Have coffee with me

December 4, 2012 by Zack Harold
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Here’s the thing, dear reader. We have a wonderful relationship, it’s something that means a lot to me, but something has to change.

Perhaps you’ve noticed it, too. Our relationship is mostly one-sided. I write things, the newspaper publishes them on paper or on a website and then you read them. That’s how our conversations go. I talk, you listen. But that’s not going to be very good for our friendship in the long run, is it? Since I can’t hear you, I’m going to assume you agree with me.

Here’s “Teen Mom 2″ star Leah Messer exiting Taylor Books a few years ago. We doubt George Hohmann, Paul Fallon and Zack Harold’s appearance at the downtown cafe will cause such a ruckus…but there’s always that hope.

We here at the Charleston Daily Mail are trying to change how newspapers work. Most of that work involves changing our relationship with our readers, since you’re the reason we get to do this job in the first place. As I hope you’ve seen, we want to connect with you through blogs, on Facebook, Twitter and even Pinterest.

But our goals aren’t limited to the interwebs. We want to meet you in person and hear your ideas and concerns. We figure that’s the best way to learn what you want from us.

So mark your calendars.

This Friday, Dec. 7, Daily Mail business editor George Hohmann, city/county reporter Paul Fallon and I will set up shop at Taylor Books in downtown Charleston from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Stop by and see us. We’ll probably be tapping away on laptops (you think our bosses would actually let us go to a cafe for an hour and not get some work done?) but feel free to interrupt. You are the whole reason we’re doing this.

We’ll be posting reminders about the meetup throughout the week, so follow us on Twitter at @ZackHarold, @PaulBFallon and @GeorgeHohmann. Hope to see you there.

 

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Posted in Business, Charleston, Health, Kanawha County, West Virginia, Zack Harold | No Comments »

Live from Morgantown, Virginia…

December 1, 2012 by Jared Hunt
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Doing live sports TV play-by-play is hard. It really is. It requires lots of time studying, learning the teams, getting to know the school and its hometown. Even the best make mistakes. So when it’s your first time in a new location, there’s a learning curve…for some, it’s steeper than others.

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If I won the Powerball jackpot….

November 28, 2012 by Jared Hunt
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By now, you’ve probably heard the Powerball jackpot is (to use a technical term) GINORMOUS! Even though you only have a 1 in 175, 223,510 chance of hitting it big, one can’t help but dream. Here’s what some people said they would do with the money.

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Court moves Patriot Coal case to St. Louis

November 27, 2012 by georgehohmann
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   The United Mineworkers of America said Tuesday (Nov. 27, 2012) that the bankruptcy court judge overseeing the Patriot Coal case has moved it from Manhattan to St. Louis. Here is the union’s complete press release:

————————————–

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Phil Smith, 703-291-2430

November 27, 2012

UMWA applauds change of venue in ruling in Patriot Coal bankruptcy case

[TRIANGLE, VA] United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) International President

Cecil E. Roberts issued the following statement today:

“The U.S. Bankruptcy Court made the right call today when it moved the

Patriot Coal case from New York to St. Louis. Nobody has ever mined one

ounce of coal in Manhattan. Patriot Coal executives set up two dummy

corporations in New York because they wanted their case heard in a forum far

from the coal fields.

“U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Shelley Chapman agreed with our argument about that,

saying in her opinion that, ‘this Court cannot allow the Debtor’s venue

choice to stand, as to do so would elevate form over substance in a way that

would be an affront to the purpose of the bankruptcy venue statute and the

integrity of the bankruptcy system.’

“St. Louis is where Patriot Coal is headquartered. More important, it’s the

headquarters for Peabody Energy and Arch Coal. These two companies spun off

their operations to Patriot in an attempt to run away from pension and

health care obligations to thousands of miners and their survivors.

“Referencing the actual voices of those whose health care is at risk in this

case, Judge Chapman wrote in her conclusion, ‘… hundreds of hand-written

letters have been received by the Court from the people whose hands mine the

Debtors’ coal and their widows and children. Many of them enclosed family

pictures, or lists of ailments and medications. Some of them asked for a

personal response. All of them were respectful, and compelling. This

decision reflects the Court’s attempt to craft a just and balanced solution

to the question of which bankruptcy court will become the next custodian not

only of these cases but also of these letters.’

