Will Wright, Author at The GroundTruth Project

Will Wright

Will Wright is a Galloway Fellow reporting for the Lexington Herald-Leader with Report for America, part of the Appalachian Reporting Project which is made possible by the Galloway Family Foundation. Will covered the environment and government accountability during internships at the Sacramento Bee, the Lexington Herald-Leader and the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting. He was editor-in-chief of University of Kentucky’s independent student newspaper, the Kentucky Kernel. After graduating from University of Kentucky in December 2016, Wright completed a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. He grew up in Eighty Four, PA, a small town outside Pittsburgh. Since joining RFA as a Galloway Fellow, Wright has reopened the Lexington Herald Leader’s Pike County Bureau in Kentucky. He already put a spotlight on Kentucky’s “worst water district” where some residents went without water for weeks. The district’s business manager retired shortly after publication, and the state committed $3.4 million to fix water issues in eastern Kentucky. Will also collaborated with veteran reporter Bill Estep to break a story about $3 million in back taxes owed by Kentucky-based coal companies linked to West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice.

Health

Many in Eastern Kentucky can’t count on clean water

Many in Eastern Kentucky can’t count on clean water: Here are 5 ways to fix that The Martin...

Dec 10, 2018

Rights

‘Muddy, nasty water.’

‘Muddy, nasty water.’: Why these Eastern Kentuckians are afraid to drink from their taps David Wilburn, of Grays...

Dec 10, 2018

Americas

‘Set the buckets out.’

‘Set the buckets out.’: A family of 7 prays for rain as a mountain water system crumbles Jessica...

Dec 10, 2018

Health

‘Tip of the spear.’

Jimmy Kerr sat in his real estate office near Pikeville and talked of a looming crisis in Eastern...

Dec 10, 2018

BarbiAnn Maynard, a Martin County resident and an activist for clean water. (Will Wright/Report for America)

Environment

During a water crisis, residents embrace reporters as allies

INEZ, Kentucky — In this sleepy town in rural Martin County, in the heart of coal country, residents...

Apr 10, 2018