sums up the mood at the Municipal Auditorium when Taylor and his band performed on Tuesday night in Charleston. While it was hard to estimate the size of the crowd past 2,000, it was impossible not to know the old-fashioned Christmas sentiment of those who attended. Not only did the band perform many of their standard Christmas renditions, they announced (and made available in the lobby) a new CD, "...

Rep. Jackson Among Names Mentioned On Blagojevich Wiretap: ; Complaint Quotes Blagojevich Saying Associate of Ill. Representative Was Willing to Raise $1.5 Million for Him If He Picked Jackson for Senate

CHICAGO - Shortly after his 2002 election, Gov. Rod Blagojevich told Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. he didn't appoint the congressman's wife as lottery director because he had refused him a $25,000 campaign donation, a person familiar with the conversation told The Associated Press on Tuesday. "Blagojevich went out of his way to say, 'You know I was considering your wife for the lottery job and the $25,000 you didn't give me? That's why she's not getting the job,' " the person said, speaking on condi...

Feds Propose Mine Communications Plan

America's 600 underground coal mines would have to spend an estimated $278 million installing sophisticated electronic communications and tracking equipment under a new federal proposal requiring operators to file plans by next June with the Mine Safety and Health Administration. MSHA's idea is a compromise of sorts: The communications portion would require equipment that doesn't qualify as wireless as mandated by federal law. While the agency has approved wireless tracking gear, it says wire...

Readers' Voice

* I applaud those governors that are forgoing their inaugural parties in their respective states. Shame on Manchin. I guess his ego wouldn't allow something like that. * If the governor had cash bars at his Christmas parties instead of free booze, consumption would surely drop significantly.

Community Imports Water, Says Wells Contaminated

State Briefs

At least 60 people seek presidency at WVU MORGANTOWN - At least 60 people are interested in becoming the next president of West Virginia University.

D.C. Tightens Restrictions On Gun Owners

WASHINGTON - The District of Columbia Council passed more regulations for gun owners Tuesday, months after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the city's 32-year-old handgun ban. Among other things, the bill requires gun owners to register their weapons every three years and receive training by a certified firearms instructor.