100 Days in Appalachia

Our short film, “Fasnacht in Helvetia, West Virginia,” will screen on the opening night of this year’s Appalachian Film Festival, held March 20-22, at Foundry Theater in Huntington, W.Va.

See the full schedule and buy tickets: www.foundrytheater.org/shows

As federal immigration agents descended on Minneapolis, residents deployed mutual aid to protect their neighbors Like neighbors mucking-out flooded basements in McDowell County, to public showings of solidarity across the rust belt, to miners striking in the 1920s — Minneapolis is leading in the long grassroots ...

@appalachia100.bsky.social partnered with journalist and Minnesotan @katiegnelson.bsky.social to document how Minneapolis residents used grassroots organizing to counter the influx of federal immigration agents, leading to the end of Operation Metro Surge

www.100daysinappalachia.com/2026/02/minn...

More ICE detainees ordered released by West Virginia judges: ‘A threat to anyone’s constitutional rights is a threat to us all’ Three different federal judges have ordered four more immigrants picked up in January’s ICE raids released on constitutional grounds

Fifteen of the 650 people ICE reported had been arrested in a January operation have asked West Virginia judges to order their release, arguing they are unconstitutionally detained

www.100daysinappalachia.com/2026/02/more...

Apply to become 100 Days' New Rural Landscape reporter by February 16 www.reportforamerica.org/reporters/

Fasnacht's Masquerade in Helvetia, West Virginia YouTube video by 100 Days in Appalachia

Helvetia, West Virginia's 59th annual Fasnacht happens Saturday. And dozens will masquerade in playful handmade masks to scare away Old Man Winter.

Watch scenes from last year's parade:

youtube.com/shorts/QgmZz...

Apply to become 100 Days' New Rural Landscape reporter by February 16 www.reportforamerica.org/reporters/

We've been selected as a 2026 Report for America newsroom partner.

We'll hire a reporter to investigate the effects of modern industry in Appalachia across environmental, economic and other systemic impacts that make up our region’s current dystopian landscape.

Generous support from the International Women's Media Foundation made this reporting from Ukraine possible.

Ukraine’s ‘battle-tested’ drones are accelerating militarization along the U.S.-Mexico YouTube video by 100 Days in Appalachia

We traveled to the Ukraine-Slovakia border with @azcir.org's @allymarkovich.bsky.social to document how the Ukrainian border guard uses surveillance drones to ensure no one is exiting the country to avoid the draft.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=srcK...

There's still time to donate to our end-of-year fundraising campaign. We are just a little over halfway to meeting our new goal of raising $10,000 by midnight!

Donate here: www.100daysinappalachia.com/support-our-...

When local news thrives, so does our community. If you feel the same way, and our reporting makes a difference to you, please give before midnight tonight.

We’re still $9,500 away from meeting our goal of $15,000. Can you help us get there?

GIVE NOW: www.100daysinappalachia.com/support-our-...

The design features the brook trout, the only trout native to West Virginia’s streams and a focus of stream restoration efforts throughout the state. It's printed by Pittsburgh-based Commonwealth Press.

We're only printing 200, so get yours while you can: buff.ly/I3axqe8

We need your support to keep our unique storytelling going strong in 2026. If you donate a total of $50 or more between today and Sunday, December 21, 100 Days will send you a limited edition bandana designed by Appalachian artist LileeHA.

buff.ly/I3axqe8

Ukraine's 'battle-tested' drones are accelerating militarization along the U.S.-Mexico border - Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting As U.S. law enforcement agencies adopt drone systems “battle-tested” in Ukraine, experts question whether existing safeguards are sufficient to govern increasing levels of surveillance on U.S. soil. T...

Drones “battle-tested” in Ukraine are now being piloted at the U.S.-Mexico border, where the boundaries between local police and military operations are becoming increasingly blurred.

Reported from Ukraine by AZCIR in collaboration w/ @appalachia100.bsky.social. Supported by IWMF.

In Virginia, People in Prison are Still Working For Pennies Most U.S. states still allow prisons to pay people incarcerated there subminimum wage for their labor.

