All-Mountain State Athletic Conference

Player of the Year: Christopher Jordan, Ripley

Coach of the Year: Ken Samms, South Charleston

First team

P: Tyler Abbott, South Charleston, sr.

P: Druw Bowen, George Washington, sr.

P: Jacob Bradley, Nitro, sr.

P: Michael Maiolo, Woodrow Wilson, so.

C: Matt Jewell, Nitro, sr.

1B: Anthony Jarvis, Ripley, jr.

2B: Brendan Quinn, South Charleston, jr.

SS: Trevor Sampson, South Charleston, sr.

3B: Kirk Jennings, Cabell Midland, jr.

OF: Sam Aulick, Huntington, jr.

OF: Matt Harrison, Nitro, sr.

OF: Jacob Marler, South Charleston, sr.

OF: Cody Pittenger, Ripley, sr.

DH: Austin McCloud, Spring Valley, jr.

Util: Jake Carr, St. Albans, fr.

Second team

P: Wade Garrett, Parkersburg, sr.

P: Luke Layhew, Ripley, sr.

P: Jeremy Moles, Riverside, sr.

P: Andrew Stone, Nitro, sr.

C: Aidan Johnson, George Washington, fr.

1B: Madison Jeffrey, Cabell Midland, so.

1B: Isaiah Moss, South Charleston, sr.

2B: Bryce Leep, Huntington, sr.

SS: Casey Frye, Winfield, sr.

3B: Josh Petit, George Washington, jr.

OF: Jared Bumpus, Ripley, sr.

OF: Hayden Burke, Riverside, sr.

OF: Colton Carter, Cabell Midland, sr.

OF: Austin Stambaugh, Spring Valley, jr.

DH: Cole Tilley, Cabell Midland, sr.

Util: Kyle Goodwin, Parkersburg, jr.

Util: Casey Kelly, Spring Valley, sr.

Special mention

Daniel Brandon, Spring Valley; Brett Christian, Huntington; Sam Estel, Winfield; Hunter Fansler, Woodrow Wilson; Garrett Gress, Hurricane; Ben Haikal, Huntington; Tate Hancock, Winfield; Jason Haynes, Capital; Zach Lively, South Charleston; Andrew Massey, Riverside; Chase McKinney, Cabell Midland; Ryan McNeal, Riverside; Cameron Pack, Woodrow Wilson; Aaron Perry, Ripley; Cam Thomas, Capital.

Honorable mention

Aaron Blackwell, Winfield; Jason Bostic, Riverside; Remy Boyce, Ripley; Kyle Chaffin, Huntington; Brandon Chandler, Woodrow Wilson; Jeremy Graley, George Washington; Tanner Hamilton, Spring Valley; Corey Lanier, South Charleston; Nick Loftis, St. Albans; Brandon Martin, Hurricane; Ian McElroy, Parkersburg; Brandon Thomas, Capital; Grant Wells, George Washington; Jake Williams, Nitro

COLUMBIA, S.C. - The Columbia Fireflies scored an 8-2 victory over the West Virginia Power Saturday evening at Spirit Communications Park.

The Power (30-31) lost its third game in a row to the Fireflies and was mathematically eliminated from a chance to win the first-half title in the South Atlantic League's Northern Division. West Virginia has lost seven of its last eight.

Mitchell Tolman had the lone RBI for West Virginia with a single in the fifth inning and had two hits, as did Daniel Arribas, Logan Hill and Christian Kelley. The Power outhit the Fireflies 12-11.

Columbia (32-30) scored two runs in the second inning, two more in the sixth and three in the fourth to break the game open. Jeff Diehl was 2 for 3 with three RBIs, including a two-run homer.

The teams conclude their four-game series Sunday with the Power looking to avoid the sweep. First pitch is scheduled for 2:05 p.m.

ORLANDO, Fla. — A gunman wielding an assault-type rifle and a handgun opened fire inside a crowded gay nightclub early Sunday, killing at least 50 people before dying in a gunfight with SWAT officers, police said. It was the deadliest mass shooting in American history.

Authorities were investigating the attack on the Florida dance hall as an act of terrorism. The gunman’s father recalled that his son recently got angry when he saw two men kissing in Miami and said that might be related to the assault.

At least 53 people were hospitalized, most in critical condition, officials said. A surgeon at Orlando Regional Medical Center said the death toll was likely to climb.

“There’s blood everywhere,” Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said.

All of the dead were killed with the assault rifle, according to Rep. Alan Grayson.

Witnesses described a chaotic scene when the gunfire began shortly before the club known as Pulse was to close.

“Some guy walked in and started shooting everybody. He had an automatic rifle, so nobody stood a chance,” said Jackie Smith, who had two friends next to her get shot. “I just tried to get out of there.”

The suspect exchanged gunfire with a police officer working at the club, which had more than 300 people inside. The gunman then went back inside and took hostages, Police Chief John Mina said.

Around 5 a.m., authorities sent in a SWAT team to rescue the hostages.

Authorities were looking into whether the attack was an act of domestic or international terrorism, and if the shooter acted alone, according to Danny Banks, an agent with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

“This is an incident, as I see it, that we certainly classify as domestic terror incident,” Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said.

The previous deadliest mass shooting in the U.S. was the 2007 attack at Virginia Tech, where a student killed 32 people before killing himself.

The suspect in the Orlando attack was identified as Omar Mateen of Port St. Lucie, Florida.

