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Friday, May 9, 2008 "When news breaks, we fix it" Serving West Virginia since 2005
Mojo & Mike: Stand By Your Man
WV Record: Lawyer was alerted to photos early
Princeton attorney says Karlin told him of pics; Karlin denies allegation
The West Virginia Record is reporting today that Princeton attorney Michael Magann says he was told in advance by attorney Al Karlin that photos showing Massey CEO Don Blankenship on vacation with Justice Spike Maynard would be made public. Karlin is denying the allegation.As reported here earlier, at least two reporters have been trying to track down a possible link to the source of the photos, which lawyers for Hugh Caperton claim were anonymously delivered.Magann, who is the former husband of Brenda Magann, one of the individuals who was also on the trip, told the Record, "It was either Saturday or Sunday. I can't remember if he told me they would be appearing in the newspaper or if they were going to be filed with the Court, but he did call me."West Virginia Record editor Chris Dickerson followed a trail of phone records belonging to Justice Larry Starcher which he obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.According to Dickerson, those records show Starcher calling or receiving calls from Karlin on his state-issued cell phone at least 18 times from Jan. 7 to Jan. 17. The photos were filed and released to the public on Jan. 14.The revelation again raises the question of why Starcher only recused himself from the one Massey Energy case that was related to the photos, when Starcher cited an "appearance of impropriety," but has not recused himself from other Massey cases.According to the Record, "Starcher's cell phone records also show calls were exchanged from Jan. 7 to Jan. 17 with Huntington attorney and Supreme Court candidate Menis Ketchum at least 13 times, fellow Justice Joseph Albright's cell phone at least six times..."When ABC News did a story apparently at Starcher's behest, newsman Brian Ross reported that Starcher removed himself from the Caperton-Massey case "because of his role in the controversy." That role has been unclear, but might be coming into sharper focus now.WCHS' Bass scheduled to be on CNN
WCHS-TV reporter Kennie Bass is scheduled to appear with Bill Schneider on CNN today at 4 p.m. to discuss the upcoming West Virginia Primary election.Bass is reportedly taping his segment this morning for inclusion in an afternoon roundup.Schneider is CNN's resident pollster and typically offers analysis and predictions. Bass also snagged a one-on-one interview with Hillary Clinton during her visit to Charleston on Thursday, asking her about her position on coal, and how she can win the Democrat nomination. You can watch it here.Ireland warns of confusion on voter reg after mailing
West Virginia Secretary of State Betty Ireland is cautioning voters not to be misled by a mailing sent to thousands of West Virginians asking them to register to vote. These mailings could cause confusion because the deadline to register to vote in next Tuesday’s May 13th primary has already passed. “Women’s Voices. Women Vote” (WVWV) said they sent the mailing to over 16,000 unmarried women in the Mountain State as part of a larger nationwide mailing designed to get women registered to vote.Secretary Ireland encourages citizens to still register to vote so that they will be eligible for the fall General Election, but wants to make sure it is understood that, for any new registrations received after the April 22nd deadline, those voters will not be able to vote in the May 13th primary.“I appreciate that Women’s Voices Women Vote is trying to help get West Virginia citizens registered to vote,” stated Secretary Ireland. “But it is important to stress that while citizens can still register to vote for the November General Election, they will not be eligible to vote in the upcoming primary if they did not register before the April 22nd deadline.” Page Gardner, President of WVWV, stated in her letter that:“…West Virginia residents will receive this mail after the deadline for registering to vote to participate in the upcoming primary election. Please be aware that the mailing is not intended to encourage registration specifically for the primary, but simply to encourage voter registration in general. The mailing clearly indicates that the deadline to register to vote by mail for a particular election in West Virginia is 20 days before the election … We hope that this unfortunate coincidence in timing does not lead to any confusion or aggravation for either your state’s voters or registrars.” Unfortunately, the initial batch of completed voter registration forms received by the Secretary of State’s office as a result of WVWV’s efforts indicate that many of the applications were sent to citizens who were already registered to vote. Secretary Ireland wants to assure voters that they do not need to register again in order to vote in the May 13th primary. However, those voters who used the WVWV’s registration form to update their address should contact their county clerk’s office to determine their proper voting precinct. How long can Manchin stay neutral?
With high profile public officials and so-called "super delegates" choosing sides left and, well, left (we are talking about Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, after all), how long can Gov. Joe Manchin stay on the sidelines and refuse to endorse a candidate for president?Manchin clearly developed a love fest with the Clintons over the past few months, but even with Hillary poised for a West Virginia blowout, her chances of actually snatching the nomination from Obama are growing more remote.So Manchin is caught between endorsing the candidate he obviously prefers, as do his fellow West Virginia Democrats, or the candidate most likely to win the Democrat nod.Then again, it may be a no-lose for the gov; Obama's nomination takes West Virginia off the table in November, so he is unlikely to campaign here at all, snubbing Manchin as much as Manchin is snubbing him.. 