Oct 29 Economy Ohio-Based Coal Giant Murray Energy Declares Bankruptcy Murray Energy Corp., the largest underground coal mining company in America with a substantial footprint across the Ohio Valley, has filed for bankruptcy protection. “Although a bankruptcy filing is not an easy decision, it became necessary to access liquidity and best position Murray Energy and its affiliates for the future of our employees and customers […] By Brittany Patterson Oct 29 Economy Ohio-Based Coal Giant Murray Energy Declares Bankruptcy Brittany Patterson
Aug 13 Energy & Environment Trump Visits Shell Plastics Facility, Touts Petrochemical Future For Ohio Valley President Donald Trump Tuesday toured Shell Chemical’s soon-to-be completed ethane cracker complex in Monaca, Pennsylvania, to tout his administration’s commitment to expanding energy production. The facility is part of what industry boosters hope will be a new plastics and chemical manufacturing base in the upper Ohio Valley, but many residents here worry about the heat-trapping […] By Brittany Patterson Aug 13 Energy & Environment Trump Visits Shell Plastics Facility, Touts Petrochemical Future For Ohio Valley Brittany Patterson
Jul 5 Agriculture Watershed Moment: “Ephemeral” Streams Debate Could Reshape Ohio Valley Waterways West Liberty University Professor Zachary Loughman has dedicated his professional life to crustaceans – specifically freshwater crayfish. He dips his hand into one of the water tanks at his laboratory near Wheeling, West Virginia, to pick up a teal crayfish the size of a dollar bill. “See the little guy dropping down? We caught mom […] By Liam Niemeyer Jul 5 Agriculture Watershed Moment: “Ephemeral” Streams Debate Could Reshape Ohio Valley Waterways Liam Niemeyer
May 23 Health Investigation Finds Ohio Valley Hit Hard By Fentanyl As Locals Asked For More Federal Help A Washington Post investigation finds the Ohio Valley is suffering the most from the surge in overdose deaths due to synthetic opioids, even as deaths from other substances are falling. The Post analyzed data from the Centers for Disease Control and found the region has the nation’s highest rates of death due to fentanyl. Kentucky, […] By Aaron Payne May 23 Health Investigation Finds Ohio Valley Hit Hard By Fentanyl As Locals Asked For More Federal Help Aaron Payne
May 10 Economy From Russia, With Loot: KY Aluminum Company’s New Russian Partner Raises Concerns A large whiteboard in an Ashland, Kentucky, unemployment office is covered with a list of companies that are currently hiring. Senior career counselor Melissa Sloas said that just a few years ago, that board was a lot emptier. This corner of eastern Kentucky has long struggled to make up for losses in mining and manufacturing. […] By Sydney Boles May 10 Economy From Russia, With Loot: KY Aluminum Company’s New Russian Partner Raises Concerns Sydney Boles
Mar 18 Economy Trump Budget Proposal Cuts Funds for Hal Rogers’ Prison Project The Trump Administration released on Monday details of a 2020 federal budget proposal that includes cutting funds allotted for a new federal prison in eastern Kentucky. The funds would be redirected to other law-enforcement or natural security priorities, potentially including a wall at the southern U.S. border. The proposed cut rebukes arguments made by Congressman […] By Sydney Boles Mar 18 Economy Trump Budget Proposal Cuts Funds for Hal Rogers’ Prison Project Sydney Boles
Mar 15 Agriculture Ohio Valley Farmers, Electric Cooperatives Push Back On Trump’s Budget Cut Proposals West Kentucky Soybean Farmer Jed Clark, like many Ohio Valley farmers, is in a tighter financial situation because tariffs from the trade war and market forces have depressed crop prices. “We’ve had a collapse in our grain markets,” Clark said. “We’re seeing some of the lowest commodity prices for wheat we’ve seen in a long […] By Liam Niemeyer Mar 15 Agriculture Ohio Valley Farmers, Electric Cooperatives Push Back On Trump’s Budget Cut Proposals Liam Niemeyer
Mar 15 Agriculture Distress Grows For Ohio Valley Farmers As Trade Deals Stall West Kentucky Farmer Barry Alexander doesn’t have an answer on when the Trump administration will reach a trade deal with China, now a year into tariffs that have hamstrung some Ohio Valley industries. Alexander is optimistic these continued negotiations will be worth it, but his plan in the meantime lies in massive, silver storage bins […] By Liam Niemeyer Mar 15 Agriculture Distress Grows For Ohio Valley Farmers As Trade Deals Stall Liam Niemeyer
Feb 1 Economy Coal Comeback? Coal At New Low After Two Years Under Trump It’s been two years since President Donald Trump took office and began rolling back environmental regulations on the coal industry. At a November rally in Huntington, West Virginia, the president took credit for a coal comeback in front of a cheering crowd. “We’ve ended the war on beautiful, clean coal and we’re putting our coal […] By Brittany Patterson Feb 1 Economy Coal Comeback? Coal At New Low After Two Years Under Trump Brittany Patterson
Jan 14 Agriculture Trump Doubles Down On Trade War As Farmers Feel Pain From Tariffs As President Donald Trump addressed farmers at a national conference Monday Ohio Valley agriculture leaders said they are standing by his effort to renegotiate trade deals. But some leaders cautioned that costly tariffs on farm products need to end soon. President Trump doubled down on his fight for better trade deals during his speech to […] By Liam Niemeyer Jan 14 Agriculture Trump Doubles Down On Trade War As Farmers Feel Pain From Tariffs Liam Niemeyer