WASHINGTON, Feb. 17 -- Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Alabama, issued the following news release: * * * Aderholt Applauds Congressional ARC Funding Supporting STEAM Education in Blount County * WASHINGTON -Congressman Robert Aderholt (AL-04) today announced that the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), a federal-state partnership funded by Congress, has approved a $264,432 grant for the Blount County Education Foundation to strengthen STEAM training programs for students in Blount County. This   more

BOONE, North Carolina, Feb. 21 -- Appalachian State University issued the following news: * * * App State honored as a Top Producer of Fulbright scholars, students for 2025-26 By Jessica Stump Appalachian State University is one of seven colleges and universities nationwide named a Top Producing Institution of Fulbright scholars and students for the 2025-26 academic year, according to the U.S. Department of State and Institute of International Education. The university is the only U.S. maste  more

CHARLESTON, West Virginia, Feb. 20 -- Appalachian Power, an American Electric Power company, issued the following news release: * * * Appalachian Power plans open house for transmission upgrades in Huntington Appalachian Power Company (APCo) representatives plan to upgrade the transmission system in Huntington as part of the Darrah-Barnett Transmission Line Rebuild Project. The project involves rebuilding approximately 3 miles of 69-kilovolt (kV) transmission line and upgrading two substation  more

BOONE, North Carolina, Feb. 19 [Category: Sociological] -- Appalachian Voices posted the following news release: * * * Coalition statement on new Ten Day Notice rule * Today, the Trump administration will formally release a rule to rescind changes to the Ten Day Notice process implemented in 2024 and revert to the weaker process from President Donald Trump's first term that made it more difficult for communities to secure federal assistance at coal mines across the country. The Surface Min  more

LEXINGTON, Kentucky, Feb. 20 -- The Bluegrass Institute issued the following news release on Feb. 19, 2026: * * * Bluegrass Institute: Kentucky Supreme Court Charter School Ruling Rests on Flawed Constitutional Reasoning Today's decision misreads the Kentucky Constitution and ignores the critical distinction between restricted school funds and General Fund appropriations * The Bluegrass Institute today expressed serious concern over the Kentucky Supreme Court's decision that House Bill 9, t  more

BOONE, North Carolina, Feb. 14 [Category: Sociological] -- Appalachian Voices posted the following news release: * * * Community and nonprofit groups appeal Chesterfield air permit * Press release from the Southern Environmental Law Center For immediate release: February 13, 2026 Contact: Tasha Durrett, 571-405-1101, tdurrett@selc.org RICHMOND, Va. - Today -on behalf of the Chesterfield County branch of the NAACP, CASA Inc., Appalachian Voices and Mothers Out Front -the Southern   more

AKRON, Ohio, Feb. 17 -- FirstEnergy issued the following news release: * * * FirstEnergy Transmission and Transource Energy Joint Venture Receive Approval for Major Electric Transmission Project in Central Ohio Project will enhance grid capacity and reliability in the fast-growing greater Columbus region * Regional grid operator PJM Interconnection has selected a major electric transmission project to meet a critical infrastructure need in central Ohio. Jointly developed by FirstEnergy Tran  more

BOONE, North Carolina, Feb. 19 -- Appalachian State University issued the following news: * * * From 800 picture books to one: App State's Jewel Davis leads Caldecott Medal selection Davis teaches library courses and mentors K-12 educators throughout the region By Brian Miller Appalachian State University's Jewel Davis knows what makes a picture book unforgettable. As chair of the committee that selected the winner for this year's prestigious Randolph Caldecott Medal, she read more than 800  more

RALEIGH, North Carolina, Feb. 16 -- Gov. Josh Stein, D-North Carolina, issued the following news release: * * * Governor Stein, DEQ Announce $5.7M for Flood Resilience Projects in the French Broad River Basin * Today in Woodfin, Governor Josh Stein announced $5.7 million in grants from the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality's (DEQ) Flood Resiliency Blueprint to reduce flood risk in the French Broad River Basin. The announcement includes eight projects that will create new flo  more

RALEIGH, North Carolina, Feb. 16 -- The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality issued the following news release: * * * Governor Stein, DEQ Announce $5.7M for Flood Resilience Projects in the French Broad River Basin * Today in Woodfin, Governor Josh Stein announced $5.7 million in grants from the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality's (DEQ) Flood Resiliency Blueprint to reduce flood risk in the French Broad River Basin. The announcement includes eight projects that  more

