Coal shop sells bag and scoop coal with Bobcat loader
Goins runs a coal business selling bags of coal at eight dollars each, each bag weighing about 90 to 100 pounds, and scoops of coal around one thousand pounds for seventy five dollars. He uses a Bobcat loader to load scoop coal, noting his father started bag coal sales in the early 1950s. Customers include locals and travelers from Florida and other southern states without coal, though holiday demand is not heavy.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Goins
Florida
Coal and produce shop fueled by trains charms Bluefield shoppers
Goins runs a mixed business next to the Norfolk Southern mainline selling coal and seasonal produce. He reports selling 20 to 25 bags of coal on Saturday and drawing regular customers from Narrows and North Carolina. He sources soft coal from McDowell County and hard coal from Kentucky and notes a strong year for coal and Christmas trees. The piece also touches on Christmas stocking coal legends tied to Saint Nicholas and La Befana.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Goins
Narrows
North Carolina
Princeton Avenue
Norfolk Southern Railway
Bluefield
McDowell County
Kentucky
Saint Nicholas
Downtown Bluefield to form college city think tank
City economic director Greg Shrewsbury, Bluefield State College leaders, and faculty plan a downtown think tank to align growth and development. The group would include six Bluefield State representatives, including a student, to bring fresh ideas and drive revitalization downtown.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
West Virginia
Greg Shrewsbury
Bluefield State
Krotseng
Shrewsbury
Bluefield
R&d
Kate Coil
Kcoil
Bottonline
McDowell County Reconnecting initiative expands support
Reconnecting McDowell has grown to 110 partners since its Dec 2011 launch with a focus on poverty, education, jobs, housing, health, and transportation. The program notes 200 students in supplementary schools and a book drive delivering thousands of books, plus grants from Verizon and VH1. Teacher retention and housing remain major challenges as plans for a teacher village and new housing are pursued.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Verizon Wireless
First Book
West Virginia Supreme Court
Vh1 Save the Music Foundation
Mount View High School
Spencer
McDowell County
McDowell
Janet Bass
American Federation of Teachers
Concord University
Bass
Expan
Oard
Kate Coil
Kcoil
West Virginia highway funding faces long term needs and federal shifts
Mitchem and Meachum discuss funding sources for roads in Mercer County and West Virginia. They note the TIGER program could return to replace earmarks, and describe how federal funds now flow through the state and into long term infrastructure planning. Building in mountainous terrain remains costly, with estimates of twenty to thirty million dollars per mile and a Breedenford to Route 123 bridge project costing sixty to seventy million.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Mitchem
Mercer County
Marc Meachum
Greater Bluefield
Meachum
Congress
West Virginia
King Coal
Breeneldton
Also Mentioned on This Page
Eric DiNovo
Jen Whetzel
Mercer Mall
A-1
Facebook
Sound Off
Italy
la Befana
Jesus
Bill Archer
Barcher
Bottonline. Com
A-t
Kathy
Harold B. Wolfe II
South Ave
Princeton
CVS
Food & Fun
Trisha Williams
University City
Riva Blacksburg
Mountain Ash Drive
Green Valley
Monte Vista Cemetery
This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!