Us & Them Encore: Who’s Going To Take Care Of Maw Maw?
Nov 24, 2025
We’re an aging nation.
Today, 16% of Americans are over 65. In the next few decades, that will double as the youngest Baby Boomers move into old age. But in West Virginia, that future is now. It’s the third oldest state in the nation, and more than 20% of its residents are over 65. At the same time, West Virginia’s birth rate is low because young people are leaving. That generational imbalance will increase in coming years.
The numbers show a growing crisis. Senior care has shifted from a nursing home model to one focused on aging in place. The cost of care is lower the longer people stay in their homes and that’s led to an explosion in home-based support and care services. But now, those companies can’t find the workers they need to provide services for the growing elderly population.
This episode of Us & Them is presented with support from the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation and the West Virginia Humanities Council.
Subscribe to Us & Them on Apple Podcasts, NPR One, RadioPublic, Spotify, Stitcher and beyond.
Phyllis Nichols lives in a Section 8 housing facility in Charleston, W.Va., designated for elderly residents and people with disabilities. A specialized caregiver visits several times a week to help her age in place. Photo Credit: Trey Kay/West Virginia Public BroadcastingThe Rev. Jim Lewis, a retired Episcopal priest in Charleston, W.Va., waits for a medical appointment. After suffering a series of strokes, Lewis was no longer able to live safely on his own, and his children, who live in other parts of the country, helped move him into an elder care facility. Photo Credit: Trey Kay/West Virginia Public BroadcastingTrey Kay visits Rev. Jim Lewis at his new residence in a retirement community. Photo Credit: Trey Kay/West Virginia Public BroadcastingEric Hicks, CEO of Right at Home in Charleston, W.Va., helped pioneer the growth of in-home care services after recognizing the coming surge in the elderly population and the shift away from institutional care. Photo Credit: Bobby Lee MesserJoe Monk, a retired art professor, talks with his cousin Trey Kay, on the back porch of his cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains in Bath County, Va., about multigenerational caregiving. Monk grew up watching family members care for elders and later welcomed aging relatives into his own home. He died in December 2024. Photo courtesy of the Monk Family
Solar Power Hike And A Roller Coaster In Mercer County, This West Virginia Week
Nov 22, 2025
On this West Virginia Week, Appalachian Power customers may be seeing another price hike, caregivers are under stress, particularly during the holidays, and a new mountain roller coaster is a destination for fun seekers in Mercer County.
Bill Lynch is our host this week. Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert.
West Virginia Week is a web-only podcast that explores the week's biggest news in the Mountain State. It's produced with help from Bill Lynch, Chris Schulz, Eric Douglas, Maria Young and Randy Yohe.
A Conversation On Increasing Premiums, This West Virginia Morning
Nov 21, 2025
On this West Virginia Morning, people who buy health care through the federal marketplace are set to see their premiums rise 40 percent or more. It depends on whether Congress extends the 2021 enhanced subsidies that help people pay their premiums.
Ruby Rayner is a reporter for the Chattanooga Times Free Press who’s been covering this story in Tennessee. Inside Appalachia’s Mason Adams spoke with Rayner.
West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
West Virginia Morning is produced with help from Bill Lynch, Chris Schulz, Eric Douglas, Maria Young and Randy Yohe.
Eric Douglas is our news director and produced this episode. Teresa Wills is our host.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:49 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
Caring For Our Aging Population, This West Virginia Morning
Nov 20, 2025
On this West Virginia Morning, we’re an aging nation, and the numbers show a growing crisis – 18% of Americans are over 65. The cost of care is lower the longer people stay in their homes, and the trend has led to an explosion in home-based support and care services. On the next episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay focuses on the challenges of care for our growing elderly population.
West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
Eric Douglas produced this episode.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:49 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
A Ride On W.Va.’s Mountain Coaster, This West Virginia Morning
Nov 19, 2025
On this West Virginia Morning, by now, cooler temperatures have closed many theme parks around the area. But if you’ve got a craving to get on a roller coaster, you don’t have to wait until spring and you don’t have to drive very far. Bill Lynch takes us to the Brush Creek Holl’r Mountain Coaster.
West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
Eric Douglas produced this episode.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:49 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
Why Thurgood Marshall’s Story Matters Today, This West Virginia Morning
Nov 18, 2025
On this West Virginia Morning, a new documentary entitled “Becoming Thurgood: America’s Social Architect” is a Maryland Public Television production about Thurgood Marshall’s journey from young lawyer to one of America’s influential legal minds.
WVPB is hosting a special screening of the film at Marshall University on Nov. 18, and Us & Them host Trey Kay will moderate the live event along with a panel discussion. Ahead of the screening, Kay talked with one of the panelists, historian Cicero Fain, about why Marshall’s story matters now.
West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
Eric Douglas produced this episode.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:49 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
A Look At AARP’s New Report On Caregiving, This West Virginia Morning
Nov 17, 2025
On this West Virginia Morning, more than a quarter of adult West Virginians are serving as caregivers for a family member. That comes with stress and emotional and physical tolls.
News Director Eric Douglas found himself in this position over the last few years as well. The AARP just released a new nationwide report on caregiving, so Eric spoke to Jane Marks, the state president of the organization, to find out more.
West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
Eric Douglas produced this episode.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:49 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
Missing Miner’s Body Recovered, This West Virginia Week
Nov 15, 2025
On this West Virginia Week, the body of a missing miner was recovered, guaranteed median income comes to Mercer County, and with Halloween over and Thanksgiving a few weeks away, what can you do with those leftover pumpkins?
Bill Lynch is our host this week. Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert.
West Virginia Week is a web-only podcast that explores the week's biggest news in the Mountain State. It's produced with help from Bill Lynch, Chris Schulz, Eric Douglas, Maria Young and Randy Yohe.
Encore: True Stories Behind Folk Heroes, Runaway Trains And Murder Ballads, Inside Appalachia
Nov 14, 2025
This week Inside Appalachia, we’re talking about traditional ballads - how they tell stories and connect us to the past.
These old tunes can mean so much. They can tap into difficult emotions and give feelings space to be heard. Some songs may even be too uncomfortable to sing.
In this special episode with guest co-host, ballad singer Saro Lynch-Thomason, we explore songs about lawbreaking folk heroes, runaway trains and murder ballads.
All the stories in this episode were produced as part of our Folkways Reporting Project, a partnership with West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s Inside Appalachia and the Folklife Program of the West Virginia Humanities Council.
We’ve recorded more than 150 stories for this project, and you can find them all here.
The Ballad Of ‘John Henry’ Elicits Varied Feelings For Some Black Appalachian Residents
A statue of John Henry stands in front of the Big Bend Tunnel near Talcott, West Virginia, where many versions of the ballad of ‘John Henry’ say the competition between Henry and the steam drill took place. Photo Credit: Christopher Muller/SteamPhotos.com
The ballad of “John Henry” tells the story of a railroad worker who competes against a steam drill to see who can drill a hole through a mountain fastest and farthest. With his immense strength and skill, John Henry wins, but dies from his efforts. There is great debate about the historical facts, but most accounts describe Henry as an African American man from West Virginia or Virginia, working for the C&O Railroad. For some who grew up in Black communities in Appalachia, the song elicits a variety of feelings. Folkways Reporter Nicole Musgrave has more.
If learning about John Henry piqued your interest, be sure to check out the recent Black in Appalachia podcast episode about John Henry. They dive into some important topics, including a current-day link between health and working conditions, especially for Black workers.
Ballads About Train Wrecks Holds Lessons For Modern Life
“The Wreck At Rural Retreat” from Marshall University’s digital scholar archive. Photo Credit: Marshall University
Starting in the late 19th century, trains were everywhere in southern Appalachia, and so were songs about them. Scott Huffard, an associate professor of History at Lees-McCrae College, says these ballads weren’t just about trains, they were emulating trains using special techniques with common instruments. Reporter Laura Harbert Allen has that story and tells us what we can learn from ballads about trains.
Traditional Murder Ballads Reveal A Dark Truth About “True Crime” Media
There are many murder ballads from Appalachia - and most of them are about men killing women. Folkways Reporter Zack Harold is a musician himself. In fact, you can hear him playing guitar and banjo on a song called “Little Sadie” that appears in this week’s episode.
“Little Sadie” is a ballad about a man killing his sweetheart - exactly the kind of song Zack sought to understand in his reporting about murder ballads. What can they tell us about history? And what is “true crime” the modern-day equivalent?
Real-Life Outlaw Otto Wood Went Viral In The Thirties
As Zack explored in his story, people in the past and the present love viral “true crime” stories. In the early 1930s, the way for a story to go “viral” was by being sung about in a ballad. That’s what happened to Otto Wood, a real-life outlaw who grew up around Wilkesboro, North Carolina. He spent time with the Hatfields of southern West Virginia, became a famous moonshiner, and died in a shootout with police in 1930. Less than one year later, his story was told in the ballad “Otto Wood The Bandit,” recorded by Walker Kid and the Carolina Buddies.
Our host Mason Adams reported on that song.
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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Wes Swing, Dinosaur Burps, and The Chamber Brothers. Bill Lynch is our producer. Our executive producer is Eric Douglas. Kelley Libby is our editor. Abby Neff is our associate producer. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens. Zander Aloi also helped produce this episode.
You can send us an email: InsideAppalachia@wvpublic.org.
Inside Appalachia is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.
Appalachian Hymn Singing, This West Virginia Morning
Nov 14, 2025
On this West Virginia Morning, a two-man rescue team found the body of a missing miner in the Rolling Thunder coal mine in Nicholas County. An around the clock search and rescue operation had been in motion since Saturday.
Also, there’s a style of singing in bluegrass and traditional music that’s rooted in the music of Primitive and Old Regular Baptist churches, places where singers like bluegrass legend Stanley were raised. On a recent episode of Inside Appalachia, reporter Zack Harold introduced us to a woman who helps keep this sacred tradition alive.
West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
West Virginia Morning is produced with help from Bill Lynch, Chris Schulz, Eric Douglas, Maria Young and Randy Yohe.
Eric Douglas is our news director and produced this episode. Teresa Wills is our host.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:49 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
Us & Them: The Mythology Of Crime Stats
Nov 13, 2025
America’s crime rates have prompted President Donald Trump to deploy federal agents and National Guard troops in a handful of major cities.
On this episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay looks at what data and statistics can really tell us about the level of violence in our country.
Crime continues to be one of the defining issues for the Trump administration, and the president refers to what he calls “out of control” crime numbers to deploy soldiers on city streets and support his actions, while using federal agents to sweep up undocumented immigrants. However crime rates are inconsistently reported, and the analysis is challenging. The administration points to its own actions as a reason for a recent drop in crime, but FBI data show major crime categories have been on the decline for the past two years. In fact, a recent poll suggests Americans are less anxious about street crime and more fearful of online scams and school shootings.
This episode of Us & Them is presented with support from the Just Trust and the CRC Foundation.
Subscribe to Us & Them on Apple Podcasts, NPR One, RadioPublic, Spotify, Stitcher and beyond.
Jeffrey Butts, research professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and director of the school’s Research and Evaluation Center. Photo Credit: Trey Kay/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
“We don’t have crime data because there’s no one walking around logging every offense. We have crime when someone sees it and reports it — that’s a complaint. An arrest is different, and the falloff between reports and arrests can be more than 50%. If you want to assess safety, you ask residents — the National Crime Victimization Survey does that — but the U.S. hasn’t sustained it well and almost never at the neighborhood level.”
— Jeffrey Butts, research professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and director of the school’s Research and Evaluation Center
National Guard troops stand outside Union Station in September 2025 in Washington, DC. Photo Credit: Tasos Katopodis/Getty ImagesMembers of the National Guard patrol outside a Bass Pro Shops in October 2025 in Memphis, Tennessee. Photo Credit: George Walker IV/AP PhotoCalifornia National Guard are positioned at the Federal Building, June 10, 2025, in downtown Los Angeles. Photo Credit: Eric Thayer/AP PhotoResidents watch as people take part in a protest near the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Broadview facility in Chicago. Photo Credit: Jeenah Moon/Reuters
“All the things you just mentioned about DC and Chicago and LA and using the National Guard, that is not either a response to the crime problem or an intervention designed to improve the crime problem. It has nothing to do with crime. It’s public relations and political campaigning using the crime issue and using public safety to draw attention and motivate their base… The fact that any indicator of crime is lower now than it was six months ago, or six years ago, is not evidence of the impact of anything that’s been done to prevent crime. It’s the crime numbers moving… What politicians do is wait for them to go down and then claim credit, or they see them going up, and point to their opponents and say they did it.”
— Jeffrey Butts, research professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and director of the school’s research and evaluation center.
Jeffrey Butts reviews incident-level crime data and national victimization trends as part of his center’s research into how communities measure public safety. Photo Credit: Trey Kay/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
“Any time an elected official starts explaining the crime problem, keep a healthy skepticism. Too often, the numbers are wielded ineptly — or intentionally — to shape public reaction rather than improve public safety.”
— Jeffrey Butts, research professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and director of the school’s research and evaluation center.
Understanding Crime Data, This West Virginia Morning
Nov 13, 2025
On this West Virginia Morning, how violent is America? On the latest episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay looks at what crime data really tells us. The Trump administration points to what it calls “out of control” crime rates to deploy federal agents and National Guard troops in a handful of major cities. But the numbers can tell us where crime is the highest, and it may be a surprise. Kay talks with Jeffrey Butts, director of the research and evaluation center and professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
Eric Douglas produced this episode.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:49 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
Ways To Reuse Fall Décor, This West Virginia Morning
Nov 12, 2025
On this West Virginia Morning, decorative pumpkins and Jack O’Lanterns can find a second life on your table and in the garden. We explore ways to reuse fall decorations.
Also, we have the latest edition of our occasional series, Almost Heavens. The Clay Center’s Planetarium and Science Educator, Shannon Silverman, is an astrophysicist who guides us through the cosmos above the Mountain State. Visit our website to find videos and classroom resources about the cosmos.
West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
Eric Douglas produced this episode.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:49 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
New Program To Help Residents In Poverty, This West Virginia Morning
Nov 10, 2025
On this West Virginia Morning, more than 500 residents of Mercer County are about to find out if they have been chosen for a rare opportunity. They have applied for a Guaranteed Minimum Income program through the nonprofit Give Directly, which uses funds from wealthy benefactors to give cash benefits to those in need.
