The cat's out of the bag now: Kentucky is home to one of journalism's rising stars

Grant Gerstner after being presented first place in print reporting 
at the CFINR annual awards ceremony. (Photo via the Era)

Grant Gerstner, the editor of The Oldham Era and the Henry County Local for Paxton Media, won "one of the nation’s most prestigious journalism awards during a May 19 ceremony in Washington, D.C., when he received first place in the print reporting category during the Center for Integrity in News Reporting’s annual awards ceremony," reports the Oldham staff.

Gerstner's award-winning series followed the path of a controversial data center build planned in Oldham County. He succeeded in out-writing competition from "major publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post and others," they add. He is the first Kentucky-based reporter to win the award, which comes with a $25,000 prize.

The CFINR judges praised Gerstner's reporting as remarkably fair and thorough. The Era reports, "The judges singled out the work for what is often hardest in small-market reporting: covering a contested local issue from start to finish without taking a side, and trusting the reader to understand the trade-offs."

Era and Local Publisher Jane Ashley Pace praised Gerstner's work as an example of the important part media can play in a community, saying, "Grant's coverage became a trusted source of information and proves why local newspapers like the Era are so important."

Gerstner graduated from South Oldham High School in 2019,  the Era reports. "He later joined the Era and Local in 2024 after graduating from the University of Louisville."

Gerstner told reporters, "Winning this award is the honor of a lifetime, and it is made all the sweeter by the fact that my reporting followed one of the largest issues in the history of my hometown."

The bourbon bubble has burst

Tight budgets and health concerns have slowed U.S.
bourbon sales. (Photo by Thomas Park, Unsplash)

After years of sales growth and production expansion, bourbon distillers and barrel cooperages have seen their businesses shrink as Americans tighten their purse strings, explore sober-curious lifestyles or choose hangover-free options like cannabis and THC beverages, reports Laura Cooper of The Wall Street Journal. "The Trump administration’s trade wars have dented U.S. alcohol exports."

Bourbon's renewed popularity began around 2010, as craft cocktail designers used it as an elevated staple, followed by the pandemic lockdowns, when "Americans heavily stocked their bar carts … with bourbon and other spirits," Cooper explains. "But after peaking in 2022 at 31.2 million nine-liter cases, consumption of American whiskey — including bourbon, Tennessee whiskey, rye and single malts — has slowed."

In Kentucky, where 95% of the world's bourbon is made, the spirit's sinking sales are leading to closed stills, employee layoffs and labor-hour reductions. The state is "awash" with unsold bourbon, Cooper reports. "Kentucky is sitting on roughly 16.1 million barrels of bourbon — the equivalent of around 300 million cases. That’s the largest reserve ever, enough to last as much as 10 years."

Because U.S. law requires bourbon to be aged in new, charred barrels of oak, the bourbon boom became a barrel boom. At its zenith in 2023 and 2024, distillers were "paying upward of $285 per barrel. Since then, prices have dropped significantly, industry players say," Cooper adds. Some large spirit companies have announced plans to sell their cooperages because barrel production isn't needed.

Since bourbon distillers can only use a barrel for bourbon once, when barrels are emptied, they are "often resold to distillers in Scotland or Ireland, where they can find a second act storing scotch, rum or other spirits, over a lifespan of some 80 years," Cooper explains. Used barrels that would have fetched "more than $200 at the end of 2024, now go for around $50, as liquor demand has also plummeted."

Newsrooms in Kentucky discuss using artificial intelligence in local reporting

Marlowe's opinion on using AI to help with reporting 
has changed. (Photo by Lily Burris, WKMS)

News organizations in Western Kentucky are looking for ways to use artificial intelligence to improve reporting without sacrificing audience trust. 

Journalists at WKDZ, which is a part of Edge Media Group along with stations in Hopkinsville, Madisonville, Princeton and Elkton, are "figuring out how to integrate the newer technology into their workflow," reports Lily Burris of WKMS in Murray, Kentucky.

Edge Media Group’s CEO and owner, Beth Mann, told Burris, "AI is a technology that's changing. … We discuss AI every single day, and it is part of our conversation and training in all of our weekly meetings.”

Mann isn't alone in her search for the proverbial where, when, how and why of AI implementation in community reporting. Chris Evans, publisher and editor of the Crittenden Press in Crittenden County, regularly uses AI to get his job done. Burris reports, "A series of Associated Press webinars about AI usage in journalism made Evans feel more comfortable with the tool and helped him establish his 'guardrails.'"

Alex Mahadevan, director of the AI Innovation Lab at the Poynter Institute, "advises newsrooms on the ethics of implementing AI," Burris writes. "He said the big question in journalism is how much AI-generated content audiences should see and how to disclose when it’s used to maintain trust with them."

Over time, some reporters have changed their minds about using AI. "Edward Marlowe, a reporter at WKDZ since mid-2021, said two years ago he would’ve told someone it was out of the question if they’d asked him about AI. … Now [he] uses it for certain tasks," Burris adds. 

Evans thinks that as smaller news outlets get used to AI alongside their audiences, it may help local news services stay afloat. "Cost is a major factor in why Evans believes smaller newspapers could benefit from AI, especially those that can’t afford another employee," Burris adds. 

Sevier County finds a way to keep Great Smoky Mountains National Park open despite government shutdown

Smoky Mountains National Park
(David Hertle, Unsplash)

Sevier County in Tennessee worked together with state officials, U.S. senators’ offices, and local partners to keep the Great Smoky Mountains National Park open despite the government shutdown that caused other parks around the country to close, Tyler Whetstone reported for the Knoxville News Sentinel.

Mayor Larry Waters said that keeping the park open during the shutdown is important as October draws a lot of visitors who contribute to the economies of Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg.

If the shutdown continues beyond November, they might not continue to keep it open because the costs might outweigh the benefits as visitation numbers drop in winter.

“I wish the federal government would look at us working together and getting this done,” Waters said in an interview with Whetstone. “I think it’s a good template for governments working in the interests of people.”

Local partners and organizations all pitched in money, some around $45,000, while the state of Tennessee gave $80,000 to keep the park running.

