Leah Willingham | Manufacturing.net

West Virginia Coal Festival teen beauty pageant winner Ava Johnson, 16, collects small pieces of coal left behind at the former Kay Moor coal town and camp in the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve near Fayetteville, W.Va., Thursday, April 17, 2025.

Trump's Push to Save Coal Industry Gets Warm Embrace in West Virginia

Residents say the industry is misunderstood.

April 28, 2025

Retired coal miner James Bounds, who has pneumoconiosis, more commonly known as “black lung,' poses for a photo at his home in Oak Hill, W.Va., Thursday, July, 13, 2023.

After Decades of Delays and Broken Promises, Coal Miners Hail Rule to Slow Rise of Black Lung

The rule cuts the exposure limit for silica dust from 100 to 50 micrograms per cubic meter of air.

July 25, 2023

Ed Evans, Democratic West Virginia delegate and retired public school teacher, sits beside a sunken grave in the unmarked cemetery where more than 80 coal miners killed in the 1912 Jed Coal and Coke Company disaster are buried in Havaco, W.Va., on June 7, 2022.

Unmarked Graves, an 'Ugly History': W.Va. Weighs Mine Safety

West Virginia's Republican supermajority introduced bills that would eliminate worker protections.

December 5, 2022

Toney Lewis shows a bottle of tap water he saved, before his neighborhood was recently switched to the current Ferriday, La. water system, in Ridgecrest, La., Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022.

When Destitute Small Towns Mean Dangerous Tap Water

Federal law allows authorities to force changes on water utilities, but they rarely do.

November 4, 2022

W.Va. Gov. Jim Justice has consistently missed deadlines in recent months to pay the U.S. government the millions of dollars he owes in penalties for unsafe working conditions at his coal mines, according to federal court documents.

WVa Gov Justice Repeatedly Late Paying Mine Safety Penalties

A lawsuit said he failed to pay fees associated with hundreds of penalties.

April 6, 2022

Bartender Dino Keres prepares drinks at Sam’s Grill in San Francisco.

Workers Worry as States Ease Mask Rules

As more areas join Texas, Mississippi and others in lifting mask mandates, many workers share a combination of economic optimism and concern for personal safety.

March 8, 2021

In this Feb. 20 photo, Handyman Roberto Valerio, left, hands homeowner Nora Espinoza the broken pipe after removing it from beneath her kitchen sink in Dallas. The pipe broke during freezing temperatures brought by last week's winter weather.

Southern Winter Cold Wreaks Havoc on Aging Waterworks

After icy weather cracked the region’s water mains, froze equipment and left millions without service, it’s clear just how much work needs to be done.

February 25, 2021

Fakisha Fenderson and her son Tyler stand in the front yard of her parent's home in Laurel, Miss.

A New $300 Federal Jobless Benefit? Not Likely for Some

Because of a raft of restrictions and bureaucratic hurdles, more than 1 million of the unemployed won't receive that $300 check.

September 4, 2020