Jan 28 Health Parents struggle for support in Ohio Valley child care ‘deserts’ Stacy Bilodeau has wanted to go back to work for years, but she doesn’t have child care. The mother of two from Murray, Ky. is the only one available to look after her kids for long stretches of time because her husband is in the Coast Guard. She says she has little choice but to […] By Kaitlin Thorne Jan 28 Health Parents struggle for support in Ohio Valley child care ‘deserts’ Kaitlin Thorne
Jan 21 Democracy & Civic Life From Biscuits To Steel: Ohio Valley Organizing Goes Beyond Coal UPDATE Jan. 27: Workers from Elkview Tudor Biscuit World lost the election to unionize their shop on Tuesday, Jan. 25. United Food and Commercial Workers 400 alleges the loss was due to illegal employer retaliation, after workers involved in the effort were suspended or fired. The union has formally objected to the results and is […] By Katie Myers Jan 21 Democracy & Civic Life From Biscuits To Steel: Ohio Valley Organizing Goes Beyond Coal Katie Myers
Nov 19 Criminal Justice Virtual reality brings ‘soft skills’ training to law enforcement in Appalachian Ohio On a chilly fall morning deputies with the Athens County Sheriff’s Office reported for annual training in Nelsonville, OH. Sitting among bullet proof vests and diagrams of guns and safety measures, the officers’ weapons remained holstered. Instead of target practice, this morning officers wore virtual reality headsets to watch interactions between law enforcement and community […] By Kaitlin Thorne Nov 19 Criminal Justice Virtual reality brings ‘soft skills’ training to law enforcement in Appalachian Ohio Kaitlin Thorne
Oct 29 Coronavirus How the Housing Shortage, the Pandemic and Climate Change have Collided in the Ohio Valley Some residents in Ohio Valley communities are still struggling to keep their heads above water over a year into the pandemic. A main cause of concern: housing. The federal eviction moratorium ended in late August after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against the Biden administration efforts to extend the moratorium into October. While it lasted, […] By Liam Niemeyer , Katie Myers and Alana Watson Oct 29 Coronavirus How the Housing Shortage, the Pandemic and Climate Change have Collided in the Ohio Valley Liam Niemeyer, Katie Myers and Alana Watson
Oct 15 Energy & Environment In Elk, A Kentucky Professor Sees An Opportunity To Help Revitalize Appalachia Howard Whiteman is inching along in his black Toyota Prius, craning his neck to see what’s beyond the rolling grasslands into the nearby woods. He wishes he brought binoculars. He’s slowly making his way around an enclosed 700-acre Elk and Bison Prairie in Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area, the only public land in […] By Liam Niemeyer Oct 15 Energy & Environment In Elk, A Kentucky Professor Sees An Opportunity To Help Revitalize Appalachia Liam Niemeyer
Aug 27 Economy Recovery Through Employment: ARC Funding Makes Ohio Valley Programs Possible Jessica Stapleton was in the thralls of active addiction when she first heard of the Recovery to Work program. She had lost the trust of her family and custody of her six children. She credits the program with not only changing her life, but saving it as well. “It pretty much saved my life. I […] By Kaitlin Thorne Aug 27 Economy Recovery Through Employment: ARC Funding Makes Ohio Valley Programs Possible Kaitlin Thorne
Jul 22 Economy Families receive sorely needed child tax credit payments The Robsons, like the vast majority of U.S. households with children, began receiving the Child Tax Credit last week – the latest part of the American Rescue Plan to be put into action. Jaclyn Robson says it was sorely needed. “I don’t want to have to work 60 hours a week just to make a […] By Kaitlin Thorne Jul 22 Economy Families receive sorely needed child tax credit payments Kaitlin Thorne
Jul 16 Economy Kentucky Regulators: West Virginia Coal Plant Should Close in 2028 Kentucky utility regulators reached a decision this week that could mean a northern West Virginia power plant will have to close years sooner than planned. The Kentucky Public Service Commission on Thursday rejected Kentucky Power’s request to perform environmental compliance work on the Mitchell Plant near Moundsville, West Virginia. Under federal rules, the coal-burning plant […] By Curtis Tate Jul 16 Economy Kentucky Regulators: West Virginia Coal Plant Should Close in 2028 Curtis Tate
Jul 2 Coronavirus Nearly Half A Million In Ohio Valley Lose Jobless Benefits An analysis by the Ohio Valley ReSource showed that roughly 488,000 people in Ohio and West Virginia have lost supplemental unemployment payments after Republican governors there scrapped the federal unemployment benefit programs put in place during the pandemic. Another 65,000 people in Kentucky eligible for the payments await a decision by the Democratic governor there […] By Suhail Bhat Jul 2 Coronavirus Nearly Half A Million In Ohio Valley Lose Jobless Benefits Suhail Bhat
Jun 9 Economy West Virginia Coal Plants Need Upgrades. Three States Will Decide Their Fate. They’ve towered over the region’s communities for decades. They generated the electricity for homes around the Ohio Valley. They burned coal, a fossil fuel Appalachia has in abundance. But three West Virginia coal-fired power plants owned by Ohio-based American Electric Power may be on borrowed time. The Mitchell Plant in Moundsville, the Mountaineer Plant in […] By Curtis Tate Jun 9 Economy West Virginia Coal Plants Need Upgrades. Three States Will Decide Their Fate. Curtis Tate