{West Virginia}...Supporters of the Upper Big Branch Mine Memorial say they're close to having the money needed for construction. Alpha Natural Resources pledged to match the first $250,000 raised, and the group has raised $230,000. Thursday, Charleston law firm Bucci, Bailey and Javins held a fundraising event for the memorial fund. The law firm and memorial group sold t-shirts and bumper stickers at the Quaker Steak and Lube off Corridor G in Charleston. The memorial will include several stones with one long stone rising nine feet from the ground. There will also be a silhouette of the 29 miners who died in the Upper Big Branch mine disaster in April 2010 etched into the granite. Planners expect to place the memorial along a stretch of road in Whitesville where a temporary tribute has been since the disaster.
