CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) -- A political action committee has filed a federal lawsuit targeting West Virginia's limits on campaign contributions and corporate political spending. The state caps contributions at $1,000 per election. Corporations are also barred from contributing directly to candidates or political action committees. Stay the Course West Virginia is asking a U.S. District Court judge to strike down both rules as unconstitutional. The group backs incumbent officeholders who have helped improve the state's business climate. Potential contributors include Pineville Lumber. Company President Everett Hannah has donated to Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin's campaign. Hannah says his company wants to give $5,000 to Stay the Course, but can't because of the campaign finance rules. The lawsuit names Secretary of State Natalie Tennant as West Virginia's ... Continue reading →

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) -- A political action committee has filed a federal lawsuit targeting West Virginia's limits on campaign contributions and corporate political spending. The state caps contributions at $1,000 per election. Corporations are also barred from contributing directly to candidates or political action committees. Stay the Course West Virginia is asking a U.S. District Court judge to strike down both rules as unconstitutional. The group backs incumbent officeholders who have helped improve the state's business climate. Potential contributors include Pineville Lumber. Company President Everett Hannah has donated to Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin's campaign. Hannah says his company wants to give $5,000 to Stay the Course, but can't because of the campaign finance rules. The lawsuit names Secretary of State Natalie Tennant as West Virginia's ... Continue reading →

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) -- A former West Virginia doctor admits she provided drug prescriptions to people she never examined. Diane Shafer pleaded guilty Thursday to conspiracy to misuse a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration registration number. Prosecutors say she faces up to four years in prison at an Aug. 24 sentencing. The 60-year-old admitted she left signed prescription slips at her Mingo County office. Staff then handed out those slips to people in exchange for cash. Shafer didn't see these people or determine they needed the pain and anti-anxiety drugs prescribed. Prosecutors say Shafer wrote more than 118,000 prescriptions between 2003 and 2010. That's more than what some hospitals issue. Shafer's West Virginia medical license expired in 2009. Shafer has also been politically active. She lost ... Continue reading →

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Condolences streamed in from as far as Texas and Massachusetts as fans and friends gathered Thursday in Morgantown to pay tribute to former West Virginia University football coach Bill Stewart. Stewart died Monday of an apparent heart attack at age 59 while on a golf outing with former athletic director Ed Pastilong. Mourners attended a seven-hour public viewing at the Morgantown Event Center as police and hotel security tried to keep journalists outside. Inside a cavernous ballroom, hundreds of chairs were set up so family, friends and fans could view photos projected on two screens. Framed and mounted photo collages were tucked into a long, curving row of flower arrangements. Among those saying goodbye was Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin. "He practiced what ... Continue reading →

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) -- A former West Virginia doctor admits she provided drug prescriptions to people she never examined. Diane Shafer pleaded guilty Thursday to conspiracy to misuse a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration registration number. Prosecutors say she faces up to four years in prison at an Aug. 24 sentencing. The 60-year-old admitted she left signed prescription slips at her Mingo County office. Staff then handed out those slips to people in exchange for cash. Shafer didn't see these people or determine they needed the pain and anti-anxiety drugs prescribed. Prosecutors say Shafer wrote more than 118,000 prescriptions between 2003 and 2010. That's more than what some hospitals issue. Shafer's West Virginia medical license expired in 2009. Shafer has also been politically active. She lost ... Continue reading →

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) -- A political action committee has filed a federal lawsuit targeting West Virginia's limits on campaign contributions and corporate political spending. The state caps contributions at $1,000 per election. Corporations are also barred from contributing directly to candidates or political action committees. Stay the Course West Virginia is asking a U.S. District Court judge to strike down both rules as unconstitutional. The group backs incumbent officeholders who have helped improve the state's business climate. Potential contributors include Pineville Lumber. Company President Everett Hannah has donated to Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin's campaign. Hannah says his company wants to give $5,000 to Stay the Course, but can't because of the campaign finance rules. The lawsuit names Secretary of State Natalie Tennant as West Virginia's ... Continue reading →

Weekly US jobless aid applications dip to 370,000 CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABER Published: 18 minutes ago WASHINGTON (AP) - The number of people seeking unemployment aid changed little last week, signaling modest job growth.The Labor Department says weekly unemployment benefit applications dipped by 2,000 to a seasonally adjusted 370,000.Applications have leveled off this month after spiking in April to a five-month high of 392,000. The four-week average, a less volatile measure, has also declined - it was 370,000 last week.The lower level suggests hiring could pick up a bit in May from April's sluggish pace. When applications drop below 375,000 a week, it typically suggests hiring is strong enough to lower the unemployment rate.Economists forecast employers have added 160,000 jobs this month. That's above April's gains ... Continue reading →

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Sales of new homes rose solidly last month, adding to evidence of gradual improvement in the housing market. The Commerce Department says sales increased 3.3 percent in April from March to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 343,000. That followed a 7.3 percent decline in March. A pickup in hiring and cheaper mortgages, combined with lower home prices in most markets, has made home buying more attractive. Builder confidence has increased steadily since the fall, a sign that some expect the market to improve later this year. Still, sales of new homes are well below the 700,000 annual sales that economists equate with healthy markets. In April, sales rose in all regions except the South. The median price rose to $235,700, up ... Continue reading →

Actor Michael McKean, who portrayed the lead singer in the movie "This is Spinal Tap," was injured when he was struck by a car in New York City. A McKean spokeswoman, Harriet Sternberg, says the actor suffered a broken leg. AP In this April 14, 2012 photo, Michael McKean arrives to the TV Land Awards 10th Anniversary in New York. McKean, who portrayed “Spinal Tap’s” lead singer David St. Hubbins in the movie "Spinal Tap," and Lenny on the hit television show, "Laverne & Shirley," was injured when he was struck by a car in New York City on Tuesday, May 22, 2012. A spokesperson for McKean said that his leg was broken in the accident. (AP Photo/Charles Sykes) Close Emergency officials say McKean was ... Continue reading →

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) -- West Virginia has the seventh-highest death rate involving accidents and violence among U.S. residents, spurred in part by fatal poisonings and motor vehicle crashes, according to a report on injury prevention released Tuesday. The report by the nonprofit groups Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation found that such overall fatalities in West Virginia occur at a rate of 82 per 100,000 people, compared with the national rate of about 58. The report cited statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showing West Virginia had the second-highest rate of poisoning deaths at 22 per 100,000 residents from 2007-09. New Mexico was the highest at 27.9. The national average was 13.3. And West Virginia had the seventh-highest ... Continue reading →