Carnival of Soles

This story originally appeared in the Charleston Daily Mail on Wednesday, May 7, 2012.  Jina Jordan has held several jobs in her life. She owned a cleaning business and then worked as a pizza dough maker at Gino’s Pizza in Sissonville. She drives cars for the…

Silver Bridge tragedy still haunts river city residents

This story originally appeared in the December 11, 2012 edition of the Charleston Daily Mail. Ben Cedar crossed the Silver Bridge three times on the day it fell. He was working as a Kirby sweeper salesman back then, and crossing the bridge was the fastest…

Appalachian Distillery makes moonshine, legally

  This story originally appeared in the Charleston Daily Mail on Wednesday, August 27, 2014. RIPLEY — Dwayne Freeman makes his moonshine almost the same way as the old-timers. He uses big sacks of corn and a kettle connected to shiny copper lines. There are a few minor differences,…

Whatever happened to Randolph Scott?

This story was originally published in the Charleston Daily Mail on Friday, May 30, 2014. Donald Moore knows everything there is to know about film projectors. He’s sold bunches of them over his half-century running Moore Theater Supply Company on Lee Street. When a repair…

Sushi and exotic fish shop makes for odd but apt combo

This story originally appeared in the Charleston Daily Mail on Wednesday, May 28, 2014. It could be an uncomfortable experience, enjoying sushi in the middle of an aquarium shop. There are all those very-alive fish, just bubbling along while you enjoy a dish of very-recently-alive fish….

Swiftwater Cafe adds catering, general store

This story originally appeared in the Charleston Daily Mail on Wednesday, May 21, 2014. Last Friday morning, the folks at Swiftwater Cafe were already hard at work on lunch. The long metal prep table in the restaurant’s new catering kitchen was filled with fruit, sandwich…

Play helps director heal

This story originally appeared in the Charleston Daily Mail on Thursday, March 20, 2014. Carrie Kirk was acting angry. In a pivotal scene in the Kanawha Players’ production of “Extremities,” Kirk’s character Terry is in the middle of a heated argument with her roommates when…

Stay Cozy

This story originally appeared in the Charleston Daily Mail on Wednesday, May 7, 2014. Blink, and you might miss Kin Ship Goods’ new headquarters on Lee Street. The company recently relocated from Louisville, Ky., to a tiny two-story building sandwiched between the former Stone &…

Renaissance man saved Daily Mail from bankruptcy in 1914

This story originally appeared in the Charleston Daily Mail on Friday, April 4, 2014 to mark teh newspaper’s 100th birthday. One hundred years ago this Sunday, a former Alaskan governor purchased a small bankrupt newspaper in Charleston, W.Va. The publication, known at the time as…

Derecho Damage to Decor

This story originally appeared in the Charleston Daily Mail on Friday, June 27, 2014. LEON — Retired Washington Post photo editor Joseph Elbert didn’t have to go looking for inspiration when he decided to start building furniture. It nearly fell on him. When a derecho swept…