Rethinking Retraining

In the midst of the Appalachian region’s declining industries, politicians are betting big on job training, with millions directed at those who lost jobs in coal mining and power plants. The U.S. Department of Labor recently announced nearly $5 million for worker training programs in Appalachia. Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky announced more than $2 […]

After Six Years Will SOAR Lift Off?

Appalachia’s coal country is struggling to diversity its economy amidst the collapse of the coal industry. SOAR, or Shaping Our Appalachian Future, is an effort begun 6 years ago by Rep. Hal Rogers and then Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear to rebuild the regional economy. The Ohio Valley ReSource’s Sydney Boles attended the annual meeting and […]

Kentucky Can Do Better With Tax Reform

One of the biggest challenges affecting efforts to rebuild eastern Kentucky’s economy is the failure of the state to properly invest in the region and its people due to an inadequate tax system that has led to repeated budget cuts to education, health care, social services, infrastructure and more. In this episode, Jason Bailey, Executive […]

SNAP Cuts Hurt People And Economy

More than 600,000 Kentuckians, many of them children, are going hungry, according to a new “Map the Meal Gap” report by the group Feeding America. The situation could become worse due to changes in the SNAP program that are being implemented at the state and proposed by the Trump Administration on the federal level. Dustin […]