She's been called "the bag lady."
   She's been called "the litter lady."
   She's been called "Mrs. Sexton" by students in classrooms throughout Buchanan County.
   But to her friends and those who know her best, her name is simply "Marie" and on Thursday evening, Marie Sexton's 16 years of service to the Buchanan County Litter Control Program were recognized.
   Sexton, who began working for the county in 1989 and who officially retired January 18, 2006, was honored with a retirement dinner at the Rainbow Restaurant last Thursday and was presented with an etched statue made from a recycled wine bottle and a certificate of appreciation.
   Brightly colored helium balloons decorated the room and a cake wishing Sexton well upon the occasion of her retirement also sat ready to enjoy after the evening meal and a meeting of the Buchanan County Keep America Beautiful (KAB) Committee was concluded.
    Committee members who had worked with Sexton through the years, as well as new litter officers Jerry Ward and Richard Lee and Tri-County Regional Litter Control and Recycling Coordinator Toby Edwards were in attendance. South Grundy Chairman of the Buchanan County Board of Supervisors, Roger Rife, was also in attendance.
    Danny Davis, chairman of the KAB committee, thanked Sexton for her service to the county and presented her with the etched statue.

   Unauthorized entry into an active or abandoned mine is not only foolhardy and extremely dangerous, it is illegal.  Especially if the purpose of entering mine property involves stealing – be it scrap metal, copper or equipment.
   “On the other hand, if the threat of prosecution from illegal trespassing or theft of mine property doesn’t concern you, the likelihood that you may be seriously injured or killed by mine hazards should,” said Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy Division of Mines Chief Frank Linkous.  “If individuals intent on trespassing onto mine property don’t care about themselves, they should at least care about their families and those people who will be called upon to risk their lives to conduct rescue or recovery operations when the worst happens.”
    Incidents in Virginia last week and in West Virginia the week before that have illustrated the hazards of unauthorized entry onto mine sites and the strain it can put on local law enforcement and emergency services crews, state and federal mine safety agencies and mine rescue teams.  And, while the outcome fortunately didn’t involve injury or death, charges are pending against the individuals involved in both cases.
    Two males entered a Buchanan County mine near Hurley Sunday evening reportedly seeking mine supplies.  The mine is licensed but has been inactive and temporarily abandoned with no mining activity since November 1997.  Although the mine portals were fenced to prevent illegal entry and posted with warning signs, a portion of the fencing had been removed.
    When the two men had not come out of the mine at a predetermined time, a family member contacted the Buchanan County Sheriff’s Department around 10 p.m. stating that they had been missing for five hours.  The sheriff’s office notified local fire and emergency medical services authorities and the mine operators, as well as state and federal mine safety officials, all who responded to the scene.  Two mine rescue teams were put on standby by state mine safety officials.  As this response was in progress, one of the mine owners entered the mine and located the two individuals, one of whom is a teenager.  The mine owner brought them out of the mine around 11:34 p.m., where they were checked out by EMS crews and advised by the Sheriff’s Department that they would be facing charges for criminal trespassing, and grand larceny.

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    The Eastern Coal Council is sponsoring its 27th annual Conference and Exposition, "Meeting World Energy Needs by Improving & Increasing Coal Utilization," September 11 and 12, 2006. The meeting will be at the MeadowView Conference Resort & Convention Center, Kingsport, Tenn.
    "The Case for Carbon Sequestration" will be presented by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), American Electric Power and the Southeast Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership (SECARB) in the Clean Coal Technologies Session at the 27th Annual Conference & Exposition on September 11-12, 2006, in Kingsport, Tenn. The group will discuss carbon sequestration research goals, objectives and regional benefits.
     SECARB, led by the Southern States Energy Board of Norcross, GA., represents 11 southeastern states (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia). SECARB is one of seven partnerships created by the U.S. DOE to help determine the best approaches for capturing and storing carbon dioxide (CO2), thought to contribute to global climate change. SECARB is addressing point source CO2 emissions in the southeastern United States by geographically linking sources with potential sequestration sinks. SECARB will accomplish its objectives by defining similarities in the 11 state region; characterizing the region relative to sources, sinks, transport, sequestration options, and existing and future infrastructure requirements; identifying and addressing issues for technology deployment, developing public involvement and education mechanisms; identifying the most promising capture, sequestration, and transport options; and developing action plans for implementation and technology validation.
    SECARB's Coal Seam Group is currently researching the carbon sequestration potential and corresponding enhanced coalbed methane recovery of unmineable coal seams in the Central Appalachian and Black Warrior Basins. The coal seam research team incorporates individuals from the Virginia Center for Coal and Energy Research (Virginia Tech), Marshall Miller and Associates, the Geological Survey of Alabama, Advanced Resources International, the Kentucky Geological Survey, the University of Alabama and the Eastern Coal Council.

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