Suspect identified as Omar Mateen, 29. An American citizen born in New York. @FBI first became aware of him in 2013 pic.twitter.com/gt18lhTM4G

— Orlando Police (@OrlandoPolice) June 12, 2016

Grayson, a Florida Democrat, named the shooter, citing law enforcement officials. A federal law enforcement official with knowledge of the investigation confirmed the name. The official was not authorized to discuss the investigation publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Mateen’s father, Mir Seddique, told NBC News about his son seeing the men kissing a couple of months ago.

“We are saying we are apologizing for the whole incident,” Seddique said. “We are in shock like the whole country.”

The law enforcement official said Mateen was known to the FBI before the nightclub attack and had been looked at by agents within the last few years.

The matter for which he came under investigation was “open and closed pretty quickly,” the official said.

When asked if the gunman had a connection to radical Islamic terrorism, Hopper said authorities had “suggestions that individual has leanings towards that.”

Mateen’s father said the attack had nothing to do with religion, he said.

President Barack Obama called the shooting an “act of terror” and an “act of hate” targeting a place of “solidarity and empowerment” for gays and lesbians. He urged Americans to decide whether this is the kind of “country we want to be.”

"This was an act of terror and act of hate." —@POTUS on the tragic shooting in #Orlando https://t.co/i7fOS38GzH

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 12, 2016

In addition to the guns, the shooter also had some sort of “suspicious device,” the police chief said.

Authorities said they had secured a van owned by the suspect outside the club. Meanwhile, a SWAT truck and a bomb-disposal unit were on the scene of an address associated with Mateen in a residential neighborhood of Fort Pierce, Florida, about 118 miles southeast of Orlando.

Relatives and friends, many in tears, gathered outside the hospital to learn the fate of loved ones.

Smith did not know the conditions of her wounded friends. She came out of the hospital and burst into tears.

Timeline: Events in Pulse nightclub shooting https://t.co/vTMb4EW5zz pic.twitter.com/RyncWaEQH8

— Orlando Sentinel (@orlandosentinel) June 12, 2016

Christine Leinonen drove to Orlando at 4 a.m. after learning of the shooting from a friend of her 32-year-old son, Christopher Leinonen, who was at Pulse and is missing.

She had not heard from her son and feared the worst.

“These are nonsensical killings of our children,” she said, sobbing. “They’re killing our babies!”

She said her son’s friend Brandon Wolf survived by hiding in a bathroom and running out as the bullets flew.

A woman who was outside the club early Sunday was trying to contact her 30-year-old son, Eddie, who texted her when the shooting happened and asked her to call police. He told her he ran into a bathroom with other club patrons to hide. He then texted her: “He’s coming.”

“The next text said: ‘He has us, and he’s in here with us,”’ Mina Justice said. “That was the last conversation.”

Pulse posted on its own Facebook page around 2 a.m.: “Everyone get out of Pulse and keep running.” Just before 6 a.m., the club posted an update: “As soon as we have any information, we will update everyone. Please keep everyone in your prayers as we work through this tragic event. Thank you for your thoughts and love.”

A bartender said she initially thought the gunshots were music. But after a second shot, there was a pause, followed by more shots. That’s when Tiffany Johnson realized something was wrong.

Johnson said people dropped to the ground and started running out of the club. She ran to a fast-food restaurant across the street and met one of her customers who let her get in his car. They drove away.

Club-goer Rob Rick said the shooting started just as “everybody was drinking their last sip.”

He estimated more than 100 people were still inside when he heard shots, got on the ground and crawled toward a DJ booth. A bouncer knocked down a partition between the club area and an area where only workers are allowed. People were then able to escape through the back of the club.

Christopher Hansen said he was in the VIP lounge when he heard gunshots. He continued to hear shooting even after he emerged and saw the wounded being tended across the street.

“I was thinking, ‘Are you kidding me?’ So I just dropped down. I just said, ‘Please, please, please, I want to make it out,”’ he said. “And when I did, I saw people shot. I saw blood. You hope and pray you don’t get shot.”

The attack follows the fatal shooting late Friday of 22-year-old singer Christina Grimmie, a YouTube sensation and former contestant on “The Voice.” She was killed after an Orlando concert by a 27-year-old man who later killed himself.

Associated Press writers Eric Tucker in Washington, Terrance Harris and Jason Dearen in Orlando and photographer Alan Diaz in Fort Pierce, Florida, contributed to this report.

CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (AP) - Michael Priddy and David Allison went on a do-good adventure they won't soon forget. On April 28 they left Sacramento, Calif., on their bicycles, rode across the U.S., and finished their ride in Quantico, Virginia.

They made the 47-day, 2,700 mile transcontinental trek, called "No Man Rides Alone," to raise funds and awareness for veterans suffering with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Priddy and Allison stopped in 42 cities along the way. They visited Clarksburg on June 6 and continued to New Creek, West Virginia, on June 7.

"Our goal is to raise one million dollars," said a ride organizer who works for The Eternity Challenge, one of three organizational sponsors. The other two sponsors are Serving California and the Mighty Oaks Foundation.

The Eternity Challenge, based in Sacramento and three years old, is a non-profit that helps people overcome financial, physical and spiritual obstacles, including those who have been incarcerated, addicted to drugs and served in the military.

The Eternity Challenge is one of the outposts of the Mighty Oaks Warrior Fight Club, a nonprofit that specifically helps veterans with PTSD, while Serving California is a nonprofit that provided financial support for the ride.

Both Priddy and Allison were subject to PTSD - Priddy as a result of being a U.S. Marine who participated in two tours in Iraq, and Allison as a long-time law enforcement officer in California. Both men attended the Mighty Oaks Warrior Fight Club program, a six-day, faith-based intensive retreat that has had tremendous success in treating the negative effects of PTSD.

