Free Republic

Thank you for sharing your thoughts regarding comprehensive health care reform. I understand how important this issue is to you, as it is to me, and I am grateful you have been in touch about it. When I first began my career in public service, I learned a valuable lesson: health care is a right and should not merely be a privilege. Today, it is an undeniable fact that thousands of families in our state carry the burden of failed health care policies and unmet promises. Roughly 17 percent of West Virginians have decided at one point or another not...

The Kanawha County Republican Executive Committee (KCREC) is without a doubt one of the best Republican county executive committees in the state and it shows. In fact, the KCREC is probably more active and more effective than the West Virginia Republican State Executive Committee. Read more... http://www.wvared.com/?p=1956

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- Sen. Jay Rockefeller sat down with several families in West Virginia Tuesday to talk about the need for health care reform. The roundtable event was at the University of Charleston. “Our health care system isn't working for West Virginia families. We simply cannot continue to accept the status quo - skyrocketing costs, no safety net, inadequate coverage, and insurance companies more concerned with making money and taking advantage of people than keeping them healthy and thriving," said Senator Rockefeller, Chairman of the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Health Care. "We need health care reform that means stability,...

A classic democrat rant. Ranks up there with Hillary's rant and the Dean Scream.

Senator Jay Rockefeller is going to be in Charleston tomorrow at a meeting on healthcare. Below is an email sent out by the AARP. As you can see, the email gives instructions on how to RSVP for the event. They note that the event is by RSVP only, so please call 304-340-4606 as soon as possible. Many folks are planning on showing up at 9:30. Just in case not everyone gets into the meeting, a peaceful demonstration will be held at that time. Please bring a sign expressing your thoughts on the healthcare legislation currently making its way through Congress....

INSTITUTE W.Va.-- The state convention of the West Virginia NAACP is underway in Kanawha County. On the second day of the event was a series of forums on a variety of civil rights issues, including racial profiling. A recent study commissioned by the West Virginia Legislature showed more minority drivers are stopped by police than white drivers. "It's very hurtful. It's very judgemental, judging people by their color or what they're driving or what they look like. It's unfair," said Constance Smith of Martinsburg. Smith is one of 60 delegates attending the NAACP State Convention at West Virginia State University....

<p>After months of planning, FR's DC Convention is coming together.</p> <p>Help make history, join in Free Republic's return to DC as a national group and help to herald in another wave of conservative activism Free Republic is famous for!</p> <p>“Reagan is good for business” was Andrew’s introduction to politics. “I was real little, but that’s what my dad used to say.” Andrew Wilkow began his radio career at the college radio station. Conservative leaning politics were always his heart and he expressed his views on the air regularly, much to the anger of his co-workers. “I was basically just anti-P.C. at first.” He broke out of music radio in 2002 when he was given a trial/fill-in slot for Mark Levin on his hometown station, WABC in NYC. “That was huge and that’s when I first met Sean Hannity.” Soon after that he earned a weekend slot then a full time job at an upstate station. I basically did a 300 mile roundtrip every weekend for over 3 years to do both shows. Wilkow’s move to SIRIUS brings his new sound of conservative talk radio to a national audience. To quote Andrew, “Now is the time for the new school of conservative voices with a whole new style and passion – moving to SIRIUS lets me take that style and passion nationwide."</p>

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Despite accusations of conflict of interest and other wrongdoing, Charleston City Council members agreed Monday to award all of a federal stimulus grant to the Kanawha Valley Collective -- and none to a competing group. The Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program grant will help hundreds of homeless and about-to-become homeless people during the next three years, city officials say. One local minister wasn't satisfied with the decision. "I hope you will amend your proposal," the Rev. Darin Freeman said in brief remarks to council members. "We believe there was a conflict of interest, a comedy of...

ATHENS — A first-person account of World War II bombing runs by a now-deceased McDowell County soldier resurfaced recently at his home in Athens. Harry Elmer Gates of War was 21 when he flew on at least 21 wartime missions from England to targets in Germany, Holland and France in 1944 as a technical sergeant in the U.S. Army Air Corps, the forerunner to the U.S. Air Force.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - West Virginia has tapped stimulus funds to clean, paint, resurface and replace a total of 87 bridges that it could not otherwise get to in the next six years. State highways officials say they also tried to distribute both the money and the square footage of new or improved spans evenly among West Virginia's three congressional districts. Officials say this approach explains why an analysis of stimulus spending by The Associated Press found that only around one-third of the West Virginia bridges selected are considered structurally deficient or obsolete.