Maria Young caught up with Jeff Atwood, a software developer who donated the funds for the program, to find out what he hopes the results will be.
West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
Eric Douglas produced this episode.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:49 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
Turning Point USA At Marshall And Population Decline, This West Virginia Week
Nov 08, 2025
On this West Virginia Week, we have a conversation with Marshall University's Turning Point USA chapter president. We also learn about a recently released horror film shot near Huntington, and the population decline in central Appalachia may be getting worse.
Bill Lynch is our host this week. Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert.
West Virginia Week is a web-only podcast that explores the week's biggest news in the Mountain State. It's produced with help from Bill Lynch, Chris Schulz, Eric Douglas, Maria Young and Randy Yohe.
Appalachia’s Population Problem, Inside Appalachia
Nov 07, 2025
Central Appalachia is known for exporting coal. But it’s losing people, too.
Also, folk singer Ginny Hawker grew up singing the hymns of the Primitive Baptist Church, but she didn’t think of performing until she got a little boost from Appalachian icon Hazel Dickens.
And, the chef of an award-winning Asheville restaurant was shaped by memories of growing up in West Virginia.
You'll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.
The population inAppalachia’s coal-producing counties has declined since the boom of the 1950s. As the coal industry mechanized and shrunk, jobs went away, and young people did too. Now, a series of population estimates shows things might get even worse.
Journalist Jim Branscome grew up in southwestern Virginia and recently covered this story.
The Last Public Hanging And America's History Of Lynching
Rainey Bethea eats his last meal — which consisted of fried chicken, pork chops, mashed potatoes, pickled cucumbers, cornbread, lemon pie and ice cream — in Louisville, before being transported to Owensboro for his execution in August 1936. Photo Credit: The Associated Press
Nearly 90 years ago, Rainey Bethea was tried and hanged as thousands watched on the banks of the Ohio River in Owensboro, Kentucky. Now, his death — the last public hanging in the U.S. — is at the center of a new book that takes a closer look at lynching, and the American culture that grew out of it.
“Amazing Grace” as it appears in Ginny Hawker’s family heirloom songbook, Lloyd’s Primitive Baptist Hymns. You can see stains in the margins, left by the tobacco-covered hands of her aunt Annie Maud Puckett. Photo Credit: Zack Harold/Rural Remix
There’s a way Appalachian-born singers like Patty Loveless or Ricky Skaggs can bend, glide and flip over their melodies — it can stir your soul and break your heart at the same time. You can trace this style of singing back to bluegrass legends like Ralph Stanley. But the roots of this sound go even deeper, back to the Primitive and Old Regular Baptist churches where folks like Stanley were raised.
For the Rural Remix podcast, Reporter Zack Harold introduces us to a woman who helps keep this sacred tradition alive.
Tent Revivals For Christian Worship In Tennessee
People lift their hands in praise of God at a tent revival in Oneida, Tennessee on Monday, Sept. 22, 2025. The revival was organized by local pastors who feel their community’s faith has faltered in recent years. Photo Credit: Pierce Gentry/WUOT News
For decades, tent revivals were a staple of Christian worship throughout the South. With the onset of TV and, later, the internet, many congregations opted for cheaper, far-reaching mediums for sharing the gospel. But tent revivals are still going strong, too. WUOT’s Pierce Gentry takes us to a tent revival in East Tennessee.
Beavers Are Nature's Greatest Engineers
Natural areas manager Evan Patrick highlights a man-made dam meant to replicate a beaver dam and draw nearby beavers to the site. Photo Credit: Derek Parham/WKU
Beavers have been trapped and hunted in America for thousands of years. They were a food source for Indigenous people, and harvesting beaver pelts was an integral part of early European trade. The trade has dwindled, but all too often, landowners who find beavers working on their property still consider them a nuisance. Conservation groups are working to change that. New programs in Kentucky aim to show the environmental benefits of coexisting with America’s largest rodents.
WKU’s Derek Parham has more.
Watching The Monongahela River
Koa Reitz, an environmental scientist with Three Rivers Waterkeeper, collects sediment samples near the Synthomer Jefferson Hills plant, which will be sent to a lab. Photo Credit: Julie Grant/Allegheny Front
Air pollution in the Mon Valley of Pennsylvania has been the focus of environmental concerns and lawsuits for years, but some groups are also looking atwater quality. As part of its series “Reporting from the Mon,” The Allegheny Front’s Julie Grant heads out with a river watchdog, to see what’s happening with the waste from a chemical plant.
Appalachian Memories Inspire Chef
Chef William Dissen’s debut cookbook is arranged by season and fresh, local ingredients. Courtesy of John Autry
Chef William Dissen’s memories are seasoned with the flavors of West Virginia's mountains. Dissen has taken some of those memories and turned them into award-winning cuisine at The Market Place. That’s his James Beard-nominated restaurant in Asheville.
Last fall, Folkways Reporter Margaret McLeod Leef spoke with Dissen. He was in Charleston to talk about his debut cookbook, Thoughtful Cooking.
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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Ginny Hawker, Hazel Dickens, Mary Linscheid, Jeff Ellis, Blue Dot Sessions, Frank George, John Blissard and Hello June.
Bill Lynch is our producer. Abby Neff is our associate producer. Our executive producer is Eric Douglas. Kelley Libby is our editor. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens. We had help this week from Folkways Editors Chris Julin. And, congratulations to longtime Inside Appalachia contributors Molly Born and Zander Aloi on their marriage.
You can send us an email: InsideAppalachia@wvpublic.org.
Inside Appalachia is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.
W.Va. Wildfire And Appalachia’s Declining Population, This West Virginia Morning
Nov 07, 2025
On this West Virginia Morning, high winds Wednesday fanned more than 20 fires across the state. As Chris Schulz reports, the largest of those fires is still burning.
And, the population in central Appalachia has been in decline for decades. As jobs went away, young people did, too. Now, a series of population estimates shows things might get even worse. Journalist Jim Branscome grew up in southwestern Virginia and recently covered this story. Inside Appalachia’s Mason Adams spoke with him.
West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
West Virginia Morning is produced with help from Bill Lynch, Chris Schulz, Eric Douglas, Maria Young and Randy Yohe.
Eric Douglas is our news director and produced this episode. Teresa Wills is our host.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:49 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
A Conversation With MU’s Turning Point USA President, This West Virginia Morning
Nov 06, 2025
On this West Virginia Morning, founded by assassinated conservative activist Charlie Kirk, Turning Point USA focuses its energies largely on college campuses like Marshall University (MU).
Mason County freshman Branson Tolliver is Marshall’s chapter president. He spoke with Huntington Bureau Chief Randy Yohe on the goals of this growing student movement.
And, we have updates on a debate over an air quality permit for a microgrid facility in Tucker County.
West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
Eric Douglas produced this episode.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:49 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
Spooky Season Continues With New Film, This West Virginia Morning
Nov 05, 2025
On this West Virginia Morning, Halloween may be over, but Mountain State spookiness continues on with a new film called Self-Help. Shot in locations near Huntington, the horror movie follows a college student who infiltrates a dangerous self-actualization community after her mother becomes entangled with its leader.
The film was produced by brothers Erik and Carson Bloomquist. Bill Lynch spoke with Carson about the film and their experience in West Virginia.
Also, we have updates on Mountain State job needs, food needs and an essay contest to help students save for college.
West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
Eric Douglas produced this episode.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:49 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
A Conversation About Hidden Costs On Utility Bills, This West Virginia Morning
Nov 04, 2025
On this West Virginia Morning, Kentucky utility regulators could approve a rate increase for Louisville Gas & Electric and Kentucky Utilities customers. They’ve approved new power plants to meet the electricity demands of data centers. Customers may not have known about the hidden cost they’re paying for two coal plants.
Appalachia + Mid-South Newsroom Managing Editor Ryan Van Velzer spoke with WVPB’s Curtis Tate about his reporting on those plants.
Also, we have updates on recent state tax collections, SNAP benefits and a report from West Virginia Legislative interims.
West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
Eric Douglas produced this episode.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:49 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
Questioning The Status Quo, This West Virginia Morning
Nov 03, 2025
On this West Virginia Morning, TJ Meadows from the Metro News Network is questioning the status quo. He spoke with News Director Eric Douglas about stepping into the role formerly filled by Hoppy Kerchival and using his background in business & the energy industry to ask questions and shake things up.
Also the $60 million sale of four state-owned health care facilities has been finalized, and at least nine locations around West Virginia, including the state capitol building, will be lit up teal Monday to help raise awareness for Alzheimer's disease.
West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
Eric Douglas produced this episode.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:49 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
Food Banks Face Challenges And The History Of Halloween, This West Virginia Week
Nov 01, 2025
On this West Virginia Week, food banks face challenges as SNAP benefits are delayed and the government shutdown continues. Also, an influx of cash may help lift people in Mercer County up out of poverty. We also explore the roots of Halloween.
Bill Lynch is our host this week. Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert.
West Virginia Week is a web-only podcast that explores the week's biggest news in the Mountain State. It's produced with help from Bill Lynch, Chris Schulz, Curtis Tate, Eric Douglas, Maria Young and Randy Yohe.
The Return Of The Headless Man And The Murdered Girl
Mike Allen And The Button Bin
From left, authors Rod Belcher, Mike Allen and Amanda McGee during an event at Book No Further in Roanoke, Virginia. Courtesy of Mike Allen
It’s the season for gathering around fires and telling spooky stories. Mike Allen is an award-winning science fiction, fantasy and horror writer based in Roanoke, Virginia. Besides writing, Allen also runs Mythic Delirium. It started as a sci-fi poetry zine. Now it’s a publishing imprint that puts out books. Host Mason Adams visited Mike to speak with him about his work.
Since that interview in 2023, three new Mike Allen books have been published: Slow Burn, a collection of stories and poems, The Black Fire Concerto, a post-apocalyptic horror novel, and Trail of Shadows, a horror novel that begins on the Appalachian Trail.
Molly Born And The Spooky Old Tunnel
Spooky stories can be about people, but sometimes they’re just about a place. A patch of land or an old building can develop a reputation that grows and grows over the years. Some are off the beaten path, but others you can drive right up to. In Mingo County, West Virginia there’s an old single-lane railroad tunnel that’s become a local legend.
Back in 2018, reporter Molly Born ventured inside the Dingess tunnel to find out what makes it so unsettling.
Ghost Story
Some people are afraid of ghosts. Others want to figure out ways to communicate with them – like Anita Allen, a writer and paranormal investigator in Roanoke.
Host Mason Adams talked to her about a couple of her ghost encounters.
Another Ghost Story
Haunted places dot Appalachia — moonlit hollers, mist-shrouded cemeteries, and dusty buildings that hold unspoken secrets. Playwright and theater director Dan Kehde knows just such a place, in Charleston, West Virginia.
WVPB’s Jim Lange brought us this story in 2021.
Spiritualism And Mediums
Scott Worley oversees Haunted Beckley in Beckley, West Virginia, where he’s spent most of his life. He collects stories and gives history and ghost tours. This story isn’t exactly about ghosts — but people who commune with them. We’re talking about spiritualism, a religious practice centered on the idea that people can communicate with the dead and even seek advice through seances.
Spiritualism has gone in and out of style for generations. In the 1800s, though, it became a mainstream trend that attracted celebrities like Sherlock Holmes author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln.
Worley tells us about what spiritualism looked like in West Virginia during that time.
Pumpkin Patches As Tourist Destinations
Colorful hay bale and pumpkin patch at Sinkland Farms in the New River Valley. Photo Credit: Roxy Todd/Radio IQ
A growing number of farms are turning themselves into Halloween destinations with corn mazes and pumpkin patches. Roxy Todd and All Things Considered host Craig Wright explored a few of these farms in western Virginia.
Return Of The Headless Man And The Murdered Girl
James Froemel is an actor and storyteller in Morgantown, West Virginia. He’s also an occasional contributor, providing readings of short stories by Appalachian authors. For the Halloween season, he sent us a pair of tales from Ruth Anne Musick.
“The Return of the Headless Man” and “The Murdered Girl" were collected and retold by Ruth Anne Musick. They’re available in the story collections The Tell-Tale Lilac Bush and Coffin Hollow, respectively.
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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Blue Dot Sessions, Mary Hott, Jeff Ellis, Gerry Milnes, Hello June, Paul Loomis and Red Sovine.
Bill Lynch is our producer. Abby Neff is our associate producer. Our executive producer is Eric Douglas. Kelley Libby is our editor. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens
You can send us an email: InsideAppalachia@wvpublic.org.
Inside Appalachia is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.
A Spooky Mountain State Story, This West Virginia Morning
Oct 31, 2025
On this West Virginia Morning, West Virginia and her ancient hills are no stranger to spooky happenings and things we can’t explain. You’ll find no bigger fan of these stories than Jim Lange, the host of Eclectopia. This year for Halloween, he shares this paranormal story from Robert Tipane.
Also, Gov. Patrick Morrisey has filled a vacancy in the state Senate. We learn more about how West Virginia 211 is a service for people seeking food assistance. And, a low barrier homeless shelter will open its doors in Huntington this weekend.
West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
West Virginia Morning is produced with help from Bill Lynch, Chris Schulz, Curtis Tate, Eric Douglas, Maria Young and Randy Yohe.
Eric Douglas is our news director and produced this episode. Teresa Wills is our host.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:49 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
Digging Into Halloween’s Rich History, This West Virginia Morning
Oct 30, 2025
On this West Virginia Morning, Halloween is more popular than ever, but where did we get traditions like costumes or trick-or-treating? We talk to West Virginia University (WVU) religious studies professors Aaron Gale and Alex Snow to learn more about Halloween's rich history.
Also, the parent company of Appalachian Power and Kentucky Power racked up nearly $1 billion in profits in just one quarter. And, the sale of four state-run health care facilities is back on track.
West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
Eric Douglas produced this episode.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:49 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
Help For Mercer County Residents And Stepping Up State Nutritional Needs, This West Virginia Morning
Oct 29, 2025
On this West Virginia Morning, an influx of cash will provide more than 500 residents at or close to the poverty line in Mercer County $1,500 each month for 16 months. The key here is it’s no strings attached. Maria Young has the story.
Also, with delays to federal nutritional benefits expected, the state government is trying to step up to meet the need. As Chris Schulz reports, Gov. Patrick Morrisey is asking for public support, too.
