The Charleston Gazette - Putnam County

Putnam superintendent gets 13 percent raise

(Kate White) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:17:23 -0500

WINFIELD, W.Va. -- The Putnam County Board of Education approved a new four-year contract for Superintendent Chuck Hatfield with a 13 percent salary increase, placing him among the highest paid in the state. The new contract, which takes effect in Jul...

Deaths linked to ear-sealing headphones skyrocket

(Kate White) — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 23:45:00 -0500

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Deaths and serious injuries to people listening to music through headphones who are hit by trains or motor vehicles have more than tripled in the past six years, according to a study released last month by the University of Marylan...

Hurricane High School shaken by students death

(Kate White) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 20:00:00 -0500

HURRICANE, W.Va. -- While Hurricane High School students gathered to mourn the death of a 16-year-old student killed after being hit by a train Tuesday, some wondered if anything could have been done to prevent his death. Jacob Dwayne Ball, of Hurrica...

Man sues Nitro company, alleges age discrimination

(Kate White) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 19:12:43 -0500

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- A former employee has filed a lawsuit in Putnam County against the worlds largest crane company for age discrimination, among other allegations. Hurricane resident Cecil Hypes filed the suit in Putnam Circuit C...

Brad Paisley helps Teays Valley man propose

(Kate White) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 20:00:00 -0500

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Vanessa Pritts engagement to Jason Davis is one thing that happened in Las Vegas that isnt staying there.Instead, the ceremony can be seen by millions of people worldwide on YouTube -- thanks to country music star Brad Paisley, a Glen ...

Hurricane High student killed by train

(Kate White) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:46:11 -0500

HURRICANE, W.Va. -- A Hurricane High School student was hit and killed by a train Tuesday near Teays Valley Road. Jacob Dwayne Ball, 16, was walking home along the tracks near Teays Valley Road across from the high school when he was struc...

Two more file for Putnam races

(Staff reports) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 18:28:56 -0500

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The attorney who represented Putnam and Mason counties in a House redistricting lawsuit last year filed to run for state Senate on Saturday. Jennifer Scragg Karr, 37, of Buffalo, filed to run for the newly created 8th District tha...

Hurricane High project urges fast-food restaurants to buy locally

(Kate White) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 21:20:59 -0500

HURRICANE, W.Va. -- A team of Hurricane High School students is working on a project to establish greater food sustainability in the area by trying to get fast food restaurants to buy their produce from local growers. "Were looking at major fast-...

Saturday last day to file for Putnam County elections

(Staff reports) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:29:47 -0500

WINFIELD, W.Va. -- Saturday is the last day to file for office in Putnam County. The County Clerks Office will be open from 8 a.m. to noon, and candidates who postmark their paperwork by midnight Saturday will still be eligible. ...

Man allegedly bites, uses stun gun on State trooper

(Staff reports) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:47:27 -0500

WINFIELD, W.Va. -- An Ohio man is in jail after allegedly biting and using a stun gun on a State Police trooper.

Robin Earl Slater, 50, of Langsville, was asked for his driver...

Some worried about proposed drug rehab in Buffalo

(Kate White) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 21:13:37 -0500

BUFFALO, W.Va. -- Tudy Bowman said even though she knows theres a serious drug problem in Buffalo, she doesnt want a substance abuse center in her neighborhood. "Theres a bad drug problem in Buffalo, but this facility isnt geared toward that ...

Jury pool selected in Monsanto case

(Staff reports) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 19:24:12 -0500

WINFIELD, W.Va. -- A pool of jurors has been chosen in the huge class-action pollution trial against Monsanto, which owned a chemical plant in Nitro, a spokeswoman for the state Supreme Court said Wednesday. After nearly four weeks, 28 jurors have bee...

Teays Valley VFD might stay with Putnam fire board

(Kate White) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 20:28:00 -0500

WINFIELD, W.Va. -- The Teays Valley Volunteer Fire Department is trying to reach an agreement by April with the Putnam County Fire Service Board so it wont have to withdraw, the leader of the department said Tuesday. "We have offered a list o...

Putnam OKs engineers to solve Hometown flooding

(Kate White) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 20:29:51 -0500

WINFIELD, W.Va. -- Putnam County commissioners agreed Tuesday to move forward with engineering work needed to temporarily prevent flooding in Hometown. Commissioners reached a $15,500 cost agreement with Ok4, headquartered in Louisville, Ky., to perfo...

Bag ladies make a difference in their town

(Kate White) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 20:39:54 -0500

HURRICANE, W.Va. -- Every Tuesday morning, Tina Chaney heads to the Christian Community Cupboard in Hurricane. Not to pick up food, but instead she gathers crumpled up plastic bags. "All of the donations people bring [to the cupboard] come i...

