The Charleston Gazette - Business

State AFL-CIO pushes banks to restore lost jobs

(The Associated Press) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 08:48:20 -0400

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- As part of a nationwide campaign, the West Virginia AFL-CIO is planning a rally to push Wall Street banks to replace the jobs the group says the banks helped to destroy.Todays rally will be held outside the Wells Fargo/Wachovia Bank in...

Strip mining adds to coals greenhouse emissions, study says

kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 19:29:40 -0400

Read the study here. CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Mountaintop removal coal mining adds to greenhouse gas pollution by destroying forests and potentially releasing carbon dioxide ...

Union disputes undisputed facts in landline deal

ericeyre@wvgazette.com (Eric Eyre) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 08:18:39 -0400

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The Communications Workers of America on Tuesday disputed the 110 "undisputed facts" that Verizon and Frontier Communications say support their plans to merge 617,000 telephone access lines in West Virginia. Union le...

Panel to begin second round of blood tests for C8

(The Associated Press) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 08:23:19 -0400

PARKERSBURG, W. Va. -- Residents near DuPonts Washington Works plant will undergo another round of tests to measure whether a chemical used to produce Teflon is affecting their immune systems.C8 -- also known as perfluoroocatanoic acid, or PFOA -- has been...

ICG closes sale of stock, notes in debt restructuring

(The Associated Press) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 16:59:33 -0400

SCOTT DEPOT, W.Va. -- International Coal Group says its closed stock and note offerings its using to raise money to refinance debt. The Scott Depot-based mine operator said Tuesday it has sold more than 22 million shares of common stock for just over $100 ...

Patriot Coal cuts deal to export to Asia

(The Associated Press) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 17:47:25 -0400

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Patriot Coal has a deal to export 1.5 million tons of metallurgical coal to Asia. Patriot says in a regulatory filing Tuesday that the sale will boost metallurgical coal shipments to 7 million tons this year, up 30 percent from...

Yeager doubles nonstop Chicago flights April 6

rsteelhammer@wvgazette.com (Rick Steelhammer) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 18:24:53 -0400

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The April 6 launch of American Airlines nonstop service from Yeager Airport to OHare International in Chicago will improve West Virginias access to West Coast and international destinations and should reduce fares, according to the...

Moderate Dems under serious pressure on health care

(McClatchy Newspapers) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 20:12:08 -0400

WASHINGTON -- As a historic vote on sweeping health-care legislation nears, Democratic moderates in the House of Representatives face relentless pressure as they juggle personal pleas from President Barack Obama, a multimillion-dollar ad barrage an...

Social Security to start cashing Uncle Sams IOUs

(The Associated Press) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 08:37:42 -0400

PARKERSBURG, W.Va. -- The retirement nest egg of an entire generation is stashed away in this small town along the Ohio River: $2.5 trillion in IOUs from the federal government, payable to the Social Security Administration.Its time to start cashing them i...

Consol Energy to buy Dominions drilling business

(The Associated Press) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 08:46:29 -0400

RICHMOND, Va. -- Consol Energy Inc. said Monday it has agreed to buy Dominion Resources Inc.s Appalachian exploration and production business for $3.475 billion, substantially increasing its natural gas reserves and production capacity.Once com...

State unemployment rate tops 11 percent in February

(The Associated Press) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 17:06:23 -0400

CHARLESTON, W.VA. -- West Virginias unemployment rate topped 11 percent in February as the number of jobless residents increased by 5,000.

Workforce West Vi...

Griffin adds board members to his MTR job titles

(The Associated Press) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 18:41:20 -0400

CHESTER, W.Va. -- The president and chief executive of MTR Gaming Group Inc. is now a member of its board of directors.

The West Virginia-based gambling company announced CEO Robert Griffins new tit...

Italian subsidiary that once promised 40 jobs now dissolved

ericeyre@wvgazette.com (Eric Eyre) — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 23:45:00 -0500

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Four years ago this month, Gov. Joe Manchin held a press conference to announce that an Italian company that makes chemicals and abrasives planned to open a manufacturing plant in Charleston and hire 40 people. Later that year, the...

UC graduate business school students study social media

ericeyre@wvgazette.com (Eric Eyre) — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 23:45:00 -0500

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The idea came to Adam Craft while riding an escalator in Shanghai. The escalator handrail was dirty, coated with germs. Craft, part of a group of University of Charleston graduate business school students who studied in China last su...

