West Virginia Miner Killed

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A coal miner has died while working at a southern West Virginia mine. Gov. Jim Justice says Virgil Paynter was operating an excavator Thursday at the CM Energy Operations LP surface mine in Wyoming County. A statement from the governor’s office says Paynter was “fatally injured” but did not include details. The death is being investigated by the state Office of Miners’ Health Safety and Training and the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration. It was the first reported coal fatality of the year in West Virginia and the second nationally. There were nine coal-related deaths in the country last year.