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<title><![CDATA[The Charleston Gazette - The Sago Mine Disaster]]></title>
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<title><![CDATA[The Charleston Gazette - The Sago Mine Disaster]]></title>
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<item>
<guid><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200701180003?u=0]]></guid>
<title><![CDATA[Sago seal citations likely]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[State regulators plan to cite the Sago Mine’s operator for improper construction of seals that failed to contain the explosion last January that killed 12 workers, a mine safety inspector revealed Wednesday.Investigators, however, don’t believe the seal c...]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200701180003]]></link>
<author>
<![CDATA[kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.)]]>
</author>
<pubDate>
<![CDATA[Thu, 18 Jan 2007 01:00:00 -0500]]>
</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<guid><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200612310009?u=1]]></guid>
<title><![CDATA[One year later]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[BUCKHANNON — In her pickup, over the visor, Lynda Anderson keeps a photograph. It’s famous now: Her husband Tom has smiled this same smile in a hundred newspapers since the Sago disaster took his life and 11 others one year ago.Before she drove away from ...]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200612310009]]></link>
<author>
<![CDATA[tara@wvgazette.com (Tara Tuckwiller)]]>
</author>
<pubDate>
<![CDATA[Sun, 31 Dec 2006 00:00:00 -0500]]>
</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<guid><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200612310010?u=2]]></guid>
<title><![CDATA[Sago Timeline]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[<B>Click on the PDFs at right to see the timeline.</B>The Sago and Aracoma coal mine tragedies left families grieving and a nation stunned. The government launched criminal investigations, and politicians promised it would never happen again. Here’s a lo...]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200612310010]]></link>
<author>
<![CDATA[tara@wvgazette.com (Tara Tuckwiller)]]>
</author>
<pubDate>
<![CDATA[Sun, 31 Dec 2006 00:00:00 -0500]]>
</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<guid><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200612240003?u=3]]></guid>
<title><![CDATA[Miners still waiting on air packs]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[A year after the Sago Mine disaster, thousands of West Virginia coal miners are still waiting for the additional emergency breathing devices promised by Gov. Joe Manchin and the coal industry.Many of the state’s mine operators have placed orders with the ...]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200612240003]]></link>
<author>
<![CDATA[kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.)]]>
</author>
<pubDate>
<![CDATA[Sun, 24 Dec 2006 00:00:00 -0500]]>
</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<guid><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200612230003?u=4]]></guid>
<title><![CDATA[Wooten remarks ‘outrage’ miners]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[By Ken Ward Jr.kward@wvgazette.comSago disaster survivor Randal McCloy Jr. and the United Mine Workers union on Friday criticized state mine safety director Ronald Wooten for calling the Sago Mine a well-run operation.McCloy and his wife, Anna, were “di...]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200612230003]]></link>
<author>
<![CDATA[kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.)]]>
</author>
<pubDate>
<![CDATA[Sat, 23 Dec 2006 01:00:00 -0500]]>
</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<guid><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200612220007?u=5]]></guid>
<title><![CDATA[Mine ‘well-operated,’ official says]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[International Coal Group’s Sago Mine in Upshur County was a “well-operated coal mine,” the Manchin administration’s top mine safety official said Thursday.Ronald Wooten, director of the state Office of Miners’ Health, Safety and Training, said that his a...]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200612220007]]></link>
<author>
<![CDATA[kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.)]]>
</author>
<pubDate>
<![CDATA[Fri, 22 Dec 2006 01:00:00 -0500]]>
</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<guid><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200612210003?u=6]]></guid>
<title><![CDATA[Sago families’ frustration grows]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[BUCKHANNON — Families of the Sago miners were exasperated at state officials’ attempt Wednesday to make up for last week’s botched report on the January coal mine disaster. Three victims’ families left halfway through, frustrated.“It’s a joke,” said Pegg...]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200612210003]]></link>
<author>
<![CDATA[tara@wvgazette.com (Tara Tuckwiller)]]>
</author>
<pubDate>
<![CDATA[Thu, 21 Dec 2006 01:00:00 -0500]]>