“One positive aspect of the routine threats of federal government shutdowns is it has allowed local governments to build up muscle memory on how to cope,” Whetstone wrote.

Quick hits: Kentucky history in photos; rural SNAP use; world's biggest telescope; gloomy toy tariffs; radishes!

South Fork of the Kentucky River, Breathitt County, Kentucky, 1940. 
(Photo by Marion Post Wolcott, Farm Security Administration)

Even one photo of an event or a person during a historical era can add rich nuance to a story. Sometimes, photos can even be the story. "Imagine looking at a state in forty-year intervals. Documenting Kentucky: Three Photographic Surveys, does just that in a new show at the Frazier History Museum in Louisville, Kentucky," reports Ted Wathen for The Daily Yonder." From loading cut tobacco leaves to a handful of newly hatched guinea chicks to horse-led recliners, the photographs tell quite a story.

Far fewer rural families currently use the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, than they did in 2015. "SNAP use has declined in nearly every state," reports John McCracken of Investigate Midwest. "Rural states have seen major drops in the number of households using the program, with Iowa, Mississippi, Arkansas and Tennessee seeing the most significant declines." The recently passed "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" will reduce federal SNAP spending by $290 billion over the next decade.

A small section of the observatory’s total view of the Virgo cluster. Bright stars in the Milky Way galaxy shine in the foreground, and many distant galaxies are in the background. (NSF-DOE photo)

Outer space can be a shared adventure as the world's largest telescope starts taking pictures. "The Vera C. Rubin Observatory is poised to discover billions of new astronomical objects, revolutionizing understanding of everything from the history of the solar system to the workings of dark energy," reports Jay Bennett for Wired. "The telescope will create a decade-long, high-resolution movie of the universe. It will generate about 20 terabytes of data per day, the equivalent of three years streaming Netflix."

While Santa Claus hasn't commented on the subject, the U.S. toy industry is hurting from high tariffs on Chinese goods. "The cost of toys and games is rising at a record rate as the industry begins to feel the impact of President Donald Trump’s tariffs on China," reports Rhian Lubin of The Independent. "Nearly 80% of the toys sold in the U.S. are sourced from China, according to The Toy Association, and the industry is bracing itself. . . . Last month Mattel, the creator of Barbie, Hot Wheels, Uno, American Girl and more, was threatened by Trump for refusing to move its production to the U.S. – the ultimate goal of the president’s tariffs."

Radishes come in a wide variety of flavors, colors
and shapes. (Photo by Philippe Collard, Unsplash)

For some people, summer's glory is summed up in a trip to the garden or a local farmer's market, where a variety of colors and flavors await to be tossed together into a delectable meal. Some visitors love fresh sweet corn, while some are rhubarb aficionados, but others love root crops -- especially radishes. "Of all the root crops known to humankind, my favorite is the humble radish," writes Jerry Nelson of Successful Farming. "Radishes are a good source of vitamin C, minerals, and bad breath. But their benefits don’t end there. They don’t even begin there. . . ."

Despite all their flaws, people are remarkably adaptable and creative beings. "Humans are the only animal that lives in virtually every possible environment, from rain forests to deserts to tundra," reports Christina Larson of The Associated Press. "This adaptability is a skill that long predates the modern age. According to a new study published in Nature, ancient Homo sapiens developed the flexibility to survive by finding food and other resources in a wide variety of difficult habitats." In other words, we were born food foragers and farmers!

In flood-torn Appalachia, building or rebuilding housing is a complex problem with a long history

Percentage of renters considered housing cost-burdened.
(The Conversation map, from U.S. Census 2023 data)

As parts of Appalachia are left ravaged by more than one “thousand-year flood," residents remain in their communities, but many people still can't find housing or rebuild, writes Kristina P. Brant for The Conversation. "The floods have highlighted the resilience of local people to work together for collective survival in rural Appalachia. But they have also exposed the deep vulnerability of communities, many of which are located along creeks at the base of hills and mountains with poor emergency warning systems."

Persistent poverty, a lack of decent housing and a history of unequal land ownership leave many Appalachian residents with few options when faced with a natural disaster. Brant explains, "When I first moved to eastern Kentucky in 2016, I was struck by the grave lack of affordable, quality housing. I met families paying $200-$300 a month for a small plot to put a mobile home. Others lived in 'found housing' – often-distressed properties owned by family members."

Eastern Kentucky’s 2021 and 2022 floods "turned this into a full-blown housing crisis, with 9,000 homes damaged or destroyed in the 2022 flood alone," Brant writes. "With a dearth of affordable rentals pre-flood, renters who lost their homes had no place to go. And those living in 'found housing' were not eligible for federal support for rebuilding."

Corporations own large tracts of Appalachian land that could be used for housing, but the property remains undeveloped. Other large parcels are "owned by families with deep roots in the region. People’s attachment to a place often makes them want to stay in their communities, even after disasters," Brant adds. "But it can also limit the amount of land available for rebuilding. People are often hesitant to sell land that holds deep significance for their families, even if they are not living there themselves."

Even after major government funding was secured to rebuild on "higher ground" after the 2022 flood the extreme housing shortage continues. Brandt writes, "When I conducted interviews during the summer and fall of 2024, many of the mobile home communities that were decimated in the 2022 flood had begun to fill back up. These were flood-risk areas, but there was simply no other place to go."

Seeking the safety of higher ground, Kentucky builds new homes on its abandoned mountaintop mines

Coal mining can leave land with a "lunar surface"
atmosphere. (Adobe Stock photo)

Kentucky families looking for respite from repeated flooding look to make mountaintop mines their new home. "In 2022, apocalyptic flooding swept across eastern Kentucky," reports Austyn Gaffney of The New York Times. "Now, instead of rebuilding in the floodplain, the state is permanently lifting residents onto safer land."

Kentucky is two years into a $800 million plan to reinvent long stretches of barren land left behind from mountaintop strip mining into neighborhoods perched away from valley flooding. "Seven communities across four counties have been designed for 665 brand-new properties," Gaffney writes. "Fourteen houses have been completed and about a dozen people have moved into two communities."

