The DA 4-26-2010

Page 1

THE DAILY ATHENAEUM “Little good is accomplished without controversy, and no civic evil is ever defeated without publicity.”

da

MONDAY APRIL 26, 2010

www.THEDAONLINE.com www

VOLUME 123, ISSUE 144

Obama speaks to miners’ families BY TRAVIS CRUM CITY EDITOR

BECKLEY, W.Va. — Heartfelt prayers, songs about remembrance and shouts of “amen” greeted President Barack Obama as he spoke at a memorial service for 29 coal miners in Beckley, W.Va., Sunday. “West Virginia loves Obama” shouted one audience member as the president delivered a eulogy for the victims of the April 5 explosion at the Upper Big Branch Mine in Montcoal, W.Va. “Today we won’t remember 29 lives lost, but 29 lives lived,” Obama said. “There is nothing I, the vice president or the governor can say that will fill the hole you have in your hearts. Any comfort can be found by seeking the face of God.”

Standing behind a row of 29 crosses adorned with miner’s caps, Obama spoke about future efforts to prevent a similar disaster from happening. “I don’t think anyone in America should put their lives at risk for simply showing up to work,” he said. “We cannot bring back the 29 men we lost. Our task … is to save lives from being lost in another such tragedy. To do what must be done, individually and collectively, to assure safe conditions underground.” He added the nation has been in mourning since the explosion saying, “our hearts have been aching with you.” Obama, along with Vice President Joe Biden, West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin and West Virginia Sen. Jay Rockefeller spoke about the importance of miners.

They risk their lives every day to provide the nation with electricity, Biden said. Obama echoed Biden by saying the Beckley-Raleigh County Convention Center, where the service was held, could not have been lit without the work of miners. Legislation will be passed to make coal mines safer and to prevent other families from suffering a similar tragedy, Biden said. The April 5 blast was the worst U.S. mine disaster in nearly 40 years. Earlier this month, Obama ordered a full investigation of the explosion, which blamed mine officials for “bad regulation and lack of oversight.” Manchin, who spent more than 100 hours with the miners’ families during rescue ef-

forts, spoke about their will and courage. It is time for West Virginia to begin the “healing process,” he said. Some audience members such as William Jewett, 26, of Charleston, W.Va., said it was meaningful to the families to have the president speak at the service. “It shows the White House cares about our miners,” Jewett said. One of the miner’s relatives, Erma Vest, 67, of Ghent, W.Va., agreed with Obama by saying Washington needs to get more involved in passing legislation to protect miners. Vest’s cousin, Christopher Bell, was one of the miners who perished in the explosion. He will

see MINERS on PAGE 2

AP

President Barack Obama pauses during his speech at a memorial for the victims of the Upper Branch Mine explosion at the Beckley-Raleigh County Convention Center in Beckley, W.Va., Sunday.

Alzheimer’s Walk 2010

WVU, Habitat for Humanity hope to build a house BY MELISSA CANDOLFI STAFF WRITER

LEANN ARTHUR/THE DAILY ATHENAEUM

Participants of the Memory Walk start the Evansdale course at the Coliseum Saturday morning. The walk is held each year to raise awareness and money toward ending Alzheimer’s Disease.

Walk raises $31,000 for Alzheimer’s research BY ANN COMPTON AND SAMANTHA COSSICK DA STAFF

The national Alzheimer’s Association West Virginia Chapter of Morgantown held it’s annual Alzheimer’s Memory Walk at the Coliseum Saturday. “The memory walk is the one place where people dealing with Alzheimer’s can come join together to raise money for the disease,” said Pam Shriver, regional Northern West Virginia coordinator. “The memory walk is our main

fundraiser, and all the money raised at the walk stays in West Virginia and provides funding for the various programs we offer.” Some of the Alzheimer’s Association programs include a 24-hour help line, monthly support groups and care consultation, Shriver said. Money raised from the walk exceeded the $30,000 goal, and participants raised $31,127, Shriver said. They also exceed their 250 participants goal with 320 walkers this weekend, she said.

BY SAMANTHA COSSICK ASSOCIATE CITY EDITOR

John Bolt has been promoted to director of West Virginia University’s News and Information Services. Bolt has served as both interim director and assistant director of NIS.

