Oct. 25--PINETOP -- Misty Richardson spends nine hours a day following the path from a solitary light on her hard hat. When she emerges stiff and sore from the mouth of a coal mine, black dust is intertwined with her braided hair, caked under her neatly painted fingernails and streaked across her face.

Richardson, 31, is the only female miner at International Coal Group's Clean Energy Mine in Knott County.

It's hardly the job the single mother of two pictured for herself. Just last year she was teaching elementary school in Letcher County and working on a master's degree from Union College.

But with demand for coal high, along with prices, radio ads in Eastern Kentucky beckon workers to the mines, where they get good health insurance, above average wages and regular raises.

And coal miners' salaries have kept other sectors of the economy in Eastern Kentucky going that have been hard hit in other parts of the state -- like sales of cars and trucks and large equipment.

The 13 new miners hired in April with Richardson include a former truck driver, carpenter, and grocery and factory workers.

For Richardson, the career change means stability and financial peace of mind -- even as she works in an industry where 34 died last year.

"I can actually pay my bills on time now," Richardson said. "I can't describe to you that feeling. Before I would have to choose -- pay one bill this month and then try to catch up on the other next month."

The most Richardson made in her five years as a teacher was about $30,000 a year, she said. And because she wasn't tenured, she never knew if the school system would hire her for the next year.

"It was stressful," she said. "And with times getting tougher, I just couldn't do it anymore. I have kids to think about."

Richardson's starting salary at ICG was about $45,000 a year -- a wage hard to come by in rural Kentucky. Since then, she has received a pay raise and expects another in November.

She has been able to put money into a savings account for the first time and has plans to take a summer vacation with her 9-year-old daughter and 2-year-old son. When school picture time comes, she'll be able to afford the big package.

"That may sound silly, but I hate the look of disappointment on my kids' faces when I tell them we can't get something or do something because I don't have the money," she said.

Economic bright spot

The coal industry has long been considered the economic backbone of Eastern Kentucky.