W.Va.'s Stickler Out at MSHA

West Virginia native Richard Stickler is apparently no longer the nation's mine safety chief, The Charleston Gazette reports.

"Earlier this week, Stickler’s biography was removed from the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration’s Web site," the article said. "And on Thursday, MSHA officials revealed that agency staffer John Pallasch had been named to Stickler’s job — assistant labor secretary for mine safety and health — on an acting basis."

The article also observes that Stickler's presidential appointment as head of MSHA expired Monday, "and the Democratic-controlled Senate had refused to approve a renomination proposed by Bush."