"Statistics show that 22 veterans commit suicide every day," said the organizer. "Of those that survive, 80 percent end up getting divorced. In the four years Mighty Oaks has been around, 1,000 people have gone through the program, and of those, we've had zero divorces and zero suicides."

The goal of "No Man Rides Alone" is to raise funds so more veterans can attend the Mighty Oaks retreat and to offer more services to veterans, like job training, housing and counseling, she said.

The ride was the brainchild of Allison, who had cycled the route alone a few years back, to raise money for a friend who had Lou Gehrig's disease. Allison convinced Priddy to accompany him on the trip.

Priddy was introduced to the Mighty Oaks retreat program through two pastors at his church. This was after he had left the Marine Corps and became estranged from his family, which led to his divorce and depression, he said.

"I had trouble fitting into society when I left the Marine Corps and couldn't find a job that would pay a livable wage, so I did what I knew - I went overseas to work for a security contractor," Priddy said. "I was gone for six years and only came back for a week or two at a time, during which time I would lash out at my wife and kids. I was struggling with PTSD. I filed for a divorce, my kids didn't want anything to do with me and I became more and more isolated. Finally, two pastors at my church told me I was going to Mighty Oaks, which I did in August 2014. It was the best decision I ever made; it saved my life."

Priddy says he now has a wonderful relationship with his three sons, talks with them multiple times a day and visits them every chance he gets.

As a law enforcement officer for 30 years, Allison said he was exposed to a lot of violence and forced to do things that he never properly dealt with at the time. Consequently, he suffered with the effects of PTSD.

"Mike came to my church and talked with the men's group, shared his story, and it resonated with me," Allison said. "God was tugging at my heart and I knew I needed to get involved, so I went through the program in February 2016."

Priddy and Allison said this experience, although physically challenging, has been incredible, as they have met lots of people and received support along the way, giving speeches at American Legions, VFWs, churches and city events.

"Cycling up the Monarch Pass in Colorado, at 11,312 feet in the snow and wind ... things like that I'll always remember," Priddy said.

The parents of a man who killed himself at a Tucker County facility earlier this year filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the facility on Friday.

Rick and Kathy Harris, of Louisiana, allege that staff at Q&A Associates, a young adult transitional living program, knew Evan Harris was exhibiting signs of a crisis and made no efforts to prevent his death. They also allege that Q&A Associates staff members were willfully attempting to isolate the 23-year-old man from his parents to prevent them from learning of his deteriorating condition.

Within a month last winter, Harris and another young man died of self-inflicted injuries at Q&A Associates, a Davis business that promises to teach young adults life skills. While Q&A markets itself as appropriate for the mentally ill, it is not required to be licensed by the state because it does not provide behavioral health services.

On Dec. 21, 2015, staff members found a 19-year-old man dead in a barn. Afterward, Q&A Associates' founder, Angie Shockley, told the Gazette-Mail she viewed the death as accidental, but did not deny it was self-inflicted. She said the man showed no signs of being suicidal.

She also said Q&A Associates did not plan to increase monitoring of clients and that she was not worried about another death occurring because the risk of death comes with the territory of working with an at-risk population.

On Jan. 24, Evan Harris was found dead in the same barn. The state medical examiner has ruled his death a suicide, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit also says Harris was missing for hours before he was found and that there was "little or no effort" to locate him prior to the discovery.

After Harris' death, Shockley did not return calls from the Gazette-Mail. She asked an employee to call and say, "Out of respect and duty to our families and clients, we have no comment at this time."

Audrey Peavey, admissions and marketing director for Q&A, said the business had no comment on the allegations in the lawsuit.

The lawsuit names Q&A Associates, Q&A staff members Angie Shockley, Keith Bishop, Matthew Shockley and Sandy Schmiedeknecht, as well as Tammy Robbins as defendants. Robbins was an educational consultant who "falsely represented that [Q&A] could offer all of the services that Evan M. Harris needed," the lawsuit states.

Throughout the complaint, David Sims, a Vienna lawyer representing the parents, argues that Harris' death was preventable.

The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia on Friday. It alleges intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence in performing assessments on Harris, negligent supervision of program participants, negligent hiring of staff, negligent training of staff, negligent staffing levels, negligent program design, negligent program assessments, negligent misrepresentation of fact, intentional misrepresentation of fact, and violations of the West Virginia Consumer Credit and Protection Act.

Harris' parents have said he had a low IQ and was extremely impressionable and that the first suicide likely influenced him. Harris, who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, had struggled all his life and was devastated by a relationship that had recently ended.

After Harris' death, his parents told the Gazette-Mail they only found out after he died that he had began cutting himself again. Self-injury is associated with suicide. The parents also criticized Q&A staff for failing to tell them the first death was a self-inflicted injury. They said the business should have made changes after the first incident to prevent future deaths.

According to the lawsuit, as early as Dec. 24, 2015, Keith Bishop received reports that Harris was cutting himself and expressing suicidal ideation.

The parents have also learned of other signs Harris' condition was worsening. According to the lawsuit, he left the facility multiple times and was struggling with a desire to drink alcohol. He was also purging and refusing to take his psychiatric medications, do chores and eat with house mates, the lawsuit alleges.

"They are still struggling like it happened yesterday," Sims said. "They are extremely distraught, as any parent would be, and that level of distraught has gotten worse since we obtained additional information from Q&A Associates about the condition of their son which was never reported to them."

When Kathy Harris resisted the staff members' suggestion to turn off her son's cell phone, they told her she was hindering his progress, the lawsuit states.

