Overdose Deaths: Another Dubious Distinction for W.Va.

Drug overdoses have become the leading killer of Mountain State adults under 45, helping to make that cause of death more prevalent in West Virginia than in any other state, The Charleston Gazette and Public Broadcasting has found.

The joint investigation also unearthed a startling national statistic: "For the first time in modern American history, drug overdoses and other types of poisonings now kill more people than guns."

But for both troubling trends, the culprit is not usually illegal drugs. "Seven of the top 10 drugs that helped to kill West Virginians last year were prescription drugs, according to state medical examiner data," the special report, "Prescription for an Epidemic," found.

As for the national rate, “Prescription narcotic deaths rose 152 percent (between 1994 and 2004). Prescription narcotics now kill five times as many Americans as heroin, and almost twice as many as cocaine," the joint investigation discovered.

Among the various factors that emerge from the detail-rich series:

• Patients and their family members, particularly children, have been killed by patches that deliver powerful pain drugs. One patient unwittingly increased her patch's release rate to a fatal level by combining it with a heating pad. A 4-year-old fished out an improperly disposed-of patch from the trash, stuck it to himself, and died. "Another child peeled a pain patch off of his sleeping grandmother and stuck it on himself," the series reported.

• Teenagers raid their parents’ medicine cabinets to throw “pharma parties,” where they toss the pills they find into a bowl for everyone to grab a handful. "That is probably one of the stupidest things I have ever heard about," says a state trooper assigned to drug diversions.

• West Virginia doctors started the Appalachian Pain Foundation to train providers to prescribe and administer painkillers responsibly. Seeking funds to continue it mission, the Foundation has appealed to Congress, the Legislature "and the state’s $44 million OxyContin settlement, which West Virginia won after Purdue Pharma and three of its executives pleaded guilty to misleading the public about the painkiller’s dangers." The Foundation "came up empty."

The Gazette also offers photos, graphics and audio for the series, which began Sunday.

The joint series reunites Tara Tuckwiller with her former Gazette colleague, Scott Finn, now with Public Broadcasting. Tuckwiller and Finn were the first to report that methadone had become America's most deadly prescription drug. Their award-winning 2006 series, "The Killer Cure," remains posted online.

The March For Megan Williams

Hundreds showed up for Saturday's rally and march, and The Associated Press was there.

AP spoke to several folks who drove in from other states to rally at the West Virginia Capitol and then march downtown.

"If no one came out today, imagine how that would make Megan Williams feel," Joe Marchal, who brought his wife and their infant son from Berea, Ky., told AP. "We're here for her."

Organizer staged the rally despite a request by the city's black ministerial association and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People not to gather because it could harm the prosecution's case," AP reported.

Update: AP also reported that "The Rev. Al Sharpton did not appear at the rally or march, despite his staff's confirmation earlier in the week that he was scheduled to attend. Instead, he held 'an emergency press conference in New York,' according to a spokeswoman, regarding New York Knicks coach Isaiah Thomas."

WSAZ-TV also focused on Sharpton's no-show, while WOWK-TV covered the rally and march as well.

Charleston Prepares For "Hate Crime" March

As supporters of Megan Williams prepare to march Saturday, The Associated Press focuses on the unquelled debate over whether "hate crime" charges are warranted in her case.

Both The Charleston Gazette and The Herald-Dispatch of Huntington hear from those urging the public to attend the noon march.

"While national groups and figures like the Southern Christian Leadership Coalition and the Rev. Al Sharpton have lent their support to the march, local black churches and the NAACP have pointedly declined to participate, worrying that the publicity could damage the prosecution," the AP observes in its article.

The local television stations - WSAZ-TV, WCHS-TV and WOWK-TV - all report on security measures planned for the march.

MetroNews heard from one of the leading proponents of the march on its Talkline program Wednesday, and offers complete audio in five parts here.

Talkline host Hoppy Kercheval, meanwhile, has definite opinions about Malik Zulu Shabazz and his presence in the ongoing debate.

The leader of the Black Lawyers for Justice and attorney for the New Black Panther Party "strikes me as a power-hungry, publicity-seeking opportunist," Kercheval writes in his online column today.

Another Head Rolls At Culture & History

State Archives and History Director Fred Armstrong was fired Thursday, after more than 20 years heading that office and nearly 30 years in W.Va. government, The Charleston Gazette reports.

Armstrong told the Gazette that Culture and History Commissioner Randall Reid-Smith axed him with a letter that noted "that as a will and pleasure employee, he can be terminated at any time without cause."

"Armstrong said Reid-Smith’s letter concluded by ordering him to 'vacate the building immediately,' and said he was offended to be escorted out of the building by a security officer," the article said.

"For all these years, I could be trusted with all the state’s valuable records ... but when it comes time to leave, they have to have a security guard escort me," Armstrong told the paper.

Armstrong speculates that his firing may stem from "administration proposals to convert the archives library in the Cultural Center into a café/gift shop," though he tells the Gazette he's never taken a public position on the proposal.

W.Va. Coal Coverage Makes TV

Expose: America's Investigative Reports, a nationally produced Public Broadcasting series,
ends its season Thursday by profiling the coverage of The Charleston Gazette and reporter Ken Ward "on the 2006 Sago mine disaster and safety standards in the coal-mining industry."

The segment focuses on Ward's "Beyond Sago" investigative series.

It first airs 9:30 p.m. on WVPBS-TV.

Martha Wehrle, 1925-2007

Martha Wehrle, the veteran former legislator who represented Kanawha County for more than 20 years in both the House of Delegates and Senate, died Wednesday at age 81.

Though retired from the Legislature since 1995, she remained active in politics. She served as treasurer for the 2008 re-election campaign of U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., a longtime friend.

"Her father was a Republican, her mother a Democrat, but Martha always brought her own unique perspective to issues," Sen. Robert C. Byrd, said Thursday of his fellow Democrat.

The Charleston Daily Mail has a story on her life and passing.

"Wild, Wonderful" It Is

The administration announces the new welcome sign slogan, after a process that featured nearly 49,000 votes.

Manchin Goes To China - Updated

Gov. Joe Manchin has begun his multi-day trade mission to China - the first by any sitting governor, Public Broadcasting reports.

The trip started off in Shanghai, "a huge, exciting, anachronistic mess," according to Public Broadcasting's Scott Finn, who is accompanying the state's trade delegation.

Finn is both filing stories and blogging during the trade mission.

MetroNews also has a story on the trade trip, with audio from Development Office Executive Director Steve Spence.

Update: The Charleston Daily Mail offers a rundown of the rest of the trade delegation, with plans to feature columns from several of them during the trip.

McKenzie Leaving Senate for Wheeling Mayoral Race

State Sen. Andy McKenzie on Tuesday became the second of the 7 GOP senators whose seats are up in 2008 to announce that he won't seek re-election.