INDIANA, Pennsylvania, Feb. 19 -- Indiana University of Pennsylvania issued the following news: * * * IUP Student Selected for Appalachian College Association Faculty Fellowship Natalie Holt, a student in Indiana University of Pennsylvania's Composition and Applied Linguistics doctoral program, has been selected for a $10,000 faculty fellowship through the Appalachian College Association. Holt, of Pippa Passes, Kentucky, is one of only three pre-doctoral students selected for the award, whic  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 17 [Category: Biology] -- The Center for Biological Diversity posted the following news release: * * * Lawsuit Seeks Endangered Species Protection for Hellbenders * WASHINGTON-The Center for Biological Diversity sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today to force the agency to set a binding date to enact federal protections for hellbender salamanders under the Endangered Species Act. The agency was required to finalize protections for Eastern hellbenders in December 202  more

GREENVILLE, Tennessee, Feb. 20 -- Tusculum University posted the following news: * * * Learn more about the practical uses of artificial intelligence from experts during a March summit at Tusculum University Individuals who are ready to embrace practical artificial intelligence will gain a greater understanding of this field and the ability to effectively and appropriately use it at the Appalachian AI Summit in March at Tusculum University. The summit will be held Wednesday, March 11, from   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 14 -- The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee released the following written testimony by Scott Simonton, a fellow in the Institute for Cyber Security at Marshall University, from a Feb. 4, 2026, hearing entitled "Identifying and Addressing Cybersecurity Challenges to Protect America's Water Infrastructure": * * * The current state The water sector remains one of the most cyber-vulnerable U.S. critical infrastructure sectors due to widespread under-resourcing (espec  more

BEDFORD, Massachusetts, Feb. 18 [Category: BizConsulting] -- MITRE, a company that advances national security and serve the public interest as an independent adviser, posted the following news release: * * * MITRE Partners with Appalachian Unified Aerospace, Increasing Safety for Hazardous Response Missions * McLean, Va., and Bedford, Mass., February 18, 2026 - MITRE and Appalachian Unified Aerospace (link is external) (AUA) announced a partnership and technology licensing agreement for MIT  more

HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania, Feb. 20 -- The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources issued the following news on Feb. 19, 2026: * * * Pine Creek Rail Trail Selected as Pennsylvania's 2026 Trail of the Year The Pine Creek Rail Trail attracts more than 44,000 visitors annually, generating more than $5 million in local economic impact in support of the Commonwealth's $19 billion outdoor recreation industry. The historic 62-mile trail connects visitors to a wealth of recreatio  more

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Feb. 16 [Category: BizEnergy] -- American Electric Power Corp. posted the following news release: * * * Transource Energy and FirstEnergy Transmission Joint Venture Receive Approval for Major Electric Transmission Project in Central Ohio * Project will enhance grid capacity and reliability in the fast-growing greater Columbus region COLUMBUS, Ohio (February 16, 2026) - Regional grid operator PJM Interconnection has selected a major electric transmission project to meet a cr  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 20 [Category: Environment] -- The Sierra Club posted the following news release: * * * U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approves permit for SSEP pipeline * Yesterday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued a permit for the Southeast Supply Enhancement Project, an interstate pipeline proposed by Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company, LLC. The Corps' permit, issued under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, authorizes Transco to cut crossings through more than 150 streams and wet  more

LEXINGTON, Kentucky, Feb. 17 -- The University of Kentucky issued the following news: * * * UK awarded $7.2 million to reduce overdose risk among justice-involved women Elizabeth Chapin, Public Relations and Strategic Communications University of Kentucky researchers have been awarded a five-year grant, projected to total $7.2 million, from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to test overdose prevention strategies for women transitioning from jail back into rural Kentucky communities. T  more

RICHMOND, Virginia, Feb. 13 -- Gov. Abigail Spanberger, D-Virginia, issued the following news release: * * * Governor Spanberger Announces More Than $4.9 Million in Grant Awards, Investments in Virginia's Food Systems Grants Aid in Building Resilience in Virginia's Local & Regional Food Supply Chains * Governor Abigail Spanberger today announced the award of 12 Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure (RFSI) grants -- totaling more than $4.9 million -- for Virginia farms, businesses, agricult  more

BLACKSBURG, Virginia, Feb. 18 -- Virginia Tech issued the following news: * * * Expert discusses the musical traditions showcased in 'Sinners' Ryan Cooglar's horror film "Sinners," a box office sensation in 2025, has received 16 Academy Award nominations, the most for any movie in cinema history. Cooglar's complex yet crowd-pleasing original creation has been celebrated not just for its suspense, but for its showcasing of 1930s-era Mississippi Delta blues. "'Sinners' provides an exceptional   more

BOONE, North Carolina, Feb. 17 [Category: Sociological] -- Appalachian Voices posted the following news release: * * * West Virginians rally for clean water at Capitol CHARLESTON, W. Va. -Dozens of West Virginia residents held a rally outside the House of Delegates chamber this morning, demanding that the legislature take action to address the growing clean water crisis affecting the state's southern coalfields. The event was hosted by From Below, a faith-based movement focused on policy advo  more