Apr 22 Energy & Environment For Earth Day Nature Conservancy Preserves 100,000 Acres Of Appalachian Forest And Streams A conservation group chose Earth Day, April 22, to announce the purchase of a massive property in Appalachian forest to protect habitat and help wildlife adapt to the challenges of climate change. The property covers 100,000 acres of forest straddling the Kentucky-Tennessee border. The Nature Conservancy, the nonprofit that made the purchase, said it plans […] By Sydney Boles Apr 22 Energy & Environment For Earth Day Nature Conservancy Preserves 100,000 Acres Of Appalachian Forest And Streams Sydney Boles
Apr 19 Economy Cannabis Economy: With Medical Marijuana, Ohio’s Meigs County Hopes To Cash In On “Golden” Opportunity Meigs County, Ohio, has a complicated history with marijuana. “Meigs County Gold” has been grown illegally for years. Local legend has it that was the strain of choice for musicians like the Grateful Dead and Willie Nelson when they toured Ohio. But for Meigs County Commissioner Randy Smith, that isn’t a source of pride. Instead […] By Aaron Payne Apr 19 Economy Cannabis Economy: With Medical Marijuana, Ohio’s Meigs County Hopes To Cash In On “Golden” Opportunity Aaron Payne
Apr 17 Health Federal Opioid Strikeforce Indicts More Than A Dozen Ohio Valley Doctors The U.S. Department of Justice announced on Wednesday more than a dozen indictments against doctors in the Ohio Valley on charges relating to the illegal distribution of opioids. These are the first major indictments from the Appalachian Regional Prescription Opioid Strike Force, which started work in December. “The opioid epidemic is the deadliest drug crisis […] By Aaron Payne Apr 17 Health Federal Opioid Strikeforce Indicts More Than A Dozen Ohio Valley Doctors Aaron Payne
Apr 12 Agriculture CBD Uncertainty: Sales Soar But Science Lags On Hemp Health Effects Inside the Bluegrass Hemp Oil store in Lexington, Kentucky, the CBD oils and lotions lining the walls have an origin story — a story of a family’s struggle. “We took a huge risk, to be perfectly honest, because we didn’t know. We weren’t trying other people’s CBD products that were out there,” Bluegrass Hemp Oil […] By Liam Niemeyer Apr 12 Agriculture CBD Uncertainty: Sales Soar But Science Lags On Hemp Health Effects Liam Niemeyer
Apr 9 Energy & Environment Coal Community Residents Again Ask Congress For Health Study Of Mountaintop Removal Residents of Appalachian coal communities told a Congressional subcommittee Tuesday that the controversial mining practice known as mountaintop removal should be halted until its health effects are better studied. Late in the Obama administration the National Academy of Sciences launched a study into the health effects for communities near mountaintop removal coal mines. Donna Branham […] By Jeff Young Apr 9 Energy & Environment Coal Community Residents Again Ask Congress For Health Study Of Mountaintop Removal Jeff Young
Apr 5 Energy & Environment Mine Safety Debt For WV Gov. Justice’s Family Companies Grows to $4M An Ohio Valley ReSource analysis of federal mine safety data shows that the companies belonging to the family of West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice owe $4.3 million in delinquent debt for mine safety violations. That is far more than the companies owed when Justice ran for governor in 2016, when he pledged to make good […] By Alexandra Kanik and Brittany Patterson Apr 5 Energy & Environment Mine Safety Debt For WV Gov. Justice’s Family Companies Grows to $4M Alexandra Kanik and Brittany Patterson
Mar 29 Economy Rare Conservation Win In Congress Helps Ohio Valley Parks And Monuments The Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge’s namesake is apparent upon stepping outside its visitors center in Williamstown, West Virginia. Gazing past bird feeders and the forested bank of the Ohio River, a skinny island looms large. “So Buckley Island is right across the water from us,” says Michael Schramm, visitor services manager at the […] By Brittany Patterson Mar 29 Economy Rare Conservation Win In Congress Helps Ohio Valley Parks And Monuments Brittany Patterson
Mar 28 Agriculture Kentucky Called A “Warning Signal” On SNAP Work Requirements The federal government is considering a work requirement for some people who get food assistance through SNAP, or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. A new study uses Kentucky as an example of what that change could mean for the country. The SNAP rules require 80 hours of work a month and cap assistance at three […] By Mary Meehan Mar 28 Agriculture Kentucky Called A “Warning Signal” On SNAP Work Requirements Mary Meehan
Mar 22 Agriculture Sweet Equity: Ohio Valley Farmers Tapping Into Tradition When Seth Long first began experimenting with maple syrup production, he tapped hollow pegs called spiles into individual trees, collected drips of sap in milk jugs, and carried each gallon down the the steep mountainside on foot. Now, Long rides an open-air buggy up muddy switchbacks to a 500-gallon collection tank from which translucent blue […] By Sydney Boles Mar 22 Agriculture Sweet Equity: Ohio Valley Farmers Tapping Into Tradition Sydney Boles
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