Charleston Daily Mail

Senior Project Funded: ; Staton Says He Tried to Cancel $50,000 Request

DAILY MAIL CAPITOL REPORTER Just two months after the state began an investigation into a Wyoming County senior group that paid its director more than $400,000 last year, the Legislature is directing $50,000 more toward the group to put a new roof on its swank senior center in Itmann.

Shorter Bus Times Could Cost West Virginia $56 Million

County school systems would have to shell out more than $56 million to fully meet West Virginia's recommended school bus ride- time limits, according to estimates released by the state Department of Education. Informal state guidelines suggest elementary students should arrive at school within 30 minutes, middle school students within 45 minutes and high school students within one hour.

Suspect Is No Stranger to Police: ; Man Who Allegedly Stole Atms Once Took City Police Car

Charleston police remember the name Myles Aaron "Shaggy" Brown all too well. It was just 10 years ago when Brown, then a fresh-faced 20-year- old, was accused of being part of a crime ring that was accused of stealing more than 220 cars.

Mingo 1: ; Growing Up in Southern West Virginia Helped Define Air Force General

BURNING brush in the middle of a 600-acre hay field on his Montana ranch, Gen. Robert "Doc" Foglesong looks up at the forbidding heights of Bear Tooth Pass. True to form, Foglesong isn't just admiring the view.

Mingo 1: ; Growing Up in Southern West Virginia Helped Define Air Force General

Biracial Daughter's Name to Be Added to Monument

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS COLUMBIA, S.C. - Gov. Mark Sanford has signed a bill to add the name of Strom Thurmond's biracial daughter to the list of his children engraved on a monument to the late U.S. senator.

Presbyterians Urged to Lift Ban On Gay Clergy

RICHMOND, Va. - Martha Juillerat served as pastor of her small Presbyterian church in rural Minnesota for 15 years until she came out as a lesbian and was forced to step down. She urged fellow Presbyterians who gathered Monday at the church's national legislative assembly to lift the ban on ordaining gays and lesbians as ministers, elders and deacons in the church.

Regional Weather

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National Weather

Hi Lo Otlk Anchorage 68 54 Cldy

Saddam Will Appear in Court: ; Former Dictator Will Face Several War Crime Charges

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Saddam Hussein will be transferred to Iraqi legal custody and face charges in an Iraqi court this week - but he won't go on trial for months and he will stay in a U.S.-run jail because the country doesn't have a suitable prison, the prime minister said today. Prime Minister Iyad Allawi promised an open proceeding when Saddam faces war crimes charges, including genocide.

Convoy Bombing Kills Three: ; Attack On Marines First After Transfer of Power to Iraqis

BAGHDAD, Iraq - A roadside bomb killed three U.S. Marines and wounded two others today in the first fatal attack on American forces since the transfer of sovereignty to an interim Iraqi government, U.S. officials said. Meanwhile, Iraqi militants shot to death an American soldier they had held hostage for three months, saying the killing was punishment for U.S. policy in the Mideast nation, Al-Jazeera television said today.

Iraqis Expressing Satisfaction: ; Many Willing to Give New Government Benefit of the Doubt

BAGHDAD, Iraq - The news caught everyone by surprise. But for once in Iraq, it was pleasant news. Across this blazing metropolis, almost anyone who stopped to speak Monday said the end of the U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority and the handover of powers to the new interim Iraqi government two days ahead of schedule was a step forward for this spent, bloodied and exhausted country.

News Briefs

Afghan president appeals for aid

School to Separate Boys, Girls: ; Stonewall Jackson to Split Sexes in Some Classes

AILY MAIL STAFF Stonewall Jackson Middle School will have a handful of separate classes for boys and girls this fall, a county school administrator said.

Green Party Picks Its Own Candidate

MILWAUKEE - The Green Party and Ralph Nader ran together in the past two presidential elections, but the party is going it alone this time around. The Green Party has nominated one of its own for president for the first time, rebuffing advances from Nader for an endorsement of his independent campaign.

City Complex Ramps Up Security: ; Meth Lab Explosion Spurs Inspections,; Use of Drug Dogs

DAILY MAIL STAFF The management at a Charleston apartment complex says it has cracked down on alleged drug trafficking and is making a concerted effort to beef up security following a methamphetamine lab explosion in the building.

N.C. Woman Inseminated with Wrong Sperm Wins Suit: ; Jury Awards More Than $400,000 in; Fertility Clinic Case

WILMINGTON, N.C. - A jury has awarded more than $400,000 to a woman who was accidentally inseminated with unprepared sperm during a visit to a fertility clinic. The jury Monday returned a verdict of $85,000 in compensatory damages and $350,000 in punitive damages to Kelly Chambliss. Those amounts could later be altered downward.

Obituaries: ; Obit

Stephen Chester Ambrose WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS - Stephen Chester Ambrose, 52, of White Sulphur Springs died June 26, 2004. Friends may call from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the funeral home.

Federal Loan Will Fund Putnam Sewer Service: ; Agency Will Help Residents Along U.S. 35, Midway; Putnam News; Sewer Service

A federal loan will allow the South Putnam Public Service District to provide sewer service to more than 600 customers who now have old systems or failing septic tanks. The $7.05 million loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development will bring service to 570 homes and businesses along U.S. 35.

Commissioners' Groups at Odds: ; Association Calls On Withdrawal From State Lobby Group

The County Commissioners' Association of West Virginia is running into some opposition to its recommendation for commissioners to drop their memberships in the West Virginia Association of Counties. Commissioners have until October to decide whether to pay their dues for either or both organizations, but several county commissions have already indicated they would remain in the Association of Counties, which represents not only commissioners but also other elected county officials.