Gallup: West Virginia Ranks Dead Last in Well-Being Poll
Both Carmela and Ernie Brown suffered severe health hardships due to two decades of underground coal sludge injection by Massey Energy subsidiary, Rawl Sales Processing. The coal sludge, a waste by-product of the chemical cleaning of coal, is pumped underground as a disposal method into old underground mine works. The sludge in Rawl breached the water table from where residents of Rawl, Sprigg, Merricmack and Lick Creek draw their well water from. Residents were essentially drinking coal sludge and bathing in coal sludge for years without knowing it. The resulting illness throughout these communities and many others across the state would come as a shock to the American people. photograph (c) Antrim Caskey, 2006
Well-Being Rankings Reveal State Strengths and Weaknesses
Utah, Hawaii, Wyoming take top three spots in national well-being rankings
by Elizabeth Mendes
WASHINGTON D.C. — Utah, Hawaii, and Wyoming top the nation in well-being in an analysis of more than 350,000 interviews conducted in 2008. Southern states West Virginia, Kentucky, and Mississippi have the lowest well-being ratings.