Who Owns Appalachia, Then and Now?

The success of efforts to rebuild the Appalachian economy may well depend on getting access to land for development. This episode of WMMT’s Mountain Talk includes discussion from a September 2016 meeting at which Shauna Scott, Joe Childers, and Susan Williams shared memories of their involvement in the 1981 Appalachian Land Ownership Study.  The study […]

ARC Study Highlights Appalachia’s Tough Tasks Ahead

Since 2015 the Appalachian Regional Commission has awarded $94 million for Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization (POWER) projects to help coal impacted communities diversify and grow their economies. The ARC is now requesting proposals for an additional $20 million in funding to support worker training and economic development activities in the region. […]

Black Sheep Brick Oven Bakery

Sometimes rebuilding an economy, and lives, means adding one or two jobs at a time. A new bakery established by folks at the Hemphill Community Center in hard pressed coal country aims to provide Letcher County, KY residents with healthy, locally sourced breads and baked goods while supporting Drug Court participants in their journeys to […]

Changing Course: KVEC Schools Aim To Remake East Kentucky

Many people would be surprised to hear that Bill and Melinda Gates and Facebook’s Mark Zuckerburg visited eastern Kentucky schools in 2017, but they came to learn about the innovative and wholistic educational approaches implemented at 22 school districts that are members of the Kentucky Valley Educational Cooperative.  KVEC schools emphasize personalized learning, team projects, […]