Charleston Daily Mail

Another Black Friday Brings Smaller Crowds: ; Some Shoppers Hit the Stores Early for Discounts, but Fewer Than Expected

Local retailers dramatically slashed prices today in hopes of luring out shoppers to buy up even more Christmas bounty. At first blush, though, it appeared that despite all the marketing effort focused on salvaging a difficult sales season, shoppers were trickling into stores rather than flooding them.

Cia Trades Viagra for Information

WASHINGTON - The Afghan chieftain looked older than his 60-odd years, and his bearded face bore the creases of a man burdened with duties as tribal patriarch and husband to four younger women. His visitor, a CIA officer, saw an opportunity, and reached in his bag for a small gift. Four blue pills. Viagra.

Wvu Fans Flocking to Bowl: ; Charlotte Will Have Plenty of Activities to Keep Mountaineer Faithful Busy

By plane and train - but mostly by automobile - West Virginia University students and fans are making their way to the Queen City for the Meineke Car Care Bowl this weekend where the Mountaineers will take on the Tar Heels from the University of North Carolina. The WVU Alumni Association, in cooperation with the university, has several events planned leading up to the game scheduled to kick off at 1 p.m. at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. The stadium is the home of the Carolina...

Recycling Problems Pile Up in Nitro: ; Doh Worked Out Three-Month Agreement with Facility to Store Waste Temporarily

Kanawha County's recyclables are starting to mount at a Nitro facility where they're being stored temporarily. But agencies involved say that so far the process is going smoothly.

Goat Gets Into the Spirit

State Faces School Nurse Shortage: ; Nurses Must Now Deal with Students Who Have Complex Health Issues

The state's school nurses are confronting an increasingly complex batch of patients who require more specialized treatment. This comes as the school nurses in West Virginia oversee twice as many students as national standards recommend. For example, Kanawha's County's 33 school nurses have to provide or arrange for other school staff to provide care for 1,051 students with asthma; 1,450 with anxiety, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder or obsessive-compulsive disorder; 182 with heart pro...

Mourners Remember Victims of '04 Tsunami

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia - The victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami were honored by thousands of mourners who prayed, burned candles and shared meals on beaches from Indonesia to India. For many, the modest ceremonies were a time to reflect on their lives and weigh progress in rebuilding homes and communities wiped out by the killer waves that struck a dozen nations.

States Tackle Ohio River Water Quality

West Virginia is working with five other states and the federal government to clean up about 475 miles of the Ohio River that is sometimes unfit for swimming because of sewage. An analysis of more than 14,000 samples taken from Pittsburgh to Cairo, Ill., revealed high fecal counts following heavy rains along almost half of the 981-mile river. The study was conducted by the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission.

Man Thankful for Angel Caregivers: ; Women Found Him Unconscious After He Had Taken Painkiller

Richard Drury said he is glad to be alive, but wouldn't be if it weren't for a couple of women he dubs his "angels." The Morgantown resident, who collects lighted porcelain angels, said he can now add two real ones to his collection.

Obama Can't Waste Time: ; Challenges Could Prove to Be Blessings

WASHINGTON - Barack Obama will inherit two wars and the worst economic conditions in three generations when he takes the oath of office on Jan. 20. Ironically, that challenge might be a blessing for the president-elect - unemployment is so high and consumer confidence so low that even modest improvements will let him claim progress. Obama also brings extraordinary assets to the task.

Police Say Shooting Act of Revenge: ; Investigators to Resume Search for Bodies Today

COVINA, Calif. - The bloodbath began when an 8-year-old girl attending a Christmas Eve party answered a knock at the door. A man dressed as Santa and carrying what appeared to a present pulled out a handgun and shot her in the face, then began shooting indiscriminately as partygoers tried to flee. By the time it was over, at least eight people at the party were dead and the house was torched. The gunman killed himself hours after exacting revenge against his ex-wife by going on a massacre at ...

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Nation & World

Calendar includes bubble for each day

Web Site Posting Prompts Outpouring of Volunteers

WASHINGTON - In Craigslist's random ocean of housing swaps, motorcycles for sale and vegan discussion forums, a tiny tide began a few days ago with these words: "Want to volunteer with me on Christmas in D.C.?" With that, Sally Smith, a 27-year-old Texan who this year for the first time couldn't afford to go home for the holidays, found herself unexpectedly commanding a little holiday army of do- gooders.

State Briefs

State Parks to mark New Year

Putnam Presses On for Reburial of Remains

WINFIELD - It's the holiday season, but Putnam County Commissioner Joe Haynes didn't find much joy in a recent letter regarding a decade-old effort to return Indian remains to their burial ground near Buffalo. "Repatriation doesn't necessarily mean reburial," Haynes read from the state Division of Culture and History letter.

Woman Killed in Christmas Eve Crash

A 23-year-old Wharton woman died Christmas Eve in a one-vehicle accident on W.Va. 85 south of Van in Boone County, authorities said today. Jennifer Lynn Gibson was alone in her 1999 Chevrolet Cavalier when she apparently lost control of the car in a curve, ran off the road and struck a utility pole about 9 p.m., said Boone County Sheriff Rodney Miller.

Interim State Archives Chief: ; Named to Post

The "interim" tag is being removed from Joe Geiger's title. The Huntington native will become director of the state Division of Culture and History's Archives and History Section effective Jan. 1.