Charleston Daily Mail

Manchin Not Against Medicaid Expansion: ; Other Governors Worry About Cost of That Aspect of Federal Health Reform

A proposed expansion of Medicaid has some governors voicing concern about how states will afford greater coverage in a challenging economy, but Gov. Joe Manchin argues that an expansion focused on prevention will help reduce costs from uncompensated care. "You have to expand that to get people more involved in the system," Manchin said Monday. "We're paying for them now anyway.

Student's Flu Death Sparks Fear in Cabell: ; 494 Cabell Midland Pupils Out Monday As Well As Large Numbers in Middle, Elementary Schools

The death of a Cabell Midland High School student marks West Virginia's third H1N1-related fatality and apparently caused absentee rates to soar in Cabell County schools on Monday. Patrick Wheeler, a 14-year-old freshman at the school, died Saturday of the swine flu.

Rail Tunnel Raises the Roof: ; Crews Make Way for Taller Trains

KERMIT - Opening a new rail gateway for double-stacked containers is taking place across southern West Virginia 20 grueling feet at a time. Every weekday, Norfolk Southern Corp. shuts down a portion of its main line between the East Coast and the Midwest so crews can raise the roofs in the line's tunnels.

Coach Sues Target Over Handbag Designs

NEW YORK - Coach Inc. is suing low-price retailer Target Corp. over bags the luxury handbag maker says too closely resemble its own designs. Coach wants Target to stop selling the bags and pay an undetermined amount in damages, injunctive relief and attorney fees, the New York-based company said in a complaint it filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Manhattan.

Campus Locked Down After Gunman Reported

TAMPA, Fla. - The University of South Florida was locked down for a time Monday after someone reported a man with a gun and a bomb near the library, and police had one person in custody. No one reported shots being fired or injuries. It was not immediately clear whether the person in custody was tied to the original report and whether it was real or a hoax. Students were told to return to their normal routine about three hours later.

New Database Helps Charleston Police

An online database has enabled Charleston police to recover more than $80,000 in stolen property over a four-month period. Sgt. Eric Hodges says the LeadsOnline database enables officers to track items that have been taken to a pawn shop, even out of state.

Police and Courts

Police ID victim in motorcycle crash

Court Asked to Consider Criminal Informants Case

Webster County's prosecutor is asking the state Supreme Court to decide when a circuit judge has the authority to require the release of confidential informants' names in criminal cases. Prosecutor Dwayne Vandevender argues that Webster County Circuit Judge Jack Alsop overstepped his authority when he required the names be given to lawyers representing four defendants in a drug case. Alsop included the requirement in a pretrial discovery order, which required lawyers to share information.

Gourmet, Three Other Conde Nast Magazines Set to Close Amid Advertising Slump

NEW YORK - Gourmet, the nation's oldest food magazine, is being closed by Conde Nast Publications as the high-end magazine publisher tries to weather a devastating advertising slump. Conde Nast is also closing Modern Bride, Elegant Bride and Cookie, a parenting magazine. Earlier in the year it killed publication of Portfolio, a business magazine, and Domino, a lifestyle title.

Mcdonald's to Open in Louvre Court

PARIS - French culture and American convenience will come together in December - thanks to plans by the McDonald's restaurant chain to hang its shingle in the shadow of the Louvre. McDonald's is delighted at the prospect of feeding hungry culture vultures. But not everyone is happy about mixing high art and fast food.

Three U.S. Scientists Win Nobel Prize in Medicine

WASHINGTON - Three American scientists were awarded a Nobel Prize on Monday for discovering how cells protect their genetic material as they divide repeatedly throughout an organism's life, a crucial discovery with fundamental implications for research on aging, cancer and other issues. Elizabeth Blackburn of the University of California at San Francisco, Carol Greider of Johns Hopkins in Baltimore and Jack Szostak of Harvard Medical School in Boston shared the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physiology ...

Military to Adhere to Obama's Decision: ; Defense Secretary Says He Is Still Undecided On the Strategy

WASHINGTON - Despite the fierce policy divide inside the White House over Afghanistan, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Monday that the military will fall in line with whatever President Barack Obama decides. The debate over whether to send as many as 40,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan is a major element of the strategy overhaul that senior administration policy advisers will consider this week as they gather for at least two top-level meetings on the evolving direction in the war.

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Nation & World

U.N. bomber used bathroom as a ploy

Chrysler Ceo Shakes Up Executive Team Again

DETROIT - With sales down sharply and pressure to start generating cash before government loans run out, Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne shook up his executive team Monday, replacing two of his brand managers after just four months and splitting Dodge into car and truck units. The changes show Marchionne's penchant for moving quickly and demanding performance, industry analysts say. But it's also a sign that all is not well inside the company's sprawling headquarters complex in the Detroit sub...

Few Homebuyers Seek Loans From Fund

Only about a dozen first-time homebuyers have applied to the West Virginia Housing Development Fund for an $8,000 loan that's available on the day their mortgage closes. "It's been slow, quite frankly, in spite of all of our efforts to advertise it and to get information into the hands of builders, Realtors and lenders," said Joe Hatfield, executive director of the fund. "But that's a good thing. People are not borrowing if they don't have to."

Women and Money Conference Set for Friday

Certified financial planner Dee Lee will be the keynote speaker at the 25th annual Women & Money Conference, scheduled for Friday at the University of Charleston. "It's remarkable the longevity and continued support this conference has achieved," said State Treasurer John Perdue, who hosts the event. "From Huntington to Shepherdstown and from Wheeling to Princeton we've served about 8,500 people - mostly ladies - who face financial issues particular to them."

Business Briefs

Machinists ratify contract with Dow

New Program Targets School Leaders: ; Participants in Academy Can Assess Their Strengths, Weaknesses

Kanawha County Schools has a new way of determining whether an educator is going to be effective as a principal, even before he or she sits down behind the desk. Carol Thom, director of staff development for the school system, introduced the new program, called "Selecting and Developing the 21st Century Principal," to board members at a meeting Monday.