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
Sep 24 Health The VA Fired A Doctor For “Egregious” Misconduct. The Bevin Administration Hired Him. Gov. Matt Bevin’s administration hired a physician to lead the state’s infectious disease office just months after the Department of Veterans Affairs dismissed that doctor for “egregious” medical misconduct. Kentucky’s Cabinet for Health and Family Services hired Dr. John “Mel” Bennett in the same month that the VA’s Inspector General published a report highly critical […] By Mary Meehan Sep 24 Health The VA Fired A Doctor For “Egregious” Misconduct. The Bevin Administration Hired Him. Mary Meehan
Sep 23 Energy & Environment Settlement Reached Over Proposed Ohio Cracker Plant Air Permit Environmental groups have reached a settlement agreement with a petrochemical company in Ohio to beef up air pollution controls at a proposed petrochemical plant along the Ohio River. Thailand-based PTT Global Chemical America and South Korea-based Daelim Industrial Co. have proposed building a multi-billion dollar ethylene cracker plant on a 500-acre tract of land in […] By Brittany Patterson Sep 23 Energy & Environment Settlement Reached Over Proposed Ohio Cracker Plant Air Permit Brittany Patterson
Sep 20 Health Born Exposed: Schools Seek Ways To Help Children Exposed To Drugs In The Womb Students line up single file behind teachers at West Elementary in Athens, Ohio, for. the walk downhill from the brick building to board buses or meet up with the person taking them home. Some talk about their day, others run off to the playground and some discuss the latest Pokémon movie. A chant for the […] By Aaron Payne Sep 20 Health Born Exposed: Schools Seek Ways To Help Children Exposed To Drugs In The Womb Aaron Payne
Sep 18 Economy Paychecks Cut For W.Va. Blackjewel Miners; KY And VA Miners Still Waiting West Virginia employees of coal operator Blackjewel LLC have received their final paychecks more than two months after the company declared bankruptcy on July 1. In an agreement reached last week between the Department of Labor and the company, Blackjewel cut paper checks for all owed wages to a few dozen employees working at the […] By Brittany Patterson Sep 18 Economy Paychecks Cut For W.Va. Blackjewel Miners; KY And VA Miners Still Waiting Brittany Patterson
Sep 13 Economy SOAR At Six: Group’s Lofty Goals For Coal Country Meet Challenges On The Ground In a conference hall in Pikeville, Kentucky, this September, Gov. Matt Bevin led an eager audience in a countdown. When the audience reached “One!,” a map on the screen behind the governor lit up with the promise of a high-tech future. After years of delay and scandal, major portions of the commonwealth’s “middle mile” of […] By Sydney Boles Sep 13 Economy SOAR At Six: Group’s Lofty Goals For Coal Country Meet Challenges On The Ground Sydney Boles
Sep 11 Energy & Environment Congress Hears Testimony From Chemical Company Executives On PFAS Contamination Executives from three major chemical companies — DuPont de Nemours, Inc., The Chemours Company and The 3M Company — testified for the first time to Congress about widespread contamination from the group of nonstick, fluorinated chemicals broadly called PFAS. The so-called “forever chemicals” persist in the environment, are linked to ill health effects, and have […] By Brittany Patterson Sep 11 Energy & Environment Congress Hears Testimony From Chemical Company Executives On PFAS Contamination Brittany Patterson
Sep 4 Energy & Environment While “Zombie” Mines Idle, Cleanup And Workers Remain In Limbo The sound of metal banging against metal broke the calm on the high mesa separating Colorado’s Paradox and Big Gypsum valleys. An old rusted headframe marked the entrance to an abandoned uranium mine that, from a distance, looked as if its workers were simply off on a lunch break. Jennifer Thurston, a local environmentalist, paused […] By Mark Olalde and Joe Yerardi Sep 4 Energy & Environment While “Zombie” Mines Idle, Cleanup And Workers Remain In Limbo Mark Olalde and Joe Yerardi
Sep 4 Energy & Environment Idle Lands: Justice Coal Group Top User Of Loophole Allowing Mine Lands To Sit Idle Standing at an overlook on the top of Black Mountain — the tallest point in Kentucky — the wooded Appalachian mountains stretch on like a sea of green for miles. For many, this mountain is synonymous with the coal industry. It straddles the state line separating Harlan County, Kentucky and Wise County, Virginia, two communities […] By Brittany Patterson Sep 4 Energy & Environment Idle Lands: Justice Coal Group Top User Of Loophole Allowing Mine Lands To Sit Idle Brittany Patterson