McKenzie, R-Ohio, instead plans to run for mayor of Wheeling next spring, The Associated Press reports.

McKenzie, 37, "said he hopes to work on economic development and housing if elected in Wheeling," the AP article said.

The Intelligencer of Wheeling also has a story So do the Charleston Daily Mail and MetroNews, which has audio from McKenzie's brief morning appearance on Talkline.

Sen. Vic Sprouse, R-Kanawha, said earlier this year that he would not run for another term. Three other GOP senators have either expressed interest in seeking other posts, or have filed precandidacy papers for an undeclared office.

At least 2 of the 10 Democrats up in 2008 have ruled out another run as well. Sen. Billy Wayne Bailey, D-Wyoming, is instead vying for secretary of state while Sen. Jon Blair Hunter, D-Monongalia, is retiring.

Republicans hold 11 of 34 seats in the state Senate.

West Virginia's "Dropout Factories"

Four Mountain State high schools have made a dubious list of places nationwide "where no more than 60 percent of the students who start as freshmen make it to their senior year," The Associated Press reports.

Duval High School in Lincoln County, Big Creek High School in McDowell County and Matewan High School in Mingo County all made the list, though as "small rural schools where the beginning enrollment for the class of 2006 was fewer than 100 students."

But rounding out West Virginia's presence on this list is Robert C. Byrd High School in Harrison County, where 131 of the 270 fall-enrolled students graduated, less than 50 percent.

Johns Hopkins analyzed U.S. Department of Education data for AP and found 1,700 regular or vocational high schools nationwide that fit this lamentable category, 12 percent of all such schools.

"Washington hasn't focused much attention on the problem," AP reports. "The No Child Left Behind Act, for example, pays much more attention to educating younger students. But that appears to be changing."

W.Va. Parlors Weathering Pa. Competition

The West Virginia bars and clubs hosting video lottery machines appear to be holding their own against the slot casinos that began opening in neighboring Pennsylvania last year, The Associated Press reports.

The AP's Vicki Smith compared three years' worth of September revenue figures for parlors in nine border counties, and found little change since the out-of-state competition emerged.

"While revenues dropped slightly in several counties, the year-to-year losses for September were small - about $10,000 in Brooke, $40,000 in Berkeley and Hancock, and $50,000 in Jefferson," the article said. "The largest drop was in Ohio County, but even there, revenues were off by only $100,000, the state's figures show."

But the state's panhandle racetracks have not fared as well, which is one reason why they pursued the casino table games that debuted at two of the locations earlier this month.

The debate over video lottery parlors continues in West Virginia, with National Public Radio airing this piece from Scott Finn. With audio.

Making Sense of West Virginia's Job Numbers

The latest WorkForce West Virginia figures suggest that the Mountain State is sporting one of the largest civilian labor forces in its history, and its lowest jobless rate to boot.

The Associated Press crunches the numbers and offers some context.

The state's extractive industries have played a crucial role in this development. The AP also provides context with this extensive look at the global coal market.

AP Business Writer Tim Huber contributes to that review by examining U.S. investment in China's coal industry.

West Virginians Go To War

When a U.S. Army Reserve engineering company based in Harrison County got the call to go to Iraq, Public Broadcasting sought to chronicle the deployment from the perspective of the soldiers and their families.

The result, "Bridgeport to Baghdad," is a three-part documentary that debuted on Public Broadcasting's Outlook program last week.

Chapter One, "Citizen," has been posted on YouTube in three parts: here, here and here. Filmmaker Chris Hitchcock also talks about the project in this audio clip.

Note: Public Broadcasting now has its own corner on YouTube, which hosts an astounding 139 of its videos.

Gambling in The Mountain State - Updated

In the week since two of West Virginia's four racetracks began offering casino table games:

* The parent company of a third track reported a sharp fall in earnings for the recently completed third quarter. Penn National Gaming, owner of Charles Town Races & Slots, said it earned $108 million less than it had during that time last year, The Associated Press reports.

Much of the difference appears to stem from the 2006 sale of one of its other tracks, however. Charles Town is the only West Virginia track ineligible for table games, as Jefferson County voters rejected them.

* Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland has signed legislation "banning skilled gambling machines that offer cash payouts or prizes as payouts worth more than $10," The Intelligencer of Wheeling reports (aided by AP dispatches).

"According to the Associated Press, the slot-like gambling machines spread across the state because of a legal loophole," the article said. "Strickland’s law strengthened the definition of the 'skill-based machines, even those at Chuck E. Cheese. The bill contained an emergency clause' that made the law effective as soon as the governor signed it Thursday."

Evoking the days when West Virginia was awash with video poker "grey" machines that routinely (and illegally) paid out, The Intelligencer spoke to the owner of two Ohio parlors who had 59 machines at his locations.

MetroNews also reports on the new Ohio law.

Update: Perhaps feeling left out, Maryland enters the fray with legislation to legalize slot machines, proposed by its governor for a special session that begins Monday. AP has details.

They Voted For You: SCHIP II

West Virginia's U.S. House members all helped pass a new version of the State Children's Health Insurance Program bill Thursday - though it still lacks the veto-proof majority that doomed the previous version.

Reps. Alan Mollohan, D-1st, Shelley Moore Capito, R-2nd, and Nick Rahall, D-3rd voted with the majority in the 265-142 passage of the legislation.

As The Associated Press reports, the bill moves to the Senate.

Democrats argue they have "systematically addressed earlier complaints that the bill failed to place a priority on low-income children, did not effectively bar illegal immigrants from qualifying for benefits and was overly generous to adults," AP reports.

"Even so, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland raised the possibility that additional changes were possible before the bill would be sent to the White House."

AP also offers audio and video on the subject.

Tackling Obesity in The Mountain State

The Manchin administration has enlisted the state's largest provider of Medicaid coverage to help West Virginia's doctors in the fight against rampant obesity.

As The Associated Press' Tom Breen reports, state figures show that "more than 30 percent of adults in West Virginia are obese, the third-highest percentage in the country. It ranked second nationwide for its percentage of obese children, according to one recent study, Breen observes.

UniCare "will offer training to doctors and their staffs in obesity prevention and body mass index measurement," starting Oct. 30, Breen reports.

"The state’s Medicaid agency spends about $100 million on obesity-related costs annually," the article said, "while obesity cost the state Public Employees Health Insurance agency $93 million last year, about 18 percent of its budget."

The state's health care system was also the focus of a Thursday conference at The Greenbrier, The Register-Herald of Beckley reports.

"Community Health Network of West Virginia CEO Dave Campbell said $10 billion a year is spent on health care in the state, but only 3 percent of that is spent on preventative measures," that article said.