TEAYS VALLEY, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- A local law firm says it is hoping to get some answers for people after a recent injection scare at an outpatient clinic in Charleston. The Prim Law Firm had an advertisement in the Tuesday edition of the Charleston Gazette asking clients of Dr. J.K. Lilly at Appalachian Pain Clinic to please contact them if they were treated at the clinic between April 27th and May 13th, 2009. The Kanawha-Charleston Health Department has not released the name of the clinic where "significant infection control breaches occurred," but according to a news release from the department,...

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- Back in 2000, it was a program that put West Virginia Public Employees Insurance Agency ahead of the pack. The idea of making smokers pay more for their benefits hasn't always been liked, but it has worked. The fee started as $5 to $10 extra for workers who smoked. That cost has grown over the years. In July, the premium went up to $30 for single coverage and $50 for a family insurance plan. "I do pay because I'm honest and I don't mind paying the extra money to smoke," said Maurice Washington. Washington works for...

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- The Sierra Club has joined other environmental groups in intervening in Virginia proceedings to try to block a high-voltage multistate transmission line. The Sierra Club, represented by Earthjustice, said it filed papers Monday with Virginia's State Corporation Commission. SCC spokesman Ken Schrad says Monday was the deadline for intervening in the $1.9 billion line proposed by Pennsylvania's Allegheny Energy Co. and Ohio's American Electric Power Co. The Piedmont Environmental Council and the National Wildlife Federation also have filed notices of participation. The 765-kilovolt Potomac-Appalachian Transmission Highline, or PATH, would run across parts of northern Virginia and...

SACARMENTO, CA - A national "Tea Party Express" tour (website: www.TeaPartyExpress.org ) will conduct a series of 35 tea party rallies across the country 35 days from now. The "Tea Party Express" will rally Americans to oppose the current policies of higher deficit spending, higher taxes, bailouts and quasi-socialistic government policies. Starting in California on August 28th, the caravan will travel eastward towards its final destination of the massive 9/12/09 Taxpayer March on D.C. The "Tea Party Express" is a project of the Our Country Deserves Better Committee, one of the nation's largest conservative political action committees. What started out...

The ailing Sen. Robert Byrd returned to the Senate chamber on Tuesday, casting a vote against an amendment that would strip money from a defense bill. Byrd, the longest serving senator in history, is a die-hard appropriator and zealously guards the purse strings. His vote Tuesday, cast from his wheel chair, bucked the White House and Pentagon, both of which have said that additional F-22 fighters jets are not needed. (snip) The 91-year old West Virginia Democrat has been out since May suffering from a staph infection contracted when he was hospitalized for another type of infection. He was recently...

CHARLESTON -- West Virginians Against Cap and Trade marched in front of Senator Jay Rockefeller's Charleston office Wednesday. Organizer Thorney Lieberman said the group is worried that the Democrat Senator might vote for a bill that imposes cap and trade, which members say would be devastating for West Virginia and the nation. "They want to eliminate the burning of coal. More than 50 percent of the electricity in America is generated by burning coal. And, a lot of coal comes from west Virginia. So, it would be devastating on the economy," Lieberman said.

The Obama administration will make reforming the nation's 137-year-old hardrock mining law a top priority despite a full plate of higher profile issues, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said Tuesday. Salazar told a Senate committee considering reform legislation that "it is time to ensure a fair return to the public for mining activities that occur on public lands and to address the cleanup of abandoned mines." The General Mining Act of 1872, which gives mining preference over other uses on much of the nation's public lands, has left a legacy of hundreds of thousands of abandoned mines that are polluting rivers...

Outgoing Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin called President Obama's approval of cap-and-trade legislation to counter global warming "an enormous threat to our economy" in a Washington Post op-ed piece Tuesday morning. AP Sarah Palin -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stephen Moore of The Wall Street Journal agrees with Palin, calling the program the "India and China Redevelopment Act" because all of the related jobs in the United States are going to move there. Moore also referred to the legislation as a "war against the Midwest" because many Midwestern states rely heavily on coal for utilities, and utility rates are bound to increase in those states....

The results of two polls prepared by the Family Policy Council of West Virginia suggest that marriage is too big of an issue not to be given to the people to decide. While the outcome of a popular vote in West Virginia is far from certain, what is clear is the fact that an overwhelming number of West Virginians desire the opportunity to have the vote - if only to prevent the decision being made without their input. Marriage as the union of one man and one woman is among the most unifying and important of issues to West Virginians....

