Charleston Daily Mail

Flooding Swamps Glenville Area: ; Little Kanawha River Crested 9 Feet Above Flood Stage in the Gilmer Town

Paul Gaughan sadly surveyed the milk jugs, egg cartons and hundreds of tainted canned foods strewn about in a heaping pile outside his U-Pak Food Market. The grocery store is one of 25 downtown Glenville businesses pummeled by this week's flood, the worst one that residents in this Gilmer County town have experienced in over two decades.

Broker Says Office Building Overpriced: ; State's Cost of Buying Greenbrooke Building Is Almost $181 a Square Foot

A Charleston commercial real estate expert thinks the state is paying way too much for a Smith Street office building but the state's top real estate executive believes taxpayers are getting a reasonable deal. The state Department of Administration's Real Estate Division has signed an option to buy the Greenbrooke Building at 1124 Smith St. from Charleston real estate developer Al Summers for $13.9 million. The former warehouse was remodeled in 1995. It contains 76,861 square feet of space.

Stolen Jesus Statue Returned to Church

DETROIT - A Detroit woman has found Jesus . . . in an alley. The pastor of a church in the city says its stolen 8-foot Jesus statue was recovered from bushes in an alley about two blocks away.

Colo. Pastor Pleads Guilty to Insurance Fraud

CENTENNIAL, Colo. - A prominent Denver-area pastor pleaded guilty to felony theft in an insurance fraud case and was sentenced to serve probation and pay restitution. In exchange for the guilty plea Thursday by the Rev. Acen Phillips, Arapahoe County prosecutors dropped 11 other counts against him, and AIG Life Insurance Co. dropped a federal lawsuit.

Forecasts

Initiatives Could Help Environment, Save Money: ; Timer System for Lights Will Save the County $2,000 of Its Annual Energy Costs

The Kanawha County Commission is looking to go green with a new slew of initiatives meant to help the environment. Commissioner Dave Hardy said the measures could also save the taxpayers money. The matter was discussed at a regular meeting on Thursday.

W.Va. State Community College Names Chief

The new president of West Virginia State Community and Technical College will be Joseph L. Badgley, a dean and professor at West Virginia University-Parkersburg. The school's Board of Governors appointed Badgley, an education professor and executive dean of academic affairs at WVU-P.

S.C. Trying to Solve Parking Problem

South Charleston officials are trying to figure out how to enforce parking policy in the city's business district. Mayor Frank Mullens and other council members said business owners and their employees often overuse two-hour on-street parking spots that are intended for customers. The problem is most apparent on busy downtown streets, such as D Street, officials said.

Byrd Released From Hospital After Treatment for Infection

West Virginia Sen. Robert Byrd was released from the hospital after being treated for a mild infection. The 90-year-old Democrat was admitted Monday night after he began feeling ill at home. Byrd had cast a vote on the Senate floor that day and started running a fever and feeling lethargic.

Weather Almanac

Yesterday's high 91 Record high 99, 1935

Regional Weather

Hi Lo Otlk Akron 88 69 Cldy

National Weather

Hi Lo Otlk Anchorage 60 44 Cldy

Daredevils Climb N.Y. Skyscraper

NEW YORK - A Manhattan skyscraper that is home to The New York Times became the site of twin daredevil stunts Thursday, with two men scaling the 52-story office tower within a matter of hours. The first man, Alain Robert, unfurled a banner as he climbed that said "Global warming kills more people than a 9/11 every week." He was arrested when he made it to the top.

Video Shows Bystanders Ignoring Hit-and-Run Victim

On the Web See video of the hit-and-run accident at dailymail.com. HARTFORD, Conn. - A 78-year-old man is tossed like a rag doll by a hit-and-run driver and lies motionless on a busy city street as car after car goes by. Pedestrians gawk but appear to do nothing. One driver stops briefly but then pulls back into traffic. A man on a scooter slowly circles the victim before zipping away.

Tornadoes Create Jumbo Headaches: ; Midwest Braces for String of Heavy Weather After Damaging Storms

WICHITA, Kan. - Tornadoes dropped onto the Great Plains after forecasters warned of a potentially historic outbreak, causing some damage and spooking a pair of circus elephants in Kansas that escaped their enclosure and roamed a town before being captured. One of the animals entered a backyard less than a mile from the fairgrounds in WaKeeney on Thursday and was blocked off by fire trucks until trainers could coax it onto a truck, Trego County Sheriff Richard Schneider said.

Obama, Clinton Hold Secret Meeting

WASHINGTON - Hillary Rodham Clinton and likely Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama met privately to talk about uniting the Democratic Party. "Senator Clinton and Senator Obama met tonight and had a productive discussion about the important work that needs to be done to succeed in November," their campaigns said in joint statement on Thursday.

Nation & World

Black watermelon fetches $6,100

Vent Line

State Police Could Be Held Liable in Suit

West Virginia's highest court has restored the State Police as a defendant in a wrongful death lawsuit, saying a jury should decide if a trooper who killed a man in 2001 was trained on when to stop firing. Trooper C.F. Kane shot and killed 47-year-old Charles Pruitt at his McDowell County residence after responding to a December 2001 domestic disturbance call that turned out to be false.

Dui Suspect Commits Suicide While in Custody

A DUI suspect charged by the Nitro Police Department with fleeing while under the influence of alcohol, committee suicide today while in custody at the Nitro Police Department headquarters. The deceased is a 40-year old white male from Worthington, Ky. His name was not released pending notification of his next of kin.