</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<guid><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200612160003?u=7]]></guid>
<title><![CDATA[State blames lightning for Sago by process of elimination]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[State investigators couldn’t find any batteries or cigarette lighters. Unlike western coal seams, West Virginia coal seldom spontaneously combusts.Investigators found several roof falls, but none close enough to have triggered the blast.So, state investi...]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200612160003]]></link>
<author>
<![CDATA[kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.)]]>
</author>
<pubDate>
<![CDATA[Sat, 16 Dec 2006 01:00:00 -0500]]>
</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<guid><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200612150003?u=8]]></guid>
<title><![CDATA[Sago families still angry]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Frustrated by a cursory briefing and a confusing report, families of the miners killed in the Sago Mine disaster are focusing their anger on Gov. Joe Manchin and his pick to run the state mine safety office, longtime CONSOL Energy official Ron Wooten.“Our...]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200612150003]]></link>
<author>
<![CDATA[kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.)]]>
</author>
<pubDate>
<![CDATA[Fri, 15 Dec 2006 01:00:00 -0500]]>
</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<guid><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200612120006?u=9]]></guid>
<title><![CDATA[Sago questions linger]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[BUCKHANNON — In a controversial new report, state investigators repeat a familiar list of clues about the Sago Mine disaster: eerily timed lightning strikes, weak foam block seals, and problematic emergency breathing devices.But state officials concede th...]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200612120006]]></link>
<author>
<![CDATA[kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.)]]>
</author>
<pubDate>
<![CDATA[Tue, 12 Dec 2006 01:00:00 -0500]]>
</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<guid><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200612120007?u=10]]></guid>
<title><![CDATA[Sago families ‘dissatisfied’ with state disaster report]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[BUCKHANNON — Families of the Sago Mine disaster victims drove to Buckhannon Monday, expecting to be the first to hear what state investigators have found out about the January disaster that killed 12 men.Instead, several said they were handed a two-inch-t...]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200612120007]]></link>
<author>
<![CDATA[tara@wvgazette.com (Tara Tuckwiller)]]>
</author>
<pubDate>
<![CDATA[Tue, 12 Dec 2006 01:00:00 -0500]]>
</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<guid><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200612090006?u=11]]></guid>
<title><![CDATA[Mine safety chief blames high toll on calendar]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[ARLINGTON, Va. — In a business tower across the Potomac River from the nation’s capitol, the corner office reserved for the country’s top mine safety regulator provides a commanding view of suburban Washington.But the office’s new occupant, West Virginia...]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200612090006]]></link>
<author>
<![CDATA[kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.)]]>
</author>
<pubDate>
<![CDATA[Sat, 09 Dec 2006 01:00:00 -0500]]>
</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<guid><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200612070003?u=12]]></guid>
<title><![CDATA[Lightning ‘involved’ at Sago, expert says]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[State investigators have concluded that lightning caused the Sago Mine disaster, but a report to be released Monday will still not explain exactly how the electrical strike ignited methane deep inside a sealed area of the Upshur County mine.An expert hire...]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200612070003]]></link>
<author>
<![CDATA[kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.)]]>
</author>
<pubDate>
<![CDATA[Thu, 07 Dec 2006 01:00:00 -0500]]>
</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<guid><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200612010003?u=13]]></guid>
<title><![CDATA[Sago Mine cited for faulty breathing devices]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Eight months after 11 miners suffocated following a methane explosion at the Sago Mine, International Coal Group sent at least six miners underground with broken emergency breathing devices, a state inspector has alleged.Jeff Bennett of the state Office o...]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200612010003]]></link>
<author>
<![CDATA[kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.)]]>
</author>
<pubDate>
<![CDATA[Fri, 01 Dec 2006 01:00:00 -0500]]>
</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<guid><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200611160006?u=14]]></guid>