The "Defendants were making certain that Evan M. Harris was isolated and his ability to communicate that to his parents was restricted so that they would not learn that their son was in danger of harming himself," the lawsuit states.

Harris' parents - who were paying $9,500 a month in tuition to Q&A - have said Q&A staff had access to Harris' 24-page psychological evaluation.

"Instead of meeting the psychological needs of Evan M. Harris, as outlined in the psychological evaluation, officers and staff members watched Evan M. Harris deteriorate physically and emotionally, while assuring his parents that Evan M. Harris was 'doing great,'" the lawsuit states.

They also criticize the industry that markets itself to troubled youth.

"Q&A Associates, Inc. has structured itself to avoid being regulated in the State of West Virginia, much like others in the troubled teen and young adult industry," the lawsuit says. "In reality, the troubled teen industry is itself troubled because of the lack of regulations of entities like Q&A Associates, Inc."

Shockley served as the director of Alldredge Academy, in Davis, a private school that billed itself as a "children's wilderness" program, from 2003 to 2006. A 14-year-old boy in that program killed himself in 2001. The day before the boy died, he had sliced his arm from wrist to elbow with a knife that Alldredge officials then returned to him.

Like Q&A, Alldredge was not subject to state regulations. After the student's 2001 suicide, DHHR officials ordered Alldredge to close, and Alldredge officials argued that the state had no jurisdiction.

Kanawha Circuit Judge Duke Bloom ruled that Alldredge could stay open but had to be overseen by the DHHR. Alldredge eventually closed at the end of 2008, with officials at the school blaming the economic recession. Q&A opened in October 2010.

Sims surmises there are other facilities in West Virginia avoiding regulation by the state by using outside agencies for medical and mental health services, similar to Q&A.

"You learn, about them, like the Alldredge Academy, after someone dies," he said.

Reach Erin Beck at

erin.beck@wvgazettemail.com,

Facebook.com/erinbeckwv

304-348-5163, or follow

@erinbeckwv on Twitter.

Day 15 of the ongoing special session was marked with brief floor sessions in the House of Delegates and Senate Sunday, as the leadership of both parties continued to scramble to secure the needed 51 votes in the House to pass the governor's compromise tobacco tax plan, which includes a 65-cent a pack increase on cigarettes, a vote that would clear the way for passage of the 2016-17 state budget.

House Majority Leader Daryl Cowles, R-Morgan, said not as many House Republicans will support the higher cigarette tax proposal (SB1012) as voted for a 45-cent a pack increase on May 24.

"We will not deliver the same number or level of votes at 65 (cents) as we did at 45," Cowles said, adding, "We need bipartisan cooperation."

On May 24, the House rejected a tobacco tax bill that included a 45-cent a pack tax on cigarettes on a 44-55 vote (SB1005). In that vote, 43 House Republicans voted for the tax, while 20 Republicans joined 35 of 36 House Democrats in voting down the bill.

"I need them to deliver all they can -- all they got," Cowles said of needing House Democratic support to pass the bill.

He did not offer a precise number of how many Republicans who supported the 45-cent tax will vote against a 65-cent tax.

House Minority Leader Tim Miley, D-Marion, reiterated Sunday that at least 19 Democrats are committed to the 65-cent increase, and said "we're trying to get a hard number" on how many additional Democrats can be brought on board to support the bill.

Many House Democrats indicated they voted against the tobacco tax bill on May 24 because they considered the 45-cent tax insufficient to help close the $270 million 2016-17 budget shortfall or to discourage smoking.

In an effort to sway enough votes in the House to pass the compromise, Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin announced Sunday that if the Legislature passes the proposed tobacco tax increase, he will amend the special session call to add two bills, to direct $15 million in the 2016-17 budget and $10 million in 2017-18 to help reduce pending PEIA health care premium increases for retirees and active employees.

Under state law requiring an 80-20 employer-employee match for PEIA premiums, funding in the budget bill to cover an increase in employers' premiums would otherwise require higher premiums for public employees and retirees.

"As part of the ongoing budget negotiations, many members of the Legislature have expressed a desire to assist PEIA recipients in avoiding greater increases in their premiums," Tomblin said in a statement Sunday. "I agree with their concern, and if the Legislature passes my proposed tobacco tax, I plan to amend the special session call to include two additional pieces of legislation."

Tomblin said the additional funding would reduce the premium increase for retirees from 12 percent to 6 percent. Savings for state and public school employees would vary, since their premiums are on a sliding scale based on income.

Miley said the PEIA funding offer is important to most House Democrats.

"Our members have always made fully funding PEIA our top priority," he said.

While some Democrats wanted funding to fully offset employee and retiree premiums, Miley said he believes the governor's proposal will be favorable to many House Democrats.

"We're willing to support that plan, and go forward to get a budget," he said.

Meanwhile Sunday, anti-smoking organizations took umbrage at a provision in the tobacco tax bill that would prevent cities from imposing tougher restrictions on tobacco sales and promotion than state law - a provision expected to be short-lived.

"That's coming out. We've got an amendment to take that out," House Finance Chairman Eric Nelson, R-Kanawha, said Sunday.

In Finance Committee Saturday evening, Joseph Garcia, Tomblin's legislative liaison, said the provision was added at the request of the tobacco lobby, with the intent of preventing cities from passing ordinances raising the minimum age to buy tobacco products from 18 to 21.

Also Sunday:

| The House Finance Committee advanced the new version of the 2016-17 state budget (SB2013), with some changes - notably including a $4.1 million reduction in state greyhound racing subsidies.