In Virginia, incarcerated laborers can earn up to 90 cents an hour, though most earn less.

Activists want that to change.

www.100daysinappalachia.com/2025/11/in-v...

It's your last chance this #GivingTuesday! Can you help 100 Days raise $1,500 in the next 1.5 hours?

Give before midnight to TRIPLE your donation: www.100daysinappalachia.com/support-our-...

So far in 2025, we have hired 13 freelancers – people paid directly to create journalism and cultural analyses – totaling $22,000. We expect to pay another nine people $5,400 by the end of the year.

Give now to sustain this work in 2026: buff.ly/7IVVWEt

We are halfway through #GivingTuesday, and we need your help to sustain 100 Days' work in 2026.

Will you give today? buff.ly/7IVVWEt

Working with young writers for @appalachia100.bsky.social's youth vertical is one of my favorite projects! We're trying to create a space where young storytellers & journalists are supported, taken seriously, and paid for their work. If you have a few extra dollars, support journalism in Appalachia:

This #GivingTuesday, 100 Days in Appalachia has a goal of raising $5,000 to keep our unique storytelling thriving in 2026.

Every dollar you give to today will be TRIPLED – increasing your impact for our team and the Appalachians we employ!

Give by midnight to triple your support: buff.ly/7IVVWEt

In Kanawha County, WV, Opioid Settlement Funding for Syringe Services Faces Barriers In the early afternoon of Wednesday, Sept. 17, emergency rooms in Charleston, West Virginia, began experiencing an influx of people in the throes of a drug overdose. By the following morning, some thr...

Communities across West Virginia, including Charleston, are considering how to spend more than $1 billion in opioid settlement funds. But using this money for harm reduction is still an uphill battle.

www.100daysinappalachia.com/2025/11/in-k...

This story was produced by @moreperfectunion.bsky.social in partnership with 100 Days in Appalachia

Why West Virginia Is the Next Target in Big Tech’s Data Center Invasion YouTube video by More Perfect Union

Mingo County, West Virginia, was once thriving, but the coal industry’s decline left it one of the poorest counties in the US.

Now, multiple data centers could be built in the region.

Are data centers a new extractive industry, or will they provide a much-needed lifeline?

youtu.be/V5fsLN69Erg?...

'In the Boat Together': Post-Helene, Faith Communities Have Been Central to NC's Long-Term Recovery In the year since the storm devastated parts of western North Carolina, religious congregations have provided food, housing and supplies — as well as a shared sense of community.

When Tropical Storm Helene hit western North Carolina, churches became disaster hubs — feeding neighbors, rebuilding homes, and restoring trust.

“We’re always in this boat together,” said Rev. Blake Smaar.

www.100daysinappalachia.com/2025/11/in-t...

Donate today to DOUBLE your impact: buff.ly/4YZEVsD

If we meet our goal of raising $15,000, we will receive $30,000 to fund reporting for Appalachians, by Appalachians.

If you donate $5, we receive $10; if you donate $100, we will receive $200; and, if you donate $10 monthly, we receive $240.

Recurring donations help us most!

buff.ly/4YZEVsD

NewsMatch is a yearly fundraising campaign that supports independent, public service journalism, supported by the Institute for Nonprofit News and various U.S. foundations.

It’s the time of year when we reflect on all we’ve accomplished, and we ask you to continue supporting our work.

From now until December 31, every donation made to 100 Days in Appalachia will be DOUBLED by NewsMatch.

www.100daysinappalachia.com/support-our-...

Five Years After It Became a National Park,  There's a Growing Divide In West Virginia's New River Gorge Many long-time West Virginians see the divide between their reality of the area — a community that still faces long-standing infrastructure and quality-of-life issues — and the version accessible to t...

The New River Gorge is drawing more visitors than ever, yet many longtime West Virginians see little change in daily life. “I don’t think the National Park Service has done much in my area,” said Jackie Coleman of Whipple.

#NewRiverGorge #WestVirginia

www.100daysinappalachia.com?p=32656&prev...