West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
Eric Douglas produced this episode.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:49 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
Meeting Food Needs Amid Shutdown, This West Virginia Morning
Oct 28, 2025
On this West Virginia Morning, Gov. Patrick Morrisey has pledged $1.1 million in emergency funding to West Virginia food banks. The decision comes as federal workers across the state go without pay for the fourth week and more than a quarter million people in the state face having their November SNAP benefits curtailed. We hear from Huntington-based Facing Hunger Food Bank CEO Cyndi Kirkhart on meeting the challenges faced in getting nutritional food to families in need.
Also, students in Jefferson County will now have an easier time continuing their education after graduation, and we learn about historic preservation grants available in West Virginia.
West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
Maria Young produced this episode.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:49 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
Obesity In W.Va. And A Novel Set In Greenbank, This West Virginia Week
Oct 25, 2025
On this West Virginia Week, a new obesity report paints a grim picture for West Virginia, but can anything be done? Also, Americans have been struggling with housing for years, but is the market changing? And a new novel set in Pocahontas County tells the story of two high school students as they unravel a decades-old mystery.
Bill Lynch is our host this week. Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert.
West Virginia Week is a web-only podcast that explores the week's biggest news in the Mountain State. It's produced with help from Bill Lynch, Chris Schulz, Curtis Tate, Eric Douglas, Maria Young and Randy Yohe.
A page from The Secret Astronomers, in which two high school seniors maintain a correspondence in an old astronomy textbook. Photo courtesy of Penguin Random House
A new novel for young adults captures a slice of life in Pocahontas County, West Virginia. It tells the story of a friendship between two high school students as they unravel a decades-old mystery. It’s the debut novel by Jessica Walker.
Host Mason Adams spoke with her.
Watching Fall Foliage From The Sky
A lot of us experience fall foliage through the windows of our cars or by looking up from the forest floor. But WVPB News Director Eric Douglas brings us another way to experience autumn’s splendor – from the air.
Appalachian Author Reflects On Heritage, Portrayal Of Cherokee In Literature
Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle is an acclaimed Appalachian author who lives in Cherokee, North Carolina. Clapsaddle’s debut novel, Even as We Breathe, was the first novel published by an enrolled citizen of the Eastern Band of Cherokee. She’s also the 2025 Appalachian Heritage Writer-in-Residence at Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, West Virginia.
WVPB’s Liz McCormick spoke with Clapsaddle about her writing and the importance of reclaiming Cherokee identity through literature.
Traditional Music And Tattoos At The Parlor Room
A traditional pin up-style tattoo by Haywood on friend and client Brad Centers' forearm. Photo Credit: Zack Harold/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
John Haywood of Whitesburg, Kentucky says he got his first guitar and his first tattoo when he was about 13 years old. These days, Haywood is the proprietor of Parlor Room Art and Tattoo in downtown Whitesburg. It’s a place where some people get inked up and some play traditional string-band music. It’s a place unlike any other. Earlier this year, Folkways Reporter Zack Harold documented his visit.
In this story, we hear from regular Brad Centers, who died in September following a battle with colon cancer. Before Brad's death, Haywood gave a little support toward Brad's treatment with each new tattoo.
If Lost
Poet and poetry organizer, Clint Bowman, says the best way to read poetry in front of people is to read poetry in front of people. Courtesy photo
When Clint Bowman of Black Mountain, North Carolina couldn’t find the writing group he needed, he formed the Dark City Poets Society. Bowman used the group to develop his poetry, some of which explores people and their connection to nature.
Early last fall, Producer Bill Lynch spoke with Bowman about his collection, If Lost.
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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Charlie Mccoy, Blue Dot Sessions, Hello June and Tim and Dave Bing.
Bill Lynch is our producer. Abby Neff is our associate producer. Our executive producer is Eric Douglas. Kelley Libby is our editor. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens. We had help this week from Folkways Editors Chris Julin and Nicole Musgrave.
You can send us an email: InsideAppalachia@wvpublic.org.
Inside Appalachia is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.
Us & Them Encore: The Housing Struggle
Oct 23, 2025
America’s housing shortage continues to put affordable homes out of reach for people across the country — from small towns to big cities.
While West Virginia has the nation’s highest level of homeownership overall, many residents still struggle to find something that works for their budget. In fact, nearly 140,000 West Virginians spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing costs.
In this episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay looks at the squeeze in two places—Philadelphia and southern West Virginia—finding that while inventory has improved, costs remain well above pre-pandemic levels and even manufactured homes, once an entry point for many, are slipping out of reach.
This episode of Us & Them is presented with support from the West Virginia Humanities Council and the CRC Foundation.Subscribe to Us & Them on Apple Podcasts, NPR One, RadioPublic, Spotify, Stitcher and beyond.
Claudia Aiken, director of the Housing Initiative at the University of Pennsylvania. Photo Credit: University of Pennsylvania
“Housing became really important during the pandemic … not only because we were home all the time and working from home, but because housing itself was suddenly at stake in a way it hadn’t been. People who were doing fine before were still doing fine—many even did better with stimulus checks and the homeownership boom, as rising values benefited those with assets. But on the other side of the spectrum, the pandemic hit service workers hard. Many of them are renters, and suddenly they had no income; they couldn’t pay rent and had to ask, ‘Can I stay in my home another month?’”
— Claudia Aiken, director, Housing Initiative, University of Pennsylvania
Taylor Kessinger (left), a researcher in the University of Pennsylvania’s Biology Department, walks with Us & Them host Trey Kay (right) in West Philadelphia. Photo Credit: Christina StellaTaylor Kessinger, is also a housing development advocate in Philadelphia, who often attends zoning board meetings in his West Philadelphia neighborhood of Squirrel Hill. Photo Credit: Trey Kay/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
“A lot of people genuinely believe housing costs are out of control … and that if you want to rein them in, you need to allow more homes to be built — the market has a role to play. … Opposition and support don’t line up neatly with left-right politics: some folks are NIMBY (not in my backyard) for explicitly right-wing reasons — they don’t want apartments in exclusionary suburbs because they associate them with lower-income residents or crime … while others are NIMBY or anti-YIMBY (yes in my backyard) from the left because they fear development will raise land values and rents, putting people at risk of displacement. … You’ll see people oppose development because it might lower property values, and you’ll also see opposition because it might raise property values — and therefore property taxes — especially in a city like Philadelphia, where there’s a high rate of lower-income Black homeownership.”
— Taylor Kessinger
Ron Whyte, a lifelong Philadelphian and housing activist, sits on the back porch of the Victorian house he shares with five roommates in West Philadelphia’s Squirrel Hill. He says he was priced out of a previous apartment by “ren-o-viction” — moderate renovations followed by steep rent hikes. Photo Credit: Trey Kay/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
“I think they call it ‘renoviction’, where they decide to renovate the building. And that's a way that they push people out is by saying, ‘Look, we have added this amenity, or we have fixed the doors, we have painted,’ or something like that. ‘And now, because we painted, we have to raise the rent by $500 a month,’ which for a lot of people living there wasn't really affordable.”
— Ron Whyte
Elk View Mobile Home Park in Mercer County, West Virginia. About 22 million Americans live in manufactured homes for their relative affordability, but residents are facing new pressures: sudden lot rent increases, often after new ownership and capital improvements. Elk View residents say the same squeeze is happening here. Photo Credit: Jessica LillyBicycles lie in a yard between manufactured homes at Elk View Mobile Home Park in Mercer County, West Virginia. Photo Credit: Jessica LillyOn a cold December day, 19-year-old Kayla Thompson and her stepfather, Eddie Woodward, pause while loading most of their belongings into a moving truck at Gardner Estates Mobile Home Community in Mercer County, West Virginia. They’re leaving after living without electricity and heat for about six weeks; they say the electrical problem took a month and a half to fix. Homes of America, LLC — which in the past year purchased five manufactured home parks in Mercer County, including Gardner Estates — now owns the property. Sandy Kinney, an attorney for the company says, “It is making substantial investments to improve these long-neglected properties, so the residents live in places they are proud to call home.” Photo Credit: Jessica LillyGary Cooper sits in his kitchen with a bag of macaroni from the food bank at Delaney Mobile Home Park in Mercer County, West Virginia. Now owned by Homes of America, his park faces rent hikes of more than 200 percent; Cooper says he wants to stay in the home he takes pride in. Photo Credit: Jessica LillyOn a bitterly cold day in late December, Matthew Bragg — lead sanitarian for the Mercer County Health Department for about seven years — conducts a rare winter inspection at Elk View Mobile Home Park in Mercer County, West Virginia. The court-ordered visit asks him to check water conditions, specifically drainage and sewage issues, and verify health and safety compliance. Photo Credit: Jessica LillyAdam Wolfe, a staff attorney with the nonprofit Mountain State Justice, joins Mercer County Health Department inspector Matthew Bragg at Elk View Mobile Home Park in Mercer County, West Virginia, to review drainage and other health-and-safety concerns. Residents had contacted the firm after receiving letters saying their lot rents would more than double in roughly 60 days. Photo Credit: Jessica Lilly
“These are people who can’t fight for themselves … who may not be sophisticated enough to know what to ask for from a billion-dollar, out-of-state corporation with tons of lawyers.”
— Adam Wolfe, Mountain State Justice
Tucker County Mystery And From Mothman To The Silver Bridge, This West Virginia Morning
Oct 21, 2025
On this West Virginia Morning, a group of Tucker County residents are asking the Intermediate Court of Appeals for help learning about a proposed power plant in their community to run a data center.
And, we hear the second part of our look back at reporting from Point Pleasant columnist Mary Hyre as she went from writing about the "Mason County Monster" to the Silver Bridge collapse in a little more than a year.
West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
Maria Young produced this episode.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:49 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
Bridge Day Is On And The Kitchen Table Tour, This West Virginia Week
Oct 18, 2025
On this West Virginia Week, despite a government shutdown and the closure of national parks across the country, parks in West Virginia are staying open – for now. Also, a new book looks at the last public hanging in America. And, they’re out there, paranormal investigators talk about Paranormal Kentucky.
Bill Lynch is our host this week. Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. West Virginia Week is a web-only podcast that explores the week's biggest news in the Mountain State. It's produced with help from Bill Lynch, Chris Schulz, Curtis Tate, Eric Douglas, Maria Young and Randy Yohe.
Mary Hyre's column from the time of the initial Mason County Monster sighting. Photo courtesy of The Athens Messenger
Fans of Appalachian monsters and cryptids will know Mothman. In West Virginia lore, it’s a human-sized creature with wings and red eyes that glow. It was first spotted in the 1960s. A small-town newspaper writer covered the Mothman sightings. That is, until tragedy struck the town.
WVPB News Director Eric Douglas brings us this story.
Bridge Day BASE Jumping
Every October, hundreds of BASE jumpers descend on the New River Gorge Bridge in West Virginia. They come to leap from the 876 foot tall bridge, pull their parachutes and aim for the banks of the river below.
In 2024, high school students Dylan Neil and Noah Fox got curious about how to become a Bridge Day BASE Jumper. So, they spoke with an expert: BASE jumper Marcus Ellison.
Paranormal Kentucky Explores Ghosts, Aliens And Cryptids
There’s a chill in the air, and it’s a good time for telling spooky stories. Appalachia has a bunch of them. Some have been collected in a new book. It’s titled, Paranormal Kentucky, An Uncommon Wealth of Close Encounters with Aliens, Ghosts and Cryptids.
It was written by Marie Mitchell and Mason Smith, a pair of retired Eastern Kentucky University professors turned paranormal investigators.
Producer Bill Lynch spoke with them.
The Columbus Washboard Company Makes Instruments From Past
A variety of decorative washboards on display in Columbus Washboard storefront. Photo Credit: Capri Cafaro/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
The Columbus Washboard Company in Logan, Ohio was founded in 1895. Back then, washboards were a necessary tool for doing the laundry each week. Today, of course, most people have a washer and dryer, or access to a laundromat. But the Columbus Washboard Company has found a way to stay open.
In 2022, Folkways Reporter Capri Cafaro visited the factory and brought us this story.
Extreme Heat Affects Seniors Living In Rural Housing
Deborah Nagy (left) and Marsha Craiger chat inside Nagy's home in Wise. Craiger administers Senior Cool Care, a state energy assistance program that serves people who are over 60 who experience poverty. Photo Credit: Katie Burke/Radio IQ, Climate Central
For 71 years, Deborah Nagy has lived on the Appalachian plateau in southwestern Virginia. She remembers hot summers spent running barefoot, and cooling off in creeks and water holes. But as she’s gotten older, she says the heat feels … well, different.
That’s actually more than a feeling. It’s a scientific reality. Seniors are acutely vulnerable to health impacts from heat — and, as pollution traps more heat, summers are becoming more intense.
Radio IQ's Katie Burke has more.
Monongahela River On The Allegheny Front
Sewage overflow into the river after rainstorms is a major threat to the health of the Mon. Photo Credit: Annie Quinn/Mon Water Project
Of Pittsburgh’s three rivers, the Monongahela, also called the Mon, is the toughest to pronounce. And it’s often underrated.
The Allegheny Front’s Kara Holsapple spoke with a river advocate to better understand the Mon.
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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Mary Hott, Dave Odell and Dave Bing, Ron Mullennex, Blue Dot Sessions and Dinosaur Burps.
Bill Lynch is our producer. Abby Neff is our associate producer. Our executive producer is Eric Douglas. Kelley Libby is our editor. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens. We had help this week from Folkways Editor Nicole Musgrave.
You can send us an email: InsideAppalachia@wvpublic.org.
Inside Appalachia is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.
Breaking Ground On An Old Strip Mine And Lessons In Racial Justice, This West Virginia Morning
Oct 16, 2025
On this West Virginia Morning, Appalachian Outlaw Trails hopes to become the largest trail system for off-road vehicles and dirt bike riders in the country. Officials broke ground on the project at the site of an old strip-mine this week.
And, the nation’s last public hanging – nearly 90 years ago – may hold important lessons about race and justice that are relevant today. A new book draws a line from that dark time to modern instances of racial violence like the police killings of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd.
