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Politics, economy dominate 2008
Chris Harris/The Herald-Dispatch Local fire and rescue respond to a structure fire Wednesday, September 10, 2008, at the Milton Flea Market.
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HUNTINGTON -- A heated campaign season and a rocky economy dominated headlines locally and nationally in 2008.
Voters changed administrations with the election of Barack Obama as president and Kim Wolfe as Huntington mayor. Meanwhile the Tri-State weathered some of the economic storms that rocked the rest of the nation, but gradually began to the feel the impact of the year's historic downturn.
Other top local stories included a fire that damaged most of the Milton Flea Market, job additions and layoffs and a series of local homicides.
Here is a look at the Tri-State in 2008.
Not politics as usual
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION: Leading up to the May primaries and the Nov. 4 general election, presidential and vice presidential candidates made multiple visits to the Tri-State. President-elect Barack Obama spoke at the University of Charleston in March and spoke in Portsmouth, Ohio, in October after he received the Democratic nomination. Vice President-elect Joe Biden also made a stop in Charleston in October.
Republican presidential nominee John McCain also made visits to the Tri-State in order to garner votes for his battle against Obama. McCain spoke about the economy during a town hall meeting in Inez, Ky. in April. In a non-public event in Huntington, McCain met with the Marshall football team at Joan C. Edwards Stadium in Huntington and held a rally in Portsmouth in July.
Leading up to the general election a number of other presidential hopefuls stopped by area. During the prolonged battle for the Democratic presidential nominee, Sen. Hillary Clinton held campaign events in Charleston and Huntington.
The Republicans made their presence known early in the year with the first-ever West Virginia GOP Presidential Convention in early February. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee won the convention and was expected to receive the state party's 18 national convention delegates but McCain received the national nomination.
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, spoke during the event while McCain did not attend.
Barack Obama swept to victory in November as the nation's first black president in an electoral college landslide that overcame racial barriers as old as America itself.
The Democratic senator from Illinois sealed his historic triumph by defeating Republican Arizona Sen. John McCain in a string of wins in hard-fought battleground states.
West Virginia voted for McCain, marking the third consecutive presidential election that the Mountain State has voted for a Republican.
MAYORAL ELECTION: Huntington city government also saw a change in leadership this year. Cabell County Sheriff Kim Wolfe, who was unopposed in May's Republican primary, defeated Democratic incumbent David Felinton and two independent candidates in convincing fashion in November to become the city's next mayor.
Felinton had defeated Cabell County Commissioner Bob Bailey and two other candidates in the Democratic primary, but he couldn't overcome Wolfe and his platform, which focused on eradicating crime, cleaning up the city and restoring accountability to City Hall.
HOME RULE: Huntington was one of four cities chosen by a state panel in May to participate in a five-year, home rule pilot program. The program gave the city authority to adopt a 1 percent occupation tax, establish a land bank to deal with dilapidated housing and address fire-burned structures with legislation restricting the use of insurance claim proceeds. City Council has only approved the insurance proposal thus far.
DELEGATION REMAINS THE SAME: Though thousands of dollars were spent by local political hopefuls to secure positions in the state Legislature, Cabell and Wayne County's representatives stayed the same following the Nov. 4 General Election.
Retaining their seats in House District 15 are Kevin J. Craig, D-Cabell, Carol Miller, R-Cabell, and Jim Morgan, D-Cabell. Retaining their seats in House District 16 are Doug Reynolds, D-Cabell, Kelli Sobonya, R-Cabell, and Dale Stephens, D-Cabell. Retaining their seats in House District 17 are Richard Thompson, D-Wayne, and Don Perdue, D-Wayne.
Robert H. Plymale, D-Wayne, retained his seats in Senate District 5.
The congressional delegation remained the same with Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., and Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., all retaining their seats.
STATE SUPREME COURT: Following intense scrutiny, the chief judge of the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals recused himself in January from a multi-million dollar lawsuit involving Massey Energy.
Chief Justice Elliott "Spike" Maynard made the decision days after issuing a statement that his friendship with Massey Energy Chief Executive Officer Don Blankenship had not impacted his decision to vote with a 3-2 majority to overturn a $76 million verdict against Massey.
The controversy arose when photos surfaced earlier in 2008 showing Maynard and Blankenship spending time together while they were vacationing in France. The photos came to light after Maynard helped reverse a $76 million verdict against Massey for stealing coal contracts from smaller companies and putting them out of business.
The controversy led to Maynard losing his seat in the primary election.
