Patriot Coal says it's shutting down a surface mine in southern West Virginia as part of a strategy to concentrate production at lower-cost operations. St. Louis-based Patriot says 314 workers at its Samples Mine and Tom's Fork Loadout and Preparation Plant have been notified that they will lose their jobs with what is expected to be a "permanent" closure in October. While the federally required WARN notice lists an October closing, many hourly workers have been paid off and are gone. The mine is located in Kanawha, Boone and Raleigh counties.