Check out the latest news, features, opinions, and more from Appalachia, the Midwest, and other Postindustrial Communities.
ASHEVILLE
Department of Environmental Quality spends $1 billion on repairing water infrastructure post-Helene
Blue Ridge Public Radio: The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality is marking a major milestone: The agency has awarded a total of more than $1 billion in grants for water and wastewater infrastructure in counties that are recovering from Hurricane Helene.
ATLANTA
Mayor: Atlanta was the country’s ‘best host’ of 2026 World Cup
Atlanta News First: Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said the city delivered a strong performance as a 2026 FIFA World Cup host, calling it the best among the 11 American host cities and giving Atlanta an “A” grade overall.
BALTIMORE
Individual Maryland agencies do well on social equity, but efforts lack statewide coordination
Maryland Matters: Maryland state agencies are doing a good job of individually offering social equity programs that benefit everyone, but the state lacks the coordination to boost the effectiveness of those programs statewide.
CHICAGO
Amid changing industry, Chicago cabbies and rideshare drivers are both struggling
Chicago Sun-Times: Since the pandemic, major commuting pattern shifts have hurt both taxis and rideshare services. And then there’s the emerging threat of autonomous vehicles looming over all drivers.
CINCINNATI
Cleanup continues on Cincinnati’s East Side after flash flooding
WLWT 5 Cincinnati: Severe storms caused flooding that forced several businesses to close temporarily, including a restaurant, a crystal shop, and a tattoo parlor.
CLEVELAND
Can Cleveland host a Super Bowl? New stadium helps, hotels hold it back
Cleveland.com: The Cleveland Browns’ new covered stadium will finally give Northeast Ohio something it has never had: an NFL venue capable of hosting the Super Bowl.
COLUMBUS
Ohio State professor pleads no contest to lesser charges after assaulting cameraman in February
Ohio State Public Radio: Ohio State University professor Luke Perez pled no contest to one count of disorderly conduct in Franklin County Municipal Court after he assaulted a cameraman earlier this year.
DETROIT
Michigan’s jobless rate relatively steady at 5% but workforce a big concern for future growth
Michigan Public: Michigan’s seasonally adjusted unemployment dropped slightly in June to 5% — a decrease of one-tenth of a percentage point since May. The monthly jobs report was released by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget.
INDIANAPOLIS
Indiana election officials defend the vote’s security as Trump sows doubt
Indiana Public Radio: Indiana election officials are confident in the security of the state’s upcoming midterm election, even as Trump warns of election security concerns.
LOUISVILLE
A Mercer County city wants to annex land for a potential data center. Another city has concerns.
Kentucky Lantern: An effort by the Mercer County city of Burgin to annex land into its city limits for a potential data center has embroiled the small community in a contentious debate over the impacts of such a project, something that’s also raising strong concerns from local leaders of the county seat.
MILWAUKEE
What would Francesca Hong’s proposed data center moratorium mean for Wisconsin?
Wisconsin Public Radio: At a June debate, six Democrats vying to be Wisconsin’s next governor were asked whether they support a one-year moratorium on data center construction. In response to the question, state Rep. Francesca Hong of Madison, a Democratic Socialist, raised a green thumbs-up sign.
MORGANTOWN
West Virginia Watch: Members of Tucker United, the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy and the Sierra Club sent a letter to the state Department of Environmental Protection last week requesting the agency to investigate who actually has control of the land where out-of-state company Fundamental Data is proposing to build some of its facilities.
PHILADELPHIA
Philadelphia Public Radio: Philadelphia’s recent turn in the international spotlight could translate into long-term economic gains — if the United States remains engaged abroad, according to local political, business and military leaders.
PITTSBURGH
Pennsylvania ranks last in new study of 18-year-olds’ voter registration rates
Votebeat: Just 22% of 18-year-olds in the state are registered to vote, according to the study from The Civics Center, a nonprofit organization focused on registering high school students.
WHEELING
Wheeling Nailers hockey team announces new head coach
WTRF.com: Nate DiCasmirro steps into his first ever head coaching role with the Nailers, after serving as the associate coach for the Graz 99ers in Austria’s Ice Hockey League. This is DiCasmirro’s ninth season as a coach after wrapping up his own career on the ice in 2018-19.
YOUNGSTOWN
Youngstown’s Schwebel workers still in the dark about official last day, payouts
WFMJ 21 Youngstown: Workers from Schwebel bakery say they are still in the dark about what’s happening to them once operations close. “It’s a matter of waiting game. Are the doors going to be locked when we come tomorrow to show up for work? We don’t know,” Tammy Ramun, a current Schwebel worker said.
