There's Irony for You!

Associated Press, Oct. 20, 2008

LEXINGTON, Ky. An abandoned mine is threatening the home of a former eastern Kentucky lawmaker who championed the coal industry.

Division of Abandoned Mine Lands Director Steve Hohmann says theres a "continual flow" of water from the mine to the home of former state Rep. Howard Cornett, a Republican from Whitesburg. Hohmann told the Lexington Herald-Leader that Cornetts yard and the foundation of his home are saturated and parts of a hill are sliding toward his home.

The mine was owned by Cook and Sons Mining Inc. of Whitesburg, which donated to Cornetts campaign before its bankruptcy in 2003. The state is drawing up a reclamation plan to save the house.

Cornett served in the Kentucky House from 1998 to 2006, when he lost his seat after unsuccessfully pushing a bill to allow more overweight trucks on state roads.