Check out the latest news, features, opinions, and more from Appalachia, the Midwest, and other Postindustrial Communities.
ASHEVILLE
Brrrrr! Freezing temperatures, snow at higher elevations coming to western North Carolina
WLOS 13 Asheville: A powerful cold front will plow through western North Carolina, with temperatures starting to drop Thursday, bottoming out around freezing by Friday morning.
ATLANTA
WATCH: New art brings color to Atlanta Beltline’s Southside Trail
CBS Atlanta: Next time you’re on the Atlanta Beltline’s Southside Trail, you can look up and see a new massive work of color celebrating the nearby neighborhoods.
BALTIMORE
WBAL-TV Baltimore: A University of Maryland student, who was the valedictorian at her high school, was taken into immigration enforcement custody. There’s a growing effort to get the student, Maria Flores, and her mother released. The two came to the United States when Flores was 9 years old.
Chicago’s South Side used to be a hub for Black theater. There’s hope it could flourish again.
Chicago Sun-Times: Chicago used to be the center of Black theater in America before a bust. Courtesy of some fresh talent and an influx of grant dollars intended to use arts to catalyze community development, artists point to a tentative new chapter.
CINCINNATI
Voters pushed back on data centers, but business group says Ohio rakes in revenue from them
Cincinnati Public Radio: Data centers contributed more than $9 billion to Ohio’s gross domestic product last year, according to a report announced by the state’s largest business organization. The Ohio Chamber of Commerce supports data centers as economic generators, but said the industry does have work to do in convincing voters.
CLEVELAND
Ohio lawmakers pass bill to deregulate gun silencers, sawed off firearms
Cleveland.com: Senate Bill 214, which cleared final House and Senate votes, would remove gun suppressors and short-barreled shotguns and rifles from the state’s list of “dangerous ordnance.” Under current state law, that designation means Ohioans are generally allowed to possess them only if they are federally registered.
COLUMBUS
Migration may push central Ohio’s population to 3.1 million by 2055, officials say
Ohio State Public Media: Central Ohio’s population is growing, though maybe not as fast as the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) expected four years ago. Still, MORPC’s latest projection, released Tuesday afternoon, predicts that between 2.7 and 3.12 million people will live in the region by 2055.
DETROIT
Abdul El-Sayed launches Habibi PAC to build Democratic influence
Michigan Public: Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed launched a new leadership political action committee (PAC) named Habibi PAC. Habibi translates to “my friend” or “my beloved” in Arabic.
INDIANAPOLIS
Indiana University to expand oral healthcare for children in rural communities
Indianapolis Public Media: More than one in four children in Indiana from the ages of 1-17 years did not receive dental care over the course of 12 months, according to a 2022 National Survey of Children’s Health.
LOUISVILLE
PACs spent millions to sway voters in competitive Kentucky House and legislative seats
Kentucky Lantern: In an unusually expensive race in a Central Kentucky U.S. House District, a Democratic PAC, Kentuckians Not Corruption, spent millions in cash on ads supporting now Congressman-elect Zach Dembo as a way to offset spending by President Donald Trump’s political arm.
MILWAUKEE
Wisconsin health officials advise early measles vaccination for some infants amid outbreak
Wisconsin Public Radio: As the measles case count hits a 35-year high in Wisconsin, state health officials are encouraging parents of infants at risk of exposure to consider getting them vaccinated early.
MORGANTOWN
Gov. Morrisey announces nearly $17 million in rural healthcare grants to strengthen diabetes care
WV Metro News: “With this technology, healthcare providers are going to be able to monitor patients with diabetes or who have high blood pressure or other problems and address the issues before they become more serious,” Morrisey said.
NASHVILLE
Voices: Can Tennessee Democrats build on an encouraging election?
Bruce Barry writes for Tennessee Lookout: “Perhaps 2028 will be another big blue election year, but even if it is it probably won’t have coattails like this one. Tsunamis just don’t happen that often. To build on 2026 Tennessee Democrats need to find candidates, write checks, and open the throttle, but quick.”
Philadelphia Public Radio: Overdose deaths in the city have fallen to their lowest level in nearly a decade, but some people who use illicit opioids say it’s never been harder to stop. One reason is the proliferation of medetomidine, a potent veterinary sedative, in Philadelphia street drugs since at least 2024.
PITTSBURGH
Pittsburgh’s 2027 budget deemed ugly but honest
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: “This budget might not be the best-looking, but it is honest,” Pittsburgh City Council Budget Director Kiersten Walmsley told council members during a presentation outlining the spending plan Mayor Corey O’Connor has introduced for next year.
WV MetroNews: Recently, workers broke ground on the 23,173-square-foot Wheeling Gateway Center, located just by the historic Wheeling Suspension Bridge. Once completed, the center will offer many different angles of that bridge and serve as a beacon for Wheeling tourism.
YOUNGSTOWN
From Nonna’s kitchen to the neighborhood pub: 5 must-try Youngstown mom-and-pop joints
Mahoning Matters: Youngstown is a city built on grit, heritage, and an unwavering love for good food. While corporate chains dominate the highways, the true soul of the Mahoning Valley lives on the neighborhood street corners, inside converted houses, and behind the counters of independent, family-run joints.
