Oct 23 Democracy & Civic Life From Appalachia To Wyoming: Youth From Coal Country Discuss The Future After Coal On a recent Saturday, over Zoom, a group of seven high schoolers from Wyoming, eastern Kentucky and West Virginia gazed at an image of a gleaming, pale blue, coal-fired power plant. “OK, so this one really interested us,” said Sarah Belcher, a senior from eastern Kentucky. “So we noticed your all’s coal facilities, they’re really […] By Brittany Patterson Oct 23 Democracy & Civic Life From Appalachia To Wyoming: Youth From Coal Country Discuss The Future After Coal Brittany Patterson
Sep 18 Agriculture Back To The Land: The Future Challenge And Opportunity Of Appalachian Agriculture A line of blue and yellow pop-up tents stand along the North Fork of the Kentucky River during a sunny September weekend in downtown Whitesburg, Kentucky, and Valerie Horn is doing her part to keep the Letcher County Farmers Market rolling. Pumpkins and watermelons fill tarps laid out on the ground next to a farmer, […] By Liam Niemeyer Sep 18 Agriculture Back To The Land: The Future Challenge And Opportunity Of Appalachian Agriculture Liam Niemeyer
Jun 9 Economy Appalachian Program Feeds Families As The Pandemic Economy Places More In Need It’s a sweltering hot Monday in Whitesburg, Kentucky, and the kitchen at Community Agricultural Nutritional Enterprises, or CANE, is buzzing with activity. In an industrial kitchen that was once a high school cafeteria, Brandon Fleming is chopping onions and sliding them into a massive aluminum tray of beans. Once the beans are in the oven, […] By Sydney Boles Jun 9 Economy Appalachian Program Feeds Families As The Pandemic Economy Places More In Need Sydney Boles
Jun 8 Democracy & Civic Life Small Towns Host Black Lives Matter Marches As Movement Spreads Beyond Cities By now it’s become a familiar scene: Marchers fill the streets with placards proclaiming “Black Lives Matter,” and chants fill the air as the demonstrators recite the names of those lost. But there’s something different about some of these protests around the Ohio Valley in the past week. They’re not just happening in the larger […] By Liam Niemeyer and Staff Jun 8 Democracy & Civic Life Small Towns Host Black Lives Matter Marches As Movement Spreads Beyond Cities Liam Niemeyer and Staff
Feb 14 Energy & Environment Just Transition: Amid Climate Debate And Coal’s Decline, West Virginia Considers Its Future On a recent soggy Wednesday evening, dozens of West Virginians packed a conference room inside the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center to discuss the need for a “just transition” for coal-impacted communities. As the nation grapples with climate change, the need for a fair transition for workers and communities that depend upon coal jobs and […] By Brittany Patterson Feb 14 Energy & Environment Just Transition: Amid Climate Debate And Coal’s Decline, West Virginia Considers Its Future Brittany Patterson
Nov 25 Infrastructure Rural Water Loss Investigation Reveals Widespread Financial Challenges Kentucky’s Public Service Commission released results of a months-long investigation into high rates of water loss in certain rural water districts. The findings point to systematic financial and managerial challenges facing rural districts, and solutions would likely require sweeping legislative change. The PSC launched its investigation in March after 11 rural districts, most of them […] By Sydney Boles Nov 25 Infrastructure Rural Water Loss Investigation Reveals Widespread Financial Challenges Sydney Boles
Oct 18 Economy Kentucky Adding Prison Space To Relieve Inmate Overcrowding Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin announced Friday that an empty, privately-owned prison in Wheelwright, Kentucky, will soon hold 650-medium security inmates. Bevin said re-opening the prison will save millions of dollars in construction costs and help alleviate jail overcrowding largely driven by the state’s opioid crisis. The state currently has 24,000 offenders. According to a press […] By Mary Meehan Oct 18 Economy Kentucky Adding Prison Space To Relieve Inmate Overcrowding Mary Meehan