Environmental Journalist and Freelance Writer
Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Lorelei Goff
Hurricane Helene Hammers Northeast Tennessee
By Lorelei Goff Hurricane Helene ripped through six southern states by the time her fury dissipated, hammering the shores of Florida’s Gulf Coast with a 15-foot storm surge and winds that reached 140 miles per hour and spawning tornadoes. It dumped up to three feet of rain on some areas as it plowed through parts of Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
Farmer and Climate Activist Completes 2,000-mile Paddle
By Lorelei Goff When off-grid farmer and activist Ann Rose left her home in Lansing, North Carolina, on July 7, she had no idea what she was in for on her nearly 2,000-mile kayak trek to the Gulf of Mexico. The trip, conceived by Rose as a way to raise awareness of water issues facing farmers in her area, took a total of 81 days. Along the way, she hit snags with equipment failures, nearly got swept under a barge, experienced the elements and physical fatigue, and encountered all kinds of people.
Flood Recovery in Buchanan County, Virginia, a Muddy Process
Threatened crayfish caught in the confusion During massive back-to-back floods in Virginia, many stream beds were badly damaged. Confusion over permits still has some residents uncertain as to how to go about making repairs. Photo by Willie Dodson By Lorelei Goff Buchanan County, Virginia, was hit by devastating floods in 2021 and 2022. These extreme weather events destroyed homes, outbuildings and driveway bridges, damaged public roads and washed away streambanks.
Massive Funding Boost Spurs Coal Clean-up Efforts in Appalachia
Plans are underway to give Kentucky residents whose water supplies have been adversely affected by historic coal mining practices access to clean, piped water through the Kentucky Division of Abandoned Mine Lands’ Water Supply Replacement Program. The project is one of many across the Appalachian region made possible by an injection of $725 million in funding into cleanup of decades-old abandoned coal mines.
Not So Smooth Sailing: Ann Rose hits a snag on her epic kayak journey
Ann Rose hit a snag about 500 miles into her nearly 2,000-mile kayak trip from Ashe County, North Carolina, to the Gulf of Mexico to raise awareness about worsening water woes in the region. The 53-year-old off-grid farmer and environmental activist says her trip had been going well until one of the pedals on her kayak broke on the morning of July 31. “I paddled all day today because the pedal broke this morning,”Rose says.
How McDowell County, West Virginia, Is Addressing Its Decades-old Water Problems Through Government Funding And NPO Projects Original
By Lorelei Goff Donna Dickson’s home sits perched on the mountainside along a winding stretch of Highway 52 in McDowell County, West Virginia. The area is best known as coal country, where generations of stalwart miners harvested the black rock that heated America’s homes, fueled its industrial revolution and westward expansion, and powered allied ships during the second world war. The area abounds with water. Water flows from rivers and creeks and bursts from roadside springs.
Paddling for her Life
By Lorelei Goff Ann Rose will leave her farm near Lansing, North Carolina, on July 7 to paddle nearly 2,000 miles solo in a last-ditch effort to save her way of life. Rose, a 57-year-old off-grid farmer and activist, has farmed a rugged mountainside in Ashe County for the last 18 of the 30 years she’s lived there. That is, until hotter, drier weather began scorching the soil and drying up the springs on her rural property. The problem has worsened over the last four years, according to Rose.
TVA Moves Forward with Kingston Gas Plant
By Lorelei Goff Soon after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency criticized the Tennessee Valley Authority for underestimating climate and air pollution impacts of converting the Kingston coal-fired power plant to methane gas, TVA decided on April 2 to move forward with its gas buildout plans for the plant.
Residents, Environmental Groups Voice Concerns Over Proposed Methane Plant
By Lorelei Goff In Middle Tennessee, proposals to replace aging coal plants with methane-fired gas plants and pipelines are causing concerns about water quality and explosion risks. The Tennessee Valley Authority, the nation’s largest federally run utility, and Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company, a subsidiary of gas giant Kinder Morgan, are pushing ahead with plans for the Cumberland Pipeline, a new project that’s part of a massive proposed build-out of fracked gas.
