Researchers Use Satellites to Study Surface Mining Impact

On this West Virginia Morning, coal companies in central Appalachia have used mountaintop removal to mine coal for decades. The controversial process blows the tops off mountains to reach the coal seams below. Researchers and policy makers have struggled to understand the full extent of mountaintop removal across the region. Brittany Patterson reports on a new study that provides a big-picture view of the mining method’s impact.

Also on today’s show, in a hospital, ‘Do Not Resuscitate’ means staff aren’t supposed to give CPR if a patient’s heart stops. It’s an order doctors put into a patient’s chart at the request of the patient. But these DNR orders can result in unintended consequences – the withholding of treatment before death.

As WFPL’s Lisa Gillespie reports, the misunderstanding is common in hospitals, both in Kentucky and around the country.

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