West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
Maria Young produced this episode.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:49 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
Moving Ahead With Bridge Day And Mapping The Monongahela, This West Virginia Morning
Oct 15, 2025
On this West Virginia Morning, the deal to keep the state’s two national parks open was set to end on Friday. Gov. Patrick Morrisey announced Tuesday he’s extending the deal through the end of the month – just in time for Bridge Day, which is expected to draw tens of thousands of people.
And, sophisticated technology not normally used in nature is allowing activists to map the Monongahela River – and raising hope that it will lead to more support for the troubled waterway.
West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
Maria Young produced this episode.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:49 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
The Year After Hurricane Helene, Inside Appalachia
Oct 10, 2025
It’s been a year since Hurricane Helene barreled into central Appalachia. The storm caused floods and landslides. The disaster changed the shape of rivers. It also took lives and upended entire communities, but from the beginning, the recovery brought people together.
Also, country music’s Rob McNurlin grew up with traditional music in Eastern Kentucky. His friend Marty Stuartsays he’s a folk hero.
And, we check up on Virginia rapper and producer Byron Mack.
You'll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.
A home dedication for a survivor of Helene, who received a new home in Washington County through the Trails to Recovery organization. Photo Credit: Roxy Todd/Radio IQ
It’s been a year since Hurricane Helene hit the mountains of Appalachia. The storm brought catastrophic flooding and devastated parts of western North Carolina, east Tennessee and southwestern Virginia. Our partner station RadioIQ produced a documentary about how folks recovered and rebuilt after the storm.
Roxy Todd's RadioIQ reports from southwestern Virginia.
Whitewater Raft Guides Clean Up Nolichucky River
The Nolichucky River clean up crew. (left to right) Michael Crooks, Parrish Ross, Justin Morgan, Amelia Taylor, Nick Wirick. Photo Credit: Rolando Arrieta/NPR
Erwin, Tennessee, was near the epicenter of Helene’s destruction, and it saw extensive damage along the Nolichucky River.
NPR’s Rolando Arrieta visited the area to meet with whitewater rafters and find out how the cleanup is going.
Filmmaker Tells Country Star Rob McNurlin's Story
Country musician Rob McNurlin (center) standing next to Colonel Steven Middleton (left of McNurlin). Middleton directed the documentary, From The Cowboy's Boot Heel: The Musical Journey of Rob McNurlin. Photo courtesy of Colonel Steven Middleton
For decades, Rob McNurlin has played in hole-in-the-wall bars, clubs and coffee houses throughout central Appalachia. He’s recorded songs, made videos and even hosted television programs, but was never able to break into the mainstream. After McNurlin announced plans to retire, filmmaker Colonel Steven Middleton asked if he could tell the singer’s story. He made the documentary, The Cowboy’s Boot Heel: The Musical Journey of Rob McNurlin.
Producer Bill Lynch spoke with Middleton.
Using Invasive Fish As Food For Injured Birds Of Prey
Somerset High School teacher Hank Gevedon demonstrates how to filet a carp. Photo Credit: Sam Dick/WEKU
Invasive carp are a nuisance in waterways across the country. The carp reproduce quickly and crowd out native species. They’re even a hazard to boaters. A southern Kentucky high school teacher and his students are using the invasive fish to feed injured raptors, like bald eagles, vultures and hawks.
Flat Five owner Byron Mack shows a trophy for an award won by one of his songs. Photo courtesy of Byron Mack
A couple years ago, Host Mason Adams reported on one of Appalachia’s most influential music recording studios. Since that story aired in the summer of 2023, Byron Mack has been through some changes.
Mason sat down with him at his home in Salem, Virginia.
Matthew Perry Foundation At Healing Appalachia Music Festival
Matthew Perry Foundation's Nick Gaines at Healing Appalachia. Photo Credit: Randy Yohe/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Healing Appalachia was held in Ashland Kentucky a few weeks ago. The three-day music festival celebrated recovery, and included performances by Chris Stapleton, Tyler Childers and Molly Tuttle.
This year, Healing Appalachia worked with the Matthew Perry Foundation, which was founded shortly after the actor’s death. The organization supports groups tackling addiction in their communities.
WVPB’s Randy Yohe attended Healing Appalachia and spoke with Matthew Perry Foundation Program Director Nick Gaines.
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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Jeff Ellis, Rob McNurlin, Larry Rader and Byron Mack.
Bill Lynch is our producer. Abby Neff is our associate producer. Our executive producer is Eric Douglas. Kelley Libby is our editor. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens. We also had help this week from Folkways Editor Jennifer Goren.
You can send us an email: InsideAppalachia@wvpublic.org.
Inside Appalachia is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.
A Helping Hand In Mercer County And An Appalachian Singer’s Life Story, This West Virginia Morning
Oct 10, 2025
On this West Virginia Morning, hundreds of low-income households in Mercer County are about to get a significant financial boost – one that organizers hope will make a difference for recipients as well as their communities.
And, a retiring Appalachian singer announced his plans – then got a call from an old friend. We bring you the story behind the story of Rob McNurlin’s life.
West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
West Virginia Morning is produced with help from Bill Lynch, Chris Schulz, Curtis Tate, Eric Douglas, Maria Young and Randy Yohe.
Eric Douglas is our news director. Teresa Wills is our host. Maria Young produced this episode.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:49 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
Flight Subsidies Up In The Air And The Rise Of Young Voters, This West Virginia Morning
Oct 09, 2025
On this West Virginia Morning, federally subsidized flights to and from rural airports are expected to continue for now – even if the government shutdown forces the suspension of those subsidies.
And, Us & Them host Trey Key looks into why young people are showing up to vote in record numbers and who is helping to shape their views.
West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
Maria Young produced this episode.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:49 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
Us & Them Encore: The Fight For The Youth Vote
Oct 09, 2025
This episode first aired in 2023, focusing on the strategies to motivate young voters, and we’re sharing it again in the wake of the Sept. 10, 2025, assassination of Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA. Kirk, a renowned conservative youth organizer, was shot and killed during a campus event at Utah Valley University.
Nothing divides Americans like politics — but young voters continue to matter. Us & Them host Trey Kay talks with journalist Kyle Spencer, whose book Raising Them Right traces how conservative organizers spent years building a youth movement on campuses. Spencer says the growth was strategic and well funded. Money can organize power, she notes, though it doesn’t force a single, uniform ideology on young people.
Kay also talks with Abby Kiesa of Tufts University’s Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE), who explains how youth participation has shifted in the Trump era and why a deeper problem persists: the political system still struggles to turn young people’s political interest into sustained turnout.
Revisiting this Us & Them episode in the wake of Kirk’s death offers context for how campus-based organizing — and reactions to it — have shaped youth politics today.
This episode of Us & Them is presented with support from the CRC Foundation.
Subscribe to Us & Them on Apple Podcasts, NPR One, RadioPublic, Spotify, Stitcher and beyond.
Kyle Spencer is an award-winning journalist and frequent New York Times contributor. She has written about Christian rockers, Philadelphia murderers, Harlem parents in the age of school reform, million dollar PTA's, marijuana etiquette and gay culture among young American Catholics. In recent years, she has focused much of her attention on the ways in which race, class, and culture are impacting life inside American classrooms. Courtesy Photo
As the founder and president of Turning Point USA, the late Charlie Kirk is credited by President Donald Trump with motivating young conservatives to vote in the 2024 election. Photo Credit: Jackson Forderer/AP Photos
Candace Owens has emerged as a notable conservative pundit. Owens served as communications director for Turning Point USA, but since then has become an influential commentator and entrepreneur. Photo Credit: Gage Skidnore
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgKc-2rFcRw
“Mom and Dad… I’m a Conservative” is a self produced humor video by Candace Owens.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-poqjet5mY
Candace Owens responds to Congressman Ted Lieu playing a recording of her making a statement about Adolf Hitler.Abby Kiesa runs the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tufts University. She has worked on several major research projects and evaluations while at CIRCLE, as well as on several partnerships to support growing voters for a more equitable electorate. Kiesa is well-versed in the wide range of youth civic and political engagement efforts and practice, and brings a broad view of the institutions and interventions that can make up ecosystems for civic development among all youth. Courtesy Photo
Supreme Court Investiture And Leaf Peeping From The Skies, This West Virginia Morning
Oct 06, 2025
On this West Virginia Morning, the newest justice on the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals has already been sworn in. But today that happens in a public ceremony.
And, West Virginia typically puts on a spectacular display of fall colors. We'll tell you how to view them from above the trees.
West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
Maria Young produced this episode.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:49 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
Crackdown Yields Dozens Of Arrests And Teaching Kids To Love Reading, This West Virginia Week
Oct 04, 2025
On this West Virginia Week, we look at the government shutdown and where it is likely to hit the hardest in West Virginia. Also, a law enforcement partnership yields dozens of arrests – in one particular area.
A steam locomotive built more than 70 years ago is on the move. And, an international volunteer group that began in West Virginia is working to put a book in the hands of children across America.
Maria Young is our host this week. Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert.
West Virginia Week is a web-only podcast that explores the week's biggest news in the Mountain State. It's produced with help from Bill Lynch, Chris Schulz, Curtis Tate, Eric Douglas, Maria Young and Randy Yohe.
New Book Exposes 'America's Contempt' For Marginalized Underclass
Sarah Jones is a senior writer at New York Magazine and author of Disposable: America's Contempt for the Underclass. Photo Credit: Anna Carson DeWitt
More than one million Americans have died from COVID-19. Some groups of folks died at much higher rates than others. And those deaths tended to follow lines of race, class, age and disability. In other words, conditions that were already making life harder for some people played out during the pandemic, too.
A colorful scene of athletes, climbing gear, wheelchairs and trekking poles are scattered at the base of a cliff. Everything has a golden glow from the light beaming through the fall foliage. Ropes of various colors hang in front of the wall waiting to be used. Photo Credit: Katie Jo Myers/Adaptive Climbers Festival, 2023
The mountains of Appalachia are home to some killer rock climbing. And, in a lot of cases, its crags and cliffs are fairly easy to get to. That’s why some groups are choosing Appalachia as a climbing destination, a place to return to time and time again.
In 2023, Emily Chen-Newton reported this story about why climbing festivals are making a home in Appalachia.
West Virginians Pay For Rising Costs At Out-Of-State Coal Plants
OVEC's Kyger Creek plant, on the right, sits next to the Ohio River in Gallia County, Ohio. Photo Credit: Curtis Tate/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Electricity prices continue to rise and people aren’t happy about it. In West Virginia, Appalachian Power customers have been paying hundreds of millions of dollars in hidden costs. That money is going to buy power from two coal plants that aren’t even located in the state.
WVPB’s Curtis Tate has more.
Memes Carry On Appalachian Humor
Andi Marie Tillman depicts her character Papaw on FaceTime. Photo courtesy of Andi Marie Tillman
Humor runs deep here in Appalachia. Even online, where memes about mountain life seem to go viral all the time.
Last fall, Folkways Reporter Madeline Miller brought us this story about two artists who’ve taken holler humor to the digital realm.
Compost Drop-Off At A Farmers Market
Laura Totin Codori, the founder and CEO of Worm Return, with her dog Ginger at the East End market, wants Pittsburgh to be a “city that composts.” Photo Credit: Kathy Knauer/The Allegheny Front
Finally, apple cores, potato peels and other food waste are a big climate problem when they end up in landfills. Now, the city of Pittsburgh is giving residents a chance to save their food waste from becoming just trash. People can drop off food waste at city-run farmers markets, where it then becomes compost.
The Allegheny Front’s Isabell Kim visited the farmers market in the East Liberty neighborhood and brings us this report.
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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Gerry Milnes, John Inghram, Tim Bing, Paul Loomis and Blue Dot Sessions.
Bill Lynch is our producer. Abby Neff is our associate producer. Our executive producer is Eric Douglas. Kelley Libby is our editor. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens. We had help this week from Folkways Editor Clara Haizlett.
You can send us an email: InsideAppalachia@wvpublic.org.
Inside Appalachia is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.
The National Weather Service Needs You And The Future Of Clean Energy, This West Virginia Morning
Oct 01, 2025
On this West Virginia Morning, forecasting storms involves a lot more than noticing a few dark clouds and some rain drops. The National Weather Service relies on volunteers – they’re offering the training that’s needed.
And, West Virginia’s clean energy jobs have been growing – but the federal energy policy is focused heavily on fossil fuels rather than renewables. Energy & Environment Reporter Curtis Tate takes a look at what that means for clean energy development.
West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
Eric Douglas produced this episode.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:49 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
Demand Increases At Food Banks And Volunteers Support Child Literacy, This West Virginia Morning
Sep 30, 2025
On this West Virginia Morning, books are not always readily available for children everywhere in the U.S. An international volunteer group started in West Virginia makes sure all preschool kids get new picture books and learn a love of reading.
And a foodbank that serves 12 counties of West Virginia is struggling to meet a sharp increase in demand.
West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
Maria Young produced this episode.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:49 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
A Dozen ICE Arrests And A Popular Fruit Gets Bottled, This West Virginia Week
Sep 27, 2025
On this West Virginia Week, an annual report from West Virginia University (WVU) gives some insight into crime and safety on campus. Also, a new plan aims to make West Virginia more competitive when it comes to science and technology grants.
A local effort to prevent overdose deaths has grown to a nationwide phenomenon. Save a Life Day, took place Thursday – for the first time in every state.
And, a green lumpy fruit native to West Virginia is having its moment. Whether you think it tastes like mangoes or pineapples or something in between, the popular pawpaw is the newest soft drink flavor around.
Maria Young is our host this week. Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert.
West Virginia Week is a web-only podcast that explores the week's biggest news in the Mountain State. It's produced with help from Bill Lynch, Chris Schulz, Curtis Tate, Eric Douglas, Maria Young and Randy Yohe.
Encore: The Grand March And A Year After A Denied Abortion, Inside Appalachia
Sep 26, 2025
For nearly a century, the Kentucky Mountain Laurel Festival has staged a formal dance. Organizers rely on a manual that’s been passed down for generations.
Also, abortion is illegal in most cases in Tennessee. So, what happens after a birth? A photographer followed one mother for a year.
And, new prisons are touted as a way to bring jobs to former coal communities. Not everybody agrees the trade-off is worth it.
You’ll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.
Memories Of Family And Loss With Burn Poet Sarah Henning
The Tradition Of The Grand March
Paige Smith, the 2023 Mountain Laurel Festival queen, gets crowned by Gov. Andy Beshear while the previous year’s queen looks on. Photo Credit: Will Warren/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
The Kentucky Mountain Laurel Festival is the oldest festival in the state of Kentucky, and it happens Memorial Day weekend.
