Charleston Daily Mail

Election Promises Mix of Contests ; Many of the Major Races Are Already Decided, but General Election Will

West Virginia's primary election Tuesday appears short on major contests, but it sets the stage for a high-stakes November. The two-seat state Supreme Court race is among those where choices await. Democrats must pick two from a field that features Justice Robin Davis, former State Bar President Tish Chafin, Circuit Judges Jim Rowe and J.D. Beane, Supreme Court law clerk Louis Palmer and New Martinsville lawyer H. John Rogers.

Student Critically Injured After Jumping Off Roof

FORT COLLINS, Colo. - A Colorado State University student was critically injured when he tried to jump into a pool from the roof of a Fort Collins apartment complex and hit the concrete. Ian Smith was reported in critical condition Saturday with broken ankles, broken heels and multiple broken vertebrae in his lower back.

County Clerk Expects Low Voter Turnout ; Official Says Rain, Lack of Contest in Presidential Primary May Have Impact

Kanawha County Clerk Vera McCormick is expecting low turnout in today's primary elections. McCormick thinks the turnout rate might break 20 percent but said any higher estimate would be optimistic.

Judge Gives Rules for Home Cleanup

CLARKSBURG - The cleanup plan for homes near a former DuPont zinc smelting plant in Spelter now calls for replacing 6 inches of soil instead of a foot and adding about 20 houses. Harrison County Circuit Judge Thomas Bedell's ruling follows fairness hearings held last week on a $70 million settlement with thousands of Harrison County residents.

Three Charged at Wvu in End-of-Year Fires

MORGANTOWN - Three men face misdemeanor charges for allegedly contributing to street fires marking the end of finals week at West Virginia University. Police Chief Ed Preston says firefighters handled eight trash bin fires and seven street blazes.

This Dentist Treats Tigers' Teeth

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Bert Gaddis is a dentist who makes house calls. In this case, the house was the Birmingham Zoo, and the patient was Kumar, a 13-year-old, 235-pound Malayan tiger, who needed a root canal. Gaddis, who has assisted the zoo for 18 years with animal dental care, spent a recent Wednesday morning performing the procedure.

Regional Weather

Hi Lo Otlk Akron, Ohio 70 51 Cldy

National Weather

Hi Lo Otlk Anchorage 49 36 Cldy

Nation & World

Dinosaur gas may have heated Earth

No Foul Play in Soldier's Death ; Investigators Find; No Bullet Wound in Man; Who Died While in Video Discussion with Wife

WASHINGTON - Army investigators said Monday they found no bullet wound nor evidence of foul play in the death of a soldier in Afghanistan who died during a Skype video chat with his wife. Capt. Bruce Kevin Clark collapsed while speaking to his wife on May 1 from his base in Tarin Kot, Afghanistan, southwest of Kabul. His wife, Susan Orellana-Clark, has suggested that Clark was shot, citing a hole visible in the closet behind him that she believed was a bullet hole.

Al-Qaida Bomb Plot Foiled

WASHINGTON - The CIA thwarted an ambitious plot by al-Qaida's affiliate in Yemen to destroy a U.S.-bound airliner using a bomb with a sophisticated new design around the one-year anniversary of the killing of Osama bin Laden, The Associated Press has learned. The plot involved an upgrade of the underwear bomb that failed to detonate aboard a jetliner over Detroit on Christmas 2009. This new bomb was also designed to be used in a passenger's underwear, but this time al-Qaida developed a more r...

Vent Line

Live on the Levee concert lineup named Live on the Levee is a series of free Friday night concerts at Haddad Riverfront Park. Opening acts begin at 6:30 p.m. and feature acts (listed first) begin at 7:30 p.m. Vendors will be on Kanawha Boulevard on concert nights selling food and drinks.

Live On the Levee Concert Lineup Named ; Upgrades to Haddad to Be Completed Before Summer-Long Free Concerts

New renovations to Haddad Riverfront Park will tie in with the ninth season of the Moses Auto Group Live on the Levee concert series later this month. Charleston City Manager David Molgaard said that new lights will be installed around the main stage to create a "lantern effect" in the stage area. In addition, a new ADA-compliant ramp will be added along the Kanawha River, leading to a new, floating boat dock that will extend downriver from the stage.

Victim's Dad Seeks to Add Defendant in All Good Suit

MORGANTOWN - The father of a South Carolina woman killed last summer at West Virginia's All Good Music Festival wants to refile his lawsuit to add another defendant. Kim Miller is asking U.S. District Judge Irene Keeley for permission to add California-based Tobin Productions and principal James Tobin.

Al-Qaida Releases Video of Captive American Aid Worker ; Prisoner Tells Obama He Will Be Killed If Us Doesn't Meet Demands

ISLAMABAD - A 70-year-old American aid worker kidnapped nine months ago in Pakistan said in a video released by al-Qaida that he will be killed unless President Barack Obama agrees to the militant group's demands. The White House called for his immediate release. The video posted on militant websites Sunday followed one issued in December in which al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri said Warren Weinstein would be released if the U.S. stopped airstrikes in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen...

Bistro Express to Close Permanently On Friday

The Bistro Express will close permanently on Friday, Manager Troy Palmer announced. "This decision was not taken lightly, but there seemed to be no other option," Palmer said on Monday in an email to customers. "We want to sincerely thank all our guests for their support.

Business People

BANKING * Tom Bailey has joined Huntington Banks' commercial banking team as vice president and senior relationship manager. Bailey will work mostly out of the bank's main office in downtown Charleston. Bailey has more than 20 years of finance and banking experience in the Charleston and Atlanta, Ga., markets. He most recently was vice president and commercial relationship manager for Fifth Third Bank, where he managed upper middle market customers for Fifth Third's Commercial Banking Group.

Business Briefs

Consulting firm opens an office downtown A firm that provides environmental consulting services to the energy and mining sectors has opened an office on the fifth floor of Huntington Square, downtown.

Us Consumers Increased Borrowing in March

WASHINGTON - U.S. consumers swiped their credit cards more often in March after cutting back during the previous two months. The increase helped drive overall borrowing up by the most in more than a decade. Total consumer borrowing rose $21.4 billion in March, the Federal Reserve said Monday. That's the seventh straight monthly increase and the largest since November 2001.

Board Declines to Discuss Gw Ban ; Students Leave Meeting Upset After Board Members Side with Superintendent

About 10 students stormed out of a meeting Monday evening after the Kanawha County school board decided not to discuss a ban on student transfers to George Washington High School. Board members voted 4-1 against discussing the ban at the May 17 meeting.