Justin Hicks

This story was published through the Appalachian News Exchange, a regional media collaboration. Respiratory therapist Marcy Freeman doesn’t need a research study to confirm for her a return to the dark days of coal mining. She finds evidence in a stack of... See more

Appalachia’s black lung rates highest in nearly 50 years as miners’ protections stall Rates are now as bad as the 1970s, with thousands of miners sick and dying. Mining experts blame toxic silica dust, now more common in mines. Like many miners with advan... See more

Follow Appalachia’s black lung rates highest in nearly 50 years as miners’ protections stall Justin Hicks, Howard Berkes Wed, August 5, 2026 at 3:47 PM UTC 13 min read Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Like many miners ... See more

Appalachia’s black lung rates highest in nearly 50 years as miners’ protections stall This story was published through the Appalachian News Exchange, a regional media collaboration. Respiratory therapist Marcy Freeman doesn’t need a research study to conf... See more

Last week, TV station WDRB published public records showing a report from a data-consulting company showing that, compared to white drivers, Black drivers in Louisville were more than twice as likely to be searched even though contraband wasn’t found more... See more