Charleston Gazette

Bars Intensify Their Smoking Ban Fight: ; $1,000 Penalty a 'Mythical Creature,' One Owner Says

With bottles of beer and cigarettes in hand, a group of Kanawha County bar owners vowed Monday to defy the county's 2-month-old smoking ban and allow their customers to light up. "We all need to stand together and let them smoke," said Shila Pettry, owner of Dolly's World bar in Pratt. "They can't get us all at one time. We're losing beaucoup money."

2 Grievance Board Administrative Judges Suspended

Two administrative law judges for the state Public Employees Grievance Board were suspended from hearing cases Monday until they restore their active status with the State Bar - a decision that could lead hundreds of employees to reopen their grievances. Board members voted Monday to suspend judges Brenda Gould and Denise Spatafore until they complete enough continuing legal education credits to be restored to active status as lawyers.

Area Call Center Adding 200 Jobs: ; Southridge Firm to Invest $250,000 in Renovation, Addition

A call center in South Charleston will add more than 200 jobs and invest $250,000 in its operations center, the company announced Monday. TRG Customer Solutions, formerly Telespectrum Worldwide Inc., will expand and renovate its customer service center at the Southridge Business Park along Corridor G.

Capito, Barth Differ On War Vote: ; Put Billions in U.S., Barth Says; Capito Stands by Record

Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., said she's not ready to decide if she made the wrong decision in supporting Bush administration efforts to attack Iraq, beginning with a vote in October 2002. "The greatest judge will be history. Mistakes have been made," Capito said on Monday during a meeting with Gazette editors.

Inside L Market Reacts

In Sports L Brady Out

West Side School Plan Advances: ; Kanawha School Board Fires Suspended Gw Vice Principal, Citing Insubordination

Kanawha County school board members voted Monday to ask for money for another new elementary school on Charleston's West Side, despite repeated flooding problems at Bonham Elementary School in Sissonville. Board members voted 4-1 to submit a new West Side school project as its 2009 building request to the state School Building Authority, which helps fund school projects around the state. Each county can submit just one request each year, according to Mark Manchin, executive director of the SBA.

Paving

Water Advisories

The Department of Health and Human Resources has issued a boil- water advisory for Eastern Wyoming Public Service District's Stephenson Water Treatment Plant. Customers in the Itmann area only are advised to boil water for at least one full minute, prior to use, until further notice. ***

Wall Street Soars After Fannie, Freddie Takeover

WASHINGTON - Wall Street gave a vote of confidence Monday to the Bush administration's historic seizure of mortgage-finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac over the weekend. The Dow Jones Industrial Average shot up 340 points minutes after the 9:30 a.m. opening of the New York Stock Exchange. By 11:20 a.m., the Dow fell back a bit but was still up 211 points. The S&P 500 and the tech-heavy Nasdaq were up by similar measures.

Deadly Ike Slashes Across Cuba

HAVANA - Hurricane Ike roared down Cuba's spine Monday and toward the island's densely populated capital of fragile historic buildings after ravaging homes and forcing 1.2 million people to evacuate. U.S. residents from Florida to Texas braced for Ike's next wallop. Ike, which raked the Bahamas and worsened floods in Haiti that have killed at least 312 people, made landfall on eastern Cuba as a terrifying Category 3 hurricane, then weakened Monday as it ran along the length of the Caribbean's...

John Henry Park Plans Continue in Summers

TALCOTT - Summers County officials are still hammering away at a plan to honor folk hero John Henry, the legendary railroad worker who challenged a steam drill in the late 19th century. The John Henry Historical Park should hopefully open within three to five years, project Director Rick Moorefield said Monday.

New River Bridge Jump to Be Oct. 18

FAYETTEVILLE - More than 400 jumpers are registered to parachute off the New River Gorge Bridge on Oct. 18, while 22 teams of climbers will rappel from its sides. More than 180 vendors have also signed up to cater to tourists on the one day a year that it's legal to walk on or jump off the 876- foot-high span, said Cindy Dragan, chairwoman of the annual Bridge Day adrenaline fest.

House Search Found Crack, Troopers Say

A Charleston man is charged with possessing 5 grams of crack cocaine after police searched his house Sunday, according to a West Virginia State Police news release. Rashaad "Dink" Goins, 26, of 1013 Hendrix Ave., had about 5 grams of the drug separated into 20 rocks, according to the release. Troopers also found about $2,000 in cash at the residence, the release stated.

Kanawha Riverbank Stabilization Awaits Matching Funds From City

Workers could begin stabilizing the lower Kanawha River bank from Magic Island to Patrick Street this fall, city leaders learned Monday. Funding for the long-awaited project is available but Charleston City Council must first promise to match federal money, said Beth Cade, community planner with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Huntington. She met with Council's Riverfront Committee and city staff Monday morning at City Hall.

Taxi Owner Alleges Shakedown by Smithers-Montgomery Police Officer

An officer who works for the Smithers and Montgomery police departments tried to shake down the owner of a local cab company, a lawsuit filed Friday in federal court alleges. Gary Perdue, who serves as Smithers' chief of police and is also a member of Montgomery's department, allegedly told Veronia Strickland that the cost of running Ray's City Cab was $2,000 a month shortly after the Powellton resident bought the business in December 2004.

Weighty Matters

Obituaries: ; Obit

Mary L. Barney Mary L. Barney, 85, of Table Rock Road died Sept. 8, 2008. Service will be 11 a.m. Friday, Sept. 12, at Blue Ridge Funeral Home, Beckley. Friends may call one hour prior to service. Entombment will be in Blue Ridge Memorial Gardens.

Interest Rates Fall Following Mortgage Giant Takeover

WASHINGTON - Mortgage rates fell sharply Monday, as investors reacted to the government's takeover of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. And that's exactly what homeowners like Jim Chereskin had been waiting for. Chereskin, who lives in Naperville, Ill., took out an adjustable- rate loan in 2003 and has been worrying about how much his mortgage payments will rise once the loan resets to market rates in about 18 months.

Successful Investing: ; Dell Stock Receives 'Buy' Rating

Q. Are things looking up for my Dell Inc. shares? - R.H., via the Internet A. The world's second-largest computer-maker, behind Hewlett- Packard Co., has become leaner and more aggressive as it attempts to complete its turnaround.