The West Virginia Conservative Foundation is backing efforts to convince the U.S. Senate to reject new cap-and-trade legislation passed by the House of Representatives last month. The new legislation would take steps to cut back carbon dioxide emissions in the U.S., particularly those from coal-fired power plants. During a Tuesday-morning news conference on the Capitol steps, a few people held signs reading, "West Virginia Needs Jobs, Not New Taxes. Say No To Cap & Trade." Mike Stuart, who heads the Conservative Foundation, said, "I am here as a citizen. My dad is a coal miner. My grandfather died from black...

WHEELING - He is not yet back to work in the Senate chamber, but U.S. Sen. Robert Byrd is opposing "cap and trade" legislation pushed by the Obama administration. The 91-year-old Byrd, D-W.Va., was released from an unidentified Washington, D.C. hospital last week after a month-long stay for a staph infection. He expects to return to the chamber before the Senate begins debate on "cap and trade" - which is tentatively set for this fall, according to Byrd's office. "I cannot support the House bill in its present form," Byrd said in a statement. "I continue to believe that clean...

Three people are dead after an apparent double murder-suicide in Preston County. Investigators say 50-year-old Charles Wise Junior, 51-year-old Kathy Wise, and 71-year-old Imogene Shaffer were found dead early Tuesday at a house on Schumaker Road. Gunshot wounds were found on all of the bodies, but police are waiting on autopsy results. Wise, Junior was inside the house, while the women were found outside. He was married to Wise, while Shaffer was her mother. Police think Wise, Junior killed the women before killing himself. A note was found somewhere other than the house, which leading police to investigate it as...

CHARLESTON - In an unusual promotion, the West Virginia Power baseball team is planning to give the first 1,000 fans a commemorative figurine July 4. While giving away bobblehead dolls and other figures has become popular at athletic events, the Power's plan to give away a likeness of United States Senator Robert C. Byrd is thought to be a bit off the beaten path. In fact, according to a Power spokesman, representatives of the West Virginia Democrat were concerned when they heard about the plans. "They were concerned and wanted it done in a classy manner," said Kristin Call, marketing...

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Ginger Whittaker Bragg, daughter of Powerball winner Jack Whittaker, was found dead in her Daniels home, authorities said. Chief Deputy D.E. Stafford of the Raleigh County Sheriff's Department said in a press release that deputies were called to Bragg's Lake Drive home in the Glade Springs Resort Sunday afternoon after receiving a report of a dead person in the home. Deputies said Bragg, 42, died inside her home. Stafford said the department does not suspect foul play but is investigating. Bragg's father won a $314 million Powerball jackpot on Christmas Day 2002, then the largest amount ever...

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- A mom is in jail because police say her son got his hands on something no toddler should ever touch. Officers have charged 24-year-old Hannah Workman with gross neglect after police say her four-year-old son shot himself in the leg. The gunshot wound is not life-threatening, but the little boy did have to undergo surgery today. According to the criminal complaint, it was Workman's other son, a 2-year-old, who found the gun, which he then gave to his 4-year-old brother. "There was a gun underneath my couch,” Workman said. “My boyfriend put it there. My son...

One of West Virginia's U.S. senators is opposed to the landmark global warming bill that passed the House Friday, while the other has "serious concerns" about the measure.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- The West Virginia State Troopers Association said leaving new employees to cover the costs of state insurance coverage will hurt everyone. Leaders said it will make it impossible for them to recruit and keep qualified state troopers, which will hurt public safety. Several troopers joined teachers and other state workers at a public hearing Monday night to speak out about the proposal. The idea is to eliminate the health care retirement subsidy for anyone who is hired by the state after next year. That would make the cost of health care about $1,000 each month after...

KANAWHA COUNTY, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- Nearly a year later, many lessons have been learned from Kanawha County's smoking ban. Now, the health department is taking a look back at its success and downfalls. Health Department officials said they've received a lot of positive feedback, but they don't ever expect to have a 100 percent compliance rate. They've taken 12 business owners to court so far, but all of those cases are still pending. Environmental services director Anita Ray said she wishes they would have educated the public more on the dangers of smoking before they passed the ban. Complaints are...

A Logan County judge ruled last week that the state Department of Environmental Protection should grant Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. the permits it needs to develop gas wells in the 3,300-acre Chief Logan State Park. Story by Dan Page Email | Bio | Other Stories by A Logan County judge ruled last week that the state Department of Environmental Protection should grant Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. the permits it needs to develop gas wells in the 3,300-acre Chief Logan State Park. Let's give a rousing cheer for Logan County Circuit Judge Roger L. Perry, whose opinion protects the...