The measure advanced to the full House on a 23-2 vote, over objections from Delegate Marty Gearhart, R-Mercer, who said the budget relies on a tax increase that may not win approval on the House floor.

"We've not done a whole lot to right-size this government," he complained. "We've not done a whole lot, except say to the citizens of the state, we need more of your money."

| The House passed 90-1 a bill that gives the governor authority to make payments of principal and interest on state debts, in order to avoid having the state default on bonds in the event of a state government shutdown (HB116).

The special session continues Monday, which will be day 93 of the state budget impasse, with 17 days remaining before the state government shutdown on July 1.

Reach Phil Kabler at philk@wvgazettemail.com, 304 348-1220, or follow @PhilKabler on Twitter.

Ralph Glenn Mash, 72, of St. Albans, entered into eternity on June 9, 2016, from Grand Rapids, Mich., to be with his Lord and departed loved ones.

He was born September 13, 1943, in Bownemont, West Virginia to Merrill and Ida Margaret (Lemaster) Mash. His parents moved to St. Albans, when he was a child and he resided there until four years ago when he moved to Michigan to be cared for by two of his sisters. Ralph loved to tinker and especially liked working on lawn mowers. He loved dogs and enjoyed their companionship. Truly his last dog, Nipper, was Ralph's best friend.

He was preceded in death by his parents; a niece and nephew; a great-niece; and two great nephews.

Ralph is survived by three sisters, Helen (Ted) Walborn, Carol Parsons, and Louise (Byron) Fisher; and by one brother, Charles (Rose) Mash. He is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews. Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Mon. June 13, at Casdorph & Curry Funeral Home, 110 B Street, St. Albans and one hour prior to the service at the funeral home.

Funeral service conducted by Pastor Doug Voss will be at 11 a.m. Tues. June 14, at the funeral home. Interment will follow in Teays Hill Cemetery, St. Albans.

Ronald Luther Igo, 80, of South Charleston, son of the late Nelson and Nettie Igo, died Tues. June 7, 2016, at Thomas Memorial Hospital. He retired at age 75 as a pharmacy technician at Thomas Memorial Hospital and as was a member of the Spring Hill Baptist Church. Ronald enjoyed running and had participated in several local races and marathons.

He was also preceded in death by his loving wife, Sally; and a sister, Sharon Miller.

Surviving, son and his wife, David and Nadine Igo; daughter and her husband, Rhonda and Shawn Alderman; step-son and his wife, Steve and Cheryl McFann; step-daughter, Kim McFann; sister and her husband, Lois and Eddie Gray; grandchildren, Jonathan Smoot, Cody Smoot, Heather Pascarella and husband, Chris, Tyler McFann, Brittaney Williams, Patrick Williams, Megan Williams; great-grandson, Roman Pascarella.

Service will be 7 p.m. Tues. at Good Shepherd Mortuary, South Charleston, with Pastor Chris Pascarella officiating. Friends may call from 5 to 7 p.m. at the mortuary.

Carl Hubert Hinzman, Sr., 83, of South Charleston, passed away on Thurs. June 9, 2016.

He was born on October 30, 1932, in Jackson County.

Carl retired from Thomas Memorial Hospital where he worked in the maintenance division.

He was preceded in death by his parents, William Arthur and Virgie Mildred Hinzman; wife, Minerva; sons, John and George; and brothers, James "Jr." and John D.

Carl is survived by son and daughter-in-law, Bill and Sylvia Hinzman; daughters, Mildred Hinzman, Mary Williams and Ann Fields; sons, Gary, Lee and Carl; 22 grandchildren; and a host of great-grandchildren; siblings, Evelyn Wells, Melcina Longerbeam, George Hinzman, Ronald Hinzman, Ethel Roberts, Judy Wine, Connie McCallister and Rosie Kibbles; and great-uncle, Wesley Johnson.

Service will be 2 p.m. Tues. June 14, at Keller Funeral Home, Dunbar with the Reverend Bill Pistore officiating. Burial will follow in the Adkins-Hinzman Cemetery. Friends may call one hour prior at Keller Funeral Home.

Homer Edgar "Buddy" Hawley, Sr. 83, of Poca, entered into Heaven June 10, 2016, after a long illness.

He was born December 8, 1932, at Rock Branch, the son of the late Jasper and Janie Harris Hawley, also preceding him in death were two twin granddaughters.

He retired in 1993 from Republic Container and also was a veteran of the U.S. Army serving during the Koren Conflict.

Buddy is survived by his loving wife of 64 years, Mildred June Atkins Hawley; sons, Homer Jr. (Anne) Hawley, Steve Hawley of Poca; and daughter, Renee (Jim) Davis of Wilmington; brother, Kenneth Hawley; and sisters, Reba Lewis, Phyllis Westfall and Erma Scarberry; and seven grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren. Service will be 2 p.m. Tues. June 14, with visitation from noon until service time at Rock Branch Independent Church, Nitro, WV, with Pastor Jim Davis and Pastor Delbert Hawley officiating. Interment will follow in Tyler Mountain Memory Gardens. Tyler Mountain Funeral Home, 5233 Rocky Fork Rd., Cross Lanes, WV 25313 is assisting the Hawley family. Online condolences may be made by visiting www.tylermountainfuneralhome.com.

Dolly Robertson Gray of Cross Lanes, passed into Heaven at the age of 92 on June 9, 2016.

Born in Charleston to the late Sarah Anne and William M. Carter, she was preceded in death by husbands, CF "Chad" Robertson and James H. Gray, M.D.; son, Chadwick David "Dave" Robertson; and sisters, Ruby Childress, Frances Robertson and Estelle Toon.

