Appalachia
Group organizes around rental housing issues in northeast Kentucky
When community organizers started knocking on doors in Boyd County, they were ready to listen to what people had to say about the biggest issues in their lives. What surprised the canvassers was how ready residents were to talk. “It was just house after house after house of people talking to me for 20 or […]
Calipari talks resiliency at Appalachian Regional Commission gathering
ASHLAND — Reflecting on his Appalachian roots, University of Kentucky men’s basketball head coach John Calipari spoke of the resiliency he sees in his upbringing, his players and Kentuckians. Calipari, who grew up in Moon Township, Pennsylvania, and has family ties to West Virginia, spoke in conversation with Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear on the opening […]
One arts gathering flees, another cancels after confrontation in Harlan County
This story has been updated with a statement released Wednesday by Pine Mountain Settlement School. An Appalachian arts nonprofit’s gathering at Pine Mountain Settlement School in Harlan County ended abruptly last weekend after local residents objected to the group’s presence in the chapel, raising concerns among attendees about their safety. A statement issued by the […]
Fourth ‘higher-ground’ homesite for Eastern Kentucky flood victims will be in Knott County
Another residential community to house survivors of last summer’s Eastern Kentucky floods will be in Knott County, along Chestnut Ridge Drive, Gov. Andy Beshear announced Friday. The news, along with the Thursday announcement of a Floyd County site, come on the heels of the one-year anniversary of devastating floods that killed 45 people. Flooding began […]
After flood anniversary, Beshear says $2 million will secure Floyd County rebuilding site
The day after the one-year anniversary of devastating floods in Eastern Kentucky, Gov. Andy Beshear announced plans to provide 34 single-family homes to house flood survivors. Beshear said Thursday that $2 million in Community Development Block Grant funds will be given to the county to acquire two vacant lots — a total of 34 acres […]
New rule aims to limit miners’ silica dust exposure but still relies on coal company self-oversight
Correction: This story previously stated the Mine Safety and Health Administration was not holding a hearing on the new silica dust proposal close to Appalachian coal communities. MSHA announced Thursday it had added a hearing in Beckley, West Virginia on Aug. 10. We regret the error. Gary Harriston, 69, compares what it feels like to […]
A conversation with Silas House, Kentucky’s new poet laureate
LOUISVILLE – Growing up in Eastern Kentucky, author Silas House saw early the power of representation in literature. Lead character John-Boy in the award-winning television series “The Waltons,” for example, was his “hero.” Here was a young country boy who, like House, dreamed of writing. “I didn’t know anybody who wanted to be a writer,” […]
‘Neighbors, heroes and leaders’ step up after last summer’s record flooding
HAZARD — How does one of the nation’s poorest rural regions recover from the most disastrous flooding some of its communities have ever seen? “Neighbors, heroes and leaders.” That answer was the three-legged theme sounded repeatedly by Peter Hille, chair of the East Kentucky Leadership Foundation, at its annual conference in Hazard Thursday and Friday […]
Ashland to host Appalachian Regional Commission conference in September
Representatives from across Appalachia will convene in Ashland Sept. 11-12 for the Appalachian Regional Commission’s annual conference. Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear announced the location, theme and date at the Delta Hotel in Downtown Ashland on Tuesday. He was joined by the commission’s federal co-chair Gayle Manchin. The conference theme is “Appalachia Rises: Resilience, Strength & […]