Kentucky isn't the only state exploring climate migration. It has "already reached places like Louisiana, where low-lying communities like the Isle de Jean Charles are being forcibly abandoned," Gaffney explains. The state's mountaintop relocation approach "is the largest known housing project on reclaimed mine sites in the country."

Strip-mined mountaintops offer the safety of higher elevation and flat ground for construction. "Mark Arnold, a landscape architect who designed five of the high-ground sites. . .plans to incorporate the place-based culture of floodplain communities," Gaffney writes. "His vision — small clusters of houses, eventually enveloped by reforested land — would emphasize the importance of family and neighborliness."

Even with the benefits the new community offers, some residents may find it hard to leave the land their families have lived on for generations. "It can be difficult to adjust to life on higher ground," Gaffney reports. "But residents want to escape future floods and keep their families safe."

Appalachian program helps people in recovery find a new life in construction work

Lindsey King works on a new home.
(Photo by J. Glendenning, IRJ)

Lindsey King is rebuilding her life by building homes in Kentucky. Her new career is a testament to a successful trifecta of efforts from the Hazard-based Housing Development Alliance's Hope Building Program, the Perry County Drug Recovery Court, and King's determination, reports Jenni Glendenning of the Institute for Rural Journalism. King will celebrate four years of recovery on Aug. 18.

Like many people in recovery circles, King experienced a "moment of clarity" when she "was only able to see her children once during her six-month stay," Glendenning writes. "She praised Perry Circuit Judge Alison Wells, who sent her to treatment after her arrest. King told Glendenning, “She seen things in me far before I’ve seen them in myself, and she pushed me to get there.”

King attributes part of her ongoing successful recovery to community support. She told Glendenning, "There’s no stigma over recovery anymore around here." Glendenning writes, "When King entered the Hope Building Program as a trainee, she and her children, now 8 and 7, lived in a one-bedroom apartment with one twin bed and a small closet. She moved up to a two-bedroom apartment and now owns her own home, where they all have a bedroom, and the kids have a place to play outside."

King likened recovery to building a home, which starts with a solid foundation and goes up from there. "She knew she wanted to be a carpenter after about a month of being involved in the Hope Building Program, even though she had never done construction," Glendenning explains. "King said that she has not been treated differently on the job because she was a woman. . . . Her advice for women looking to enter the trade is, 'Even if it’s something you think you can’t do, do it, go for it!'"

To become a carpenter, King attended Hazard Community and Technical College and "is the first person in her immediate family to attend college," Glendenning reports. "After King completed the program, the HDA hired her as a temporary assistant trainer for a year. Now she is a full-time assistant to lead trainer Josh Boyd; they work with a crew of four in the program."

King with her children, Waylon and Iris
(Photo by J. Glendenning, IRJ)

The Hope Building Program is primarily funded by the Appalachian Regional Commission’s Just Transition Fund for coal counties. "It aims to increase the long-term success rates of people in recovery while also rebuilding the local housing market," Glendenning writes. Shannon Gabbard, who runs the Hope Building Program, told Glendenning, “Ultimately, our goal is to help them transition into the workforce full-time. They must consistently pass random drug screenings, and the feedback we can provide helps to ease the minds of employers who may otherwise hesitate to hire employees who are in recovery.”

A criminal record can make it hard for people in recovery to find employers willing to give them a chance. Glendenning explains, "The Hope Building program does a background check, but Gabbard tells trainees, 'I don’t want them to stress about it because we haven’t seen anything yet that we haven’t been able to work through.' This offers a sense of relief, but once they are hired, 'they cannot have any new criminal charges after they begin the program.'"

Mindy Miller, HDA’s director of development and communications, whose own family has seen hardship from the drug epidemic, told Glendenning, “It's stories like Lindsey’s that give people hope. Her story is a lighthouse, a beacon shining in the night for every addict and for every person out there who loves an addict." Glendenning adds, "King considers the folks at the HDA her family and loves knowing that through her work she is giving back to her community by building something that is going to be someone’s home."

Kentucky Hall of Fame journalist retires from UK, leaving a legacy of good journalism for rural folks and beyond

Dr. Jennifer Greer presenting the 2023 Polaris Award to Al Cross.
(Photo by Sydney Turner, UK College of Communications)

By Jenni Glendenning
Institute for Rural Journalism, University of Kentucky

After almost 20 years advocating for rural and community journalism in the College of Communication and Information, Al Cross is leaving the University of Kentucky as the Director Emeritus of the Institute for Rural Journalism (IRJ). Cross, who also served as an extension professor for the School of Journalism and Media, officially retires July 31.

Cross may be handing in his UK office keys, but he won’t be stepping away from journalism altogether. After all, as Cross told a colleague recently, “there is no such thing as a former journalist.”

Cross’ 27-page CV doesn’t do justice to his achievements. He graduated from Western Kentucky University and has covered every Kentucky legislative session since 1980. Right out of college, Cross edited and managed weekly newspapers in Monticello, Russellville and Leitchfield.

He then became a reporter for the Louisville Courier-Journal for 26 years, including more than 15 years as a political writer (1989-2004). In 1989, he shared a Pulitzer Prize with the Courier-Journal staff, and in 2001-02 he was national president of the Society of Professional Journalists. In 2010, he was inducted into the Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame.

The Institute was co-founded in 2004 by Cross and Al Smith. Cross worked for Smith in Russellville and Leitchfield, and their relationship made Cross the longest-running panelist on “Comment on Kentucky” before Cross became an election-night analyst for KET.

Patti and Al Cross at the 2023 Al Smith Awards Dinner.
(Photo by Sydney Turner, UK College of Communications)

Al’s wife, Patti Hodges Cross, is from Grayson County and is an independent designer and editor of various publications. In addition to design work, Patti is treasurer and former president of the Franklin County Fair and Horse Show in Frankfort and volunteers for numerous other philanthropic events. Al and Patti have been married for more than 48 years.

Patti Cross said she looks forward to the two of them spending time in the river house they are building in Clinton County. “It will serve as a getaway place on the Cumberland River where we can entertain friends and family,” she said.

Patti Cross said they also plan to travel. “Al has been to 48 states and only needs North Dakota and Hawaii to complete his bucket list," she said.