It’s a four-day celebration culminating in “The Grand March,” a traditional dance that has been passed down since the first festival in 1931.
Folkways Reporter Will Warren, a Pineville native, went to the festival over Memorial Day weekend in 2023 and brought us the story.
Indian Creek Water Worries Residents
One of the three places along the creek where water started sprouting out, and with it a white stringy slime. Photo Courtesy of David Stover
Residents of Wyoming County, West Virginia, say their drinking water is making people sick. But it’s unclear exactly why — and who’s responsible for fixing the problem.
State regulators say water from a nearby mining complex is flowing into the creek, but who owns the mine and who is responsible for cleaning up the toxic water?
WVPB’s Briana Heaney reports.
Stacy Kranitz And “A Year After A Denied Abortion”
Mayron Michelle Hollis with one of her children. Photo Credit: Stacy Krantiz/ProPublica
Tennessee photographer Stacy Kranitz acknowledges the complicated history of people taking pictures of poor Appalachians, often focusing on the harsher, ugly elements that reinforce stereotypes. She actively wrestles with it in her work.
Host Mason Adams spoke with Kranitz about her work documenting the lives of a young family last year called “The Year After a Denied Abortion.”
Appalachian Rekindling Project Halts Prison Construction On Strip Mine
Central Appalachia is home to 16 federal and state prisons. And building the prisons in that region was based partly on the idea of replacing lost jobs in coal country. Some of them were even built on the site of former surface mines.
Now, federal officials are considering adding a new prison in Letcher County, Kentucky. The area’s U.S. Representative, Hal Rogers, firmly supports the project.
But as the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting’s Jared Bennett tells us, the project is also drawing opposition, both from locals and from activists around the country.
Appalachian Prison Book Project
Stacks of books sit waiting to be sent to incarcerated people in the offices of the Appalachian Prison Book Project on the second floor of the Aull Center in downtown Morgantown April 27, 2024. Photo Credit: Chris Schulz/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
For incarcerated people, books can provide crucial information to navigate the justice system, educate themselves and develop plans to reenter society. But people in prison have limited access to books. The Appalachian Prison Book Project is trying to change that.
WVPB’s Jack Walker reports.
Memories Of Family And Loss With Burn Poet Sarah Henning
Sara Henning's latest book of poetry is Burn. PhotoCourtesy of Sara Henning
In her new book Burn, Marshall University professor and poet Sara Henning draws on her complicated family history and rough upbringing to explore young love, loss and the weight of grief.
Producer Bill Lynch spoke with her.
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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Hello June, John Inghram, Jeff Ellis, Erik Vincent Huey and John Blissard.
Bill Lynch is our producer. Abby Neff is our associate producer. Our executive producer is Eric Douglas. Kelley Libby is our editor. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens.
You can send us an email: InsideAppalachia@wvpublic.org.
Inside Appalachia is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.
Us & Them: A Fresh Look At America’s Origin Story
Sep 25, 2025
As the United States prepares to mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, attention is focused on the relevance of the American Revolution to our country today.
The new episode of Us & Them spotlights a recent community event at Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, West Virginia with host Trey Kay and three top historians to talk about the realities of our revolutionary past.
Ken Burns’ upcoming PBS series The American Revolution shines a light on the war that transformed 13 colonies into a nation. This timely episode of Us & Them revisits America’s origin story with fresh eyes, probing what we remember, what we forget, and why it matters now.
This episode of Us & Them is presented with support from WETA and the CRC Foundation.
Subscribe to Us & Them on Apple Podcasts, NPR One, RadioPublic, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you get your podcasts.
West Virginia Public Broadcasting recently hosted a community conversation ahead of the PBS documentary series The American Revolution, produced by Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein and David Schmidt. The series, eight years in the making, premieres Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025 — on the eve of the 250th anniversary of the war’s start. The American Revolution traces how 13 British colonies rebelled, won independence and formed a new government that reshaped the continent and inspired democratic movements worldwide.
West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s sneak preview of The American Revolution took place Sept. 4, 2025, at the Robert C. Byrd Center for Congressional History and Education on the Shepherd University campus in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. Photo courtesy of the Byrd Center
Zachary Dougherty, director of the Robert C. Byrd Center for Congressional History and Education, welcomes attendees to WVPB’s preview of The American Revolution. The Byrd Center preserves congressional archives and fosters public understanding of the legislative process and American democracy. Photo Credit: Liz McCormick/West Virginia Public BroadcastingTrey Kay, host of Us & Them, moderated the event. He told the audience he wanted to use scenes from The American Revolution as a springboard for a conversation about what the Revolution means today. Photo Credit: Liz McCormick/West Virginia Public BroadcastingRaymond Smock, director emeritus of the Robert C. Byrd Center for Congressional History and Education and former historian of the U.S. House of Representatives. Photo Credit: Liz McCormick/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
“What came out of this revolution is not a myth. It was a new order for the ages—the idea in the Declaration of Independence that "we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” Eventually that applies to women; it applies to everybody, and we’re still unfolding that story. … We overthrew a king in an age of kings and emperors; in Japan there were shoguns; and we created this new thing. There’s nothing mythological about that — that’s powerful.”
— Raymond Smock, director emeritus of the Robert C. Byrd Center for Congressional History and Education
Friederike Baer, an early American historian at Penn State Abington, is the author of Hessians: German Soldiers in the American Revolutionary War and appears in Ken Burns’ PBS series The American Revolution. Photo Credit: Liz McCormick/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
“I think this is a war that is romanticized. … I grew up in Germany but went to undergrad and graduated in the United States. When I learned about the American Revolution, it was very much about the ideological origins of the revolution — which is really important, of course. We’re a founding republic; it’s radical in many ways. But the war itself was almost overlooked. It wasn’t until much later that I realized this was not just a long war — it was a violent war.
All wars are violent, you could argue, but because of the civil war nature of this conflict, and also the frontier violence in North America, the horrors people witnessed and experienced were truly horrific when you read the primary sources.”
— Friederike Baer, historian at Penn State Abington
Benjamin Bankhurst, associate professor of history and director of the Center for Appalachian Studies at Shepherd University. Photo Credit: Liz McCormick/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
“John Adams, looking back after the war, tried to make sense of a conflict his generation spent a lifetime parsing. He recalled America split into ‘hot patriots,’ ‘vile Tories,’ and a quiet third who went with whoever held power. The modern consensus says that’s off—perhaps only 10% to 15% stayed loyal. The larger point stands: the revolution was a long war, not a simple us-versus-them story. It was a war of ideas among Americans as much as a fight against an external foe. … Here in the Shenandoah Valley, divisions ran deep; within months of the Beeline March, Continental soldier James Morgan was murdered by a Loyalist gang near Martinsburg, bayoneted to his cabin door. The area around that site is still known as ‘Torytown.’”
— Benjamin Bankhurst, historian and director of Shepherd University’s Center for Appalachian Studies
Audience member Michael Galloway in Shepherdstown, W.Va., explains why the American Revolution still matters to him, noting the region’s deep interest in its own role — from the colonial era through the Civil War. Photo Credit: Liz McCormick/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
“I think the idea of resistance and self-reliance, especially in this area, the idea that we still do see ourselves as separate in some ways and that we rely on our small communities to take care of each other rather than an overarching federal presence, especially here in West Virginia. ”
— Michael Galloway from West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle, at WVPB’s pre-screening of “The American Revolution”
Shepherd Facilities employee Kevin Murphy said the 250th anniversary of America’s founding should be a time not only to commemorate, but to recommit to the work of a republic. Photo Credit: Liz McCormick/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
“It comes down to reflection. That’s the value of programs like this — and of history itself — so we can look at where we’ve come from. We can read letters from soldiers and ordinary people, look within, and avoid just following the crowd. We find the values we most relate to and use them to be a better citizenry.”
— Shepherd Facilities employee Kevin Murphy attending The American Revolution screening
Jessie of Middleway, W.Va., said fourth-grade trips to Yorktown, Colonial Williamsburg and Jamestown sparked her love of Revolutionary history. At WVPB’s preview of The American Revolution, she offered her answer to how we balance a heroic origin story with a warts-and-all account of the nation’s founding. Photo Credit: Liz McCormick/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
“Yeah, we want both. I think you have to have a hero to follow—like George Washington—to bring out the best in people. But you also have to question every decision a leader makes. … The troops were mostly common people, rallied to fight behind something the elite convinced them to join. … They had to have a leader, some common thread for why they were showing up to risk their lives. … Even without full representation, I think they were questioning leadership. That’s why Washington had to start organizing everybody and really get them behind why they were fighting.”
— Jessie of Middleway, W.Va.
Raymond Smock, director emeritus of the Robert C. Byrd Center for Congressional History and Education, speaks to the audience during WVPB’s preview of The American Revolution, as Friederike Baer of Penn State Abington and Benjamin Bankhurst of Shepherd University listen. Photo Credit: Liz McCormick/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
“But this same crazy government got us through the Revolution. They did some amazing things. The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 carved out the future Midwestern states and set aside land for education. They were thinking ahead, and they knew our democracy was not gonna work unless citizens were educated.”
— Raymond Smock, director emeritus of the Robert C. Byrd Center for Congressional History and Education
Reflecting On America’s Founding And School Vaccine Lawsuit Updates, This West Virginia Morning
Sep 25, 2025
On this West Virginia Morning, there’s renewed attention on the American Revolution in the run-up to the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and our nation’s founding. A new episode of Us & Them spotlights a recent community event at Shepherd University with host Trey Kay and three top historians to revisit America’s origin story.
And, 12 people were arrested by West Virginia State Police for alleged immigration violations, while the latest court filings in the debate over the state’s school vaccine requirements are zeroing in on a linchpin legal question.
West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
Maria Young produced this episode.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:49 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
Save A Life Day Expands And Bottling The Taste Of Pawpaws, This West Virginia Morning
Sep 24, 2025
On this West Virginia Morning, Save A Life Day is Thursday, and this year – for the first time – the event, intended to stop overdoses from becoming fatalities, will take place in all 50 states.
And, a green lumpy fruit native to West Virginia is having its moment. Whether you think it tastes like mangoes or pineapples or something in between, the popular pawpaw is the newest soft drink flavor around.
West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
Maria Young produced this episode.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:49 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode.
#WVMorning
Energy Jobs Rising And Lessons From A Child Welfare Tour, This West Virginia Morning
Sep 23, 2025
On this West Virginia Morning, nearly 11,000 clean energy jobs last year helped put the state on an important list. A national policy group puts it between Texas and Florida. Energy & Environment Reporter Curtis Tate reports on what’s behind the numbers.
And, that statewide listening tour organized by the Department of Human Services over the summer? The Secretary highlights some of the takeaways – and the next steps.
West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
Maria Young produced this episode.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:49 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
Celebrating Recovery And Investigating High Power Costs, This West Virginia Week
Sep 20, 2025
On this West Virginia Week, the capital city has an alarming 24 hours leading to an arrest.
Also, early efforts to get the vote out across the state. And a celebration of recovery is underway this weekend.
Finally, if you’re feeling frustrated by rising electricity prices, you might want to know about millions of dollars in hidden costs that West Virginians have been paying in recent years.
Maria Young is our host this week. Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert.
West Virginia Week is a web-only podcast that explores the week's biggest news in the Mountain State. It's produced with help from Bill Lynch, Chris Schulz, Curtis Tate, Eric Douglas, Maria Young and Randy Yohe.
Matthew Hauser (left) and Brown Culp (right) are recruits from North Carolina working at Cass Scenic Railroad. Starting out as volunteer train enthusiasts, Hauser is now an engineer with his friend Culp as his fireman. Photo Credit: Lauren Griffin/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
There’s something special about autumn in the mountains. This is the most popular time of year for a lot of tourist destinations in Appalachia. In West Virginia, visitors flock to view fall foliage by taking a ride on the Cass Scenic Railroad.
In 2022, Folkways Reporter Lauren Griffin visited Pocahontas County and met some of the folks who keep the Cass steam trains running, including senior railroad employee Rex Cassell, who passed away during the making of the story.
Mushroom Hunting In Autumn
These chanterelles are about to be turned into a tasty treat. They were harvested the day before an unsuccessful mushroom hunt, and turned into a topper for vanilla ice cream. Photo Credit: Wendy Welch/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
With cooler temperatures and a little rain, mushroom hunters head into the woods during the early fall in search of wild mushrooms.
In 2023, Folkways Reporter Wendy Welch spent time with fungi enthusiasts in Virginia and West Virginia. She brought us this story.
Transforming Turkey Calls Into Art
Three-and-a-half inch diameter pot call with painted turkey breast feather. Photo courtesy of Brian Aliff
Throughout central Appalachia, fall Turkey season usually starts in late September or early October, which brings out the turkey calls. Now, historically, these have been used as a hunting tool, but one West Virginia artist has taken it to the next level. Brian Aliff makes handcrafted, prize-winning decorative turkey calls.
These works of art are functional, and they’ve become collector's items. But it took a while for Aliff to think of himself as an artist.
Connie Kitts has his story.
Angelo’s Old World Italian Sausage
Angelo’s Old-World Sausage is available in stores in West Virginia, Ohio and Kentucky. Photo Credit: Zack Harold/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Most of us buy our sausage at the store, but it used to be that as part of the fall harvest, farmers would slaughter and process beef and pork to help get through the winter.
Some of that meat went into sausage. Today, some people still make their own sausage using old family recipes. A few have found ways to share that with others.
In 2023, Zack Harold met up with Sonny and Lou Argento from West Virginia. They’re the creators of Angelo’s Old World Italian Sausage.
Floyd's Friday Night Jamboree
Musicians, including children in the Handmade Music School, play music outside the Floyd Country Store at the Friday Night Jamboree. Store co-owner Heather Krantz is playing guitar (center). Photo Credit: Mason Adams/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
People enjoy string band music year-round. In Floyd County, Virginia, there’s just one stoplight, and it’s in the town of Floyd, which is home to about 400 year-round residents.
Host Mason Adams brings us this story.
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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Jeff Ellis, Joe Dobbs and the 1937 Flood, Harvey & Copeland, Ron Mullennex and Gary Milnes, musicians at Floyd’s Friday Night Jamboree and John Blissard.