“What we have is a dysfunctional system,” Campbell is quoted as saying. “The statistics are staggering. Of the $4 billion a year spent in hospitals, we know that $1 out of every $10 is avoidable. Over $400 million would be avoidable if people had earlier access to prevention and primary care.”

Other bad news on the health care front arrived earlier this week, when The Charleston Gazette reported that in West Virginia, "more than 27 percent of women smoked during their pregnancy last year — the highest rate in the nation."

Rough Crowd for Manchin's Coal Plan

Gov. Joe Manchin is facing a tough sell as he pushes a state energy plan that hinges on " increasing coal production by building plants to turn coal into liquid fuel," The Charleston Gazette reports.

At Thursday's Public Energy Authority hearing, the last of three held to air the topic, "residents repeatedly attacked Manchin’s blueprint," the Gazette reports.

"Only Bill Raney, president of the West Virginia Coal Association, spoke specifically in favor of Manchin’s focus on building coal-to-liquids plants."

A second lobbyist, Corky DeMarco of the West Virginia Oil and Natural Gas Association, echoed Raney's praise of Manchin for sticking with the state's fossil fuel industries.

A third, Bryan Brown, "said he was with a new group called West Virginians for Reliable Power," the article said. "Brown urged the energy authority to add language supporting the need for improved energy infrastructure, such as new power transmission lines."

W.Va. Hosts ARC Conference

During its fall conference in Charleston, the Appalachian Regional Commission released a report Thursday touting multi-fold returns on its investments in water, sewer, telecommunications and economic development projects.

The Associated Press has details from the study and the meeting of the agency assigned to aid the 13-state Appalachian region. Not all the news was good: a separate study estimates Appalachia needs $40 billion to provide basic drinking water and sewage services to all its residents.

West Virginia is no stranger to inadequate, outmoded or overwhelmed wastewater treatment systems, as The State Journal reports this week.

Gov. Joe Manchin is the commission's state co-chairman, and helped preside over the fall conference. Decrying the role neglect has played in the region's water and sewer woes, Manchin cited the $167 million price tag on repairing and restoring the state Capitol Complex.

The Charleston Daily Mail focuses today on one big item on that to-do list: the Oshel B. Craigo parking garage, which needs $3.9 million to remedy the lack of a maintenance plan.

"It's going to cost nearly as much to repair the parking garage at the state Capitol Complex as it did to build it eight years ago," the Daily Mail reports.

Update: Public Broadcasting also has a story on the ARC conference, with audio.

W.Va. Dems Dodge Lawsuit

Massey Energy Co. chief Don Blankenship is withdrawing his defamation lawsuit against the state Democratic Party and its chairman, Nick Casey, The Associated Press reports.

Blankenship sued Aug. 10 over a 2006 election season TV ad, alleging it maliciously misrepresented his comment about the fatal Sago and Aracoma mine accidents.

Though his case "sought unspecified compensatory and punitive damages, and a public apology from the defendants," he decided to drop it believing he's made his point about the ad, this lawyer told AP.

Blankenship has been a vocal critic of West Virginia's civil justice system, alleging it is plagued by frivilous lawsuits. A board member of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, his political spending has included backing candidates and groups that echo his views on "tort reform."

Blankenship and/or Massey still have lawsuits pending against Gov. Joe Manchin, the state Supreme Court, and two law firms that defended Massey in contract disputes.

Their defamation lawsuit against The Charleston Gazette and the United Mine Worker Union was dismissed in Virginia, and their appeal refused by that state's Supreme Court. One defendant in that lawsuit, the defunct West Virginia Consumers for Justice, settled out of the case and issued a publicized apology.

They Voted For You: Leslie Southwick

U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., voted to confirm Leslie Southwick to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., voted against the confirmation, which prevailed 59-38.

Based in New Orleans, the circuit is over the federal district courts of Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas.

The Associated Press covered the confirmation vote for Southwick, who faced objections from "Democrats who said he wasn't sensitive enough to the region's history of race relations."

"Southwick's record as a state appeals court judge in Mississippi drew opposition from traditionally left-leaning groups who warned Democrats that his confirmation could mean consequences come Election Day," AP reported. "But supporters of Southwick's nomination said the choice was rightly decided on his qualifications -- not the turbulent history of the 5th Circuit."

Bonus Quote of the Day

"I just hope they fry for what they did to me."

-- Megan Williams, 20, to The Associated Press about the six Logan County residents accused of holding her captive and brutalizing her for days last month.

Quote of the Day

"Because you banned my books, every kid in that county will read them, every single one of them. Because book banners are invariably idiots, they don’t know how the world works — but writers and English teachers do."

-- Award-winning, best-selling author Pat Conroy, in a letter to The Charleston Gazette on the campaign to pull his works from a Nitro High reading list.

Woman At Center of "Logan 6" Case Speaks

Megan Williams, the 20-year-old woman prosecutors say was brutalized for days by a group of Logan County captors, spoke at length of her ordeal to Shaya Tayefe Mohajer of The Associated Press.

"The slight woman with cocoa-colored skin says she was outnumbered by people who just wanted to hurt a black person," Tayefe Mohajer writes.

“They just kept saying, ‘This is what we do to niggers down here’ and ‘You’re never going to see your family ever again,’” Williams told her.

The article also delves into the decision by prosecutors not to pursue hate crime charges in the case. While Williams and her family want such charges filed, "the six could spend the rest of their lives in prison if convicted of rape and kidnapping charges," the article said.

U.S. Attorney Chuck Miller recently explained to MetroNews the rationale behind the prosecution strategy (audio here).

A group advocating for a hate crime designation, Black Lawyers for Justice, wants to protest on Williams' behalf Nov. 3. But plans for a march through Charleston has hit a snag, Public Broadcasting reports.

Incurring The Wrath of Conrack

The tumult over the selection of two Pat Conroy novels for a Nitro High School Advanced Placement Literature Class has prompted a response from the author.

Conroy sent The Charleston Gazette a 900-word letter to the editor, telling its readers that "I have yet to meet an English teacher who assigned a book to damage a kid."

Praising the teachers and students who have rallied around his books, Conroy reserved his ire for the Kanahwa County school board as it weighs yanking them from class reading lists.

"You’ve now entered the ranks of censors, book-banners, and teacher-haters, and the word will spread," Conroy wrote. "Good teachers will avoid you as though you had cholera."

The Gazette has an article on the letter and its role in the ongoing debate.

Rockefeller Contributions Raise Eyebrows

U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller has received more than $42,000 from phone company executives that have lobbied him to support "legal immunity for businesses participating in National Security Agency eavesdropping," The New York Times reports.

"The money came primarily from a fund-raiser that Verizon held for Mr. Rockefeller in March in New York and another that AT&T sponsored for him in May in San Antonio," the newspaper said. "Mr. Rockefeller, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, emerged last week as the most important supporter of immunity in devising a compromise plan with Senate Republicans and the Bush administration."

