Rachel Molenda

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

Work for Us | CT Mirror CT Mirror is hiring! Join our growing journalism team.

We at @ctmirror.org are hiring a staff photojournalist. Apply by March 30: ctmirror.org/work-for-us/

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...

Camden reaches its lowest homicide total in 40 years The city recorded just 12 homicides in 2025, down from 17 in 2024.

Don't sleep on Camden. Officials are attributing its lowest homicide rate in 40 years to community connection and disbanding its police department
share.inquirer.com/mcPdjh?utm_s...

Shopping secondhand for kids’ stuff is getting more popular in Philly Local store owners say they've seen more parents come in without hesitation to find pre-used clothing and supplies.

Shopping secondhand for kids’ stuff is getting more popular in Philly

share.inquirer.com/aKvdKn?utm_s...

It's the LAST DAY to give to 100 Days in Appalachia and have your donation doubled. You've got until midnight!

What we witnessed in 2025: CT Mirror's year in photographs CT Mirror journalists traveled throughout the state—and, in some cases, the world—in 2025. Here are some of their most vital images.

What we witnessed in 2025: CT Mirror's year in photographs ctmirror.org/2025/12/31/w...

Ukrainians in CT keep ties with culture, home through embroidery The current war, and the hardships that came with it, elevated the art’s significance. For members of the diaspora, each piece is personal.

A common thread: Ukrainians in CT keep ties with culture, home through embroidery

ctmirror.org/2025/12/24/u...

Archivists have saved and uploaded copies of the 60 Minutes episode new CBS editor-in-chief Bari Weiss ordered be shelved as a torrent and multiple file sharing sites. @evystadium.bsky.social has more.

Full story by @josephcox.bsky.social: www.404media.co/archivists-p...

The Bumpy Flight That Led Diane Keaton to Adopt a Child at 50 (Gift Article) She worried that she was inadequate at love, until she became a mother.

"She was a woman whose unyielding singularity, her urge to really know herself, gave her access to her deepest feelings — and eventually, to the boundless, giving self she had always wanted to be."

www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

Short-form video drives reach. That’s exactly the problem. "Can we balance public good with our bottom line? Or are we consigning ourselves to adopting the playbook written by companies optimizing for advertising revenue and user addiction?"

"The question isn’t whether we should use [video formats] — it’s whether we should optimize our entire news ecosystem around formats optimized for emotional overwhelm rather than sustained understanding."

www.niemanlab.org/2025/12/shor...

The Secret Crisis Affecting College RAs The stakes of the job are higher than ever—and so is the toll it takes. RAs across the country tell Esquire about their fight to reimagine their role and how it might change college life for everyone.

Last year, I reported on the work conditions of college RAs, including NYU students who were trying to unionize what they referred to as the “twenty-four-hour job." They just posted that Student Workers at NYU reached a deal: the first contract gives RAs pay, better working conditions, & more.

CT doesn’t regulate homeschooling. Should it stay that way? Seeing their kids fall behind during COVID galvanized a new cohort of parents to educate their children themselves. They’re sticking with it.

CT doesn’t regulate homeschooling. Many parents want to keep it that way ctmirror.org/2025/12/14/c...

Judi Jupiter, a 76-Year-Old Social Media Star, Is Gen Z at Heart

“I was born quick, competitive, ambitious and with a great body, but I was also born in the Midwest."

www.nytimes.com/2025/12/10/s...

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 Ukraine, Yale-trained doctors treat complex combat injuries A Yale School of Medicine program provides support and education for Ukrainian medical professionals who deal with increasingly complex cases.

In Ukraine, Yale-trained doctors treat complex combat injuries ctmirror.org/2025/11/07/y...

Michael Days, pioneering journalist who led the Philadelphia Daily News during its 2010 Pulitzer Prize win for investigative reporting, has died at 72 Days was a mentor to countless young journalists and was president of the National Association of Black Journalists-Philadelphia.

Michael Days, pioneering journalist who led the Philadelphia Daily News during its 2010 Pulitzer Prize win for investigative reporting, has died at 72

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26 years after lobster die-off, CT lobstermen reflect on a net loss The Long Island Sound lobster industry was decimated in 1999, but CT's last few commercial lobstermen keep the tradition alive in Stonington.

26 years after lobster die-off, CT lobstermen reflect on a net loss ctmirror.org/2025/10/19/2...

There's a lot happening that impacts young people, so going to keep sharing: Student + earlyish career journalists and writers in Appalachia, pitch! If you're an organizer, involved in your community, etc. & have an opinion you want to write about, please pitch, too. DMs are open for questions!

Here's The Court Document Tyreek Hill Didn't Want Anyone To See | Defector The Miami-Dade Circuit Court clerk released Tuesday a copy of the latest petition for divorce from the estranged wife of Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill. In the document, Lakeeta Vaccaro described...

Remember those court records that Miami Dophins receiver Tyreek Hill wanted sealed? They are now unsealed and up at @defector.com.

The paywall is also down:

This Ukrainian family fled war in Odesa and found a foothold in CT After Russia's full-scale invasion, a Ukrainian family sought refuge in New Haven. And in their home city of Odesa, life continues amid war.

This Ukrainian family fled war in Odesa and found a foothold in CT ctmirror.org/2025/09/28/c...

Hartford doula training targets gaps in care for Spanish speakers The Hispanic Health Council's doula program is conducted entirely in Spanish and aims to address a maternal health gap in Hartford.

Hartford doula training targets gaps in care for Spanish speakers ctmirror.org/2025/09/24/d...

For this New Britain man, late summer is pigeon racing season Wilberto Aponte, president of the Connecticut Classic Pigeon Club, has 200 homing pigeons. With racing season underway, the stakes are high.

For this New Britain man, late summer is pigeon racing season ctmirror.org/2025/09/21/c...

Lamont nixed overdose prevention centers, but advocates fight on People can use illegal substances at the centers with staff supervision. Advocates say they save lives. Others say they encourage drug use.

Lamont nixed overdose prevention centers, but advocates fight on ctmirror.org/2025/08/03/c...

A Buried Threat: Thousands in CT might still be drinking water from lead pipes ctmirror.org/2025/07/27/c...

The jazz festival has offered not just a concert series to Hartford, but also an open egalitarian space: free, outdoors and welcoming to all.

ctmirror.org/2025/07/25/g...

Gazans Are Dying of Starvation

Gazans Are Dying of Starvation

www.nytimes.com/2025/07/24/w...

How American journalism amplifies extremism (it’s not the way you think!) American journalism creates space for small-town extremists to gain power, especially given declines in local news.

"The norms that guide news selection can be used to undermine democracy."

www.niemanlab.org/2025/06/how-...

A family of Afghan refugees arrived in CT. Here's what happened. The family’s crisis-driven arrival may be the new reality for refugees, as support flounders and groups turn to private donors.

A family of Afghan refugees arrived in CT. Here's what happened. ctmirror.org/2025/05/04/c...

Today is a dangerous one in that it's April 1 and I've already been fooled by @ericaephillips.bsky.social who has beat my annual joke by A LOT