Dale L. Ramsey, 63, of Rimersburg, Penn., passed away Friday, April 15, 2016, at Penn Highlands Hospital, DuBois. He was born October 31, 1952, in Madison Twp., Clarion Co., Penn., the son of Minnie L. (Bowser) Colwell.

Dale was a lifetime resident of Madison Township and graduated from Union High School in 1970. He continued his education at Virginia Tech and Penn State. After graduating Penn State, he was the founding member of the International Society of Explosives Engineers (ISEE) Penn State University Student Chapter, where he continued as an industry advisor and was a true mentor to the students within the program, also assisting with job placement. For over 42 years, he was the general manager at Senex Explosives, Inc. Dale was a member of the ISEE and served as the organization's president for two years. He also attended the Wildcat Wesleyan Methodist Church and in his spare time enjoyed flying drones and taking aerial photography.

Did you have a recent breakthrough on a project? Submit your findings for a chance to present your work at the world’s largest conference on explosives engineering. Abstracts for the 43rd Annual Conference on Explosives and Blasting Technique, to be held Jan. 29 – Feb. 1, 2017, at the Caribe Royale Orlando Hotel in Orlando, Fla., are now being accepted by the International Society of Explosives Engineers.

Papers addressing all explosives and blasting-related topics will be considered. Accepted papers will be scheduled for either one of the technical sessions or the Blasters Forum, a multimedia poster event with one-on-one interaction between the author and the audience.

Peabody Energy Corp. filed for bankruptcy on Wednesday, the most powerful convulsion yet in an industry that’s still waiting for the coal market to bottom out. The company is seeking to reorganize U.S. operations in federal court in its hometown of St. Louis, reducing an estimated $10.1 billion in debt, according to court filings. It’s the biggest U.S. corporate bankruptcy this year by liabilities, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

The beginning of spring in the metal and nonmetal mining industry signals the startup of mines that were idled during the winter months. Often when these operations recommence, they begin with new employees who are new to the mining environment. The new workforce, along with miners performing unfamiliar tasks, has resulted in the month of April being the second deadliest month in the MNM mining industry with a total of 50 fatalities since 2000.

Can the buzz around electric vehicles inject new energy into Northwest Territories mining? As pre-orders for Tesla's latest electric car surpass 300,000 in a week, owners of N.W.T. lithium and cobalt projects — two elements found in Tesla's batteries — say their time has come.

Getting these projects off the drawing board would mark an increasingly rare mining good-news story for the territory. But there are unique challenges ahead.

After being in the doghouse for several years, metals and mining stocks have been on fire in the last three months. AKS Steel has gained 162 percent, United States Steel 173 percent, while the SPDR S&P Metals and Mining ETF has gained 91 percent.There are three reasons for the rally. First is the weaker dollar, which has helped American metals producers vis-à-vis their overseas peers. Second are signs of an improvement in China’s industrial sector, a major user of metals and mining products

Operations at two of the world's largest copper mines have been suspended following a weekend deluge in central Chile. Bloomberg reported on Sunday that Codelco's El Teniente underground mine put a halt to mining activities after the Cachapoal River broke its banks.

"Service restoration work to resume production is estimated to take at least three days, equivalent to 5,000 metric tons of copper production," Codelco said in a statement Saturday. "The company’s other operations continue to run normally."

Registration is now open for the Southeast Blasting Workshop, which will be held May 12-13, 2016, at the Birmingham Marriott Hotel in Birmingham, Ala. This workshop will feature topics on electronic detonators; best drilling practices; regulatory updates from ATF and MSHA; interpreting seismograph data; and legal issues regarding quarries and blasting. It will also include 8 retraining credit hours. Check with your state regulatory authority to see if the workshop hours are accepted in your state.

April 20-22, 2016
Spearfish, S. Dak.

April 21, 2016
Countryside, Ill.

April 22-28, 2016
San Francisco, Cali.

May 1-4, 2016
Vancouver, British Columbia

May 11, 2016
Contact zachary.marcus@cliffsnr.com or jack@elorantaassoc.com for more information.

May 12-13, 2016
Birmingham, Ala.