Rockefeller's committee endorsed a measure Thursday to "add restrictions on the eavesdropping and extend retroactive immunity to carriers that participated in it. President Bush secretly approved the program after the Sept. 11 attacks," the article said.

A Rockefeller spokeswoman told the Times that "the senator had had numerous meetings with his aides about immunity for a year and came to believe that the carriers needed legal protection to ensure cooperation on national security operations."

“Any suggestion that Senator Rockefeller would make policy decisions based on campaign contributions is patently false,” Wendy Morigi said.

Thanks to Hoppy Kercheval for pointing out the story on MetroNews' Talkline. MetroNews also has a story, and audio from a campaign finance law advocate quoted in the Times' piece.

They Voted For You: Pete Stark

U.S. Reps. Alan Mollohan, D-1st, and Nick Rahall, D-3rd, voted to table a resolution that would have censured Rep. Pete Stark, D-Calif., on Tuesday. Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-2nd, voted for the measure.

The resolution focused on Stark's comment in a congressional speech last week that "U.S. troops are being sent to Iraq 'to get their heads blown off for the president's amusement,'" The Associated Press reports.

The resolution was tabled on a 196-173 vote.

Of the House Republicans, 168 voted against scuttling the resolution while 32 cast no vote. Five Democrats voted with them, while eight voted "present."

Public Hearings Begin For 240-Mile Power Line

West Virginia University's Erickson Alumni Center will hold the first of several public hearings on the Trans-Allegheny Interstate Line, which Allegheny Energy wants to run across north-central West Virginia from Pennsylvania to northern Virginia.

Public Broadcasting has an item on the hearing schedule.

The Charleston Gazette has some background as well on the proposed $1.3 billion, 500-kilovolt-transmission line.

Public Broadcasting also has another piece on the topic of power generation, this one on net metering. West Virginians "who generate their own electricity can now sell the excess to the power company." With audio.

When Educators Betray The Public Trust

At least one-third of the West Virginia educators whose licenses were revoked or suspended for misconduct between 2001 and 2005 committed some sort of sexual offense, The Associated Press reports.

The AP's Shaya Tayefe Mohajer brought a West Virginia focus to a seven-month investigation during which AP reporters scoured educator disciplinary records to all 50 states and Washington, DC.

"Nationally, allegations of sexual misconduct led states to take action against the licenses of 2,570 educators from 2001 through 2005," AP found. "That figure includes licenses that were revoked, denied and surrendered. There are about 3 million public school teachers in the United States."

Tayefe Mohajer found in West Virginia that of 101 educators disciplined, "Twenty-nine of those teachers are known to have engaged in sexual misconduct and 69 percent of the cases resulted in criminal convictions. Another 31 records simply indicate whether the license was suspended or revoked without listing a cause."

A Near-Record Verdict

A Harrison County jury reached a series of verdicts this month totaling nearly $400 million against DuPont in a case targeting its former zinc-smelting plant near the community of Spelter.

The last damage award, as The Associated Press' Vicki Smith reports, topped $196 million and is meant to punish the chemical giant for conduct the jury concluded was "wanton, willful and reckless."

The AP's Smith has offered comprehensive coverage of the multi-phase trial, including earlier damage awards, the verdict ordering 40 years of "medical monitoring" for the plaintiffs, and the reaction by state environmental officials to the case's underlying allegations of harmful exposure to a "massive toxic waste pile."

(The state's record judgment, at least in recent memory, was the $405 million verdict in a Roane County gas royalties dispute.)

More on the 2008 Money Race

The Associated Press breaks down the funds contributed to, and spent by, the presidential candidates in West Virginia.

A review of the candidates' campaign finance reports, including those from the latest filing period, also show that a number of the state's traditional donors have begun to line up behind White House hopefuls.

The AP article also delves in to the U.S. Senate and House races. The Charleston Gazette's Phil Kabler has some details from some of those reports in his weekend column, among other items of note.

West Virginia Is Now A Casino State

The years-long tumult over bringing casino table games to West Virginia yielded Friday's opening of poker rooms at the state's two Northern Panhandle tracks.

The Associated Press covered both debuts, of the 20-table room at Wheeling Island Racetrack & Gaming Center and the 37 tables at Mountaineer Race Track & Gaming Resort.

“It just puts us in a whole different light,” Wheeling Island General Manager Bob Marshall told AP. “We’re a casino now. We couldn’t say that yesterday.”

Mountaineers Are... "Frequently Grossly Tainted"

So says Forbes magazine which ranks West Virginia at the bottom of its recent survey, "America's Greenest States."

"West Virginia posted low scores in every category, notably carbon footprint (fourth highest) and water cleanliness (we ranked it fourth worst)," the state's entry said. "It's got more toxic waste to manage per capita than all but three states. In 2005, it disposed of or released 97.1 million lbs of toxic waste."

But, wait, there's more.

"The state exceeded its Clean Water Act permit levels by an average of 679% in 2005, according to U.S. PIRG," the article continues. "This means the water was frequently grossly tainted."

West Virginia officials "dismissed the rating, saying it was based on misleading data and a subjective scoring system," The Charleston Gazette reports.

“If I had to pay for it, I wouldn’t,” Environmental Protection Secretary Stephanie Timmermeyer told the newspaper. “I’m not giving a lot of credence to the ranking.”

They Voted For You: SCHIP Veto Override

West Virginia's U.S. House delegation, Reps. Alan Mollohan, D-1st, Shelley Moore Capito, R-2nd, and Nick Rahall, D-3rd, voted Thursday to override President Bush's veto of the State Children's Health Insurance Program legislation.

The 273-156 effort failed to muster a sufficient majority. Capito was among 44 House Republicans to support an override. Two Democrats broke ranks to oppose it.

The Associated Press has details.

You Might Be A Redneck. Or Not.

The Charleston Daily Mail is among those covering a recent appearance by the state's chief public schools auditor in Lincoln County, during which he referred to ""four-wheel riding, dope-smoking, alcoholic rednecks."

"I used those words, but I didn't call the people in Lincoln County that," Kenna Seal told the Daily Mail. "I used those words to describe a lifestyle that I have noticed in places across the country and even in West Virginia."

Some Lincoln County residents think otherwise, as the Gazette, Public Broadcasting, WCHS-TV and MetroNews also report.

The Lincoln Journal apparently got the ball rolling.

(MetroNews has audio, while Public Broadcasting has audio and the text of Seal's response letter.)

WMDs & WV

Scott Ritter, a former Marine who became a UN weapons inspector and then a conspicuous critic of the Bush administration's Iraq policy, will talk about his experiences next week during a visit to the Mountain State.

Slated to appear Oct. 25 at West Virginia State University, he spoke recently to Public Broadcasting (with audio).

