United States
World politics and Appalachia
The merger offers an illustration of how a small handful of corporate executives make profit-driven decisions for shareholders that have long-term negative consequences for the public.
Coal miners in Appalachia are exposed to double the levels of silica dust and researchers discovered a massive cluster of black lung cases in Appalachia, because the last two Republican federal administrations have taken a deregulatory stance toward the coal industry.
Dad coughed up a few small specks of blood one morning in late November. His niece took him to the hospital an hour away in a neighboring state. They diagnosed him with lung cancer, which is terrifying at the best of times. But dad doesn't live in the best of times.
Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin Joe Manchin If Democrats want to save Build Back Better, it must be paid for in full Killing the Child Tax Credit is a middle-class tax hike in disguise There's no use in trying to shame Manchin - he has none MORE (D-W.Va.)
Anthony Flaccavento is a thinker and a doer. He is also the progressive Democratic nominee in Virginia's 9th Congressional District. His candidacy represents a glimmer of hope for Democrats that they could eek out a victory in a district that is currently considered, by most measures, soundly red.
Tourist-cabin rentals in Southwest Virginia began long before Airbnb arrived. But the online service is part of the market now and may be one reason for increased regulation of the cabin-rental market. EDITOR'S NOTE: Jacob Stump grew up in rural Southwest Virginia as the region was develop ing its tourism industry, which today generates nearly $1 billion in spending each year .
Ultra guru Jason Green brings a new vibe to the trail running scene. Jason Green has an infectious passion for running ultra long-distances in the mountains of Southwest Virginia and he's spread that excitement from one corner of Appalachia to runners across the country, and beyond.
Footpaths, bike trails and car tours guide tourists and locals alike through the region's natural and cultural heritage. The spending that accompanies the use of such trails has helped revive local economies. But wage levels remain a challenge.
Southwest Virginia turned an unused railroad right of way into a critical part of a regional tourism powerhouse. Jacob Stump, a native of the region, begins a series on how those changes have affected the economy and culture of this Central Appalachian area.
Southwest Virginia has casually forgotten the racial violence at its heart, as if this ugly history never happened. Instead, the Confederacy is memorialized, new stores are built on top of unique historical landmarks, and community leaders too often simply ignore the few known artifacts that tie the region to the exploitation of the slaves on which much of Appalachian society was built.
The U.S. president's skimpy work day and workweek recently made news headlines. Par-tisan liberals ate up the fact that Trump spends little time at his job. I admit, the hypocrisy is funny.
Appalachian workers, like most all workers in America, are caught between the proverbial "rock and a hard place" when it comes to wages. It is true that after the Republican tax reform legislation passed into law in 2017, some companies like AT&T and Walmart gave modest pay raises and bonuses.
At a reported $15 per gallon, "raw water" is making some entrepreneurs a lot of money, because it amounts to selling unfiltered water to comfortably middle class hipsters who have too many dollars and not enough sense. "Raw water" is also a way to send health professionals into a panic over the dangers of drinking unfiltered water.
My dad thinks that the whole discussion about climate change has gone off the rails. He is a honeybee keeper in Southwest Virginia. He understands better than most people that honeybees have had a really difficult time over the past decade. In some winters, Dad lost 60 percent of his hives.
Appalachia is relatively secure in terms of world politics, and that is a good thing given the apparent possibility of nuclear war. We are currently caught between two nuclear-armed political leaders, the U.S. President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un of North Korea.
Upon closer inspection, I find that I agree with U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders: the Republican tax plan looks a lot like a bait-and-switch gimmick that could put Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid at risk. These government-run programs are the lynchpins of the American social safety net.
A disturbing truth was revealed in the ongoing spat between Sen. John McCain and President Donald Trump. That is: Most people who fight and die in American wars come from the working class. McCain, widely seen as criticizing Trump's multiple deferments from fighting in the Vietnam War, highlighted this fact of class inequality recently when he was being interviewed for a C-SPAN3 show, "American History TV."
A disturbing truth was revealed in the ongoing spat between Sen. John McCain and President Donald Trump. That is: Most people who fight and die in American wars come from the working class. McCain, widely seen as criticizing Trump's multiple deferments from fighting in the Vietnam War, highlighted this fact of class inequality recently when he was being interviewed for a C-SPAN3 show, "American History TV."
The destructive spectacle of opioid abuse that marks America and particularly Appalachia today is, sadly, a profitable business. Wildly profiting on the suffering of others is a symptom of the overall healthcare tragedy we're currently experiencing. The pharmaceutical industry is certainly out to make profit. Take West Virginia.
A health care system like Medicare For All is right for Southwest Virginia because it benefits the vast majority of the residents who live here. Residents are, on average, older and poorer and are most likely to suffer because of the current health care system. In mid-September, Sen.
Politicians of all stripes tend to sway with changing winds. West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice has switched political parties twice in less than one year. But, more recently, House Republicans are looking more and more like flip-flopping political opportunists when it comes to budget votes. Take Reps.
The Republican tax reform plan is not right for Southwest Virginia because it primarily benefits corporations and upper-income Americans. About 750,000 people live in the 9th Congressional District in Southwest Virginia. Almost half of these residents are neither wealthy nor even securely in the middle class.
I remember when my aunt and uncle had a 2-acre allotment of tobacco. I didn't understand then, but growing small allotments of burley tobacco was in its twilight, becoming decreasingly profitable for years. My aunt and uncle stopped growing in 2006, as did most everyone else.
Unfortunately, the current debate about the Confederate flags and monuments has boiled down to a (no pun intended) black and white disagreement, remove the memorials or keep them. Political debates like this impoverish our imaginations. Yes, I can see the persuasiveness of the history and heritage arguments.
Appalachians die earlier and in larger numbers compared to people living outside the area because of an enduring history of regional poverty, neglectful political leadership and diminished federal investment - and our local representative has been virtually silent about it. The Appalachian Regional Commission, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky co-released a report Aug.
The existence of the Virginia Creeper Trail is an important reminder of a different kind of political climate and a different kind of congressional representation in Southwest Virginia, one focused more directly on the common good. In the 1980s, Representative Rick Boucher secured federal money for Southwest Virginia.
Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-9th, believes in the Congressional Budget Office's scoring of legislation until he doesn't - and, when it comes to health care, this politically convenient flip-flopping will hurt the poorest and oldest constituents in Virginia's 9th District.
Scholarly Writing
Peer reviewed article
This article engages a recent Journal of Appalachian Studies roundtable (Volume 22, Number 1), organized by Steve Fisher and Barbara Ellen Smith, that critiqued...