Coal producer announces pending layoffs of 65 workers in West Virginia

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A coal producer has given notice that it plans to lay off 65 workers in southern West Virginia in March. The Kanawha County Commission says Panther Creek Mining issued the layoff notice for its operations in Eskdale. Panther Creek was part of Lexington, Kentucky-based Blackhawk Mining’s purchase of a substantial amount of bankrupt Patriot Coal’s assets through a 2015 auction.