Senator Joe Manchin gave a special present to fellow Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer of New York during this past week’s informal Christmas celebration at the U.S. Capitol.  As part of this year’s first annual “Secret Santa” gift exchange, Manchin gave Schumer a little piece of West Virginia – and a message. Manchin’s gift was a donkey and elephant carved from coal mined here in the Mountain State.

Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., this past week introduced H.R 3697, the “Mine Safety Accountability and Improved Protection Act.” Capito’s legislation seeks to streamline the conference and appeals process, improve implementation of mine safety and health regulation, hold violators accountable by increasing penalties—both financial and criminal—for violations of the law, all with the end goal of creating a safer working environment for our miners.

“Mine safety is not a partisan issue. We can work together across party lines and across the Capitol to give everyone involved in mine safety, from inspectors to operators to the miners themselves, the resources they want, need and deserve to run a safe mine,” stated Capito, co-founder of the Congressional Coal Caucus.

We are pleased to welcome the following new members into the WVCA and the WV Coal Alliance (Friends of Coal):  Martin Consulting, LLC, Tim A. Martin, President; Mine Site Technologies, Tom Riley, Account Executive/Central Appalachia; and, Southwire Company, Chris Marlow, VP, Sales.

We also have a company name change:  Casualty & Surety, Inc. is now Bunker Hill Underwriting Agency, Inc., Jim Godfrey remains as President.

BECKLEY, W.Va. -- A West Virginia-based convenience store chain pledged Tuesday to donate $50,000 to Remember the Miners, a nonprofit group that raises money and awareness for coal miners and their families.

Bob Huggins, West Virginia University men's basketball coach and honorary chairman of Remember the Miners, accepted the pledge Tuesday from Little General Stores in Beckley, according to a news release.

CLEVELAND -- Cleveland Clinic Innovations, the group charged with commercializing medical inventions by the Clinic’s doctors, has received its largest-ever gift, $11 million.
The vast majority of the donation, $10 million, comes from West Virginia billionaire James Justice II, a coal and farming company executive who ranked No. 375 on Forbes’ list of the 400 wealthiest Americans, The Plain Dealer reported.
The remaining $1 million was from Dr. Thomas Graham, chairman of the Innovations group and a premier hand surgeon who often operates on professional athletes. Graham and Justice struck a friendship at the historic Greenbrier resort in West Virginia, which Justice bought in 2009.