<title><![CDATA[More Sago suits filed]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Nine new lawsuits were filed Wednesday by relatives of miners killed in the Sago Mine disaster, and this time several families targeted New York billionaire Wilbur Ross for his role in managing mine owner International Coal Group.The new suits also add tw...]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200611160006]]></link>
<author>
<![CDATA[kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.)]]>
</author>
<pubDate>
<![CDATA[Thu, 16 Nov 2006 01:00:00 -0500]]>
</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<guid><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200611090003?u=15]]></guid>
<title><![CDATA[Judge blocks Sago suit action]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[A judge on Wednesday blocked for 60 days any action in three lawsuits filed by Sago Mine disaster victims against International Coal Group and other companies.Kanawha Circuit Judge Charles King said he wanted to see if the other 10 Sago families would fil...]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200611090003]]></link>
<author>
<![CDATA[kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.)]]>
</author>
<pubDate>
<![CDATA[Thu, 09 Nov 2006 01:00:00 -0500]]>
</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<guid><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200610180003?u=16]]></guid>
<title><![CDATA[Sago widow, daughter urge tougher MSHA fines]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[A widow and daughter of one of the Sago Mine disaster victims on Tuesday urged federal regulators to stiffen fines for mine safety violations.“Fixing the problem should be cheaper than paying the fines,” said Deborah Hamner, whose husband George Junior Ha...]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200610180003]]></link>
<author>
<![CDATA[kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.)]]>
</author>
<pubDate>
<![CDATA[Wed, 18 Oct 2006 01:00:00 -0400]]>
</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<guid><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200610060007?u=17]]></guid>
<title><![CDATA[Sago miners’ families troubled by suicides]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Family members of six of the miners killed in the Sago Mine disaster said Thursday they are troubled by the suicides of two other men who worked at the mine.Thirteen family members issued a short statement to express sympathy for the families of miners Wi...]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200610060007]]></link>
<author>
<![CDATA[kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.)]]>
</author>
<pubDate>
<![CDATA[Fri, 06 Oct 2006 01:00:00 -0400]]>
</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<guid><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200610040013?u=18]]></guid>
<title><![CDATA[Report criticizes MSHA complaint rules]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Federal mine safety regulators take too long to investigate complaints about hazardous conditions in the nation’s mines, the Labor Department’s Inspector General has found.A “significant number” of hazardous condition complaints filed with the U.S. Mine S...]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200610040013]]></link>
<author>
<![CDATA[kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.)]]>
</author>
<pubDate>
<![CDATA[Wed, 04 Oct 2006 01:00:00 -0400]]>
</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<guid><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200609270003?u=19]]></guid>
<title><![CDATA[Sago counseling money unused]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[The Manchin administration has yet to start spending a federal grant approved five months ago meant to help provide counseling to residents struggling with the lingering trauma of the Sago Mine disaster.Federal officials approved the $35,000 grant in Apri...]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200609270003]]></link>
<author>
<![CDATA[kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.)]]>
</author>
<pubDate>
<![CDATA[Wed, 27 Sep 2006 01:00:00 -0400]]>
</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<guid><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200609260003?u=20]]></guid>
<title><![CDATA[2 workers from Sago Mine have shot themselves]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Two key figures in January’s disaster at the Sago Mine in Upshur County have taken their own lives in the last three weeks, police and other officials have confirmed.Their deaths have family and friends of surviving Sago miners and mine rescuers — along w...]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200609260003]]></link>
<author>
<![CDATA[kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.)]]>
</author>
<pubDate>
<![CDATA[Tue, 26 Sep 2006 01:00:00 -0400]]>
</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<guid><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200811070243?u=21]]></guid>
<title><![CDATA[Missing Aracoma walls spread smoke, probe finds]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[MELVILLE - On Jan. 19, the second shift was just getting started when the conveyor belts ground to a halt deep inside the <strong>Aracoma</strong> Alma No. 1 Mine in Logan County.Foreman Mike Plumley called to the surface to find out what was wrong. The ma...]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200811070243]]></link>