The couple hopes to visit Germany, the place of some of Cross’ ancestors, with his brother and sister-in-law. She would also like to travel to the Mediterranean or take a European river cruise but said they won't take any major trips until after Cross finishes his book on Kentucky politician Earle Clements.

Cross’ successor at the IRJ, Benjy Hamm, joined the University of Kentucky in 2023.

“I could not think of a better successor than Benjy Hamm,” Cross said. “His career has given him a deep, broad understanding of rural journalism and its challenges.”

Hamm said that for 20 years, and across the country, Cross has been the institute's name and face.

“When I’m at different events with people, and you say you're with the Institute for Rural Journalism, they’ll say, ‘Oh, is that Al Cross?’ because that’s how he’s become identified."

Throughout Cross’ “significant and outstanding journalism career, he was able to take this institute and make it into something that has helped countless journalists and news organizations across the country,” Hamm said.

“Al has been very gracious to me to make sure that my focus is on the Institute and making it go forward for the future,” Hamm said. “He understands that it will change with subsequent directors, and over the course of years, it will change, and he is wholeheartedly in support of that… He’s not someone who thinks that the Institute should stay the same as it was 10 or 20 years ago.”

Al Cross and Benjy Hamm host a workshop panel at the National Summit
on Journalism in Rural America, July 2023. (Photo by Heather Close, IRJ)

Cross and Hamm have known one another for more than 20 years. Hamm was the editorial director of Landmark Community Newspapers, which had a division in Shelbyville, Ky., where he and Cross interacted quite frequently since Landmark, at the time, owned the most newspapers in the state.

“The institute is integral to the service and outreach missions of our college and UK,” said Jennifer Greer, dean of the College of Communication and Information. “The work that Al Cross and his team do supports local journalists and rural communities throughout the nation at a time when the need for accurate and trusted information is needed more than ever. We are thrilled to have Benjy carry on this important work.”

The Institute's Administrative Coordinator and rural blog writer, Heather Close, called working with Cross a “journey of learning and discovery.”

“I have never read so many things in all my life or looked at so many maps,” Close said. “Al pushed me to look at writing more critically and opened my eyes to resources I never knew existed. I'm grateful for the lessons. I hope he enjoys retirement, but I know we'll be seeing him at this year's Al Smith Awards Dinner.”

Cross leaves a legacy of achievement through the IRJ.

“Our overall aim is to help life in rural America and rural Kentucky,” Cross said. “We operate under the proposition that rural Americans deserve good journalism as much as anybody else in America.”

When Cross received the new Al Smith Polaris Award in 2023, recognizing distinguished service to community journalism, an audience member called him “a kind of North Star for the field of rural editors.”

Although those at UK might not see Cross striding through the halls, all will still see his name in the media as he continues to advocate for newspaper readership and good journalism in Kentucky.

Cross said he is looking forward to writing books and the occasional column.

Cross has dedicated his life to serving his community and reporting, so it was no surprise to anyone who knows him – or knows of him – that even in his retirement, he won’t stop doing what he loves.

Jenni Glendenning

Author’s personal note: I had the pleasure of serving as the David Hawpe fellow for the Institute during 2024, Cross’ last summer at the University of Kentucky. The knowledge and information I gained from this man in three short months were invaluable to my academic career and personal development. Al and Patti are true exemplars of everything Kentuckians strive to be: Kind, caring, compassionate, and brilliant. I will undoubtedly miss my daily communication with Cross. I cannot wait to read his books! All the best to Al and his family. 

 

Kentucky's Appalachian counties getting $297.6 million for post-flood recovery housing

State funds are being used for road and utility work at the new high-ground development in Knott County called Chestnut Ridge. (Photo by Zack Hall, Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky)

By Jenni Glendenning
Institute for Rural Journalism, University of Kentucky

Matt Sawyers has $298 million to spend.

Sawyers, a native of southeastern Kentucky, is commissioner of the state Department for Local Government. That puts him in a position to help make a difference in his home region as he helps his boss, Gov. Andy Beshear, decide where to put the $297.6 million the state has in a federal community development block grant for recovery from the 2022 floods.

Sawyers described it as “a tremendous opportunity for so many generations of eastern Kentuckians that are invested in the success of the region and understand the challenges that have been faced by the collapse of the coal economy, and before that, timber.”

The state has received 10 applications for infrastructure for housing projects to help southeastern Kentucky recover from the 2022 floods.  At least two are “high ground” communities above floodplains and one “is very close to being awarded,” Sawyers said.

The first deadline for infrastructure for housing projects was July 1, but the state is still taking applications, and has until February 2030 to spend the money.

Matt Sawyers, commissioner, Department for Local
Government (Photo by Al Cross)

Housing projects using disaster-recovery funding must serve low- to moderate-income households, and such households must be the majority of those served by infrastructure projects.

The governor is the ultimate decision-maker on recovery grants, but the process involves local governments and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, so “There aren't necessarily a ton of decisions that need to be made,” Sawyers said. “We have the money that was allocated to us by HUD, and we want to spend the money.”

Sawyers said his and Beshear’s “main, only, sole driving purpose is to bring people up out of the floodplain, fulfill the governor's commitment to Eastern Kentucky that we're not going to leave one person behind. This is a long-term recovery process and we're going to get them to safety and put them back at home.”

The state got a head start because it had some money left from the $123 million it got from HUD for recovery from 2021 flooding. Logan Fogle, the DLG’s chief information officer, said most of that was used in western Kentucky, but some is being used in Letcher, Floyd, and Breathitt counties because they were eligible for both 2021 and 2022 funding.

For example, in Prestonsburg, $8 million is being used to build 33 new homes and rehabilitate a vacant home in the New Hope neighborhood.

Breathitt and Letcher counties are two of the five that the federal government has identified as being hurt most by the 2022 floods. The others are Perry, Knott and Pike. At least 80% of the recovery money must go to those five counties.

In Letcher County, $8.7 million in 2022 recovery money will be used to build 29 homes in Seco and Uz, and install infrastructure to support the new homes.

In Jackson, $2.3 million will be used to build eight homes for flood survivors and $1.5 million is allocated for water and sewer projects for future housing projects in Breathitt County.

