Tag Archives: East Tennessee

King Coal and the Mother Teresa of rural Appalachia

(Photos by Frank Carlson) Wildflowers grow along state route TN-90 in the Cumberland Mountains near the community of Eagan, Tenn. By Frank Carlson, Medill So we’re halfway through our week of reporting on the history and impact of the Tennessee Valley Authority, the nation’s largest public utility and arguably the original “green collar” developer. And [...]

East Tennessee: Putting the “Conserve” in Conservatives

(Photo by Frank Carlson) George Thacker, a Republican business developer in Spring City, Tenn., stands next to his BMW C1, which gets 98 miles per gallon. By Kayla Webley, Medill It isn’t every day that a self-declared conservative looks you in the eye and says, “I’m an environmentalist.” Odd, to say the least. Yet, many residents [...]