<author>
<![CDATA[kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.)]]>
</author>
<pubDate>
<![CDATA[Sun, 03 Sep 2006 01:00:00 -0400]]>
</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<guid><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200608240003?u=22]]></guid>
<title><![CDATA[McCloy, two families sue]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Sago Mine survivor Randal McCloy Jr. filed the first in a series of lawsuits Wednesday that allege poor safety practices by mine owner International Coal Group caused the January disaster at the Upshur County mine.Lawsuits were also filed Wednesday by the...]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200608240003]]></link>
<author>
<![CDATA[kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.)]]>
</author>
<pubDate>
<![CDATA[Thu, 24 Aug 2006 01:00:00 -0400]]>
</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<guid><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200608210003?u=23]]></guid>
<title><![CDATA[Memorial honors Sago miners]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[TALLMANSVILLE — Family members and local residents gathered in Upshur County on Sunday afternoon to dedicate a monument to the 12 coal miners who died in the Sago Mine disaster.Gov. Joe Manchin joined several hundred people just outside the Sago Baptist C...]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200608210003]]></link>
<author>
<![CDATA[kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.)]]>
</author>
<pubDate>
<![CDATA[Mon, 21 Aug 2006 01:00:00 -0400]]>
</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<guid><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200607260003?u=24]]></guid>
<title><![CDATA[Sago report urges giving safety workers mine power]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[BUCKHANNON — Peggy Cohen had not had time to read every word of Davitt McAteer’s 97-page report on the Sago Mine disaster.But just a quick glance told Cohen most of what she needed to know.“I am angry and I am upset,” said Cohen, the daughter of Sago min...]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200607260003]]></link>
<author>
<![CDATA[kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.)]]>
</author>
<pubDate>
<![CDATA[Wed, 26 Jul 2006 01:00:00 -0400]]>
</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<guid><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200607250003?u=25]]></guid>
<title><![CDATA[Report criticizes gap in Sago rescue info]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[An independent report released last week on the Sago Mine disaster faults mine operator International Coal Group for not telling families for nearly three hours that all but one of the miners had been found dead.The report by Davitt McAteer, a special adv...]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200607250003]]></link>
<author>
<![CDATA[kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.)]]>
</author>
<pubDate>
<![CDATA[Tue, 25 Jul 2006 01:00:00 -0400]]>
</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<guid><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200607220003?u=26]]></guid>
<title><![CDATA[Series of mine lightning strikes largely ignored]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Federal regulators largely ignored a string of eight mine explosions caused by lightning strikes near U.S. coal mines between 1993 and 2001, according to a new independent report on the Sago Mine disaster.No one connected the dots to determine how the lig...]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200607220003]]></link>
<author>
<![CDATA[kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.)]]>
</author>
<pubDate>
<![CDATA[Sat, 22 Jul 2006 01:00:00 -0400]]>
</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<guid><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200607210007?u=27]]></guid>
<title><![CDATA[Sago families urge Manchin to follow through on disaster report]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Families of the Sago Mine victims on Thursday urged Gov. Joe Manchin to implement the recommendations in a report by independent investigator Davitt McAteer.“The report correctly recognizes that coal mines are safe,” the families said in a prepared statem...]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200607210007]]></link>
<author>
<![CDATA[kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.)]]>
</author>
<pubDate>
<![CDATA[Fri, 21 Jul 2006 01:00:00 -0400]]>
</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<guid><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200607200003?u=28]]></guid>
<title><![CDATA[Sago report proposes reforms]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[BUCKHANNON — Lightning probably ignited the Jan. 2 explosion at the Sago Mine, but 12 miners would not have died if they had been given better breathing devices and communications gear and if rescuers had gone underground sooner, according to an independen...]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200607200003]]></link>