“Making reference to the UMWA’s suit against Peabody and Arch to require

them to live up to their promises of health care to retirees and widows,

Judge Chapman also noted that Peabody is headquartered in St. Louis, which

she called, “significant in light of the issues that have been raised by the

UMWA with respect to its spin-off of Patriot and its responsibility to

provide promised cradle-to-grave health care benefits to Patriot employees

and retirees who worked for Peabody prior to the spin-off.’

“Though we would have preferred this case to be moved to Charleston, W. Va.,

moving it to St. Louis puts it on the front porch of Peabody Energy and Arch

Coal. We filed this case so that it would be moved away from a place where

no coal has ever been mined to a place where people are familiar with the

coal industry. The decision brings the case to the heart of the Illinois

coal basin, home to many of our active and retired members and their

families.

“This is a victory for the UMWA in what promises to be a long battle for the

workers, retirees, their dependents and widows at Patriot who seek only

fairness. Company executives who try to evade their obligations through a

slick transfer of corporate assets need to know that the UMWA will fight in

every way possible to make sure a promise made is a promise kept.”

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Posted in Business, Charleston, Courts, George Hohmann | No Comments »

West Virginia earthquake 2012

November 10, 2012 by Lauren McGill
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Kanawha Valley residents reported feeling tremors just after noon on Saturday, Nov. 10, 2012. The cause was a 4.3 magnitude earthquake in Eastern Kentucky.

Posted in Agriculture/Outdoors, Charleston, Kanawha County, Weather, West Virginia | 1 Comment »

Commissioners pledge to finish canvass in one day

November 8, 2012 by Zack Harold
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I have a story in today’s Daily Mail about Kanawha voters ousting two longtime delegates, Bonnie Brown and Bobbie Hatfield, both Democrats. Republicans now will fill three of the county’s four seats, as long as next week’s canvass doesn’t change the outcome of the election.

Kanawha County Clerk Vera McCormick said there are around than 1,100 provisional ballots in the county, including more than 430 provisional ballots in the 35th District. There are only 64 votes separating J.B. McCuskey and Hatfield. And Brown trails McCuskey by 235 votes.

Anyway, Kanawha County Commission President Kent Carper said in a statement today he is committed to finishing the canvass in one day.

Election workers check ballots for write-in candidates at the Kanawha Voters Registration Office on Tuesday night. Photo by Craig Cunningham. Copyright 2012, Charleston Daily Mail.

“We will begin the canvass at 7 a.m. and will continue until the canvass is finished, however long it takes.  We will stay until we are finished on Tuesday,” Carper said in the statement.

There were 1,300 provisional ballots in the 2008 general election, Carper said. That canvass began at 7 a.m. and ended at around 7:15 p.m.

According to the release, absentee ballots received by Election Day have already been counted and were included in election night totals. Absentee ballots received at the county Voters Registration Office between Election Day and the morning of the canvass will be counted in the canvass and included in the final vote totals.

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Posted in Kanawha County, Politics, West Virginia, Zack Harold | No Comments »

Election Day questions? Ask Google!

November 5, 2012 by Lauren McGill
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I was doing some background research for a reporter when I happened upon the coolest Google feature since the Trick-or-Treat doodle.

If you run a web search with any variation of the word “vote,” this nifty little information box appears at the top of the page. Just enter your address, and everything you could need to know ahead of Election Day pops up in one handy webpage.

Google anything with the word “vote” — or any of its variants — and this handy box pops up to guide you to answers about any questions you might have.

 

After you submit your personal info, Google will list your polling place (with a map), the name and phone number of your county clerk, and a ballot summary. Scroll through the list of races that you’ll be voting in and you can click any candidate’s name to run a Web search, be redirected to their Facebook page or easily visit their campaign website. There are links to YouTube campaign videos, primary election results, trends and more.

Here’s an example of the election resources Google instantly puts at users’ fingertips.

 

It’s a really cool, clean feature. If you are still on the fence about who to vote for, or if you just need a refresher of which races appear on the ballot, a simple search can quickly get you plenty of information.

