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Mercer County residents hold up signs protesting a proposed data center at a planning and zonign commission meeting in Harrodsburg on July 30.

Joe Sonka

KPR

Hyperscale data centers provoke bipartisan outrage across Kentucky

Joe Sonka

Opposition to hyperscale data centers is stoking bipartisanship in Kentucky, with Republicans and Democrats finding common cause in their resistance to local proposals.

Feeling stuck, bored or restless in life? You might be ready to start a side quest. In video games, it's a mission that deviates from the main storyline, helping to build the world's lore . In real life, it's an activity that doesn't serve any other purpose than bringing more whimsy into your day-to-day.

Westend61

Getty Images

Feeling restless? Level up your life by starting a side quest

Malaka Gharib, Brittany Luse, Marielle Segarra, Corey Antonio Rose, Clare Marie Schneider

A student plays with interlocking toys at the Connecticut State University Early Learning Center in New Britain, Conn., on March 12, 2025.

Mark Mirko

Connecticut Public via Getty Images

Why more than 400,000 kids are on waitlists for federal childcare assistance

Joe Hernandez

Like many miners with advanced black lung disease, Tim Balthis looks healthy, sitting with his wife Fran Balthis on their porch in Pound, Va. But a scan of his lungs shows so much fibrotic tissue a doctor told Balthis he was surprised he was still alive.

Roger May for NPR

Black lung rates in Appalachia are high as the 1970s, with thousands of miners sick

Howard Berkes, Justin Hicks

Our monthly newsletter brings you timely updates on our station as well as a review of the past month's essential stories from our East Tennessee Community.

Appalachia + Mid-South Newsroom

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Sources & Methods

Mary Louise Kelly, Emily Feng, Tom Bowman

All Thing Considered host Mary Louise Kelly speaks with NPR correspondents Tom Bowman and Emily Feng about the ways in which the U.S. war with Iran is connected to other conflicts across the globe.
What we know about the Penn State cocaine trafficking ring

Sydney Roach

One parent and 13 former students have been arrested in a drug trafficking ring at Penn State University. The defendants allegedly transported and distributed large amounts of cocaine.
Congolese focus on fashion in a weeklong celebration of style and homegrown talent

Emmet Livingstone

In a country better known for conflict and poverty, Congolese celebrated their designer side with the sixth year of DR Congo Fashion week.
Many recent grads say AI is making it harder to get a job. Economists aren't so sure

The unemployment rate for 22- to 27-year-olds with higher education degrees is above the national average. Is artificial intelligence to blame?
The Navajo Nation wants to expand a coal mine. The plan could displace some families

Gabriel Pietrorazio

Coal mining has been a big part of the Navajo Nation's economy for decades. As mines and power plants have been closing, the tribe is trying to expand one of its largest mines.
The $40 trillion national debt may already be costing you

Megan Lim, Juana Summers, Janaya Williams

The $40 trillion national debt isn't just a number in Washington. It can make borrowing more expensive for everyday Americans, and every realistic plan to bring it down involves tradeoffs.
As the Tupac murder trial continues, a look back at the cultural moment

Jeffrey Pierre, Juana Summers, Patrick Jarenwattananon

NPR's Juana Summers speaks with Joel Anderson, a host of the podcast Slow Burn, about the Tupac Shakur murder trial and the cultural moment around his murder.
Did you know companies can vote in Delaware? Some lawmakers trying to stop it

Sally Herships, Ricky Mulvey

We're entering another contested election cycle with arguments over who can vote and how. But a community in Delaware is at the center of a more fundamental question: do you have to be human to vote?
Henry Rollins hopes Cramps fans new and old will have fun with 'Gravest Gravy'

Sarah Handel, Juana Summers, Kathryn Fink

NPR's Juana Summers talks with Henry Rollins about Gravest Gravy. It's an album the Cramps recorded in 1977, finally being released after a team effort in coordination with co-founder Poison Ivy.
Record cyclosporiasis outbreak tests the response of a 'weakened' health system

Yuki Noguchi

From state and local food-safety response to the federal health agencies that fund that work, a record-breaking year for cyclosporiasis cases runs up against the Trump administration's cuts last year.