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Tuesday, March 19, 2024

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SD public defense duties shift from counties to state; SCOTUS appears skeptical of restricting government communications with social media companies; Trump lawyers say he can't make bond; new scholarships aim to connect class of 2024 to high-demand jobs.

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The SCOTUS weighs government influence on social media, and who groups like the NRA can do business with. Biden signs an executive order to advance women's health research and the White House tells Israel it's responsible for the Gaza humanitarian crisis.

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Midwest regenerative farmers are rethinking chicken production, Medicare Advantage is squeezing the finances of rural hospitals and California's extreme swing from floods to drought has some thinking it's time to turn rural farm parcels into floodplains.

National Push to Act Now on Coal Miner Safety

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Thursday, August 23, 2007   

Morgantown, WV - Miners' lives are at stake, according to supporters of new proposals in Congress who are urging updates to the nation's mine safety laws.

One bill would require mine owners to install communication and tracking devices to help locate trapped miners. Its proponents cite disasters such as those in Sago, and in Huntingon, Utah, as proof that reforms in mine safety laws are necessary; another proposal would require these safety improvements immediately.

Beth Spence with the American Friends Service Committee of West Virginia believes there's no excuse for waiting, when lives are at stake.

"While production equipment has become state-of-the-art in mining, safety equipment and technology have really lagged behind. Being able to communicate with miners underground will save lives, right now."

A law passed last year gave companies until 2009 to install communication systems. The proposed changes would step up the pace, and also require them to add better communication technology as it becomes available. Cosponsors of the legislation (HR 2768, HR 2769, and S 1655) include two members of West Virginia's Congressional delegation, Senator Robert Byrd and Congressman Nick Rahall.


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