Two recent economic reports paint a discouraging picture of the economic and wage condition of many West Virginians – it’s tough news that West Virginians are sadly accustomed to hearing. But each report includes some off-the-headlines data that may offer promise. First the hard facts: According to the recently released […]

Talks on renegotiating NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement, are set for later this month and farm country is concerned about the potential fallout from a trade dispute. Pork producers are especially nervous about the implications of a threat from President Trump to place a 20 percent tariff on […]

A Virginia pastor finds the connection between the values of Appalachian Trail hikers he meets in town and those of his congregation: listening, story-telling, a quieting of technological distractions. Most days I cross the Appalachian Trail at Bearwallow Gap, in Virginia, coming down from the Blue Ridge Parkway as I […]

My daughter probably doesn’t know that wherever she goes in our small city, she’s part of creating our interconnected world. But one day, perhaps soon, maybe she will. Last Thursday night, I found myself wondering if life could get more precious than this: My 6-year-old daughter Lucy stood next to […]

Lawmakers and union leaders are raising concerns about the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration’s practices amid an increase in coal fatalities. West Virginia Democratic Senator Joe Manchin asked MSHA for more information after receiving what he calls “alarming” reports about how the agency is implementing its new Compliance Assistance Program . In […]

The number of people living in rural continues to slide, according to the latest population estimates by the U.S. Census Bureau. People have left rural America in decades past. The big difference now is that the number of births in rural areas isn’t keeping pace with the number of deaths. […]