Longtime Huntington attorney Menis Ketchum was elected to a 12-year term on the court in November. Ketchum, a Democrat, was the top vote-getter in the Nov. 4 election with 353,293 votes followed by Democrat Margaret Workman, a former justice, with 333,254 votes. The lone Republican in the race, Elizabeth Walker, received 327,084 votes.
Ketchum and Workman will join the court Jan. 1.
BYRD LEAVES KEY POST: After serving as the chairman or ranking minority member of the Senate Appropriations Committee for the past 20 years, U.S. Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., stepped down from his post on Nov. 7.
Byrd, 90, announced he would no longer lead the committee, which assigns federal money for projects such as roads, universities and economic development projects. He will remain a member.
The move was not a surprise because Byrd, the longest-serving senator in history, has become increasingly frail in recent years. Byrd helped steer vast amounts of federal money for projects in the state, earning him the affectionate nickname "Big Daddy."
Hawaiian Sen. Daniel Inouye, the third-most senior member of the Senate, replaced Byrd as the committee chairman.
MAGISTRATES: Different problems facing three candidates placed this year's Cabell County magisterial race in the spotlight.
Longtime magistrate Alvie Qualls died a month after losing in the Democratic primary. He battled sexual harassment and incompetency allegations.
Patty Verbage-Spence reclaimed her spot in magistrate court, courtesy of a surprise nomination victory in May. She had dropped out of the race after retiring in March amid health and competency concerns.
Amy Walker Daugherty's campaign was derailed by a felony bribery and crack cocaine arrest two weeks before the general election. The leading vote-getter in the May primary plummeted to last place six months later.
SHERIFF: Tom McComas accomplished his dream to become Cabell County sheriff with help from nearly 20,000 voters. The retired deputy sheriff defeated one-time chief deputy and Republican opponent Jim Scheidler.
COMMISSION: Incumbent County Commissioner Nancy Cartmill fought off a tough challenge to win her second term in office. She defeated Democrat Susan Hubbard.
Crime and courts
HEROIN INVESTIGATION: The Huntington Police Department combined with other agencies to stop heroin-related overdose deaths.
The federal investigation tracked the local heroin trade to Mexico through Columbus, Ohio. It resulted in many arrests, including charges directly linked to three deaths in late 2007.
At least 10 people died from heroin-related causes in 2007.
Jose Hernandez Salazar remains at large. Court documents describe him as the alleged kingpin.
Police Chief Skip Holbrook said he believes the investigation has had a more direct impact upon this community than any other investigation in his career.
HOMICIDES: The June 19 death of the Rev. Mark McCalla was one of 14 homicides to garner attention locally during 2008.
A forestry worker found the preacher's body at the Beech Fork Wildlife Management Area shooting range.
The death devastated McCalla's family and his congregation at Highlawn Presbyterian Church.
Two U.S. Army deserters -- Spc. Daniel Smith and Pfc. Stephen Wilson -- were indicted on murder and first-degree robbery charges. They were captured in Columbus, Ohio, seven days after the death.
The Huntington Police Department investigated eight homicides in 2008. Murder charges were filed in all but one case. Those victims were Jeffrey D. Sadler, Mary Jo Brown, Timothy Taylor, Deanna Obrien (Vandixhorn), Donte D. Newsome, James Patrick Green, Kathryn Gale Smith and Kameron Horace O'Neal.
Sadler, of Huntington, died Feb. 4 at 156 Cedar St. Police believe a woman fatally shot him because of domestic violence directed at her daughter.
Police learned of Brown's death in February. Her body was hidden in a 50-gallon garbage can found underneath her Midvale Drive residence. Police believe she died in November 2007. Her ex-husband was charged with murder.
Taylor, of Detroit, died May 1. He received a fatal gunshot wound to the head at 821 19th St. Police have a prime suspect, but no charges have been filed.
Obrien died May 9 inside of her Collis Avenue apartment. Police charged another man with setting a blaze that trapped the victim inside.
Newsome, a former Marshall University football player, died July 5 outside of a downtown nightclub. His shooting death brought renewed attention to violence along the 4th Avenue strip of nightclubs. A Charleston man was charged with murder. Newsome hailed from Chesapeake, Va., but spent time in Huntington and Amarillo, Texas.
Green, of Huntington, died July 20 at 1114 9th Ave. Police charged one man with murder. Authorities said the shooting death followed a dispute over approximately $12 in CDs.
Smith, of Huntington, died Aug. 25 at 530 Richmond Street. Police charged one man with murder. They described the fatal shooting as domestic violence.