<author>
<![CDATA[kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.)]]>
</author>
<pubDate>
<![CDATA[Thu, 20 Jul 2006 01:00:00 -0400]]>
</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<guid><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200606300007?u=29]]></guid>
<title><![CDATA[Sago blast cause might never be known]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[A report expected next month will not pinpoint the exact cause of the January explosion that killed 12 workers at the Sago Mine, West Virginia’s lead investigator said Thursday.Davitt McAteer, a special assistant to Gov. Joe Manchin, said it is entirely p...]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200606300007]]></link>
<author>
<![CDATA[kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.)]]>
</author>
<pubDate>
<![CDATA[Fri, 30 Jun 2006 01:00:00 -0400]]>
</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<guid><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200606300006?u=30]]></guid>
<title><![CDATA[Court upholds role of UMW in probe of Sago disaster]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[A federal appeals court has upheld the United Mine Workers’ role in the government’s investigation of the Sago Mine disaster.The U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court ruling that ordered International Coal Group to allow UMW representativ...]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200606300006]]></link>
<author>
<![CDATA[kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.)]]>
</author>
<pubDate>
<![CDATA[Fri, 30 Jun 2006 01:00:00 -0400]]>
</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<guid><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200606290003?u=31]]></guid>
<title><![CDATA[‘Our options were next to none’]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Sago Mine survivor Randal McCloy tried proper procedures to start emergency oxygen packs that McCloy says failed four fellow miners who perished in the Jan. 2 disaster, investigators have learned.McCloy was able to start his own self-contained self-rescue...]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200606290003]]></link>
<author>
<![CDATA[kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.)]]>
</author>
<pubDate>
<![CDATA[Thu, 29 Jun 2006 01:00:00 -0400]]>
</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<guid><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200606090011?u=32]]></guid>
<title><![CDATA[Mine radio test results ‘promising,’ MSHA says]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Federal regulators said Thursday their tests of new communications devices for underground coal mines had produced “promising” results.In at least one test, a prototype radio delivered cell-phone quality voice communications more than two miles into an un...]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200606090011]]></link>
<author>
<![CDATA[kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.)]]>
</author>
<pubDate>
<![CDATA[Fri, 09 Jun 2006 01:00:00 -0400]]>
</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<guid><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200606040015?u=33]]></guid>
<title><![CDATA[Toughest rules are missing from federal mine safety bill]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[A mine safety bill passed by the U.S. Senate is missing some of the toughest provisions proposed by West Virginia’s congressional delegation after the Sago Mine disaster and the Aracoma Mine fire.Just before Memorial Day, one day after Senate approval, th...]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200606040015]]></link>
<author>
<![CDATA[kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.)]]>
</author>
<pubDate>
<![CDATA[Sun, 04 Jun 2006 00:00:00 -0400]]>
</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<guid><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200606010003?u=34]]></guid>
<title><![CDATA[Planners need an extra year on mine safety]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[West Virginia coal operators need at least another year to come up with plans to install wireless communications equipment and miner tracking gear, a state task force reported Wednesday.Operators should be given until July 31, 2007, to submit the plans, a...]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200606010003]]></link>
<author>
<![CDATA[kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.)]]>
</author>
<pubDate>
<![CDATA[Thu, 01 Jun 2006 01:00:00 -0400]]>
</pubDate>
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<guid><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200605250003?u=35]]></guid>
<title><![CDATA[Coal miner  struck, killed by board at Harrison mine]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[The 19th coal miner to die on the job in West Virginia was killed Wednesday while operating a piece of equipment in an International Coal Group mine in Harrison County.The state was notified about 2:40 p.m. of the accident at the Sycamore No. 2 mine near ...]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200605250003]]></link>
