Charleston Daily Mail

State has Chance to Host World's Strongest Man

The announcement of the first-ever America's Strongest Man event this summer in Charleston might serve as a prelude to a contest packed with even more muscle. Gov. Joe Manchin said Thursday that West Virginia has a great chance of hosting the 2009 World's Strongest Man event.

More Criminals Face Life Without Mercy, Trials of Jeffers, Merrifield Latest Among Trend

Pending official sentencing, two men recently convicted in high- profile murder cases will join 251 others serving sentences of life with no chance of parole in West Virginia's prisons. In the past 10 days, Kanawha and Putnam county juries have found Keith R. Jeffers and Michael Merrifield, both 32, guilty of the heinous charges against them.

Bailey Says Ties to Graham Won't Hurt

Senator Billy Wayne Bailey doesn't believe his past affiliation with Bob Graham, the former Wyoming County senior director who was sentenced to prison, will hurt his chances of becoming West Virginia's next secretary of state. Bailey, D-Wyoming, said he once considered Graham a friend and worked under him at the Wyoming County Council on Aging in Itmann under a state grant. Graham, who at one point was making almost half a million dollars annually in salary and benefits, was sentenced in 2006...

Man Pleads Guilty to Abusing Niece , but St. Albans Resident Faces Lesser Charges Because Mother Lied

A St. Albans man pleaded guilty to sexual abuse involving his 8- year-old niece, but now faces lesser charges after the mother of the victim said she had lied about some of the allegations. Joe Kolarik, 22, had been indicted on 14 counts and has been held in South Central Regional Jail on $100,000 bond since he was arrested Aug. 7. Police said that based on the victim's statements, Kolarik forced the girl to watch pornographic material and then he assaulted her.

Group Collecting Personal Items for Troops

The Kanawha Valley Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution is leading an effort to collect items for American troops overseas. Specifically, the items will go to a hospital in Landstuhl, Germany, where soldiers who are injured overseas are taken for treatment. The Landstuhl Regional Medical Center is the largest American hospital outside the United States.

Four Arrested, Charged with Possession of Drugs

Four people were arrested at a Cross Lanes apartment with about $25,000 worth of heroin, thousands of dollars worth of cocaine and one-half pound of marijuana in their possession, police said. Metro Drug Unit Lt. Chuck Carpenter said the amount of heroin seized at the apartment was the second largest he could recall in his 24-year tenure with Charleston police.

Japanese Firm Gets Free Space in Incubator During Construction

The leadership team and engineering staff who are responsible for designing, constructing and operating Japanese chemical company Kureha's $100 million specialty plastics plant, to be built at Belle, are working out of the Charleston Area Alliance's business incubator at 116 Smith St. starting today, the alliance announced. A total of eight Kureha staff will work out of the facility during the plant construction phase.

Weather, Temps

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Boy Critical After Found Hanging On Clothing Hook

AUSTIN, Texas - A 7-year-old boy is in critical condition after being found hanging by his shirt collar from a clothing hook in a charter school's dressing room, and police tried to determine whether it was an attack or an accident. The shirt collar cut off the boy's oxygen, and he was unconscious when a teacher found him Wednesday, said police Lt. Mark Spangler. He was in critical condition at a hospital Thursday.

Rand Ready to Watch Its Star in Football's Big Game

When Randy Moss is not breaking records on the football field, he spends his spare time in a secluded backyard in his hometown of Rand. The days are passed in a small brick building known as "The Shed."

Presidential Hopeful Ron Paul has Shot at Winning Maine Caucuses

AUGUSTA, Maine - Republican presidential hopeful Ron Paul has a couple of things going for him at this weekend's Republican caucuses: a band of highly motivated supporters and a natural appeal to Maine's like-minded independents. His stop in the state earlier this week also made him the only presidential contender from either party to visit before the caucuses.

Boy Accused of Sexually Assaulting 3-Year-Old

MINNEAPOLIS - An American Indian tribe has closed the child-care centers at its two casinos while authorities investigate a reported sexual assault by a child against a 3-year-old boy. Tribal authorities said the suspect is a boy between 8 and 10 years old but wouldn't identify him further or discuss whether he was in custody. The police report will remain confidential at least until the investigation is finished, tribal police Sgt. Justin Churchill said.

Frantic Travelers Mob Trains: ; , Winter Storms in China Have Killed at Least 60, Caused; $7.48 Billion in Damages

GUANGZHOU, China - One woman frantically clutched the coat of a police officer as he hoisted her toddler above the stranded travelers, the child's tearful face scrunched up in terror as the crowd surged forward. A woman in a pink jacket fainted and was lifted over the sea of humanity as she was passed over the crowd to receive medical help. Several others sobbed with emotion.

Clinton, Obama Draw the Lines

LOS ANGELES - Sen. Barack Obama described the race for the Democratic presidential nomination as "the past versus the future" as he squared off against Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton on in a dramatic encounter that fell just five days before a coast-to-coast slate of contests. As the two began their first one-on-one debate Thursday night, Clinton encouraged the audience to imagine the next inauguration - and to ask themselves which would do a better job from the outset.

Nation & World

Fossil may be link to crocodiles SAO PAULO, Brazil - The 80 million-year-old remains of a land- bound reptile described as a possible link between prehistoric and modern-day crocodiles were displayed to the public for the first time.

Ex-Byrd Aide Barth Kicks Off Her Campaign

Hoping to ride a wave of "11th-hour power," a longtime aide of West Virginia's senior U.S. senator held her official House of Representatives campaign kickoff Thursday at the state Capitol. Anne Barth, who entered the race with the backing of top Democrats after the surprise decision by state Sen. John Unger to not seek the office, told supporters she was raised for public service.

Police and Courts

Students accused in bomb threat Two Wahama High School students could be charged with a felony after admitting to leaving a letter in a school hallway that said a bomb would detonate on campus, authorities said.

Additional Grand Jury Indictments Set

The following indictments returned Jan. 25 by a Kanawha County Grand Jury were left off a list published earlier this week. Those indicted will be arraigned in the Kanawha County Judicial Annex in downtown Charleston in front of the following judges at the following times:

Special Prosecutor Handling Case, Pocahontas Deputy Accused: ; of Firing Gun Is Sheriff's Son

A special prosecutor is investigating claims that a Pocahontas County deputy who is also the son of the sheriff fired his department-issued pistol at his girlfriend's house. Robert Alkire II, who is the son of Pocahontas County Sheriff Robert Alkire, was taken to the hospital after the Nov. 30 incident.