President Trump’s Thursday announcement of a national public health emergency on the opioid epidemic is already being criticized by some who are calling an unfunded mandate – Democratic House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi responded by calling it “words without the money.” But it is, at least, a start. And that’s […]
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We Have Questions: Seeking Explanation for Halted Mining Impact Study in Appalachia
In a move officials say is meant to “ensure the proper and responsible allocation of taxpayers’ money,” a forthcoming study on the public health impacts of mountaintop removal mining titled, “Potential Human Health Effects of Surface Coal Mining Operations in Central Appalachia” was cancelled in August, leaving behind an unaccounted for […]
Read MoreTrumps Cite Ohio Valley Experience In Opioid Emergency Plan
President Donald Trump outlined on Thursday his long-awaited plan to address the opioid crisis as a national public health emergency. Part of that plan was based on experiences in the Ohio Valley region. In an address at the White House Thursday both President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump mentioned efforts in […]
Read MoreBy Disrespecting Veterans, Trump Disdains Appalachian Voters Who Put Him in Office
In retrospect, we learned all we needed to know about President Trump’s views of the U.S. military when candidate Trump smeared the Khan Gold Star family during the 2016 presidential campaign. He reinforced that impression following the first military action he ordered – a covert SEAL mission in Yemen that […]
Read MorePoverty, justice, and education in Roanoke, Virginia
Stand at the corner of Market Street and Church Avenue in downtown Roanoke, Virginia, and you’ll quickly see why it has become a model for industrial New South and Appalachian cities looking to reinvent themselves. Behind you stands a parking garage, crowned by a newly built Hampton Inn. Across Church […]
Read MorePipelines Fuel Concern for Waterways in Coal Country
Bordering western Pennsylvania, the landscape of eastern Ohio is changing, literally. Stretches of hillsides are being cleared of trees, to make way for well pads and pipelines. The oil and gas industry is starting to take a front seat in what’s traditionally been rural coal country. As in Pennsylvania, some […]
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