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Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Page 3 NHS News/Obits/Newsworthy

James Edward Hutchinson

James Edward Hutchinson, 86, of Nitro passed away Sunday, March 25, 2007, following a short illness.

He was born in Richwood on June 21, 1920.

Jim was a 1938 graduate of Richwood High School. He was a member of the First Baptist Church of Nitro and retired from Union Carbide, Institute, as a welder with 30 years of service. He was a veteran of the United States Navy. Jim was a 32nd degree mason and a 50-year member of the St. Albans Masonic Lodge and Scottish Rite Bodies, a member of Beni Kedem Shrine and a past member of the Oriental Band. Jim was a charter member of the IAM&AWLL 656, past president of Nitro Lions Club and served two terms as a Nitro city councilman. He was a member of the Order of the Eastern Star.

Surviving: his daughter and her husband, Pamela and Tom Brewer of Nitro; three granddaughters, Jennifer of South Carolina, Sarah Clendenin of Nitro and Erin Mishoe of Alabama; great-grandchildren, Elijah Frye and Gracie and Liam Mishoe; and two sisters, Leona Reynolds of Florida and Mahalda Kessler of Virginia.

Funeral service will be 11 a.m. Thursday, March 29, at the First Baptist Church of Nitro with Dr. Lawrence Hoptry officiating. Burial will be in Grandview Memorial Park, Dunbar.

Visitation will be from 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesday at Cooke Funeral Home, Nitro.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory of Jim to the First Baptist Church of Nitro.

Susan Abigail Cobb

Susan Abigail Smith Cobb, 30, of Winfield died Monday, March 26, 2007, at her residence.

Born March 25, 1977, in South Charleston, she was a homemaker, a Protestant and a graduate of Nitro High School.

Surviving: one son, Shonn Hank Cobb of Winfield; one daughter, Hadleigh Alexis Cobb-Casto of Winfield; companion, Michael T. Casto of Winfield; parents, Frank and Katherine Cochran Smith of Nitro; grandmother, Maude Cochran of Nitro; sister and her husband, Allison and Mark Browning of Hurricane; brother and his wife, Alexander and Tara Smith of Nitro; niece, Brieanna Browning of Hurricane; nephew, Markus Browning of Hurricane; and father- and mother-in-law, Chuck and Kathy Cobb of Cross Lanes.

Service will be 1 p.m. Saturday, March 31, at St. Paul's United Methodist Church, Nitro, with Dr. Tom McDowell officiating. Burial will be in the Cobb family cemetery, Bowles Ridge, Putnam County.

Friends may call from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday and one hour prior to the service Saturday at the church.

Cooke Funeral Home, Nitro, is in charge of arrangements.

Robert Raymond Guthrie

Robert Raymond Guthrie, 88, of Cross Lanes, died March 31, 2007, in CAMC Memorial Hospital.

He was retired from Union Carbide Corporation with 25 years of service, was formerly employed by Charleston Transit Company, was a World War II Army veteran, served as Vice President of the Pearl Harbor Survivors, and was a member of the VFW and American Legion.

He is survived by his loving wife of 61 years, Gladys Cooper Guthrie; son and daughter-in-law, Terry and Jeanette Guthrie of Nitro; grandson, Chris Guthrie of Nitro; two great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.

Funeral services will be conducted at 1 p.m. Tuesday, April 3, 2007, at Bartlett-Burdette-Cox Funeral Home. Burial will be in Tyler Mountain Memorial Gardens, Cross Lanes. Friends may call from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the Disabled American Veterans.

Todd Douglas Smith

Todd Douglas Smith, 47, of Sissonville, died Friday, March 30, 2007, in Rochester, Minn., after a courageous battle with amyloidosis.

He was a Christian, a gifted vocalist, and a member of Aldersgate United Methodist Church.

He was a project manager and project engineer for Kanawha Scales and Systems in Poca.

He was preceded in death by his mother, Helen Samples Smith.

He is survived by his wife, Charlotte Ferrell Smith; daughter, Brittany Smith, of Nitro; stepdaughter, Jennifer Cavender, of Sissonville; stepson, Sean Cavender, of Sissonville; father and stepmother, Richard and Virginia Smith, of Waco, Texas; brother and sister-in-law, Greg and Amy Smith, of Goshen, Ky.; nephew, Randy Smith, of Goshen, Ky.; nephew, Darin Ferrell and niece, Danielle Ferrell, both of Rock Hill, S.C.

He is a graduate of Charleston High School and attended Kent State University and West Virginia State.

Friends may call 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at Aldersgate United Methodist Church, 6823 Sissonville Drive, Sissonville.

Charleston Daily Mail, April 3, 2007

Nitro never lacks intrigue

MUNICIPAL life in Nitro, often peculiar, is never dull. The city has a budget of only $4 million, but in terms of intrigue, it's a hard municipality to keep up with.

In 2005, a self-styled public watchdog group, West Virginia Wants to Know, challenged city officials' spending. That led to a dustup about cell phone bills.

When council members refused to let the group speak at a meeting, the group filed a federal lawsuit. Then Tifney Terry, a principal figure in the group, was given the job of city treasurer, and the suit went away.

In October, the Daily Mail's Kris Wise recapped some of the highlights of Nitro affairs:

In 2005, Councilman Bill Clark filed suit against Wanda Carney, another principal of West Virginia Wants to Know, alleging she propositioned him

in exchange for helping him politically. Carney denied it and filed a slander suit against Clark.

Clark dropped his suit. Carney kept hers going.

Meanwhile, Clark was accused of posing as a police officer. He stopped three Nitro High School students, saying one of them had flipped a rude gesture at him.

Councilman Bill Racer was arrested for drunken driving, spent a weekend in jail, and went right back to serving on council.

In 2006, Clark was back in the news, accusing fellow councilman Tim Harrison of sending nude photographs of himself to female residents of Nitro while pretending to be Clark.

In August, Councilwoman Gertie Estep got into it with Treasurer Terry about financial documentation.

Then there's the perennial goose poop problem.

Here it is, early 2007, and things have come full circle. Rusty Marks of the Gazette reports that Treasurer Terry, the former financial watchdog, has never had the required surety bond.

It turns out she has a financial history. In 1995, she apparently agreed to buy a $7,200 car, which was then repossessed and auctioned, but a bank went to court to force her to pay more than $5,000.

That same year she faced a worthless check charge in magistrate court -- $13.73. She paid the debt last year, by which time it had grown to more than $200.

In 1996, Terry was sued by a doctor for failing to pay a $1,000 medical bill.

Terry is to prove her bond-worthiness this week or be dismissed.

Stay tuned. It's bound to get interesting.