Following Cherokee Footpaths

Hundreds of years ago, before interstate highways drove through the mountains, a network of trails winding around the Southern Appalachians served as the arteries of the sovereign Cherokee nation.

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Trump’s Would-Be Coal Comeback Faces Long Odds

President-elect Donald Trump has expressed his support of the coal industry. Less clear is how he will attempt to revive the struggling sector — or how he will confront the collateral damage to human health, the environment and the climate that could result.

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Traveling The Crooked Road

Adult Life Expectancy change from 1997-2007 showing a half year to a full year decrease in life expectancy for adults living in areas with mountaintop removal mining

Along its 330-mile route, The Crooked Road in Southwest Virginia connects visitors with the sounds of America’s roots music and demonstrates how a region can leverage its cultural assets to develop a new economy.

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