How McDowell County, West Virginia, is Addressing Its Decades-old Water Problems
By Lorelei Goff Donna Dickson’s home sits perched on the mountainside along a winding stretch of Highway 52 in McDowell County, West Virginia. The area is best known as coal country, where generations of stalwart miners harvested the black rock that heated the United States’ homes, fueled its industrial revolution and westward expansion, and powered allied ships during the second world war. The area abounds with water. Water flows from rivers and creeks and bursts from roadside springs.
Three Towns in Southwest Virginia Pursue Redevelopment of Blighted Buildings
By Lorelei Goff The mayor of Tazewell, Virginia, Michael Hoops, recalls when local transportation and coal trains ran through town five or six times a day during the 1980s. The town bustled with residents and visitors. Now, a coal train may pass through every couple of days, the population continues to decline – 3.31% since 2020 – and deteriorating, unused buildings cast a pall of blight on the north end of the town.
Solar Apprenticeship Program Benefits Southwest Virginia Communities
By Lorelei Goff Isaac Carter’s summer days started early. The 17-year-old from Dryden, Virginia, unloaded trailers, carried equipment up ladders to rooftops and pulled wires to connect solar panels. It was hard but satisfying work, and it paid $17 an hour – a good wage for a young person in rural Southwest Virginia.
Fraud Allegations Arise in Ohio State Park Fracking Controversy
By Lorelei Goff As Ohio moves forward with leasing public lands for oil and gas fracking, allegations that supporters filed fraudulent letters in favor of these leases — using real Ohioans’ identities without their consent — have prompted the state attorney general to investigate. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed legislation in January mandating mineral rights leases to oil and gas drilling companies for fracking operations beneath Ohio State Parks and other public lands.
Finding Higher Ground From Floods
By Lorelei Goff In the summer of 2022, the skies rained death and destruction on a swath of Central and Southern Appalachia, leaving 39 dead and causing billions of dollars in damage. In Eastern Kentucky and Southwest Virginia, rain poured into the mountainous terrain at rates of up to four inches per hour and exceeded 16 inches total in some areas. Rivers and creeks swelled, washing away homes and parts of communities.
Indigenous Couple Fights For Social And Environmental Justice
By Lorelei Goff The morning Dr. Crystal Cavalier-Keck witnessed a woman escape from human traffickers changed both their lives. The woman, one of hundreds of victims of labor and sex traffickers each year in North Carolina, managed to break free from her captors and run, screaming. Her kidnappers fled when she reached the safety of a convenience store. “It really got me thinking,” says Cavalier-Keck, a member of the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation.
Report Highlights Gains, Concerns For Appalachia
By Lorelei Goff Appalachia improved in several key areas between 2012 and 2021, according to a June report published by the Appalachian Regional Commission, but the region also continues to struggle with inequities.
Uranium Refinement Moves Forward In Tennessee
By Lorelei Goff Local groups continue to oppose uranium refinement as an Erwin, Tennessee, nuclear fuel plant is cited for additional violations. Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc., a subsidiary of BWX Technologies, Inc., received $428 million in April from the National Nuclear Security Administration for phase two of a five-year contract to produce highly enriched uranium metal at its Erwin plant. NFS also produces fuel for nuclear reactors used in U.S. submarines and aircraft carriers.
Finding Higher Ground From Floods
By Lorelei Goff In the summer of 2022, the skies rained death and destruction on a swath of Central and Southern Appalachia, leaving 39 dead and causing billions of dollars in damage. In Eastern Kentucky and Southwest Virginia, rain poured into the mountainous terrain at rates of up to four inches per hour and exceeded 16 inches total in some areas. Rivers and creeks swelled, washing away homes and parts of communities.
How a Pipeline Proposal Birthed a Community Movement in Middle Tennessee
By Lorelei Goff The adage, “There is strength in numbers,” perhaps nowhere rings truer than in the fight against the fossil fuel industry for private residents to retain their land rights. When individuals who may be bewildered and intimidated by industry tactics find common ground, their strength and power grow exponentially.
