Charleston Daily Mail

Businesses Put On Their Holiday Best

Businesses Put On Their Holiday Best: ; West Side Main Street Sponsoring a Decorating Contest

Businesses on the West Side are putting up their holiday lights and wreaths for a shot at winning the title of most festive storefront. The West Side Main Street program is sponsoring a holiday decorating contest for all businesses along Washington Street West.

Regional Weather

Hi Lo Otlk Akron 46 26 PCldy

National Weather

Hi Lo Otlk Anchorage 32 25 Cldy

Family Wants Long Sentence for Father

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - The man who called himself "Papa Pilgrim" wanted his children to be illiterate, isolated and obedient to his interpretation of the Bible, says the family who call themselves victims of his sexual and physical abuse. The family is now urging a judge to send the man, 66-year-old Robert Hale, to prison for a long time. Sentencing was set for today.

Bush Says It Is Right Time for Peace Negotiations

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - President Bush said in remarks prepared for delivery today at the Annapolis conference that the time is right to relaunch Mideast peace talks because "a battle is under way for the future of the Middle East." Bush said it won't be easy to achieve the goal of creating two states - Israel and Palestine - living side by side in peace after decades of conflict and bloodshed, yet he urged the two sides to work together for the sake of their people.

Mother Says Girl Was Beaten

GALVESTON, Texas - Investigators think they have some of the answers they have been looking for since a little girl's body was found in Galveston Bay, washed ashore in a blue plastic bin. They are a grim reward. According to court documents, the mother of 2-year-old Riley Ann Sawyers told police she and her husband beat the girl with two leather belts and held her head underwater in a bathtub in July. Riley's stepfather then threw her across the room, slamming her head onto a tile floor.

Youths Riot in French Suburbs: ; Fighting Began After Two Teens Were Killed in a Crash with a Police Car

VILLIERS-LE-BEL, France - Rampaging youths rioted overnight in Paris' suburbs, hurling Molotov cocktails and setting fire to dozens of cars. At least 77 officers were injured and officers were fired at, a senior police union official said today. The violence was more intense than during three weeks of rioting in 2005, said official Patrice Ribeiro. Police were shot at and are facing "genuine urban guerillas with conventional weapons and hunting weapons," Ribeiro said.

Nation & World

Zoo's new panda is truly Precious

Labor Judge Says Massey Violated Law

An administrative law judge with the National Labor Relations Board says Massey Energy violated federal labor laws after it bought a mine out of bankruptcy in 2004. In a decision released last week, administrative law judge Paul Bogas says Massey illegally refused to hire 85 former Cannelton Mine workers who were union members so it wouldn't have to recognize the United Mine Workers labor union and negotiate a contract with it.

Police and Courts

Son charged in father's murder

Show Choir Plans Holiday Concerts

The show choir at St. Albans High School will present its holiday performance, A Classic Christmas, beginning Dec. 13. Shows will be at 7 p.m. Dec. 13 and 14, and at 2 p.m. Dec. 15.

Thompson's Wife Says She's Feeling at Home

Diabetes Up in Pregnant Mothers

Diabetes is increasing among pregnant women in West Virginia, and health officials are concerned because the disease can cause problems for both the mothers and their children. The number of pregnant women with type 2 diabetes jumped from 38 in 2000 to 96 in 2005, a 153 percent increase. The number of gestational diabetes cases rose 45 percent during the same period, from 595 to 864, the state Bureau for Public Health said in a new report, citing hospital discharge data.

Lawmakers Told Wvu Tech Staying Put: ; the School's Losses Are Blamed On Debts That Predate Wvu Merger,; Other Operating Overruns

West Virginia University Institute of Technology remains in the red despite cutting costs, but state officials assured area lawmakers that its core programs will remain at the Montgomery campus. The joint Legislative Oversight Commission on Education Accountability sought more details about the process by which the formerly independent school has become part of the state's flagship university.

City Company Awarded Contract for State Museum

The state museum at the Cultural Center went over another hurdle as a Charleston company was awarded a $3,927,000 contract for general contracting work. Maynard C. Smith Co. of Charleston was the lowest of three bidders for the contract, Administration spokeswoman Diane Holley said Monday.

Last Lawsuits Against Police Officer to Be Heard: ; State Supreme Court Says Jury Should Decide Mingo County Case

A jury will decide the last two of a cluster of lawsuits filed against a former Williamson police officer over alleged misconduct, the state Supreme Court has ruled. Grady Colin Kelley and his mother, Frieda Kelley, had filed separate lawsuits against officer Michael Barnes and the city of Williamson.

State May Be On Hook for Plant

The West Virginia Economic Development Authority is on the hook for $3 million if a proposed $400 million clean coal power plant in southern West Virginia does not get built. Western Greenbrier Co-Generation ran into financial trouble when its efforts to refinance a $4.87 million loan with the First National Bank of Ronceverte fell through, the Associated Press reported last week.

Former Head of Archives Armstrong to Fight Firing

The former director of the state Archives and History has decided to fight his dismissal, which came last month without explanation from administration officials. Charleston attorney Jim Lees said Monday he notified Culture and History Commissioner Randall Reid-Smith and the state Public Employees Grievance Board that he would represent Fred Armstrong in a legal challenge of his Nov. 1 termination.

Court Won't Hear Appeal of Eagle Verdict

The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal from a Texas-based gas measurement technology company over $13 million it must pay to a Putnam County company. In 2006, a Putnam County jury decided Missouri-based Emerson Electric Co. and two Texas-based subsidiaries, Daniel Industries Inc. and Daniel Measurement Service Inc., broke a confidentiality agreement and contract with Eagle Research Corp. of Hurricane.