<author>
<![CDATA[kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.)]]>
</author>
<pubDate>
<![CDATA[Thu, 25 May 2006 01:00:00 -0400]]>
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<guid><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200605230003?u=36]]></guid>
<title><![CDATA[MSHA halts use of foam mine seals]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Federal regulators on Monday halted the use of a controversial type of blocks for underground mine seals, following the second mine disaster this year linked to those seals.The U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration said it would begin a “reassessment...]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200605230003]]></link>
<author>
<![CDATA[kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.)]]>
</author>
<pubDate>
<![CDATA[Tue, 23 May 2006 01:00:00 -0400]]>
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<guid><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200605180006?u=37]]></guid>
<title><![CDATA[Man pleads guilty to false safety checks]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[A man who falsified pre-shift and on-shift examinations at the Sago Mine in Upshur County in 2004 pleaded guilty to one count of a 116-count indictment Wednesday.Robert Dennison, 35, of Wallace faces up to five years in prison, a fine of up to $10,000 and...]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200605180006]]></link>
<author>
<![CDATA[tomsearls@wvgazette.com (Tom Searls)]]>
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<pubDate>
<![CDATA[Thu, 18 May 2006 01:00:00 -0400]]>
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<guid><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200605100003?u=38]]></guid>
<title><![CDATA[Industry objects to mining proposals]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Coal operators continued Tuesday to pick away at a new federal rule that aims to help miners escape safely from mine fires and explosions.Industry officials said that they support the rule’s intent, but disagree with the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Admini...]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200605100003]]></link>
<author>
<![CDATA[kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.)]]>
</author>
<pubDate>
<![CDATA[Wed, 10 May 2006 01:00:00 -0400]]>
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<guid><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200605070003?u=39]]></guid>
<title><![CDATA[Sago hearing offers few answers]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[BUCKHANNON — Last week, widows, daughters and sons of the Sago miners sat through slick PowerPoint slide shows and lengthy physics lessons.In a gymnasium at West Virginia Wesleyan College, Sago families peppered mine managers with tough questions, grilled...]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200605070003]]></link>
<author>
<![CDATA[kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.)]]>
</author>
<pubDate>
<![CDATA[Sun, 07 May 2006 00:00:00 -0400]]>
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<guid><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200605050006?u=40]]></guid>
<title><![CDATA[Sago water pump may be blast clue]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[BUCKHANNON — A water pump that may hold clues to the cause of the Sago Mine disaster remains stuck in the mud deep inside the mine, state and federal officials disclosed Thursday.A de-energized power cable attached to the pump could have provided a condui...]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200605050006]]></link>
<author>
<![CDATA[kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.)]]>
</author>
<pubDate>
<![CDATA[Fri, 05 May 2006 01:00:00 -0400]]>
</pubDate>
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<guid><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200605050007?u=41]]></guid>
<title><![CDATA[Managers at Sago Mine face further scrutiny from MSHA]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[BUCKHANNON — Several International Coal Group managers are under additional scrutiny by federal investigators for potential safety violations uncovered during the probe of Sago Mine disaster, officials revealed Thursday.The U.S. Mine Safety and Health Adm...]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200605050007]]></link>
<author>
<![CDATA[kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.)]]>
</author>
<pubDate>
<![CDATA[Fri, 05 May 2006 01:00:00 -0400]]>
</pubDate>
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<guid><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200605040006?u=42]]></guid>
<title><![CDATA[Sago lightning theory discounted]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[BUCKHANNON — Federal and state investigators joined Sago Mine families Wednesday in questioning mine owner International Coal Group’s depiction of the Jan. 2 explosion as an unpreventable disaster caused by a lightning strike.Sara Bailey, the daughter of ...]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200605040006]]></link>
<author>
<![CDATA[kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.)]]>
</author>
