State News
Surface mining foes: WVa no longer Mountain State
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Foes of surface mining say calling West Virginia the Mountain State is practically false advertising these days, and they’re putting their money where their mouths are.
Environmentalists are sponsoring a contest to devise a new nickname for the state and for the West Virginia University mascot, the Mountaineer.
They say that with surface mines blasting the tops off mountains in the state, the old nicknames no longer apply.
The contest, with prizes of $100 for each winning entry, is the latest bid to draw public attention to mountaintop removal mines. Already this summer, protesters and visiting celebrities have been arrested for trespassing while objecting to surface mining.
The deadline for submissions is July 20. Submissions can be mailed to Nickname Contest, P.O. Box 20454, Charleston, W.Va., 25362.
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