Category: Appalachian Mountains
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A major proposal in Mason County in Kentucky has drawn attention across Appalachia as residents, local officials, and regional observers try to understand what a massive data center would mean for the land and for the people who have cared for it through many generations. A Fortune one hundred company has expressed interest in building…
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The Appalachian region has seen a surge of online attention due to a heartfelt exchange between a Kentucky pastor and a TikTok creator who sought to explore how faith communities handle urgent pleas for aid. This story centers on Pastor Johnny Dunbar of Heritage Hope Church of God in Somerset Kentucky, whose gentle response to…
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Across social media, a Kentucky woman’s voice has ignited one of the most emotional debates of the year. Her phone calls to churches across the United States have placed faith, compassion, and poverty under the same spotlight. The woman, named Nikalie Monroe, began posting videos on TikTok in which she poses as a mother who…
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Tucked within the Great Smoky Mountains of eastern Tennessee, Cades Cove remains one of the most beloved and historically rich valleys in the United States. Once a hunting ground for the Cherokee people and later a thriving farming community for early settlers, this mountain valley carries the story of centuries within its rolling fields and…
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Discover the tradition of Apple Stack Cake in Appalachia. Learn how to make this layered spiced apple dessert your granny served every Thanksgiving and Christmas.
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In the mountainous heart of the Appalachian region, food pantries are sounding an alarm. Throughout late 2025, these organizations are grappling with soaring demand, faltering supplies and growing uncertainty as the food assistance safety net frays under the weight of inflation, economic strain and the abrupt interruption of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. Across…
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As the amber leaves fall and the mist curls through the hollers of the Appalachian Mountains, an ancestral pulse still beats in the region’s weathered cabins and creaking barns. In the heart of this landscape, spun from ridgetops and narrow valleys, from hewn logs and moonlit hollers, lingers the legacy of superstition. Each gust of…
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As of November 2, 2025, the United States federal government remains in a shutdown that began October 1 after Congress failed to pass appropriation bills for the fiscal year. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, which millions of Americans rely on to buy groceries, are being severely disrupted. In the Appalachian region, where food insecurity…
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Halloween in the mountains had a feeling all its own. The air turned sharp with the smell of wood smoke, and leaves crunched under our feet like dry cornflakes. The hills of Marshall, North Carolina, stood dark and close around us, their ridges holding secrets that only children and old folks could sense. I grew…
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The opioid crisis in Appalachia remains a profound public health challenge, exerting an outsized impact on the region compared to other parts of the United States. While national efforts to address opioid misuse and overdose deaths have demonstrated some progress, Appalachia continues to experience elevated rates of mortality related to opioids, reflecting the complexity of…
Echoes of Appalachia 