O'Neal died Dec. 3 in the 900 block of 13th Street near 10th Avenue. He ran from scene, but collapsed in a nearby back yard. A second man was injured in the shooting. A third man was charged with murder. The three men hailed from the Detroit area.
The Cabell County Sheriff's Office investigated the deaths of Jason Patrick Finley and Maynard Martez Wiggins. Finley died Jan. 22 during a robbery attempt at a local motel. Walkers found Wiggins' body Feb. 24 along Four Pole Road in rural Cabell County. Arrests were made in both deaths.
The West Virginia State Police investigated the death of social worker Brenda Lee Yeager of Hamlin. She died July 30 at a work-related home visit. Police found her burned body two days later. Her suffocation prompted many calls for new state legislation. Two were suspects linked to her suffocation. Police believe a third person helped destroy her deceased body.
The Barboursville Police Department investigated the deaths of Haley Sines, 10, and Zoey Sines, 5. The incident was ruled a murder-suicide. They father also died in the incident.
COURTS: Cherylethia "Bunny" Holmes, of Detroit, was convicted in March of ordering the July 2004 death of Wendy Morgan. Several witnesses testified that she ordered Morgan's death after drugs and cash were stolen from her crack house near the 1200 block of 10th Avenue.
One witness testified Holmes may hold answers to solve the May 22, 2005, quadruple homicide that killed four area teenagers, but she was never charged with that shooting.
The Morgan conviction netted Holmes life in prison with a chance of parole in 15 years.
Ronell "Lo" Meyers, of Detroit, pleaded guilty in October to second-degree murder in the July 28, 2005, shooting death of David Kelson Simpson Jr. He received up to 40 years in prison and promised not to seek parole for 15 years.
A jury convicted Quinton L. Peterson of Columbus, Ohio, in July. The jury determined he killed Phillip Sirmons on Nov. 11, 2007, in an alley between the 1600 blocks of Doulton and 11th avenues. Authorities believe a dice game motivated the attack. Peterson received life in prison without mercy.
Three men were convicted of murder and a fourth was sentenced in the Aug. 8, 2002, death of Deanna L. Crawford.
Phillip Scott Barnett received a 40-year prison sentence, while younger brother Nathaniel received a 36-year sentence. They were convicted in August.
The brothers' co-defendant, Justin Black, was convicted in April. He received a 40-year prison sentence.
Brian Emerson Dement had pleaded guilty to his involvement in Crawford's death and testified against his co-defendants. A judge sentenced him in April to 30 years in prison.
A jury acquitted Dennis Ray Mills of any criminal wrongdoing in the Oct. 16, 2007, stabbing of Randy Lee Gue Jr. The jury determined Mills fatally stabbed Gue in self-defense about 2 a.m. at Harris Riverfront Park.
Economy
GAS PRICES: Gas prices took a wild ride through 2008 with prices above $4 per gallon over the summer. Prices now are hovering around $1.70 a gallon in most of the Tri-State.
FLEA MARKET: On Sept. 10, 2008, a massive fire destroyed an indoor complex at the Milton Flea Market. The fire's intensity exploded concrete inside of the building and damaged two volunteer fire trucks. About 130 vendors sold their wares each weekend in the large facility that housed 300 booths. The owner hopes to reopen in Spring 2009.
JOB LOSSES: While the housing market in the Tri-State has been largely unaffected by the economic downturn, the same can't be said for a Huntington-based company making products for the housing industry.
SNE Enterprises, which made vinyl windows and patio doors, closed its plant at the Huntington Industrial Center in January. Company officials cited the national slump in the housing market. The plant employed 130 people.
The local automotive and steel industries also took hits this year. Toyota announced in November that it was releasing 120 temporary workers from its Putnam County engine and transmission plant as part of company-wide cuts. The plant is joining other Toyota plants nationwide in reducing production to align with slowing demand, a company spokesman said.
Toyota's announcement came just little more than a week after AK Steel in Ashland announced that it was temporarily shutting down most of its operations and laying off about 650 workers until at least mid-January. The company cited reduced demand for steel, and much of that was attributed to a big slowdown in the nation's auto industry.
And Steel of West Virginia also announced in November that it was laying off 52 workers. Another 13 were laid off earlier this month.
Then there was the wave of national retailers closing stores in the area as a result of either bankruptcy or restructuring for survival. On the list of local store closings were Linens 'N Things, Value City, Steve & Barry's and Goody's.