“I’m honored to be able to be in a position to help WVU tell the good stories that are going on all over campus,” Bolt said. “It’s fun to be in a position to have good stories to tell and to be able to tell them.” Serving as one of the key spokesmen for the University and helping manage WVU Today, the University’s news website, will be Bolt’s main goals in his new position. “We just felt he’s done an excellent job and put him in the di-

see HOUSE on PAGE 2

CORRESPONDENT

LEANN ARTHUR/THE DAILY ATHENAEUM

Carol Frear, an employee at Healthworks’ Silver Sneakers in Morgantown, shows Memory Walk participants a few exercises to help get them warmed up before the walk Saturday morning at the Coliseum. Shriver said money is raised chapter of Sigma Kappa particthrough individual donations and ipates in the Memory Walk each corporate sponsorships. The West Virginia University see WALK on PAGE 2

rector’s position. He’s uniquely qualified for the position,” said Becky Lofstead, assistant vice president for communications at WVU. Aside from the work he’s done at the University, the respect Bolt has gained from his peers and his use of emerging new media make him qualified for the position, Lofstead said. “He’s very well respected on campus already in the very short time he’s been here,” Lofstead said. “I don’t think we could find

a better fit for the position.” Bolt began his career working for newspapers in his home state of North Carolina before joining the Associated Press’ Atlanta bureau in 1983. He worked as a newsman in Atlanta until 1989, when he transferred to the Dallas bureau to be a full-time business writer. In Dallas, he also worked as news editor and assistant chief of bureau.

see BOLT on PAGE 2

SPRINGFEST

THE DA HAS A NEW MOBILE WEBSITE

INSIDE

A series of unfortunate events created problems for the concert. A&E PAGE 10

Get the same stories and columns quicker and easier now on your phone. Check out our new cell phone-friendly website by logging on to www.thedaonline.com/mobile.

News: 1, 2 Sports: 3, 5 Opinion: 4 A&E: 7, 10 Campus Calendar: 6 Puzzles: 6 Classifieds: 8, 9

raise $60,000 by the end of summer to start building for the fall 2010 semester. To raise the money, students, faculty and staff are able to purchase a block of the house for $2 between 10 a.m. and noon in front of the Mountainlair this week. Carrigan said not raising the money is not an option and the latest they will build is spring 2011. Lingle hopes this opportunity will show WVU’s true colors. “It’s presenting a better image for who we are and what WVU students really are,” Lingle said. “It shows we are giving back and giving the com-

BY BRITTANY COLE

61° / 47°

THUNDERSTORMS

Students wishing to participate in fundraising for or contributing to building the home can e-mail Carrigan at ccarriga@mix.wvu. edu or Ling at Barbara.lingle@ mail.wvu.edu.

Dogs dress for animal responsibility awareness

WVU appoints news and information director John Bolt, NIS interim director, promoted

Habitat for Humanity is building its 40th home in Morgantown, and West Virginia University students are contributing. Students in the Design and Merchandising ID420 Professional Practice class were asked to create a fundraising campaign for a charitable organization in Morgantown. Design students Caitlin Carrigan and Heather Preston came up with the idea “The House That WVU Built” and presented it to Monongalia County Habitat for Humanity. Students will work with Habitat for Humanity to build the home for a family in need in Morgantown. “We are hoping that it can be a fall project for all the WVU students to get involved in,” said Barbara Lingle, the professor of the class. “We need money and muscle; we need both to make this happen.” Lingle said their goal is to

FOR MORE INFORMATION

CONTACT US Newsroom 304-293-5092 or DAnewsroom@mail.wvu.edu Advertising 304-293-4141 or DA-Ads@mail.wvu.edu Fax 304-293-6857

READ US ON THE GO Check out The Daily Athenaeum on your iPhone or iPod Touch. Read the print edition on West Virginia University’s official app iWVU. Search ‘iWVU’ in the iTunes store for your free download.

Pets dressed in togas littered the Animal Sciences Farm Sunday. Spoiled, a pet care business in Morgantown, and West Virginia University Iota Phi Theta Fraternity hosted the first ever “TOGA PARTY Gone to the Dogs” event. The toga party was a fundraiser to spread awareness about the importance of spaying and neutering pets, with all proceeds going to The Mountaineer Spay and Neuter Assistance Program, said Krysta Bailey, Spoiled owner and event coordinator. The event is about teaching college students the importance of caring for their pets, said Bailey, a WVU graduate with a degree in animal and nutritional science. She feels college students are the main offenders of not always caring for their pets properly here in Morgantown. “We’re trying to help college students who get too many pets that they can’t handle and who don’t get them spayed and neutered,” Bailey said. “We’re going

CHELSI BAKER/THE DAILY ATHENAEUM

Chaz, a Boston Terrier, wears a toga during the “Toga Party Gone to the Dogs,” an event held at the Animal Sciences Farm. The event featured barbeque and pet-related items for sale to raise money for the Morgantown Spay and Neuter Program. to try and change that, one step at a time.” Nancy Young, chair of the board for M-SNAP, said Bailey created this event all on her own with her determination and passion. “She loves animals, so this is right down her alley,” Young said. “She has the energy, and she has that age contact. She is out there pushing animal responsibility.”

see DOGS on PAGE 2

SKINS TAKE WVU’s CAPERS Former West Virginia right tackle Selvish Capers was selected by the Washington Redskins in the seventh round of the NFL Draft Saturday. SPORTS PAGE 3


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.