Climate change may be making us lonelier: How heat waves and extreme weather disrupt social connections everyone relies on

On extremely hot days and in the aftermath of storms, people tend to hole up inside. Losing festivals, traditions and gathering places can worsen that loneliness.

NC lawmakers look into Rocky Mount family’s death after city cut off electricity

Thanks to new evidence, Durham man cleared in robbery after serving time; New Study: Black Lung Disease Rate in Appalachia Is the Worst in 50 Years as Coal Miner Protections Stall; What It’s Like in Prison Just Miles Away From Washington State’s Destructive Fires

The Newest Federally Recognized Tribe Wants Better Healthcare. It May Be On Its Own.

By Andrew Jones Jul 31, 2026 LUMBERTON, N.C. — Soybean fields surround Angie Lowery’s home in Robeson County, on a plot of rural land in southeastern North Carolina. Dozens of antique gas station signs, 20 feet tall, dominate her front yard. A framed re-creation of The Last Supper,

East Tennessee cities are gearing up to fight data centers

By Larry Griffin (Tennessee Lookout) Published: July 30, 2026 Data centers, which store and facilitate data for computer applications, have become more ubiquitous in public discourse over the past few years as artificial intelligence, AI, tools have risen in prominence. In areas where the data centers have located, residents have

Memphis advocates call on private airport to stop servicing ICE detention flights

Two more face federal charges with making threats in Nolan Wells’ death investigation

Tackling the NC food deserts that Helene created

by Walker Livingston, Carolina Public Press July 27, 2026 Every Wednesday afternoon in the heart of Swannanoa, volunteers hand out seasonal produce while community members flow through the produce market in an old church building that nonprofit Bounty and Soul hosts. Last week, it was summer squash, fresh tomatoes and

Vast produce supply chain complicates tracking food safety in the Midwest

Texas Catholic churches unite residents over ICE detention center, water concerns; How one man’s Olympic moment brought new life to Jackson, Miss. rugby

States move to limit classroom screen time

By Robbie Sequeira (Stateline) Published: July 23, 2026 After school cellphone bans passed many statehouses with bipartisan support in recent legislative sessions, state lawmakers are turning to legislation governing how long students should spend looking at screens. This year, four states passed laws restricting or regulating screen time for students

Virginia Beach doctor pushes hospitals to establish protocols for dealing with Parkinson’s patients

By Yiqing Wang/WHRO (Virginia Mercury) Published: July 23, 2026 Howard Weinberg keeps his Parkinson’s medication in a small container attached to his keychain, so he always has it wherever he goes. The retired doctor from Virginia Beach has to take the medication every six hours, at 1 o’

Louisiana communities are left in the dark on toxic air — and industry helped keep it that way

N.C. audit clears up one Rocky Mount utility headache, draws attention to another; How South Carolina Prisons Are Limiting Access to Books; WVU Health leadership failed to address painkiller thefts for years as opioids devastated West Virginia

Democratic socialism is on the rise some places, but has roots in KY

By Berry Craig (Kentucky Lantern) Published: July 16, 2026 Democratic socialism is on the rise in some blue states, but socialists are still rare in ruby red Republican Kentucky. That wasn’t always so. Six-score years ago, Louisville hosted the Christian Socialist Fellowship movement’s first national convention. The

A key ‘forever chemicals’ lawsuit settles out of court in North Carolina

By Lisa Sorg (North Carolina Newsline) Published: July 14, 2026 This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News, a nonprofit, non-partisan news organization that covers climate, energy and the environment. Sign up for their newsletter here. Forever War: This is part of a series about the PFAS crisis in