Hollow

Today I met Alexander Wright at his home in Newhall. The McDowell County resident is very concerned about issues that he believes stem from several strip mining jobs nearby. Alexander says blasting has caused large cracks in his home’s foundation. He is also concerned with the water quality of Cucumber Creek which has been recently running “black as coal.” He is working with Rob Goodwin, of Coal River Mountain Watch, to help file a complaint and find a solution through the DEP. More of the story (and details) to come when we launch in May.

PHOTOS by ELAINE MCMILLION for HOLLOW Chandler Swope, a Bluefield resident originally from Welch, emailed me yesterday and offered to fly us over McDowell County in his hellicopter. Today we took him up on the opportunity and it was awesome. Swope flew us around for a couple hours and shared knowledge of the county and all the places we filmed. We really appreciate Swope’s contribution to HOLLOW and can’t wait to share the video footage with viewers when we launch next May!