Charleston Daily Mail

Medicaid Expansion ; Health Report; Revised, Delayed; Agency Says Goals of; Project Costing More Than $860,000 Have Changed but Won't Say How

The study commissioned by Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin on expansion of Medicaid is costing more than $860,000 and will cover a wide array of issues raised by the federal health care overhaul. The company preparing the report originally promised it in January. It has completed some aspects of the contract but not the assessment of expanding Medicaid, the federal-state health care program for the poor.

Sheriffs Drug War Soldiers On ; Mingo County Sweep Nets 12 Weeks After Lawman Fatally Shot

Weeks after Mingo County Sheriff Eugene Crum was gunned down, authorities continued his crusade to crack down on the drug trade by rounding up a dozen suspected dealers. As of 2 p.m. Thursday, officers had arrested 12 of 17 people being sought for drug-related offenses such as delivery of crack cocaine and prescription pills, said Williamson Police Chief Dave Rockel.

Everybody Wants a Piece of This Action ; Buyer of $1 Million Powerball Ticket has yet to Claim Prize in Beckley, but Plenty Have Tried

Check your pants pockets. It's been more than a month since someone purchased a million- dollar Powerball ticket at the Little General convenience store at 3604 Robert C. Byrd Drive in Beckley.

Commission to Hold Spring Cleanup

The Kanawha County Commission will have a spring cleanup event on Saturday, behind the Go-Mart in Cabin Creek. The event will run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will be the county's last cleanup event until fall.

Skaff has 'Not Ruled Out' Congress Run

A Kanawha County legislator who has been mentioned as a possible candidate for U.S. Congress says his hat isn't officially in the ring, but he is exploring the idea. Delegate Doug Skaff, D-Kanawha, "will be making an announcement sometime after the middle of May," according to a press release issued this week.

Hospital Knows the Drill

Above, SWAT team members escort Charleston Area Medical Center employees Karen Hunter and Dustin Dunlap out of General Hospital Thursday as part of a drill. The scenario was that a patient had held employees hostage because he was disgruntled over a bill. Area hospitals held drills Thursday ahead of the Boy Scout Jamboree in Fayette County this summer. With so many people gathered in one place, injuries and illnesses occur during the Jamboree, and hospitals want to be prepared for various sce...

Chemical Weapons ; Us Says Syria Set Off Nerve Agent

WASHINGTON - U.S. intelligence has concluded with "varying degrees of confidence," that the Syrian government has twice used chemical weapons in its fierce civil war, the White House and other top administration officials said Thursday. However, officials also said more definitive proof was needed and the U.S. was not ready to escalate its involvement in Syria beyond non-lethal aid, despite President Barack Obama's repeated public assertions that Syria's use of chemical weapons, or the transf...

Suspects Planned Attack in N.Y. ; Police Say Pair Had Pipe Bombs, Pressure Cooker Device in Stolen Vehicle

NEW YORK - The Boston Marathon bombers were headed for New York to blow up their remaining explosives in Times Square before they were intercepted by police in a blazing gunbattle, officials said Thursday. New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said Dzhokhar Tsarnaev told interrogators from his hospital bed that he and his older brother decided on the spur of the moment last Thursday night to drive to New York and launch an attack. In their stolen SUV they had five pipe bombs and a pressu...

Bush Praised at Dedication of Library ; Obama, Past Presidents Laud His Achievements, Steer Clear of Politics

DALLAS - George W. Bush shed a sentimental tear. Barack Obama mused about the burdens of the office. Bill Clinton dished out wisecracks. Jimmy Carter and George H.W. Bush chimed in, too, on a rare day of harmony at the dedication of the younger Bush's presidential library that glossed over the hard edges and partisan divides of five presidencies spanning more than three tumultuous decades. "To know the man is to like the man," Obama declared of his Republican predecessor, speaking Thursday be...

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Nation & World

Miss. courthouse invaded by snakes

Hospital Starts New Lung Screenings Program

Thomas Memorial Hospital is starting a new program meant to help diagnose lung cancer or other lung problems more quickly than in the past. For a flat $99 rate, Thomas will provide lung-screenings without an appointment to chronic smokers or those who may have worked in an area where they inhaled asbestos or silica.

Obituaries ; Obit

Today's Obituaries Abbott, Stephen D. Allen, Charles O. Bailey, Mary A. Bryan, Wilson C. Chinault, Haven L. Cogar, Ethel N. Forren, Nellie M. Fraker, David E. Hanshew, Lester D. Hinkle, Richard R. Hunter, Kathleen J. Larson, Tina J. Lewis, Sherwin K. Matthews, Gladys D. Nash, Alonzo N. Null, Goldie M. Sigmon, Arlene Stefursky, Mary J. Stringer, Lonnie R. Thomas, Juanita M. Williams, Lyle E. Wines, Johnny L. Winter, Iva L. Stephen Don Abbott

Research Shows Monkeys Feel Peer Pressure

WASHINGTON - You don't have to be a teenager to want to fit in at the school lunchroom. Some wild animals seem to follow similar monkey-see, monkey-do behavior to follow the crowd and find the best eats, new research finds. South African monkeys switched foods purely because of peer pressure and humpback whales off the coast of New England copied a new way to round up a fish meal, according to two studies in Thursday's journal Science.

Kanawha County Commission ; Carper Decries Parks Action

Kanawha County commissioners told parks and recreation board members they weren't happy with the recent handling of a disciplinary action against parks Director Jeff Hutchinson. Hutchinson, who did not attend Thursday's meeting at the courthouse, on April 4 signed a conciliation agreement with state ethics officials to settle a four-year-old ethics complaint.

Patriots Earn Wild Win Over Black Eagles ; Thomas Goes 4-for-4 with Two Doubles and Three Rbi to Lead Gw to 13- 12 Victory

There didn't need to be a full moon on Thursday night for a George Washington-South Charleston baseball game to feature double- digit runs for both teams in a contest that goes down to the wire. So, there were no surprises at Bryan-McIlwain Field when the teams combined for 26 hits, seven errors and four wild pitches in a 13-12 George Washington victory.

Speaker Stresses Infant Vaccines ; Immunization Advocate Says Babies Most at Risk, Urges Parents to Schedule Shots Early in Child's Life

Dr. Ari Brown watched a child she cared for die from chickenpox. Four months later, the chickenpox vaccine was approved. If it had been approved sooner, that child might still be alive, Brown said.

Former Tv Anchor Reveals Plan to Run for Us Senate ; Longtime Reporter Files As Nonpartisan Candidate

A former face of television news in southern West Virginia is ready to venture into a different realm of public life. Longtime TV anchor Martin Staunton filed Tuesday to run for U.S. Senate, according to the Secretary of State's website and Staunton's Facebook page.

Technicians Fined Over Lottery Machines ; Men Admitted to Altering Video Units, Say Bypassing Switches Was Quickest Fix

The state Lottery Commission decided against revoking the licenses of two technicians who confessed to tampering with limited video lottery machines, but fined the men $1,000 each and placed them on six months of probation. Kenneth Howell and Lawson Mangum, who work for Clarksburg-based Shafer Amusements, told commission members Thursday they "wired over" switches inside 10 of the company's video lottery machines.