Dolly and Jim Gray were baptized together at Cross Lanes Bible Church, where they attended.

She is survived by son, Jonathan W. "Jay" Robertson (Margie); sister, Ann C. Robertson; and stepdaughter, Diane Gray Leonard. She was a beloved grandmother to her granddaughters, Jamie Rife (Craig), Jessica Robertson, Alicia Shao (Lawrence), Sherrilyn Westbrook (Jeff) and Katlin Robertson; step-grandchildren, Stephanie and Kim; and great-grandchildren, Haley, Emily, Jacob and Evan Miller and David and Luke Shao.

Dolly wishes to acknowledge the kindness and care of those who graciously assisted her: Clarence Wamsley (Carol), daughter-in-law, Brenda Robertson, Monty Coles (Carol), Mike Reveal, Tommy Robertson (Carol) and special nurse, Glenda Dodrill.

Per Dolly's request, there are no formal services; donations can be made in her honor to Union Mission Ministries Brookside Women and Children's Center, P.O. Box 112, Charleston, WV 25321.

Tyler Mountain Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Inurnment will take place at later date at Tyler Mountain Memory Gardens.

Joseph "Joe Eddie"  Cowley, 80, of Elkview, courageously passed away June 3, 2016, at Lower Cape Fear Hospice Care Center in Wilmington, N.C., after a long illness.

He was born on July 24, 1935, to Fenton and Verna Cowley. He was preceded in death by his parents; brother, Jerry Lee Cowley; and sister, Lou Ann Cowley. Joe Eddie graduated from Charleston High School in 1952 and attended Hargrave Military Academy, Salem College and graduated from Morris Harvey College.

Joe Eddie had a passion for sports, especially football, golf and hunting with his dogs. He played college football and went on to pursue his career serving as a football coach at Nitro High School and head football coach at Herbert Hoover High School. While coaching at Herbert Hoover, Coach Cowley was named Kanawha Valley's 3rd All Time Winningest Football Coach, where he began coaching in 1969, retiring in 1999. In 2010, the Herbert Hoover Huskies playing field was proclaimed the "Joe Eddie Cowley Field" and Coach Cowley was inducted into the Herbert Hoover Football Hall Of Fame. He spoke often of his players, students and outstanding coaching staffs. Joe Eddie also enjoyed spending time with his many friends. He was a member of The Clendenin Masonic Lodge #126.

Joe Eddie is survived by his wife, Phyllis Cowley; daughter, Susan (Matthew) Wingender; brother, Fedo (Jacque) Cowley; sister-in-law, Natalie Cowley; stepchildren, Sharon Lester Matthews, Jeff (Toni) Lester and Kelley Lester; grandchildren, Leah (Todd) Yates, Rachel (Brian) Goldstein, Sarah (Adam) Emanuels, Erica (Scott) Reynolds and Jake Lester; three great-grandchildren; and many cousins, nieces and nephews.

To fulfill Joe Eddie's wishes a funeral service will not be held. A celebration of life service will be held 2 p.m. Sat. June 25, in the Herbert Hoover High School Auditorium.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his honor to Herbert Hoover High School, 5856 Elk River Rd North, Clendenin, WV 25045 or The National Parkinson's Foundation.

Jonathan Lester Brockwell, 68, was born on August 17, 1947, in Niagara Falls, New York, to Lloyd and Evelyn Booth Brockwell. He died on June, 10, 2016, in Charleston, West Virginia, from ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). He is predeceased by his parents; and three of his brothers, Jeffrey, Joshua, and Joseph. He is survived by his wife, Marianne; his son, Patrick James Potter; his step-son, Matthew W. Sabin; three sisters, Judy Simcox (Boyer), Joyce Brockwell, and Janet Brockwell (Joan); his brother, Jeremy; and nieces and nephews, Aaron, Kelly, Sarah, and Rebecca Brockwell and Julia Kuriger (Karl).

In 1953, his family moved to Moorestown, New Jersey. Then, in 1961, they moved to Cambridge, Ohio, where he attended high school. After graduating from Case Western Reserve University in 1969, Jon worked for Shell Oil in Wood River, Illinois, before beginning graduate work at the University of Toledo, obtaining M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in chemical engineering and engineering science in 1975 and 1979. His theses were "Experimental Investigation of Dissolved Oxygen Concentration Profile in Attached Slime Growths" and "Investigation of the Dissolution of SO2 Bubbles in Toluene in Zero and Normal Gravity." He was always proud of the application of his thesis research to NASA shuttle efforts.

He married Marcia while in Toledo and then began a distinguished research and development career at the Union Carbide Technical Center in South Charleston, West Virginia, in 1979. After their divorce, Marcia and he remained close. He met Marianne in Charleston, and they married in 1996.

Jon's impressive breadth of knowledge was demonstrated by the diversity of his thesis projects and by the range of research areas to which he contributed at Union Carbide: Process Fundamentals, Alternative Raw Materials Utilization, Ethane Oxydehydrogenation, Synthesis Gas to Fuel Alcohols, Safety Research, Acrolein Process Support, and Methylmercaptopropionaldehyde Process Development.

He was strongly committed to recycling and set an example for others with his conscientious efforts, leading to recognition for him from Governor Rockefeller. His concern for others was manifested by his long-term, active participation on the Men's Emergency Shelter Board, before, during, and after its evolution to the Roark-Sullivan Lifeway Center.

After retiring from UCC in 2002, Jon and Marianne traveled extensively visiting over 40 countries in 13 years. He did some consulting, worked with the AARP Income Tax Assistance Program, and continued his other volunteer work in the community.