Mississippi Burning

Jerry Mitchell, the investigative reporter whose articles helped reopen numerous unsolved murders and other crimes during the 1960s struggle for civil rights, will speak Tuesday at West Virginia University at Parkersburg.

The Parkersburg News and Sentinel, a co-sponsor of the free event, notes that "as a result of Mitchell’s investigations, authorities in Mississippi and six other states have reexamined 29 killings from the civil rights era resulting in 23 convictions."

Why Johnny Can't Read (That!)

Kanawha County's school board is embroiled over the reading selection for a Nitro High School Advanced Placement Literature Class.

As Public Broadcasting reports, "It’s a fight that reminds some of the Kanawha County textbook wars of the 1970s, when parents pulled thousands of children from the schools in protest of so-called “Godless textbooks.”

The Charleston Gazette, which also covered Wednesday's packed, 3 1/2 hour board meeting, noted that "Some George Washington English students formed a coalition with Nitro students, hoping that board members allow teachers to continue to assign controversial books."

Both WSAZ-TV and WOWK-TV have video from the meeting.

Update: The West Virginia Values Coalition has posted its open letter to the school board addressing the controversey.

Blankenship Issues Ultimatum

Unless he wins his pending federal lawsuit against Gov. Joe Manchin, Don Blankenship has vowed that he cannot remain atop Massey Energy Co. and stay involved in West Virginia politics.

As The Associated Press reports, his lawyers have told Manchin's that "governor has violated his free speech rights to the extent where, absent winning the lawsuit, 'he cannot, in good faith, continue to serve as the head of Massey and remain to be politically active in the state.'"

But in their Oct. 5 court filing, Blankenship's lawyers also said that "As such, he will no longer speak out on any issues of public interest or participate in any meaningful way in the political processes of the state."

(Given that he's expected to weigh in on next year's Supreme Court race, I asked him whether these statements mean no participation whatsoever. He replied that the filings speak for themselves, but also that the lengthy section of the filing that addresses this issue must be considered in its entirety.)

As noted earlier, Blankenship has spent an estimated $7.5 million on political activities in West Virginia since 2003. The court filing details more than $4 million of that spending, most of it after Blankenship alleges that Manchin chilled his speech rights.

"The filing also suggests that Blankenship increased his public statements after Manchin's alleged threat. It lists 22 speeches since the incident, compared with five in the preceding months, and 20 media interviews since compared to six beforehand," the AP article said.

But despite these appearances, the failed 2006 campaign targeting Democratic legislators and the like, Blankenship says he would be doing much more if not for the governor.

Blankenship otherwise would have attacked Manchin for "politicizing mine health and safety issues," failing to improve the state's business climate, and for his "continued placement of friends and family in government positions and otherwise engaging in cronyism.," the filing said.

Blankenship also sought to outline his damages in the filing, including $4.5 million from the drop of Massey stock and $25 million from lost chances to sit on corporate boards of directors -- all blamed on Manchin.

2008 Money Race: Congress

Each of West Virginia's three U.S. House members have raised $500,000 or more toward their re-election bid, according to the most recent Federal Election Commission filings.

Rep. Nick Rahall, D-3rd, leads the delegation in this regard, with nearly $1.3 million on hand as of Sept. 30.

But the real news may be the $150,000 that state Sen. John Unger, D-Berkeley, has attracted in his bid to challenge Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-2nd.

As The Associated Press reports, "Unger appears better positioned than his predecessor. Democrat Mike Callaghan did not reach the $150,000 mark in his unsuccessful 2006 challenge of Capito until that year's primary election."

AP also observes that "No Republicans have yet surfaced to take on (Rep. Alan) Mollohan (D-1st) or Rahall, while none of the three incumbents yet faces a declared primary challenger. But at least one other Democrat, Thornton Cooper, plans to seek the nomination to take on Capito."

Cooper announced his candidacy after the reporting period. Besides the money edge for any contested primary, Unger also enjoys the support of both Rahall and Mollohan. Such was in evidence at Saturday's Jefferson-Jackson Dinner.

(I'm told the dinner raised $280,000 for the state Democratic Party, though the costs of staging it at the Charleston Civic Center could reach $80,000.)

2008 Money Race: Presidency

West Virginians have given about $584,000 to the 2008 presidential candidates, and nearly 39 percent of that total has gone to Democrat Hillary Clinton.

The New York senator has surpassed fellow Democrat John Edwards as the White House contender with the most Mountain State money, $227,000 as of Sept. 30, The Associated Press reports. Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani continues to lead among Republicans.




Both Clinton and Giuliani have held fundraisers in the state. So has Edwards, including one that his wife was slated to headline but ended up doing by conference call.

All figures come from online Federal Election Commission reports.

Clinton's figures roughly, but not exactly, comport with what AP obtained from her campaign earlier this month. Some of the donors listed in the AP-received data may have come in after the Sept. 30 reporting deadline.

They Voted For You: Media Shield

West Virginia's three U.S. House members - Reps. Alan Mollohan, D-1st, Shelley Moore Capito, R-2nd, and Nick Rahall, D-3rd - voted for the "Free Flow of Information Act of 2007."

The measure, which passed the House 398-21, aims to "maintain the free flow of information to the public by providing conditions for the federally compelled disclosure of information by certain persons connected with the news media."

President Bush has been advised to veto the bill, in a White House statement issued Tuesday.

The Associated Press reports on the "media shield bill."

Byrd, Rockefeller Sign Limbaugh Letter

And, no, not the one the talk radio kingpin sends to subscribers.

Sens. Robert C. Byrd and Jay Rockefeller were among 41 Democrats in their chamber to join Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., in a letter of complaint to Clear Channel Communications CEO Mark Mays.

Reid and other Democrats called on Mays earlier this month to repudiate the "phony soldiers" remarks made by Limbaugh in late September. CNN is among those with a story about the comments, and Mays' response to the letter.

The Oct. 2 letter to Mays is being auctioned off on eBay, with proceeds to benefit the Marine Corps - Law Enforcement Foundation. The bidding, which ends Oct. 19, has reached $56,000.

Byrd and Rockefeller, both D-W.Va., had earlier voted against a resolution meant to respond to the newspaper ad from MoveOn.org critical of U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus.

Kenneth Ervin, 1962-2007

A leading advocate for West Virginians with disabilities, Ken Ervin, died over the weekend. He was 45.

"If you’ve spent much time at the state Capitol, you may have seen Ervin wheeling down the hallways – leading a protest or trying to corner a lawmaker or government official," Public Broadcasting observes in a piece about his unexpected death.

The Charleston Gazette has the obituary.

Update: The Charleston Daily Mail profiled Ervin on Wednesday.

Home Rule In West Virginia

Several Mountain State communities are lining up for slots in next year's pilot project allowing increased autonomy (and tax-generating authority) for municipalities.

