The future of Consol Energy’s Fola Mine in Clay County, West Virginia is still uncertain, but Gov. Joe Manchin says he’s hopeful that the mine can remain open. Manchin and Congressman Nick Rahall visited the mountaintop removal mine this week after Consol announced it would be idling the operation and laying off nearly 500 coal miners. 

A West Virginia Army veteran recently returned from Copenhagen where international leaders met for the United Nations Climate Change Conference. Jonathan Gensler and veterans from 10 other states made the trip with the Operation Free coalition. The veterans addressed how climate change threatens America’s national security.

President Obama wants to send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan to prevent a Taliban rebel uprising and address the dangers that plague the country. As people in the military and their families prepare for a possible deployment to Afghanistan, the reality of the war is hitting close to home for the Moundsville family of Julian Berisford.

On New Year’s Day, West Virginia University’s football team under Coach Bill Stewart (pictured) will play Florida State in the Gator Bowl. The bowl marks Florida State coach Bobby Bowden’s final game as a head coach. But the game is special for another reason. Bowden has quite a history with WVU. 

British chef Jamie Oliver spent three months in Huntington this fall shooting a new reality television series on healthy eating. The city was named the unhealthiest in America. When Oliver suggested schools should serve locally-produced food, some school officials balked at the idea, saying it would cost too much and the food might not meet government requirements. But one West Virginia county has found a way to serve some local food to school children. 

Yard sales are popular all over Appalachia for the rare finds and good deals. But Shepherdstown, West Virginia possibly has the yard sale with the biggest bargains of all … everything offered is free. The sale held the l;ast Saturday of each month outside Shepherd University's McMurran Hall is called  the "Really, Really Free Market."

Whether interpreted by actors Alistair Sims, George C. Scott or Patrick Stewart, fans of “A Christmas Carol” must wonder ‘what was Scrooge’s problem?'  Most explanations of his behavior are superficial. Fortunately, Charles Dickens provides a list of symptoms and a nearly complete case history. It allowed a couple psychologists at the University of Kentucky to speculate on Mister Scrooge’s mental health