His many friends valued his wit, intellect, iconoclasm, leadership, and organizational abilities, referring to him as "The General" throughout his UCC career. He will be greatly missed.

Jonathan requested cremation, visitation will be on Tuesday June 14, 2016, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Barlow Bonsall Funeral Home, 1118 Virginia Street East, Charleston, West Virginia. There will also be family services in Cambridge, OH and there will be a "Beer Buddies" memorial service at a later date.

Instead of flowers, the family has suggested that memorial contributions could be sent to one of four local charities that Jon supported: Hospice Care, 1606 Kanawha Boulevard West, Charleston, WV, 25387, as a thank you for the wonderful care and support; Roark-Sullivan Lifeway Center – veterans activities – P.O. Box 1707, Charleston, WV, 25326; Dog Bless WV, P.O. Box 11191, Charleston, WV, 25339 to support the rescue of homeless dogs; or Keep Your Faith Corporation, 1046 Garden St., Charleston, WV, 25302, a group that strives to help the youth of Charleston.

Condolences may be sent to the family at www.barlowbonsall.com. Barlow Bonsall Funeral Home, Charleston, has been entrusted with the arrangements.

Mrs. Neola B. Boggess, 88, of Nitro, went home to be with the Lord June 9, 2016, at Hubbard Hospice House. She was a Christian and a member of Gateway Christian Church. She enjoyed working in her flowers, watching baseball and the gospel.

Neola is preceded in death by her parents, Marshall Sigman and Clara Sigman Stover; daughter, Carmen Boggess, her husband of 50 years, James Ray Boggess, and all of her siblings.

She is survived by her son, James R. Boggess, II and wife, Kay of N.C.; grandchildren, Heather (Tim) Hager and J.R. Boggess; great-grandson, Noah Hager; and a host of family and friends.

Funeral service will be 2 p.m. Sun. June 12, at Gatens-Harding Funeral Home Chapel with Pastor Dave Stauffer officiating. Burial will follow in Haven of Rest Memory Gardens. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service on Sun. The family would like to thank Hospice Nurse, Mark Withrow, and the entire Hospice Staff for all their love and support.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Union Mission or Hubbard Hospice House. Condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.hardingfamilygroup.com. Gatens-Harding Funeral Home, 147 Main St., Poca is serving the Boggess family.

John Arcuri, 87, of Charleston, went home to be with the Lord Fri. June 3, 2016, after a long illness.

John was a lifetime resident of Charleston and a graduate of Stonewall Jackson High School. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, where he earned two bronze stars. John was a self-employed grocer and former owner of Lewis Street Grocery on Charleston's East End. He was a long time member of Christopher Columbus Lodge 1199, Order Sons of Italy.

He was preceded in death by his mother, Madeline Murrock Arcuri; father, Emil Arcuri; and brother, Frank Arcuri.

He is survived by his nephews, Mike Arcuri and Greg Arcuri of Charleston; and great-niece, Valiciti Arcuri of Charleston.

Barlow-Bonsall Funeral Home is serving the family. A brief military service will be held at Donel C. Kinnard Memorial State Veterans Cemetery, 130 Academy Drive, Dunbar, WV on Tues. June 14 at 10 a.m. Friends may express online condolences at www.barlowbonsall.com.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in memory of John to Christopher Columbus Lodge 1199, c/o Maria Ray, 100 Juniper Street, Nitro, WV 25143.

Ball, Kevin E. — 1:30 p.m., Good Shepherd Mortuary, South Charleston.

Boggess, Neola — 2 p.m., Gatens

Browning, Leo M. — 1 p.m., The First Missionary Baptist Church, Gilbert.

Butta, Michael — Noon, Elk Funeral Home, Charleston.

Casto, E. "Hick" — 2 p.m., Waybright Funeral Home, Ripley.

Clark, Lonna — 1 p.m., Deal Funeral Home, Point Pleasant.

Conrad, Patricia — 2 p.m., Heritage Park Community Building, Spencer.

Davis, Cathy L. — 5 p.m., Lisa Curry Building, Chesapeake.

Feamster, Salina M. — 2 p.m., Wallace & Wallace Funeral Home Chapel, Lewisburg.

Gartin, Aileene — 2 p.m., Franklin Cemetery, Branchland.

Jordan, Hazel G. — 3 p.m., Faith Christian Fellowship, Buffalo.

Lutz, J. "Lucy" — 2:30 p.m., Canaan Missionary Baptist Church, Charleston.

Martin, Brandie — 5 p.m., Cunningham

McGlothlin, Delmer — 12:30 p.m., Parker Cemetery, Newton.

Simmons, Patricia — 2 p.m., Arbovale Cemetery, Arbovale.

Taylor, Leeann — 6:30 p.m., Chapman Funeral Home, Winfield.

Young, Delbert — 2 p.m., Matics Funeral Home, Clendenin.

Young, Tom — 1 p.m., Presbyterian Church of the Covenant, Hurricane.

Alpha Natural Resources has called off the search for a man reported missing Tuesday in the Upper Big Branch Mine, though the man was never found.

The man, David Lee Adkins, supposedly went with three other men to steal copper from the mine, West Virginia State Police said in a statement. One of the men, who was arrested Wednesday for breaking and entering, told police Adkins was inside the mine and that they were separated from him around 2:30 a.m. Tuesday.

