Small towns throughout the country and especially in the Mountain State are feeling a financial pinch.

Many towns are buried under the cloud of a bad economy and being forced to make cuts to weather the storm. South Charleston officials cut back on capital improvements to keep things lean. Lieutenant James Agee said, "Saint Albans police officers won't see wage increases or any new cruisers due to the economy." Dunbar city leaders had to slash $400,000 from next years budget. Dunbar Mayor, Jack Yeager said, " The economy is going to get better. It's just not there yet."

Bigger cities face their own dilemmas. Huntington has a hiring freeze. Charleston city workers won't see raises this year either, yet smaller towns are working with less money and seem a bit more fragile in such tough economic times.