Charleston Daily Mail

Don Blankenship Gets $12 Million in Retirement

Chief Executive Don Blankenship is getting at least $12 million to retire from Massey Energy Co. The troubled Virginia.-based coal company outlined Blankenship's retirement agreement in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing Tuesday.

Investors Praise Massey's Choice of New Chairman

Four government pension funds with a history of criticizing Massey Energy Co. say the coal company has done the right thing by appointing an independent chairman. The North Carolina Department of State Treasurer says Massey improved its corporate governance practices by naming Bobby Inman chairman Friday.

Elizabeth Edwards Dies at 61

WASHINGTON - Elizabeth Edwards, who closely advised her husband in two bids for the presidency and advocated for health care even as her marriage publicly crumbled, died Tuesday after a six-year struggle with cancer. She was 61. She died at her North Carolina home surrounded by her three children, siblings, friends and her estranged husband, John, the family said.

Judge Denies Wikileaks' Founder Bail

LONDON - A British judge sent Julian Assange to jail on Tuesday, denying bail to the WikiLeaks founder after Assange vowed to fight efforts to be extradited to Sweden in a sex-crimes investigation. Despite Assange's legal troubles, a WikiLeaks spokesman insisted the flow of secret U.S. diplomatic cables would not be affected. He also downplayed efforts to constrict the group's finances after both Visa and MasterCard cut off key funding methods Tuesday.

Us Says Leak Hurt Foreign Relations

WASHINGTON - Foreign powers are pulling back from their dealings with the U.S. government since hundreds of classified diplomatic cables wound up on the Internet, State and Defense department officials said Tuesday. The document dump by WikiLeaks included detailed and blunt exchanges between foreign and U.S. officials on such politically sensitive matters as a top-secret U.S. bombing campaign in Yemen.

Survivors Gather On 69-Year Anniversary

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii - Aging Pearl Harbor survivors on Tuesday heard reassurances their sacrifice would be remembered and passed on to future generations as they gathered to mark the 69th anniversary of the attack. "Long after the last veteran of the war in the Pacific is gone, we will still be here telling their story and honoring their dedication and sacrifice," National Park Service Director Jonathan Jarvis told about 120 survivors who traveled to Hawaii from around the country for the event.

Regional Weather

Hi Lo Otlk Akron, Ohio 25 12 Cldy

National Weather

Hi Lo Otlk Anchorage 24 15 PCldy

Nation & World

Woman declared dead, then revived

Prosecutors Say That Military Medals Law Valid, Necessary

DENVER - A federal law that makes it illegal to lie about being a military hero with medals should be upheld because it doesn't target legitimate free speech, prosecutors told an appeals court. The U.S. attorney for Colorado asked the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver late Monday to overturn a lower court ruling that the Stolen Valor Act violates the First Amendment.

Irs Raises Mileage Reimbursement Rate

The Internal Revenue Service is raising the rate used to calculate the deductible cost of operating an automobile for business. The federal rate will be 51 cents a mile beginning on Jan. 1, up from 50 cents a mile this year, the IRS announced.

Parts of W.Va. Hit by Deep Snow

MORGANTOWN - A winter storm has dumped up to 2 feet of snow at higher elevations in West Virginia, and forecasters said Tuesday it's not over yet. The National Weather Service in Sterling, Va., continued a winter storm warning for at least 12 counties. It said the Bayard area of Grant County, near Mount Storm, received about a foot of snow in a 24-hour period, bringing the area's storm total to 2 feet.

State Briefs

Hearing on black lung proposal slated BEAVER - The mining industry is getting its first opportunity to speak up about a federal proposal to place stricter limits on coal dust exposure.

No Long Tarmac Delays Reported in October

NEW YORK - The government says October was the first month when no airplanes were stuck on the ground for more than three hours. It's the first month without tarmac delays since the government started collecting data in 2008.

Giants of Achievement

State Auditor Rates Nitro's Fiscal Health As a B-Plus

Nitro's fiscal health received a B+ from the West Virginia State Auditor's office for 2008 and 2009, city treasurer John Young reported to city council at Tuesday night's meeting. Young said all in all it was a good report but there were a few things the city should work on - some of which have already been corrected. For instance, the city's police and firefighters pension fund is now solvent but wasn't when the audit was taken.

Officials Delay Burn of Explosives-Laden House

ESCONDIDO, Calif. - A highly controlled burn of a California home found packed with the largest amount of homemade explosives found in one location in the United States has been delayed. Authorities need near perfect weather and only light winds blowing away from the nearest city, San Diego, to destroy the home in the suburb of Escondido. It was planned for Wednesday but has been pushed to Thursday.

W.Va. Mine Operators Blast Coal Dust Proposal

BEAVER - Federal officials should scrap or rewrite a proposed plan to protect the nation's 73,000 coal miners from black lung disease by placing stricter limits on the amount of dust they inhale, an industry lobbyist said Tuesday. The criticism by West Virginia Coal Association senior vice president Chris Hamilton is a first from mine operators. It also contrasts sharply with opinions from coal miners and medical professionals, who largely support the proposal.

Ex-Wvu Employees Sue Over Scandal: ; Officials Involved in Unearned Degree Incident Say Misconduct Charges

MORGANTOWN - Two business school administrators entangled in a master's degree scandal involving the former governor's daughter are suing West Virginia University over academic-misconduct charges they say were wrongly filed and ruined their reputations. R. Stephen Sears, former dean of the College of Business and Economics, and his then-associate dean, Cyril Logar, filed the case late last week in U.S. District Court.

Court to Decide Limits On Retaliation Ban

WASHINGTON - A factory worker was fired days after his fiancee filed a discrimination complaint against their mutual employer. The Supreme Court on Tuesday debated whether to allow him to use discrimination laws to sue his former employer for allegedly trying to retaliate against his fiancee by punishing him. The high court heard arguments from lawyers for Eric Thompson, who was fired from a North American Stainless plant in Kentucky after his fiancee, who also worked there, filed a discrimin...