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The controversial story last year regarding the possible extortion of State Sen. Randy White in regard to photos showing White nude, covered in paint and cavorting with other nude men won a top prize last week from a state media organization.The West Virginia Broadcasters Association awarded reporter Kennie Bass' story first place in the Best Hard News Story category. The report appeared on sister stations WVAH and WCHS.Bass and his station were the subject of criticism for airing the report, but this week Bass said, "It's an honor to be recognized by the Broadcasters Association. The Randy White story was obviously a very difficult one to cover and produce. However, we continue to believe it is our responsibility to inform people about the activities of public servants which could affect their public service." Other TV winners included: Station of the Year, WDTV; Best General Assignment Reporter, Jessica Ralston, WSAZ; and Best Anchor, Deborah Linz, WCHS/WVAH.On the radio side, "Talkline" hosted by Hoppy Kercheval won for Best Network Talk Show, while "58 Live," the afternoon Charleston show hosted by Rick Johnson and Mike Agnello, won for Best Talk Show, large market. Jeff Jenkins, newsman for WCHS, won for Best Newscast, large market.Attorney General Darrell McGraw has asked the West Virginia Supreme Court to reconsider a recent decision that law enforcement agencies say severely hinders their ability to collect evidence and could cause hundreds of pending drug cases to be dismissed.Various law enforcement organizations and proecutors joined McGraw's filing on Friday with "friend of the court" briefs regarding the State v. Mullens, including the sheriff's association, the state patrol and the prosecutors association.In the Mullens case, the court ruled 3-2 on Feb. 28 that police cannot send informants wearing electronic surveillance into a drug dealer's homeJustices Robin Davis, Larry Starcher and Joe Albright concurred on the finding, with Justices Brent Benjamin and Spike Maynard dissenting. In a blistering dissent, Maynard wrote, "This is the type of nonsense that makes people shake their heads at court decisions."The next step is for the high court to decide whether to reconsider the case. 
A high-level meeting of government and West Virginia University power players was hastily called Monday morning to address mounting criticism of the search process for the next WVU president.The meeting was prompted by growing scrutiny in media stories and a letter from Judge Robert King asking the search process to start over. And on Monday, WVU alumnus and current state GOP Chairman Doug McKinney issued an open letter to theSources say the secret Monday meeting was to discuss how to handle the growing perception that Mike Garrision, former chief of staff to Gov. Bob Wise and until recently president of the state Higher Education Policy Commission, has the post locked up because of his political ties. On Monday, WVU began the process of bringing the three finalists for the post to the campus for visits.