The downturn of coal in Harlan County, Kentucky has led to an exodus of Black residents in search of work. This week on Inside Appalachia, we listen back to our conversation with William Turner, whose book about growing up in a vibrant Black community in eastern Kentucky just won the Weatherford Award for nonfiction from the Appalachian Studies Association.
The downturn of coal in Harlan County, Kentucky has led to an exodus of Black residents in search of work. This week on Inside Appalachia, we speak with William Turner, whose new book looks at growing up in a vibrant Black community during Harlan’s boom years.
Credit Benny Becker | Ohio Valley ReSource
Eastern Kentucky’s water problems are well documented, but for Pike County, some help may be on the way. The county’s two Appalachian Regional Commission applications for water system improvements and flood prevention infrastructure have officially been recommended for federal funding by Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, who announced his support for the projects during a tour of the county on Monday.
A little more than $670,000 of the proposed funding would go toward Mountain Water, which serves most Pike County water customers outside of the towns of Pineville and Elkhorn City.. According to Mountain Water administrator Ron Sawyers, the funding matches other grants and loans sought by the utility for needed water main upgrades and an expansion of one water tank, serving a total of 300 customers and businesses.
In December, Kathy Fletcher, a lifelong Martin County, Kentucky, resident and mother, found her water was shut off. When it came back on, something was