Smoldering coal shuts mine near Somerset for 6 weeks
Arch Coal Inc. said Monday its West Elk coal mine near Somerset in western Colorado will be closed for at least six weeks because of smoldering underground coal and a resulting increase in combustion gases detected last month.
St. Louis-based Arch had said Nov. 1 it did not expect a “protracted” outage. But company officials said Monday that gas levels unexpectedly intensified last week, forcing a shutdown of the mine’s ventilation system and requiring additional injections of water, nitrogen, nitrogen foam and carbon dioxide to suppress the combustion.
The coal combustion produces potentially dangerous carbon monoxide. The combustion also could lead to explosions of methane gas.
About 25 of West Elk’s 400 workers will be sent to three Arch coal mines in Utah to work while the Colorado mine is closed. The remainder of the workers are being used for combustion suppression and routine maintenance. Arch said its inventory of mined coal at West Elk will be depleted by the end of November.
ALBANY, N.Y.
Telemarketing fraud involves wired money
Greenwood Village-based Western Union Financial Services will post prominent warnings to customers about fraudulent telemarketers who are increasingly requiring consumers to wire money because it is harder to trace, according to an agreement Monday with 47 state attorneys general.
After receiving hundreds of complaints, state investigators reviewed all transfers that occurred in 2003 between the United States and Canada. The review found 38 percent of those transfers were “fraudulently induced,” according to the announcement.
DENVER
Colo. workers’ comp premiums to drop
Beginning Jan. 1, the standard premium for workers’ compensation in Colorado will decrease by an average of 1 percent, as a result of an order signed by Colorado Insurance Commissioner David Rivera.
Although individual employer workers’ compensation premiums are affected by many other rating factors, many Colorado employers will pay less.
BLACK HAWK
Manager appointed at Mountain High Casino
Ameristar Casinos announced Monday that Michelle Shriver has been appointed senior vice president and general manager at Mountain High Casino in Black Hawk.
Shriver will oversee a massive renovation that will add 700 slot machines, 700 parking spaces and a 26-story hotel tower with more than 500 rooms. Las Vegas-based Ameristar bought Mountain High in December 2004 for $117 million.
HOUSTON
Saltgrass Steak House plans 2 Denver sites
Landry’s Restaurants Inc. plans to open two Saltgrass Steak House locations in Colorado next year.
In a conference call with analysts last week, Landry’s chief executive Tilman Fertitta said the company intends to open in Westminster and Parker in 2006. He did not specify where.
ROCKFORD, Ill.
United to fly nonstop from Rockford to DIA
United Airlines will offer two daily flights from Rockford International Airport beginning March 1, airport officials said.
The flights will use 50-seat regional jets and offer nonstop service to Denver.
AURORA
Colo. Athletic Club to change management
The manager of the Colorado Athletic Club at 3191 S. Vaughn Way in Aurora on Monday confirmed that it would stop operating the location Nov. 30.
The Wellbridge Co. of Greenwood Village owns five Colorado Athletic Club locations in the Denver area and managed the Aurora location. It is unclear who will take over management of the Aurora club.
DENVER
Direct Petroleum stock to join London listing
Direct Petroleum Exploration Inc., a Denver-based oil explorer in Morocco and Bulgaria, will sell shares and list its stock on the London Stock Exchange’s Alternative Investment Market.
The share placement is expected to raise about $75 million before expenses, the company said.
CHICAGO
United sees 7,500 vie for 2,000 new jobs
United Airlines reported Monday that it received more than 7,500 applications for its new flight-attendant positions on the first day of recruiting, drastically exceeding expectations.
United announced Friday that it will hire about 2,000 flight attendants, the first time the company has added to its flight-attendant ranks in more than four years.
SAN DIEGO
Amgen’s drug trial shows gains in bones
Amgen, the world’s largest biotechnology company, on Monday said a two-year ongoing study of its experimental drug denosumab increased bone mineral density in postmenopausal women, compared with a placebo.
The findings, reported at the American College of Rheumatology’s annual meeting in San Diego, showed increased bone mineral density in the lumbar spine, hip and wrist areas of the body. Denosumab is being studied for its potential to fight osteoporosis, treatment-induced bone loss and rheumatoid arthritis.
Should the drug be approved, it will be manufactured at Amgen’s Boulder facility.
BENTONVILLE, Ark.
Wal-Mart’s growth plans for ’06 revealed
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. plans to open or expand 484 stores across the United States next year, over 100 more than previously disclosed, according to an internal document obtained by a leading Wal-Mart opponent and released to The Associated Press on Monday.
Wal-Mart Watch, a Washington, D.C.-based group backed by unions and environmental and other interests, said it will use the detailed list to alert activists in those communities listed in the document to help them rally against projects in their towns. The group said it received the document from Sprawl Busters, a group opposed to unchecked suburban development.
WASHINGTON
3-month, 6-month T-bills auctioned
The Treasury Department auctioned $18 billion in three-month bills at a discount rate of 3.91 percent and an additional $16 billion in six-month bills at a rate of 4.195 percent.
The discount rates reflect that the bills sell for less than face value. For a $10,000 bill, the price was $9,901.16 for a three -month bill and $9,787.92 for a six-month.
