Hundreds of current and former residents of the Sharples area gathered Saturday at a lake near Blair for the dedication of a monument in honor of the state’s coal miners past and present.  The dedication was part of the annual Sharples Community Reunion, hosted by the Spruce Citizens’ Action Panel.

The memorial stands on the shore of Mifflin Lake, about 12 miles from Madison and about 6 miles from Blair. The area played a key role in the 1921 Battle of Blair Mountain.

The lake is, itself, a man-made facility and is part of a restored surface mining operation.

Joining the Spruce CAP at the event were State Senator Ron Stollings (D-Boone), former Logan County Commissioner Art Kirkendoll, representatives of Arch Coal and Mountain Laurel Mine, Bill Raney and Chris Hamilton of the West Virginia Coal Association, representatives of Friends of Coal and Roger Horton, president of Citizens for Coal and himself a working coal miner.

Stollings, Kirkendoll and other speakers demanded an end to the federal government’s ongoing assault onWest Virginia’s coal industry.  Horton said it is time to hold the nation’s elected officials accountable for their actions.

Alpha Natural Resources CEO and Association First Vice Chairman, Kevin Crutchfield, will keynote the Wednesday, August 31^st session of the 75^th Annual West Virginia Business Summit at the Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs.

President of International Resources, LLC a subsidiary of James River Coal Company and Association Chairman Gary White will keynote the Media Appreciation Breakfast at the Bluefield Coal Show on Wednesday, September 14^th in Bluefield.

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.