By Laura Bilson
Charleston Gazette-Mail
CHARLESTON — Nearly a month after coal miner Steve Lipscomb’s death in the Roll-ing Thunder mine in Nicholas County, miners and their families gathered alongside elected officials and coal company representatives Wednesday for a Blessing for the Miners of West Virginia event at the state Capitol in Charleston.
The speakers praised the role of coal mining in West Virginia and “celebrate[d] the life of Steve,” said West Virginia Secre-tary of State Kris Warner, one of the speakers. Several others addressed the crowd in the Capitol’s Lower Rotunda, with rows of chairs on either side of a large Christmas tree.
The event was organized by Greenbrier Smokeless Coal in Rupert, Greenbrier County, and the West Virginia Coal Association.
Amanda Hale, CEO of Greenbrier Smokeless Coal, paused production at her mine Wednesday to allow her workers to attend the ceremony. More than 20 Greenbrier Smokeless Coal employees and their families were in attendance.
Read the rest of the story at the Charleston Gazette-Mail