Last Saturday (September 1) was the last Friends of Coal Bowl of the series with WVU coming out victorious in each of the seven games.  As in the past games, there was a very large crowd in the Friends of Coal tent before the game and the previous nights festivities at the Remember the Miners/Bob Huggins Fish Fry was also well attended.

A very special thanks to everyone at Marshall University and West Virginia University who helped to make these Bowls such a success.  Both schools have been exceptional.

A special membership meeting is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 20th in rooms 203 & 204 of the Charleston Civic Center, to review and discuss West Virginia’s new drug testing program for coal mining operations per HB 4351 and recent activity/progress surrounding extended cut mining plans.

The morning portion of the meeting from 9 a.m. till noon will address recent developments concerning extended cut mining and the new “negotiated” guidelines for approving and operating under extended cut mining plans.

Three Marshall University Friends of Coal scholarship winners were announced last week and they are:

Ms. Marva Virtiena Lewis from Beckley, WV, a Woodrow Wilson graduate going into Pre-Science/Pre-Med;

Mr. Christopher George Robinson from Chattaroy, WV, a Mingo Central graduate going into Pre-Science/Pre-Med; and,

Ms. Erinn Whitney Rodriquez from Gallagher, WV, a Riverside graduate who is going into BSN Nursing.

We congratulate the Marshall University scholarship winners.

J. P. Technical Services, Inc. with Jonathan Pruitt as owner was approved at the last Board of Directors meeting on August 28th. J.P. Technical Services is out of London, KY and services the mining industry in several states.

Welcome J.P Technical Services

For the week ended September 01, 2012:
West Virginia coal production totaled 2.33 million tons for the week. Down from 2.41 million for the same week last year. Overall, West Virginia coal production is down 5.4 percent from last year – at 128.6 million tons versus 136 million tons last year.

National coal production remains off 3.1 percent from last year – at 1.04 billion tons versus 1.08 billion tons last year.