From the Lexington Herald-Leader: Laid-off Kentucky miners end coal train blockade after nearly two months
By BILL ESTEP and Will Wright
Miners who blocked a railroad shipment of coal in Harlan County because they hadn’t been paid by a bankrupt coal company have ended the high-profile protest.
The number of people blocking the tracks at Cumberland had dwindled as miners laid off from the coal company, Blackjewel, took other jobs to support their families, said Cumberland Mayor Charles Raleigh.
“The miners have stayed as long as they can,” said Raleigh, whose son and brother worked for Blackjewel.