They Keep Old Trains A-Rolling

This story originally appeared in the June 4, 2012 edition of the Charleston Daily Mail. CASS — When something breaks on a train at Cass Scenic Railroad, whether it’s as small as a bracket or as big as a boiler, the men and women in…

Coffee keeps friendships warm

This column originally appeared in the Charleston Daily Mail on January 2, 2015. I remember the day I became a coffee drinker. I stayed home from school with a blazing sore throat. That afternoon, as I laid on my grandmother’s couch in misery, I got an idea….

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…

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…

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…

Late Edition

This story was originally published in the September/October 2015 issue of West Virginia Focus magazine. Around 3 p.m. on Sunday, July 19, the newsroom staffs of the Charleston Daily Mail and Charleston Gazette were called to the front lobby of their shared headquarters at 1001…