Charleston Daily Mail

Fourth of July Blast Set for City: ; Holiday Celebration Returns with Concerts, Fireworks On Riverfront

DAILY MAIL STAFF Charleston's Fourth of July celebration will be a blowout on the riverfront again this year.

Walker Faces Registration Disadvantage

DAILY MAIL CAPITOL REPORTER Some say the lone Republican in the race for one of two open seats on the state Supreme Court faces an uphill battle against the two Democratic candidates.

Despite Efforts to Spay and Neuter: ; More Pets Being Left at Shelter; 6,553 Animals Were Euthanized Last Year, 2nd Most Since 1990

DAILY MAIL STAFF Despite a push that started many years ago to get all pet owners to spay and neuter their animals, more dogs and cats were left at the Kanawha-Charleston Humane Association last year than in any year since 1990.

Former Workers Recall Plant Heyday As Smokestacks Fall

FOR THE DAILY MAIL The demolition of the last remaining smokestacks of FMC Corp's old steam plant marked the end of an era for the South Charleston area and those who worked there.

Lawyer Wants Trial Moved From Wheeling

WHEELING - A lawyer for a man accused of abducting and raping an 11-year-old Wheeling girl is seeking to move his trial from Wheeling. During a hearing Friday, Brendon Leary told U.S. Magistrate Judge James Seibert that media has prejudiced potential jurors against Owensboro, Ky.-resident Joshua Michael Ridings. Leary says the trial should be moved out of the Northern District of West Virginia.

New York Council Seeks to Close 'Gates of Hell'

YONKERS, N.Y. - A city council is taking up a resolution to ban a defunct power plant's nickname: the Gates of Hell. The Yonkers City Council says in a resolution proposed Tuesday that the abandoned plant should be known in documents as the Glenwood Power Station or by its address.

Lawmakers to Look at Fairs' Spending

West Virginia lawmakers routinely request state funds for fairs and festivals held back in their home counties, but some legislators are questioning oversight of the practice. A joint interim committee on Sunday began its study of the process that allows applicants to seek money for such events through the Division of Culture and History.

Coach's Employment Status Splits School Board: ; New Riverside High Boys Basketball Coach has Met with Prospective Players and Their Parents

DAILY MAIL STAFF The Kanawha County school board has not yet approved anyone to take over the job as head boys basketball coach at Riverside High School.

Gunfight in Denver Entertainment District Kills 1

DENVER - An early-morning gunfight in Denver's crowded entertainment district Sunday ended with police fatally shooting one man and critically wounding another after both allegedly fired a shotgun at officers. Four bystanders suffered minor injuries from shotgun pellets, police said.

Comedian George Carlin Dies at 71

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - George Carlin, the dean of counterculture comedians whose biting insights on life and language were immortalized in his "Seven Words You Can Never Say On TV" routine, died of heart failure. He was 71. Carlin, who had a history of heart trouble, went into St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica on Sunday afternoon complaining of chest pain and died later that evening, said his publicist, Jeff Abraham. He had performed as recently as last weekend at the Orleans Casino and...

Oil Rises Despite Saudi Output Pledge

VIENNA, Austria - Traders again shrugged off a pledge by Saudi Arabia to increase its oil production if needed and oil prices rose again today, with the focus on disruptions to Nigerian supply and heightened Middle East tensions. Saudi Arabia said Sunday it would produce more crude oil this year if the market needs it. The kingdom announced a 300,000 barrel per day production increase in May and said before the start of the meeting in Jeddah that it would add another 200,000 barrels per day i...

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Nation & World

McCain wants to offer battery prize

Rescuers May Bore Hole in Capsized Ferry

MANILA, Philippines - Rescuers in the Philippines may bore a hole in a ferry capsized by a deadly typhoon in a desperate attempt to find survivors among more than 800 missing passengers and crew, an official said today. A group of 28 ferry passengers and crew washed ashore after drifting at sea for more than a day from the site where their ship was capsized and left most of the hundreds aboard missing and presumed dead, officials said.

Wvu Fire Academy Opens After Lengthy Delay

JACKSON'S MILL - West Virginia University's new state fire academy has finally opened. The academy hosted a junior firefighters camp Saturday. Last fall's planned opening was delayed by labor and weather problems.

Obama Tells Governors Drilling 'Makes No Sense'

CHICAGO - Barack Obama said that presidential rival John McCain's proposal to allow offshore drilling "makes absolutely no sense at all" as he headed to Florida to put the Republican on the spot over the issue. Obama said Friday that opening up the U.S. coastline to oil exploration would not give Americans any appreciable savings until 2030.

Sinkhole Swallows Woman's Vehicle: ; Water Line Break Blamed for Softening Ground in Kanawha City

DAILY MAIL CAPITOL REPORTER A Kanawha City resident walked out her front door over the weekend to see that the ground had swallowed her 1991 Oldsmobile Alero.

Bicyclist Struck by Pickup While Riding On West Side

DAILY MAIL STAFF A bicyclist was knocked unconscious and taken to the hospital after being struck by a pickup truck while riding on a West Side sidewalk.

St. Albans Man Wanted After Fight with Father

A warrant has been issued for a St. Albans man accused of trying to fight his father and a neighbor and punching a mailbox. Sheriff's deputies received a call about a man threatening a neighbor on Coal River Road, according to a criminal complaint filed in Kanawha Magistrate Court.