Q&A

Mass Incarceration Is a Rural Problem, Too

Mass incarceration is commonly thought of as a big-city problem. But as small-town economies have declined, county jails have expanded — and rural incarceration rates have jumped dramatically. When the coal industry dried up in Kentucky, the state’s criminal justice policies helped subsidize impoverished counties by trucking money (and prisoners) […]

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Q&A: A Conversation with W.Va.’s New Roman Catholic Bishop

West Virginia’s new Roman Catholic bishop was installed late last month at the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Wheeling. Bishop Mark Brennan was previously auxiliary bishop of Baltimore. Pope Francis named the 72-year-old Brennan to replace Bishop Michael Bransfield, who resigned in September 2018 amid allegations of sexual and financial […]

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A Slow-Motion Emergency: Opioid Distribution Pattern Doesn’t Surprise Author

Two decades after health officials in Southwest Virginia sounded the alarm about the devastating impact Oxycontin was having on the region, hard numbers confirm that drug manufacturers and distributors carpet-bombed Central Appalachia with the powerful drug and other opioids. An investigation by the Washington Post shows that pharmaceutical distribution of the opioids […]

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After A Cluster of Rare Cancers, This North Carolina Town Is Looking for Answers: A Q&A with the Author

The effects of industry can be seen on the surface of many Appalachia communities, from strip mining in the central coalfields to the new construction of natural gas pipelines, but for decades, people living there have pointed to these and other industries as causing something much deeper, more internal– disease.  […]

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New Prescription: Ohio Valley Native Dr. Patrice Harris Is First Black Woman To Lead AMA

This article was originally published by Ohio Valley ReSource. Dr. Patrice Harris took the oath in June to become the first African-American woman to serve as president of the powerful American Medical Association, the largest professional association for physicians in the United States. Harris also brings another unique perspective to the job as […]

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