JACKSON COUNTY, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- A Ravenswood man is facing sexual assault charges for allegedly abusing his then girlfriend's 10-year-old relative. 49-year-old Myron Starcher is behind bars at the South Central Regional Jail. He is charged with sexual assault in the first degree, sexual abuse by a parent, guardian, custodian or person in a position of trust, sexual abuse in the first degree and filming/photographing a sexual act on a minor. According the criminal complaint, the crime took place in May 2007 at a trailer in Ravenswood.

Ending his neutrality on a controversial climate bill meant to curb greenhouse gas emissions, Rep. Nick Rahall came out in opposition Thursday on the eve of a planned showdown in the House. Known as cap and trade, the proposal would compel industries to curtail emissions by 17 percent by 2020, out of concern they contribute to the unproven theory of global warming. Rahall told The Register-Herald the 17 percent standard was “still too high,” and he wants to see more emphasis on the development of clean coal technologies. In its original draft, the bill specified a 20 percent reduction. “That’s...

A group of eco terrorists last week invaded a coal mining operation in our county and caused a load of trouble.

The upside to Gerald Walpin’s firing as inspector general for the federal agency that oversees AmeriCorps is that he could appear in one of those “Organizing for America” ads that highlight Americans who have lost their jobs along with their health care. It’s just a thought. Walpin became the center of some media attention last week for suspending Barack Obama supporter Kevin Johnson, a former NBA star and now mayor of Sacramento, for irregularities in his use of federal money when he ran a charity. Walpin was asked by the board of the Corporation for National and Community Service to...

Jamie Michael Overstreet sentenced to 240 months in prison. HUNTINGTON W.Va.-- Jamie Michael Overstreet, 29, of Huntington, was sentenced Monday by United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers to 240 months in prison for producing, possessing and trafficking in child pornography. Overstreet previously pleaded guilty in December 2008, admitting the federal charges. The conviction stems from an investigation in California of an individual suspected of possessing child pornography. Evidence from that investigation divulged that the target was sharing child pornography with Overstreet, who resided in Huntington, WV. Authorities in West Virginia were alerted and a search of Overstreet’s residence was...

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- Police in Charleston have arrested a teenager in connection with the murder of an elderly woman. The suspect is a 14 year old male, so they are not releasing his name. Police say Phyllis Phares was found dead in her home on the city's west side Sunday evening. Police have yet to say how she died. Phares was 82-year-old and she lived alone. Right now, the teen is being charged as a juvenile, but prosecutors hope to try him as an adult.

WASHINGTON, DC - The nation's longest-serving United States senator remained under a doctor's care this week in Washington. Senator Robert C. Byrd, 91, a West Virginia Democrat, was said by his staff to be receiving treatment for a staph infection. Media accounts have said that Byrd, who has been in frail physical condition for some time, has been confined to a Washington, D.C. area hospital since May 15. Byrd's spokesman, Jesse Jacobs, would not reveal the site where Byrd was confined when asked last week. He also would not discuss the severity of Byrd's illness. A source, usually reliable, said...

Killed estranged husband while he was in intensive care CHARLESTON W.Va.-- Sammy Lee Stewart, 56, is dead after his estranged wife of three years Rhonda Kay Stewart, 53, shoots him inside CAMC Memorial Hospital in Charleston. Charleston Police tell us Rhonda went to the hospital to visit Sammy in the intensive care unit. While there, the two got into an argument and she was asked to leave. Police then say she returned a short time later, walked into the room and shot the victim in the head with a pistol. She reportedly then handed the pistol to a doctor. Sammy...

The current president and his administration, along with a select few, are seeking to redefine a century’s old and sacred institution. Marriage has been one of the most widely discussed topics, especially in light of activist judges and state legislatures that are willing to forego the whole will-of-the-people thing and do what they want. Even if what they want is diametrically and categorically in opposition to what the majority of people desire. Some would like to redefine marriage to include same-sex couples. But many of us know all too well that to begin messing with the definition of marriage is...

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - The West Virginia Supreme Court ruled Friday that a gay couple should have custody of an 18-month old foster child, overturning a judge's order that the girl should be placed with a heterosexual couple who might adopt her. In an unsigned opinion issued Friday, the court barred enforcing Fayette County Circuit Judge Paul Blake Jr.'s order that the girl should be taken away from Kathryn Kutil and Cheryl Hess. The girl has remained in the couple's custody throughout the court proceedings. The court noted there was no reason to believe the girl wasn't thriving with Hess...

