Kids ride their bikes past a church along Pittsburgh Street in Connellsville, Pa., part of Fayette County, on October 25, 2020. Democrats in Fayette County lead Republicans with 39,857 voters compared to 34,460 Democrats, with another 8,028 independents. However, Democrats once held a 3-to-1 advantage in the county just 10 years ago. In the 2016 election, Trump won Fayette County with 64.4% of the votes over Hillary Clinton’s 33.4%.
Photography
Coal Miner /
“Where Trump goes we all go,” says Kevin Backus, 32, of Mt. Lookout, W.Va., a coal miner at CONSOL Energy’s Harvey Mine in Sycamore, Pa. Backus has worked in coal mining for 10 years.
At the Harvey Mine, most of the miners are supporting President Trump, believing that his rollback of regulations has helped their industry survive.
In the early 1920s, coal miners accounted for 2% of the country’s workforce with over 800,000 miners. Today, there are about 45,000 coal miners left in the U.S. Pennsylvania is one of the nation’s largest coal producing states behind Wyoming and West Virginia, producing about 7% of the the coal.
East Palestine Derailment 2 of 3 /
Jami Cozza yells, “Help us,” as President Biden’s motorcade passes by on February 16, 2024 in East Palestine, Ohio.
David Lonsbrough, 40, loads his suitcase into a friend’s truck after finishing packing to move from his apartment on Wednesday, March 1, 2023 in East Palestine, Ohio. Lonsbrough who lives and works just blocks from the site of the Feb. 3 derailment says “It took about two weeks, once the evacuation was lifted and we came back and it still smelled terrible. But the trains were running. So as soon as that happened, I was like, they don't care about us, so I'm leaving. I'm getting out of town." Lonsbrough is staying with a friend for a few days in Warren, Ohio before moving to Texas.
David Lonsbrough, 40, gives the middle finger to a Norfolk Southern train as it passes in East Palestine, Ohio on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023.
U.S. Congressman Bill Johnson (OH-6) stands with Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown and U.S. Congressman Chris Deluzio (PA-17), take questions from media at a press conference on February 16, 2023 in East Palestine, Ohio.
Lonnie Miller becomes emotional as she stands in the living room at her home along East Clark street in East Palestine, Ohio on February 2, 2024. She has put her home on the market; although, it has gotten no interest in 100 days.
Jami Wallace, 46, holds a container that holds the ashes of her father, best friend and sister-in-law, as her daughter, Kyla, 3, watches her from the steps at a B&B where she is staying on March 23, 2023 in Columbiana, Ohio. Wallace and her husband are fearful of returning to their home after the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio on Feb. 3. The remains of her loved ones was one of the few things she took with her when she evacuated her home.
Local newspapers sit on the counter of Sprinklz on Top, a popular restaurant in East Palestine, Ohio on Friday, March 3, 2023.
Crews continue to cleanup at the site of a Norfolk Southern train derailment on February 24, 2023 in East Palestine, Ohio.
Tracy Hager, 44, talks with Greg Kildare, senior director of claims and risk management for Norfolk Southern, at an open house for East Palestine residents on March 23, 2023 at the East Palestine High School in East Palestine, Ohio. The open house gives residents a chance to speak with agencies involved in the Norfolk Southern train derailment cleanup as well as community resources.
Hager was concerned about getting reimbursed for purchases of clothing, shoes, and cat food as she stays at a cabin in a campground with her family while they are fearful of returning to their home.
“I cried everyday for three weeks,” she says.
“We R Sick” is painted on the front of Courtney Miller’s old home along East Taggart Street in East Palestine, Ohio on January 21, 2024.
Norfolk Southern has agreed to pay $600 million in a class-action lawsuit settlement related to the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, in February 2023.
The settlement, if approved by a court, would pay class action claims within a 20-mile radius of the accident and personal injury claims within a 10-mile radius.
Residents, many of which still complain about respiratory issues, anxiety, unexplained rashes, and nosebleeds, fear it isn’t enough and doesn’t take into account potential costs from long-term health impacts of the derailment that spilled more than a million pounds of hazardous chemicals into the soil, water and air.
View full gallery here.
Fort Armstrong Rodeo /
Rainy Night /
People walk across the campus of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pa on a rainy July 4, 2018.
O'Hara Township Flooding /
Emergency crews respond to a flash flood along Old Freeport Road in O'Hara Township, Pa., on July 2, 2018.
Turahn Jenkins Announcement /
Men listen to Turahn Jenkins announcing his candidacy for District Attorney at Freedom Corner in the Hill District neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pa. on July 2, 2018.
iPhone Photography /
A few iPhone images from the last few months.
