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
Jul 17 Health New Data Show Opioid Deaths May Have Peaked, And Reveal Scale Of Past Pain Pill Sales Two newly released sets of government data show that the death toll from the nation’s opioid crisis may finally be dropping and also reveal the scale of the pain pill sales that help set the crisis in motion. The data for the Ohio Valley show how hard the region was hit and how hard people […] By Aaron Payne Jul 17 Health New Data Show Opioid Deaths May Have Peaked, And Reveal Scale Of Past Pain Pill Sales Aaron Payne
Jul 9 Economy Minimum Wage Hike Would Have Major Effect In Ohio Valley A new report from the Congressional Budget Office shows increasing the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour would boost the wages of 17 million workers and lift about 1.3 million people out of poverty. But the CBO warns that could also result in more than one million lost jobs and could diminish overall income […] By Becca Schimmel Jul 9 Economy Minimum Wage Hike Would Have Major Effect In Ohio Valley Becca Schimmel
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
Jun 28 Economy My Cold Kentucky Home: Coal Country Turning To Solar As Heating And Housing Costs Climb Joe Oliver and Tony Brown peered into the dark crawl space beneath a Letcher County, Kentucky, home. Already, they could see problems. The crawl space had been blocked off with just a thin sheet of plywood; the posts supporting the house rested on uneven blobs of poured concrete; the whole place reeked of mold. A […] By Sydney Boles Jun 28 Economy My Cold Kentucky Home: Coal Country Turning To Solar As Heating And Housing Costs Climb Sydney Boles
Jun 14 Health Country Closures: Rural Communities Adapt As More Hospitals Shut Down Casey Ellis grew up just a few houses away from the Owen County Hospital in Owenton, Kentucky, so he knows the essential role a rural hospital plays in a small town. Ellis is Judge Executive of Owen County, a job his grandfather and great-grandfather had before him. So he also knows how hard it is […] By Mary Meehan Jun 14 Health Country Closures: Rural Communities Adapt As More Hospitals Shut Down Mary Meehan
May 31 Economy Powering Down: Ohio Community Reckons With Coal Plant Closure Brick buildings line the wide sidewalks of Main Street in downtown Coshocton, Ohio. On a recent spring day the dogwood trees are blooming. Bright red and white tulips dot the grassy public square, home to the local courthouse and a gazebo. There are barber shops, an optometrist, a florist, a railroad-themed steakhouse is open for […] By Brittany Patterson May 31 Economy Powering Down: Ohio Community Reckons With Coal Plant Closure Brittany Patterson
May 24 Economy Working Toward Recovery: Ohio Town Fights Addiction With Focus On Economy This is the second story in an occasional series exploring the links between addiction recovery and a recovering economy. Addiction specialists, business leaders, law enforcement officials and other community members gathered around tables at Shawnee State University to talk about two big challenges in Scioto County, Ohio: a shrinking economy and a growing addiction crisis. […] By Aaron Payne May 24 Economy Working Toward Recovery: Ohio Town Fights Addiction With Focus On Economy Aaron Payne