]> http://www.WestVirginianewsday.com West Virginia daily en http://www.WestVirginianewsday.com/node/7085 <p>Chickens had once invaded the tollbooths. At another time, a piano slid into the road and tied up traffic on the bridge.</p><p>Helen McAfee has seen it all at the Parkersburg Memorial Bridge, where she's worked for 31 years.</p><p>Despite quite a few odd happenings, the bridge continues as the only city toll bridge in West Virginia.</p><p>It opened in January 1955 at the behest of a group of i... Thu, 22 Dec 2005 11:50:16 -0500 http://www.WestVirginianewsday.com/node/7084 <p>Whether you prefer angels, Santa Claus or Will Ferrell playing an elf, Christmas is a good time to bask in a wide array of holiday cinema.</p><p>It seems that no matter how old you are, there are enough classics and newer edgier fare to spread goodwill among any movie buff.</p><p>WSAZ-TV's Scott Saxton said it may be a cliche, but his favorite is film is Jimmy Stewart's 1946 fantasy "It's a ... Thu, 22 Dec 2005 11:50:15 -0500 http://www.WestVirginianewsday.com/node/7083 <p>Charleston native Eric Douglas will sign copies of his book, "Cayman Cowboys," from 5-7 p.m. today at the Bluegrass Kitchen, Washington and Elizabeth streets.</p><p>Born and raised in Cross Lanes, Douglas graduated from Nitro High School and Marshall University.</p><p>His novel is set on Grand Cayman Island, and is a dive adventure novel that features beautiful locations, greedy developers and ... Thu, 22 Dec 2005 11:50:14 -0500 http://www.WestVirginianewsday.com/node/7082 <p>The Legislature gave Gov. Joe Manchin no choice but to agree to hike tolls on the West Virginia Turnpike, he said.</p><p>The governor, who serves as head of the state Parkways Authority, Wednesday defended his decision to support toll increases.</p><p>He said the Turnpike desperately needs repairs and an expansion from two to three lanes in the Beckley area for safety reasons.</p><p>But before ... Thu, 22 Dec 2005 11:50:13 -0500 http://www.WestVirginianewsday.com/node/7081 <p>It hasn't been easy, but Nancy Winstel is starting to get a feel for her Northern Kentucky University women's basketball team. There is quite a bit Winstel likes about her young group of wide-eyed players, but there is much the coach aims to correct.</p><p>All of it was on display Tuesday night, the good and the bad.</p><p>NKU played inconsistent basketball against hard-nosed Hills- dale, and... Wed, 21 Dec 2005 11:50:18 -0500 http://www.WestVirginianewsday.com/node/7080 <p>Cheney said he believes the American people support President Bush's terror-fighting strategy. "If there's a backlash pending," because of reports of National Security Agency surveillance of calls originating within the United States, he said, "I think the backlash is going to be against those who are suggesting somehow that we shouldn't take these steps to defend the country."</p><p>On Capi... Wed, 21 Dec 2005 11:50:12 -0500 http://www.WestVirginianewsday.com/node/7079 <p>WASHINGTON — Vice President Dick Cheney on Tuesday called for "strong and robust'' presidential powers, saying executive authority was eroded during the Watergate and Vietnam eras. Some lawmakers objected that President Bush's decision to spy on Americans to foil terrorists showed he was flexing more muscle than the Constitution allows.</p><p>The revelations of Bush's four-year-old order ap... Wed, 21 Dec 2005 11:50:10 -0500 http://www.WestVirginianewsday.com/node/7078 <p>Pittsburgh, Penn. - The No. 13 Missouri wrestling squad earned a big victory in the first dual of their road trip to the Eastern Wrestling League, beating the Pittsburgh Panthers 29-9 Dec. 19. The Tigers lost just two matches to the Panthers, establishing early leads in nearly every match and finishing strong to improve to 3-0 on the season.</p><p>Competing at 141 pounds, senior Chris McCormick... Tue, 20 Dec 2005 11:50:15 -0500 http://www.WestVirginianewsday.com/node/7076 <p>Arkansas State (6-5) vs. Southern Miss (6-5), 8 p.m. (ESPN)</p><p>Colorado State (6-5) vs. Navy (7-4), 10:30 p.m. (ESPN2)</p><p>Boise State (9-3) vs. Boston College (8-3) or Georgia Tech (7-4), 4:30 p.m. (ESPN)</p><p>Utah (6-5) vs. Boston College (8-3) or Georgia Tech (7-4), 4:30 p.m. (ESPN)</p><p>Missouri (6-5) vs. South Carolina (7-4), 3:30 p.m. (ESPN)</p><p>South Florida (6-5) vs. North Caro... Tue, 20 Dec 2005 11:50:14 -0500 http://www.WestVirginianewsday.com/node/7077 <p>(Charleston) - A group of men and women from the Charleston Air Force Base are on their way to breaking a world record.</p><p>Seventeen of the cargo planes flew over the Cooper River Tuesday morning in attempt to break the record for the most C-17s flying in formation at one time.</p><p>The planes took off from Charleston Tuesday morning. They're next mission is a refueling exercise over West ... Tue, 20 Dec 2005 11:50:14 -0500 http://www.WestVirginianewsday.com/node/7075 <p>Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., right, accompanied by Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., gestures during a Capitol Hill news conference to respond to President Bush's earlier news conference Monday, Dec. 19, 2005 where the president said he approved domestic spying on suspected terrorists without court orders. "Where does he find in the Constitution the authority to tap the wires and the phones of American... Tue, 20 Dec 2005 11:50:13 -0500 http://www.WestVirginianewsday.com/node/7074 <p>Some Democrats say they never approved a domestic wiretapping program, undermining suggestions by President Bush and his senior advisers that the plan was fully vetted in a series of congressional briefings.</p><p>"I feel unable to fully evaluate, much less endorse, these activities," West Virginia Sen. Jay Rockefeller, the Senate Intelligence Committee's top Democrat, said in a handwritten le... Tue, 20 Dec 2005 11:50:06 -0500 http://www.WestVirginianewsday.com/node/7073 <p>The November data are the sum of the number of unduplicated new first-time online job ads posted each day of the month. This figure is down 9.2 percent from October. The November decline, which reflects in part the effect of the Thanksgiving holiday, follows a dip of 1.7 percent in October.</p><p>In November there were 1.21 online job ads per 100 persons in the U.S. labor force, compared with 1... Tue, 20 Dec 2005 11:50:05 -0500 http://www.WestVirginianewsday.com/node/7072 <p>Villanova gets one first-place vote and 51 points in coaches' vote</p><p>The Big East Conference released its preseason poll of league coaches this week, and Villanova was chosen to finish in seventh place out of 12 teams in the conference, which now includes newcomers Cincinnati, Louisville and University of South Florida. The Wildcats were tied for seventh place with West Virginia. Both team... Tue, 20 Dec 2005 11:50:03 -0500 http://www.WestVirginianewsday.com/node/7071 <p>Last April, the winter season had ended but the snow wasn't melted at Liberty Mountain.</p><p>Things were pretty dead. The ski lifts stood still and the mountain was empty.</p><p>But last year's ski season wasn't over for Zachary Marlowe. The 24-year-old ski patroller hiked up the mountain until the third week of April just so he could ski down.</p><p>"If there's snow, I'm gonna be skiing,... Mon, 19 Dec 2005 11:50:08 -0500