Check out the latest news, features, opinions, and more from Appalachia, the Midwest, and other Postindustrial Communities.
ASHEVILLE
August is historically the foggiest month in western North Carolina. Here’s why
WLOS Asheville: August takes the crown as the foggiest month of the year across western North Carolina, bringing more low-visibility mornings to the Blue Ridge Mountains than clear ones.
ATLANTA
Police settle lawsuit over interdiction program at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Airport
Georgia Public Broadcasting: Police at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport have ended a controversial drug interdiction program that involved stopping travelers on jet bridges, taking their tickets and searching their luggage, according to the organization that sued on behalf of two entertainers subjected to the encounters.
BALTIMORE
“We intend to get every last dollar”: Baltimore cracks down on uncollected revenue
WBAL-TV Baltimore: Baltimore’s Department of Finance has recovered $14.5 million in unpaid bills after a city audit revealed $48 million in uncollected revenue from fiscal years 2023 through 2025.
Chicago Sun-Times: The state’s utility company NIPSCO reported that over 60% of its customers — roughly over 370,000 homes — lost power during the Aug. 11 storm and subsequent days of severe weather.
CINCINNATI
Republican lawmakers draft bills to regulate Flock cameras in Ohio
Cincinnati Public Radio: Though Flock cameras have been installed on public streets for years, recent questions and controversies over their use have caught the attention of Ohio lawmakers. Now, two separate bills to regulate Flock cameras are in the works.
A statue near downtown Youngstown depicts the city’s native son, George Shuba, shaking the hand of Jackie Robinson after hitting his first Major League Baseball home run. (Image by Postindustrial)
CLEVELAND
$1.2 million for lead removal goes unspent in Cuyahoga County
Cleveland.com: Nearly $1.2 million that Cuyahoga County received to remove dangerous lead from homes is being returned to the state after two of the four organizations the county hired to carry out the work failed to spend their full allocations before the deadline.
COLUMBUS
Columbus schools could see more staff cuts, closures and a potential levy to address deficit
Ohio State Public Media: Columbus City Schools is yet again slated to deficit spend to the tune of more than $50 million unless it finds a new revenue source or makes more staff cuts and closes more schools.
DETROIT
22 people arrested during anti-Islam protests in Dearborn, some from as far as New York, Tennessee
CBS Detroit: Police in Dearborn, Michigan, say they made 22 arrests during an anti-Islam demonstration that took place earilier this week near where Dearborn City Council held a regularly scheduled meeting.
INDIANAPOLIS
Planned Parenthood can refer Indiana abortion patients out-of-state, federal appeals court rules
Indiana Capital Chronicle: A three-judge panel of the U.S. Appeals Court for the Seventh District found that providing factual information on abortions, as well as referrals for the procedure, is speech protected by the First Amendment — and that the state’s arguments aren’t strong enough to overcome that.
LOUISVILLE
Louisville attorney seeks release of youth leader detained by ICE
Louisville Public Media: Armelle Bondonga was detained by ICE last week when she and her husband appeared for an interview as part of her green card process. A federal judge has given the government seven days to respond to a habeas corpus petition filed this week.
MILWAUKEE
Great Lakes sturgeon may live hundreds of years longer than previously thought, study finds
Wisconsin Public Radio: An ancient freshwater fish that’s been around since dinosaurs roamed the Earth has now been found to live longer than researchers previously thought, according to a new study.
MORGANTOWN
Governor commits $145 million for Southern West Virginia drinking water infrastructure
West Virginia Watch: The state of West Virginia is committing $145 million to address the longstanding water infrastructure issues that plague residents in the state’s southern coalfields, according to an announcement from Gov. Patrick Morrisey.
NASHVILLE
The potential budget challenges for Tennessee’s next governor
Tennessee Lookout: For the past eight years, Tennessee has seen an ever-increasing state budget, with surpluses often in the billions of dollars. The growing pot of money has allowed Gov. Bill Lee and state lawmakers to use the extra cash for large-scale infrastructure projects, to cut taxes and expand the state’s private school voucher program.
PHILADELPHIA
NTSB releases new videos of Northeast Philadelphia plane crash
CBS Philadelphia: A new report provides never-before-seen video and hundreds of pages of evidence on last year’s medical plane crash in Northeast Philadelphia. In the new videos released by the NTSB, one shows a thunderous explosion from a neighborhood Ring camera.
PITTSBURGH
BUSTED! How police say a Penn State cocaine ring unraveled through recordings and Venmo
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: A suspected cocaine operation tied to two Penn State fraternities began with an unusually simple trail: A prime suspect took payments through a Venmo account in 2024, investigators said.
WHEELING
Flood watch issued across Wheeling area
WTRF.com: With the ground already saturated and the threat of excessive rain with any thunderstorms that develop, flash flooding will be a possibility through early afternoon.
Mural in downtown Youngstown (Image by Postindustrial)
YOUNGSTOWN
Youngstown-area brothers bring 20-year documentary project to the big screen
WKBN 27 Youngstown: Danny and Ken Mizicko are behind the brand “Stuck in Ohio.” On Aug. 30, they will debut their documentary “The YO,” which they describe as an adventure film capturing more than two decades of skateboarding, snowboarding and other urban adventures in the Youngstown area.