In Knott County, state funds are being used to build  new roads and lay water and sewer pipes in the new high-ground development called Chestnut Ridge.

The other counties eligible for federal disaster-recovery money are Casey, Clay, Cumberland, Floyd, Harlan, Johnson, Lee, Leslie, Lincoln, Magoffin, Martin, Owsley, Powell, Whitley and Wolfe.

Sawyers said the DLG works with local governments and supporting entities to develop their applications, and with HUD and the state Public Protection Cabinet, the Transportation Cabinet, and the Energy and Environment Cabinet, which is taking the lead on much of the planning for high-ground projects.

For decades, people in eastern Kentucky have wanted to see housing development on reclaimed strip mines. The flood and increased public pressure sparked some companies, families and individuals to begin making reclaimed land available for development.

Sawyers said that’s finally happening because of the tremendous investment being made in recovery by government and philanthropy. “We probably have a confluence of events” in developing entire new communities out of the floodplain,” he said.

A few wealthy Kentuckians and non-profit organizations have donated land or money for some of the housing projects. Sawyers says their team is “fully supportive of every resource that anyone can provide to fulfill the governor's promise to get people out of the floodplain, rebuild homes for them, and keep people in eastern Kentucky.”

Sawyers is a Lexington resident, but much of his family still lives in Clay, Laurel, and Perry counties. He said there is a cultural element to where people want to live, and many if not most of those uprooted by the flooding want to stay in their home areas, but on higher ground.

The state’s HUD-approved plan calls for $90 million to be spent on new single-family housing, which includes incentives to developers and assistance to qualified homebuyers; $25 million on owner-occupied rehabilitation or reconstruction, in grants up to $50,000 and up to $50,000 more in forgivable loans; $10 million in incentives to developers and builders for new multifamily housing, $5 million for rehabilitation or reconstruction of rental properties of seven units or less; and $134 million for infrastructure and related activities, including roads, bridges, drainage, publicly owned utility lines, and broadband for housing projects.

Also, $11 million is allocated for purchase of properties, $3 million in housing counseling and legal aid, $3 million in small-business grants, $1.5 million for resilience planning, and $15 million for administration of the program.

Jenni Glendenning, a Ph.D. student at the University of Kentucky, is the David Hawpe Fellow in Appalachian Reporting at UK’s Institute for Rural Journalism. Reach her at Jennifer.Glendenning@uky.edu.

Work is under way to create a 'significant' mountaintop renewable energy project in KY to power 170k homes

A BrightNight Starfire Renewable Power Simulation. The area is as big as Disney World.
(BrightNight image via YouTube)

As Appalachian coal production continues to decline, the region is looking at renewable energy production to fill the gap. For one mountaintop mining location, Eastern Kentucky's Starfire Mine, carefully repurposing its sprawling 27, 000 miles is already under way "with one of the most significant renewable energy projects in development in the eastern U.S," reports Kim Kobersmith of The Daily Yonder. "The success of the pilot project happening on the Starfire Mine site could change possibilities for these sorts of mines moving forward."

The pilot project offers significant promise in the short and long term. "BrightNight is a global integrated power company that designs, develops, owns, and operates large-scale renewable power projects," Kobersmith explains. "Its ambitious plan to create an 800-megawatt solar energy project, enough to power 170,000 homes annually, on a 7,000-acre brownfield could tip the scales toward future similar projects."

Developing an expanse the size of Disney World with the unique characteristics of mined land takes time, leaving BrightNight with a lot of work to complete before construction begins in 2026. "The challenges are three-fold: the physical characteristics of the site itself, the number of partners involved, and the complexity of the engineering," Kobersmith writes. BrightNight is collaborating with Rivian, a company that "designs, develops and manufactures electric vehicles and is working towards a net zero operation by 2040," and The Nature Conservancy."

Mindful of Eastern Kentuckians' history with extractive mining, BrightNight's leadership is working to connect the project to Star Mine's surrounding community. "The company is hoping to partner with area educational centers like Hazard Community and Technical College to provide training for the 250 construction jobs that will be created by the project," Kobersmith reports. "They hope to support electricity, road construction, and engineering needs for the Olive Branch Community, a state-supported flood recovery housing development slated to be built on the mine, adjacent to the renewable energy project."

Kobersmith writes, "In the case of Starfire Mine, the BrightNight Starfire Renewable Energy Center will create a taxable asset where there would not otherwise be one, generating an estimated $150 million tax revenue over the life of the project."

Adam Wells, Regional Director of Community and Economic Development for Appalachian Voices, told Kobersmith: "The narrative of renewable energy is powerful in an energy-producing region. It sends a positive message to people, not grasping at the past but looking to the future."

Is learning to garden a way to prevent food insecurity?

A youngster in Letcher County, Ky. enjoys the family garden.
(Photo by Silas Walker, Lexington Herald-Leader)

Many rural Kentuckians struggle with food insecurity, but teaching residents how to garden might be one answer to the problem, reports Rick Childress of the Lexington Herald-Leader. "Rising food prices and a sudden cut off of Covid-related federal benefits have made it harder for many in Eastern Kentucky and other rural areas of the state to access healthy, nutritious foods. While local pantries work to bridge the access gap by providing food, other nonprofits and researchers are trying to provide more ways for folks to grow or buy more of their own produce locally."

Gardening as a way of life predates the "region's decades of coal booms," Childress writes. "Jason Brashear, interim director of the Pine Mountain Settlement School said, 'Before coal, many people in the mountains survived and thrived on subsistence farming.'" Brashear told Childress: "If we go back in our history 75 years ago, everybody gardened. Everybody had some sort of a farmstead that they produced the majority of the food that they ate in the year." As coal jobs, money and local grocery stores entered the region, the popularity and knowledge of gardening dwindled.

Childress reports, "One program that has helped many 'return back to gardening' is Grow Appalachia, Brashear said. For over 13 years, the Berea College strategic initiative has partnered with nonprofits in multiple states to provide seeds and other gardening supplies needed to make an organic garden, as well as the education on how to grow and preserve that produce." Candace Mullins, the executive director of Grow Appalachia, told Childress: "Having the resources is a huge barrier to learning how to garden. It's expensive to buy hose, seeds, fertilizer, plants — I mean, you could easily spend $1,000 trying to get a garden going for a new gardener." Childress adds, "Since Grow Appalachia started, over 7,000 families have participated and harvested nearly 7 million pounds of produce, Mullins said."