As both the Herald-Dispatch and Public Broadcasting (with audio) report, Huntington is hoping home rule will help it tackle some of its more chronic problems. The newspaper also offers an explanation of the pilot program approved by the Legislature earlier this year.

Charleston is weighing taking part as well, though Mayor Danny Jones entered the debate Monday "by declaring his opposition to a possible personal income tax," The Charleston Gazette reports. City Council, meanwhile, may submit the issue to voters, the Gazette also reports.

Mark Coyle, 1965-2007

Mark Coyle, 42, a former Statehouse reporter for MetroNews and longtime GOP political operative, was killed in a weekend car crash in upstate New York.

The Post-Standard of Syracuse has an article on the wreck, which also killed a second driver and left Coyle's 5-year-old daughter seriously injured.

MetroNews also has an item.

Coyle's more recent clients included former state Sen. Sarah Minear, R-Tucker, and John Raese. Though based in the Beltway section of Virginia for several years, Coyle continued to keep an eye on Mountain State politics.

Update: A newspaper in Coyle's native New York has his obituary.

Monday Morning Miscellany

* Phil Kabler offers a roundup of recent political fundraisers, among other tidbits, in today's column in The Charleston Gazette.

* Secretary of State Betty Ireland pledges to return to politics after the 2008 elections, and this future office "would not be anything lower than the secretary of state’s office," she told the Martinsburg-Berkeley County Chamber of Commerce. The Journal has the story.

* The state Division of Corrections continues to back a program allowing female inmates to care for their newborns while behind bars, but the idea has its opponents, The Register-Herald of Beckley reports.

* The Gazette reports on some good news from Marshall University's medical school.

* West Virginia begins the second round of voting today for its welcome sign slogan, MetroNews notes.

* U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., continues his push for the Children's Health Insurance Program in an interview with the Bluefield Daily Telegraph.

* U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., bids farewell to a storied Charleston institution, the open-all-night Southern Kitchen, in today's Gazette.

Blankenship's Political Spending Reaches $7.5m

Don Blankenship's status as the George Soros of West Virginia politics kicks up a notch with a recent court filing that sheds new light on his 2006 election activities.

As The Associated Press reports, the Massey Energy Co. chief has disclosed contributing nearly $400,000 to conservative advocacy groups last year -- including at least one that then echoed his main campaign targeting Democratic legislators.

This spending is in addition to the more than $110,000 he contributed directly to his slate of GOP candidates and the $3.5 million he plowed into his main "And For The Sake Of The Kids" campaign.

The revelations come from a list detailing $4.08 million in political spending by Blankenship, compiled by his lawyers in his federal lawsuit against Gov. Joe Manchin. Lawyers for Manchin requested the information as they challenge his claim that the governor has violated his free speech rights.

The list encompasses spending from November 2004 to late December 2006, and so also includes his campaign against the 2005 pension bond issue. Though it does not include the 2004 election, Blankenship earlier estimated spending $3.5 million during that cycle "to unseat Supreme Court Justice Warren McGraw, a Democrat, and elect Republican Brent Benjamin in his place," the AP article notes.

And with the Oct. 5 court filing bringing his known to-date total to about $7.5 million, Blankenship is expected to weigh in on next year's two-seat state Supreme Court race.

Bill Clinton In West Virginia

(Photo courtesy of Bob Bird. Nice placement of the former president's latest book, which is destined to slip from the Top 10 of The New York Times' nonfiction bestseller list Sunday.)

The Mountain State's Democratic Party is boasting of record-breaking attendance and funds raised from Saturday's Jefferson-Jackson Dinner headlined by former President Bill Clinton.

As The Associated Press reports, Clinton was also the draw for events earlier in the evening for his wife's presidential bid and the re-election campaign of Gov. Joe Manchin.

Among other highlights from the annual dinner that attracts party faithful large and small:

* The Rev. Dennis Sparks of the West Virginia Council of Churches included digs at both state-sanctioned gambling and President Bush's Iraq policy in his opening invocation;

* U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., rode his "Big Daddy" moniker a little farther, during a lengthy speech that rivaled Clinton's for the crowd's affections. "You've still got it," Clinton later remarked.

* Clinton also recalled how he at times incurred Byrd's wrath (chronicled in Bob Woodward's The Agenda, among other places) during his presidency. "It's like God is giving you a personal notice of disapproval," Clinton said.

* Reps. Alan Mollohan, D-1st, and Nick Rahall, D-3rd, used their time onstage to endorse state Sen. John Unger as a challenger to Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-2nd. This, despite Thornton Cooper's entry in the race, though Rahall and Mollohan had already embraced the Berkeley County Democrat earlier this year.

* The state party inducted Wylie Stowers to its Hall of Fame after 31 years as its Lincoln County chairman. When the latest round of election fraud allegations surfaced there in late 2004, he told AP, "There sure isn't any vote buying going on around here now... Maybe a hundred years ago." Just months earlier, his son, then-Circuit Clerk Greg Stowers, spread around $7,000 to do just that. The younger Stowers resigned office and pleaded guilty the following year.

WSAZ-TV has footage of Clinton's entire speech as well as a shorter video segment.

Others who covered Clinton include MetroNews (with audio), WCHS-TV (with embedded video), WOWK-TV (with video), and The Charleston Gazette.

Another Black Eye For General Services

The list of problems at West Virginia's General Services Division runs long -- abused overtime, a taxpayer-funded video piracy studio, a neglected multimillion-dollar state parking garage and no inventory system for its array of tools and equipment, to name a few.

The scandals reached federal court last week, when a former supervisor pleaded guilty to rigging bids for asbestos and lead abatement contracts in exchange for kickbacks from the Maryland firm that received them.

The Charleston Gazette reports on the details in the case against Paul Prendergast, 45.

Prendergast was the division's occupational health and safety coordinator from 1998 to March 2003, and so had access to bid information from companies competing for the contracts.

Federal prosecutors say that in addition to three kickbacks from the firm totaling $11,000, a second company owned by the same principals paid him $140,000 between March 2003 to December 2005.

Neither firm was identified in a statement of facts filed by prosecutors in Prendergast's case.

"Prendergast agreed to cooperate with the ongoing investigation," the Gazette reports. "He faces up to five years in prison."

All Night Long

All four West Virginia racetracks -- including the three recently approved for casino table games -- will soon operate around-the-clock, The Associated Press reports.

The Lottery Commission unanimously approved 24/7 operations for the track on Thursday.

As AP has noted earlier, three of the tracks are already open 21 hours a day.

MetroNews also reports on Lottery's decision (audio here), and interviews MTR Gaming chief Ted Arneault on the edge it may give his company's Northern Panhandle track as it competes with Pennsylvania slot parlors.

