West Virginia

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Miner's Family: He Knew the Risks

Family honors Benny Willingham, one of the 25 killed in mine blast

(Newser) - The family of one of the 25 men killed in Monday's coal mine explosion in West Virginia says he went to work every day fully aware of the risks. "He thanked the Lord for watching over him in the mines for over 30 years," the sister of 62-year-old...

4 Still Missing, 25 Dead in W. Virginia Mine Blast

(Newser) - Rescue teams are still holding out hope for four workers missing in a coal mine where a massive explosion killed 25 yesterday afternoon, but officials said today the chances were slim that the miners survived. The rescue mission suspended early this morning will resume this evening, after bore holes are...

25 Dead in West Virginia Mine Explosion

Blast is worst mine disaster in US in 25 years

(Newser) - At least 25 coal miners were killed and 4 still missing in a West Virginia explosion that marked the worst US mine disaster since 1984. Some 21 were injured in the late afternoon explosion at Massey Energy's Upper Big Branch mine, 30 miles south of Charleston, reports AP . The mine...

EPA Rules May End Mountaintop Mining

New pollution standard aims at destructive coal practice

(Newser) - New pollution restrictions put in place today by the EPA could all but end the controversial practice of mountaintop mining in Appalachia. Environmentalists hate the method, in which miners blow off the top of a mountain, extract the coal, and dump the extra rock and soil into the valley below....

GOP Challengers Target Democrats' 'War on Coal'
GOP Challengers Target
Democrats' 'War on Coal'
ELECTION 2010
Feb 15, 2010 12:39 PM CST

GOP Challengers Target Democrats' 'War on Coal'

In coal-country, Republicans turn election into vote on Obama policies

(Newser) - Republicans are latching on to the idea of a Democrat-led “war on coal,” hoping to woo anxious residents of coal-country states like West Virginia, Kentucky, and Ohio by presenting their rivals as hostile to the industry—and it's working, and could lead to the Election Day demise of...

White House Tree Arrives in Style
 White House Tree 
 Arrives in Style 
season's greetings
Nov 27, 2009 6:10 PM CST

White House Tree Arrives in Style

Douglas fir from W. Virginia will decorate Blue Room throughout the holidays

(Newser) - The White House Christmas tree arrived today in traditional style: by horse-drawn carriage. Michelle, Malia, and Sasha Obama met the 18½-foot Douglas fir and the West Virginia couple who grew it, Eric and Gloria Sundback, at the North Portico. The nonstop chirping of camera shutters provided the soundtrack, USA ...

Robert Byrd Now Longest-Serving Legislator Ever

By the senator's count, his career spanned 20,774 days

(Newser) - West Virginia Sen. Robert C. Byrd has become the longest-serving lawmaker in congressional history, a milestone to be marked today with a Senate resolution. "I look forward to serving you for the next 56 years and 320 days," Byrd said, adding that he was sorry his late wife...

W.Va. Woman Recants Kidnap, Torture Story

Prosecutor stands by '07 convictions, didn't rely on her testimony

(Newser) - A black woman who accused seven white people of beating and raping her while keeping her captive in a West Virginia trailer in 2007 has recanted her story, according to her lawyer. Six of the seven are currently serving prison time after confessing and accepting plea bargains. Megan Williams, whose...

Jay Rockefeller Is the New Teddy
 Jay Rockefeller 
 Is the New Teddy 
analysis
Oct 7, 2009 1:10 PM CDT

Jay Rockefeller Is the New Teddy

Senator inherits Kennedy's cause of health care reform

(Newser) - Jay Rockefeller shares little of the temperament of the late Ted Kennedy, but what they do share is essential. “Massive wealth and a virtual lock on his Senate seat frees a man to do what he believes in,” writes Margaret Carlson. And for both men—the West Virginia...

Fall Sends Byrd to Hospital
 Fall Sends Byrd to Hospital 
Sep 22, 2009 11:27 AM CDT

Fall Sends Byrd to Hospital

Spokesman says Democratic senator will likely not be admitted

(Newser) - Sen. Robert Byrd is at the hospital after a fall at his Northern Virginia home, the Washington Post reports. The 91-year-old West Virginia Democrat has been scarce at the Capitol recently after a previous hospitalization that ended in June. The longest-serving US senator ever “apparently stood up too fast...

