News in Brief – 6/2/09

Published 10:13 am Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Pickett driver still hospitalized

BARBOURSVILLE, W.Va. — A driver for Pickett Concrete remains hospitalized after a morning accident Tuesday on Interstate 64.

Gary Miller of Proctorville was going to a gas station project at Milton when the cement truck he was driving hit a bridge on the interstate bridge and went over the roadway into the Mud River.

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Miller was transported from the scene to St. Mary’s Medical Center where he remains.

Miller has worked for Pickett for a couple of years, according to John Galloway, the company president. Galloway said other members of his family have spoken to Miller since the accident and report he is “doing okay. He has a broken arm and other problems,” Galloway said.

The accident was investigated by Capt Gary Lilly of the Milton Police Department.

Hearing today in shooting case

WHEELERSBURG — A Wheelersburg man will appear in Portsmouth Municipal Court today in connection with a Monday night shooting.

Earl R. Evans, 30, of Gephart Road, Wheelersburg, is in Scioto County jail with no bond charged with attempted murder, a first degree felony; discharging a firearm in a habitation, a second degree felony; and shooting over a highway; also a first degree felony.

The victim of the shooting, Melvin McGuire, remains hospitalized.

Anyone with any information on this shooting is asked to contact Detective Matt Spencer at the Scioto County Sheriff’s Office at (740) 351-1099.

Man pleads guilty to shooting officer

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (AP) — A teenager has pleaded guilty to shooting a Huntington police officer during a foot chase.

Nineteen-year-old Anthony “A-Train” Jennings of Huntington faces five to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty Tuesday to attempted first-degree murder of a police officer.

Jennings still faces charges of first-degree robbery and possession of a controlled substance.

He admitted to shooting and wounding Huntington Police Officer Ryan Bentley on March 4.

Police say Bentley had approached a group of people and was told by one of them that a robbery had taken place. Bentley then pursued Jennings and was shot.

Marshall’s Spindel named dean

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (AP) — Donna J. Spindel has been named dean of Marshall University’s Graduate College in South Charleston effective July 1.

Marshall announced Tuesday that Spindel will replace Leonard Deutsch, who is retiring after 39 years with the university.

Spindel has spent the past 33 years as a faculty member and administrator at Marshall, most recently as interim chairwoman of the English department.

Study: Rebranding doesn’t help colleges

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (AP) — Changing the name of a college or university apparently does little to boost enrollment.

Marshall University says doctoral student James M. Owston studied data from more than 160 institutions across the country that changed their names.

Most of his research focused on institutions in West Virginia, which had the largest percentage of “college-to-university” rebrandings of any state.

Since 1970, 11 West Virginia schools, including The University of Charleston and Shepherd University, have changed their names.

Owston says the impetus behind most changes was to gain prestige and boost enrollment and fundraising efforts.

But in most cases, Owston found enrollment slowed. At schools where enrollment grew, the rate was not as great as before the name change.

Huntington teams advance to region I

FRISCO, Texas — By winning the recent U.S. Youth Soccer West Virginia State Championship, 13 Huntington area soccer teams have qualified to compete in the U.S. Youth Soccer Region I (East) Championships.

The teams will be among the more than 282 top U.S. Youth Soccer Boys and Girls teams competing for the regional title, July 2-7 at the US Youth Soccer Region I Championships in Huntington and Barboursville, W.Va.