 August is hot and so are the savings at Appalachian Wireless, where all smartphones are 50% off. Even the 64, 128 and 256 gig models, two-year agreement required. Better service, bigger savings. That's today's Appalachian Wireless and East Kentucky Network Company. As cold jobs are dwindling in the region and many are working to diversify the economy, former miners are struggling to find a place to fit in. Two ex-miners have found their safe haven in Mingo County reclaiming an old surface mine on 22 Mine Road in Del Barton. I went from blowing up mountains to now I'm reclaiming them and helping grow stuff on them. Chris Farley worked in the mines for 11 years until being laid off. Wilbur and Jude worked in the mines for 20 years. Right now I'm just living a dream. I'm doing what I want to do when I retire and getting paid for it. Both say they enjoy working for Reclaim Appalachia because it gives them a chance to work outdoors and make a difference in their community. My favorite part is just the open skies and the terrain. Watching everything grow. These was just babies, wasn't 30 pounds when we started here. And they like the goji berries and the pop-all trees. Just get it, watch stuff evolve from nothing, from a seed into a plant. I love to see things grow. Chris Farley, Wilbur and Jude and Eva Jones work 33 hours a week and take college classes offered through the program. Their job entails taking care of the animals used for Reclaim and Refresh Appalachia, collecting eggs and maintaining the property. Both Farley and Jude say they have never been happier than where they are now. My family, my children, my wife and everybody is just much more proud of me for being up here doing this than I was when I was working the calm ones. Everybody, you can tell the difference in yourself and the public. In Dale Barton, Shelby Still, EKB News.