Bill Lynch is our producer. Abby Neff is our associate producer. Our executive producer is Eric Douglas. Kelley Libby is our editor. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens. We had help this week from Folkways Editors Nicole Musgrave, Chris Julin and Jennifer Goren.
You can send us an email: InsideAppalachia@wvpublic.org.
Inside Appalachia is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.
Renovating ‘Negative’ Images Of History And Using Mussels For Pollution Cleanup, This West Virginia Morning
Sep 19, 2025
On this West Virginia Morning, as national parks begin working to remove negative images from America’s past, not everyone views the renovations underway at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park as positive.
And, a 16-year pollution problem is getting some help from a tiny aquatic creature “musseling” its way into a tributary of the Monongahela River.
West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
West Virginia Morning is produced with help from Bill Lynch, Chris Schulz, Curtis Tate, Eric Douglas, Maria Young and Randy Yohe.
Eric Douglas is our news director. Teresa Wills is our host. Maria Young produced this episode.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:49 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
Seeking Public Opinions And Assessing Hope Scholarship Estimates, This West Virginia Morning
Sep 16, 2025
On this West Virginia Morning, Gov. Patrick Morrisey is asking for public input on two key issues: a plan to triple energy production and applying for Rural Health Transformation funds.
And, broadening the state’s Hope Scholarship program has made the number of participants harder to predict. State Treasurer Larry Pack walks us through the logic behind a sharp drop in estimated costs for next year.
West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
Maria Young produced this episode.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:49 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
The Wakefields And Remembering Rex Stephenson, Inside Appalachia
Sep 12, 2025
We remember Rex Stephenson. He’s known for his stage performances of the Jack Tales, which have captivated school kids since the ‘70s.
Also, keeping the family farm going after six generations can be rough.
And, some parts of southern Appalachia still practice the tradition of keeping up community gravesites for Decoration Day.
You’ll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.
Ferrum playwright Rex Stephenson, surrounded by a group of elementary school students, during a "Jack Tales" workshop. Photo Credit: Tabitha Collison/Blue Ridge Dinner Theatre
A Virginia playwright who brought Appalachian folk tales to hundreds of thousands of children and people across the United States has died. Rex Stephenson was a theater professor at Ferrum College at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia. He was 81.
Stephenson wrote numerous plays, including at least 25 that were performed on stage. He was known for playing famed American author Mark Twain. And he was best known for telling Jack Tales, in performances that mixed drama, humor, and musical performances to entertain and engage their audiences.
Host Mason Adams has this story.
Six Generations Of Farming Left To Two Brothers
Thad Wakefield at the family farm in Bedford County, Pennsylvania. Photo Credit: Cade Miller/Penn State
Our next story comes to us from Cade Miller who reported it when he was a student at the News Lab at Penn State. The lab works to address gaps in news coverage — including the plight of family farms. Miller’s family came from farming. His mother grew up on a dairy farm just down the road from the Wakefields, a family that’s farmed for six generations. Miller spent months reporting on the Wakefields, and their struggle to keep the family business going.
Last year, he produced a documentary that speaks to a dynamic happening across the US, as people grow away from their agricultural roots. It’s titled, The Wakefields – Two Brothers, Six Generations.
Dusting Off Tombstones For Decoration Day
Michael Harding and his daughter Samantha prepare to scrub headstones. Photo Credit: Terri Likens/Daily Yonder
Honoring ancestors is a familiar practice found among all cultures. In the southeastern United States, it can take the form of Decoration Day. Families come together in specially decorated cemeteries. They celebrate their roots, sometimes with music and prayers, and almost always with storytelling and a meal.
In Pickett County, Tennessee, where the Cumberland Plateau and Highland Rim collide, one family keeps one of Decoration Day’s oldest traditions: a swept graveyard.
Lisa Coffman takes us to the 200th anniversary of their Decoration Day.
Diamond Teeth Mary Medicine Show
Singer Mary "Diamond Teeth Mary" Smith McClain. Photo courtesy of the West Virginia Humanities Council
The 25th anniversary of the Diamond Teeth Mary Medicine Show was held recently in Huntington, West Virginia. The blues festival honors a West Virginia native who hopped a train to flee her hometown at the age of 13. Her career crossed paths with a who’s who of American music of the 20th century.
WVPB’s Randy Yohe has this story.
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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by the Jack Tale Players, Dave Odell and Dave Bing, John Blissard, Larry Rader, Blue Dot Sessions, Dinosaur Burps and Hello June.
Bill Lynch is our producer. Abby Neff is our associate producer. Our executive producer is Eric Douglas. Kelley Libby is our editor. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens
You can send us an email: InsideAppalachia@wvpublic.org.
Inside Appalachia is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.
Us & Them: Rebuilding Justice In A Divided America
Sep 11, 2025
Just as America faces some of its most critical political divides, our criminal justice system suffers from a lack of public trust. How are these dual crises interwoven?
In this episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay talks with legal scholar David Sklansky, a Stanford professor who co-directs the school’s Criminal Justice Center. In his new book Criminal Justice in Divided America, Sklansky says reforming the nation’s justice system may be at the core of recovering our democracy.
In fact, he says there are clear approaches and solutions to help reform what’s broken and that even the basic concept of the jury trial can re-educate us in the skills and habits required to work across differences in a pluralistic democracy.
In the end, Sklansky says the criminal justice system is one of the few places where Americans of varying beliefs and persuasions engage with each other to make important decisions.
This episode of Us & Them is presented with support from the CRC Foundation and the Just Trust.
Subscribe to Us & Them on Apple Podcasts, NPR One, RadioPublic, Spotify, Stitcher and beyond.
David Sklansky, Stanford Law professor and co-director of the school’s Criminal Justice Center, is the author of Criminal Justice in Divided America: Police, Punishment, and the Future of Our Democracy. Photo by Scott MacDonald
“I think that the relationship between democracy and criminal justice is very deep and also complicated … effective criminal justice policies rely on democracy, and democracy relies on effective criminal justice policies. You need to understand democracy as a system for allowing people with different commitments and different views to work together, to arrive at collective decisions and to leave room for dissent … not as a conveyor belt that simply delivers what the people want. That’s never been a particularly attractive view, and it’s become even less attractive as the country has splintered apart based on the idea that ‘the people’ want one thing — and if you don’t, you’re not really part of the people.”
Assessing Future Flood Response And Turning To Poetry In Grief, This West Virginia Morning
Sep 10, 2025
On this West Virginia Morning, after two deadly flooding events this year, lawmakers are working to better understand the state’s capacity to respond to those events – especially against the backdrop of FEMA’s uncertain future.
And, following his wife's death, an Appalachian poet began writing. The result is A Sharper Silence, a book that explores both nature and his marriage.
West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
Maria Young produced this episode.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:49 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
Cost Increase For Power Customers And British Filmmaker Focuses on Marshall, This West Virginia Morning
Sep 03, 2025
On this West Virginia Morning, Appalachian Power will get the funds it needs – but at a much lower cost to customers.
And a series of short, quirky videos of English people talking about Marshall University’s soccer team has taken the internet by storm. News Director Eric Douglas investigates the backstory.
West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
Maria Young produced this episode.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:49 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
ICE Raids Affect Horse Racing And Diamond Teeth Mary Still Sparkles, This West Virginia Morning
Sep 02, 2025
On this West Virginia Morning, neighboring Kentucky is known for its lucrative horse racing industry. But despite regulations to ensure all workers are legal, the federal immigration crackdown is causing concerns.
And, nearly a century after she fled Huntington, a blues festival there recognizes the diverse musical talents of Diamond Teeth Mary.
West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
Maria Young produced this episode.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:49 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
Encore: A Mine Wars Graphic Novel, Storytelling And W.Va. Life, Inside Appalachia
Aug 29, 2025
We speak with the author of a new graphic novel about the West Virginia Mine Wars. The labor struggle culminated in the largest armed uprising since the Civil War.
Also, professional storyteller James Froemel invents quirky characters, like a sign maker who can’t spell. Froemel’s stories are drawn from small town life.
And, one of the most common animals to get hit by cars are opossums. But there’s a kind of animal rescue called pouch picking. We talk with author Laura Jackson.
You’ll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.
“Black Coal and Red Bandanas” retells the story of the West Virginia Mine Wars. Photo courtesy of Raymond Tyler
The West Virginia Mine Wars are an important but little-known piece of American history. Coal miners in southern West Virginia had been trying to organize a union, while coal companies tried to stop them. Strikes and violent clashes ensued, culminating in the Battle of Blair Mountain in 1921. A version of the story is told in the new graphic novel Black Coal and Red Bandanas: An Illustrated History of the West Virginia Mine Wars.
Host Mason Adams spoke with its author, Raymond Tyler.
Talking With Storyteller James Froemel
James Froemel continues in the long line of Appalachian storytellers. Photo courtesy of James Froemel
Appalachia is known for its storytelling traditions. Cherokee legends, prayers and sermons in mountain churches, joke telling. James Froemel's journey into storytelling has taken a lifetime. From reciting Emily Dickinson in sixth grade to winning the Vandalia Gathering’s Liar’s Competition in West Virginia.
Froemel recently worked with storyteller, author and Liars Competition champ Bil Lepp to hone his craft. James Froemel‘s journey into storytelling has taken a lifetime.
Folkways Reporter Margaret McLeod Leef spoke with Froemel about telling tales from the stage.
Digging Under Ground Leads To Spoonmaking
Stan (L) and Sue (R) Jennings shape spoons on sanding machines in their Allegheny Treenware workshop in Preston County, West Virginia. Sue is pre-shaping while Stan is fine shaping on 40 grit sandpaper. These two stations are only used by the Jennings to shape each spoon by hand. Photo Credit: Zack Gray/Allegheny Treenware
For 30 years, Sue and Stan Jennings have run Allegheny Treenware, a West Virginia company that makes wooden kitchen utensils. They started off as a couple of coal miners. And when they weren’t underground, they talked about what else they could be doing.
Last year, Folkways Reporter Capri Cafaro visited the Jennings, and brought us this story.
Exploring And Explaining West Virginia
Humorist and essayist Laura Jackson’s book Deep & Wild explores and explains West Virginia — or some of it. Photo courtesy of Laura Jackson
West Virginia writer and humoristLaura Jackson is an avid explorer of backroads and scenic byways. Inspired by her trips, she wrote a series of essays about what she saw in her home state. They became her 2023 book,Deep & Wild: On Mountains, Opossums & Finding Your Way in West Virginia.
Producer Bill Lynch spoke with Jackson.
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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Hello June, Jeff Ellis, David Mayfield Parade, Dinosaur Burps, John Inghram, Paul Loomis and Blue Dot Sessions.
Bill Lynch is our producer. Abby Neff is our associate producer. Our executive producer is Eric Douglas. Kelley Libby is our editor. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens. We had help this week from Folkways Editor Nicole Musgrave.
You can send us an email: InsideAppalachia@wvpublic.org.
Inside Appalachia is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.
Us & Them: Caregiving In West Virginia
Aug 28, 2025
Every day, 10,000 people turn 65 as America’s Baby Boom generation ages. By 2040, the number of people 85 or older will more than double and the need for caregivers will grow dramatically.
In a new episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay moderates a community conversation focused on some of the unique caregiving needs in West Virginia where nearly 21% of the population is over 65. We’ll also hear excerpts from a recently released PBS documentary called Caregiving from producer Bradley Cooper.
With the potential for Medicaid cuts over the next decade, access to caregiving programs may be a challenge especially for rural regions.
This episode of Us & Them is presented with support from WETA, the Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation and the CRC Foundation.
Subscribe to Us & Them on Apple Podcasts, NPR One, RadioPublic, Spotify, Stitcher and beyond.
West Virginia Public Broadcasting hosted a community conversation timed to the PBS and WETA documentary “Caregiving,” executive produced by Bradley Cooper. The film explored caregivers’ experiences — including Cooper’s own as he cared for his father. Because West Virginia has one of the nation’s highest shares of older residents, we used the occasion to convene caregivers, families and advocates to share stories, surface needs and connect to resources. We recorded the event and produced this “Us & Them” episode.
Orlando Craighead, executive director of the Kanawha Coalition for Community Health Improvement, discusses caregiving across West Virginia and how community health partners support families. Photo by Bobby Lee Messer
“I work with different organizations and try to get resources to our community through events, coalitions and our community health fairs to show that seniors have options. When my grandmother was sick in Kanawha County, we were looking for resources and we didn’t know where to go.
It’s community-based]giving. We can’t rely on the same old system to help us. We, as West Virginians, have to help ourselves and each other. We have to bring our community together and bring organizations together to provide the care we need.”
— Orlando Craighead, executive director of the Kanawha Coalition for Community Health Improvement
Eric Hicks, president of Right at Home, an in-home care provider, discusses nonmedical support for West Virginia families. The company’s Charleston office serves Kanawha and Putnam counties, with three additional offices in southern West Virginia. Hicks also founded the I started the Home Care Association in West Virginia. Photo by Bobby Lee Messer
“That’s one of the reasons I started the Home Care Association in West Virginia: We need a unified voice across the state to push for higher reimbursement so we can pay caregivers more. There are so many people with a kind, caring attitude who want to do this work, but many were forced to take jobs at big-box stores like Walmart or Target because the pay difference was $3 or $4 an hour.
Working with the state, we were successful. In October of last year, we secured a 34% increase. Now we can pay $15 an hour, and we’re working to ensure caregivers are better compensated so people with that caring spirit can be hired and do work they find fulfilling.”
Kimberly Taylor Newsome, program director of the West Virginia Aging and Disability Resource Center, or ADRC, discusses caregiver support and services for older adults and people with disabilities across West Virginia. Photo by Bobby Lee Messer
“We’re a statewide resource agency. We’re not a direct service provider — we don’t send people into your home — but we connect you with the agencies that do. We want the fragmented resources across the state gathered in one place so everyone can find what they need without calling five or six or 10 different numbers. Often people don’t know what to do because they don’t realize how deep they’re in until it’s too late. We always say: We want people to know us before they need us.”
