Charleston Gazette

Abca Smoking Enforcement Sought Out: ; Agency Says It Won't Enforce Others' Laws

Kanawha County Planning Commission President Jack Lavender says he knows a surefire way to persuade bar owners to comply with the county's 3-month-old smoking ban: Get the state Alcohol Beverage Control Administration to step up and start enforcing the smoking regulations. Lavender knows this because he worked for the ABCA for 37 years as an inspector and enforcement manager. There's nothing bar owners fear more than losing a liquor license, which essentially would put them out of business.

Priest Suspended After Drug-Possession Arrest: ; Ex-Drug Counselor Also Charged with Felony Possession

A South Charleston priest charged Monday with felony drug possession has been suspended from his priestly responsibilities and removed from his position, pending an investigation. The Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston said it is investigating James Edward O'Connor, according to a news release. O'Connor, 58, was arrested Sunday during a traffic stop and charged with felony possession of marijuana with intent to deliver.

State's Congressional Delegation Divided Over Plan

HOW THEY VOTED ON THE PLAN Capito R-W.Va. - No

What's the Next Move?: ; House Rejects Financial Bailout Plan; Dow Takes Nearly 800-Point Hit

INSIDE: W.Va banks in a calm oasis amid financial crisis 2A WASHINGTON - In a vote that shook the government, Wall Street and markets around the world, the House on Monday defeated a $700 billion emergency rescue for the nation's financial system, leaving both parties' lawmakers and the Bush administration scrambling to pick up the pieces. Dismayed investors sent the Dow Jones industrials plunging 777 points, the most ever for a single day.

In Section a L Jerry Returns

In Sports L Remember the Charlies?

W.Va. Banks in a 'Calm Oasis' Amid Nation's Financial Crisis

Wall Street's problems apparently aren't affecting the local bank on West Virginia's Main Street, as officials say they are still making loans and business is brisk. State banks have been left pretty much untouched by the problems that caused national banks like Wachovia Corp. and Washington Mutual to be taken over because of losses created by adjustable-rate housing loans, said Joe Ellison, chief executive of the West Virginia Bankers Association.

Seinfeld to Return to Charleston in Dec.

Comedian Jerry Seinfeld will return to Charleston on Dec. 12 at the Charleston Municipal Auditorium. Seinfeld, who recently appeared in a series of commercials for Microsoft's Vista and starred in the animated film "Bee Movie," is best known for the critically acclaimed television show "Seinfeld." The show, which ran on NBC from 1989 to 1998 won several Emmy awards, a Golden Globe and a Screen Actor's Guild Award. Re-runs of Seinfeld have been in syndication continuously since the show ended.

Driver's License Renewals

Correction

Citigroup to Buy Wachovia Bank Shares

NEW YORK - Citigroup agreed Monday to purchase Wachovia's banking operations for $2.1 billion in a deal arranged by federal regulators, making the Charlotte, N.C.-based bank the latest casualty of the widening global financial crisis. The deal greatly expands Citigroup's retail franchise - giving it a total of more than 4,300 U.S. branches and $600 billion in deposits - and secures its place among the U.S. banking industry's Big Three, along with Bank of America Corp. and JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Association Urges Screening Heart Patients for Depression

DALLAS - Heart patients should be regularly screened for signs of depression, the American Heart Association recommended Monday. Depression is about three times more common in heart attack survivors and those hospitalized with heart problems than the general population, according to the recommendations published in the journal Circulation. The authors said only about half of heart doctors say they treat depression in their patients - and not all those diagnosed with depression are treated.

House Candidates Weigh in On Wall Street

philk@wvgazette.com Meeting with Gazette editors shortly after Congress rejected legislation to bail out the nation's financial system, candidates for the House's 13th and 14th Delegate districts agreed that the next Legislature will have to address the financial crisis.

State Briefs

Health-care providers prepare for flu season Health-care providers are getting ready to administer their annual round of flu vaccinations.

Prosecutor Named to Probe U.S. Attorneys' Firings

WASHINGTON - Attorney General Michael Mukasey named a prosecutor Monday to investigate whether former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, other Bush administration officials or Republicans in Congress should face criminal charges in the firings of nine U.S. attorneys. The launching of a criminal inquiry follows the recommendation of internal Justice Department investigators who concluded that, despite denials of the administration, political considerations played a part in the firings of as ma...

2, Including W.Va. Teenager, Survive Small Plane Crash

FRANKFORT, Ky. - Two passengers, including a West Virginia teenager, survived with minor injuries after their small airplane crashed while taking off Sunday, Kentucky State Police said. Police say the crash happened at the Gene Snyder Airport in northern Kentucky Sunday afternoon. Authorities say they responded to a 1964 Cessna 150D airplane in a wooded area near the end of the runway.

Manchin's Campaign has Nearly $2 Million

Gov. Joe Manchin's re-election campaign has nearly $2 million going into the fall election - nearly 200 times as much as the finances of the two other candidates on the ballot combined. According to disclosures filed with the secretary of state's office, the Manchin campaign has raised a total of $285,412 since May 26, primarily through fundraising events, and has a balance of $1,927,096.

Readers' Voice

* My family and I make our house payments on time, our car payments on time and our credit card payments on time. When a check comes in the bills are paid first and we relish what is left over. We should be the ones angry for all of you out there who bought a home more than what you could pay for. You fell behind because something else came up and now we are all going to pay for your failure. * It is an outright lie to blame this economic mess on Democrats. The Republicans control the executi...

Judge Lifts Injunction, Allowing Election Law Enforcement

A federal judge has lifted his injunction against election laws that would require an out-of-state advocacy group to disclose its funding sources. In a five-page opinion issued Monday, U.S. District Judge David A. Faber said that the changes enacted by the Legislature during a special session had rendered moot his earlier injunction, issued in April following a lawsuit filed by the Virginia-based Center for Individual Freedom.

Consol to Pay $400,000 in Fines for Water Violations

CONSOL Energy Inc. will pay more than $400,000 in fines for water pollution violations under a settlement proposed by the state Department of Environmental Protection. The deal cites about 270 violations of permit limits at six CONSOL subsidiaries across the West Virginia.