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POLITICS
What Would a Proposed Development Mean for Chicago’s Southeast Side?
A developer promises green jobs, but residents are skeptical.
What Would a Proposed Development Mean for Chicago’s Southeast Side?
A developer promises green jobs, but residents are skeptical.
Featured
CULTURE
Eating Local with the Pennsylvania Dutch
In rural Pennsylvania, an underrated and distinctive regional cuisine.
PERSONAL HISTORY
Pandemic Diaries, Year Three
Dispatch from Flint, Michigan: when COVID-19 hits home.
ENVIRONMENT
Uncovering America’s First Oil Landscape
In Pennsylvania’s Oil Creek Valley, the messy legacy of the country’s first petroleum boom.
INDIGENOUS DESK
Home/Lands
Indigenous diasporas and making 'home' in the Rust Belt.
Home/Lands
Indigenous diasporas and making 'home' in the Rust Belt.
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More Stories
Work With Us: Executive Director [Remote]
Belt is hiring an executive director to help shape the future of the publication.
Imagining Queer Appalachian Futures
A conversation with Z. Zane McNeill, editor of 'Y'All Means All.'
Cemetery Bound
One writer's Memorial Day quest to discover his ancestors—and their final resting place.
The Death and Life of the Great Black Swamp
Draining Ohio’s Great Black Swamp was a feat of human effort and engineering. Restoring it will be even harder.
The Rise of Pennsylvania’s Everyday Left
Candidates like John Fetterman and Summer Lee are charting a more progressive future for Democrats.
In the ‘Rubber Capital of the World,’ Health Consequences Linger
In Akron, Ohio, toxic exposures to benzene and asbestos made people sick and cut lives short.
One Woman’s Quest to Defy the Odds of Addiction
Jenny Justice’s daughter died of a drug overdose in 2020. The Illinois mother wants to help others avoid the same fate.
Painting a Future for North Braddock
An upcoming art show asks of Braddock, Pennsylvania, 'Where do we think this is going?'
The End of Green Bay’s Oldest Operating Paper Mill–and Its Union
Georgia-Pacific, a national papermaking giant, plans to close Green Bay’s oldest union paper mill amid a labor revitalization.
The History and Future of Rust Belt Labor Power
A conversation with Kim Kelly, author of 'Fight Like Hell.'
City of Cod
In Pittsburgh, Lenten fish fries remain a proudly local, idiosyncratic, and fraternal tradition.
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From the Archives
Climate Emergency and Environmental Justice in the Rust Belt
Stories on climate change, industrial legacies, and planning for a just future.
Rust Belt Pride
A queer Rust Belt reading list.
Recipe: Rudy’s Humble Paczki
A Fat Tuesday tradition.
Recipe: Slovenian Sauerkraut Soup (Jota)
Feeding the holiday spirit.
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