A Bother, A Brotherhood: Living Among The Mines In Coal Country
When Mary Jo and Mike Picklo bought their house in 2003, they expected to retire in it — until a coal mine opened across the street. They don't want it there, but they are nearly alone in their view.
Walk up the white steps of the front porch where Mary Jo and Mike Picklo live, and you'll see three rocking chairs and a pair of binoculars.
The couple bought their home on five acres in 2003 and planned to spend their golden years overlooking a vista of green farmland and thick trees in western Pennsylvania.
But a few years ago, land surveyors appeared in the field across the road. Then bulldozers began digging a pit bigger than the house. Workers blasted through rock with such force the Picklos say their floors vibrated. Finally,