And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention another Internet resource for all you last-minute decision makers. The complete list of Daily Mail endorsements is also posted handily on the Web. It’s also listed in black-and-white on page 4A of the Daily Mail — the perfect size for clipping out and carrying, if you’re so inclined.

If you’re gearing up to hit the polls tomorrow, or if you weren’t planning to vote but might be changing your mind, the Internet makes it all too easy to find nearly everything you want to know. No excuses to stay home, folks!

Happy voting!

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Gov. Rick Perry endorses Kent Leonhardt

November 2, 2012 by Zack Harold
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Texas governor and former Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry announced today his endorsement of West Virginia agriculture commissioner candidate Kent Leonhardt.

The Leonhardt campaign sent me a copy of Perry’s editorial this morning. Click here to read the whole thing (it’s a PDF file).

Perry begins his editorial with a little talk about Big 12 football, and how much Texas and West Virginia have in common: a love for high-scoring football, country music, and states with beautiful landscapes, plentiful natural resources and fertile ground for agriculture.

In addition, the good people of West Virginia remind me of the citizens I represent here in Texas – hardworking, conservative and fiscally responsible folks who believe in a smaller government that spends less while operating with fewer burdensome bureaucratic regulations.

Leonhardt posed for this photo with Texas Gov. Rick Perry at a Bill Maloney fundraiser this summer in Charleston.

Perry said his state has stood up to the “failing policies” of President Obama that are “overburdening our state with unnecessary regulations on agriculture and energy industries.”

West Virginia has become the new kid on the playground being targeted by Obama’s overbearing EPA. If their bullying is allowed to continue, small farms may be forced to shut their doors, and large agribusinesses will operate in an environment of uncertainty, costing West Virginia and America good jobs.

As a result, I encourage West Virginians to elect Kent Leonhardt, a farmer and retired Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel, to serve as your next Commissioner of Agriculture.

It’s difficult to imagine Perry’s endorsement will hold much sway with voters this close to Election Day, outside of a few Republican-leaning Democrats who liked him during the presidential primary.

The Leonhardt campaign has worked tirelessly to connect their opponent, Sen. Walt Helmick (D-Pocahontas) to Obama. If voters are going to believe Helmick and the president are in cahoots, they probably already feel that way.

Still, Perry’s a big name in the Republican party. His support can’t hurt Leonhardt’s chances at reclaiming an office held mostly by Democrats for the last half-century.

(It should be noted Leonhardt’s campaign manager, Ward Wyatt, used to work in Texas before coming to West Virginia to run Leonhardt’s ag commissioner bid, his first statewide campaign.)

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Posted in Agriculture/Outdoors, National News, Politics, West Virginia, Zack Harold | No Comments »

Storm update: Lumos, Suddenlink networks

October 31, 2012 by georgehohmann
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At 1:20 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 31, James Nester, spokesman for Lumos Networks, said, “We continue to experience service issues, primarily within West Virginia.  Ongoing weather patterns and resulting power outages continue to be the main contributors to such service issues. Compounding the problem is the fact that restoration of power has been limited due to inaccessibility as a result of weather conditions.”

Nester added,  “We have achieved significant success connecting our business and residential customers back on line.  While we have made significant progress, there is still a lot of work to be done.”

Asked for more details, Nester said,  “At this point, the majority of our rings are in good shape across West Virginia.  We’ve isolated the few issues we’re experiencing at this point to Summersville – where we performed a workaround to restore services to Summersville Memorial Hospital — and a few individual customers in Huntington.

“ Nodes down due to power outages in Charleston affecting legal, healthcare and governmental institutions  have all been restored. 

“Other than that, any other issues we’ve encountered have not impacted customer service but do require additional work.”

Nester said Lumos encourages customers to visit the company’s website, www.lumosnetworks.com  and connect to the company on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter (@lumosnetworks) for ongoing updates.

“To report an outage, please call 800-320-6144 or 540-941-4180 or send an email to roc@lumosnet.com with your name, call back number, and the problems you are experiencing,” he said.

Lumos operates a 5,800 route-mile fiber-optic network in Virginia, West Virginia and portions of four surrounding states.