Heats on for Congress to pass a health-reform bill

(Edward Peeks) — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 23:45:00 -0500

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- West Virginians speak out with fellow Americans calling for Congress to pass health-care reform legislation to insure millions who are uninsured and save thousands of lives in the years ahead. The call comes from citizens rallying at t...

Frontier pushing W.Va. deal

business@dailymail.com (George Hohmann) — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 23:45:00 -0500

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- It seems likely that Frontier Communications effort to buy Verizons wire line business in West Virginia will be resolved with deal sweeteners. In one state after another - a total of 14 are involved in the proposed $8.6 billion transac...

Coal leads state exports in 2009

(The Associated Press) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 08:39:00 -0500

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- West Virginia exported $4.8 billion worth of products and commodities last year and led the nation in coal exports, according to the state Development Office.Although the states 2009 exports were down 14.5 percent from the $5.6 bil...

Capitol Market bookstore to close

veronican@wvgazette.com (Veronica Nett) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 17:51:56 -0500

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Frog Creek Books in Capitol Market will permanently close March 20. Mike Sublette, owner of the small bookstore that specializes in books about the Appalachian region, said his sales dropped off dramatically when the economy went ...

MTR Gaming loses $24 million in 4Q of 2009

(The Associated Press) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 17:57:48 -0500

CHESTER, W.Va. -- MTR Gaming Group Inc. reported a net loss of $24.2 million for the fourth quarter of 2009 late Friday, nearly six times the $4.5 million loss it reported for the same period in 2008. That translates to 88 cents per share compared wit...

Verizon, Frontier: 110 reasons to approve landline deal

ericeyre@wvgazette.com (Eric Eyre) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:32:50 -0500

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Verizons bid to sell its telephone landline business in West Virginia to Frontier Communications Corp. includes 110 "undisputed facts" that support approval of the deal, the companies told the state Public Service Com...

Kerry hopes to woo coal-state senators with energy bill

(The Associated Press) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 19:18:48 -0500

WASHINGTON -- Sen. John Kerry, hoping to win over wavering senators, said he is pushing environmental reforms to create jobs and spark energy independence, with climate benefits along "for the ride." In an interview with The Associated Press...

State seeks new owner for closed aluminum plant

(The Associated Press) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 08:20:32 -0500

CLARKSBURG, W.Va. -- State development officials are looking for a new owner to take over an aluminum fabricating plant in Harrison County that closed last year. West Virginia Economic Development Authority Executive Director David Warner says the age...

State Supreme Court refuses to reconsider Massey-Harman case

pjnyden@wvgazette.com (Paul J. Nyden) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:04:20 -0500

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The state Supreme Court announced Thursday that it will not reconsider its latest decision overturning a multimillion-dollar jury verdict against Massey Energy. The states highest court ruled against Hugh Caperton and his company, Ha...

Century Aluminum reopening could hinge on power agreement, other factors

ericeyre@wvgazette.com (Eric Eyre) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 20:02:28 -0500

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Century Aluminum is "actively working" to restart its idled Ravenswood smelter, but a "few things must fall into place first for that to happen," a company spokesman said Thursday. The companys comments -- in the ...

Browns legacy a good one

(Edward Peeks) — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 23:45:00 -0500

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Realtor Anderson Hunt Brown left his fingerprints, so to speak, all over "The Block," the old black district of business and culture on Shrewsbury Street north of Washington Street. Brown built a two-story modern building to ...

Good luck with that new gift

business@dailymail.com (George Hohmann) — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 23:45:00 -0500

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Congratulations!You, dear West Virginia taxpayer, now own 258 acres, an office building and two laboratory buildings in South Charleston.Your acceptance of this gift from the Dow Chemical Co. marks the birth of the "West Virginia ...

Marcus Garveys troubled legacy

(Edward Peeks) — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 23:45:00 -0500

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Educator Booker T. Washington worked for racial harmony in his day. On the other hand, Marcus Moziah Garvey worked to nationalize black Americans for a return to "the fatherland" in Africa.Moreover, Garvey longed to establish...

Tech park situation changed

business@dailymail.com (George Hohmann) — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 23:45:00 -0500

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- What a difference a week has made in defining the states possible future role at the South Charleston Technology Park. Following his closed-door meeting with park stakeholders Tuesday, Gov. Joe Manchin said that based on what he heard,...

Booker T. Washington worked for harmony

(Edward Peeks) — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 23:45:00 -0500

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- "I will not allow any man to drag me so low as to make me hate him," declared Booker T. Washington, educator and leader of black Americans in the racially charged early 20th century. Perhaps no man tried harder to bring Washi...

