EKB News

Two people were injured Thursday afternoon in a single vehicle accident that happened on Kelly Mountain Road in Logan County. EKB was told that a car went over an enbankment . The extint of the injuries are unknown.

An underground coal miner had to be rushed to a hospital Thursday afternoon after he was freed from being trapped in a Boone County mine. 911 officials said that a large piece of rock fell on the injured man.

Retired U.S.District Court Judge Robert J. Staker , a native of Kermit and former Mingo County Circuit Court Judge from 1969 to 1979, was honored by the West Virginia Bar Association for his service in the area of law. The 84 year-old was recognized with the 2008 Liberty Bell Award.

A ccording to Workforce Kentucky the unemployment rate rose for the second consecutive month for counties in the Big Sandy District.

District wide the jobless rate is 7.6 percent. Pike County has the lowest at 6.8 percent, followed by Floyd and Johnson at 7.6 percent, Martin 8.9 percent and Magoffin County’s jobless rate of 11.8 percent is the highest in the district and the commonwealth.

A Floyd County man died from injuries he sustained Tuesday morning. 55 year old Herman Meade of Prestonsburg lost control of his vehicle while traveling on Goose Creek Road. Meade’s vehicle went over an embankment. The victim was ejected from the car. Meade later died at a Martin hospital.

Work continues at Pikeville Elementary on the installation of a new $455,000 heating and air conditioning unit . The new unit replaces the aging 41 year - old unit. The new system should be in place by August 9th. The first day of school is August 13th.

Through a $20,000 grant from the Equitable Resources Foundation, Inc., headquartered in Pittsburg, Penn., Equitable Production Company in Pike County will partner with UNITE to promote the drug education and prevention program throughout southern and eastern Kentucky.
Dates for the 2008 Youth Summits have not been determined.
³We are proud to partner with Equitable Resources,² said Karen Engle, president/CEO of Operation UNITE. As a leading corporate citizen in Eastern Kentucky, Equitable understands the importance of helping youth to make the right choices. That includes the decision to remain free from drugs.
The day-long summits provide workshops and motivational sessions designed to activate youth and their sponsors to become leaders in educating their classmates and communities about the dangers of drugs and to empower them to make drug-free choices in life.
In addition, participants are encouraged to become or remain involved with anti-drug UNITE Clubs in their schools.
During the 2007-08 school year, 6,891 students were registered members of
122 UNITE Clubs in 29 counties.
Equitable Production Company, a division of Pennsylvania-based Equitable Resources, develops, produces and sells natural gas and related products in the Appalachian region of the United States.
The Equitable Resources Foundation has a proud history of contributing to the communities where they do business, and a firm commitment to helping make a difference on critical issues facing our society. Special emphasis is placed on children and education initiatives.

Floyd County resident Sample Sparkman has been missing for two and a half months. He was last seen driving to Somerset to visit his daughter, however he never made it.

There is some new information about the case. Sparkman’s daughter says one of her father’s credit cards was used early last month. The credit card company told her the bill has not been paid. Investigators say they have little leads to work with.

