Mar 5 Economy The Long Wait: As Lawmakers Prioritize Broadband, Rural Communities Wonder When It Will Reach Them As Barkley Hughes and I rumbled around in his red utility vehicle last month, memories slowly unwound about his western Kentucky hometown. Tolu, a historic Ohio River-bound community of less than a hundred, only makes up a few blocks before opening up into rolling farmland. Hughes openly admits it’s not near anywhere, but that’s part […] By Liam Niemeyer Mar 5 Economy The Long Wait: As Lawmakers Prioritize Broadband, Rural Communities Wonder When It Will Reach Them Liam Niemeyer
Nov 13 Democracy & Civic Life What Biden’s Plan For “Building Back Better” Could Mean For The Ohio Valley David Meinschein’s teachers, staff and students have sacrificed a lot this year amid the staggering challenges of the coronavirus pandemic. He opens the door heading inside Ballad Memorial High School’s basketball gymnasium — known locally as the “Green Palace” for its school colors. The school’s emptiness is another reminder of COVID-19’s impact. But as assistant […] By Liam Niemeyer Nov 13 Democracy & Civic Life What Biden’s Plan For “Building Back Better” Could Mean For The Ohio Valley Liam Niemeyer
Apr 16 Infrastructure Thousands Without Power Amid Freezing Temperatures and Social Distancing Thousands of people in eastern Kentucky and parts of West Virginia remain without power Thursday after strong winds downed power lines across multiple counties. The outages began Sunday and impacted 65,000 Kentuckians and 45,000 West Virginians. Most have had their power restored, but in Kentucky, American Electric Power reports some 15,000 are still in the […] By Sydney Boles Apr 16 Infrastructure Thousands Without Power Amid Freezing Temperatures and Social Distancing Sydney Boles
Sep 13 Economy SOAR At Six: Group’s Lofty Goals For Coal Country Meet Challenges On The Ground In a conference hall in Pikeville, Kentucky, this September, Gov. Matt Bevin led an eager audience in a countdown. When the audience reached “One!,” a map on the screen behind the governor lit up with the promise of a high-tech future. After years of delay and scandal, major portions of the commonwealth’s “middle mile” of […] By Sydney Boles Sep 13 Economy SOAR At Six: Group’s Lofty Goals For Coal Country Meet Challenges On The Ground Sydney Boles
Feb 26 Economy Rural Broadband Funding Could Connect More Ohio Valley Communities To High-Speed Internet Vivian Livingood is the mayor of Gilbert, a southern West Virginia town of under 500 people that has struggled for years without reliable internet. Livingood said that hampers Gilbert’s tourism, businesses and schools. “We get kicked off the internet here every two minutes, and that’s if we can afford the internet,” Livingood said. “And it’s […] By Liam Niemeyer Feb 26 Economy Rural Broadband Funding Could Connect More Ohio Valley Communities To High-Speed Internet Liam Niemeyer
Jul 18 Economy Country Connection: Rural Residents Ask FCC To Improve Internet Access More than two million people across the Ohio Valley live in areas that lack any option for fast and reliable internet service. This week some of them had a chance to tell a member of the Federal Communications Commission what that means for their work, studies, and everyday life. The Appalachian Connectivity Summit in Marietta, […] By Benny Becker Jul 18 Economy Country Connection: Rural Residents Ask FCC To Improve Internet Access Benny Becker
Jun 6 Economy Trump To Talk Infrastructure In Ohio Valley, Where Investment Is Badly Needed With a speech planned for Cincinnati’s Ohio River waterfront, President Donald Trump has chosen a fitting venue to talk about infrastructure improvements. The Ohio Valley is home to aging highways, bridges, and dams, poor drinking water systems, and weak internet service for many rural residents. A report from the American Society of Civil Engineers found […] By Jeff Young and Becca Schimmel Jun 6 Economy Trump To Talk Infrastructure In Ohio Valley, Where Investment Is Badly Needed Jeff Young and Becca Schimmel
Jun 2 Economy Without A Net: Rural Residents Band Together For Internet Service Nearly half of the people living in rural parts of United States don’t have access to broadband internet, the high speed connection required for common uses many of us take for granted. Government and survey data show that in 65 counties across Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia, the majority of residents don’t have access to broadband […] By Benny Becker Jun 2 Economy Without A Net: Rural Residents Band Together For Internet Service Benny Becker
Jul 1 Economy Net Gains: How Broadband Brings Jobs To Eastern Kentucky Kentucky is working on a multimillion-dollar plan to bring broadband internet to the eastern part of the state, home to some of the country’s most impoverished places. A federal report released this year found that from around a third to nearly half of rural residents in Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia lack high-speed internet and the job […] By Benny Becker Jul 1 Economy Net Gains: How Broadband Brings Jobs To Eastern Kentucky Benny Becker