Charleston Daily Mail

State to Help Refine National School Standards: During Next Few Months

West Virginia will be one of 20 states to help develop new science and math curriculum standards that eventually will be used in classrooms nationwide. State Superintendent Jorea Marple explained the importance of realigning math and science standards to a class of seventh-grade students and educators from Kanawha County, Marshall University and the National Youth Science Foundation at Sissonville Middle School on Tuesday.

Man Accused of Killing Senior Citizen Denied Bond

A judge has denied bond for a man accused of bludgeoning a senior citizen to death. Ernest Lyle Young, 27, of Handley was arrested June 15 shortly after 81-year-old Wilfred Naylor was found dead in his Kelleys Creek Road home.

Ga. Man Executed After Stay Denied

JACKSON, Ga. - Georgia executed Troy Davis on Wednesday night for the murder of an off-duty police officer, a crime he denied committing right to the end as supporters around the world mourned and declared that an innocent man was put to death. Defiant to the end, he told relatives of Mark MacPhail that his 1989 slaying was not his fault. "I did not have a gun," he insisted.

Weather Almanac

Yesterday's high 78 Record high 96, 1931

Regional Weather

Hi Lo Otlk Akron, Ohio 70 54 Cldy

National Weather

Hi Lo Otlk Anchorage 53 42 Cldy

Nation & World

Man charged with 2 DUIs in 1 night

Typhoon Drenches Tsunami Zone

TOKYO - A powerful typhoon slammed into Japan Wednesday, halting trains and leaving 13 people dead or missing in south-central regions before grazing a crippled nuclear plant and heaping rain on the tsunami-ravaged northeast. Officials at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant, where engineers are still struggling with small radiation leaks due to tsunami damage, expressed relief that Typhoon Roke's driving winds and rain caused no immediate problems there other than a broken security camera.

Iran Frees Us Hikers After 2 Years

MUSCAT, Oman - After more than two years in Iranian custody, two Americans convicted as spies took their first steps toward home Wednesday as they bounded down from a private jet and into the arms of family for a joyful reunion in the Gulf state of Oman. The families called this "the best day of our lives," and President Barack Obama said their release - under a $1 million bail- for-freedom deal - "wonderful news."

Men Indicted in Separate Murders

A Kanawha Grand Jury has indicted three men arrested this summer in connection with separate murders and charged a Charleston teenager in the shootings at East End convenience store last month. Brandon Levert Gray, 19, of Central Avenue is charged with first- degree murder for the slaying of Timothy Thompson, 29. Police believe Gray shot Thompson in the chest and head in an alleyway near Stockton Street and First Avenue on June 9.

Police & Courts

Woman accused of stealing hearse

Good Squirrel Season Predicted

PRINCETON - Plenty of acorns and hickory nuts last year equals plenty of healthy squirrels this year, which equals a good squirrel hunting season for West Virginia's hunters. Squirrel hunting season opened Sept. 10 and continues until Jan. 31, 2012, and those who seek out squirrels can expect good results, a biologist with the state Department of Natural Resources said Tuesday.

Maloney Camp Releases 'Report' On Tomblin

Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Maloney's campaign continued its assault on acting Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin's family's businesses on Wednesday. The Maloney campaign released a six-page "special report" that said Tomblin shares a post office box with his mother and brother. Both Freda and Carl Tomblin receive subsidies from the state to breed and race greyhounds.

Morgantown Issues Abatement Effort Before Game

MORGANTOWN - City officials will remove furniture and other flammable items from porches and lawns this week in an effort to combat celebratory fires following the nationally televised football game this weekend. The abatement effort, which covers much of downtown Morgantown and will be effective Thursday through Monday, requires that residents remove any furniture, construction materials, debris and other combustible materials from porches, balconies or lawns.

W.Va., La. Chefs Cook Up Dishes for Fallen Miners Benefit

MORGANTOWN - Fans of West Virginia and LSU football are laying the rivalry aside until Saturday night to collaborate on a culinary fundraiser for the families of 29 coal miners killed in an explosion last year. Morgantown's Richwood Grill is dishing up shrimp, crab and crawfish omelets, crab cake and soft-shelled crab Benedict, along with standard breakfast fare from 7:30 to 11 a.m. each day.

Official Warns of Cuts

WASHINGTON - The House Armed Services Committee chairman is warning that further reductions to projected defense spending could make a military career so unattractive that it would force the Pentagon to revive the draft. Rep. Howard "Buck" McKeon, R-Calif., suggested that spending cuts beyond the $350 billion that President Barack Obama and Congress agreed to in the debt accord this past summer could force the military to slash the number of service members, now some 2.3 million, including Na...

Obituaries: ; Obit

Today's Obituaries Adkins, Glenn A. Boggs, Dr. James E. Bonecutter, Kristin Brick, Keith L. Conley, Ernest A. Conser, Mary C. Crum, Hazel Cutlip, Charles E. Cyrus, Gregory W. Dempsey, Raymond L. Jr. Elliott, Fern K. Faulkner, Judy H. Fugate, Wilma Green, Ralph V. Harbin, Gertrude M. Henson, Merle L. Hudnall, William Z. Johnson, Martha J. Kovach, Virginia M. Leftwich, Joel T. Lively, Gretel M. Mann, Irene W. McCormick, Loretta L. Naylor, Margaret H. Painter, Debra A. Perry, Frederick W. Petry,...

Daily Mail Kanawha County Majorette & Band Festival

Craig Cunningham/DAILY MAIL Members of the Nitro High School auxiliary are from left, Cassidy Crawford; Jessica Bailey; Alex Brannon; Molly Johnson; Cameron Bright; Samantha Bowles, color guard captain; Jensen White; Sarah Adams; Hannah Tissenbaum and Alexa Light. Nitro High School Band size: 53 Field commander: David Bender Band director: Richard Brooks Auxiliary captain: Samantha Bowles Name of program: Desert Winds Songs in program: Caravans, The Marketplace and Arabian Nights

W.Va. Man Feels 'Very Privileged' to Serve Federal Reserve Bank

Pat Graney is a student of monetary and credit policy but he's not enrolled in a doctoral program. Instead, he has a voice in policy as it is formulated and lives the consequences of those policies daily.

W.Va. Men Get Jail for Mortgage Fraud: Fraud in W.Va., Calif.

A West Virginia real estate developer and a bank loan officer were each sentenced Wednesday and two Utah men were charged in mortgage fraud schemes that cost investors and banks millions of dollars. U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin said federal investigators have been looking into the scams for years involving the Lamplighter Valley development in Lewisburg and the Stonegate subdivision in Hurricane.