Posts Tagged ‘North Carolina’
Charlie Jackson: Bringing Farms to Market
By Peter Boucher Charlie Jackson found a simple answer to the complex problems of regional agriculture. He founded the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project in 1995 to create new markets for mountain farmers who had lost their cash crop. Tobacco had sustained farms for nearly half a century, but in the late ‘90s, farms were rapidly…
Read MoreFour Projects on Fourth Creek
By Hallie Carde Bob and Jill Kinser claim to have the best water around, and they’re quick to offer a glass to anyone to prove it. In fact, the only thing more apparent than the Kinsers’ hospitality is their hardworking nature. Looking for a place in the country to keep horses, the couple moved to…
Read MoreInvestigation Finds Fraud in Black Lung Cases
By Kimber Ray A year-long investigation revealed evidence this fall that the coal industry has supported fraudulent practices in order to block workers’ compensation claims for black lung disease. According to the investigation conducted by The Center for Public Integrity and ABC News, it appears that officials at prestigious medical institutions including Johns Hopkins Hospital…
Read MoreThousand Cankers Disease Hits East Tennessee
By Meredith Warfield Black walnut trees are dying in Morgan and Rhea counties of eastern Tennessee. The culprit, according to a Tennessee Department of Agriculture announcement made this November, is Thousand Cankers Disease. The disease is a recent phenomenon in the East, but has been wreaking havoc in the western United States for the past…
Read MoreRegional Mountain Photography Contest Seeks Entries for 2014
By Kimber Ray The 11th annual Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition is now open for registration. competition invites both amateur and professional photographers to “showcase their interpretation of the unique character, people, places and pursuits that distinguish the Southern Appalachians.” Competition categories include: Adventure, Best in Show, Blue Ridge Parkway: People on the Parkway, Culture, Our…
Read MoreN.C. Citizens Speak Up About Power Plant Water Pollution
By Sarah Kellogg Four out of five power plants currently have no limits on the levels of heavy metals they can dump into rivers and lakes. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, however, is preparing to change that, and in the process they are hearing from impacted citizens around the country. Since June, more than 165,000…
Read MoreProgress on Black Lung Prevention
By Kimber Ray After over three years of delay, a proposal for stricter coal dust standards appears to be moving forward. The U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration has submitted a final draft of its rules to the Office of Management and Budget for review. This development followed a letter sent by Senator Jay Rockefeller…
Read MoreHistorical Hidden Treasures of North Carolina
By Rachel Ellen Simon Junaluska Memorial Site, Museum, and Medicine Trail Cherokee warrior Junaluska was among the thousands of Native Americans that were forcibly relocated via the Trail of Tears in the 1830s. Unlike most, however, Junaluska was eventually able to return to his former home in North Carolina, where he died in 1868. Near…
Read MoreRaising the Standard
How State Laws Affect Our Clean Energy Future By Molly Moore Raising the Standard: State Laws and our Clean Energy Future Democratizing the Grid: Community-owned Renewable Energy Bio-energy Creates a Mass of Questions Beyond Renewable: The Cutting Edge in Energy A Guide to Clean Energy Incentives Almost Always Sunny in Appalachia New Vision: Faith-based Renewable…
Read MoreSpreading Knowledge of Appalachian Wildflowers
By Chelsey Fisher Rita McKinney has always had a passion for wildflowers, particularly rare North Carolina orchids. Starting in the 1980s, her personal work with a greenhouse led her to contact other horticulturalists, and eventually to volunteer in the horticulture department at Mayland Community College’s Spruce Pine campus. When the former lab instructor left in…
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