<pubDate>
<![CDATA[Thu, 04 May 2006 01:00:00 -0400]]>
</pubDate>
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<guid><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200605040007?u=43]]></guid>
<title><![CDATA[“I think I said  ‘they’re alive,’ ” rescuer tells hearing panel]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[BUCKHANNON — A federal mine rescuer who found the trapped Sago Mine workers apologized Wednesday to families for the erroneous reports that all 12 miners were found alive.“We apologize for any of the problems or heartache that our miscommunication caused,...]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200605040007]]></link>
<author>
<![CDATA[kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.)]]>
</author>
<pubDate>
<![CDATA[Thu, 04 May 2006 01:00:00 -0400]]>
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<guid><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200605030013?u=44]]></guid>
<title><![CDATA[Sago families describe losses, demand answers to disaster]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[BUCKHANNON — Peggy Cohen wants to know what happened to the notebook in which Sago Mine fireboss Fred Jamison wrote down what he saw when he inspected the mine early on the morning of Jan. 2.Charlotte Weaver wants someone to explain why mine rescue teams ...]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200605030013]]></link>
<author>
<![CDATA[kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.)]]>
</author>
<pubDate>
<![CDATA[Wed, 03 May 2006 01:00:00 -0400]]>
</pubDate>
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<guid><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200605030014?u=45]]></guid>
<title><![CDATA[Company faces tough questions]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[BUCKHANNON — State investigators, federal regulators and West Virginia lawmakers on Tuesday quizzed International Coal Group mine managers — and each other — as they continued their efforts to find out what caused the Sago Mine disaster.Widows and daughte...]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200605030014]]></link>
<author>
<![CDATA[kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.)]]>
</author>
<pubDate>
<![CDATA[Wed, 03 May 2006 01:00:00 -0400]]>
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<guid><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200605030015?u=46]]></guid>
<title><![CDATA[Subdued tone marks first day of hearings]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[BUCKHANNON — There was no glut of TV cameras — only a few were allowed. Nobody pressed family members for interviews. That wasn’t allowed, either.Four months ago, it was live-televised chaos at the Sago Mine disaster. But when the official public hearing ...]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200605030015]]></link>
<author>
<![CDATA[tara@wvgazette.com (Tara Tuckwiller)]]>
</author>
<pubDate>
<![CDATA[Wed, 03 May 2006 01:00:00 -0400]]>
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<guid><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200605020007?u=47]]></guid>
<title><![CDATA[Sago hearings begin today]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[SAGO — Early Monday afternoon, the gravel parking lot was empty at the Sago Baptist Church.Coal trucks rumbled along the Sago Road, and coal was piled high outside the Sago Mine.“Safe choices,” said a sign on one of International Coal Group’s buildings. ...]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200605020007]]></link>
<author>
<![CDATA[kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.)]]>
</author>
<pubDate>
<![CDATA[Tue, 02 May 2006 01:00:00 -0400]]>
</pubDate>
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<item>
<guid><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200605020006?u=48]]></guid>
<title><![CDATA[MSHA seal rules too weak for Sago]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[BUCKHANNON — A 35-year-old U.S. government study indicates that federal rules for sealing worked-out areas of underground mines are far too weak to prevent explosions such as the one that killed 12 workers at the Sago Mine four months ago.The U.S. Mine Sa...]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200605020006]]></link>
<author>
<![CDATA[kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.)]]>
</author>
<pubDate>
<![CDATA[Tue, 02 May 2006 01:00:00 -0400]]>
</pubDate>
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<item>
<guid><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200605010003?u=49]]></guid>
<title><![CDATA[Evacuation alarm went unheeded]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[At 6:10 a.m. on Jan. 2, a light on Sago Mine dispatcher Bill Chisolm’s computer screen changed from green to red.The red light was an alarm. It warned Chisolm of an increase in carbon monoxide levels along the conveyor belt in Sago’s 1 Left section.Under...]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://wvgazette.com/rssFeeds/200605010003]]></link>
<author>
<![CDATA[kward@wvgazette.com (Ken Ward Jr.)]]>
</author>
<pubDate>
<![CDATA[Mon, 01 May 2006 01:00:00 -0400]]>
</pubDate>
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