JOB GROWTH: There were some bright spots this year on the job front in the Tri-State. CSX announced in April it was adding a $4.5 million dispatching center to its 7th Avenue facility to accommodate 80 workers it was moving to Huntington from Jacksonville, Fla. Most of the relocated workers are train dispatchers who earn $115,000 including benefits.
And Alcon Inc. announced in September it is building a second plant in Cabell County and will add 350 jobs over the next 10 to 15 years. The Swiss-owned, eye-care company will make a $25 million investment, including construction of a new 74,000-square-foot facility. The company has purchased about 20 acres at the new Huntington Area Development Council Business Park, just off W.Va. 2 near Greenbottom.
TRI-STATE AIRPORT: Tri-State Airport marked 2008 with continued success and a change in leadership.
Allegiant Air announced in September that it would resume nonstop service to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., from the airport.
Tri-State was one of five airports that lost service to Fort Lauderdale on Sept. 6 because of rising fuel costs.
But strong community demand coupled with stronger than anticipated summer bookings and decreases in fuel costs convinced Allegiant to restore the service.
That same month, the airport learned it had been awarded a $500,000 Small Community Air Service Development Program grant to pursue non-stop air service to a major hub in the northeastern United States.
The airport also announced in November that it has chosen a successor for Airport Director Larry Salyers, who retired after 26 years on the job.
Following a nationwide search, the Airport Authority chose Jerry Brienza from a field of more than 30 applicants. He was the director of aviation at Pueblo Memorial Airport in Pueblo, Colo., where he had worked since 2002.
TABLE GAMES: Tri-State Racetrack and Gaming Center brought in table games this year after a referendum was passed in Kanawha County. The Nitro track started offering poker in August more than a year after Kanawha County voters approved table games. Two Northern Panhandle racetracks have been offering table games since last October.
Infrastructure
WATER MAIN BREAK: A major water line break in Huntington on Jan. 22 disrupted service to approximately 30,000 customers for two days. Residents and businesses between Ceredo and eastern Cabell County and Chesapeake and Burlington, Ohio, were affected.
The breakage was caused by a construction incident, according to a lawsuit filed in November by West Virginia American Water. The utility company is suing Nichols Construction for more than $100,000.
OLD MAIN CORRIDOR: Fourth Avenue between 8th and 10th streets were consumed with construction beginning October when the Old Main Corridor project began in downtown Huntington.
That first phase of the project, which generally aims to provide a better link between Marshall University and the downtown, included improvements to sidewalks, lighting and driving lanes. Hager Construction was awarded the $997,197 construction contract to do the first phase.
The centerpiece of the construction is an outdoor plaza in front of the Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center, 924 4th Ave., and another plaza directly across the street. A mid-block crosswalk will connect the two plazas. City officials have said the area is intended to promote outdoor shopping, eating and pedestrian traffic.
U.S. 35 OPENING: Friday, October 10, marked the opening of the Putnam County stretch of U.S. Route 35 connecting Winfield's W.Va. Route 34 to Interstate 64 near Scott Depot. The estimated total construction cost for the entire four-lane corridor stretching from Henderson in Mason County to I-64 in Putnam County will total $702.7 million upon completion. Upcoming construction plans to continue the highway through Putnam County include connecting W.Va. Route 34 to CR 19 (Hurricane Creek Road), connecting CR 19 to CR 15 and linking CR 15 to W.Va. 869 (Buffalo Bridge). All this work is expected to be done by Spring of 2009.
This is the first "design/build" project in the State, a process that allowed the same company who designed the highway to build the highway resulting in both cost savings, nearly $30 million on the opening stretch alone, as well as time savings that would not have been possible had another company had to take over construction.
Health care
MENTAL HOSPITALS OVERCROWDING: Renovation began to take place to accommodate 20 additional beds in 2009 on the campus of Mildred Mitchell-Bateman Hospital, one of two state-run psychiatric hospitals. The hospital currently has 90 beds and came under harsh criticism by some after "overbedding" concerns brought to light in a review by David Sudbeck, the state ombudsman for behavioral health.
Sudbeck issued recommendations to correct the problems in July. He recommended Bateman reduce its number of patients, meet with area hospitals to negotiate a contract to meet treatment-seeking patients' needs, re-evaluate the practice of employing 90-day temporary employees and determine if a separate facility for patients linked to the criminal justice system is warranted. Initial complaints indicated that some patients were sleeping in visitor rooms and seclusion rooms because of overcrowding.
