No Shelter: Eviction Protections are Latest Safety Net to Erode, as COVID-19 Rages On
In room 226 of the Relax Inn in Richmond, Kentucky, Melanie and Cody Poore do their best to make themselves at home. Melanie has draped some of her old comforters over the motel’s thin bedcovers, and Cody keeps the minifridge stocked with energy drinks he likes. Beyond the walls, traffic rushes by on I-75; both […]
Long Into The Pandemic, Ohio Valley Health Departments Aren’t Just Fighting COVID-19
The pandemic has swamped health departments. Since August, Ohio Valley health departments have been dealing with a massive surge in cases and that means more testing, contact tracing and phone calls. Although disease investigation is a core service of health departments, the pandemic has demanded a continual, robust response, placing strain on public health employees. […]
Gov. Beshear Says Kentucky Hospitals On The “Brink Of Collapse” Means More Death
Kentucky’s COVID-19 situation continues to worsen and that’s putting a strain on hospitals and medical resources. On Tuesday, Kentucky’s top health official, Dr. Steven Stack, said new cases are higher than ever and that’s leading to a serious problem for hospitals. “And though you may not be in a hospital right now, our hospitals are […]
More Ohio Valley Children Are Becoming Severely Sick With COVID-19. Pediatricians Are Worried About What Lies Ahead
For nearly a year and a half, Kaja Lowe didn’t feel comfortable letting her kids out into the world. She took all the precautions. Early on in the pandemic, she would get groceries delivered to her car before spraying them down with disinfectant. Later, she made sure her family wore masks and sanitized their hands […]
Beshear Signs Executive Order Mandating Masks In Kentucky Schools
On Tuesday, Kentucky reported its highest number of COVID-19 cases since January. Gov. Andy Beshear announced 2,500 new cases and seven new deaths. Beshear warned that hospitals are rapidly filling with COVID-19 patients. “We expect to have the most Kentuckians hospitalized due to COVID in two weeks than we’ve had at any time during this […]
Nearly Half A Million In Ohio Valley Lose Jobless Benefits
An analysis by the Ohio Valley ReSource showed that roughly 488,000 people in Ohio and West Virginia have lost supplemental unemployment payments after Republican governors there scrapped the federal unemployment benefit programs put in place during the pandemic. Another 65,000 people in Kentucky eligible for the payments await a decision by the Democratic governor there […]
Appalachian Community Uses Theater To Reckon With Racism, COVID, And The Trauma Of 2020
George Floyd was murdered by police officer Derek Chauvin in Minneapolis, a cold and faraway place from the vantage point of Harlan County, Kentucky. But the energy of that long, hot summer reached a group of Harlan high schoolers, and soon enough, this small, rural town was in the midst of a national movement. The […]
Beshear Lifts COVID Restrictions In Kentucky’s Final Regular Coronavirus Briefing
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear held his last regular COVID-19 briefing Friday as he signed an executive order ending COVID-19 restrictions. Beshear held what would be the first of 250 COVID-19 briefings in March, 2020, just as the threat of the pandemic was beginning. Fifteen months and more than 461,000 coronavirus cases later, on Friday, Beshear […]
Beshear Reports Additional COVID-19 Deaths Found In Kentucky Audit
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said Tuesday that more coronavirus deaths were found in the commonwealth’s audit of fatalities during the pandemic. Beshear said an additional 260 people died due to COVID-19 between March and October of 2020 than earlier records indicated. “That’s 220 days. So it’s going back in the midst of this pandemic and […]
New Data Shows Ohio Valley’s Black Residents Lag In COVID Vaccination Rates
Black and Hispanic Americans in the Ohio Valley are getting vaccinated against COVID-19 at a lower rate than are white Americans, according to data obtained by Kaiser Health News, which offers a more detailed view of vaccination progress among different groups. The data shows that vaccination rates vary across races and ethnicities in the Ohio […]
