Charleston Daily Mail

Gas Prices Surging Toward $4

Inside * Senator Byrd reacts to McCains gas tax proposal /5A Gas prices in the Charleston area have skyrocketed yet again, inching closer and closer to the $4-a-gallon mark that experts predicted early this year.

Putnam County: ; Hurricane Students Protest Shortened Lunch; School Cut Period to Make Up for Time Lost Because of Bomb Threat

About 600 students at Hurricane High School stood in the parking lot for about 25 minutes to protest a shortened lunch period. Administrators cut the lunch period from 60 minutes to 30 minutes Thursday in response to a bomb threat made by a student Wednesday, said Karen Nowviskie, spokeswoman for Putnam County Schools.

Springtime at the Capitol

Big Bears More Common in W.Va.: ; Predictable Food Source, Milder Winters Allowing More Bruins to Become Huge

A towering 7-foot, 400-pound black bear found along Interstate 64 near Lewisburg might have been scary enough to cause a few shivers. But there are even bigger bears roaming the mountains of West Virginia, said Chris Ryan, black bear project leader with the state Division of Natural Resources.

Wiis Sweeten Pot for Brickstreet Agents: ; Insurance Company Gives 75-100 Conference Attendees $350 in Gifts

Each agent who attended BrickStreet Mutual Insurance Co.'s annual agents' meeting and golf outing earlier this month in Kentucky received gifts worth $350 to $500, including a Nintendo Wii game console. BrickStreet President and Chief Executive Officer Greg Burton confirmed that the Nintendo Wii was among the gifts. He said BrickStreet is playing catch-up in its effort to establish relationships with agents. "We must walk that fine line of being fiscally responsible while competing with natio...

N.J. Mayor Finds Lost Cat in Home's Wall

NORTH ARLINGTON, N.J. - Mayor Peter Massa put out a citywide cat call when his Maine Coon disappeared. Massa had an automatic call sent to 8,500 voters on Wednesday asking for help finding Max. Turns out he didn't have to look that far.

New Mountaineer Challenge Building Construction Begins

KINGWOOD - Four years after the Legislature considered shutting it down, the Mountaineer Challenge Academy is getting a major upgrade. The program for troubled youngsters will have a new, 45,000- square-foot building by 2010, with ground being broken this week.

11 Suits Settled Against Physician

Hospital Corporation of America has agreed to settle 11 lawsuits that accuse a former West Virginia physician of harming patients, a lawyer for the plaintiffs said. The lawsuits were filed by former patients and their families against Dr. John A. King, HCA and the former Putnam General Hospital, where King practiced from November 2002 to June 2003.

Teacher Pension Web Site Debuts

Teachers and others enrolled in West Virginia's only public 401(k)-style plan can now go online for help in deciding whether to try another retirement option. State officials launched a Web site Thursday that allows Teachers Defined Contribution plan enrollees to calculate future benefits both in that program and the state's traditional pension plan for teachers.

Children's Book Takes On Mommy's Plastic Surgery

Divorce. Bullies. Foster care. There are books for children on just about every tough subject these days. But mommy's plastic surgery? A Florida plastic surgeon has written about just that in "My Beautiful Mommy," a picture book due out April 28 that tries to calm the fears of kids with parents getting tummy tucks, breast enhancement procedures and nose jobs.

Many Troops Suffer From Mental Issues: ; Only About Half Have Sought Treatment

WASHINGTON - Roughly one in every five U.S. troops who have survived the bombs and other dangers of Iraq and Afghanistan now suffers from major depression or post-traumatic stress, an independent study said. It estimated the toll at 300,000 or more. As many or more report possible brain injuries from explosions or other head wounds, said the study on Thursday, the first major survey from outside the government.

Inferior Rivets Blamed for Titanic Sinking

NEW YORK - The tragic sinking of the Titanic nearly a century ago can be blamed on low grade rivets that the ship's builders used on some parts of the ill-fated liner, two experts on metals conclude in a new book. The company, Harland and Wolff of Belfast, Northern Ireland, needed to build the ship quickly and at reasonable cost, which may have compromised quality, said co-author Timothy Foecke. That the shipyard was building two other vessels at the same time added to the difficulty of getti...

Pope Heads to United Nations: ; Pontiff Leaves D.C. After Emotional Meeting with Sex Abuse Victims

WASHINGTON - After a dramatic three days in which he put the country's clergy sexual abuse scandal front and center, Pope Benedict XVI turned his attention today to the original purpose of his first U.S. visit as leader of the Roman Catholic Church. The pope, after an early morning flight from the nation's capital to New York City, will deliver an address to the General Assembly of the United Nations, taking his first opportunity to truly talk globally.

Weather Almanac

Yesterday's high 78 Record high 89, 1976

National Weather

Hi Lo Otlk Anchorage 48 28 Clr

Forecasts

Nation & World

Current flu season worst in 4 years

Alaska Airlines Flight Evacuated On Landing

SEATAC, Wash. - More than 100 people were evacuated from an Alaska Airlines 737 because hazy smoke appeared in the cockpit shortly after the plane landed at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, officials said. No major injuries were reported and the source of the smoke remained under investigation, authorities said Thursday.

Byrd Calls Mccain's Proposed Gas Tax Holiday 'Dangerous': ; Senator Says Cuts Would Disrupt Road Construction, Stymie Economic Development

The Contractors Association of West Virginia wants to put the brakes on a proposal from Sen. John McCain that calls for a nationwide gas-tax holiday from Memorial Day to Labor Day. McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, this week announced a plan to suspend the 18.4-cent federal gas tax and 24.4-cent diesel tax over the summer in an attempt to relieve motorists of the financial pinch at the pump.

Obituaries: ; Obit

Algisa Bonifacio Algisa Bonifacio, 92, of Mount Hope died April 13, 2008. Service will be 2 p.m. Sunday, April 20, at Tyree Funeral Home, Mount Hope. Friends may call one hour prior to service. Burial will be in High Lawn Memorial Park, Oak Hill.