Local leaders help Illinois mine workers find jobs after mine sh - 14 News, WFIE, Evansville, Henderson, Owensboro

Local leaders help Illinois mine workers find jobs after mine shutdown

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SALINE CO., IL (WFIE) -

As we first reported this week, safety issues at a southern Illinois mine forced it to shutdown, leaving some 400 people out of work.

The mine owner reportedly has been cited more than 200 times for safety violations in just the past year. Now the Willow Lake Mine workers are looking for jobs at what couldn't come at a worse time.

Local and state leaders are helping, like the Southern 14 Workforce Investment Board and people have been coming to the job center in Harrisburg.

Ultimately our goal is to get them back to sustainable employment as quickly as we can," said Pam Barbee, Southern 14 Workforce.

The first step will be a meeting early next month giving mine employees information on how to handle insurance, find another job, or go back to school. 

The Willow Lake Mine, near Harrisburg, was shut down less than two weeks ago when an employee was killed, pinned by a continuous mining machine.

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Hundreds of jobs lost in Southern Illinois mine closure

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