Emma Kelly

It’s time for my confession

It’s time for my confession

The coalfields of SWVA are covered in snow and ice so it seemed like a good time to bust out a cozy cookbook and try this lemon cake, make with vanilla tea-infused butter and a cream cheese icing.

The coalfields of SWVA are covered in snow and ice so it seemed like a good time to bust out a cozy cookbook and try this lemon cake, make with vanilla tea-infused butter and a cream cheese icing.

Appalachian Voices statement on partial government shutdown At Appalachian Voices, we believe that no matter our income level, the color of our skin or whether we live in a holler or a city, everyone deserves a safe community, clean air and water, safety on the job, and the basic constitutional protections at the foundation of our democracy. We urge our country’s leaders to work together to ensure that all of these rights are protected.

“Everyone deserves a safe community, clean air and water, safety on the job, and the basic constitutional protections at the foundation of our democracy. We urge our country’s leaders to work together to ensure that all of these rights are protected.”

Home on the Range … In Appalachia? Many people believe wild bison have only ever lived and roamed in Yellowstone National Park or the vast open spaces depicted in Western films. Yet, Indigenous and archaeological records indicate that bison were found in nearly every state of what is now the United States — sorry, Hawaii — including in Appalachia. In Letcher County, Kentucky, the Appalachian Rekindling Project, an Indigenous, women-led organization, is seeking to reintroduce bison to the region on 63 acres of a reclaimed mount...

Did #bison live in #Appalachia? 🦬 Indigenous and archaeological records indicate that bison were found in nearly every state. In Letcher County, KY, an Indigenous organization is seeking to reintroduce bison on 63 acres of a reclaimed mountaintop removal coal mine. https://loom.ly/4wf2D3o

The way I absolutely cackled

Southwest Virginia Holler from the Hollers The 2026 Virginia General Assembly will be in session from January 14 to March 16, and Appalachian Voices is working to pass several bills relevant to

If anyone wants to yell to the VA state legislators about clean energy, data centers, and community resilience, join us starting this Friday! appvoices.org/swva-hollers/

i would compare these people to comic book villains but that's unfair, thanos only wanted to kill half of us

Southwest Virginia Holler from the Hollers The 2026 Virginia General Assembly will be in session from January 14 to March 16, and Appalachian Voices is working to pass several bills relevant to

If anyone wants to yell to the VA state legislators about clean energy, data centers, and community resilience, join us starting this Friday! appvoices.org/swva-hollers/

A Retired Ranger Who Might Inspire You The 2025 documentary “How We Fight” follows one retired ranger’s effort to galvanize public support for park funding and staffing.

www.npca.org/articles/112... So glad Carol and her movement down here in EKY is getting some love!

Nearly two decades after TVA coal ash spill, pain lingers for families of cleanup workers • Tennessee Lookout Nearly two decades after a massive TVA coal ash spill, families of the workers who cleaned up the toxic waste still cope with effects.

More than 17 years have passed since a massive rupture at a Tennessee Valley Authority plant spilled more than 1.1 billion gallons of coal ash into Harriman, Tenn., but the event is still raw for families of those who cleaned up the toxic sludge. From @wildlystrollingben.bsky.social.

“The U.S. is ‘going to run the country,” Trump said of Venezuela at a news conference today, following the U.S. capture of his South American counterpart.

“We are going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transitions,’ he said.” Per NBC

“The U.S. is ‘going to run the country,” Trump said of Venezuela at a news conference today, following the U.S. capture of his South American counterpart.

“We are going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transitions,’ he said.” Per NBC

If you’re feeling the holiday spirit, consider throwing a few dollars to Lonesome Pine Mutual Aid! After getting more than $20k directly into the hands of folks in need, our coffers could use a boost. CashApp is $carecollectiveofswva and Venmo @carecollectiveofswva. Just label the donation “LPMA”!