Ninety-seven patients were reported to be at Bateman at one time in November, and 120 patients were recorded at the hospital in October.
IRONTON MEDICAL CENTER: Officials at St. Mary's Medical Center announced that construction could begin next year on a $20 million family medical center that could be a precursor for a hospital on a 20-acre parcel off Ohio 141 and U.S. 52 in Ironton.
NEW CABELL HUNTINGTON WINGS: Cabell Huntington Hospital's north patient tower opened in November 2007. The two-year project cost $85 million and includes an inpatient oncology unit with 18 private rooms, as well as a 36-bed neonatal intensive care unit. Also new in the tower are the 38-bed post-surgical nursing unit, 18-bed labor, delivery and recovery unit for expecting mothers, five LDR triage rooms and a 38-bed intensive care unit for adults and infants. The hospital also added its 11th operating room and renovated areas vacated by the move-in to the North Patient Tower. Construction allowed for private rooms in several areas of the hospital, including the Mother Baby Unit.
CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL: The Cabell Huntington Hospital Foundation announced plans to create a children's hospital within Cabell Huntington. The foundation continues to work to raise more than $10 million for the project. The fundraising campaign will be conducted through June 2011.
Local schools
BIDDING WAR: Marshall University had two high-profile suitors for a 14-acre piece of property along U.S. 60 that caused quite a stir within the media and the community.
The University Heights Apartment property, which houses non-traditional students, was sold to Prestera Center, whose main facility is along the highway just down the hill from the apartments.
Prestera Center bid $2.3 million, $410,000 more than the Cabell County Board of Education, which had hoped to build a new middle school for the Enslow and Beverly Hill students.
HIGH SCHOOL RESTRUCTURING: Cabell County education officials embarked on a journey in 2008 to restructure its two high schools. Along with dozens of community members, students, teachers, parents and business leaders, the group is trying to determine what a high school of the 21st century should look and how is should operate.
The start of the committee kicked off in June with a viewing of "2 Million Minutes," a documentary which looked at the life of six high school students in America, India and China.
SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION: School construction continued throughout 2008 in Cabell County and in South Point. South Point is building new elementary schools for Burlington and South Point, while Cabell County continued construction on the new Milton and Barboursville middle schools and the Southside Elementary/Huntington Middle campus in Huntington.
The new Martha Elementary was completed in 2008, just in time for the school year to begin in August. Students ended the 2007-08 calendar out about 2 weeks earlier than the rest of the county, so the transition could be made and the old school could be demolished.
CONTRACT EXTENSION: Cabell County Superintendent William Smith accepted a contract extension and raise Dec. 16. Smith will remain at the helm until June 30, 2013, and earn $124,500 per year.
His raise is a $20,500 increase, putting his salary more in line with other superintendents in West Virginia with similar enrollment figures. Cabell County is the fourth-largest school system in the state.
DRUG TESTING: Cabell County initiated a drug-testing program among student athletes and drivers. The school board approved the measure in April after years of discussion.
There are 467 students in the drug-testing pool at Huntington High and 713 at Cabell Midland. Eleven students were opted into the pool by their parents or guardians.
At an early-November board retreat, it was learned that only one student among the 78 tested up to that point had tested positive. The student's test showed he or she had consumed alcohol during the prior 72 hours.
Higher education
GARRISON STEPS DOWN: Last fall, WVU administrators awarded an executive master's business of administration degree to university president Mike Garrison's longtime friend Heather Bresch, who is Gov. Joe Manchin's daughter and an executive with Pennsylvania-based generic drug maker Mylan Inc.
An independent panel investigated, concluding that Bresch hadn't earned the degree and that courses and grades were wrongly added to her transcript. The panel did not accuse Garrison of direct interference, but said the presence of three top aides at the decision-making meeting created palpable pressure.
Following the scandal, Garrison officially resigned on June 6 and left office on Sept. 1. At least 60 people have applied to becoming the next president of WVU, officials have said.
MARSHALL CONSTRUCTION: Construction was an ongoing theme at Marshall University in 2008. Two new freshmen dorms, called the First-Year Residence Halls, opened in August. The dorms are part of a new concept that helps freshmen become part of the Herd family and maintain good grades. Officials hope it helps increase the number of freshmen who return for their sophomore year and beyond.
Construction also started on a new alumni center and home for the Marshall University Foundation. It is being built across the street from the Memorial Student Center.
A new engineering building also opened along 3rd Avenue.
