100 Days in Appalachia | Appalachia Matters

Grammy Award-Winning Musician Tim O’Brien and the Next Generation of Appalachian Bluegrass

“Music kind of creates a community, and it’s an exalted position to be up on a stage and to be part of the thing that brings people together,” O’Brien said.

The AI Boom Has Plunged a Small Pennsylvania Town Into Chaos

“This story was originally published by Grist. Sign up for Grist’s weekly newsletter here.” “I don’t like to see anyone upset,” said Nick Farris of Provident Real Estate Advisors. He was sitting in the front of a crowd of roughly 150 inside Valley View High School’s auditorium in Archbald, a […]

As Federal Immigration Agents Descended on Minneapolis, Residents Deployed Mutual Aid to Protect Their Neighbors

Like neighbors mucking-out flooded basements in McDowell County, to public showings of solidarity across the rust belt, to miners striking in the 1920s — Minneapolis is leading in the long grassroots tradition of mutual aid to protect their community from the inside out.

More ICE Detainees Ordered Released by West Virginia Judges: ‘A Threat to Anyone’s Constitutional Rights is a Threat to Us All’

Three different federal judges have ordered four more immigrants picked up in January’s ICE raids released on constitutional grounds

In Virginia, People in Prison are Still Working For Pennies

Most U.S. states still allow prisons to pay people incarcerated there subminimum wage for their labor.

In North Carolina, Helene’s Destruction Underscores the Value of Homegrown Rural Health Care

In a region where many suffer from chronic conditions that require long-term medical care, cultural awareness can help provide a a firm foundation for doctor-patient relationships.

Mid-Ohio Valley Group Blends Religion, Politics to Affect Policy in Ohio and West Virginia

Quietly, over the past 15 years, small group Bible-study-style gatherings near Parkersburg, W.Va. have formed the foundation for a movement that punches above its weight in terms of political influence.

Appalachia

Reclaiming and Revitalizing Resources in West Virginia’s Southern Coalfields

The demand for clean water in McDowell County is but one element of a groundswell of community-based activism to reclaim and revitalize resources.

Appalachia

In West Virginia’s Southern Coalfields, a Grassroots ‘Jubilee’

Davis and Ware want to use the church that once divided McDowell County into miners and management to reclaim what has been taken from them.

Day One

Day One: The Inauguration

On Jan. 20, tens of thousands of people flooded Washington, D.C. to watch the pomp and circumstance of President Donald Trump’s second inauguration. Local law enforcement agencies estimated that more than 200,000 people had tickets to the inauguration. This turnout […]

The Price of Recovery

Michelle Allen is the career and technical instructor at Robert C. Byrd High School and also runs GameChanger, the school’s prevention education club. Photo by Sam Nichols/West Virginia University

Politically-Connected W.Va. GameChanger Program Receives Opioid Funds Amid Doubts from Experts

On a Tuesday afternoon, Michelle Allen is in her office in an empty Robert C. Byrd High School. Allen is […]

Pineville, Wyoming County, West Virginia. Photo by Aidan Cornue/West Virginia University

W.Va. Opioid Settlement Funds are Supposed to Reverse Years of Crisis. In Several Counties, They’re Being Used to Pay Regional Jail Bills.

In rural Wyoming County, West Virginia, Ann Reed is the sheriff’s department’s only social worker. Funded through a temporary grant […]

Randall Brown teaches his Addiction Behavioral Awareness program at Lauren’s Wish in Morgantown, W.Va. Photo: Sam Nichols/West Virginia University

W.Va. Counties Set the Rules for Opioid Funds — with No One Watching

For two hours every Thursday and Friday, Randall Brown gathers a handful of people in front of a whiteboard. They […]

Religion

‘In the Boat Together’: Post-Helene, Faith Communities Have Been Central to NC’s Long-Term Recovery

In the year since the storm devastated parts of western North Carolina, religious congregations have provided food, housing and supplies — as well as a shared sense of community.

‘A Crisis of Truth:’ Trauma, Disinformation and the New Apostolic Reformation’s Effect on Our Politics

Many find healing from trauma in religion. But that trauma can also be used by religious leaders to activate political action.

What is the New Apostolic Reformation? How a Religio-Political Movement is Affecting U.S. and Appalachian Politics

Here’s some context and clarity about the relationship between dominion theology and the NAR, the “apostles” and “prophets” who lead this movement, and what it all means for our politics.

Generation Zeitgeist

A booth set up by Knoxville Abortion Justice Alliance.

Appalachian Tennessee Abortion Providers Are Still Fighting to Provide Care

Amid abortion bans across Southern Appalachia, it’s harder than ever for abortion providers in Tennessee to offer services.

From the Editor: “We’ve Seen The Future, It Looks Like Young Appalachia.”

I’ve been thinking about our efforts since 2016 to collectively rewrite a different future, one where Appalachia, especially young Appalachia, is fully cognizant of the dystopia and hopeful nonetheless.

Ethan Herx/The Post. Two student journalists sit on either side of a coffee table with their laptops on it. A television showing election night news is mounted on the wall between them.

Inside Election Night As A Student Journalist

Student journalists with The Post, an independent, award-winning, student-run news publication on Ohio University, take readers inside covering election night.

Environment

What Arabia Can Teach Appalachia About Floods

Yemen is probably not the first place one thinks of when thinking of Appalachia and its damaging flooding. But maybe it should be.

In Kanawha County, WV, Opioid Settlement Funding for Syringe Services Faces Barriers

In the early afternoon of Wednesday, Sept. 17, emergency rooms in Charleston, West Virginia, began experiencing an influx of people […]

Mayor Al Tomson discusses a proposed power plant and data center on May 27 in the Davis, West Virginia, Town Hall.

‘We Know What It’s Like To Be Exploited’: Tucker County, W.Va., Grapples With Future-Defining AI-Infrastructure Proposal

To fully appreciate the beauty of Tucker County, you must visit. Nestled at 3,500 feet in the gorgeous Allegheny Mountains […]

In Push to ‘Make Appalachia Healthy Again,’ Some Big Barriers to Health Go Ignored

West Virginia consistently ranks at or near the bottom among states for health outcomes. But despite a new focus on health, officials aren’t addressing the everyday barriers to healthy living.