For several months now, buses full of retired UMWA miners from all over the country have regularly converged upon St. Louis for protests against Peabody Energy and Arch Coal. Peabody and Arch transferred responsibility for the guaranteed lifetime health and pension benefits owed to some 22,000 miners, retired miners, and their families into a third […]
While small business owners are key to building the local economy here in the mountains, not being able to afford health insurance is a huge challenge faced by many. The Affordable Care Act – some call it “Obamacare”- will offer tax credits for businesses with less than 25 employees to help with the cost of […]
On October 12 a group gathered at Appalshop to talk about the importance of accessible, affordable high-speed Internet in Appalachian communities. Residents from across the region came to share their concerns and ideas with special guests Jonathan Adelstein, administrator of the Rural Utilities Service in the US Dept. of Agriculture, and Mark DeFalco from the Appalachian Regional […]
ARTICLE by Willie Davis: In 1931, the Williamson, West Virginia Chamber of Commerce released a booklet celebrating the town. The cover shows, embedded within a cartoon heart, a photograph of the Williamson skyline. We see a bustling, industrious town perched above the Tug River with a railroad shifting coal cars to and from the rest […]
