Follow the troops
They are our neighbors ? grandparents, truck drivers, electricians, accountants, teachers, police officers ? and now they're in Iraq.

Sponsored by:
Putnam lawmakers are considering a bill that would require plumbers, electricians and others who are licensed or registered in the county to use the federal E-Verify program to ensure that their newly hired employees have authorization to work in the U.S.

BEN column
Good morning! It's going to be sunny on Sunday, the make good of the Bridgeton Christmas parade.

Leavitt hopes cold won?t have bad effect
MORGANTOWN ? More winter-like weather is in the long-range forecast for Saturday night when West Virginia is host to South Florida in the regular-season football finale for both teams.

Kemah Boardwalk slowly returning to pre-Ike status
The Kemah Boardwalk is making a dramatic comeback after suffering severe damage during Hurricane Ike in September.

Former TWV dancer pleads for solution
Before other space turned up, Joan Mills and her fellow dancers had no choice but to rehearse in the hallway of a Beckley newspaper building. This was 1961, and the cast of ?Honey in the Rock? was gearing up at a dizzying pace for the Civil War drama?s debut at Cliffside Amphitheater, a few miles outside Beckley in Grandview State Park.

Mac's Toy Fund update
Preparations for the 78th annual Mac?s Toy Fund continue.

Williams, Slaton lead Texans past Jags 30-17
HOUSTON ? Mario Williams, Steve Slaton and the Houston Texans put on quite a show in their Monday Night Football debut.

Z-Way roads project is progressing
Beckley-Raleigh County Transportation Authority and West Virginia Department of Transportation officials both agreed with proceeding to the next phase of the proposed Z-Way roads project after selecting an estimated $109 million alternative route recommended by a consulting engineering firm studying the issue.The first priority will be a segment that calls for construction on another portion of ...

Delegate wants old prison plans finished
West Virginia could ease the pressure of crowded penal institutions to a degree by simply completing two projects that would add 300 or more beds, says the co-chairman of a legislative panel on prisons and jails.

West Virginia Turnpike loses $3.1 million in 13 months
Hard times are hitting the West Virginia Turnpike where it hurts the worst ? at the tollbooths.

Details in shooting of 3-year-old surface
Details in the case of a 3-year old boy shot Saturday by his father are starting to come out.

12 Fayette schools receive ?distinguished? status for ?08
Principals and teachers were called to the head of the class at Monday?s Fayette County Board of Education meeting.

WVU sees USF as ?nemesis?
MORGANTOWN ? Last week, coach Bill Stewart declined to say West Virginia (7-4, 4-2) would be seeking revenge from Pitt for that 13-9 upset win that knocked the Mountaineers out of a shot for the national championship.

Roundup: Dillard selected KIAC player of the week
Woodrow Wilson graduate Will Dillard has been named the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week.

Princeton changes colors, officially drops ?Devil?
PRINCETON ? The 2009 Appalachian League season will see the Princeton Rays sporting new colors, wearing new uniforms, new ballcaps, and officially becoming ?devil-less,? the team announced Monday.

THE IRISH EMIGRANT
The Irish Emigrant

Vo-tech grad gives back to school
While his friends struggled to find jobs after college, 24-year-old business owner David Yates bought a new Corvette. He owes his success to the Upper Bucks vo-tech and hopes to give others a hand up

Central Park still a work in progress
After more than a year of work, Central Park is still a brown, fenced-off construction site. And the prediction of one city official a year ago that the park would be open in spring 2008... well, that didn't work out. But there's visible progress in the park. Most of the sidewalks are in, and city electricians are installing and wiring the lampposts. Streets will be closed next week for more ...

New law requires contractors to be licensed
Beaver County District Attorney Anthony Berosh says he has only one regret about new legislation covering contractors: It doesn't take effect until next summer.