A New Call for Pitches for a New Appalachian Era
We continue to tell the stories of our region, with an eye toward deeply-reported modern-day stories of Appalachia’s challenges and triumphs. And if you’re a writer or journalist in the region, we want to hear from you.
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Big Tech Comes to Tucker County, WV
Local officials say a new power plant proposal is clearly meant to support data centers. And these promises of economic development are all too familiar in a region where extractive industries have come at a significant cost to people, communities and a healthy environment.
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Fasnacht in Helvetia, West Virginia
After 58 years, Helvetia’s Fasnacht celebration continues to stand as a testament to the Swiss roots of its earliest participants, while also becoming part of a uniquely Appalachian tradition.
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‘Hell or High Water’: Southern W.Va. Three Weeks After the Flood
On February 15, 2025, a catastrophic flood ravaged McDowell County, West Virginia, and much of the state’s southern coalfields. At least three people were reported dead due to the flash flooding, with dozens more reported missing and more than 700 […]
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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.
Read MoreReligion
‘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.
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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.
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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.
Read MoreGeneration Zeitgeist
Commentary: A Key to Solving Appalachia’s Mental Health Crisis? Culturally-responsive Care.
When I entered adulthood and moved out of the house to attend college more than three hours away in Louisville, […]
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When You Aren’t Old Enough for a Vaccine: An Alabama Sixth Grader on COVID-19
This article was written before FDA authorization of the COVID-19 vaccine for children under the age of 12. The COVID-19 […]
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COVID Fears, Stress and Anxiety Continue for College Students Back on Campus
As college students around the country returned to campus this fall, the start of the semester came with an ongoing […]
Read MoreEnvironment
A Political Power Play Overruled West Virginians in the Path of the Mountain Valley Pipeline. They Still Feel Betrayed.
In the wake of U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin promising his vote for a major climate change bill in exchange for the pipeline’s remaining permits, people in the project’s path are torn on their next steps.
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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.
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Kentucky Flooding Tests Faith-based Disaster Response in Appalachia as Church Membership Declines
In eastern Kentucky, they waited for the rain to stop. “I’ve never heard that much rain that hard in my […]
Read MoreHealth
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.
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‘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.
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These Appalachian Lawmakers are Working to Protect Black Mothers in the Region and Beyond
When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention introduced its Pregnancy Mortality Surveillance System in 1987, the number of pregnancy-related […]
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