Nov 26 Health Study Shows Ohio Valley’s Premature Deaths Driving Down National Longevity Rates A new medical study shows that after decades of increasing life expectancy across the country, people are living shorter lives. And that trend is in part driven by premature deaths among people in the Ohio Valley due to the opioid epidemic, suicide and alcohol abuse. The article published Tuesday in the Journal of the American […] By Mary Meehan Nov 26 Health Study Shows Ohio Valley’s Premature Deaths Driving Down National Longevity Rates Mary Meehan
Oct 18 Health How Should Opioid Lawsuit Money Be Spent? Ohio Valley Has No Shortage Of Needs At a town hall event in Logan, Ohio, Kelly Taulbee walks through the steps of an encounter with someone experiencing an opioid overdose. She’s training a group to use NARCAN, the opioid reversal medication. She pulled out the small applicator and demonstrated how easy it is to spray the medication in someone’s nose. As the […] By Aaron Payne Oct 18 Health How Should Opioid Lawsuit Money Be Spent? Ohio Valley Has No Shortage Of Needs Aaron Payne
Oct 11 Agriculture Grassroots Growing: Hemp Farmers Form Cooperatives Amid Growth And Uncertainty Tony Silvernail swings a heavy machete at a stalk of bushy hemp and chops the plant near the root, grabbing the five-foot-tall shoot with his sun-weathered hand. It’s an unusually hot October day on his farm, Beyond The Bridge LLC, tucked in the hills outside of Frankfort, Kentucky. But the heat doesn’t faze Silvernail, sporting […] By Liam Niemeyer Oct 11 Agriculture Grassroots Growing: Hemp Farmers Form Cooperatives Amid Growth And Uncertainty Liam Niemeyer
Sep 27 Energy & Environment Ohio To Test For Toxic PFAS Chemicals In Drinking Water Ohio will begin testing some public and private water systems for the presence of toxic nonstick, fluorinated chemicals, broadly called PFAS. In a press release issued Friday, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced the state’s environmental and public health agencies will analyze drinking water systems located near places with known contamination. That includes near firefighting training […] By Brittany Patterson Sep 27 Energy & Environment Ohio To Test For Toxic PFAS Chemicals In Drinking Water Brittany Patterson
Sep 27 Economy Meet The Coal Town Betting Big On Outdoor Recreation Standing on the breezy outlook at Flag Rock Recreation Area, Norton City Manager Fred Ramey is taking in the panoramic view of downtown Norton, Virginia. The brick building-lined streets are framed by the verdant, rolling Appalachian mountains. Jagged, brown scars from mountaintop mining operations can be seen in the distance, reminders of the region’s history […] By Brittany Patterson Sep 27 Economy Meet The Coal Town Betting Big On Outdoor Recreation Brittany Patterson
Aug 30 Energy & Environment Meet The Little Green Clover That Beat The Odds The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is moving to take a rare species of plant found in the Ohio Valley off of the endangered species list. Amid controversial proposals to change the law protecting rare species, the Running Buffalo Clover is an example of a successful recovery. It would join about 2.5 percent of threatened […] By Glynis Board Aug 30 Energy & Environment Meet The Little Green Clover That Beat The Odds Glynis Board
Aug 23 Agriculture Farmer Fatigue: Farmers Grow Weary Of Trade War, But Most Stick With Trump Tom Folz drives around on a sunny, August afternoon and surveys the thousands of acres of dark green, leafy soybean plants and tall stalks of corn he grows on his sprawling farm in Christian County, Kentucky. At 54, Folz has wispy, white hair matching his white mustache. It’s taken him several long work weeks to […] By Liam Niemeyer Aug 23 Agriculture Farmer Fatigue: Farmers Grow Weary Of Trade War, But Most Stick With Trump Liam Niemeyer
Jul 25 Agriculture How A Proposed SNAP Eligibility Revision Could Affect Ohio Valley Recipients The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced this week a proposal to tighten the rules on who qualifies for food stamps through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). USDA estimates more than three million people across the country would lose SNAP benefits in an effort to prevent fraud. Anti-hunger advocates in the Ohio Valley say the […] By Liam Niemeyer Jul 25 Agriculture How A Proposed SNAP Eligibility Revision Could Affect Ohio Valley Recipients Liam Niemeyer
Jul 24 Agriculture Power Plant: How A Grass Might Generate Fuel And Help Fix Damaged Mine Lands Down bumpy back roads deep in central West Virginia, a flat, bright green pasture opens up among the rolling hills of coffee-colored trees. Wildflowers and butterflies dot the pasture, but West Virginia University Professor Jeff Skousen is here for something else that stands above the rest of the Appalachian scenery – literally. Thick stalks of […] By Liam Niemeyer Jul 24 Agriculture Power Plant: How A Grass Might Generate Fuel And Help Fix Damaged Mine Lands Liam Niemeyer
Jul 18 Economy Living Wage: Ohio Valley Workers, Employers React As House Votes For $15 Minimum Wage The U.S. House of Representatives voted Thursday to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour, more than double the current $7.25 rate, which has not changed in a decade. The bill is unlikely to clear the Republican-controlled Senate, where Majority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky has said he will not take it […] By Becca Schimmel Jul 18 Economy Living Wage: Ohio Valley Workers, Employers React As House Votes For $15 Minimum Wage Becca Schimmel