Gov. Joe Manchin today joined Sen. Jay Rockefeller, with support from Sen. Robert C. Byrd and West Virginia’s Congressional delegation, and officials from CONSOL Energy, Synthesis Energy Systems (SES) and the Regional Economic Development Partnership (RED), to announce a project that will help propel the State of West Virginia to the forefront of national energy leadership: The construction of the nation’s first modern coal-to-liquids plant here in the state’s Northern Panhandle.
“It’s clearer than ever that one of the biggest issues our state and country faces is meeting our energy needs,” Manchin said. “Technological solutions like this plant at Benwood will lead to more environmentally friendly ways to use our coal and hold the key to America’s energy security.
“I am committed to making West Virginia the leader in clean coal technology and the construction of clean coal power and fuel liquefaction plants. We have the resources and expertise to realize our goal.”
Rockefeller said the project will give West Virginia an opportunity to show the world that the state is a global leader in energy issues and modern coal technology. “We are in the midst of a serious energy crisis in America. Today, with this project and others in the works, West Virginia is announcing to the world that we're not waiting around anymore,” Rockefeller said.
“We’re getting started with a CTL plant that will create jobs, meet modern environmental standards and develop our most abundant domestic resource - coal. This plant will help put our state and our country on the path to energy security and greater economic growth.”
Byrd said, “America cannot meet its energy needs. West Virginia has the coal, the brains, and the determination to meet that challenge and demonstrate to the world that we intend to be part of the solution.”
CONSOL, the nation’s largest producer of bituminous coal, and SES, a global industrial gasification company, intend to develop through a joint venture, their first U. S. coal gasification and liquefaction plant in West Virginia -- an $800 million investment. The boards of directors of CONSOL and SES have authorized funds for development activities, including the front-end engineering design (“FEED”) package. Each member company will contribute equally to this phase of the project. CONSOL and SES have formed Northern Appalachia Fuel LLC (NAF) as the company through which the development will occur.
“This project has the potential to transform West Virginia from a major coal-producing state to a national energy center as well,” said J. Brett Harvey, president and CEO of CONSOL Energy. “By converting some of our region’s abundant, high-Btu coal into gases and liquids, not only will we create economic value for the state, but we will help West Virginia become the linchpin of American energy security,” Harvey said.
Tim Vail, president and CEO of SES, said he is proud of the progress toward development of the plant and that they appreciate the state’s and RED’s support. “Together with our partner, CONSOL Energy, we will be taking a first step toward securing energy independence in the U.S. as we convert raw and residual coal from CONSOL’s Shoemaker mine and plant into gasoline in an environmentally responsible and cost-efficient manner.”
The FEED will include a carbon management strategy that will focus on carbon sequestration in a deep saline aquifer. At a later date, NAF will file for environmental and other permits necessary for the construction of the plant.
CONSOL and SES propose to site the plant near Benwood in Marshall County on a brownfields redevelopment site. The plant is expected to be a “mine mouth” facility with feedstock supplied directly from CONSOL’s nearby Shoemaker complex. The feedstock will be a blend of run-of-mine coal and coal otherwise not recovered in the normal preparation process.
Don Mason, president of the Marshall County Commission, said this investment will help to stabilize the region’s economy for years to come. “We want to thank Consol, SES, the City of Benwood, the State of West Virginia and RED for their foresight and commitment to this project,” Mason said.
Coal will be converted to synthetic gas using SES proprietary technology. The syngas would be used to produce about 720,000 metric tons per year of methanol that can be used as a feedstock for the chemical industry. Officials expect the project will be capable of converting methanol to about 100 million gallons per year of 87 octane gasoline. NAF is negotiating with ExxonMobil Research and Engineering to license their proprietary methanol-to-gasoline technology. As envisioned, the project will include a river terminal facility, where products will be stored in tanks for off-loading into barges for ultimate delivery.
CONSOL and SES also have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the State of West Virginia and its partner, the Regional Economic Development Partnership, a private West Virginia non-profit development corporation focused on generating business opportunities through job creation and economic stimulus in Ohio, Marshall and Wetzel counties. Under the provisions of the MOU, the state and RED will provide financing and tax incentives to the project over a 10-year period.
Harvey thanked the State of West Virginia and the RED for their assistance and support of the project. “In every conversation I have had with Gov. Manchin in recent years, we have talked about ways to leverage West Virginia’s coal position into a national energy leadership position -- a position in which jobs, economic growth, and the enhancement of American energy security flow from the harnessing of West Virginia’s resources and the ‘can-do’ attitude of its people,” Harvey said. “His vision is sound. With West Virginia’s help, our success with this plant will make the vision a reality.”

Senator Jay Rockefeller today applauded the decision by CONSOL and SES to open the state’s first-ever coal-to-liquid plant in Benwood.

According to the company, the Benwood plant will convert coal into syngas that can be used as feedstock for the chemical industry. The plant will be located at the “mine mouth” with coal supplied form the nearby Shoemaker complex. The Benwood facility has been designed to allow for the addition of technology to also produce coal-based 87 octane gasoline (essentially unleaded regular), although there is no timetable for this modification.

This weekend, Rockefeller filed federal legislation – The Future Fuel Act – that would put the nation on the path to using clean coal technologies as an alternative source of domestic fuel. It also creates a Future Fuels Corporation, a privately-run, but government-financed massive research facility that brings together the best and brightest scientific experts to accelerate the production and deployment of carbon capture and sequestration technologies. More information about the Future Fuels Act is available from his website.

Rockefeller’s prepared event statement follows:

Anyone who fills up their car each day, turns on the news, or makes a trip to the grocery store knows that our country is in the midst of a full-blown crisis: gas prices are through the roof – and families are being forced to make tough choices, and tough sacrifices every day; we’re bleeding good-paying manufacturing jobs. That pain is all too real here in the Ohio Valley. Workers are losing their health insurance and struggling to take care of their families; dependence on foreign oil is hampering all of us in more ways than one – it's also threatening our national security; and, worries about climate change loom over our heads.