Communities Speak Out on Clean Energy, Safety
By Lorelei Goff Members of local communities and environmental groups, some wearing t-shirts emblazoned with Tennessee Valley Communities United on the back to show solidarity, packed the Norris Middle School gym on May 9, for a Tennessee Valley Authority board listening session to demand that the utility prioritize safety and clean energy. TVA serves nearly 10 million customers in Tennessee and parts of six states through a mixed-power generation portfolio.
Left High and Dry After the Flood
By Lorelei Goff When Angie Johnson and her brother, Bobby Keene, went to sleep the night of July 12, 2022, neither realized much of their lives would be swept away before morning dawned. Overnight rain swelled Dismal Creek in rural Southwest Virginia, in what has come to be known as the Whitewood flood. While homes, vehicles and sections of roadways were torn from the mountainsides, mud and rock slides inundated much of what remained. People were trapped inside homes and buildings.
Nuclear Company Pursues Plans to Refine Uranium in Erwin, Tennessee
By Lorelei Goff A federal board is allowing a nuclear fuels company to move forward with their plans to begin producing refined uranium in Erwin, Tennessee, despite opposition from a local organization.
Contaminants Found in East Tennessee Springs
By Lorelei Goff Springs, often assumed to be a safe, clean source of drinking water, may harbor a number of health hazards, according to new research published in the journal Geosciences in August. Fifty springs located in six Northeast Tennessee counties — Carter, Greene, Hamblen, Sullivan, Unicoi and Washington — were tested for 13 water quality parameters, including the contaminants nitrite, nitrate, fecal coliform, E. coli and radon.
The Making Of A Memory
Erin Shultz works a kind of magic with needle and thread, the kind of magic that casts a spell of delight and helps transport actors and audiences to other places and times. Much of the time, she works that magic creating costumes for theater productions as costume director for Tusculum University.
Video, Children's Book Say 'Animals Need A Hand'
A music video titled “Safe Passage: Animals Need a Hand,” aims to raise awareness of a project to create ways for wild animals to safely cross the I-40 corridor through the Smoky Mountains. The video, released Dec. 10, features The Fates, an acoustic trio from Asheville, North Carolina, and was filmed in Flag Pond, Tennessee.
Mosheim Library Adds Archive Room
Progress has resumed on the Mosheim Public Library’s Blue Springs Room, an historical archive dedicated to history in and around the Town of Mosheim. A USDA grant awarded in 2014 funded the project, which is part of an expansion of the library, but work on the completion of the history room was delayed due to COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns. Patrons and researchers will be able to search the collections through a data base installed on a computer purchased with the grant funds.
See Santa At Family Story Time
Family Story Time at the Mosheim Public Library will host two special guests Dec. 2 from 3 p.m.-5 p.m. “Our family story time in December will be really special with an appearance by one of my favorite children’s authors, Betty Brantley,” said Mosheim Public Library Director Denise Duck.
Arts Drive-Buy Offers Socially Distanced Shopping
1 of 2 A location on the Arts Drive-By route in 2020 is seen in this photo. A variety of of art, including painting, jewelry and wood turning, will be on display and available for purchase during the second Arts Drive-Buy happening on Sunday. A vase, created by artist Mark Russell, is an example of one type of art that will be on sale during the 2021 Arts Drive-buy, set for Sunday.
Iron Production And Smithing Have A History In Greene County
As settlers moved westward during the 18th and 19th centuries, the iron moved with them. Life then, as now, depended on iron production and iron working for tools, transportation, weapons, hardware, cookware and more. While many items could be bought from manufacturers in Charleston, South Carolina, Baltimore, Maryland, or even England, transporting them over the mountains into the Greene County region before modern road and railway systems were in place presented a challenge.
Fire And Iron: Forging The Future With Tools From The Past
Jamie Tyree deftly rearranged the smoldering coals on his forge. The fire revived, flames licking the air and sending soot and smoke up the metal chimney. Tyree added more charcoal and turned away to gather his tools and give the new fuel time to ignite. Satisfied with the intensity of the heat, he gripped a long, rectangular piece of metal with his forge tongs and thrust one end into the burning coals.
