Source: Jack Igelman, CAROLINA PUBLIC PRESS, 6/14/21


 A Waycaster mining operation has been cited by the Department of Environmental Quality for not having the necessary permit for an operation its size. Jack Igelman / Carolina Public Press The mine next to the McDowell County house where Cody Jones lives extracted rock from the ground for as long as he can recall. “I remember being able to explore when it was still mostly wild forest,” said the 28-year-old. Over the years, Jones heard explosions that he presumed unearthed stone from the mountainside. He often brushed away dust that had settled on the living room furniture.

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