'We Were Just Pawns:' Lynndie England

(Newser) - Lynndie England is trying to rebuild some semblance of a normal life, but her past continues to haunt her, she tells the AP. “It’s my face that's always recognized,” the former Army Reservist and poster child for Abu Ghraib abuse said of trying to get a job—...

Court: Elected Judges Can't Rule on Major Donors

Kennedy gives opinion in 5-4 decision

(Newser) - The Supreme Court ruled today that elected judges must recuse themselves from cases when large campaign contributions from interested parties create the appearance of bias. By a 5-4 vote in a case from West Virginia, the court said that a judge who remained involved in a lawsuit filed against his...

W. Va. Considers Banning Barbie on 50th Birthday

Lawmaker seeks to switch emphasis from beauty to brains

(Newser) - A West Virginia lawmaker wants to boot Barbie and dolls like her from store shelves before the famous babe celebrates her 50th birthday next week, reports Fox News. Banning the dolls would send a message to children and adults that education is more important than physical beauty, said the lawmaker....

Supreme Court Hears Case on Role of Money in Justice

Dispute inspired a John Grisham novel

(Newser) - This week, the Supreme Court will hear a case so twisty it inspired a John Grisham novel, the Washington Post reports. At stake: the standards for judicial impartiality. The owner of a small coal company sued a huge one, alleging it illegally drove him out of business. He won, but...

PETA Video Shows W.Va. Workers Abusing Turkeys

Animal-rights org files criminal complaint; W.Va. company vows to punish workers

(Newser) - Just ahead of Thanksgiving, workers at a West Virginia farm are shown stomping turkeys and twisting their necks to kill them in an undercover video released by PETA, AP reports. The employee who filmed the stomach-turning scenes says the birds are kept in overcrowded barns and that employees brag about...

W.Va. Town Is Nation's Tubbiest

Economic troubles, lifestyle traditions distract from rampant obesity

(Newser) - Dietary tradition helps make Huntington, W.Va., the nation's most obese and unhealthy city, the AP reports. The five-county area, where poverty rates are high, boasts many pizza and hot dog joints—but Huntington's mayor will not follow the lead of New York City and ban trans fats in restaurants....

Dems Gain a State With Nixon Win in Missouri
 Dems Gain a State With Nixon Win in Missouri
governors races
Nov 5, 2008 1:00 AM CST

Dems Gain a State With Nixon Win in Missouri

They take 7 of 11 governor contests

(Newser) - Democrats captured a Republican governor's seat last in Missouri, where state Attorney General Jay Nixon defeated Rep. Kenny Hulshof, AP reports. And in the night's closest races, Democrats Bev Purdue won in North Carolina and Christine Gregoire beat her opponent in Washington. With all 11 races in, Democrats now control...

Governors Face Tight Races
 Governors Face Tight Races 
Nov 4, 2008 2:44 AM CST

Governors Face Tight Races

Eleven states in play, four are close

(Newser) - Eleven states are choosing governors in a number of tight races today, with both Democrats and Republicans already crowing about victory. The closest contests are in Washington and North Carolina, reports MarketWatch. Neither state has elected a Republican in 20 years, but polls show candidates are neck-and-neck in both states....

City Covered Up Yeager's Fabled Bridge Stunt

Press, public kept mum about '48 flight under city bridge

(Newser) - When local son Chuck Yeager flew his jet under a Charleston bridge in 1948, there was no advance warning—and no official record of it afterward. The rebellious fighter pilot was scheduled to buzz a boat race, but no one expected him to do it from 6 feet above the...

Deep South Leads in Obesity
 Deep South Leads in Obesity 
Jul 18, 2008 7:13 AM CDT

Deep South Leads in Obesity

Southern states have highest rate, led by Mississippi

(Newser) - The South has the nation's largest percentage of obese residents, a new survey by the Centers for Disease Control finds, with 30% of adults in Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee qualifying as obese. Even in Colorado, the state with the best fat stats, 19% of the populace is obese.

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