CHARLESTON, W.Va. — US Senator Jay Rockefeller, who came to West Virginia as a young man from one of the world’s richest families to work on antipoverty programs and remained in the state to build a political legacy, announced Friday he will not seek a sixth term.
The 75-year-old Democrat’s decision comes at a time when his popularity is threatened because of his support for President Obama, who is wildly unpopular in the state, and his willingness to challenge the powerful coal industry, which he said has used divisive, fear-mongering tactics to wrongly blame the federal government for its problems.
Related: Coal Miner's Slaughter
Related: Coal Miner's Slaughter
Surrounded by family and dozens of supporters amid a backdrop of photos from past campaigns and public appearances, Rockefeller said the peak moment of his career may have been threatening to keep the Senate in session over Christmas break if they didn’t pass the 1992 Coal Act. The measure preserved retirement benefits for miners and their families, and he credited the passing of it with averting a national coal strike.
‘‘In that fight, and so many others, I’ve been proud to stand with the working men and women of America. Miners, steelworkers, teachers, and nurses, and everyone who deserves a fair wage, a safe place to work and basic health care,’’ he said during a 20-minute speech that was more upbeat than somber....
Rockefeller’s retirement was widely expected and puts the seat held by Democrats since 1958 in jeopardy for the party. Within weeks of November’s elections, Republican US Representative Shelley Moore Capito vowed to run for the seat in 2014, even if it meant going up against Rockefeller and his storied name. Other Republicans also have been eyeing the seat....
You mean they are courting it?
You mean they are courting it?
--more--"
Also see: Mine executive charged
Coal producer closing mines and cutting jobs
See what happens when you charge corporations with crimes?
Related: West Virginia Seep
Better they just be allowed to foul the environment in pursuit of profit than worry about workers or anything. You wanna keep collecting that paycheck, doncha?
"Quincy woman who posed as boy for sex gets seven years
A woman from Quincy, Mass., who posed as a teenage boy to prey on a West Virginia girl will spend more than seven years in prison. On Tuesday, US District Judge Irene Keeley ordered Carissa Hads, 25, to serve 87 months. Hads pleaded guilty last fall to traveling across state lines with the intention of having sex with a minor. Investigators said Hads pretended to be an 18-year-old male on a social networking site and started a relationship with the Lewis County victim in 2010. The two communicated for more than a year before their first in-person meeting. A State Police investigator said Hads wore colored contact lenses and a back brace to cover her chest."
Related(?): South Carolina Con Men
Also see: Mine executive charged
Coal producer closing mines and cutting jobs
See what happens when you charge corporations with crimes?
Related: West Virginia Seep
Better they just be allowed to foul the environment in pursuit of profit than worry about workers or anything. You wanna keep collecting that paycheck, doncha?
"Quincy woman who posed as boy for sex gets seven years
A woman from Quincy, Mass., who posed as a teenage boy to prey on a West Virginia girl will spend more than seven years in prison. On Tuesday, US District Judge Irene Keeley ordered Carissa Hads, 25, to serve 87 months. Hads pleaded guilty last fall to traveling across state lines with the intention of having sex with a minor. Investigators said Hads pretended to be an 18-year-old male on a social networking site and started a relationship with the Lewis County victim in 2010. The two communicated for more than a year before their first in-person meeting. A State Police investigator said Hads wore colored contact lenses and a back brace to cover her chest."
Related(?): South Carolina Con Men