EPA's Scott Pruitt Visits Coal Mine /
SYCAMORE, PA - APRIL 13: Donnie Claycomb, 27, of Limestone, West Virginia., who has been mining for 6 years, stands in front of an American flag prior to an event with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt at the Harvey Mine on April 13, 2017 in Sycamore, Pennsylvania. The Harvey Mine, owned by CNX Coal Resources, is part of the largest underground mining complex in the United States. (Photo by Justin Merriman/Getty Images)
SYCAMORE, PA - APRIL 13: Miner's tags hang on a board at the Harvey Mine on April 13, 2017 in Sycamore, Pennsylvania. The Harvey Mine, owned by CNX Coal Resources, is part of the largest underground mining complex in the United States. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt visited the mine on Thursday and spoke with miners. (Photo by Justin Merriman/Getty Images)
SYCAMORE, PA - APRIL 13: Coal miner Terry Ramer, 32, of Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania., stands near the portal to the Harvey Mine on April 13, 2017 in Sycamore, Pennsylvania. The Harvey Mine, owned by CNX Coal Resources, is part of the largest underground mining complex in the United States. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt visited the mine and spoke with miners on Thursday. (Photo by Justin Merriman/Getty Images)
SYCAMORE, PA - APRIL 13: Coal miner Matt Wolfe, 32, of Blacksville, West Virginia, who has been mining for 10 years, waits for the arrival of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt who visited the Harvey Mine on April 13, 2017 in Sycamore, Pennsylvania. The Harvey Mine, owned by CNX Coal Resources, is part of the largest underground mining complex in the United States. (Photo by Justin Merriman/Getty Images)
SYCAMORE, PA - APRIL 13: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt holds up a miner's helmet that he was given after speaking with coal miners at the Harvey Mine on April 13, 2017 in Sycamore, Pennsylvania. The Harvey Mine, owned by CNX Coal Resources, is part of the largest underground mining complex in the United States. (Photo by Justin Merriman/Getty Images)
SYCAMORE, PA - APRIL 13: Coal miners wait for the start of an event with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt who visited the mine and spoke with miners at the Harvey Mine on April 13, 2017 in Sycamore, Pennsylvania. The Harvey Mine, owned by CNX Coal Resources, is part of the largest underground mining complex in the United States. (Photo by Justin Merriman/Getty Images)
SYCAMORE, PA - APRIL 13: Coal miner Jaden Fredrickson, 26, of Cheat Lake, West Virginia, waits for the arrival of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt who visited the Harvey Mine on April 13, 2017 in Sycamore, Pennsylvania. The Harvey Mine, owned by CNX Coal Resources, is part of the largest underground mining complexes in the United States. (Photo by Justin Merriman/Getty Images)
EPA Administer Scott Pruitt visited CNX Coal Resources' Harvey Mine, part of the largest underground mining complex in the United States, and spoke with miners on April 13, 2017 in Sycamore, Pa. You can view the images at Getty Images.
Trump's America /
A cross painted with "It's not about religion! It's about relationships" stands in a yard along West 6th Street in East Liverpool, Ohio on Sept. 15, 2016.
Courtney Lally, 23, stands with her daughter, Gianna, 2, at her home in Munhall, Pa., home on Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2016. Lally's sister, Jessica Lally, 25, and her boyfriend, Christopher Dilly, 26, were found dead by police after Jessica's 7-year-old daughter alerted a school bus driver that her parents were blue and she was unable to wake them. The two had overdosed on heroin.
Vacant business are reflected in an empty storefront in McKeesport, Pa., on Oct. 25, 2016.
Harrold Nelson, 60, stands in the street in front of his home in McKeesport, Pa., on Oct. 25, 2016. Few homes remain on Nelson's block, many of those that do remain are abandoned.
Donald Trump supporters cheer at a campaign stop at the Cambria County War Memorial Arena on October 21, 2016 in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton continue to campaign as Election Day nears.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks to supporters during a campaign stop at the Cambria County War Memorial Arena on October 21, 2016 in Johnstown, Pennsylvania.
Andy Stafford, a vendor from Sarasota, Florida, holds a Trump flag as he sets up his stand in the parking lot of the International Exposition Center prior to a campaign stop by Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on October 22, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio. "I'm a Trump lover," says Stafford.
Students on a bus shout obscenities as they give the middle finger to Trump supporters lined up outside of the Cambria County War Memorial Arena prior to a Donald Trump campaign stop on October 21, 2016 in Johnstown, Pennsylvania.
A Trump supporters yells at members of the media during Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's campaign stop at the International Exposition Center on October 22, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio.
Bill Hummel, 69, who has worked as a tow-truck driver since 1959, sits in his tow truck in Youngstown, Ohio on Oct. 26, 2016.
A sign stands in a vacant lot in Youngstown, Ohio on Nov. 23, 2016.
A Trump supporter shows off his t-shirt as he stands in line outside of the Cambria County War Memorial Arena prior to a Donald Trump campaign stop on October 21, 2016 in Johnstown, Pennsylvania.
A billboard advertising protection for people losing their homes stands above a small car dealership in Youngstown, Ohio on Nov. 23, 2016.
A crew works at a demolition site of a historic building in East Liverpool, Ohio on Sept. 15, 2016.
A painting sits in a window in Downtown, Youngstown, Ohio on Nov. 23, 2016.
