The Knoxville News Sentinel reported on a groundbreaking study conducted by UT researchers shedding light on the strengths and weaknesses of communities in Appalachia. The report, “Strategies for Economic Improvement in Appalachia’s Distressed Rural Counties,” was conducted for the Appalachian Regional Commission, a regional economic development agency that represents a partnership of federal, state, and local government. The article discussed how the researchers conducted face-to-face interviews to get their information. “I think what we got because we went to these places and we talked to these people and we talked to a broad mix of people is that we really put a lot of flesh on those bones,” said Tim Ezzell, the study’s lead author.