Appalachia

The Joy Valley Nature Preserve is the result of one of the largest private land protection initiatives in state history.

The Sons and Daughters of Pioneer Rivermen recently announced plans to open the state’s first river maritime academy in eastern Ohio’s Monroe County. It’s an effort to address a need for tug boat operators and deckhands.

Cincinnati’s Urban Appalachian Community Coalition works to support people with Appalachian roots living in southwest Ohio. An oral historian with the organization interviewed dozens of Appalachian women to understand the impact of their migration to the city.

The southern Ohio city of Portsmouth is known for its floodwall murals. Now, a nonprofit is painting sidewalks, basketball courts and brick walls too. But federal funding cuts threaten the bigger picture.

Don MacRostie has been hand crafting mandolins in southeast Ohio for nearly 50 years.

The Sons and Daughters of Pioneer Rivermen recently announced plans to open the state’s first river maritime academy in eastern Ohio’s Monroe County. It’s an effort to address a need for tug boat operators and deckhands.

In southeast Ohio, the dental professional shortage hits the hardest. Many residents in the state’s Appalachian counties aren’t able to get the preventative oral health care they need.

Researchers at Ohio University are working on a project to help bring electric planes to more Appalachian airports. The school recently received $500,000 from the federal Appalachian Regional Commission for its work.

Tick-borne diseases, like Lyme disease, are increasing dramatically in Ohio. Health officials in Appalachia are looking for ways to combat the risk.

The county adopted the idea of friendship benches from Zimbabwe. It aims to address social isolation by bringing trained health workers into underserved parts of the community.