Economy Archives - Ohio Valley ReSource

Mar 27

Economy

‘There’s Going To Be Something Better for Him’: Former Blackjewel Miners Reflect on Changes in Coal Country

On a blistering August afternoon in Cumberland, Kentucky, David Pratt, Jr. stood in the middle of a two-lane highway, holding a sign that read “COAL MINERS AND TRUCKERS AGAINST CORPORATE AMERICA.” A few yards away, his father, David Pratt Sr., who is graying but still muscular, leaned back in a lawn chair perched precariously on […]

By Sydney Boles

Mar 27

Economy

‘There’s Going To Be Something Better for Him’: Former Blackjewel Miners Reflect on Changes in Coal Country

By Sydney Boles

Mar 20

Economy

Anxiety In Appalachian Coal Country: First The Mines Closed, Then Came Coronavirus

As the economic fallout from the coronavirus continues to reshape our lives, small-town business owners are worried about the future. Whitesburg, Kentucky — a town already struggling from the decline in the coal industry — is grappling with a new and serious challenge as the effort to contain the disease brings deep economic pain. The […]

By Sydney Boles

Mar 20

Economy

Anxiety In Appalachian Coal Country: First The Mines Closed, Then Came Coronavirus

Sydney Boles

Mar 18

Economy

Ohio Valley Automakers Hit Brakes To Limit Coronavirus Transmission

Automakers across the Ohio Valley are temporarily closing their plants in response to the coronavirus pandemic. That includes the big three U.S. automakers — Ford, General Motors and Fiat Chrysler — and Toyota. In a release, GM said it will be suspending manufacturing in North America due to market conditions and to deep clean facilities. […]

By Becca Schimmel

Mar 18

Economy

Ohio Valley Automakers Hit Brakes To Limit Coronavirus Transmission

Becca Schimmel

Mar 16

Economy

Food Service Fallout: Coronavirus Closures Hit Ohio Valley Workers

Ray’s Harvest House in Albany, Ohio, had to lay off 11 people following Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s order that all bars and restaurants close dine-in services. Denise Hager was a cook at the restaurant and said she’ll miss seeing and talking to all of her regular customers. “I don’t like it, but then again I […]

By Becca Schimmel

Mar 16

Economy

Food Service Fallout: Coronavirus Closures Hit Ohio Valley Workers

Becca Schimmel

Mar 13

Economy

Coronavirus School Closures Send Teachers, Parents Scrambling To Adjust

School systems across the Ohio Valley are responding to the coronavirus pandemic by canceling face-to-face classes and extending spring breaks. That’s left teachers, administrators and parents scrambling to meet the unexpected challenges to care for, feed, and educate children while they are away from school. Ashley Blankenship has two school-age children in Athens, Ohio. One […]

By Becca Schimmel and Sydney Boles

Mar 13

Economy

Coronavirus School Closures Send Teachers, Parents Scrambling To Adjust

Becca Schimmel and Sydney Boles

Feb 7

Economy

Over-Hyped Hemp? Amid Price Drop And A Big Bankruptcy, Some Farmers Feel Burned

John Fuller is waiting for another farmer he’s never met before to talk about a situation he never imagined he would be in. It’s an overcast January day on his farm in west Kentucky, where he grew 18 acres of hemp last year, investing more than $250,000 of his own cash. He’s one of nearly […]

By Liam Niemeyer

Feb 7

Economy

Over-Hyped Hemp? Amid Price Drop And A Big Bankruptcy, Some Farmers Feel Burned

Liam Niemeyer

Feb 4

Economy

CEO Ousted At Kentucky Aluminum Company Amid Questions About Controversial Funding

A controversial economic development project in Ashland, Kentucky, hit a snag last week as aluminum company Braidy Industries ousted CEO and board chairman Craig Bouchard. In a statement, Braidy Industries’ interim CEO said he appreciated Bouchard’s hard work for the company. Bouchard says the firing was improper and is refusing to step down. The dueling […]

By Sydney Boles

Feb 4

Economy

CEO Ousted At Kentucky Aluminum Company Amid Questions About Controversial Funding

Sydney Boles

Jan 30

Economy

Report Finds Many Ohio Valley Communities At Deep Disadvantage in Health, Wealth

A new report finds the Ohio Valley has some of the most disadvantaged communities in the country. The study comes from the University of Michigan’s Poverty Solutions, an initiative to eliminate or alleviate poverty through action-based research. The “Index of Deep Disadvantage” combines measures of income, health outcomes, and social mobility, or the factors affecting […]

By Becca Schimmel

Jan 30

Economy

Report Finds Many Ohio Valley Communities At Deep Disadvantage in Health, Wealth

Becca Schimmel

Jan 21

Economy

Hemp Prices Crash Leaving Ohio Valley Farmers Feeling Burned

Ohio Valley farmers planted more than 27,000 acres of hemp last year — about four times more than in 2018 — to cash in on a booming market for popular CBD products made from the crop. Yet with that growing boom, the price of CBD-rich hemp has crashed, dropping more than 75 percent in just […]

By Liam Niemeyer

Jan 21

Economy

Hemp Prices Crash Leaving Ohio Valley Farmers Feeling Burned

Liam Niemeyer

Jan 17

Economy

Grocers In Rural Coal Country Struggle To Stay In Business

There’s a picture frame on the wall next to the customer service desk in the IGA in Inez, Kentucky. Inside the frame is a scrap of beige meat-counter paper, on which a man named Derle Ousley sketched the layout for an ad announcing the opening of his very first grocery store. “Inez Supermarket Grand Opening,” […]

By Sydney Boles

Jan 17

Economy

Grocers In Rural Coal Country Struggle To Stay In Business

Sydney Boles