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Beleaguered Mining Town Succumbs to Federal Buyout

\"Hoppy\" Ray, an 81-year Old Former Miner reminisces about the days when Picher was wild.
Frank Morris
\"Hoppy\" Ray, an 81-year Old Former Miner reminisces about the days when Picher was wild.

By Frank Morris

http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kcur/local-kcur-565699.mp3

Picher, OK – Like a number of small towns across the Great Plains, Picher, Oklahoma is dying. But Picher hasn't gone without a fight. The mining town in the northeast corner of the state has hung on through labor unrest, economic collapse, and horrible pollution. But within a year or two, a federal buyout will likely finish the town. While some call the buyout a "mercy killing" some people in Picher view it more as a lethal injection of federal cash.

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