The Kanawha Valley Mining Institute will hold its monthly meetong next Thursday, September 1 beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the Ramada Inn in South Charleston.  Valtronics & City National Bank will be sponsoring this monthly meeting and Dennis Harrah, all-pro lineman for the L.A. Rams for 13 years, as well as All-American Guard with University of Miamiand a Charleston native.

For further information: http://www.kvmi.org/user/2011-09-01_Meeting_Notice.pdf

The number of West Virginians working or looking for work has dropped to its lowest level since 1993, according to new data from Workforce West Virginia.

Last week, state officials announced the unemployment rate fell to 7.4 percent in July, down from 8.6 percent the month before. They pointed to the growth of 1,700 private sector jobs as a good sign for the economy.

The Holmes Safety Association, Coal River Council is having its annual golf outing September 11th, 2011 at the Briar Patch Course in Beckley.  The purpose of the golf outing is to raise enough money for the group’s scholarship fund. Since the inception of this scholarship program, the Coal River Council has met the challenge of providing financial aid for deserving young men and women in each of Boone County’s three high schools.

If you would like to sponsor a hole or a team, please respond to: Kelly Blair, Hobet Mining, Box 305, Madison, WV25130 (Tel. 304-369-8180) or Eddie Morris, Coal River Energy, P.O. Box 79, Alum Creek WV 25003 (Tel. 304-756-2769). Checks should be made out to Holmes Safety Association, Coal River Council.

Registration is now open for the 22^nd Annual Hatfield Scramble Golf Outing, hosted by the Kanawha Valley Mining Institute (KVMI) on Tuesday, September 20, at the Brier Patch Golf Course in Beckley.  Monies collected from hole sponsorships support KVMI’s scholarship program! If you wish to participate and/or sponsor a hole or team contact304-414-4500.

The Friends of Coal continued their outreach efforts with the following events:

    ·  Drafted for review two 30-second radio spots for the Friends of Coal Bowl September 4^th.

• • Friends of Coal assisted in the production of an August 15^th edition of “Mining the Issues,” a radio show hosted by Rick Abraham on WVOW Radio in Logan.
  • Taped a new episode of “The Coal Seam” for the West Virginia Library Television Network Tuesday, August 23.
  • Production of “Coal Facts 2011” is beginning. Companies interested in advertising in the publication should contact Sandi Davison at 304-342-4153 or email her at sdavison@wvcoal.com.  Distribution is tentatively set for late November.

In addition, the Friends of Coal continue to solicit opportunities to take the message of coal to the public. If your organization would like to have a representative of Friends of Coal as a speaker, or if you would like to have an informational table at an event, please contactsdavison@wvcoal.com or call us at 304.342.4153.