Nov 8 Economy Portal 31: How A Closed Mine Opened New Prospects For One Coal Town Devin Mefford is sitting in the squat metal buggy of a modified mantrip, the train-like shuttle coal miners use to travel underground. Mefford is dressed for work, in a hardhat and a navy shirt and pants with lime green reflective stripes. It’s a uniform his father and grandfather — both Kentucky coal miners — would […] By Brittany Patterson Nov 8 Economy Portal 31: How A Closed Mine Opened New Prospects For One Coal Town Brittany Patterson
Nov 1 Economy Murray Energy’s Bankruptcy Could Bring Collapse Of Coal Miners’ Pensions The recent bankruptcy of Ohio Valley coal giant Murray Energy has renewed fears about the already shaky financial foundations of the pension plan that tens of thousands of miners and their families depend upon. The seismic collapse of yet another coal employer has lawmakers from the region renewing their push to fix the United Mine […] By Becca Schimmel Nov 1 Economy Murray Energy’s Bankruptcy Could Bring Collapse Of Coal Miners’ Pensions Becca Schimmel
Oct 29 Economy Ohio-Based Coal Giant Murray Energy Declares Bankruptcy Murray Energy Corp., the largest underground coal mining company in America with a substantial footprint across the Ohio Valley, has filed for bankruptcy protection. “Although a bankruptcy filing is not an easy decision, it became necessary to access liquidity and best position Murray Energy and its affiliates for the future of our employees and customers […] By Brittany Patterson Oct 29 Economy Ohio-Based Coal Giant Murray Energy Declares Bankruptcy Brittany Patterson
Oct 24 Economy Blackjewel Miners Get More Of Their Pay As Labor Dept. Acts Against Bankrupt Company Coal miners who went without pay when mining company Blackjewel declared bankruptcy this June are one step closer to receiving lost wages. The checks come weeks after some of the miners ended a long-running protest, and months after the federal Department of Labor first intervened to allege the company violated labor laws in the month […] By Sydney Boles Oct 24 Economy Blackjewel Miners Get More Of Their Pay As Labor Dept. Acts Against Bankrupt Company Sydney Boles
Oct 18 Economy Kentucky Adding Prison Space To Relieve Inmate Overcrowding Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin announced Friday that an empty, privately-owned prison in Wheelwright, Kentucky, will soon hold 650-medium security inmates. Bevin said re-opening the prison will save millions of dollars in construction costs and help alleviate jail overcrowding largely driven by the state’s opioid crisis. The state currently has 24,000 offenders. According to a press […] By Mary Meehan Oct 18 Economy Kentucky Adding Prison Space To Relieve Inmate Overcrowding Mary Meehan
Oct 4 Economy Rethinking Retraining: Why Worker Training Programs Alone Won’t Save Coal Country Bobby Bowman mined coal in West Virginia for 12 years before his employer shut down. “I don’t think that mine will ever open again,” he said. Bowman lives in Welch, in the south of the state, where he worked at the Pinnacle Mine, which shut down almost exactly one year ago, putting him and about […] By Becca Schimmel Oct 4 Economy Rethinking Retraining: Why Worker Training Programs Alone Won’t Save Coal Country Becca Schimmel
Oct 3 Economy Blackjewel Miners Likely to Receive Pay in DOL Deal The Department of Labor and a company associated with Blackjewel agreed this week to put nearly $5.75 million toward coal miners left unpaid in the company’s chaotic bankruptcy. The July 1 bankruptcy of one of the nation’s largest coal companies left 1,100 coal miners in Kentucky, Virginia and West Virginia out of work and without […] By Sydney Boles Oct 3 Economy Blackjewel Miners Likely to Receive Pay in DOL Deal Sydney Boles
Sep 27 Economy Meet The Coal Town Betting Big On Outdoor Recreation Standing on the breezy outlook at Flag Rock Recreation Area, Norton City Manager Fred Ramey is taking in the panoramic view of downtown Norton, Virginia. The brick building-lined streets are framed by the verdant, rolling Appalachian mountains. Jagged, brown scars from mountaintop mining operations can be seen in the distance, reminders of the region’s history […] By Brittany Patterson Sep 27 Economy Meet The Coal Town Betting Big On Outdoor Recreation Brittany Patterson
Sep 26 Economy Former Blackjewel Miners End Railroad Blockade In Kentucky The nearly two-month blockade of a Kentucky railroad track is coming to an end as unpaid coal miners end their protest in order to take new jobs, start classes, or move away from their coal-dependent communities. When coal company Blackjewel abruptly declared bankruptcy in July, it left some 1100 Appalachian coal miners in Kentucky, Virginia, […] By Sydney Boles Sep 26 Economy Former Blackjewel Miners End Railroad Blockade In Kentucky Sydney Boles