These are serious problems that demand serious answers – not bickering and fighting. Today, West Virginia is offering an historic, and revolutionary, solution.

By building the nation's first-ever modern gasification and CTL plant right here in Benwood, we're saying to the nation and to the world that we're stepping up. We're getting started. We’re creating jobs -- 100 coal and 400 construction jobs -- and developing our most abundant domestic resource -- coal.

I've been saying for years that I'm absolutely confident we can tackle these new technologies – coal-to-liquids and carbon capture and sequestration. We have the manpower, the resources and the know-how to do it.

To help at the federal level, I also have introduced legislation that helps get even more of these projects off the drawing board and into construction. The legislation will create a laser-focused government-private effort to tackle the challenge of carbon capture and sequestration – which is the key to coal’s future, and the key to having a sustainable domestic fuel source for centuries to come.

West Virginia isn't waiting around for someone else to fix the problem. We're poised to be a national leader. We're going to be a global leader. And we're ready to blaze the trail that will put our country on the path to energy security, to greater economic growth – and to a better way of life.

Senator Jay Rockefeller today announced that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has refunded West Virginia for both the Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention and WISEWOMAN (Well-Integrated Screening and Evaluation for Women Across the Nation) programs. The awards – $579,657 for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention and $746,000 for WISEWOMAN – started on June 30 and will last for five years.

“With heart disease the leading cause of death in our state and stroke a close third, it’s critically important for West Virginians to know the warning signs and what they can do to be healthy,” Rockefeller said. “We need to provide outreach and education on how to prevent these chronic diseases, and that’s just what these vital federal programs provide.”

West Virginia received funding for the Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention program prior to 2007, but states had to re-compete for funding last year – and West Virginia was one of only three states that were approved but not funded. In October of last year, Rockefeller’s amendment to restore West Virginia’s funding was passed by the U.S. Senate in the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill and a modified version was ultimately signed into law as part of the fiscal year 2008 consolidated appropriations bill.

“We’re going to have to keep fighting for this funding, because the President’s budget continues to request cuts to these programs,” Rockefeller added. “As we discuss the budget in Congress, I’ll work to not only restore, but also increase funding for the disease prevention programs our state needs.”

The CDC’s State Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention program – operated in the state under the Bureau for Public Health – raises public awareness on the warning signs of heart disease and stroke and the importance of calling 911 when such symptoms appear. It’s a prevention program that works primarily with West Virginia’s health care providers to get more information on these chronic diseases to our citizens, particularly those in underserved populations.

Administered through the CDC’s National Heart Disease and Stroked Prevention Program, WISEWOMAN program screens uninsured, under-insured and low-income women between the ages of 40 and 64 for heart disease and stroke risk. For those who receive abnormal results from the screening, the program provides counseling, education, referral and follow-up services.

In West Virginia, the WISEWOMAN program also is administered through the Bureau for Public Health. It began in the state in 2003 and, since getting off the ground the following year, has served more than 700 West Virginia women. The program is designed to be highly accessible and works to meet women where they are, as those who participate are able to get services through their local doctors and health care providers.

The yearly Princeton Review top party school list has been released. West Virginia University has slid to number four. The top three are the University of Florida, University of Mississippi and Penn State University. WVU topped the list last year.

Ohio University was fifth, Indiana fourteenth and Tennessee was eighteenth . University of Kentucky did not make the top 20

A recent study by the Corporation for National and Community Service found that Kentucky ranks 2th in the country by doing volunteer work. Just under 30 percent of residents in the commonwealth age 16 and older performs some sort of community service.

Utah is first on the list, Nevada ranks last.

A recent study shows that just under 26 percent of West Virginians 16 and older perform volunteer work. That ranks the state 37th in the nation.

The study conducted by the Corporation for National and Community Service found that state residents annually contribute more than 61.1 million hours of volunteer work, worth more than $ 1.1 billion.

State Lawmakers are in Charleston this week discussing ways they plan to use the current budget surplus.

The high demand for coal and natural gas is keeping the Mountain State in the black.
Some members of the legislature want to use the money to pay some of the state’s debts

Consol Coal Company announced Monday that they are planning to build a coal to liquids in Marshall County.

Consol says that they are going to partner with Houston – based energy and technology company Synthesis Systems to build the plant.

The two companies say that they will equally contribute to the initial phase.

