Author: Michael Virtanen
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Trump’s vow to revive coal country is met with measured hope
WILLIAMSON, W.Va. — The hard-eyed view along the Tug Fork River in West Virginia coal country is that President-elect Donald Trump has something to prove: that he’ll help bring back Appalachian mining, as he promised time and again on the campaign trail. Nobody thinks he can revive it entirely — not economists, not ex-miners, not…
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Climbing guides lead a tough but envious life
NEW PALTZ, N.Y. — Succeeding in the business of guiding clients up sheer cliffs or into untamed backcountry is a balancing act that demands the entrepreneurial spirit of a dot-com startup, the patience of a first-grade teacher and the physical gifts of a professional athlete — all without the benefit of a seven-figure salary.Many of…