"The Pine Mountain Settlement School has been a Grow Appalachia partner since 2010 and so far this growing season, they have 45 families involved in the program who have produced over 14,000 pounds of produce. Along with receiving supplies, they also participate in educational meetings at the school. Being able to access fresh food is perhaps just as big of an obstacle as affording it," Childress reports. 

Once food is grown and harvested, it has to be prepared, which takes learning. "A University of Kentucky research project, called Laurel HARVEST, aims to educate Laurel County residents on how to cook nutritious meals," Childress writes. "Kathryn Cardarelli, a UK faculty member in the College of Public Health leading the project, said the multi-year study offers a blend of in-person and Zoom sessions on topics like preparing food, eating healthy on a budget, and reading labels."

Eastern Kentucky downtowns have revitalized, due in part to natives coming home to support small communities

Dusk falls in Hazard (Photo by Ryan C. Hermens, Lexington Herald-Leader)

Philanthropic and government help, and "can-do" attitudes of residents and business owners, have helped some rural Eastern Kentucky towns rebound from years of decline, reports Bill Estep of the Lexington Herald-Leader. Hazard, pop. 5,100, is one of those places. "On a short walk through downtown Hazard, you can buy a T-shirt celebrating Appalachia and a three-wick candle, browse at a book store and a record store, get a latte at a coffee shop. . . The Eastern Kentucky city has seen a resurgence of downtown retail businesses in the last four years. . . . more than 40 businesses have opened on or near Main Street. Nearly all are still afloat, outlasting the worst health pandemic in a century and devastating flooding in the region last summer."

Hazard's flourishing business community has been a long-term project that addressed population and retail losses as coal jobs declined. "Local leaders and business stakeholders set out several years ago to try to reverse that. . . . The city created an incentive program — initially with money from the Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky, then with taxpayer money — to provide grants of up to $5,000 for signs, store fixtures and other needs," Estep writes. "The city and county pooled resources to hire Bailey Richards as downtown coordinator, a position that hadn't existed before." Mandi Fugate Sheffel, who owns the Read Spotted Newt bookstore, told Estep, "I think her position is probably one of the most important parts of what's happening downtown. That was some action put into what they were trying to do."

To the south, "Pineville, Kentucky, was an early leader in using incentives to boost downtown development, including grants and a five-year moratorium on an increase in the property tax even if the value of a renovated property goes up," Estep notes. "Even though Bell County lost population between 2010 and 2020, the downtown area went from 80% vacant eight years ago to 100% occupancy by February 2020, said Jacob Roan, director of the city's Main Street program."

Up the Cumberland River in Harlan, pop. 1,220, a downtown brewery opened, "The Harlan Beer Co., a taproom and restaurant located in a renovated century-old building," Estep reports. "Valerie Long Hinkle has seen the same thing at her business, Hill & Holler, which sells T-shirts and other gifts with an Appalachian theme in Cumberland, a town of about 1,900 people in Harlan County. Hinkle studied architecture at the University of Kentucky and stayed afterward, living in Lexington for 13 years before moving home to Harlan County in 2015 to be closer to family."

Estep adds, "Hinkle said there was once an idea in Appalachia that young people had to leave to be successful, but that is changing." Hinkle told Estep, "I think people are hungry to support their local community. . . They are hungry to be able to shop in downtown. . . . I think that Appalachia is on the cusp of something big."

End of pandemic means end of extra food benefits in most states; a look at one that already did it shows struggles

The poor wait for free food in Hazel Green, Kentucky.
(Photo by Reshma Kirpalani, The Washington Post)

"In the richest country in the world, some 25 million households — including 12 million households with children under the age of 18 — reported that they sometimes or often did not have enough to eat, according to recent Census Bureau data," reports Arohi Pathak of the Center for American Progress, a progressive policy institute.

Why would so many people go hungry? The answer is simple: Some people don't have enough money for food, and the problem is getting worse, with inflation. It is about to get worse at the end of this month, with the end of extra food benefits for 41 million Americans. To illustrate what will happen, Tim Craig of The Washington Post went to one of the 18 states that have ended their emergencies and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program allotments in the past year."

Craig met Kenny Blair and his wife in Hazel Green, Kentucky, a small town in the Appalachian foothills. He reports, "Blair and his wife hop into their truck twice a month at 4 a.m. to ensure they get a few staples at the Hazel Green Food Project’s giveaway. On a recent Friday, they waited nine hours until local prisoners on work duty started loading bags of meat and vegetables, potato chips and cookies into vehicles in one of the nation’s most impoverished communities. . . . With Kentucky serving as a warning beacon, social services agencies and charities across the country are now preparing for a summer of misery as food prices continue to soar due to inflation."

The newspaper in Norton, Virginia, alerted its readers this week.

Lisa Hamler-Fugitt, executive director of the Ohio Association of Foodbanks, which includes about 3,600 charities, told Craig, “We are bracing, and our agencies, member food banks, food pantries and soup kitchens are not prepared for what is about to hit them. This reduction, and end of the public-health emergency, could not be coming at a worse time.”

Not every state is completely severing benefits. "Political leaders in some states are considering ways to soften the impact of SNAP benefit reductions. . . . Last month, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signed legislation guaranteeing a minimum $95 per month SNAP benefit, the first state to do so, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Coughlin told Craig, "I believe, that it is closer to a moral obligation than a government function to make sure the people are fed. In every town, in every state, even in affluent communities, there is somebody who is hungry.”

Appalachian greenhouse-farming firm re-engineers its finances but needs more cash flow, and maybe political help

UPDATE, Feb. 16: The company netted $37.1 million by selling 40 million shares at $1 per share, Rick Childress of the Lexington Herald-Leader reports. It issued a prospectus saying, “We believe that net proceeds from this offering, together with our current cash and cash equivalents and other potential sources of financing, will be sufficient to enable us to fund our operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements through the end of calendar year 2023.”