— Kimberly Taylor Newsome, program director of the West Virginia Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC)
From left, Kimberly Taylor Newsome, program director of the West Virginia Aging and Disability Resource Center; Eric Hicks, president of Right at Home; and Orlando Craighead, executive director of the Kanawha Coalition for Community Health Improvement, take part in a Us & Them community panel on caregiving, moderated by host Trey Kay, at the University of Charleston Downtown Innovation Hub in Charleston, W.Va. Photo by Bobby Lee MesserBetween excerpts from the PBS documentary "Caregiving," the panel takes questions from audience members — many of them caregivers, advocates and advisers — at the University of Charleston Downtown Innovation Hub in Charleston, W.Va. Photo by Bobby Lee Messer
Debbie Boese Elkins, a longtime nurse and childhood friend of Us & Them host Trey Kay whom he hadn’t seen in more than 40 years, shares her experience as a full-time caregiver for her spouse, who has significant memory loss, at the University of Charleston Downtown Innovation Hub in Charleston, W.Va. Photo by Bobby Lee Messer
“I still haven’t wrapped my head around it. When we first noticed issues in 2017, I was in denial — is something wrong? As a nurse, I thought I would recognize the signs, but when you see changes in your own loved one, you second-guess.
Getting a diagnosis was a journey — from asking his primary care physician in 2017 to seeing a neurologist who said he was fine, to an Alzheimer’s diagnosis, and then learning it wasn’t Alzheimer’s. We saw four different neurologists. I was so exhausted I didn’t have time to think about what providing care might mean.
I didn’t reach out for help at first because I didn’t know who to call. With cancer or other conditions, you know the steps and people show up with casseroles. With dementia — in my husband’s case, frontotemporal degeneration — you don’t know who to call; you’re just trying to get through the diagnosis.
And when you finally get the diagnosis and realize there’s no treatment and no cure, the anger, grief and shock hit. Even though I saw it coming, I had a period of paralysis.”
—Debbie Boese Elkins, a full-time caregiver for her spouse, who has significant memory loss.
Check out Debbie Boese Elkins blog where she shares about caregiving.
George Manahan, who runs a statewide Parkinson’s support group, fields calls from families seeking help for loved ones with the disease. Echoing audience concerns about where to start, he says a memorable 1-800 number for caregivers could make a difference in West Virginia, at the University of Charleston Downtown Innovation Hub in Charleston, W.Va. Photo by Bobby Lee Messer
“I get calls from Illinois and Virginia — from adult children whose parents live here. They can’t move home and can’t move their parents to them, so they ask, ‘What do we do? How can we help?’
What we don’t have is a simple entry point. I keep asking: What if there were a single number — 1-800-CAREGIVER — for families to call? It would take money and time, but at least people in another state could find help quickly.
I’ve also wondered about federally qualified health centers — FQHCs — and whether this is a burden they could help carry; they’re in 60 to 70 communities.
Parkinson’s is a slow-moving disease; people can live with it for years. That means we need care in our homes as long as we can. If it moves fast, it’s probably something else.”
—George Manahan, founder of the West Virginia Parkinson's Support Network
Bonnie Dunn, featured in a 2020 Us & Them story about grandparents who are caregivers, speaks at our community conversation at the University of Charleston Downtown Innovation Hub in Charleston, W.Va. She explains how she raised awareness of her program as many attendees cite awareness as a major barrier to finding help. Photo by Bobby Lee Messer
“I went to the Legislature with my grandmother’s apron — holes and all — and told our story. There’s already an infrastructure — Healthy Grandfamilies coalitions, Area Agencies on Aging, the Aging and Disability Resource Center, senior centers. What we need is something that resonates, like 1-800-CAREGIVER. Most people don’t know acronyms; a simple number is self-evident.
My caregiving started when my stepfather’s checkbook was off by a penny . . . later he stood in the kitchen and asked if there was something that makes coffee — while the same pot had sat in the same place for 35 years. After his dementia diagnosis, I had to find a caregiver and figure out the money. Because my name was on the house and accounts, we could make it work.
We built Grandfamilies in all 55 counties. People knew our number and county contacts, and we moved mountains. The Legislature kept funding because they saw the results.”
—Bonnie Dunn, founder of the Healthy Grandfamilies in West Virginia.
Rachel Carrico, a family and elder law attorney, explains how advance directives and other legal documents can guide medical and financial decisions. She urges families to have a basic estate plan so caregivers can act legally on a loved one’s behalf, during a community conversation at the University of Charleston Downtown Innovation Hub in Charleston, W.Va. Photo by Bobby Lee Messer
“The most important document is a durable power of attorney — the ‘golden egg’ of estate planning … Without it, even a spouse can’t access an IRA or 401(k). The alternative is often a court conservatorship or guardianship — stressful, prolonged and expensive; it’s about 70% of my practice.
If you take nothing else from tonight, get a durable power of attorney.
Also consider a written caregiving agreement. Under Medicaid rules, family members are presumed ‘gratuitous’ caregivers; if you pay a child without a properly drafted agreement, you can be penalized when applying for Medicaid."
—Rachel Carrico, a family and elder law attorney.
Find out more about the law practice Rachel Carrico founded: Good Grief Law.
J.T. Hunter, founder of R.E.M.T. Care Partner Coaching, speaks about educating, enlightening and empowering care partners — especially those supporting loved ones with Alzheimer’s and related dementias — at the University of Charleston Downtown Innovation Hub in Charleston, W.Va. Photo by Bobby Lee Messer
“Caregiving is a big puzzle. If we don’t have every piece — every one of you — it doesn’t work in West Virginia. Too often we’re siloed and short on systems, but the people in this room are bringing back the village and starting a movement.
I’ve spent more than 17 years talking with legislators in Charleston and in Washington, D.C. I can take your stories to them, but what truly moves them is you telling your own story. We all have a mother, a brother, a grandfather — when they hear and see you, they change.
So find your organization — AARP, the Alzheimer’s Association — or contact me if you don’t know where to start. That’s how we change the system. Never underestimate your story; when you’re ready, please tell it.”
—J.T. Hunter, founder of R.E.M.T. Care Partner Coaching
Maximumrocknroll Uncovers Appalachia's Extreme Music Scene
Tennessee DJ Cary Allen at his studio. Photo courtesy of Cary Allen
Appalachia is known for its distinctive music. It’s home to thriving punk, metal, indie and hardcore scenes. Now, the world is getting a chance to check out Appalachia’s extreme music scene, thanks to Maximumrocknroll. Maximumrocknroll was a zine that ran from 1982 to 2019. It first started as a radio show in California though. Now it’s a podcast. Since October, Johnson City, Tennessee, DJ Cary Allen has been part of the show and spotlighting Appalachian bands. Host Mason Adams spoke with Allen.
Cary Allen is a DJ on Maximumrocknroll Radio. He also plays garage rock and gospel on his Fuzzkill and Righteous Fuzz radio shows in the Johnson City area. The bands we heard in that segment were L.I.P.S., Coffin Smoke, Nerve Endings, Ex-Parents, Warmones, Wyndrider and Buzz-Hound. You can find Maximumrocknroll Radio wherever you get podcasts.
Japanese Homestyle Haven In Morgantown
Staff member Ryoko Kijimoto serves up rich rice bowls and ramen in Yama’s diner atmosphere. Photo courtesy of Min Kim
Just about every college town has its go to block or neighborhood for restaurants and bars. In Morgantown, the home of West Virginia University (WVU), that’s High Street. And tucked off the main drag is Yama, a cozy diner that’s been serving up homestyle Japanese food since the 1990s. Japanese students and staff go there to share language, culture and food. It’s also a place of comfort and connection for the larger community.
In 2023, Folkways Reporter Lauren Griffin brought us this story.
Federal Cuts Impacting Mammoth Cave National Park
Graffiti found inside Mammoth Cave in March 2025. Photo Credit: Derek Parham/WKU
Since January, the Trump administration has fired or laid off nearly one out of four staffers in the National Park Service. Republicans in Congress are now proposing even more cuts.
WKYU’s Derek Parham reports that visitors around the country are feeling the effects, including at parks like Mammoth Cave and the Great Smoky Mountains.
Using The Internet To Connect With Extended Family
Mark Miner runs Minerd.com, which details the history of his family. He is holding one of his many family photo albums. Photo Credit: Kate Giammarise/WESA
A growing loneliness epidemic has gripped the country. People struggle to make connections with other people, and sometimes even within their own families. Some experts blame the internet, especially social media. But a Pennsylvania man is using the internet to connect with his extended family – and they number in the thousands.
WESA’s Kate Giammarise has the story.
A Sharper Silence Explores Grief, Nature and Hurricane Helene
The cover of A Sharper Silence. Photo courtesy of Michael Hettich/Terrapin Books
Seven years ago, poet Michael Hettich landed in Black Mountain, North Carolina. Since moving there, Hettich has published four books of poetry, including his latest, A Sharper Silence. The book explores nature, touches on Hurricane Helene and speaks of his relationship with his wife, Colleen, who died in January of lung cancer.
Producer Bill Lynch spoke with Hettich about the collection.
Journalist Documents Experience Of Trans Youth In American Teenager
Nico Lang is the author of American Teenager, a new book that explores the lives of transgender teenagers living across the United States. Photo courtesy of Christian Rogers
Nico Lang is a non-binary, award-winning journalist who has spent over a decade covering the transgender community. Their work has appeared in Rolling Stone, Esquire, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. Lang’s latest book, American Teenager, chronicles the daily lives of eight transgender teens across the U.S., including one in West Virginia.
WVPB’s Jack Walker spoke with Lang and brings us this.
Appalachian String Band Music Festival In W.Va.
The Jack Wilson Terrier Band playing at the 2025 Appalachian String Music Festival. Photo Credit: Randy Yohe/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Summer is high time for string band music. And since 1990, mountaineers have gathered in Clifftop, West Virginia for the Appalachian String Band Festival. The festival attracts thousands of old-time music fans from around the world. And if you know much about old-time, you know most folks who journey there don’t show up just to listen, but to play and dance.
WVPB’s Randy Yohe went out for a visit and brought us this.
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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Ron Mullennex, L.I.P.S., Coffin Smoke, Nerve Endings, Ex-Parents, Warmones, Wyndrider, Buzz-Hound, Erik Vincent Huey, Paul Loomis, Mary Hott, Blue Dot Sessions and John Blissard.
Bill Lynch is our producer. Abby Neff is our associate producer. Our executive producer is Eric Douglas. Kelley Libby is our editor. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens. We had help this week from Folkways Editor Jennifer Goren.
You can send us an email: InsideAppalachia@wvpublic.org.
Inside Appalachia is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.
Microgrid Construction To Begin And Impacts Of Natural Gas Pipeline, This West Virginia Morning
Aug 21, 2025
On this West Virginia Morning, despite heavy public opposition, the state Department of Environmental Protection has approved air quality and construction permits for an energy microgrid between the towns of Davis and Thomas in Canaan Valley. Leaders of a grassroots protest say regulators are siding with industry over community.
And, a six-year battle to prevent construction of a natural gas pipeline was lost. So now conservationists are monitoring the environmental impact of the project that cuts through a protected wildlife corridor.
West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
Maria Young produced this episode.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:49 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
After A Coal Firm’s Bankruptcy And Celebrating Success Against The Odds, This West Virginia Morning
Aug 20, 2025
On this West Virginia Morning, what happens when a bankrupt coal company can’t find a buyer? South Fork Coal – which had operations that were contested by numerous conservation groups – has idled its operations and furloughed its remaining employees. Curtis Tate reports on what happens next.
And, a little-known piece of Harpers Ferry’s storied history is getting some attention. That’s thanks to a new book that shines a spotlight on a pair of African American newlyweds who managed to do something few other Black people of their time could do: open and run a successful restaurant and inn. Jack Walker takes a look at the Lovett family and their years of success in the midst of the Jim Crow era.
West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
Eric Douglas produced this episode.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:49 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
Grappling With A Decades-Old Water Problem, This West Virginia Morning
Aug 19, 2025
On this West Virginia Morning, some regions have waited more than 30 years for municipal systems to deliver clean drinking water. Meanwhile, they rely on faith communities bringing bottled water. From the tiny town of Anawalt, Wendy Welch attended a water distribution day and brings us this story.
And a lawsuit seeking to halt exemptions to school vaccine requirements has been refiled in Kanawha County Circuit Court.
West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
Eric Douglas produced this episode.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:49 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
Recovery From February Flood Still Slow In Southern Counties, This West Virginia Morning
Aug 18, 2025
On this West Virginia Morning, flooding swept through Central Appalachia in February, killing at least 27 people across Kentucky and West Virginia. Six months after the flood, federal and state assistance has been slow to come to the region.
And West Virginia National Guard troops will soon be deploying in Washington, D.C. and protestors plan to send a grim reminder to Sen. Jim Justice.
West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
Eric Douglas produced this episode.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:49 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
Flatfoot Dancing, Geocaching And A Coal Mine Rescue Competition, This West Virginia Week
Aug 16, 2025
On this West Virginia Week, some folks can't help but dance when they hear traditional old-time fiddle and banjo tunes. We hear from a few seasoned flatfooters about keeping their tradition alive.
Also, in this episode, we will dive deeper into the challenges surrounding the implementation of a new law banning food dyes in schools.
Plus, we'll hear about a rescue competition for coal miners, as well as a hobby called geocaching that is shaping tourism in West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle.
Chris Schulz is our host this week. Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert.
West Virginia Week is a web-only podcast that explores the week's biggest news in the Mountain State. It's produced with help from Bill Lynch, Chris Schulz, Curtis Tate, Eric Douglas, Jack Walker, Randy Yohe and Maria Young.
Sheila McEntee, author of Soul Friend: And Other Love Notes to the Natural World. Photo courtesy of Sheila McEntee
Writer Sheila McEntee has been observing nature for most of her life, especially birds. She’s published essays about her experiences in Stonecrop Review, Woods Reader and Wonderful West Virginia magazine. Several of these essays have been collected for McEntee’s first book. It’s titled, Soul Friend: And Other Love Notes to the Natural World.
Producer Bill Lynch spoke with McEntee about writing and developing an interest in nature.
Rare Butterflies In The Blue Ridge Mountains
Derek Hennen, a field zoologist with Natural Heritage Program. Photo Credit: Roxy Todd/Radio IQ
Summer is a great time to spy butterflies in your backyard or in meadows across the region. Unfortunately, their numbers are declining. The Mitchell’s Satyr butterfly is federally listed as endangered. Scientists are working to preserve the few meadows where these elusive butterflies still exist.
Radio IQ’s Roxy Todd tagged along with a surveyor in Floyd County, Virginia to learn more.
