Hospitals are economic linchpins for rural communities, health advocates say. The farm bill ought to sharpen its focus on preventing more rural hospital closures. Congress should ensure that the farm bill does more to address rural healthcare needs, especially shoring up the finances of struggling rural hospitals, rural health advocates say. Though the farm […]
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Ohio-based utility FirstEnergy Solutions made waves last month when it asked the Department of Energy to grant it an emergency order to help keep coal and nuclear plants operating across the Ohio Valley. The request even hit the president’s radar. Speaking earlier this month at a roundtable event in White […]
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What is Appalachia, and why should you care? 100 Days in Appalachia was born the day after the 2016 election. Weary of the influx of bus tours and parachuting journalists seeking insights into rural America, we launched 100 Days to push back on the national narratives that had reduced our […]
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For many teens the prom is the epitome of their high school experience. But for students who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and/or queer, it can be a challenge to feel like they belong. This year, some West Virginia students decided to start a new tradition: The Rainbow Formal, the […]
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China buys more than half of the soybeans grown in the Ohio Valley. So China’s threat this week to place a 25 percent tariff on U.S. soy means farmers would be caught in the crosshairs of a trade war. Even though tariffs haven’t taken effect, markets are already showing signs […]
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This week on Inside Appalachia, we’ll learn more about how our reliance on coal and other extractive industries have affected our region’s economy. One example is land ownership. Historically, coal and timber companies have owned a large amount of the land in central Appalachia. But as reporter Gwynn Guilford told […]
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