The march away from a credible, accountable judiciary took another leap yesterday, as a 5-4 Supreme Court majority gave federal judges unprecedented oversight of state court recusal standards. This is more damaging than it sounds. West Virginia's Massey coal company CEO Don Blankenship spent some $3 million in 2004 on the judicial election of Brent Benjamin to the state Supreme Court of Appeals, including donations to outside groups. When a case involving Massey later came before Judge Benjamin's court and he ruled in favor of Massey, the loser sued and claimed a denial of due process because the judge didn't...

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- West Virginia's senior senator continues to recover in a Washington hospital, more than three weeks after he was admitted. Senator Robert C. Byrd's office reports he continues to fight a staph infection he developed while hospitalized. He remains in contact with his staff, but is not expected to return to his work on capitol hill this week. The 91-year-old says he appreciates well wishes from friends and collegues.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - The West Virginia Supreme Court has ruled in favor of a same-sex couple fighting to retain custody of an 18-month-old foster child. In an unsigned opinion issued Friday, the court barred enforcement of a Fayette County Circuit Court order that the girl should be taken away from Kathryn Kutil and Cheryl Hess. Judge Paul Blake Jr. had ruled the child should be placed with a heterosexual couple who might adopt her. he court says that was an error. The justices say Blake blurred legal principles applicable to abuse, neglect and adoption. Current law, the court says,...

BEAVERTON, OREGON (WSAZ) -- A pregnant woman from St. Albans was found murdered in a home in Oregon. The Washington County Sheriff's public information officer says the pregnant woman has been identified as Heather Megan Snively from St. Albans. Snively was 21 years old and still has family in our area. According to KGW News, an NBC station in Oregon, Snively's body was found in the crawl space of a Beaverton home, and the woman who lives there is facing murder charges. Police held on to the details of the bizarre murder scene for more than 24 hours after making...

According to Mason County Court records, Curtis Kimble, 57, faces 31 counts of sexual abuse. POINT PLEASANT W.Va.-- Another case of sexual abuse hits a local school system. A Mason County elementary school teacher has been charged with numerous sex charges Thursday. According to Mason County Court records, Curtis Kimble, 57, faces 31 counts of sexual abuse. Court documents state that the alleged abuse happened for 10 year between 1980 and 1990. The charges also claims that one of the incidents happened at Hannan High School where he is a teacher. Kimble also teaches at Ashton elementary. Bond has been...

RIPLEY W.Va.-- Robin Wise, a former financial secretary at Ripley High School, was arrested back in March and charged with embezzling after an audit of the school's records found more than $52,000 missing. The details of the audit were not made public until now. During the Jackson County School Board Meeting Thursday we were able to obtain a copy of that report. The audit found numerous instances where the cash portion of funds collected were not deposited. Money was missing from a variety of school accounts. A significant amount was missing from the money collected at the gates for admission...

CHARLESTON, WV—Aaron Cain Adkins, 35, of Summersville, WV, pled guilty today before United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr., admitting he used the internet in an attempt to entice and persuade a minor to engage in sexual intercourse with him. The conviction stems from a joint federal and state investigation. The investigation revealed that in May 2007, Adkins created a MySpace account purporting to be a 16-year-old female. He then began contacting two 13-year-old girls via the internet through the minor's MySpace account. Using the false identity, Adkins told the minors "she" had a friend who would pay $300...

BERKELEY SPRINGS - Morgan County Sheriff Vince Shambaugh said Monday that a local man has been arrested and charged with making threats against President Barack Obama. While the details of Meadows' alleged actions have not been made public, Shambaugh said that his prior military background may have played somewhat of a role. When his name was run through the system, Meadows was not found to have any previous history with law enforcement, Shambaugh said. "We took extra precautions because he is a veteran and has had weapons training, so we felt it was better to err on the side of...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Sen. Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia, the Senate's longest-serving member, has developed a serious infection and is being treated in the hospital with antibiotics.

Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) is still in the hospital two weeks after he was admitted for a minor infection, and it remains unclear whether the 91-year-old lawmaker will return to work next week. Rumors have circulated around the Capitol over the last 72-hours that the true nature of the Senator's illness is being fully disclosed.

Bad news for top tier recruit. WEB EXTRA: See the criminal report press release from Tallahassee Police Department. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- A future Marshall quarterback finds himself in trouble with the law. WCTV-TV in Tallahassee, Florida is reporting that A.J. Graham has been arrested on robbery charges. Tallahassee Police confirmed the arrest took place on Tuesday afternoon, however the alleged robbery happened on Friday in Tallahassee. Graham signed a scholarship to play football at Marshall University this fall. In a written statement Wednesday, Marshall University Head Football Coach Mark Snyder said Graham's scholarship had been revoked. Stay with WOWKTV.com for...