Weekend Roundup

* BUFFALO CREEK: The Herald-Dispatch of Huntington marks the 35th anniversary of the 1972 disaster that scarred far more than the landscape of a Logan County hollow. Besides photos (here and here) and video (here and here) from the disaster that killed 125 people, the commemoration offers eyewitness and plans for an upcoming memorial.

* LEGISLATIVE PERENNIALS: The Associated Press notes the unofficial rule of thumb that bills rarely pass the first session they're introduced, and there exists a select batch that never seem quite ready for prime time.

* TAMARACK: The (Charleston) Sunday Gazette-Mail weighs the future of West Virginia's arts and crafts showplace in the wake of recent studies and continuing legislative antipathy toward its parent agency, the Parkways, Economic Development and Tourism Authority.

* RECORD VERDICT: The Gazette-Mail also continues the scrutiny of the $405 million verdict that has fueled the ongoing debate over the state's civil justice system. This installment focuses on how about 150 of the 9,000 plaintiffs in the natural gas royalty dispute are land companies and other businesses.

* A THOUSAND CUBIC FEET OF PAPER: The Charleston Daily-Mail (via an AP Exchange) follows up on the state's effort to preserve the official papers of the late veteran U.S. Sen. Jennings Randolph, D-W.Va., which fill 986 boxes in the archives of the state Division of Culture and History.