100 Days in Appalachia

In Appalachia’s Battleground States, Election Officials Worry About Cyber Security, Physical Threats and Misinformation

“Everything is a concern” when it comes to election security, according to the elections director in North Carolina.

Appalachia Was a Spiritual Center of Election Denial in 2020. Some in the Region Are Already Calling on God to Intervene in This Year’s Presidential Election.

Once again, there are “prophetic summits,” revivals and prayer gatherings asking God to intervene in politics.

Voting rights, abortion access, and education funding are on the ballot in Appalachia

Beyond the candidates, voters in Appalachian states will consider ballot measures that could significantly change the region’s future.

Appalachia’s Young Voters Could Impact the 2024 Election

Although many feel apathetic about voting or lack the resources needed to cast a ballot, in some places, momentum is building among Appalachian youth.

‘Life-changing Support’: In Rural North Carolina, a Program for Treatment of Substance Use Disorder Through Pregnancy and Beyond Offers Care and Counters Stigma

Project CARA works to get people into care and support them — with a goal of better outcomes for both the babies and their parents.

West Virginia Governor Jim Justice's dog has become a political prop in his tenure. Babydog, as its named, is now immortalized in a mural in the Capitol rotunda. Photo: Perry Bennett/West Virginia Legislative Photography

Politics

WV Capitol Renovation Oversight Skirted for Years. Now, a Babydog Mural is in its Historic Seat of Government

This story was originally published by Mountain State Spotlight. Get stories like this delivered to your email inbox once a week; sign up for the free newsletter at mountainstatespotlight.org/newsletter On West Virginia’s 161st birthday, Gov. Jim Justice came to the […]

Tyler Childers and The Foodstamps perform an evening set at the Whizzbanger's Ball in Glen Jean, West Virginia. Photo: Meg Osborne for Whizzbangers BAM

Appalachian Music

When Your Appalachian Music Roots Show Up on the National Stage, A Reflection on the Whizzbanger’s Ball

If there’s anything to be said about the inaugural Whizzbanger’s Ball at the Summit Bechtel Reserve in Glen Jean, West Virginia, it’s that it served as a long-awaited point of intersection for many. During William Matheny’s Saturday afternoon set, the […]

Dr. Ryan McCarthy, left, started the podcast Healthcare is Human during the COVID-19 pandemic. The storytelling skills he learned during the podcast, he says, has changed the way he practices medicine and interacts with his patients in Appalachia. Photo: Molly Humphreys/Healthcare is Human

Health Care in Appalachia

Finding Solace in Stories: How Narrative Medicine Transformed an Appalachian Doctor’s Practice

In the 1990s when I started medical school, nobody warned me how my job was going to hurt me emotionally. Maybe it’s better they didn’t, as I might have been scared away. I must admit, there were a few omens […]

Front Porch Politics

Front Porch Politics: ‘White Rural Rage’ Gives Voice to My Rage as a Rural Leftist

How can a book be filled with broad generalizations, cynical misrepresentations, and ill-defined parameters — yet still feel true? I’ve been grappling with that question ever since reading “White Rural Rage: The Threat to American Democracy.” Published earlier this year, […]

Immigration

In West Virginia’s ‘Poultry Capital,’ Immigrant Workers Struggle to Find the Help and Support They Need

This story was originally published by Mountain State Spotlight. Get stories like this delivered to your email inbox once a week; sign up for the free newsletter at mountainstatespotlight.org/newsletter. Thousands of immigrants have worked at Pilgrim’s Pride’s Moorefield poultry plant, […]

Latest News

In Appalachia’s Battleground States, Election Officials Worry About Cyber Security, Physical Threats and Misinformation

“Everything is a concern” when it comes to election security, according to the elections director in North Carolina.

A "Trump Victory Center" in Appalachia promoting the "Stop the Steal" movement.

Appalachia Was a Spiritual Center of Election Denial in 2020. Some in the Region Are Already Calling on God to Intervene in This Year’s Presidential Election.

Once again, there are “prophetic summits,” revivals and prayer gatherings asking God to intervene in politics.

In Appalachia’s Battleground States, Election Officials Worry About Cyber Security, Physical Threats and Misinformation

Appalachia Was a Spiritual Center of Election Denial in 2020. Some in the Region Are Already Calling on God to Intervene in This Year’s Presidential Election.

Voting rights, abortion access, and education funding are on the ballot in Appalachia

Appalachia’s Young Voters Could Impact the 2024 Election

‘Life-changing Support’: In Rural North Carolina, a Program for Treatment of Substance Use Disorder Through Pregnancy and Beyond Offers Care and Counters Stigma

WV Capitol Renovation Oversight Skirted for Years. Now, a Babydog Mural is in its Historic Seat of Government

When Your Appalachian Music Roots Show Up on the National Stage, A Reflection on the Whizzbanger’s Ball

Finding Solace in Stories: How Narrative Medicine Transformed an Appalachian Doctor’s Practice

Front Porch Politics: ‘White Rural Rage’ Gives Voice to My Rage as a Rural Leftist

In West Virginia’s ‘Poultry Capital,’ Immigrant Workers Struggle to Find the Help and Support They Need