By Jeff Keeling | This story was originally published and broadcast on Jan. 16, 2026 by WJHL-TV, an affiliate of CGS and ABC based in Johnson City, Tennessee. Pavlo Rybaruk, who lives in the Carpathian Mountains of Ukraine, is seen here wearing the Hutsul serdak, a traditional decorated jacket worn by men in the region. Rybaruk wore the Hutsul serdak for his graduation ceremony, hosted via Zoom by ETSU.

By Courtney Roberts | Although the sun had begun to steal through the clouds, the birds had not yet resumed singing.

By Phillip J. Obermiller and Thomas E. Wagner | Although not readily recognized for it, the federal Appalachian region hosts many busy ports. They are an important part of the region’s transportation network, serving national and international markets for coal, steel, chemicals, cement, grain, fertilizer, limestone, petroleum products, sand and gravel, and other bulk commodities such as lumber and wood chips.