Charleston Gazette

Widow: Massey Defrauded Miners' Families

Staff writer Massey Energy officials tricked the families of some Upper Big Branch miners into early wrongful-death settlements that have proven inadequate, given evidence of safety violations and criminal conduct linked to the fatal April 2010 explosion, according to a lawsuit quietly filed last month.

Century Aluminum Opening Delayed?, Plant, Power Company Can't Reach Pact On Fees

Staff writer The West Virginia Public Service Commission announced Friday afternoon that Century Aluminum and Appalachian Power have not reached an agreement about lower electricity fees.

Tennant Defends Putting Felon On Ballot, U.S. Constitution, State Law Cited by Secretary of State

Staff writer Secretary of State Natalie Tennant said Friday she was obligated under state law and the U.S. Constitution to allow a federal prison inmate in Texas to be on the Democratic presidential primary ballot in West Virginia.

Corridor G, Sc to Test Restaurant Rating Plan

Staff writer Restaurants in South Charleston and in Charleston along Corridor G will be part of the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department's six- month pilot program to test a proposed color-coded rating system for restaurant inspections.

State Briefs

Attorney general to open satellite office MARTINSBURG - State Attorney General Darrell McGraw is set to open a satellite office in the Eastern Panhandle.

More Hospices Taking Care of Dying Patients' Pets

The Orlando Sentinel ORLANDO, Fla. - Niobe and Cha-cha raced to the couch toward hospice volunteer Jim Hays during a visit to the home of patient Joseph Luciano, in Florida's Four Corners area.

Water Advisory

Kidnapped Tenn. Girls Didn't Eat for Days, Authorities Says

GUNTOWN, Miss. - Hope was fading that two young sisters abducted from their Tennessee home would be found alive two weeks after they vanished: Their kidnapper had already killed their mother and sister, and he was armed with a pistol as officers closed in. Yet 12-year-old Alexandria and 8-year-old Kyliyah Bain went home to their father Friday alive, with no apparent injuries other than being tired, scared and itchy from poison ivy. They told the officers who found them that they had not had f...

Ala. Boy Charged in Killing of 9-Year-Old

The Associated Press RAGLAND, Ala. - A 14-year-old boy was charged Friday with murdering his half-sister, who was found hanging from a tree outside their home where the children lived with their aunt and uncle, authorities said.

Informant Interview Posted On Youtube

BECKLEY - Authorities in Raleigh County will give only paper evidence to defense lawyers after a video of a confidential informant's interview with a police detective appeared on YouTube. "Until we are able to figure this out, we will only give paper discovery. If a defense lawyer wants to review video or audio footage, they will have to come to the prosecuting attorney's office or the police department," Raleigh County prosecutor Kristin Keller told The Register Herald. "We are not blaming a...

Police Briefs

Vienna school flags turned upside down VIENNA - Someone is turning flags outside schools in Vienna upside down and school officials aren't amused.

Bulletin Board

FUTURE EVENTS * Kanawha County Public Library System Board of Directors will meet at 4 p.m. Monday at the Main Library's John V. Ray Room, third floor, 123 Capitol St. Call 304-343-4646 for information.

Things to Do Today

Music * ENSO STRING QUARTET: 7 p.m. Adults $17, students $5. Youth under 18 free with paying adult. Presented by Charleston Chamber Music Society. Christ Church United Methodist, corner of Quarrier and Morris Streets. Call 304-342-4298.

Ventline

* The re-election of President Putin in Russia should make Barack Hussein Obama very happy. They can get together and plot the downfall of America. People don't realize that Russia is a big player in the final battle of Armageddon. * I'm sorry, but a country that values politicians, entertainers and sports figures more than teachers, nurses and doctors is definitely not great.

Readers' Voice

* I wonder how long in West Virginia before we'll have to say "I love coal" before and after we say the Pledge of Allegiance. It's ridiculous. It's a shame. It's ridiculous. That's all I've got to say. * It's been my experience at the Tamarack that the $1,000 shopping spree winner would not go very far at their prices.

Chemical Plants Can Reduce Dangers: Report

Staff writer Chemical plants like the Bayer CropScience facility in Institute should take more steps to reduce the potential for toxic disasters, according to a new report by a National Academy of Sciences panel of experts.

Jpmorgan Loss Sets Off ; Call for Heavier Regulation

The Associated Press WASHINGTON - A surprise $2 billion trading loss by a division of JPMorgan Chase triggered calls Friday for tougher regulation of banks three years after their near-death experience in the financial crisis.

Ex-Mob Boss Gets Prison Term in Strip Club Plot

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The former New England Mafia boss was sentenced Friday to 5 1/2 years in prison for his role in the shakedown of Providence strip clubs, becoming the first ex-mob leader to be locked up in a case that has ensnared nine people described by prosecutors as having ties to organized crime. The sentence for the 84-year-old Luigi "Baby Shacks" Manocchio means he may live out his final days in prison. He turns 85 next month.

Too Tough to Fuggedabout: Notable Mafia Nicknames

Former New England Mafia boss Luigi "Baby Shacks" Manocchio was sentenced Friday to 5 1/2 years in prison for his role in the shakedown of Providence, R.I., strip clubs. AP takes a look at some of the more notable nicknames associated with the mob and tries to shed light on their sometimes murky origins: * Vincent "Vinny Gorgeous" Basciano, former acting boss of the Bonanno crime family, owned a beauty salon in the Bronx called "Hello Gorgeous" and was known for being obsessed with his person...

Aids Fight Enters New Phase with Prevention Pill

The Associated Press CHICAGO - Condoms and other safe-sex practices have accomplished only so much. Now the 30-year battle against AIDS is on the verge of a radical new phase, with the government expected to endorse a once- a-day pill to prevent infection with the virus.