Local Artist Takes Top Prize In International Art Show
Local artist João Paulo Goncalves, known to many as John Paul or J.P., took the top $10,000 prize in the two dimensional category of the 2021 ArtPrize contest, an international competition held in Grand Rapids Michigan. “It was amazing,” said Goncalves, who said his wife and children were with him when he got the news. The innovative project created in Greeneville called “Aging Out/18 Years Old” shines a light on a shadow that darkens the lives of many young people across the nation.
Exhibit created in Tennessee shines a light in the shadows
GREENEVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — An innovative project created in Greeneville shines a light on a shadow that darkens the lives of many young people across the nation. At least 21,000 youth residing in juvenile residential care facilities turn 18 and age out of state custody each year in the United States. Many have no support system in place and are at risk for becoming homeless or incarcerated.
Exhibit created in Tennessee shines a light in the shadows
GREENEVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — An innovative project created in Greeneville shines a light on a shadow that darkens the lives of many young people across the nation. At least 21,000 youth residing in juvenile residential care facilities turn 18 and age out of state custody each year in the United States. Many have no support system in place and are at risk for becoming homeless or incarcerated.
Shining A Light In The Shadows
An innovative project created in Greeneville shines a light on a shadow that darkens the lives of many young people across the nation. At least 21,000 youth residing in juvenile residential care facilities turn 18 and age out of state custody each year in the United States. Many have no support system in place and are at risk for becoming homeless or incarcerated.
Common Threads: New Appalachian Cultural Exhibit Opens
“Stay awhile … don’t go ‘way.” This Appalachian phrase, according to Sandi Laws, an archivist with the Archives of Appalachia located in East Tennessee State University’s Sherrod Library, was a common Appalachian phrase used to make visitors feel welcome. To a group of pioneering Christian women who settled in the region to do mission work, the phrase came to symbolize their relationships with the people and the land they came to love.
Empty Bowl Fundraiser Raises Nearly $3,000 For Soup Kitchen
The Tabernacle Mission Soup Kitchen held its 3rd annual Empty Bowl Fundraiser Aug. 13. The event, which featured local produce, jams and pottery and live music by Allie Peet, supports the operation of the soup kitchen, located at at 715 Wesley Ave. in Greeneville. Executive Director and Head Chef Mary Goldman hosted the event in partnership with the University of Tennessee Extension office’s Big Spring Master Gardener Program, according to BSMG volunteer Torri Peters.
Mason House Gallery Reopens
The Mason House Gallery reopened this month for the first time since closing for public exhibits due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The month-long, free exhibit, sponsored by The Greeneville Arts Council, features the work of local artist Larry Bunton. Bunton performed in local theater for 10 years until the pandemic curtailed shows.
Tusculum University Using Campus To Conserve Nature, Foster Community Engagement
Stepping onto the campus of Tusculum University invites an observant visitor to glimpse a long and complex twining of the Southern Appalachian landscape with its human occupants.
Book Nook: 'Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children'
“Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children,” by Ransom Riggs (Quirk Books, 2011) I have a confession to make. Sometimes I read children’s and young adult books. The children’s books don’t raise eyebrows because I’m a grandmother and like to peruse books I think my assorted grands might like or benefit from. If it’s been a while since you’ve read one, I encourage you to take a peek at some just for fun.
‘You Just Do It’: Love Of Flight Takes 100-Year-Old To Great Heights
“I like to fly but they took my license away from me,” said John Creeden, sitting in the living room of the home he shares with his daughter Margaret Roe and her family. “I used to fly my own airplane. They took my driver’s license away too. I guess that’s the way it is when you’re 100 years old.” Not having a license didn’t stop him from skydiving for his 90th birthday, flying a plane for his 100th birthday, nor from trying out a new hobby to mark the occasion: paragliding.
