Charleston Daily Mail

State Bankruptcies Up: ; More in Dire Financial Straits

The number of bankruptcy filings last year in West Virginia is up about 20 percent over 2007, numbers that prove more and more state residents are in financial quicksand. But the state's rate of increase is still below the national figure of 33 percent.

From Mountaineer to Secretary of State: ; After Years Reporting the News, Tennant Now Is the News; Former Broadcaster Takes the Team Approach to Office, Dismisses Gubernatorial Poll Findings

West Virginia Secretary of State Natalie Tennant loves sports so much she considers herself the head coach of 55 ready and able state employees. But maybe general manager is a more accurate depiction of her new role.

Stimulus Bill Gives State $1.4 Billion

West Virginia's share of the federal economic stimulus sought by President Barack Obama would be about $1.4 billion in a version of the bill moving through the House. That's about $800 million less than the $2.2 billion worth of ready-to-go projects that Gov. Joe Manchin recently outlined to the new administration.

Neighborhood Slots: ; Parlors See Jump Despite Recession

A sagging economy hasn't stopped people from pouring their money into West Virginia's neighborhood slot machine parlors. During the six-month period beginning July 1, as the national economy began to slow, people pumped $752 million into the machines at the mini-gambling parlors, according to state Lottery figures.

Benjamin to Hear Massey Appeal

Teen Testifies About Sex Abuse: ; Man Who Led Services at Chesapeake Church Was a Friend, Victim Says

A teenaged girl testified in court Monday that an adult leader at her church rubbed her in a sexual way and took suggestive photographs of her nearly three years ago. The teen, now 19, said Timothy C. Edmonds, 37, son-in-law of the pastor of the Chesapeake Apostolic Church, sexually abused her several times in the church basement and at a house nearby that he was remodeling.

Forecasts

Police Seek 3 Suspects in Purse Theft

Authorities have released images of three suspects in a purse theft and check forgery case. The public's help is needed to identify two men and a woman, according to Lt. Sean Crosier of the Kanawha County Sheriff's Department.

Police and Courts

Mail leads police to robbery suspect It wasn't hard for police to find a man accused of holding up a Huntington hot dog shop. He left his mail at the scene.

Chelyan Public Service District to Hold Meeting

Chelyan Public Service District will hold a special meeting at 4 p.m. Wednesday. Matters related to the merger between the district and the Upper Kanawha Valley Public Service District will be discussed.

Senate Approves Delay to Digital Tv Changeover

WASHINGTON - The Senate on Monday voted unanimously to postpone the upcoming transition from analog to digital television broadcasting by four months to June 12. The vote is a big victory for the Obama administration and Democrats in Congress, who have been pushing for a delay amid growing concerns that too many Americans won't be ready for the currently scheduled Feb. 17 changeover.

Father's Confession Baffles Authorities: ; Man Says He Killed His Son, but Police Say There Is No Evidence That the Crime Occurred

LYNN, Mass. - For months, Ernesto Gonzalez Jr. sat in jail, refusing to say anything about the weekend last summer when his 5- year-old son, Giovanni, disappeared. Then in November, Gonzalez broke his silence, telling a newspaper reporter a gruesome story: He stabbed the boy to death, dismembered him in the bathtub, put his remains in plastic grocery bags and dumped them in trash bins around the city.

Weather Almanac

Yesterday's high 31 Record high 79, 1950

Regional Weather

Hi Lo Otlk Akron 23 17 Snow

National Weather

Hi Lo Otlk Anchorage 19 10 Cldy

Governor Skips Trial, Goes On Air

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Gov. Rod Blagojevich's historic impeachment trial began Monday without its defiant defendant, who refused to participate and spent the day in New York making television appearances to decry the trial as unfair. Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Thomas Fitzgerald asked whether Blagojevich was present and a long silence followed. The chief justice, who is presiding over the trial, ordered the proceedings to begin as if Blagojevich had entered a plea of not guilty.

U.S. Companies to Cut 45,000 Jobs: ; Businesses Moving Fast in Response to Poor Fourth-Quarter Results, Dim Outlook for Year

American companies announced job cuts totaling 45,000 on Monday, as the global downturn slammed the profits of such exporters as Caterpillar and a domestic recession hit hard at retailer Home Depot. As companies begin announcing their financial results for the end of 2008, they are also moving fast to cut costs in response to poor results and a diminished outlook for the coming year.

Nation & World

Women gives birth to octuplets

Consol's Coal-to-Gas Chief Retires: ; Company Says They Are Still Interested in Conversion Project

The Consol Energy executive who headed the company's effort to build a coal-to-gasoline plant in Marshall County has retired, but Consol's interest in the project "remains undiminished," said company spokesman Thomas Hoffman. Paul Spurgeon retired effective last week. "It doesn't mean anything for the project," Hoffman said. "We are still interested in pursuing some sort of a conversion project in the Ohio Valley."

Vent Line