Does tech park have a future.

business@dailymail.com (George Hohmann) — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 23:45:00 -0500

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The fact that no private company - or group of companies - has stepped forward to take the South Charleston Technology Park off the Dow Chemical Co.s hands speaks volumes about the weakness of the economy and, in particular, the states...

Plant mirrors new city

(Edward Peeks) — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 23:45:00 -0500

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The former Libbey-Owens-Ford Glass Plant mirrored and mustered the growth of Kanawha City with workers who wanted homes closer to the plant, builders eager to meet the need and merchants ready to provide goods and services in the risin...

Bond rating aids state

business@dailymail.com (George Hohmann) — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 23:45:00 -0500

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Gov. Joe Manchin said that before his inauguration six years ago he visited Wall Street. "I said, Tell me what you think were doing, right or wrong."They said, First of all, workers compensation is your Achilles heel. No. 2 i...

Heartfelt help goes to Haitians

(Edward Peeks) — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 23:45:00 -0500

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- West Virginia belongs to the global body of hearty help going to the bereaved and bereft of the Haitian earthquake. By midweek, Mountaineers counted among U.S. personal donors of $150 million to Haitian relief, to say nothing of food, ...

Creating successful companies

business@dailymail.com (George Hohmann) — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 23:45:00 -0500

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Keith McFarland, author of "Bounce: The Art of Turning Tough Times into Triumph," and "The Breakthrough Company: How Everyday Companies Become Extraordinary Performers," spent seven years studying what makes the dif...

The untold story on civil rights

(Edward Peeks) — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 23:45:00 -0500

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The old story goes that one of the first questions from among European immigrants when they landed on American soil was: "Where do the colored people live."In later years, according to the story, the same question rose among ...

Rating Manchins State of the State address

business@dailymail.com (George Hohmann) — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 23:45:00 -0500

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Are the state Chamber of Commerces "Ten Solutions for 2010," released earlier this month, in line with the priorities Gov. Joe Manchin outlined in his State of the State speech.I had a discussion with Chamber President Steve ...

Byrd heard on coal

(Edward Peeks) — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 23:45:00 -0500

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- It comes in pieces but the whole is there in what Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., was talking about recently in a statement. He admonished people in the coal industry and their friends to stop grandstanding, fear-mongering and otherw...

Local workers benefit at Snowshoe

business@dailymail.com (George Hohmann) — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 23:45:00 -0500

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Snowshoe Mountain Resort, Pocahontas Countys largest employer, "has made a real strong effort to hire locally and it has worked," said Bill Rock, the resorts president and chief executive officer. "Our year-round be...

Edward Peeks: The filibuster is finally floored

(Edward Peeks) — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 23:45:00 -0500

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The Senate passage of health-care reform legislation looked to many West Virginians and other Americans like the final fate of the filibuster, an ancient tactic under an old rule that allowed a willful minority to thwart action by ...

George Hohmann: Top 10 business stories of 2009

business@dailymail.com (George Hohmann) — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 23:45:00 -0500

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Here, in no particular order, are my picks for the top 10 state business stories of 2009:

Recession slams West Virginia jobs. The state lost 22,600 jobs between the second quarter of 2008 and the second quarter of 2009, said G...

Millions to become insured

(Edward Peeks) — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 23:45:00 -0500

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The New Year promises a long-sought change in national health care, the beginning of insurance coverage for millions of American -- thousands of them in West Virginia. Early prediction was that Congress would enact such a hist...

How costly was the Turnpike shutdown.

business@dailymail.com (George Hohmann) — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 23:45:00 -0500

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- What is the economic impact when the West Virginia Turnpike shuts down. Last summer, after reading that a July 2 shutdown of the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel in Virginia cost residents there at least $2.2 million in fuel and lo...

Food stamp use rising

(Edward Peeks) — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 18:02:21 -0500

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- In the dreary past, a Charleston acquaintance bristled with indignation at the sight of a customer paying in line ahead of us with food stamps at the supermarket. But nowadays food stamps are plastic with the appearance of the typical ...

Online for the holidays

business@dailymail.com (George Hohmann) — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 17:50:24 -0500

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- If you have an opportunity during the holidays to spend time online, here are some worthwhile resources:

Gov. Joe Manchins third annual energy summit, held earlier this month at Stonewall Resort, featured presentations ranging from ...