Jul 19 Health Surging Coronavirus Cases Threaten To Derail Reopening In Ohio Valley At the Community Farmers Market in Bowling Green, Kentucky, vendors and shoppers are adjusting to the new normal during the coronavirus pandemic. That includes wearing face coverings, maintaining distance, and taking other precautions to avoid spreading the virus. Market manager Susan Warrell said their first days under the state’s recent mask mandate were a challenge, […] By Aaron Payne Jul 19 Health Surging Coronavirus Cases Threaten To Derail Reopening In Ohio Valley Aaron Payne
Jul 15 Agriculture Fees Could Go Up By More Than 1,000% For Some Kentucky Food Producers Under New Rule A proposed rule in the Kentucky Department of Public Health would raise the permitting fees for small-scale food producers in the commonwealth. Some producers worry the increase could put them out of business. The regulation would impact 536 food producers and would change the fee structure for food safety inspection from one based on the […] By Sydney Boles Jul 15 Agriculture Fees Could Go Up By More Than 1,000% For Some Kentucky Food Producers Under New Rule Sydney Boles
Jul 9 Economy West KY TV Station Tells Employees They Need Permission To Get Coronavirus Tests A west Kentucky television station manager told his employees they need his permission before getting tested for coronavirus, after an employee at the station tested positive for infection by the virus. Some employees of the station’s parent company, Paxton Media Group, say that policy discourages them from getting a test. Health and legal experts say […] By Liam Niemeyer Jul 9 Economy West KY TV Station Tells Employees They Need Permission To Get Coronavirus Tests Liam Niemeyer
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
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
Apr 10 Economy “We Belong to Each Other”: Appalachian Youth Build Support Amid Pandemic Uncertainty On March 17, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam banned gatherings of 10 or more people to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Mekyah Davis, 23, was in his second week of a new job waiting tables at the cryptid-inspired Wood Booger Grill in Norton, Va. “That week, [my boss] cut the schedule,” Davis recounted. “Everybody only […] By Sydney Boles Apr 10 Economy “We Belong to Each Other”: Appalachian Youth Build Support Amid Pandemic Uncertainty Sydney Boles
Apr 8 Health Send Us Your Questions About COVID-19 And Community Health In The Ohio Valley America’s experience with the coronavirus pandemic was at first primarily a threat to cities. Now, however, after months of spread and insufficient measures to test for and contain the virus, COVID-19 cases have arrived in rural America in large numbers as well. For the Ohio Valley, this means a heightened threat to many communities with […] By Jeff Young Apr 8 Health Send Us Your Questions About COVID-19 And Community Health In The Ohio Valley Jeff Young
Mar 25 Health Ohio Valley Facing Pandemic With A Health System Hollowed Out By Hospital Closures As new cases of coronavirus mount in the Ohio Valley, health officials are bracing for an onslaught of patients and what could be unprecedented demand for beds, medical staff and specialized equipment. Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia have disproportionately high rates of people vulnerable to serious illness from COVID-19. But the region’s capacity to treat […] By Liam Niemeyer Mar 25 Health Ohio Valley Facing Pandemic With A Health System Hollowed Out By Hospital Closures Liam Niemeyer
Mar 1 Energy & Environment Clean Water Wanted: Contaminated Wells And The Legacy Of Fossil Fuel Extraction “You seen that one with the tombstone up there?” seven-year-old Timothy Easterling asks, looking toward the grass just uphill from his home. “That’s my papaw.” Timothy’s grandfather Chet Blankenship died in 2016, at age 69. Blankenship lived on land he and his family have long owned at the end of a road atop Bradshaw Mountain […] By Benny Becker Mar 1 Energy & Environment Clean Water Wanted: Contaminated Wells And The Legacy Of Fossil Fuel Extraction Benny Becker
Feb 7 Health Reports Show Challenges Remain In Addiction Treatment Medication Access Center for Disease Control and Prevention data indicate opioid overdose deaths in the Ohio Valley declined in 2018, the first time in nearly a decade. Researchers say this is cause for optimism. But two new studies warn that access to medication assisted treatment, or MAT, for people with opioid use disorders continues to be a […] By Aaron Payne Feb 7 Health Reports Show Challenges Remain In Addiction Treatment Medication Access Aaron Payne