The AppHarvest 15-acre farm just north of Berea, Ky., grows salad greens. (Photo from AppHarvest Facebook page)

AppHarvest, a publicly traded startup that is trying to bring commercial farming back to the Appalachian foothills on a huge scale, sold one of its hydroponic greenhouse farms this week and leased it back to its marketing and distribution partner, "freeing up more funds for the financially struggling fruit and vegetable grower," reports John Cheves of the Lexington Herald-Leader.

The company also announced the opening of its fourth farm, all in Kentucky, and said it is "focused on operations to ramp up production and revenue." That is an existential challenge, according to its earnings report for the third quarter of 2022, which said, “Absent additional sources of financing, we expect that our existing cash and cash equivalents will only allow us to continue our planned operations into the first quarter of 2023.”

The sale-and-leaseback deal of the 15-acre farm near Berea, the company's smallest, provides cash, but it has production problems. "AppHarvest’s chief financial officer, said that the low numbers were due to crop health issues," Liz Carey reports for The Daily Yonder. The company will change the tomatoes it raises to varieties that bring higher prices, a spokesman told Carey.

But James Branscome, a Yonder supporter who started as an Appalachian journalist and ended up evaluating companies for S&P Global, has issues with the firm's business model: “The best high tech in agriculture will not overcome a bad business model based on selling a commodity product – tomatoes – in a highly competitive market,” he told Carey. “AppHarvest does use the highest tech in greenhouse production from the Netherlands, and its commitment to Appalachian Kentucky has rightfully given it a very high profile. The strategy of moving beyond the tomato market to vegetables and berries is a good business strategy; however, the company is in a race against the oldest challenge in business: Can it execute that strategy when the business cash flow is so dismally poor?”

Branscome seems to think not: “At this point their future depends more on financial engineering than agricultural engineering,” he said. “There is value in what they have constructed, but the cash flow from operations is so small that there is no way sales can bail them out over the next few years.”

There could also be some political engineering. Company founder and CEO Jonathan Webb said at the groundbreaking for the firm's 30-acre berry farm in Somerset in July, "Where AppHarvest goes from here is going to be dependent largely on the communities around us." Gesturing to Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear and Republican U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers, he said, "Where we take it from here, I turn to our political leaders, I turn to our community leaders, I turn to our university leaders; we want to partner with you."

County where John Prine was once controversial now has a park named for him, at the place he wanted his soul to be

A crowd gathered at the park on the Green River for the dedication. (Hoptown Chronicle photos by Jennifer P. Brown)

When I die let my ashes float down the Green River. Let my soul roll on up to the Rochester dam. I’ll be halfway to Heaven with Paradise waitin’, just five miles away from wherever I am. —John Prine, "Paradise"

"Few places in rural America are so cherished for their connection to a song as Muhlenberg County is to people who revered the singer-songwriter John Prine for his blend of country and folk music. His song 'Paradise' — about the tiny coal town on the Green River that was wiped out by strip mining — immortalized the community for generations of listeners," writes Jennifer P. Brown of the Hoptown Chronicle, in Hopkinsville in adjoining Christian County, Kentucky.

Muhlenberg County, Kentucky
(Wikipedia map, adapted)

But when the song came out in 1971, and for many years afterward, it and Prine (whose Chicago parents were from Muhlenberg County) were controversial because the county's economy was based largely on coal. Those days have passed, and the Tennessee Valley Authority steam plant named for the vanished town now makes electricity from natural gas, not coal. And now there's a memorial to Prine, who died in April 2020 of Covid-19.

It's the John Prine Memorial Park at Rochester Dam. Prine fans "came from across Kentucky and from as far away as San Francisco and Seattle" for Saturday's dedication, Brown writes. "Parking their cars and trucks in a field where corn had recently been harvested, they carried lawn chairs, guitars, cameras and dogs up to the park. Numerous John Prine concert T-shirts, many faded and worn with age, were scattered throughout the audience. Some of his fans leaned on canes."

Prine's widow, Fiona Whelan-Prine, spoke at the dedication. (JPB photo)

Reinforcing the official acceptance of Prine, "County Judge-Executive Curtis McGehee announced at the dedication that every October will be celebrated as John Prine Month in Muhlenberg County. A committee of local volunteers and the Muhlenberg County Tourism Commission led efforts to improve the park ahead of the dedication. A new pavilion with a red roof was built and picnic tables were installed. There are plans for a viewing deck at the river’s edge and for a new boat ramp. . . . The audience sang 'Paradise' to close the dedication. Some of them stayed to eat banana pudding, John Prine’s favorite dessert, under the new pavilion bearing his name."

Ky. soldier’s heroism, and 20-year campaign to recognize it with Medal of Honor, are subjects of documentary to air on Kentucky TV at 8 p.m. ET Monday, May 25 – Memorial Day

Lt. Garlin Murl Conner, 1945

As Americans honor patriotic sacrifice on Memorial Day, Kentucky Educational Television and perhaps other state networks will premiere the story of a Kentucky soldier who repeatedly put his life on the line for his country – but wasn’t fully honored for it until 73 years later.

"From Honor to Medal: The Story of Garlin M. Conner," airing on KET at 8/7 p.m. ET/CT Monday, May 25, tells the story of one of the most decorated soldiers of World War II – who received the nation’s highest military award, the Medal of Honor, only after a 20-year campaign by his widow and friends.

Their campaign ended June 26, 2018, at the White House, when President Trump presented the medal to Pauline Conner, who still lives on their small farm near Albany, just down the road from their son Paul. She said in a speech at the Pentagon the next day, "This is what Murl would want me to say: God bless these United States of America."

Murl Conner served more than two years in the Third Infantry Division, suffering many wounds and earning four Silver Stars. On Jan. 25, 1945, he volunteered to be a forward observer for artillery that was needed to stop a German attack – an attack that came so close he finally called in artillery on his own position, offering his life for his country.

Conner survived that day in a ditch in the French province of Alsace, and came home to a Kentucky farm with no electricity or running water. He had a family, gave them a good life, and was a leader of his fellow farmers and veterans. He suffered in body and mind from his Army service, but said very, very little about it.