FOUNTAIN RENOVATIONS: The Memorial Fountain was rededicated in April after it underwent an extensive overhaul during the winter. The fountain, which was constructed 36 years ago to honor the victims of the 1970 plane crash, received a new granite surface and a copper catch tray for the water to flow into from the fountain.
It also received new piping and wiring and now hidden. The fountain was first installed in 1972.
MARCO'S MAKEOVER: Marshall University's mascot, Marco, got a new look that was unveiled at the homecoming game in November. The old Marco was old and worn, and was more cartoonlike.
BUCKS FOR JOBS: Gov. Joe Manchin introduced the program, called "Bucks for Jobs," during his State of the State address in January. Only minor changes were made to the proposal as it made its way through the legislative process.
The "Bucks for Jobs" model is based on a similar program in Kentucky dubbed "Bucks for Brains." Research at the universities of Kentucky and Louisville has resulted in more than 60 new companies since the program began 10 years ago.
The program allocates $35 million to West Virginia University and $15 million to Marshall University, provided both schools can match the funds with private donations within five years.
COMMUNITY COLLEGE SEPARATION: A bill passed by the Legislature made all of the state's community-technical colleges independent entities, including Marshall Community & Technical College in Huntington.
Supporters of the legislation said it will help the colleges focus on the critical task of work force training.
The bill, which passed the Senate 27-6, took effect July 1, 2008. The vote in the House of Delegates was 64-33.
Sen. Bob Plymale, D-Wayne, said several studies dating as far back as 1971 have recommended that community and technical colleges become independently accredited institutions rather than be under the umbrella of universities.
Former governor dies
UNDERWOOD: Former Gov. Cecil Underwood died Nov. 24 at CAMC Memorial Hospital in Charleston. Underwood was the state's youngest governor when he was elected in 1956 at the age of 34. He became the state's oldest governor 40 years later when he won another term in 1996 at the age of 74.
The Underwoods hold a special place in Huntington. Between stays in the Governor's Mansion, the couple lived in Huntington for extended periods -- from 1961 to 1972 and from 1978 until his second term in 1996. They moved back to Huntington after leaving office, then returned to Charleston in 2001.
TTA EXPANDS: For the first time in 35 years, the Tri-State is connected with one bus system that operates in Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia.
TTA-Ohio started bus runs to five locations in Russell and Ashland in November. The old Ohio Valley Bus System linked the Tri-State until stopping operations in 1973. TTA subsequently re-established bus service in Huntington, expanded it to Ohio in July and extended it to the Kentucky market Monday, said Paul Davis, executive director of the Tri-State Transit Authority.
TTA-Ohio started operating in Lawrence County in July. There are runs in Ironton and connecting Ironton, Coal Grove, South Point, Burlington, Chesapeake and Proctorville to Huntington. Start-up of bus service to Kentucky was delayed for several months during a renovation of the Ironton-Russell bridge.
RESTAURANTS NATIONAL ATTENTION: The Tri-State's culinary scene kicked it up a notch in 2008, as several local eateries got some national prime-time spotlight on the Food Network.
Guy Fieri's popular mom-and-pop road-tripping show, "Diner's, Drive-Ins and Dives," made several pit-stops in the Huntington area.
Guy's show featured Smokey Valley Truck Stop in Olive Hill, Ky., Central City Cafe, 529 West 14th St., Huntington, and the original Lesage location, of Sonny and Sharie Knight's Hillbilly Hotdogs.
Fieri, whose father is from Wheeling, also put two recipes from Hillbilly Hotdogs into his new cookbook, and flew Sonny and Sharie out to Cali in December to tape a "best of" episode for "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives."
As if that wasn't enough culinary spotlight, Cabell County native Katie Lee Joel (armed with her grandma Dora Harshbarger's Logan County Hamburgers recipe), beat out 17 other cooking teams including many of the top chefs in New York City and celebrities such as Al Roker of NBC's "Today" show to win top honors at Rachel Ray's Burger Bash.
INDIAN HEAD ROCK: The eight-ton Indian head rock removed from the Ohio River last year has led the filing of criminal charges in Kentucky. Kentucky wants the sandstone rock back in the river, but the rock Portsmouth residents used to carve their names on currently remains in a Portsmouth city garage.
Steve Shaffer, the Ironton diver who found the rock that represents part of Portsmouth's history, has been charged with removing an object of antiquity, pleaded innocent and the case is set for trial Aug. 3,2009 in Greenup, Ky. A diver that helped him, David Vetters, faces a similar charge. His pre-trial set for Feb. 12.
