@rwheeler.bsky.social
I’m Randall Wheeler, an appellate public defender in Kentucky for 35 years, an advocate for civil and human rights, a proud progressive, a loving dad, a doting pawpaw, and a much tolerated spouse. I post about Appalachia, Kentucky and politics.🦋
New data on the status of women in Kentucky was released this first week of Women's History Month. While women make up over half of our state’s population, too many still face barriers to health, safety, and opportunity.
3000 acre data center to create *allegedly* 2000 jobs, but I bet most of those are temporary construction ones. Really proud of Southside VA proving to me it's culturally "flat Appalachia" by twisting itself into knots to accomodate data centers since it couldn't strip mine itself previously
‘From China to Appalachia’ comes to UNCW’s Kenan Auditorium this April #Community
Condolences. Will the tragedies of this scourge never end?
On god I swear the fact that Appalachia is once again the staging ground for exploitation, this time for goddamn data centers, is going to be the final stage of my villain arc. I thought the robber barons had pillaged every last good thing from this place, but they managed to find one last thing.
Old Appalachian Words from the Old Appalachian Dialect #appalachia m.youtube.com/shorts/UEFmV... Video by Appalachian Bluebird m.youtube.com/@Appalachian...
Common mine reclamation tactics usually involve planting grasses for faster recovery. But researchers tested whether a more involved form of forest reclamation resulted in increased richness of frogs and toads in Appalachia.
Spend the evening with me and support a great library system.
lexpublib.app.neoncrm.com/nx/portal/ne...
My wife grew up watching her parents stretch every dollar in Knott County. That’s why she fights without fear for working families — she’s BEEN a working family. @cherlynnforky.bsky.social doesn’t have to imagine the struggle. #FlipTheSixth #FightWithoutFear
Eula Hall was a lifelong advocate who fought tirelessly for the people of Appalachia. During #WomensHistoryMonth, we remember her pivotal as a healthcare pioneer and self-described “hillbilly activist.”
Learn more about her story in the Appalshop film "Mud Creek Clinic": https://loom.ly/zCufdvQ
“There’s not a TV watcher or movie fan who won’t be surprised and enhanced by this lively and meaningful presentation on stereotypes we thought we had discarded 20 years ago.”— Duke University
Watch the film here: https://loom.ly/IOnuu9Q
📸 Appalshop, “Strangers and Kin,” Herb E. Smith, 1983
I've done it. I've found the most Appalachian man to ever exist. He is a 14-year-old named Ray Burracher, who tried to give President Herbert Hoover a possum and advised him on acquiring hogs to take care of a snake problem.
Appalachia was never built by one kind of people. Immigrants Italian, Irish, Eastern European and more mined coal, laid rail, opened shops, and helped shape the mountains’ story.
appalachianmemories.org/2026/01/24/i... #immigrants #appalachia #writer #author #booksky #america #appalachianmountains
Facts about "Pack Horse Librarians" who spread literacy across the Appalachia.
#librarian #packhorse #packhorselibrarian #funfacts #themoreyouknow #kentucky #libraries #appalachia #mountains #books #bookfacts #BookSky
Great book ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This is a great, eloquent, well-researched rebuttal of Hillbilly Elegy. Elizabeth Catte argues against seeing Appalachia as a homogenous population and blaming its problems on a 'culture of poverty', and argues that stereotypes about its people are rooted in economic exploitation. #BookSky💙📚
Gas Leaks Project and Earthworks analyzed one year of methane super-emitter events across PA, WV, and OH. The report links methane pollution to specific companies and communities. Swipe for some key findings and read the full report! 🌎⚠️
🔗➡️ bit.ly/Appalachia-M...
By gutting federal investments in clean energy and manufacturing, Washington has crushed countless hopes for a rare economic revival in Appalachia.
Learn how West Virginia, which desperately needed this industrial renaissance, is paying the price for this betrayal: loom.ly/sK5rwQc
#WestVirginia
Hello Appalachian Wilderness.
📌 Giles County, Virginia. #appalachia #forest #trees #waterfall
Beshear: We are building affordable housing in rural America. It looks like the average utility bill for each of those houses is going to be about $50 a month because we’re using solar panels. We’re embracing different parts of green energy in Appalachia.
A new report published last month by @appcitizenslaw.bsky.social and Appalachian Voices finds that benefits paid to miners with black lung disease are not keeping up with the rising cost of living.
Read more:
https://appvoices.org/reports/2025-black-lung-benefits-report/
I am so honored to receive the 2026 Southern Book Prize for Nonfiction. I am especially grateful for this award since it is picked by indie booksellers and readers. My sincere thanks to everyone involved, especially the Southern Independent Booksellers Association.