Only after Conner died in 1998 was his story told – first by a rank stranger who became his greatest advocate and inspired others to join his campaign to get Conner the Medal of Honor. Led by a neighbor who wouldn’t take no for an answer, they struggled for 20 years to break through Army bureaucracy, losing at every turn – but remaining inspired by Murl Conner’s battlefield examples of determination and resolve.

In the end, in an amazing turn of events, they won. And now their story is being told, along with the story of Lt. Conner, who now may be the most decorated American soldier of World War II.

"He was a combination of Kit Carson and Davy Crockett," says Walton Haddix of Albany, who took up the campaign begun by Richard Chilton, a Green Beret veteran from Genoa City, Wisconsin. He met Conner and learned his story while researching the service of his uncle, who died at Anzio under Conner’s command.

"He cared about his men more than anybody I ever knew," Chilton says. "If you want to save your life, go out with Murl. Don’t go out with anybody else."

The documentary was produced by Lexington filmmaker Jeff Hoagland and the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues at the University of Kentucky. Al Cross, the executive producer and Institute director, says: "I grew up in Albany and knew Murl Conner, but like almost everyone else in town, I had no idea of his war record, and when my brother David said I should do this documentary, I immediately agreed."

The one-hour documentary was sponsored by private donors and the Veterans Trust Fund of the Kentucky Department for Veterans Affairs, a state agency that assisted the Conner team's legal efforts at the direction of then-Commissioner Heather French Henry, whose cause was veterans when she was Miss America.

She says in the documentary, "Just to know that you are part of this great mission that has lasted so long, and that you could at some point in your future, tell your kids, tell your grandkids, that once upon a time you were part of this fight . . . "

Trailers for the documentary are online at honortomedal.us, along with information about Murl Conner and some of the major players in the effort to get him the Medal of Honor. Check local listings for possible broadcasts outside Kentucky.

New book examines RFK's 1968 tour of Eastern Kentucky through the lens of the locals involved in the trip

When Robert F. Kennedy toured rural Eastern Kentucky in 1968, he said that the area had "marvelous potential" in spite of the obstacles locals faced. The liberal Democrat was welcomed to rural Kentucky back then, but these days the same region has become a Republican stronghold. That contrast intrigued journalist Matthew Algeo and informed how he approached his new book about the visit, Tim Marema reports for The Daily Yonder.

Though the trip has been examined in books, documentaries and other media, All This Marvelous Potential: Robert Kennedy's 1968 Tour of Appalachia (Chicago View Press) brings new details and a fresh angle to the story by telling readers more about the lives of the people who organized, participated in, and witness the visit, Marema reports.

"I tried to build the stories out around a few central characters, and then use them to touch on some central issues, I guess you would say, over the past 50 years," Algeo told Marema. "You can’t write a book about Eastern Kentucky without talking about mining, specifically strip mining, and without looking at the War on Poverty. I think people who read the book will find a lot of interesting information there that they might not have known or hadn’t really contextualized."

Algeo told Marema he didn't want the book to be a biography of RFK, nor a "Where Are They Now" update on the locals involved in the 1968 visit. "I don’t think that gives you a lot of information or context," Algeo said.

Blackjewel bankruptcy halts mine work in 4 states; unpaid Ky. miners block train; auction could reopen some mines

The bankruptcy of coal company Blackjewel LLC put more than 1,000 miners out of work in Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia and Wyoming, and sparked a peaceful protest among miners in Eastern Kentucky whose paychecks bounced. But there was hope of some miners getting their jobs back with an auction scheduled today in federal bankruptcy court.

The Associated Press reported: “Bristol, Tennessee-based Contura Energy last week offered $20.6 million as the stalking horse bidder for two mines in Wyoming and one in West Virginia . . . The purchase could put hundreds back to work at the Eagle Butte and Belle Ayr mines in Wyoming and Pax Surface Mine in Scarbro, W.Va. They've been closed since Blackjewel filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection July 1. According to the bidding process, other qualifying bids made by Wednesday's deadline triggered the auction. The notice didn't disclose the other bids. . . . Blackjewel also operates mines in Kentucky and Virginia, and the fate of those depends on the outcome of the bidding process.”

In Kentucky, where miners blocked railroad tracks to prevent Blackjewel from transporting coal, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported that the coal company failed to comply with state regulations that would have protected miners from losing pay for work they did.

Chris Kenning of the Courier Journal drove the 225 miles from Louisville to Harlan, which has seen coal booms and busts for a century, and reported that the Blackjewel debacle "roiled Harlan with unusual intensity . . . Difficult talks are playing out over dinner tables across Harlan County: whether to ride out such bankruptcies, sticking with coal as long as possible; leave home for steadier coal jobs in places like Alabama; or bet on a new career as local leaders try to attract new employers. The question on everyone’s mind: whether to quit coal, or wait until coal quits you."

U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers, R-Kentucky, issued a statement Thursday, criticizing Blackjewel and calling for federal assistance for miners affected by the coal company’s bankruptcy.

“I fully understand the number of coal companies that continue to struggle in the aftermath of the War on Coal, but undercutting employees who invested their time and talents to mine one of our greatest natural resources, is a shameful way to conduct business. Our coal miners deserve better and I will continue fighting for them," he said.

Rogers said he’s working to expedite assistance. The U.S. Department of Labor sent staff to Kentucky to interview the employees, he said.

He commended SOAR – Shaping Our Appalachian Region – for providing a tour bus to transport local coal miners to the hearing in Charleston on Monday.

The general manager of WYMT-TV, a CBS affiliate in nearby Hazard, weighed in with an editorial. Neil Middleton, who grew up in the region, called Blackjewel’s actions “shameful.” He wrote, “The peaceful protest is gaining support from across the state and country. More than 1,100 miners in Kentucky, Wyoming, West Virginia and Virginia lost their jobs when the bankrupt company shut down. The miners' paychecks bounced, leaving hundreds overdrawn and needing help. And in my opinion, a full investigation is warranted. Blackjewel has filed bankruptcy, but the court has not ordered the company to pay the miners back. State Representative Adam Bowling is crafting legislation to compel the company to pay the miners' back wages. Let's hope he is successful. The miners did the work. They earned their wages. They should be paid.”