Check out the latest news, features, opinions, and more from Appalachia, the Midwest, and other Postindustrial Communities.
ASHEVILLE
Marine veteran shares story of war, addiction and recovery in Asheville
WLOS Asheville: Kevin Rumley, a Marine Corps veteran and Purple Heart recipient, hopes sharing how war, addiction and recovery changed his life will resonate with all generations and show how service can continue long after leaving the military.
ATLANTA
Blind Georgia veterans get free AI-powered glasses
Georgia Public Broadcasting: About 50 blind Georgia veterans received free glasses powered by artificial intelligence that can help them move through the world more freely.
BALTIMORE
Microplastics in the Chesapeake: Report finds contaminants in Maryland waterways
Maryland Matters: Using citizen scientists, the group collected several water samples at 15 different places throughout the watershed, including five sites in Maryland waterways. They found microplastics at every site, whether in the form of plastic fiber, film, beads or fragments.
How a retired Chicago Army veteran found peace and purpose through baking
Chicago Sun-Times: It all started after discovering an online cookie recipe. Quinton McNair thought if he could fix helicopters, he could probably figure out a cookie. His first attempt was far from delicious. But he approached baking the way he had approached fixing aircraft: by studying the science behind each ingredient and experimenting with recipes.
CINCINNATI
Here’s what a planned women veterans memorial in Cincinnati will look like
Cincinnati Public Radio: The design for a planned monument honoring women veterans features four women from various eras of military service, with the U.S. flag as a focal point. Renderings were unveiled Wednesday during the annual Veterans Day remembrance ceremony in Eden Park.
CLEVELAND
Gov.-elect Acton reveals more top hires for her transition team to help set up new government
Cleveland.com: Acton’s transition team will help recruit and vet potential appointees as the Columbus-area Democrat races to fill out her administration before Inauguration Day in January.
COLUMBUS
Rep-elect Don Leonard says senior Democrats threatened “living hell” if he doesn’t support Jeffries
Ohio State Public Media: One of Ohio’s new congressmembers said senior Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives threatened to make his time in Congress “a living hell” if he doesn’t support Hakeem Jeffries’ bid to become U.S. Speaker of the House.
DETROIT
Detroit transit officials looking into “unsafe” incident where 2 horses boarded public bus
ABC News: Video of the incident shows two people leading two saddled horses onto the bus while it was pulled over at the stop, then exiting from the rear doors several seconds later.
INDIANAPOLIS
Indiana child welfare agency to need $300M state infusion
WTHR Indianapolis: The state agency responsible for protecting vulnerable children expects to need a cash infusion of $300 million in the coming months. That’s according to the operating account summary submitted by the Department of Child Services for a hearing before the Indiana State Budget Committee.
LOUISVILLE
Help is available as more Louisville families struggle to pay heating bills
Louisville Public Media: As temperatures begin to drop, more Louisville families are facing difficult choices between paying their heating bills and covering other basic necessities.
MILWAUKEE
Meet the Madison comedian who will become Wisconsin’s first transgender legislator
Wisconsin Public Radio: When she’s sworn in early next year, Martinez-Rutherford, a Democrat, will become the first transgender member of Wisconsin’s state Legislature.
MORGANTOWN
West Virginia lawmakers approve 69% capacity rule for coal-fired power plants
West Virginia Watch: The legislative Rule Making Review Committee, composed of six state senators and six delegates, approved a set of regulations for the state’s power plants, which were tucked away in the 2025 data center bill that contributed to the loss of a few seats in last week’s election.
NASHVILLE
“We hear you:” Tennessee Senate Republicans reckon with blue wave in leadership elections
Nashville Public Radio: While Democrats flipped six seats in the Tennessee House, the Senate retained its Republican numbers — the only chamber in the Southeast to do so.
Philadelphia Public Radio: The testing and imaging can detect serious eye diseases like glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration and cataracts. If untreated, all these conditions can lead to blindness, and in many cases, they are linked to chronic diseases like diabetes and hypertension.
PITTSBURGH
Public sounds off on U.S. Steel’s proposed hot strip mill in Braddock
WESA Pittsburgh: The company, which was purchased by Nippon Steel of Japan last year, has proposed putting in a new hot strip mill at its Edgar Thomson plant. A hot strip mill presses steel slabs into coils of flat steel used to manufacture cars and appliances.
Archived letters offer glimpse into local WWI private’s life
The Weirton Daily Times: Keith Johnson, a volunteer at the Jefferson County Historical Association Museum, said he has been transcribing and annotating letters written by Charles Tortorice during his service in the trenches in Southern France.
YOUNGSTOWN
Cleveland Clinic officially acquires Youngstown Orthopaedic Associates
WFMJ 21 Youngstown: The announcement that the facility would become a part of the Cleveland Clinic was reported in October. The move was completed on November 1, and no service disruptions were planned for patients who wished to remain a part of YOA.
