Tag: Eleanor

April 4, 1980: Musician Red Sovine Dies in Nashville

Musician Red Sovine died in Nashville following a car crash on April 4, 1980. He was 61.

Born Woodrow Wilson Sovine in Charleston, he was influenced by local radio musicians Frank Welling and Buddy Starcher, who were known for their sentimental monologues.

Sovine’s early radio career on WCHS in Charleston and WWVA in Wheeling was slow to take off. So, he took a factory job in the Putnam County town of Eleanor while performing on radio. After World War II, he pursued a full-time musical career in Montgomery, Alabama, Shreveport and finally Nashville.

Joining the Grand Ole Opry in 1954, he became famous for his recitations, especially ‘‘Giddyup Go,” “Phantom 309,” and this number-one hit from 1976:

Red Sovine was inducted into the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame in 2008.

RedSovine_TedyB.mp3
Teddy Bear by Red Sovine

Diamond Electric Moving Headquarters to West Virginia

Auto parts manufacturer Diamond Electric is relocating its U.S. headquarters from Michigan to West Virginia.

The move is expected to bring 10 to 15 jobs to West Virginia.

West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin announced the change at a news conference Monday.

The automotive ignition coil manufacturer will consolidate its main Michigan office with existing operations in Eleanor, located in Putnam County.

The Eleanor location first opened in 1997. It now features Diamond Electric’s largest production facility, including 335 employees.

Its parent company, Diamond Electric Manufacturing Company Ltd., is based in Osaka, Japan and has operations in five countries.

The company’s U.S. headquarters are currently in Dundee, Michigan. Employees there have the opportunity to relocate to West Virginia.

Diamond Electric will keep its southeast Michigan sales office open. 

SafeWise Report Says W.Va. is the 15th Safest State in the U.S.

West Virginia was named the 15th safest state in the US for settling down and raising a family. According to a blog from the SafeWise.com website, West Virginia is one of the safest places to live in America coming in at number 15.

SafeWise.com, compiled the list using data from recent FBI Crime Reports along with their own research. They also created a list of the top ten safest cities within West Virginia.

Those ten safest communities are:

  1. Stonewood
  2. Kingwood
  3. Paden City
  4. White Sulphur Springs
  5. Eleanor
  6. Romney
  7. Weston
  8. Harrisville
  9. Ripley
  10. Winfield

The site used FBI Crime Report data from 2012 as the basis of their research then narrowed down the list to cities with a population of 1,500 or above. They analyzed the number of Violent Crimes and Property Crimes.

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