Consol says that it will use coal from Consol’s Shoemaker Mine to produce 720,000 metric tons of methanol annually . Methanol also would be used to produce about 100 million gallons of 87- octane gasoline annually.

The West Virginia State Police has been busy the last two weeks in Mingo and Logan counties as the agency has been looking for marijuana fields.

Sgt Nelson with the WVSP told us that 7,400 plants have been seized in Logan County . Plants were discovered at Chapmanville, Dehue, Buffalo Creek and Pike Creek.

600 plants were discovered at undisclosed sites in Mingo County.

Nelson says that the street value is $ 2,000 per plant.

No arrests have been made at this current time.

Nelson added that if someone sould run up on a marijuana field, immediately contact police. Nelson says that the fields could be booby trapped.

The annual East Kentucky Fair will run Thursday through Saturday from the Thunder Ridge Racing and Entertainment Complex in Prestonsburg.

Admission is free , however, for folks that would like to play amusement games and ride the rides you must purchase a wristband for $ 10.00.

The gates open Thursday and Friday at 4:00 p.m. and noon on Saturday.

The fair will also feature a petting zoo, pony rides, crafts, mud bogging, dog show, talent show, pie eating contest, soup bean and cornbread contest and 4- H exhibits will be on display.

For more information go to their website at eastkentuckyfair.com

Preliminary statistics* indicate that 16 people died in twelve separate crashes on Kentucky roadways from Monday, July 21 through Sunday, July 27, 2008. Eleven of the fatalities involved motor vehicles and two of those victims were not wearing seat belts (the seat belt status of 6 of the victims has not been determined). Motor vehicle crashes occurred in Breckinridge, Calloway, Hopkins, Jefferson (2), Logan and Marshall counties. One crash involved the suspected use of alcohol.
A quadruple-fatality motor vehicle crash occurred in Henry county on I-71 when a southbound passenger vehicle on Interstate 71 in Henry County crossed the median and hit a tractor trailer traveling in the northbound lane near mile marker 35. Four people were killed in the passenger vehicle.
There were three motorcycle fatalities and they occurred in Hopkins, Leslie and Marshall counties. None of the victims were wearing a helmet.

A double pedestrian fatality occurred in Jefferson county when two children were struck by a driver who was fleeing police.

Through July 27, preliminary statistics* indicate that 422 people have lost their lives on Kentucky roadways during 2008. This is 69 fewer than reported for this time period in 2007. Of the 327 motor vehicle fatalities, 200 victims were not wearing seat belts. Of the 47 motorcycle fatalities, 27 were not wearing helmets. Eleven people have been killed in ATV crashes and 10 of those were not wearing helmets. Thirty-five pedestrians have been killed. A total of 80 fatalities have resulted from crashes involving the suspected use of alcohol.

A single vehicle accident that occurred northbound on US 119 at Nolan Friday afternoon, claimed the life of a mother and son and injured four others.

According to the West Virginia State Police the victims are 28 year – old Melanie Marie Buckland and 10 year – old Zackary Allen Frye of Chapmanville. The four injured passengers were two adults and two children.

Authorities say that it appeared that Buckland who was operating the vehicle lost control resulting in the vehicle to flip multiple times. Buckland was ejected from the vehicle.

The Kentucky State Fire Marshal’s Office says that a major fire that broke out last Thursday evening at K & W Metals at Belfry has been ruled accidental. The spokesperson did not give any specifics on how the inferno began. Belfry Fire Chief Nee Jackson told us that the salvage yard had different types of materials that could have started the blaze. Smoke was visible for at least ten miles. It took approximately 50 fireman from eleven departments over eight hours to put the fire out. A spokesperson from the EPA says that they are still conducting an investigation, however, they say it appears the environmental threat is over. The EPA said the smoke from the blaze went into the atmosphere and dissipated and the water quality on Pond Creek has not been affected.

An eastern Kentucky man walked into a Knott County post office and informed a worker that he had been shot.

71 year-old Larry Fugate of Fisty was airlifted to Holston Valley Hospital. The alleged gunman was Larry Fugate’s brother, 73 year old Curtis Fugate. He surrendered to authorities at his home after a brief standoff. Curtis has been charged with first degree assault . No motive for the shooting was released.

The incident occurred early Saturday morning.

A Leslie County man was killed early Sunday morning after he lost control of his vehicle while traveling on Bull Creek Road. The victim 30 year-old Harry Williams was thrown from his motorcycle and struck a concrete foundation. Authorities say Williams was not wearing a helmet.