Libraries Offer Summer Reading Programs
The Greeneville/Greene County and Mosheim public libraries will offer summer reading programs in June. The Greeneville/Greene County Library will take a hybrid form to incorporate social distancing with much of it taking place outside, while providing fun learning experiences for children. “This year’s program theme is Tails and Tales, so tails as in what’s behind you and tales as in books,” said Circulation Clerk Erin Bontempt.
Beautifully Paired: Promoting Mental Health Through Arts and Education
Susan Lachmann’s ability to use art as tools for mental health defines her. “I love making something out of nothing,” said Lachmann. “It makes me a creator. That’s so empowering. And that’s so essential to me. “My life has had plenty of challenges. I nearly died in my own bathtub after a postpartum hemorrhage. I watched my house burn down holding my baby in my arms. All kinds of things.
Library Will Reopen To Public Monday
After more than a year of closures, curbside service and appointment only access for patrons, the Greeneville/Greene County Public Library plans to opens its doors to the public once again Monday. The Greeneville/Greene County Public Library will be open Monday–Thursday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. All library services will be available during those hours. “We are excited to welcome the public back into the library on Monday,” said library Director Erin Evans.
Book Nook: 'Where The Crawdads Sing'
“Where the Crawdads Sing” by Delia Owens Deliah Owens is a master of the writing craft. She took a decade to write and publish “Where the Crawdads Sing,” her debut novel published in 2018 by G.P. Putnam’s Sons. The Reese’s Book Club pick quickly became a New York Times Best Seller. If there is a wasted or superfluous word in its 368 pages, I failed to find it. The story unfolds in a North Carolina marsh.
Student Art Thrives In Spite Of COVID
The annual spring high school art exhibits for Greeneville and Greene County have been impacted by the COVID-19 epidemic for the second year in a row. Physical exhibits at the Greeneville Arts Council’s Mason House Gallery in the General Morgan Inn were canceled. But with the help of the council, art teachers and their students have been able to continue the exhibits online. Greeneville Arts Council Director of Exhibitions Til Greene said she personally misses the in-person art shows.
Book Nook: 'The Art Of Fermentation'
“The Art of Fermentation” by Sandor Ellix Katz is a history book, cook book, science book and love story all in one. Between its nearly 500 pages, Katz manages to synthesize most every aspect of fermenting foods and beverages that one could imagine into a fun and easy read. His love for his art is evident on every page. I first encountered Katz during a local event a number of years ago but it wasn’t until the summer of 2018 that I read this book.
A New Season For Resources: New Executive Director Welcomed At Celebration
Rural Resources entered a new season of leadership on Saturday and the potential harvest looks good. During a celebration that marked the departure of former Executive Director Sally Causey, Merri Younce was announced as her successor. The open house celebration was held Saturday afternoon at the Rural Resources Farm and Food Education Center on Holly Springs Road. The celebration featured live music by The Flying Js, the unveiling of a new arts and education installation and face painting.
Rural Resources Welcomes New Director
New Rural Resources Executive Director Merri Younce, officially took the helm of the organization on Saturday. While she doesn’t plan to chart an entirely new course for the organization, she plans to steer it farther into community service and toward deeper partnerships with other area agencies and nonprofits. She has the ability to do both. “When it came time to look at the resumes, this one resume just stood out,” Rural Resources Board Chair Joel Hausser said.
Tombstone Preservation Conducted At Historic Cemetery
The historic Old Harmony Cemetery in downtown Greeneville recently served as the site for a workshop on preserving tombstones and other features of cemeteries, thereby preserving history through the stories of those buried beneath them. The public was invited to participate in the daylong event April 23 at the historic cemetery located behind Greeneville Town Hall, 200 N.
Book Nook: 'The Shape Of Water'
“The Shape of Water” departs radically from my usual choices in books. Written by Daniel Kraus, the New York Times best selling author who has garnered Odyssey and YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adult awards for some of his other titles, and co-authored with award-winning director Guillermo del Toro, the plot revolves around a mysterious amphibious, man-like creature captured by the U.S government in the 1960s and the woman who falls in love with him.
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with Lorelei
Contact Lorelei, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack