Across Appalachia
Paying Tribute to a Beloved Daughter of Appalachia
Jean Ritchie, Kentucky-born folk hero, environmentalist and activist, died this June in her Berea, Ky. home at the age of 92.
Read MoreKentucky Flood Kills 4, Destroys 120 Homes
An Ohio Valley flood devastated parts of southern Indiana and eastern Kentucky, leaving behind 4 casualties and 120 homes destroyed.
Read MoreNo Reason to Fear the Weevil Outbreak
An outbreak of weevils — a small, black bug easily confused with the deer tick — stirred false alarm this summer.
Read MoreWhite House Unveils New Plans to Protect Honeybees
By Laura Marion The White House unveiled its federal honeybee protection plan less than a week after the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that honeybee populations further declined by 40 percent between April 2014 and April 2015. The agency’s National Strategy to Promote the Health of Honey Bees and Other Pollinators plan will provide funding…
Read MorePublic Comment Period on Key Ingredient of RoundUp
By Laura Marion This May, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency told Reuters news agency that it has finished a review of the health and environmental impacts of glyphosate — a chemical used in popular herbicides such as RoundUp — and will release a preliminary human health risk assessment this July. After this release, the EPA…
Read MoreLa Crosse Virus on the Rise in Appalachia
By Laura Marion A third species of mosquito capable of transmitting the La Crosse encephalitis virus has been discovered in the Appalachian region, according to a report published by the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Up to 100 cases of the disease are reported each year in the United States. The disease mainly…
Read MoreTennessee Rivers at Risk
By Cody Burchett According to a report released this May by the nonprofit Tennessee Clean Water Network, surface water enforcement actions issued by Tennessee state regulators have dropped 75 percent since 2008. Of the 53 enforcement orders issued last year by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, more than a quarter were related to…
Read MoreNewfound Native American Burial Ground Protected
By Julia Lindsay A largely undisturbed burial mound recently discovered in Greenup County, Ky., could provide a window into early Native American culture. The 20 feet high by 80 feet long mass dates back to the Fort Ancient or Woodland periods, which occurred approximately 500 to 2,500 years ago. The Archaeological Conservancy plans to conduct…
Read MoreRegional Report Details Victories, Challenges Over Poverty
A report released in February by the Appalachian Regional Commission, Appalachia Then and Now: Examining Changes to the Appalachian Region Since 1965, examines the impact of improved infrastructure, education and job opportunities across the region. According to the report, Appalachia’s poverty rate dropped from 31 percent to 16.6 percent over the last five decades.
Read MoreNC Forest Plan Delayed Amid Public Confusion
After the U.S. Forest Service encountered heated public outcry in response to the release of a draft management plan for the Pisgah-Nantahala National Forests this past October, the agency revised its goal of creating a final plan from 2016 to early 2017.
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