Hurricane woman gets life in prison for daughters death

(Kate White) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 13:22:59 -0500

WINFIELD, W.Va. -- A Putnam County judge said he thought of a child gasping for air in the last months of life while he sentenced a Hurricane mother to spend the rest of her life in prison for murdering her 3-year-old daughter. Last October,...

More candidates file for Putnam election

(Staff reports) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 18:02:09 -0500

WINFIELD, W.Va. -- Joseph K. "Joe" Reeder, an attorney in Hurricane, filed to run for circuit judge as a Republican, Putnam County Clerk Brian Wood said Thursday. Reeder joins Democrat Rosalee Juba-Plumley of Poca in the race to fill the las...

Hurricane man enters plea in wreck scuffle

(Kate White) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 21:18:59 -0500

WINFIELD, W.Va. -- On the eve of his trial date, a Hurricane father involved in a scuffle with emergency personnel at the scene of his daughters car accident entered a Kennedy v. Frazier plea to obstructing an officer. With a Kennedy plea, the defenda...

Applications being taken for Putnam home repair project

( ) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 17:57:02 -0500

HURRICANE, W.Va. -- Applications are being taken for residents in the Hurricane, Winfield and Eleanor areas who could use help with home repairs this summer. Services provided by student volunteers with Reach Workcamps will be available to homeow...

Poca attorney files for circuit judge position

(Staff reports) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 19:00:00 -0500

WINFIELD, W.Va. -- Rosalee Juba-Plumley, of Poca, filed to run for circuit judge in Putnam County as a Democrat on Tuesday, Putnam County Clerk Brian Wood said. Juba-Plumley is an attorney in Eleanor and previously ran for circuit judge in 2008, when Putn...

Kanawha, Putnam share $591K in school innovation zone funds

(Kate White) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 20:52:41 -0500

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Schools in Kanawha and Putnam counties were awarded nearly $600,000 in "innovation zone" funding Thursday, which will help expand project-based learning and technology in Buffalo and pilot a three-year dropout-prevention ...

Judge clarifies media rule for Monsanto trial

(Kate White) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 17:56:35 -0500

WINFIELD, W.Va. -- The judge in the huge class-action pollution trial against Monsanto issued an order clarifying permissible media coverage of the trial. Mercer Circuit Judge Derek Swope said he will allow cameras and audio equipment in the cour...

Putnam to seek state funding for Hometown flood study

( ) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 18:26:34 -0500

WINFIELD, W.Va. -- Putnam County commissioners will ask the state for permission to use money they received to study floodwater in Hometown for engineering work there. Last year, the county received a $15,000 Community Participation Grant to help pay ...

More candidates file in Kanawha, Putnam counties

(Staff reports) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 20:00:00 -0500

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Kanawha County Prosecutor Mark Plants, a Republican, filed for re-election on Tuesday. He has served as prosecutor for the past four years. Also in Kanawha County, three incumbent magistrates filed for reelection: Pete Lopez, Jack ...

Sorsaia files for fifth term as Putnam prosecutor

(Kate White) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 23:45:00 -0500

WINFIELD, W.Va. -- Many observers expected Putnam County Prosecuting Attorney Mark Sorsaia to run for the countys vacant circuit judge seat. But on Monday, he filed paperwork to seek another term as prosecutor. "I really thought about running for jud...

National group looks to stream Monsanto trial live

(Kate White) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 19:24:45 -0500

WINFIELD, W.Va. -- A national media organization has asked the judge in a huge pollution trial against Monsanto Co. to reconsider his ruling denying their request to place a camera in the courtroom and stream a live feed of the trial over the Internet....

Monsanto jurors must decide if Nitro residents should be tested for disease

(Kate White) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 17:00:50 -0500

WINFIELD, W.Va. -- Putnam County jurors chosen to sit in the upcoming case against Monsanto, a former Nitro chemical plant, will have to decide whether thousands of current and former Nitro residents should be periodically tested for disease at the exp...

Smoky odor causes hotel evacuation

(Staff reports) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 18:36:30 -0500

HURRICANE, W.Va. -- Guests were evacuated from the Holiday Inn Express hotel in Hurricane on Thursday morning after reports of a smoky odor, a volunteer firefighter said.

C...

Putnam deputy OK after wreck, wife says

(Staff reports) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 18:38:40 -0500

POCA, W.Va. -- A Putnam County deputy who wrecked his cruiser Wednesday night received minor injuries, his wife said.

Deputy Daniel Redka was taken to...

No settlement reached in Monsanto mediation

(Kate White) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 09:18:00 -0500

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Jury selection in the class-action lawsuit against Monsanto will begin next week after no settlement was reached during about eight hours of mediation T...