North Carolina's Lumbee Tribe receives full federal recognition after 137-year effort The Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina has finally received full federal recognition, which it has sought since 1888. Tribal leaders were moved to tears after President Trump signed the measure.

The Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina has finally received full federal recognition, which it has sought since 1888. Tribal leaders were moved to tears after President Trump signed the measure. n.pr/3L95mJU

If you’re feeling the holiday spirit, consider throwing a few dollars to Lonesome Pine Mutual Aid! After getting more than $20k directly into the hands of folks in need, our coffers could use a boost. CashApp is $carecollectiveofswva and Venmo @carecollectiveofswva. Just label the donation “LPMA”!

Beaman’s TVA confirmation vote postponed in Senate panel • Tennessee Lookout A Senate committee has postponed a vote on GOP-megadonor Lee Beaman's appointment to the Tennessee Valley Authority board.

"Lee Beaman is an unacceptable candidate for the TVA Board of Directors, and we’re hopeful that his removal from the agenda today is a sign that the committee is taking a closer look and will ultimately halt his confirmation process," said Appalachian Voices in a statement.

E&E News: How EPA grant cancellations are affecting 3 low-income communities Lost nationwide: $1.6 billion for building emergency shelters, treating drinking water and adapting to a changing climate.

"Lost nationwide: $1.6 billion for building emergency shelters, treating drinking water and adapting to a changing climate."

loom.ly/ti52Pxg

#DisasterResilience
#Appalachia
#FloodMitigation

Hell yeah let’s goooooo

‘Deeply demoralizing’: how Trump derailed coal country’s clean-energy revival Biden earmarked billions for former coal communities in Appalachia – and his successor came and took it away

“It was a once-in-a-generation cash injection designed to prioritize extraction-based communities as part of the energy transition, which for the first time in almost a century made Appalachia very competitive. So to have it all taken away is deeply damaging and demoralizing.”

Are Data Centers the Next Frontier of Extraction in West Virginia? Mingo County, West Virginia, was once thriving, but the coal industry’s decline left it one of the poorest counties in the US. Now, several data centers could be built in the region. Are data centers ...

@moreperfectunion.bsky.social produced this story in partnership with @appalachia100.bsky.social on Mingo County, West Virginia. Such an important watch: "...the communities that are being presented with this, they're not going to take it quietly, and they haven't been."

💡 Cut your building’s energy costs!

Building UP may help cover up to $15,000 in upgrades to boost efficiency and savings for qualifying buildings in Southwest Virginia!

To learn more and apply: https://www.solarfinancefund.org/swva-building-upgrade/

If any of my mountain peeps in the SEKY/SWVA area wants to share this around, we are trying to fill some bellies and get some toys to kids in need.

In Kipnuk, leaders reflect on what federal help could have done before the storm – and what can be done now The village has sued a federal agency over its canceled climate resilience grant and refutes claims that the money would have been wasted.

www.knba.org/news/2025-11...

Yesterday, over 25 folks gathered in the public library in Middlesboro, KY, to watch a documentary screening about the movement they’ve created showing support for Cumberland Gap National Historical Park and its rangers while the new admin. tries to rip it apart. 🧵 1/4

How We Fight “How We Fight” is a short documentary that follows a series of protests at Cumberland Gap National Historical Park in the first months of the Trump administration.…

If you have a few minutes and want to watch how some Central Appalachians have stood their ground, reached across political, cultural, and social lines, and built a movement, you can watch How We Fight here vimeo.com/1113427549?s...

Attendees wrote thank-you notes and noted their favorite spots at the park on a map that will be sent to the rangers to show what their work means for our communities. The heart and deep love of the land in this movement is awe-inspiring. 3/4

This movement started with a single retired ranger standing outside the visitor center to raise awareness and chat with park visitors in February. It grew to a monthly rally that has drawn upwards of 100 people at a single rally- that ain’t no small feat in the rural coalfields 2/4