Charleston Daily Mail

Merrifield Claims Logan Remains in His Thoughts: ; Judge Sentences Man to Life Without Mercy for Killing Toddler

WINFIELD - Michael Merrifield told a judge he misses 2-year-old Logan Goodall every day and wished a miracle could bring him back to life. Putnam Circuit Judge Ed Eagloski sentenced Merrifield Thursday to a life sentence without mercy for killing the toddler, the son of Merrifield's former girlfriend, Pepper Dawn Eren.

From Last in the Class to Top of the Heap: ; Jones, Who Never Finished College, Receiving Honorary Degree From Uc

In 1968, Danny Jones graduated last in his class at George Washington High School. He then bypassed college, worked at a filling station for a year and was drafted to fight in the Vietnam War.

Obama Worksto Close Gap in Primary: ; Ill. Senator Gets Help From Rahall, Rockefeller, Ramps Up Tv Spots, Automated Phone Calls

With polls declaring Sen. Hillary Clinton as the preferred Democratic presidential candidate among West Virginians, her rival Sen. Barack Obama's campaign is hitting on all cylinders in the state with TV spots and automated telephone messages. The Clinton campaign, on the other hand, says it's taking more of a grassroots approach.

Local History Written in Stone: ; Hurricanes Water Monsters Daughter

A quirky piece of local folklore is in danger of deteriorating in Hurricane. In a corner of a parking lot along Main Street, halfway hidden behind an unused police cruiser, is a giant petroglyph with a storied past.

High Gas Prices Hurt Turnpike Tolls

High gas prices are hurting toll collections on the West Virginia Turnpike. Parkways General Manager Greg Barr says toll collections fell by 5 percent in March and April and revenue for the period is expected to be down by about $500,000.

S.C. Mayor Says Workers Hog Customer Parking

South Charleston Mayor Frank Mullens has appointed a committee to address the city's parking issues in its business district. The three-person committee will include the business district's two council members, Councilman Ben Paul and Council President Dayton Griffith, Jr., along with Police Chief Brad Rinehart.

Regional Weather

Hi Lo Otlk Akron 71 57 Rain

National Weather

Hi Lo Otlk Anchorage 51 35 Cldy

Ohio Teen Hides in Bed From Would-Be Burglars, Messages Mom

LITHOPOLIS, Ohio - As two intruders began ransacking her house, a teenager home alone climbed into bed, hid under the covers and text messaged her mother, who called 911. The thieves, who were both arrested, even sat on the girl's bed at one point, unaware she was home.

Widow Wants Certificate Changed

SAN DIEGO - Cynthia Sommer has a death certificate for her Marine husband that lists homicide as his cause of death. Forensic experts said Todd Sommer was poisoned with arsenic. But the lab results underpinning that finding were discredited two weeks ago, leading prosecutors to release the widow from jail more than two years after she was incarcerated for the supposed crime. Now, Cynthia Sommer wants the death certificate rewritten to show her husband wasn't murdered.

Activists Rally for Immigration Reform

CHICAGO - Thousands of chanting, flag-waving activists rallied in cities across the country, attempting to reinvigorate calls for immigration reform in a presidential election year in which the economy has taken center stage. From Washington to Miami to Los Angeles, activists on Thursday demanded citizenship opportunities for the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. and an end to raids and deportations.

Police: 'D.C. Madam' Hung Self

Deborah Jeane Palfrey, convicted of operating an escort service that supplied prostitutes to Washington, D.C., officials, hanged herself in Florida, police said. Palfrey, known as the "D.C. madam," was found Thursday in Tarpon Springs, Fla., when police said they responded to a call at her mother's home, authorities said.

Nation & World

Concrete buckets contain body parts

Overweight Defendant Arraigned in Parking Lot

RIVERHEAD, N.Y. - It was a beautiful day for drive-through justice at the courthouse. Under a cloudless sky Thursday, the court stenographer sat in a padded office chair. The defendant, Bernard Musumeci, 44, sat in the passenger seat of his gray Ford F-350 truck, the window down. And the judge, wearing no jacket over his black robe, marked the court appearance amid a backdrop of pine trees.

Police and Courts

Two charged in front yard fracas

Pharaoh Found to Have More Feminine Physique

BALTIMORE - Akhenaten wasn't the most manly pharaoh, even though he fathered at least a half-dozen children. In fact, his form was quite feminine. And he was a bit of an egghead.

New State Fire Academy Set for Opening in Lewis County

JACKSON'S MILL - A new $6.3 million state fire academy in Lewis County is on schedule to open in June. West Virginia University Fire Extension and State Fire Academy Director Murrey Loflin says construction is about 90 percent complete.

Holocaust Survivor Introduces Speaker

Police Investigate Man's Death On Flight From Moscow to Toronto

TORONTO - Police are investigating the death of a man who became unconscious on a flight from Moscow and could not be revived by passengers or crew members. Police have not released the identity of the man, who died on board an Aeroflot flight that landed in Toronto Wednesday evening. Officials were treating the death as suspicious and investigating claims from passengers that the man was intoxicated, police spokeswoman Samantha Nulle said.

Clinton Addresses Huge Wvu Crowd

MORGANTOWN - Despite findings that Hillary Clinton has less support among young people than Barack Obama, West Virginia University students came out in droves to support the Democrat vying to be the nation's first female president. And her husband spent an hour trying to persuade them she is the "change-maker" who deserves their vote, the person who will make critical decisions to reshape the nation within her first few years in office.