 Suddenlink offers television, Internet, phone, security and other services to more than 220,000 residential households and 9,500 businesses in West Virginia, making it the largest cable broadband company in the state.

At 3 p.m. Wednesday Oct. 31, Michael Kelemen, Suddenlink’s director of government relations, said, “All of our central technical facilities remained operational throughout the storm and afterward.

“We continue to evaluate the storm damage to our cable lines, which has been minimal, thus far,” he said. “While many homes are still without power, the vast majority will have service available to them once power is restored.”

Customers should contact Suddenlink at 800-972-5757 if electrical power is restored but not other services, Kelemen said.

“Lines or equipment connected to individual homes may have been damaged by downed trees, tree limbs, or other storm-related factors, and we are diligently and steadily working to address those limited situations,” he said.

 

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Posted in Business, Charleston, George Hohmann, Weather, West Virginia | No Comments »

Storm update: Banks’ status

October 31, 2012 by georgehohmann
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At 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 31, City National Bank’s Craig Stilwell said, “All things considered, we weathered the storm fairly well. We did have 7 or 8 branches (of our network of 71) down from time to time on Tuesday, due to lack of power, but fortunately all of them were in areas where we had other branches open within a close proximity.

“For example, the South Hills office was down, but Kanawha City and the other Charleston offices were open. Our Operations Center in Cross Lanes was fully operational due to a generator we maintain to ensure no loss of power.

“This morning, we are down to 4 branches without power. Our ATM’s at all other branches were available, including 36 ATMs that are made available to City customers through a partnership we have with One Stop convenience stores.”

At 9:50 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 31, Brenda Robertson, president of WesBanco’s Kanawha Valley Region, said, “WesBanco’s only issue in Kanawha County is closure of the Sissonville branch and ATM due to a power outage. In checking with AEP, we were informed their estimate of restoring power to the area is Thursday morning. ” (UPDATE: Robertson emailed Thursday morning to say WesBanco’s Sissonville branch now has power and is open for business).

At 9:36 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 31, a United Bank employee who asked not to be quoted said Wood County, where United has numerous offices, “was pretty lucky to have just gotten rain and winds that didn’t do much damage. ”

United’s branch at the Charleston Town Center mall was open Tuesday afternoon but the automated teller machine outside of the office was not in service. It is one of the busiest United ATMs in the state. Emily Bartram, United’s regional retail sales manager, said in an email that the machine was in ”supervisory mode” from 4 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. “This is the result when the ATM is being serviced for things such as loading ink, paper or to replenish cash,” Bartram wrote.

At 12:30 p.m., Huntington Banks’ spokesman William Eiler said only one Huntington Branch in West Virginia – Elkins — is closed today, and that is because of a lack of electricity. Huntington has 25 branches in West Virginia. Eiler said Huntington has not experienced problems with any of its automated teller machines in the state.

 JPMorgan Chase spokeswoman Emily Smith said Wednesday that all of Chase’s branch offices and ATMs in West Virginia are up and running.

“Our crews from non-impacted areas chipped in to ensure the safety of Chase employees in the state of West Virginia and to ensure that the branches could open and support customers,” Smith said.

BB&T Corp. is the largest bank in West Virginia, when measured by market share.

At 3:40 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 31, David White, BB&T’s vice president of corporate communications, said, ““BB&T has 78 financial centers in West Virginia and today (Wednesday) only six were closed, primarily due to power-related issues.

“BB&T is committed to assisting clients in areas where branches were closed or had limited hours due to the storm,” White said. “We will consider each situation that occurred between Oct. 29 and Nov. 1 on a case-by-case basis. Please note: We will waive overdraft, returned item and negative account balance fees; clients with mortgage loans should call Mortgage Servicing for payment information; and clients with direct installment loans, Home Equity Lines and Preferred Lines should contact their lending officer for payment extension information.”

White said clients in affected areas may still be able to conduct business by accessing Phone24 (800-Bank-BBT/800-226-5228), through ATM locations or BB&T OnLine Banking at  www.bbt.com.

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Posted in Business, Charleston, George Hohmann, Kanawha County, Weather, West Virginia | No Comments »

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