Check out the latest news, features, opinions, and more from Appalachia, the Midwest, and other Postindustrial Communities.
ASHEVILLE
AI is creeping into Western North Carolina governments, but policies on how to use it vary
Blue Ridge Public Radio: When Asheville’s Assistant City Manager Ben Woody sits down to consider complex community feedback or the intricacies of development proposals, he’s rarely working by himself. Instead, he has been partnering with a digital twin: Gemini, Google’s generative artificial intelligence assistant.
ATLANTA
Georgia communities rally support to help convert local newspapers into nonprofits
Georgia Recorder: While some Georgia newsrooms are shrinking or closing down, two of the state’s largest local publications are being reimagined as nonprofit newsrooms.
BALTIMORE
Justice Department sues Maryland over in-state tuition for undocumented students
WBAL-TV: The Trump administration argues Maryland’s policies violate federal statutes by giving benefits to people living in the country illegally that aren’t available to all U.S. citizens. The DOJ is asking a federal court to block the state from enforcing the policy.
CHICAGO
“Hazardous” Canadian wildfire smoke prompts air quality warning for Chicago
Chicago Sun-Times: Polluted air from Canadian wildfire smoke made it dangerous for anyone to be outside for long periods of time, government officials warned. For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, the city closed its beaches and all 50 outdoor swimming pools.
CINCINNATI
Honesty for Ohio Education steps up to defend public schools at a time of “crisis”
Cincinnati Public Radio: At a time when some consider public education under attack in Ohio, a group called Honesty for Ohio Education has stepped forward to advocate for public schools and push back on private school voucher funding.
CLEVELAND
Wildfire smoke creates breathing hazards across Ohio: What to know
Cleveland.com: Canadian wildfire smoke is creating a health risk for everyone in Northeast Ohio, with people who have heart or lung conditions, children, older adults and pregnant women facing particular danger.
COLUMBUS
Ohio’s top health leader expects increase in cases of explosive diarrhea bug
Ohio State Public Radio: The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) is reporting 364 cases of cyclosporiasis statewide, mostly in Northwest Ohio. But the head of the agency expects that number to climb significantly soon.
DETROIT
Detroit to repair 9,000 faulty alley sewer lines for free by 2030
Detroit Free Press: The $184 million program will repair 9,000 residential sewer connections – the area where the line from a home meets the city’s sewer in the alley. lleys from caving in.
INDIANAPOLIS
Indiana’s state budget reserves jump 60% in past year to $4 billion
Indiana Capital Chronicle: Rising revenue combined with an ongoing clampdown on state spending led to a 60% jump in the reserves to just shy of $4 billion as of June 30, according to the 2025 fiscal year report.
LOUISVILLE
Ghost gun company ordered to pay $104 million in Kentucky case, “largest in U.S. history”
Louisville Public Media: Nearly three years after 18-year-old Henry Willis killed himself after buying a ghost gun online, a Louisville jury awarded his mother more than $100 million in damages. The out-of-state seller Husky Armory LLC and its parent company Up North Media LLC didn’t respond to the lawsuit, show up for the trial or defend themselves.
MILWAUKEE
Wisconsin DNR records worst smoke levels on record, advises staying inside
Wisconsin Public Radio: As smoke blankets most of Wisconsin, air quality has turned hazardous in many areas of the state. Air experts with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources are advising everyone to stay indoors and wear masks outside.
MORGANTOWN
ACLU files lawsuit over Huntington, West Virginia, Flock agreement
West Virginia Watch: The American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia has filed a lawsuit against the city of Huntington and Mayor Patrick Farrell over the city’s $2.1 million deal with Flock Safety for artificial intelligence-assisted surveillance equipment.
NASHVILLE
Tennessee redrew its congressional map. Here’s who’s on your primary ballot.
Nashville Public Radio: The candidates for Tennessee’s August primaries have shifted after state lawmakers answered President Donald Trump’s call to redistrict ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Voters will be in different districts with different names on the ballot.
PHILADELPHIA
Philadelphia Public Radio: The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection said air quality will worsen Thursday evening, and is urging people to limit their time outdoors as wildfire smoke from Canada continues to blanket the region with dangerous levels of air pollution.
PITTSBURGH
WESA Pittsburgh: Under the rare Code Maroon alert, air-quality conditions are considered to be “hazardous,” and all people are susceptible to their ill effects.
WHEELING
Pittsburgh Penguins drop the Wheeling Nailers as ECHL Affiliate
WTRF.com: The Pittsburgh Penguins have announced they will no longer serve as the NHL affiliate of the Wheeling Nailers, ending a partnership that lasted 29 years.
YOUNGSTOWN
Youngstown employees redirected indoors; residents warned of poor air quality
WKBN 27 Youngstown: Youngstown Mayor Derrick McDowell said they are redirecting all city employees and non-essential projects indoors due to the poor air quality in the area.