"Over the course of two days, and in concert with state and federal regulatory authorities, an exhaustive underground search was conducted of every accessible area from multiple entry points into the mine," according to a statement from Alpha Natural Resources provided by Steve Hawkins, a spokesman for the mine. "The alleged trespasser was not found. After discussion with authorities, agreement has been reached to conclude the underground search. Security personnel will be posted at mine access points over the coming days as an added safety precaution. We will continue cooperating with law enforcement's ongoing investigation."

The UBB mine has been shuttered since 2012, after a 2010 explosion killed 29 miners.

Beckley Water Company has issued a boil-water advisory from Astoria Drive to the end of Glenview Road, including all side streets.

The McDowell County Public Service District has issued a boil-water advisory for Anawalt because of a main water line break.

Residents in those areas are advised to boil their water for one full minute before use.

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The City of Richwood has lifted a boil-water advisory for the south end of Oakford Avenue, including all side streets.

Step By Step Inc., through the federally funded Summer Food Service Program, will offer free breakfast and snack to any child who would like to participate.

The meals are available to all children ages 18 years and under, and will be served at the Switzer Community Center at Orchard Manor, 900 Griffin Drive in Charleston, from June 20 through July 29.

Breakfast will be served at 9 a.m. and snack at 2 p.m.

To reach the center, call 304-410-3185. For more information about the Step By Step Inc. Summer Food Program, call Cassidy Bailey or Andrea Gould at 304-414-4452.

Seemingly breaking a 92-day budget impasse, the House of Delegates Monday passed a $98 million increase in tobacco taxes on a 63-35 vote (HB1012), a key component to help close a $270 million funding gap in the 2016-17 state budget and avoid a state government shutdown on July 1.

"Most of all, a "yes" vote assures our government stays open July 1," House Finance Chairman Eric Nelson, R-Kanawha, said in urging passage of the bill.

The vote came on the 16th day of the special session on the state budget, and nearly three weeks after the House rejected a previous tobacco tax bill that would have included a 45-cent a pack increase on cigarette taxes, 20 cents a pack less than the tax hike approved Tuesday.

Even proponents of the 65-cent increase bill were not enthusiastic about the option, describing it as a last-ditch effort to get the state budget passed prior to a looming shutdown of state government on July 1.

"We're unable to get the budget done without additional taxes because we have an unwilling partner in the Senate and an unwilling governor," said House Majority Whip John O'Neal, R-Raleigh. O'Neal voted for the tax bill Monday, after breaking with House leadership and voting against the earlier tobacco tax increase on May 24.

That bill was defeated when 35 of 36 House Democrats joined 20 anti-tax Republicans to vote it down by a 44-55 margin, with many Democrats complaining the 45-cent increase would neither raise sufficient revenue nor effectively deter smoking.

On Monday, 21 of 36 House Democrats voted for the bill, after House Minority Leader Tim Miley, D-Harrison, urged delegates to "get the work done."

"We all say we want to avoid a government shutdown. We all say we want to stop the bleeding at $35,000 a day," Miley said, referring to the daily cost of legislators' pay and expenses in special session. "We're at the 11th-and-a-half hour trying to get a budget passed."

Opponents of the tax increase argued that it is forcing state residents to pay for the Legislature's inability to make significant cuts to state spending. The budget bill cuts spending by about $120 million, or less than 3 percent overall.

"This is nothing more than bipartisan legal plunder so we keep the growth of state government continuing to get bigger and bigger, as the population gets smaller and smaller," said Delegate Michael Folk, R-Berkeley.

Prior to passage of the tobacco tax increase, the House amended the bill to remove a provision that would have prevented municipalities from imposing additional restrictions on the sale or promotion of tobacco products, something critics feared could be a back-door attempt to overturn indoor smoking bans.

"When I learned about this yesterday morning, I was more than a little incensed by the disingenuousness of the tobacco lobby," said Delegate Don Perdue, D-Wayne. "This was absolutely horrific, an end-run."

Delegates followed that passage vote with approval of the 2016-17 state budget bill (SB1013) on an 84-15 vote.

The House amended the $4.187 billion spending plan to restore $1.5 million of funding for the Center for Professional Development, and increasing funding for Blue Ridge Community and Technical College in Martinsburg by $500,000 - changes that may or may not be approved by the Senate or survive line-item vetoes by the governor.

After passage of the budget bill, House Speaker Tim Armstead, R-Kanawha, left the podium for a floor speech to address critics regarding the long delay in getting a state budget approved.

He noted that even in a normal year, it generally takes the Legislature an additional week after the 60-day regular session to complete work on the budget bill.

"We are not in normal times, because of what's happened with our economy - what's happened with our energy industry," Armstead said, adding that the process was extended further when Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin vetoed what he said was an irresponsible budget plan on June 8, objecting to its use of nearly $182 million of Rainy Day emergency reserve funds to close the funding gap.

"I don't think it's irresponsible, as some have said, the budget we passed that took the Rainy Day money," Armstead said.

Nelson described the compromise 2016-17 budget bill as balanced, and "the most structurally sound budget we have to date."

However, House Democrats argued the plan does nothing to address on-going structural problems with the state budget, and merely puts off dealing with critical problems for another year.

"We needed either to cut more, or we needed to raise more revenue. We did not accomplish that," said Delegate Tim Manchin, D-Marion. "There is no pot of gold, there is no magic answer coming after November. I fear what this budget really means is we'll have unprecedented layoffs and cuts next year."

The special session will continue for at least one more day, as a number of bills remain pending, including bills that Tomblin promised to add to the special session call upon passage of the tobacco tax to provide funding to alleviate pending PEIA premium increases for retirees and active state and public school employees.

Reach Phil Kabler at philk@wvgazettemail.com, 304 348-1220, or follow @PhilKabler on Twitter.