The final goodbye

I was sent to cover the memorial service (maybe the last of the services?) of the nine miners killed in the Crandall Canyon mine collapse and rescue attempt. Since I hadn't been following the story very closely from Yakima, I gathered the past month's papers the day before the memorial and learned all I could about the miners and their families. It was a little overwhelming to try and take it all in over only a few hours, but it helped tremendously once I got to the service. Photographers had incredible access, which apparently hadn't been the case previously, and the families were very gracious to help us with names and other information after the service. Our paper reported about 1,000 were at the service.. another paper reported 5,000.
Below, the four year old son of one of the killed rescuers is comforted by his mother as the eulogy for his father is read. Four days later, my heart still breaks a little when I look at this.


The family of Don Erickson


After a brief run-in with the law in Huntington (while transmitting photos from a parking lot) I headed to Price for the night and covered the bureaucratic side of the mine story in the morning.. the first meeting of the Utah Mine Safety Commission. Sure, it's just a meeting, but this commission (and the three MSHA reps addressing them from the head of the table) is going to continue to be in the news for at least the next few months.



It was a long drive back after a long two days..