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
Jan 14 Economy Ohio Valley Farmers Cautiously Optimistic About U.S.-China Trade Deal The Trump administration is set to sign a deal Wednesday with Chinese trade officials for what they call “Phase One” of a trade agreement after almost two years of false starts and costly, retaliatory tariffs. Ohio Valley farmers are cautiously optimistic the truce will be a turning point, but some are skeptical about the details […] By Liam Niemeyer Jan 14 Economy Ohio Valley Farmers Cautiously Optimistic About U.S.-China Trade Deal Liam Niemeyer
Jan 14 Economy More Unpaid Appalachian Miners Stage A Coal Train Blockade For the second time since summer, eastern Kentucky coal miners are blockading a railroad track to protest unpaid wages. The new blockade, which was started Monday afternoon by Quest Energy miners, echoes the months-long blockade by Blackjewel coal miners over the summer and speaks to a growing discontent in Appalachian coal country. “It’s hard to go […] By Sydney Boles Jan 14 Economy More Unpaid Appalachian Miners Stage A Coal Train Blockade Sydney Boles
Jan 10 Economy Ohio Valley Outlook: Expect A Slower Regional Economy In 2020 The Ohio Valley’s economy could see slower growth in 2020 amid continued anxiety about trade, and possible downturns in both energy and manufacturing, according to analyses and forecasts by regional economists. Michael Hicks directs the Center for Business and Economic Research at Ball State University in Indiana where he forecasts the health of the manufacturing […] By Becca Schimmel Jan 10 Economy Ohio Valley Outlook: Expect A Slower Regional Economy In 2020 Becca Schimmel
Jan 9 Economy Rural Americans Increasingly Concerned About Opioid Addiction, Study Finds Researchers at Harvard University and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation found that rural Americans identified drug addiction and economic concerns as the most serious problems facing their communities. The open-ended survey of 2700 rural adults aimed to identify the major concerns of rural voters, and found that 25 percent of rural Americans said drug addiction was […] By Sydney Boles Jan 9 Economy Rural Americans Increasingly Concerned About Opioid Addiction, Study Finds Sydney Boles
Dec 31 Economy 2020 Hindsight: The Ohio Valley’s Decade In Data The year: 2009. A Senator from Illinois named Barack Obama has just made history upon taking the presidential oath of office. The national economy is at a low point in the Great Recession. And the Pittsburgh Steelers are the first NFL team to win six Super Bowls. Ten years later, as 2019 gives way to […] By Becca Schimmel Dec 31 Economy 2020 Hindsight: The Ohio Valley’s Decade In Data Becca Schimmel
Dec 19 Economy After Nearly A Decade Of Anxiety Over Pensions, Coal Miners See Light At The End Of The Tunnel Union coal miners and retirees breathed a collective sigh of relief after the U.S. Senate passed a spending bill that includes support for miners’ pensions, which had been at risk due to the coal industry’s downturn. The bill, which funds the federal government for the coming year, also includes The Bipartisan American Miners Act which […] By Becca Schimmel Dec 19 Economy After Nearly A Decade Of Anxiety Over Pensions, Coal Miners See Light At The End Of The Tunnel Becca Schimmel
Dec 11 Economy Ohio Valley Lawmaker Plans To Halt Senate Action Over Coal Miners’ Benefits West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin pledged Wednesday to block all legislation until pensions and health benefits are secured for coal miners. Manchin said no legislation will pass the Senate until he is assured that coal miners’ benefits will be in the spending bill used to fund the federal government. The Bipartisan American Miners Act […] By Becca Schimmel Dec 11 Economy Ohio Valley Lawmaker Plans To Halt Senate Action Over Coal Miners’ Benefits Becca Schimmel
Dec 10 Economy Watchdog Group Calls Decreased Tax on Coal a “Blatant Subsidy” for the Coal Industry A new report from the nonpartisan budget watchdog group Taxpayers for Common Sense says that an expired coal tax is effectively a taxpayer subsidy for the coal industry. The analysis reflects a growing concern about the fiscal health of a federal fund that supports tens of thousands of disabled coal miners. The Black Lung Disability […] By Sydney Boles Dec 10 Economy Watchdog Group Calls Decreased Tax on Coal a “Blatant Subsidy” for the Coal Industry Sydney Boles