Lottery Commissioner John Musgrave, meanwhile, was rebuffed Thursday in his quest for a hold on the federal ruling that frees up video lottery parlor advertising. AP reports on the judge's refuses to stay his ruling pending appeal.

And at least one parlor owner is seizing on that ruling: former delegate Chris Wakim, R-Ohio. Wakim tells The Charleston Gazette that he will restore the full name of this club from "The Trop" to "The Tropicana," now that parlors can resume employing gambling- and casino-related terms.

Wakim's gambling ties became an issue during his unsuccessful 2006 congressional bid. Wakim has not ruled out a rematch with U.S. Rep. Alan Mollohan, D-1st.

Romney Bashes Giuliani By Comparing Him to Byrd

Mitt Romney has invoked U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., to criticize fellow GOP contender Rudy Giuliani over the line-item veto.

Romney has cited Giuliani's opposition to the line-item measure, later overturned, that was enacted during the Clinton administration.

"FACT: Mayor Giuliani Celebrated The End Of The Line-Item Veto Because It Restored Pork For New York," the former Massachusetts governor's campaign declares in a Thursday press release.

The release then parallels Giuliani with Byrd, who it says "Celebrated The End Of The Line-Item Veto, Which Threatened His Pork."

Romney cites press accounts of the 1998 line-item veto battle, and the senior senator's reputation as the "long the prince of pork on Capitol Hill."

The Associated Press details the extended tit-for-tat between the two campaigns.

French 101, With Coach Buzzcut

West Virginia's public schools face yet another hurdle, and one that's growing.

Public Broadcasting offers the overview: "Last year about 10 percent of West Virginia’s teaching positions were filled by people who weren’t licensed in the subjects they taught." (With audio)

The classes run the gamut: math, sciences, English, foreign languages. "For instance, 56 percent of chemistry classes in West Virginia are not taught by certified chemistry teachers," The Charleston Gazette observed in its coverage.

Officials blame the state's chronic teacher shortage, and warn it will worsen as thousands of educators hit retirement age.

MetroNews offers a backgrounder on the topic, with comments from the state's two main teacher unions (with audio). Talkline host Hoppy Kercheval also opines on the situation in his online column today.

Supreme Court Takes Up Jail Fees Fight

West Virginia's counties should soon learn whether they must pay daily fees at the rate set by the state's regional jail authority for the inmates it houses for them.

As The Associated Press reports, the agency has appealed to the Supreme Court after it sought to compel Cabell County to pay the current rate, only to see a circuit judge rule in the county's favor.

Cabell County argues the authority relies on an unfair method for calculating fees, and that not enough of its board members were on hand when the last hike was approved.

A growing roster of counties has expressed concerns over the fees and the increasing portion of annual budgets they concern. The Parkersburg News reports on Ritchie County's handling of the issue, while The Journal of Martinsburg recently examined the impact of jail costs on Berkeley County's bottom line.

Others covering Wednesday's high court hearing include The Charleston Gazette.

Coal Makes The Latest GOP Debate...Barely

As best I can tell from the online transcript of Tuesday's Republican presidential debate in Dearborn, only one of the nine candidates mentioned coal even though several answered a question about U.S. energy policy.

"We face serious competitive challenges globally unless we become serious with our getting prices of energy down," former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney said.

"It's a great opportunity for America to develop technology to lead the world in energy efficiency as well as energy production," Romney continued. "And whether it's nuclear or liquefied coal, where we sequester the CO2, far more fuel-efficient automobiles -- by the way, where bureaucrats don't write the rules, but where business people come together and say, "Let's find a way to make sure that the American, the domestic industry can thrive."

Massey's Big Day In Court

More than five years after a Boone County jury decided against it in a coal contract dispute, Massey Energy Co. is arguing its resulting appeal today to the state Supreme Court.

The jurors awarded $50 million in damages to Harman Mining and company president Hugh Caperton, a cousin of former Gov. Gaston Caperton.

Post-judgment interest has increased that award daily. It now approaches $76 million. Lawyers for Massey have also asked the justices to consider reducing that component of the judgment, The Associated Press reports.

As it did in a 2006 federal lawsuit, later dismissed, the leading coal producer blamed much of the delay in appealing on a court stenographer who allegedly botched the trial transcript badly after repeatedly failing to deliver it on time.

Harmon alleged that Massey ruined the company after voiding a 10-year sales contract. "Massey contends Harman filed for bankruptcy because of mounting losses at its Grundy, Va., mining operation and other problems that had nothing to do with Massey," AP reports.

The Supreme Court has posted the briefs filed by both sides in the case. The court's web site also hosts streaming video of its motions and arguments dockets.

The pending appeal may prove one of the most-watched of the term, which began Sept. 11.

Massey and its supporters have cited critical comments by Justice Larry Starcher in seeking to remove him from hearing the case.

The other side points both to Justice Elliott "Spike" Maynard's longtime friendship with Massey chief Don Blankenship, and to Blankenship's bankrolling of a multimillion-dollar ad campaign that helped elect Republican Justice Brent Benjamin over then-incumbent Warren McGraw in 2004.

As AP notes, "Massey has since sued the Kentucky law firm that defended it in the Harman case for legal malpractice. The coal company blames the firm for losing a related claim pursued by Harman in Virginia, which yielded a $6 million judgment against Massey."

But Massey is also entering the Supreme Court Chamber this morning on a high note: its shares surged Tuesday after a Wall Street analyst recommended buying its stock, AP reports.

Update: AP covered the lengthy arguments hearing, as did The Charleston Gazette, Public Broadcasting, MetroNews and WOWK-TV.

Is W.Va. First In Something Good?

Opinions will vary on the question, but new Census Bureau figures show West Virginia paid the least among the states in federal taxes, at $3,015 per person, The Associated Press reports.

The national average was $7,652 per person.

The AP's analysis of the data also shows that the Mountain State received $2.94 in federal spending for every tax dollar it sent to Washington in 2005. Only two states, New Mexico and Mississippi, saw a greater return.

West Virginia also fared particularly well in this category when compared to some of its neighbors.

From the AP story:

"The Census Bureau released its annual report on 2005 spending by the federal government Tuesday. It documents the geographic distribution of $2.3 trillion in government spending, including salaries, grants, military pay, government contracts and Social Security payments. It excludes interest on the national debt, overseas spending and the classified budgets of intelligence agencies.

The AP compared the census data to previously released IRS figures for 2005 federal tax collections. The IRS data includes individual, corporate and excise taxes.

The analysis shows that wealthy states pay more than poor ones, blue states subsidize red states, and states with powerful politicians on key House and Senate committees fare well in federal spending."

Bill Clinton To Headline Manchin Fundraiser

With Bill Clinton in town Saturday for the annual Jefferson-Jackson Dinner, Gov. Joe Manchin has tapped the former president to host a fundraiser beforehand for his 2008 re-election campaign, The Charleston Gazette reports.

