Sep 2 Economy Former Blackjewel Miners Could Get More Money From Proposed Settlement A proposed $17.3 million settlement of a class action lawsuit would provide additional payment for hundreds of Appalachian coal miners who were suddenly left jobless by the abrupt bankruptcy of the Blackjewel mining company. The settlement must be approved by the judge overseeing the complicated Blackjewel bankruptcy case. Although it is not yet final, attorneys […] By Jeff Young Sep 2 Economy Former Blackjewel Miners Could Get More Money From Proposed Settlement Jeff Young
Jul 24 Economy No Pay, We Stay: A Look Back at the 2019 Protest that Rocked Appalachia It’s a quiet, foggy morning on Highway 119 in Cumberland, Kentucky. A railroad track runs along the highway, and here, Sand Hill Bottom Road crosses the tracks and turns to the right, leaving a rough triangle of gravel spattered with trash. You can hear crickets chirping, birds twittering, cars passing on 119. A billboard advertises […] By Sydney Boles Jul 24 Economy No Pay, We Stay: A Look Back at the 2019 Protest that Rocked Appalachia Sydney Boles
Mar 27 Economy ‘There’s Going To Be Something Better for Him’: Former Blackjewel Miners Reflect on Changes in Coal Country On a blistering August afternoon in Cumberland, Kentucky, David Pratt, Jr. stood in the middle of a two-lane highway, holding a sign that read “COAL MINERS AND TRUCKERS AGAINST CORPORATE AMERICA.” A few yards away, his father, David Pratt Sr., who is graying but still muscular, leaned back in a lawn chair perched precariously on […] By Sydney Boles Mar 27 Economy ‘There’s Going To Be Something Better for Him’: Former Blackjewel Miners Reflect on Changes in Coal Country Sydney Boles
Jan 22 Energy & Environment Bankrupt Blackjewel Coal Still Racking Up Environmental Violations, Officials Warn An attorney for the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet told a federal judge Wednesday that the bankrupt coal company Blackjewel has accrued nearly 300 environmental violations since it entered bankruptcy in July. “It’s essential that these violations are addressed, abated, and that they stop accruing,” Cabinet attorney Lena Seward told bankruptcy judge Frank Volk in […] By Sydney Boles Jan 22 Energy & Environment Bankrupt Blackjewel Coal Still Racking Up Environmental Violations, Officials Warn Sydney Boles
Jan 14 Economy More Unpaid Appalachian Miners Stage A Coal Train Blockade For the second time since summer, eastern Kentucky coal miners are blockading a railroad track to protest unpaid wages. The new blockade, which was started Monday afternoon by Quest Energy miners, echoes the months-long blockade by Blackjewel coal miners over the summer and speaks to a growing discontent in Appalachian coal country. “It’s hard to go […] By Sydney Boles Jan 14 Economy More Unpaid Appalachian Miners Stage A Coal Train Blockade Sydney Boles