West Virginia University

WASHINGTON - Sen. Joe Manchin III owns two 12-gauge Beretta shotguns, a semiautomatic Remington 58 Sportsman and a deer rifle. Since he was elected to the Senate two years ago, he has easily maintained an A rating from the National Rifle Assn. That rating might be considered crucial to the survival of a Democrat from a conservative, rural state like West Virginia. So after news broke of the Newtown, Conn., school shootings on a Friday in December, his staff debated what he should do. The consensus was that Manchin should cancel a scheduled appearance the following Monday to talk about fiscal issues on MSNBC's "Morning Joe. " Surely the hosts would press the senator on gun control, and it seemed that almost anything he said could spell trouble so early in the aftermath of the tragedy.

West Virginia University President Michael Garrison resigned, seeking to end a scandal stemming from awarding an unearned degree to the governor's daughter. Garrison said he hoped his resignation, effective in September, would end the turmoil at the university.

Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chris Henry suffered from a chronic brain injury that may have influenced his mental state and behavior before he died last winter, West Virginia University researchers said Monday. The doctors had done a microscopic tissue analysis of Henry's brain that showed he suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Neurosurgeon Julian Bailes and California medical examiner Bennet Omalu , co-directors of the Brain Injury Research Institute at West Virginia, announced their findings alongside Henry's mother, Carolyn Henry Glaspy , who called it a "big shock" because she knew nothing about her 26-year-old son's underlying condition or the disease.

The Observatorium is a cooperative project among NASA's Information Infrastructure Technology and Applications Program, BDM International, and West Virginia University. This site offers four new features: Applications of Satellite Data, Fun and Games, Tools & Data, and the Birth of Stars; it also features a new observation each week, as well as providing current headlines in space exploration. The address is: http://observe.ivv.nasa.gov/

West Virginia University was once again declared the winner of Saturday's disputed game at St. Joseph's. A last-second dunk by forward Lester Rowe had given the Mountaineers an apparent 51-50 victory. But nearly 10 minutes after the final buzzer, official Glen Shample reversed the decision, saying the West Virginia basket could not be allowed because it came after time had expired.

Two West Virginia University basketball players were seriously injured in an auto accident near Cumberland, Md., as they were returning to school after spring break. Wilfred Kirkaldy, 19, a center who has played one season, was in serious condition in the intensive care unit of Cumberland Memorial Hospital. Lawrence Pollard, 21, a forward who has played two seasons, was in guarded condition in intensive care.

Five scholarships--each worth $2,000--were awarded by a drawing at West Virginia University. All students in good standing--those not on academic probation--in the college's 2,700-member freshman class were eligible for the drawing, held in a ballroom on the university's Morgantown campus. The only hitch was winners had to be present when their ticket stubs were drawn from a big drum Saturday night. One student missed out because he was a no-show.

James Jacobs tickled the foot of his 85-year-old mother, who was tethered to a bed in a second-floor room. But Irene Jacobs' pale blue eyes remained focused out an open window. "She doesn't recognize him," said Jacobs' wife, Marie, as she spread a disposable diaper under her mother-in-law. "It hurts, real bad. But you have to remember, she doesn't know what she's doing." The first inkling that something was wrong came about seven years ago, when Irene Jacobs began to have trouble telling time.

West Virginia University President Michael Garrison resigned, seeking to end a scandal stemming from awarding an unearned degree to the governor's daughter. Garrison said he hoped his resignation, effective in September, would end the turmoil at the university.

PHOENIX -- What is this, the Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout? It's Bob Huggins against Xavier all over again. The Cincinnati-Xavier basketball rivalry could make USC-UCLA hoops look friendly, and now Huggins, the old nemesis, is sending his West Virginia team against Xavier in an NCAA West Regional semifinal. "I'm sure a lot of Xavier fans are glad he's not coaching UC anymore because when he was there, they were a real hard team to beat," said Xavier forward C.J. Anderson, a Cincinnati native who remembers when Huggins prowled the sideline.

Grasping for a way to describe the most-hyped football game in Louisville history, some locals compared it to something they're more familiar with, a Final Four. What the Cardinals have their hearts set on after a 44-34 Big East Conference victory over previously undefeated West Virginia is college football's final two, the Bowl Championship Series title game. They have a ways to go, even after handling the No.

They said there would never be another Reggie Bush, but have you seen West Virginia sophomore Steve Slaton? He's Bush-like without the paper trail. "I'm a big fan of his," Slaton said during a conference call this week. Slaton, like Bush, is a firefly of dashing dips and darts, with directional changes known to loosen opposition knee cartilage. "Facially, he even looks like Reggie Bush," said Bill Kirelawich, the Mountaineers assistant coach who recruited Slaton from eastern Pennsylvania.

With 13 men trapped in a mine back home, West Virginia's football team took the field against Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. It was Jan. 2, 2006, and one of the proudest moments in state history was about to collide with one of its most tragic. You could curse the timing but not separate the coal from the football, or the emotional weight each event carried.

WHEN men take to the road in books and movies, their experiences are often celebrated as journeys of exploration and conquest, self-discovery and self-perfection. But when the women in "Thelma & Louise" do the same, they are depicted as runaways and desperadoes who end up dead.

Some say it's the biggest thing to hit these parts since mountains. One native, the best football player ever at the school, calls it the most historic event since they separated the Virginias. For those all too familiar with West Virginia's depressing economic conditions, the idea of a $3 million payday for a football game boggles the mind. If Monday's Fiesta Bowl, pitting West Virginia against Notre Dame in Tempe, Ariz.

John Cushwa spent years pruning peach and apple trees in the rolling hills near the Potomac River. These days he is raising $180,000 houses on 100 acres his family had farmed since 1810. "I can't say I'm happy about doing it," Cushwa said. "At one time I used to be against this type of development. But I have to do it to survive. I guess you can say we're growing houses instead of apples."

Don Nehlen's last season as West Virginia's coach was much like his first--the Mountaineers couldn't find a way to beat rival Pittsburgh. However, it was the eventual success against Pittsburgh for which Nelson's 21-year coaching career at West Virginia will largely be remembered. Pittsburgh's 38-28 victory Friday was only its second over a Nehlen-coached team in nine years. Nehlen, who is retiring, went 11-8-2 against the Panthers.

The Observatorium is a cooperative project among NASA's Information Infrastructure Technology and Applications Program, BDM International, and West Virginia University. This site offers four new features: Applications of Satellite Data, Fun and Games, Tools & Data, and the Birth of Stars; it also features a new observation each week, as well as providing current headlines in space exploration. The address is: http://observe.ivv.nasa.gov/