Letcher Countians News Today

OpEd: A federal prison is proposed for Letcher County. Decades of research show that prisons do not bring economic growth. Let your voice be heard.

Judah Schept, a professor of justice studies, is interviewed about what the proliferation of prisons in Central Appalachia means for the region and country.

Alabama releases about 13,000 people from jail or prison every year, and theyre expected to reintegrate into communities by sustaining employment, housing and other essentials. Many people face major challenges in finding stable work and income with a criminal record. Donny Jones, executive vice president and chief workforce officer of the Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama and executive director of West Alabama Works, and his team have developed "Building Hope West Alabama,&quot...

A recent report finds crime across cities in Virginia and the nation is in sharp decline. The Council for Criminal Justice report tracked crime data for 37 cities across the country. Across these cities, homicides were around 10% lower during the first half of 2023, compared with the same period the year before. ...

After Republican Congressman Hal Rogers inserted language into the latest House appropriations bill which would bypass environmental regulatory processes related to the building of a $500 million federal prison in Letcher County, environmental experts say clearing the regions old-growth forest to build the prison would permanently degrade the environment and increase the likelihood of severe flood damage. Julia Finch, Kentucky chapter director for the Sierra Club, said construction of the more ...

By Nadia RamlaganPublic News ServiceA more than $500 million proposed federal prison project, which would sit on a former coal mine site in Letcher County, is receiving a renewed push by Kentuck

A more than $500 million proposed federal prison project, which would sit on a former coal mine site in Letcher County, is receiving a renewed push by Rep. Hal Rogers, R-Ky. Rogers inserted language into the latest House appropriations bill to fast-track construction of a 1,400-bed federal prison. ...

Opponents of a long-debated federal prison in Letcher County in rural Eastern Kentucky are criticizing U.S. Representative Hal Rogers for using what they

Opponents of a long-debated federal prison in Letcher County are criticizing U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers for using what they call a “strongman tactic” to “fast track” the project without public

Linda Blackford: From the Letcher mountains to Central Ky, two local food gurus get food activism’s highest award.