A supporter of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump listens on as he speaks during a campaign stop at the Cambria County War Memorial Arena on October 21, 2016 in Johnstown, Pennsylvania.
A Trump sign sits in a window in Youngstown, Ohio on Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2016.
Sam Cappelli of Boardman, Ohio watches the demolition of a historic building in East Liverpool, Ohio on Thursday, Sept. 15, 2016.
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is on a television at the Golden Dawn in Youngstown, Ohio on Oct. 26, 2016.
Phillip Naples stands behind the bar at the Golden Dawn in Youngstown, Ohio on Nov. 19, 2016.
East Liverpool, Ohio sits on the edge of the Ohio River on Thursday, Sept. 15, 2016. The town, once a bustling steel and pottery town, now has a population of about 11,000 people and like many towns across the United States is facing a growing opiate problem.
Antonio Lake, 6, walks in front of a Trump sign in Youngstown, Ohio on Nov. 23, 2016.
Jean Barefoot, 58, reflects on the loss of her daughter, Jessica Lally, to a heroin overdose as she stands near her Munhall, Pa., home on Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2016. Lally was found by police after her 7-year-old daughter alerted a school bus driver that her parents were blue and she was unable to wake them.
Tom Brophey, 77, sits in his barber shop along West 6th Street in East Liverpool, Ohio on Sept. 15, 2016. Brophey, who worked in the Crucible Steel plant, opened his barber shop after losing his job in the mill in 1982. "Everyone knows there's a problem, but no one knows how to fix it," he says speaking of the heroin problem the town faces. "Drugs are the economy now. It's like an infection. It spreads," he says.
Carl Venzeio, 77, a self-proclaimed supporter of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, stands in front of his trunk in Youngstown, Ohio on Oct. 26, 2016.
Steps lead to a vacant lot where a home once stood in McKeesport, Pa., on Oct. 25, 2016.
A giant statue of Donald Trump stands in a yard of a home along Route 982 just up the road from the Tin Lizzy, a 266-year-old tavern in Youngstown, Pa., on Sept. 26, 2016.
A closed sign hangs in front of a flag in a storefront in East Liverpool, Ohio on Thursday, Sept. 15, 2016.
I spent quite a bit of time traveling through West Virginia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania documenting the presidential election, communities struggles with the opioid epidemic, and life in America's Rust Belt. The images were published a variety of publications including STAT, The Daily Mail, The New York Post, The Dallas Morning News, The Washington Post, The Chicago Sun Times, The Times of Oman, The Boston Globe, The Oregonian, Forbes, Folha de S. Paulo, BBC and many others.
NOLA /
People march in the street during the Prince of Wales 88th anniversary second line parade in New Orleans' Irish Channel neighborhood on Oct. 9, 2016.
A car sits in the street of New Orleans.
The Prince of Wales second line parade makes its way down a street of New Orleans' Irish Channel neighborhood on Oct. 9, 2016.
Men dance on a float with Queen Terry during the Prince of Wales second line parade in New Orleans on Oct. 9, 2016.
A young boy stands on top of a concrete wall at a cemetery as he watches a second line parade pass by in New Orleans.
A young boy holds a snake during a second line parade in New Orleans.
Homes along a New Orlean's street.
A home in New Orlean's Garden District.
Steph looks out of the door of our Airbnb in New Orlean's Garden District.
A mural on the side of a building in New Orleans.
A voodoo shrine in the French Quarter on Monday, Oct. 10, 2016.
Chopokthiinitka Taiyi, whose name translates into “Hummingbird Woman,” is the last full-blooded member of the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana. With around 1,100 members today, many in the tribe have married into other tribal nations. Although, of its remaining members, 85 percent still speak Koasati, the native language. Known for their basket weaving, the Coushatta traditionally use Louisiana native longleaf pine needles to make their baskets.
Graves at St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 in New Orleans.
A man holds his pet snake in New Orleans.
The swamps in Des Allemands, La.
A 12-foot-long alligator climbs aboard an airboat in Des Allemands, La.
A crucifix stands in the Holy Rosary Cemetery in Killona, La., as the Dow Chemical Plant looms in the background.
A woman stands on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter with a sign asking for money for photos with her on Oct. 10, 2016.
A sign in Voodoo shop window in New Orleans.
John Boutté sings his popular song 'The Treme Song' at a bar on Frenchman Street in New Orleans.
A man in a cowboy hat listens to musicians play at a zydeco jam session at the Blue Moon Saloon in Lafayette, La on Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2016.
A drummer plays in a window of a bar along Frenchman Street in New Orleans on Saturday, Oct. 15, 2016.
A woman leans against a car during the Prince of Wales second line parade in New Orleans on Sunday, Oct. 9, 2016.
I traveled to New Orleans with my fiance and fellow photographer Stephanie Strasburg for a little vacation in October. These are some of the images from our travels.
Sen. Bernie Sanders /
A portrait of Sen. Bernie Sanders during a recent campaign stop in Pittsburgh.