News - Ohio Valley ReSource

Jul 9

Agriculture

KY Judge Strikes Down Beshear’s Coronavirus Health Orders For Some Farm Businesses

A Kentucky judge’s ruling Thursday limits Gov. Andy Beshear’s authority to issue emergency orders mandating coronavirus safety measures — a ruling Beshear called “dangerous and devastating” and promptly pledged to appeal. Scott Circuit Court Judge Brian Privett issued a temporary restraining order preventing Beshear’s administration from enforcing COVID-19 restrictions for the state’s 548 agritourism businesses. […]

By Liam Niemeyer

Jul 9

Agriculture

KY Judge Strikes Down Beshear’s Coronavirus Health Orders For Some Farm Businesses

By Liam Niemeyer

Jul 7

Economy

Ohio Valley Coal Companies Get Tens Of Millions In Paycheck Protection Loans

More than 50 Ohio Valley coal companies received loans totaling as much as $119 million through the Paycheck Protection Program meant to keep people employed during the pandemic’s economic downturn. Congress passed the PPP in March to help businesses keep employees on the payroll and out of unemployment lines. The data released by the Small […]

By Sydney Boles

Jul 7

Economy

Ohio Valley Coal Companies Get Tens Of Millions In Paycheck Protection Loans

Sydney Boles

Jul 2

Health

Masking Questions: How Pandemic Health Measures Became Politicized

Health officials and researchers say the science is clear: face masks can help reduce the spread of the coronavirus. Yet in the Ohio Valley, not all elected officials are in agreement on whether to mandate measures such as the use of face masks in public places. In April, Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine initially announced […]

By Liam Niemeyer

Jul 2

Health

Masking Questions: How Pandemic Health Measures Became Politicized

Liam Niemeyer

Jul 2

Health

Overdose Incidents Rose Sharply Around Ohio Valley During Pandemic

Emergency response data from across the Ohio Valley show sharp increases in suspected drug overdoses since March, when health measures including school and business closures and stay-at-home orders increased social isolation. For public health officials, it’s a grim reminder that another epidemic is ongoing and possibly worsening during the isolation associated with the coronavirus pandemic. […]

By Aaron Payne

Jul 2

Health

Overdose Incidents Rose Sharply Around Ohio Valley During Pandemic

Aaron Payne

Jul 2

Economy

RECLAIM Act To Boost Coal Communities Passes House As Part Of Infrastructure Bill

The House of Representatives Wednesday passed a $1.5 trillion infrastructure bill that includes two provisions that would specifically help coal-reliant communities in the Ohio Valley. The bill, called the Moving Forward Act, includes funding for roads and bridges, rural broadband, drinking water system repairs, renewable energy, and affordable housing, all of which Democrats say would […]

By Sydney Boles

Jul 2

Economy

RECLAIM Act To Boost Coal Communities Passes House As Part Of Infrastructure Bill

Sydney Boles

Jul 1

Energy & Environment

Competing Reports Offer Different Outlook On Ohio Valley’s Petrochemical Future

A new report by the Trump administration suggests the Ohio Valley’s growing petrochemical industry could be an unprecedented source of economic opportunity and growth when the county, and region, eventually emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic. But the assessment is drawing criticism from environmental groups and some financial analysts that warn the risk is growing for […]

By Brittany Patterson

Jul 1

Energy & Environment

Competing Reports Offer Different Outlook On Ohio Valley’s Petrochemical Future

Brittany Patterson

Jun 29

Economy

Advocacy Groups Unveil Plan for a 21st Century Coal-County Economy

Environmental and economic advocacy groups from coal-producing parts of the country unveiled a policy agenda on Monday to help coal-reliant communities make a transition to a more sustainable future. The plan includes items that have long been on the wish list for groups like Appalachian Voices and the Just Transition Fund, both of which were […]

By Sydney Boles

Jun 29

Economy

Advocacy Groups Unveil Plan for a 21st Century Coal-County Economy

Sydney Boles

Jun 26

Economy

Coal Towns Were Counting On Tourism For New Jobs. Then Coronavirus Hit.

On a recent sunny weekday, Bill Currey proudly walks among 30 neatly stacked, brightly colored plastic kayaks. Birds chirp merrily, and the soothing sounds of the meandering Coal River permeate the background — nature’s version of a white noise machine. For the tanned Currey, who also owns an industrial real estate company, being here, on […]

By Brittany Patterson

Jun 26

Economy

Coal Towns Were Counting On Tourism For New Jobs. Then Coronavirus Hit.

Brittany Patterson

Jun 23

Democracy & Civic Life

Meet the Teen Leading This Kentucky Town’s Discussion of Racism in Appalachia

The courtroom was silent as 19-year-old Dayjha Hogg approached the lectern at a Letcher County fiscal court meeting, stared down a panel of county magistrates, and spoke. “I know COVID’s going around right now, so just imagine, there’s no COVID, normal society, and imagine you walk around and it’s like you have the plague.” Hogg […]

By Sydney Boles

Jun 23

Democracy & Civic Life

Meet the Teen Leading This Kentucky Town’s Discussion of Racism in Appalachia

Sydney Boles

Jun 22

Democracy & Civic Life

Formerly Disenfranchised Kentucky Voters Cast Their Ballots

For many in the Ohio Valley, voting is a choice, a right they are free to exercise if they want to. But for Jackie McGranahan and the more than 175,000 other formerly disenfranchised Kentuckians, this primary election is special. It’s her first chance to vote since 2008. She won’t be going to a voting booth. […]

By Becca Schimmel

Jun 22

Democracy & Civic Life

Formerly Disenfranchised Kentucky Voters Cast Their Ballots

Becca Schimmel