Clinton has already proved a huge draw for the state Democratic Party's annual fundraising dinner: with nearly 3,600 tickets sold, and walk-up sales expected to push attendance over 4,000, it will be a record Jefferson-Jackson Day Dinner crowd," the Gazette reports.

Interim Highlights & Tidbits, Day 2

* Columbus Day brought dozens of striking nurses and their supports to the Capitol for a rally amid their dispute with Appalachian Regional Healthcare.

As The Associated Press reports, ARH is one of the region's largest health care providers and owns 7 hospitals in Kentucky and two in West Virginia. "About 630 nurses in both states walked off the job last week following the expiration of their contract," AP reports. " Since the strike began on Oct. 1, ARH has brought in replacement workers."

The Charleston Gazette and WOWK-TV were among those covering the rally.

* The Public Employees Insurance Agency told lawmakers Monday that the threat of a potential $8 billion (corrected figure; my bad. -ed.) funding gap has forced it to increase deductibles and add co-payments come July, The Gazette reports.

* The Division of Foresty faces questions from lawmakers after an audit uncovers a bevvy of accounting and record-keeping problems at the agency, AP reports.

* Public Broadcasting charts the progress, or possible lack thereof, shown by West Virginia's Medicaid programs since officials redesigned it to cut costs. With audio.

* Lawmakers also got an update on Gov. Joe Manchin's plan for statewide high-speed Internet access by 2010 _ but also questioned why he vetoed a bill they say could have aided that goal. AP has the story.

Locking 'Em Up In The Mountain State

West Virginia's prisons are so overcrowded, hundreds of convicted felons must serve their sentences in county jails. The jails, meanwhile, are straining county budgets with their daily per-inmate fees.

But the state Council of Churches and a research group at Wheeling Jesuit University believe West Virginia can save the estimated $130 million to $200 million it would otherwise spend on a new prison, if officials rethink their approach to "everything from parole to drug rehabilitation."

As The Associated Press' Tom Breen reports, corrections officials are taking their report seriously.

"The report recommends changing the way the state handles people convicted of nonviolent crimes. It also praises steps West Virginia has already taken," Breen writes. "In particular, it says the state’s 17 day report centers established in the last two years have been valuable in giving parolees access to services ranging from education to help for substance abuse."

The Charleston Gazette, The Register-Herald of Beckley and MetroNews (with audio) also covered Monday's release of the report.

And citing that study, the Beckley newspaper also reports on an interim legislative committee drafted a resolution Monday "to prod the Manchin administration to provide the full $5 million funding of day-reporting centers as an alternative to keeping some convicts behind bars."

But as AP also reports, the push to provide alternatives to incarceration appears at odds with calls for stiffer DUI penalties. A study group gave lawmakers differing views for deterring DUI and punishing repeat offenders within the context of a crowded prison and jail system.

The Gazette and The Register-Herald (with a related story here) also covered that interim meeting.

Fred Thompson Lines Up Leading GOP Lawmakers

The minority leaders of the Legislature, Sen. Don Caruth of Mercer County and Delegate Tim Armstead of Kanawha County, were among several GOP lawmakers who endorsed presidential candidate Fred Thompson on Monday.

All told, 13 of the Legislature's 39 Republicans lined up to support the former Tennessee senator's 2008 bid.

MetroNews covered Monday's announcement from the state Capitol.

In other 2008 presidential campaign news, the Doddridge County Republican Executive Committee will host GOP candidates Gene Zarwell at its annual Ox Roast, Oct. 20.

Interim Highlights & Other Tidbits

* Some lawmakers are eyeing ways to restore oversight for workers' compensation-related administrative rules, but others aren't sure that's a good idea. The Associated Press has the story, as does The Register-Herald of Beckley.

* The Charleston Gazette reports on updates from Gov. Joe Manchin's proposals to create a Web-based system for sharing medical records and to increase broadband access in the Mountain State.

* Lawmakers also received assurances Sunday that President Bush's recent veto of the SCHIP bill poses no immediate threat to the state's program, The Register-Herald reports.

* The Journal of Martinsburg crunches the numbers to highlight the increasing burden of daily jail costs on county budgets. "This year alone, Berkeley County expects to spend nearly $2.1 million on regional jail fees. The fees consume nearly 8.5 percent of the county’s projected $25 million budget," the newspaper reports.

* The scheduled appearance of former President Bill Clinton at Saturday's Jefferson-Jackson dinner in Charleston promises to attract a larger-than-expected crowd, MetroNews reports.

* The Register-Herald also reports that Delegates Kelli Sobonya and Carol Miller, both R-Cabell, have joined State Legislators for Legal Immigration, a group that "seeks full cooperation among all levels of government to keep America’s borders free of invasion."

Fueling The Lottery Debate

Amid the tumult over West Virginia's video lottery parlors, The New York Times has examined the role lotteries play in the revenue picture for the Mountain State and 41 of its peers.

"Lotteries have raised billions of dollars, and of the 42 states that have them, 23 earmark all or some of the money for education," the paper reported Sunday. But the Times' analysis concluded that "lotteries accounted for less than 1 percent to 5 percent of the total revenue for K-12 education last year in the states that use this money for schools."

The article pegs the West Virginia lottery's contribution to education at 1.1 percent of total K-12 education funding. The accompanying graphic also notes that video lottery sales were not counted for part of the analysis. A separate chart (not with the online edition) further noted that key lottery financial data from West Virginia was not available for the Times' analysis.

Figures from the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries suggest that about 28 percent of West Virginia's lottery revenues went to education between the 1986 start of its lottery system and the end of the 2006 fiscal year.

These figures also list 26 states as earmarking lottery revenues for education: 10 states dedicate all such revenue toward this area, while only four of the state provide a lower percentage to education than West Virginia.

Video Lottery: Eyeing The Proverbial Goose

The unexpected ultimatum leveled by video lottery leasing companies against parlors that host the machines underscores the new threat to the industry posed by last month's federal court ruling.

The Associated Press explores the potential impact of this ruling, while also talking to the club owner who helped win it.

"I don't believe that most of our people are going to advertise," Jesse Bane told AP. "I think they're going to be very cautious about how they advertise."

Several others have also weighed the ruling's role in the ongoing gambling debate, including:

* Public Broadcasting (on the Outlook television program as well as in this audio segment),

* The Charleston Gazette,

* MetroNews (with a separate commentary by Talkline host Hoppy Kercheval),

* The Charleston Daily Mail offers a detailed overview of this component of the state lottery system.

The Gazette and Public Broadcasting reported earlier on the paltry results of the first public hearing convened by Kanawha County officials so residents could sound off on video lottery parlors. Only a couple dozen showed up, not all opposed the parlors and not all even wanted to talk about that issue (Public Broadcasting also has audio and transcript).