The Appalachian mountains are the oldest in North America.  They stretch across the Eastern portion of the United States including the eastern half of Kentucky, my home state.  Eastern Kentucky is a land of contradictions.  It is a region rich in natural beauty yet it claims some of the highest poverty rates in the nation.   The same coal mines that provided high paying jobs to men with little or no formal education also scarred the land and decimated the miners’ homeland.  As the coal industry waned, miners were left with few transferable skills and few options for alternative employment.   The once vibrant communities of Eastern Kentucky saw shrinking populations, rampant opioid addiction, and little hope for the future.  Continue reading →