Charleston Daily Mail

Power Players, Coaches Have Slid by City's User Fee: ; Team Is Employed by Milwaukee Brewers, Is Not Registered with City

The West Virginia Power minor league baseball team's players and coaches apparently have never paid Charleston's user fee and owe more than $4,000 in fees, penalties and interest. Charleston's user fee, formally named the service fee, is imposed on all full- and part-time employees who work within the city 28 or more days a year. Employers deduct the fee from their employees' pay and remit it on their behalf. A $1-a-week fee went into effect on Jan. 1, 2004. It increased to $2 a week on Jan. 6.

John Raese Among Crowd Urging Garrison to Resign: ; Business Leader Says He Won't Give to Wvu Until President Is Out of Office

John Raese said he has contributed to WVU in the past and will in the future but "won't give a nickel" as long as Mike Garrison is president. "He should go (resign) tomorrow," the sharp-tongued Morgantown businessman and former senatorial candidate said about Garrison. "If he lived in the real world, he would have been fired."

Duerring Stresses the Need for Levy: ; Funding Would Pay for Teachers, Technology, Help Finance New School

Kanawha County Superintendent Ron Duerring wants voters to be aware of the benefits of the school board's excess levy before they cast a vote on Tuesday. Duerring said he realizes times are hard but he wants people to understand just how important the levy is.

Leaders Split On Clinton, Obama: ; Rockefeller, Rahall Stick with Choice Despite Polls

Sen. Jay Rockefeller and Rep. Nick Rahall, two of West Virginia's superdelegates backing Barack Obama, say they're sticking with him despite polls showing Hillary Clinton a heavy favorite in the state. "I view my role as a superdelegate as one that takes the long- range view of what is in the best interest of our party and our country," Rahall said Thursday.

Hillary Clinton Pins Hope On West Virginia

Serena Swann, 7, of Ripley shows her support for Clinton. Swanns mother said children should learn as much about politics as possible at an early age. Kathy Armstrong, wife of Glasgow Mayor Charles Armstrong, displays a sign at Thursday's rally.

Hillary Clinton Pins Hope On West Virginia: ; Candidate Wants Big Primary Win to Show She Can Take State in Fall

With four days remaining to West Virginia's primary election, Sen. Hillary Clinton is determined to make the Mountain State an example of her perseverance against rival Barack Obama. During her second trip to West Virginia in just two days, Clinton acknowledged she has a stronghold of supporters here compared to Obama, the overall frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Family of Man Who Fell Down Mine Shaft Files Wrongful-Death Suit

EVANSVILLE, Ind. - The family of a man who plunged more than 500 feet in a coal mine's air shaft filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against a company he helped found that is building the shaft. The lawsuit alleges Frontier-Kemper Constructors Inc. was negligent in providing safety measures to Daniel McFadden, 66, and two other men who fell from a construction bucket during an August tour of the mining shaft.

Obama Considering Appearance in City

Sen. Barack Obama is in talks to make an appearance at the Charleston Rotary Club's next meeting, Rotary officials said. Plans have not been finalized, but Obama, the Democratic presidential frontrunner, is considering speaking at the club's meeting at the Charleston Civic Center, which begins at noon Monday, Rotary president-elect Todd Goldman said.

Man Who Lost Two Homes in Katrina Claims $97 Million Powerball Prize

BATON ROUGE, La. - A construction company owner who lost two homes in Hurricane Katrina claimed a $97 million Powerball prize, a jackpot won off a ticket he bought at a convenience store where he stopped to buy his wife a gallon of milk. When he turned in the winning ticket, Carl Hunter became the largest Powerball winner in Louisiana's history. He won the jackpot in January, but the 73-year-old small businessman waited nearly four months to claim the prize.

Deadly Tornado Sweeps Southeast

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Authorities were waiting for daylight early today so they could begin assessing the damage from a reported tornado that killed one person and injured three others in central North Carolina. What law enforcement officers said was a tornado touched down on the outskirts of Greensboro late Thursday as severe storms swept across the Southeast, damaging homes and businesses in at least three other states.

Study Warns of Depression, Teen Pot Use

WASHINGTON - Depression, teens and marijuana are a dangerous mix that can lead to dependency, mental illness or suicidal thoughts, according to a White House report being released today. A teen who has been depressed at some point in the past year is more than twice as likely to have used marijuana as teens who have not reported being depressed - 25 percent compared with 12 percent, said the report by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.

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Nation & World

Myanmar junta seizes cyclone aid YANGON, Myanmar - A U.N. official says the World Food Program is suspending cyclone aid to Myanmar because its government seized supplies flown into the country.

Global Hunt Nabs 'Best Santa Claus'

Agents escort suspected pedophile Wayne Nelson Corliss, 58, center, from his apartment Wednesday in Union City, N.J. NEWARK, N.J. - A rare international alert seeking a man shown in dozens of raw child porn images quickly led to the arrest of a small- time actor, who painted faces at children's parties and performed as "the best Santa Claus anyone has ever seen."

Operatives Ponder Possibility of Pairing Clinton, Obama On Ticket

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - There's only one problem with the idea of a Hillary Rodham Clinton-Barack Obama ticket - neither member of the team is expressing interest. With Clinton's White House hopes on the wane, chatter of a joint ticket with Obama on the top was making the rounds of Democratic power circles, the media and in the two campaigns themselves.

State Honors Winners of Golden Horseshoe

Each year about 22,000 eighth grade students spend the school year studying a comprehensive West Virginia curriculum. The curriculum engages the students in the intense study of the history, geography, economy and government of the Mountain State.

Land Mine Explosion Kills 3 People in Turkey

ISTANBUL, Turkey - A land mine explosion in southeast Turkey killed three people and injured three others today, state-run media said. The blast occurred near a minibus packed with villagers in the town of Sason in Batman province, Anatolia news agency said. Land mine explosions are common in southeast Turkey, where Kurdish rebels plant explosives near roads to attack military targets.

Manchin to Host Rally Before Primary

In keeping with tradition, Gov. Joe Manchin once again will host an old-fashioned Democratic rally at the Farmington Fire Hall the night before the primary election. For Monday's rally, the governor has invited local and state Democratic elected officials and candidates.

City Physician Sues 2 Doctors for Malpractice: ; Suit Alleges Negligence,; Improper Treatment for Abdominal Condition

A Charleston physician has filed a malpractice lawsuit against two other doctors and Thomas Memorial Hospital, alleging negligence and improper treatment when he needed abdominal surgery. Putnam County residents Dr. Jan H. Cunningham and his wife, Lynn, are both named as plaintiffs in the lawsuit filed Wednesday in Kanawha Circuit Court.