Much of the media have continued to cover President Trump's press conferences and statements as though nothing else in the world is happening. But perhaps if we looked beyond our borders, we might have a better idea of why we’re dealing with a crisis there in the first place.

I left Rappahannock more than a month ago for a job in Washington. When I meet people I tell them I’m from Ohio and some I tell about my time in Rappahannock. They usually ask if I’ve read Hillbilly Elegy. And so I’ve come back a few times to Rappahannock because it’s not a place with just one story.

Inequality, not red-versus-blue, is what's skewing who tells the story – and, by most accounts, how the story is told.

For much of rural Nelson County’s history, little more than hiking trails and mountain scenery drew visitors. But then farming became harder to sustain, the few factories pulled up stakes and the county knew it needed another way to thrive. Enter Maureen Kelley, the head of Nelson’s economic development and tourism department. She saw the county’s assets blending around outdoor recreation, festivals and locally grown food and beverages -- and that plan is ushering in revitalization.

The store has thrived in large part because it has evolved to suit changing times. Today, it tells the story of a county where a growing proportion of residents work elsewhere or are urban transplants and the average farm is about half as big as it was 50 years ago.

Some call it the Rappahannock Hustle, and the many who do it need no further description. It’s the way to make ends meet by stitching various small jobs, formal and informal, into a livelihood. It helps prop up the local economy. But it also hews tightly to two challenges facing Rappahannock County’s younger population: stable, well-paid work and affordable housing. Addressing those challenges matters more as the overall population ages and as other rural counties compete to draw in people who bring new ideas and vibrancy.

He could give you a shave or take a few inches off the top. Need a new timepiece? He could custom make one. He’d have just the right broach for the portrait he would offer to take. And if you weren’t careful, you could leave his shop on Sperryville’s Main Street with a new piece of property. James Arthur Engham was “the original entrepreneur,” his grandson James Russell would later write. For decades Engham’s story earned little attention. Now, more than 80 years after his death, the man widely known as J.A. is remembered as a barber, jeweler, farmer, dentist and one of Rappahannock’s most successful African-American businessmen.

It's fear that prevents people from being open to change, some residents say. Fear of the unknown, fear that change is a slippery slope and once it begins there will be no stopping it.

There is no average day at Chester Gap Volunteer Fire and Rescue. Fire Chief Todd Brown or his deputy, both of whom are retired, are usually on hand. But calls come in unexpectedly and someone always needs to be at the ready — for anything.The not knowing used to be the hardest part about the job for volunteer Angelica Vittitow, the 25-year-old captain of Chester Gap’s emergency medical service (EMS). The greater challenge for her now, perhaps, is finding a way to make a job she does out of devotion to her community.

She may have completed her final 4H farm show last weekend, but 19-year-old Kristen Jenkins’s work with livestock is far from over. She'll head the 4H junior livestock club in the fall and take a more active role in her family's farm -- all while taking nursing classes at the community college. She's rare example of someone who is choosing to stay in Rappahannock and continue to invest in agriculture. “When I was little my grandpa and my dad would sit me up on the fence post, and I’d count the cows as they went by,” she says. “I’ve always had it in my blood.”

Reports of the spotted lanternfly, a sap-sucking bug that secretes a viscous residue and can be devastating to fruit crops, were confirmed in nearby Winchester in January. A team of researchers from Virginia Tech has been working to track its movements.

Farmers have continued to battle the fallout of an extremely wet start to the growing season, and that could put a dent in a number of area businesses on top of other trade-related concerns. Heavy rain and cloud cover have posed a particular challenge to the region’s vineyards, with yields on some varieties expected to be halved in some places.

A Dutch nightly news program recently brought together some of Rappahannock’s more conservative voices to share their views on the Trump administration and gauge how the president is performing after 18 months in office. They covered the gamut: border controls, necessary; corruption, declining; conservatism, ascendant. Do they like what Donald Trump is doing as president? “What’s not to like?” Demaris Miller asked back. “He loves America, he loves the American people, he really wants to put America first, but he wants to be fair, so it’s hard not to like that."

Authentic neighborhood gatherings in small towns across the U.S. have slowly faded away but the desire for community has not. A recent pickin' party in a rural part of eastern Virginia was an attempt at a revival.

There was a time when people could find everything they needed in Pomeroy, says life-long resident Max Drener. Now, “you’re not going to buy a sweeper here. You’re not going to buy a suit.” But Pomeroy doesn’t feel like it’s dying. Much of America may be in dire straits. But there are also plenty of places I've found that are hungry for something better.

Thousands of students, teachers and concerned citizens turned out in Ohio’s capital Saturday to march for tighter gun restrictions, part of a nationwide rally set off by the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, last month.

Public discussions across Ohio are bringing people together to share their concerns and offer ideas for how to tackle the opioid crisis. It's a step forward, but a small one.

One of a growing number of brick and mortar stores forced to surrender to shrinking customers and profit margins, The Acorn earned a reputation for personal service and community spirit.

Just hours before President Donald Trump gave his first State of the Union address Tuesday, a small group of 15 people gathered in a library auditorium in northeastern Ohio to talk about how the U.S. system is broken.

With experiential tourism gaining traction among a younger generation, towns with history and heart may be well placed to benefit.