ASL Holds Candlelight Vigil to Remember
5th Anniversary of Tragic Shootings Is Marked

by Cathy St. Clair
News Editor
  A hundred or so candle flames flickered in the semi-darkness last Tuesday as Appalachian School of Law students, faculty, staff and members of the community marked the fifth anniversary of the ASL shootings.
  The somber remembrance was held in the Lion Lounge which was the scene of some of the shootings which occurred January 16, 2002 when a disgruntled student brought a gun to campus, killing then Dean Tony Sutin, Professor Tom Blackwell and student, Angela Dales; and wounded three other students.
  It was the lives of the three who were lost that day who were remembered during last week's observance through testimonials to their impact on the community, as well as through song and prayer.
  ASL Dean Wes Shinn, who was a professor at the school in 2002 when the shootings occurred, said Tuesday's observance was being held to remember the three who died that day.
  "We remember them not only as respected and cherished colleagues and friends, but I know you'll agree we me that the ASL community and the larger community are both diminished by their absence," Shinn said.

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Limited Feasibility Study Approved For CFX Project
Coal Reserves To Be Looked At on Route

by Cathy St. Clair
News Editor
  A limited feasibility study looking at possible alignments and marketable coal reserves along the proposed Coalfields Expressway route was announced last week by the Virginia Department of Transportation.
  VDOT Commissioner David Ekern confirmed VDOT, along with its private-sector partners Pioneer Group, Inc. and Alpha Natural Resources LLC, a subsidiary of Alpha Natural Resource, Inc., have agreed to perform the study. 
  Both companies, which are Southwest Virginia natural resource companies, will evaluate possible highway alignments that consider areas of marketable coal reserves controlled by the companies.
  The Coalfields Expressway -- U.S. Route 121 -- is a proposed four-lane highway stretching 51 miles from the West Virginia line in Buchanan County through Dickenson County and to Pound in Wise County. It will provide a modern, safe and efficient highway through the coalfields region of southwestern Virginia and is expected that the entire multi-state Appalachian region should see a boost in commerce and tourism as a result of the Coalfields Expressway.
  Designated as part of the national highway system, the new road will link Interstates 64 and 77 in West Virginia with Route 23 in Virginia, which links to interstates in Kentucky and Tennessee.
  VDOT and company officials have previously noted the techniques used to recover coal along the proposed route could significantly lower the cost of building the expressway, reducing the amount of public funds needed to develop the project. 
  "By working with the partners, we are able to take one step closer to a win-win situation where the cost of this important expressway project is reduced while the valuable natural resources can be recovered," said Ekern.
  The limited feasibility study will provide VDOT with the information necessary to determine the viability of a "coal-synergy" solution for the Coalfields Expressway, Ekern said.
  Also, the study results will support efforts to seek Federal Highway Administration approval for the use of federal funds on the project. It is anticipated that the completed study will be submitted to VDOT in mid-summer 2007.
  "We're pleased that VDOT is moving forward with a limited feasibility study for the Coalfields Expressway, which is so important to the future economic progress of Southwestern Virginia," said Michael J. Quillen, Alpha's chairman and chief executive officer. "Removing coal during construction can help reduce the cost of building the expressway, which in turn reduces the burden on taxpayers."
  "As the coal industry winds down in the mountains, it will be so important to bring in other industries and people to the area," said Clyde Stacy, president of Pioneer. "We look forward to working with Alpha and VDOT in moving this project forward."
  The limited feasibility study is being funded in part with a $2 million grant from the Transportation Partnership Opportunity Fund.

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