Apr 17 2008
We received a letter in response to Pete Martin’s article (Coal Nation), from a source that played a major role in the article. It is from Mike Murphy, a farmer who lives in Marissa, Illinois, and whose farm is threatened by the construction of the Prairie State power plant.
Jan 21 2008
I took advantage of a domestic article assignment to do reporting for next issue’s main. Over winter break I spent a few days in central and southern Illinois to report from a state that reached its peak of coal production in 1918. Nevertheless, the coal industry remains a powerful one in Springfield, as it is in many state capitals.