BOONE, North Carolina, Dec. 18 -- Appalachian State University issued the following news: * * * 1,500 App State graduates begin their next chapter Freiman and Sywassink awarded honorary doctorates for support of App State By J. Todd Coates and Brian Miller Appalachian State University celebrated the achievements of more than 1,500 graduates during its Fall 2025 Commencement, with three ceremonies held Dec. 12 in Holmes Convocation Center. The graduates, who faced challenges that included a   more

WACO, Texas, Dec. 15 [Category: Sports] -- The American Football Coaches Association posted the following news: * * * AFCA Announces the 2025 National Coaches of the Year * The AFCA is honored to present its top coaching award AFCA National Coach of the Year to five outstanding coaches. The 2025 AFCA National Coach of the Year winners are: Indiana's Curt Cignetti (FBS), Presbyterian's Steve Englehart (FCS), Kutztown's Jim Clements (Division II), North Central's Brad Spencer (Division III) an  more

BOONE, North Carolina, Dec. 18 -- Appalachian State University issued the following news: * * * App State awarded $1.1M NCInnovation grant for digital tool supporting families of children with developmental delays By Bret Yager A project led by Dr. Gavin Colquitt at Appalachian State University has received $1.1 million in grant funding from NCInnovation to develop and scale an interactive digital tool capable of identifying and providing resources for delayed development of movement skills   more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 16 -- Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Virginia, issued the following news release: * * * Kaine, Warner, Fetterman, McGarvey, & Scott Introduce Legislation to Strengthen and Increase Accessibility of Black Lung Benefits Program for Miners * WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine, Mark R. Warner (both D-VA), and John Fetterman (D-PA) and U.S. Representatives Morgan McGarvey (D-KY-03) and Bobby Scott (D-VA-03), Ranking Member of the Committee on Education and Labor, reintroduced t  more

HUNTINGTON, West Virginia, Dec. 16 -- Marshall University posted the following news release: * * * Marshall sociology and anthropology students complete walking path project in McDowell County, W.Va. Students in Professor Kristi McLeod's sociology class completed a community project in War, West Virginia, for the second year in a row, this time creating downtown walking paths to give community members increased access to pedestrian-safe exercise. The project was funded through a grant from   more

HUNTINGTON, West Virginia, Dec. 18 -- Marshall University posted the following news release: * * * Marshall University announces new public mural project at Smith Music Hall * The west facing side of the Smith Music Hall will be the site of a new public art mural. Funding has been secured, in part through the National Endowment for the Arts, for a new public mural to be installed on the west face of Evelyn Holbrook Smith Music Hall at Marshall University. The project is a collaborative e  more

BOONE, North Carolina, Dec. 16 [Category: Sociological] -- Appalachian Voices posted the following news release: * * * Members of Congress introduce two bills to help coal miners access black lung benefits * December 16, 2025 CONTACT Quenton King, 304-579-7366, quenton@appvoices.org Rebecca Shelton, 859-893-0543, rshelton@aclc.org Today, U.S. senators and representatives introduced two bills to help coal miners with black lung disease apply for medical and disability benefits, whil  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 19 [Category: Environment] -- The Sierra Club posted the following news release: * * * NCDEQ Approves Water, Air Permits for SSEP * RALEIGH, N.C. \- Today, the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality has approved the water and air permits for Transco's proposed Southeast Supply Enhancement Project pipeline. The NCDEQ approved the air permit on Dec. 18 and the water permit on Dec. 19. The SSEP project includes 55 miles of new pipeline proposed by Williams Transco  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 16 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12639) on Dec. 15, 2025, by economic development policy analyst Adam G. Levin: * * * SBA's Rural Activities The U.S. Small Business Administration's (SBA's) mission is to "aid, counsel, assist, and protect" the interests of small businesses. While SBA generally helps small businesses regardless of location, small businesses may constitute a larger proportion of businesses in ru  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 16 -- Rep. Robert C. Scott, D-Virginia, issued the following news release: * * * Scott, McGarvey Introduce Legislation to Improve Black Lung Benefits Program * As originally released by the Committee on Education and Workforce, Democrats (link is external) WASHINGTON - Today, Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA-03), House Committee on Education and Workforce, and Representative Morgan McGarvey (D-KY-03), reintroduced (link is external) the Black Lung Benefits Impr  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 17 -- Rep. Robert C. Scott, D-Virginia, ranking member of the House Education and Workforce Committee, issued the following news release on Dec. 16, 2025: * * * Scott, McGarvey Introduce Legislation to Improve Black Lung Benefits Program Today, Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA-03), House Committee on Education and Workforce, and Representative Morgan McGarvey (D-KY-03), reintroduced the Black Lung Benefits Improvement Act, legislation that would help miners who ha  more

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Virginia, Dec. 18 [Category: Law/Legal] -- The Southern Environmental Law Center posted the following news release: * * * Utilities regulator will reconsider approval of Dominion's Chesterfield CPCN * RICHMOND, Va. - This week the State Corporation Commission granted reconsideration of the final order it issued previously granting Dominion Energy a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) for the utility's proposed gas plant in Chesterfield. The final order i  more

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Virginia, Dec. 19 [Category: Law/Legal] -- The Southern Environmental Law Center posted the following news release: * * * Virginia Natural Gas rate hike approved despite disproportionate harm to low-income ratepayers * RICHMOND, Va. - This week the State Corporation Commission approved another utility rate hike, this time for gas distribution company Virginia Natural Gas (VNG). VNG requested the rate increase (its third in the last six years) due to capital costs associate  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 16 -- Sen. Mark Warner, D-Virginia, issued the following news release: * * * Warner, Kaine, Fetterman, McGarvey & Scott Introduce Legislation to Strengthen and Increase Accessibility of Black Lung Benefits for Miners * WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner, Tim Kaine (both D-VA), and John Fetterman (D-PA) and U.S. Reps. Morgan McGarvey (D-KY-03) and Bobby Scott (D-VA-03), Ranking Member of the Committee on Education and Labor, reintroduced the Black Lung Benefits Imp  more

NEW WILMINGTON, Pennsylvania, Dec. 16 -- Westminster College issued the following news: * * * History students help develop museum through ACRI grant Westminster College history students spent the fall semester helping shape a new heritage tourism destination in Western Pennsylvania, thanks to a competitive Appalachian Collegiate Research Initiative (ACRI) grant. Westminster was one of 13 Appalachian colleges and universities across seven states selected to participate in the Appalachian Col  more