Wood Fired Pottery In Western North Carolina
Pottery stacked in the wood kiln, before and after firing. The pots sit on small balls of clay, called wads, to prevent them from sticking to the kiln. Photo Credit: Anya Petrone Slepyan/The Daily Yonder
Technology has taken some of the work out of firing pottery. A lot of potters use sophisticated kilns that can be fired by just one person. Some don’t even require human supervision – just punch in your settings, add your pottery and come back later. But other older methods still exist. These take work – and help, which is part of the point.
Reporter Anya Petrone Slepyan from the Rural Remix Podcast brings us this story from western North Carolina.
Rural Transformation Fund Impact In W.Va.
The Republican budget bill passed by Congress in June includes cuts to Medicaid funding. The changes shift some health care costs from the federal to state governments. That will mean a loss of coverage for vulnerable populations. It also means some rural hospitals may have to close.
As part of the bill, Congress added $50 billion to the Rural Transformation Fund, to help offset those cuts. Rich Sutphin is executive director of the West Virginia Rural Health Association.
WVPB’s Maria Young spoke with Sutphin about the changes.
Public Opposition Mounts Against Trump's Plan For Tennessee Valley Authority
The Tennessee Valley Authority is leaning in on fossil fuels. Not only is it considering delaying the retirement of four coal-fired power plants, it’s considering building several new gas-fired plants.
But the TVA is facing community opposition to some of those plans — even from a prominent country star.
Now, in this moment of scrutiny, President Donald Trump could radically change the nation’s oldest and largest public utility.
WPLN’s Caroline Eggers reports.
Amythyst Kiah’s Album, Still + Bright
Amythyst Kiah, whose new album is Still + Bright. Photo courtesy of Kevin & King
“Play God and Destroy the World” is the opening track from Still + Bright by singer and songwriter Amythyst Kiah. The album follows 2021’s Wary + Strange, and features guest spots by S.G. Goodman, Billy Strings and others. Amythyst Kiah spoke with Inside Appalachia from her home in Johnson City, Tennessee.
Amythyst Kiah is touring through the fall. In mid-August, she’ll appear on West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s Mountain Stage. You can catch the broadcast in September. Check the Mountain Stagewebsite for details.
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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Paul Loomis, Gery Milnes, Hello June, Mary Hott and Amythyst Kiah.
Bill Lynch is our producer. Abby Neff is our associate producer. Our executive producer is Eric Douglas. Kelley Libby is our editor. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens.
You can send us an email: InsideAppalachia@wvpublic.org.
Inside Appalachia is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.
Writing About Nature And Birds And Our Song Of The Week, This West Virginia Morning
Aug 15, 2025
On this West Virginia Morning, West Virginia writer Sheila McEntee has been observing nature for most of her life, especially birds. For Inside Appalachia, Bill Lynch spoke with McEntee about her first book, a collection of essays about nature titled “Soul Friend: And Other Love Notes to the Natural World.”
And our Song of the Week is renowned singer and songwriter Rodney Crowell’s performance of “Weight of the World,” from his album, "Triage."
West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
West Virginia Morning is produced with help from Bill Lynch, Chris Schulz, Curtis Tate, Eric Douglas, Jack Walker, Maria Young and Randy Yohe.
Eric Douglas is our news director and he produced today's episode. Teresa Wills is our host.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
Geocaching In The Eastern Panhandle And Keeping Local News Alive, This West Virginia Morning
Aug 14, 2025
On this West Virginia Morning, geocaching, has become a cult phenomenon in outdoor recreation. One of the most renowned geocachers lives in West Virginia. He met up with reporter Jack Walker to discuss what’s unusual about his geocaches, and how they’ve shaped local tourism.
And every week more than two U.S. newspapers go out of business. But some publications continue to provide an essential source of local news. On the latest episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay talks with the father - daughter team Ron and Betsy Allen who put out the Hurricane Breeze.
West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
Eric Douglas produced this episode.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
Us & Them: West Virginia’s News Deserts — With No Government Watchdog Civic Engagement Plummets
Aug 14, 2025
Every week across the U.S., more than two newspapers go out of business. In the past two decades, more than 3,000 papers have shut down operations. That’s left more than 1,500 counties as so-called news deserts.
Forty-three of West Virginia’s 55 counties have just one local news source and that limited access gives the state a ranking of 46th out of all 50 states. Studies show when local news sources vanish, the result is a drop in community participation on many levels.
On the next episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay visits some regional news deserts to talk about the way local news organizations help a community see and define itself. Some say local coverage is the glue that brings a place together, and in Putnam County, The Hurricane Breeze continues to offer essential local news while in Greenbrier County, a startup is working to bring back that voice.
This episode of Us & Them is presented with support from the Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation and the CRC Foundation.
Subscribe to Us & Them on Apple Podcasts, NPR One, RadioPublic, Spotify, Stitcher and beyond.
Tim Franklin is the senior associate dean at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. He also directs the Medill Local News Initiative, a project that gauges the health of local journalism in America. The initiative tackles a big problem with an equally big mission: measuring what happens when local news dies. Photo courtesy of Jenna Braunstein
“I think local news organizations are the glue that binds together a community. It’s where people in a community go to see themselves and go to see their community, and the people who live there... And so when you lose that original local news reporting and coverage, I think it contributes to this disconnectedness... Civic participation declines. Turnout in local elections goes down. The number of candidates running for local office goes down... In some cases, government spending rises and government borrowing costs also go up, this is according to a study done by Notre Dame and the University of Illinois-Chicago, because the bond rating agencies look at the fact there’s no watchdog, there’s no journalist in that community covering government officials and so the fear is that government spending is just going to rise further.”
— Tim Franklin, Director of the Local News Initiative atNorthwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism.
The Hurricane Breeze has been serving the community of Hurricane, West Virginia, since around 1900 — that makes it one of the town’s oldest continuous institutions. This weekly paper has provided a trusted source for local news, events and history, helping keep the community informed and connected. Photo Credit: Trey Kay/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Betsy Allen, left, and Ron Allen, right, are the father-daughter team that produces The Hurricane Breeze newspaper. Ron married into the family that has owned the Breeze since 1913 and became owner in the early 1970s. Betsy grew up watching her father and late mother produce the paper and began helping with the operation as a teenager. Photo Credit: Trey Kay/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
“I’m 82, going on 83 and I don’t believe that there’s anyone that’s going to step in and do what I continue to do.”
—Ron Allen, owner and publisher of The Hurricane Breeze
“I’d definitely like to see the family legacy continue. The paper has been part of my family since 1913. But there’s too much work for one person to do... In fact, there’s too much work for two people to do, but we make it happen.”
— Betsy Allen, producer of TheHurricane Breeze
Ron and Betsy Allen produce The Hurricane Breeze from their rural home outside the main part of Hurricane, W.Va. Just beyond the doorway where they put together the local newspaper is a large chicken coop and a pasture where cattle graze.
Photo Credit: Trey Kay/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Randy Yohe is the Huntington bureau chief for West Virginia Public Broadcasting and an adjunct professor of broadcast journalism at Marshall University. Before joining WVPB, he was a frequent and lively presence on WSAZ-TV (Huntington/Charleston). Photo courtesy of West Virginia Public Broadcasting
"Local news is important because it talks about what’s happening in your community, in your backyard. If you’re commuting from Huntington to Charleston, what’s going on, on I-64... that’s going to bog you down or hold you up, besides construction and accidents... There’s a wide spread of counties that WSAZ’s signal goes to — much of western West Virginia, about 10 counties in southern Ohio and about 10 counties in eastern Kentucky. I was the reporter that would often go to the ends of the earth, if you will, because I could get the story and get back quick for the four, five and six o’clock news."
— Randy Yohe, Huntington bureau chief for West Virginia Public Broadcasting News and former on-air reporter for WSAZ-NewsChannel 3.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvVftavQTSQ&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Fsearch%3Fsca_esv%3Db510d2a75869389b%26udm%3D7%26q%3DYoutube%2BRandy%2BYohe%2Breel%26sa%3DX%26ved%3D2ahUKEwi0_9zfnIiPAxWLGFkFHU6rJvs&source_ve_path=MjM4NTE
Stephen Baldwin is a Presbyterian minister in Ronceverte, W.Va., and a former member of the West Virginia House of Delegates and State Senate. After losing his reelection bid in 2022, Baldwin found himself with time on his hands and launched The Real West Virginia, a rural online news publication. He has funded the start-up costs out of his own pocket and has yet to take a paycheck, relying on his pastoral work to cover his expenses. Photo Credit: Trey Kay/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
“Being a state senator representing 100,000 people in addition to having church ministry is a couple of full-time jobs...
Then suddenly I only had one full-time job. I’m used to doing a lot more than that... The thing that I liked most about public service was telling stories, sharing West Virginia’s story, making sure folks knew what was going on because I was representing six counties, 100,000 people, and every day I was traveling those six counties and so many people didn’t know what was going on one mountain over...
Somebody can read [The Real West Virginia] and one time they might think, oh, well, this is from a Democratic perspective, or another time they’re not going to be sure. We like that because we think that is authentic to West Virginians... We’ve had this shift toward Republican politics away from Democratic politics. But West Virginians have always been pretty partisan one way or another. We don’t think that’s necessarily representative of the way West Virginians operate. So we would like to operate as an outlet that folks aren’t sure from day to day, article to article, what the perspective is.”
— Stephen Baldwin, owner and publisher of The Real West Virginia.
A Celebration of Flatfoot Dancing And Preserving A Camp For Future Scouts, This West Virginia Morning
Aug 13, 2025
On this West Virginia Morning, West Virginia’s annual Appalachian String Band Music Festival is not just about old-time fiddle and banjo music. Randy Yohe spoke with a few seasoned flatfooters about a dance step that’s been shuffling through our hills and hollows since this land was first settled.
And when a century-old scout camp near Parkersburg came up for sale earlier this year, a group of supporters got together to try buying the place. As Maria Young reports, they wanted to preserve the camp for future generations and ensure that the natural grounds and sandstone caves weren’t paved over.
West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
Eric Douglas produced this episode.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
Staffing Cuts At National Parks And Rising Energy Demands Drive Up Prices, This West Virginia Morning
Aug 12, 2025
On this West Virginia Morning, the Trump administration has cut staff by more than 24 percent at the National Park Service since January, and Republicans in Congress are proposing more. From the Appalachia + Mid-South Newsroom, Derek Parham of WKYU reports that visitors are feeling the impacts nationwide - and at home, in parks like Mammoth Cave and Great Smoky Mountains.
And the latest from The Allegheny Front, a public radio program based in Pittsburgh that reports on environmental issues in the region, is about the demand for energy and the rising costs within the PJM electrical grid that West Virginia is a part of.
West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
Eric Douglas produced this episode.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
Food Dyes Out Of School Food And A Mine Rescue Competition, This West Virginia Morning
Aug 11, 2025
On this West Virginia Morning, lots of parents have struggled to get their kids to eat healthy food. So imagine the task facing school nutritionists across West Virginia, who are now charged with serving foods that don’t contain the colorful synthetic dyes that can appeal to kids. As Maria Young reports, a new law has forced those experts to learn some important lessons.
Also, Curtis Tate brings us the story of coal miners from West Virginia and surrounding states that met in Morgantown last month to compete in a rescue competition.
West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
Eric Douglas produced this episode.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
Screening For Black Lung And The State Fair Kicks Off, This West Virginia Week
Aug 09, 2025
On this West Virginia Week, screening for black lung disease is back on – after a pause. Also, Bernie Sanders brings his Fighting Oligarcy Tour to West Virginia. The West Virginia State Fair celebrates its 100th season – we’ll meet a man who’s played a part in most of them. And, some old-time music for you – with a distinctly West Virginia sound.
Maria Young is our host this week. Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert.
West Virginia Week is a web-only podcast that explores the week's biggest news in the Mountain State. It's produced with help from Bill Lynch, Chris Schulz, Curtis Tate, Eric Douglas, Jack Walker, Maria Young and Randy Yohe.
The cover of Islands in the Sky, the first book from the Appalachia Comics Project. Photo courtesy of the Appalachia Comics Project
When Hurricane Helene struck Western North Carolina in 2024, it knocked out internet and cell service. That created an information gap that was quickly filled by conspiracy theories and misinformation. Now, a new project looks to tell the truth of the disaster. Islands in the Sky is a forthcoming comics anthology about the storm and its aftermath. The book will feature stories told by survivors in partnership with comics professionals.
Islands in the Sky was conceived by North Carolina comics writer Andrew Aydin. Host Mason Adams spoke with Aydin about the project.
Rebuilding Veteran Shelters In Asheville, N.C.
The Veterans Restoration Quarters in Asheville. Photo Credit: Laura Hackett/Blue Ridge Public Radio
Communities in Western North Carolina are still working through damage from Hurricane Helene. Before the storm, the Asheville-Buncombe Community Christian Ministry ran a transitional shelter in East Asheville for about 180 homeless veterans. Then Helene and the flooding that came with it destroyed the property, forcing veterans into a motel across the street.
Blue Ridge Public Radio’s Lauren Hackett reports that it will be a long time before the shelter makes a comeback.
Next Generation Of Cherokee Potters
Levi West displays his maker’s signature on the bottom of his prize-winning pot. West is helping to develop a community art space for pottery and other traditional crafts. Photo Credit: Anya Petrone Slepyan/The Daily Yonder
Cherokee people have been making pottery in the mountains of western North Carolina for nearly 3,000 years. Today, relatively few Cherokee potters carry on the art form. Thanks to a community-led pottery workshop, a new generation is emerging.
Reporter Anya Petrone Slepyan has the story from the Rural Remix podcast from the Center for Rural Strategies.
Native Bees In Kentucky
Researchers with the Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves survey a grasslands preserve south of Elizabethtown for native been species. Photo Credit: Sylvia Goodman/Kentucky Public Radio
Everyone’s heard of honeybees. But there are hundreds of bee species native to the region.
Kentucky Public Radio’s Sylvia Goodman tagged along with researchers to understand which bees are still out pollinating.
Kids Still Spend Time In Nature At Summer Camps
Campers at the Junior Ranger Summer Camp at New River State Park. Photo Credit: Roxy Todd/Radio IQ
Kids still spend a lot of time outside in the summer months. Warmer temps and longer days mean more time at swimming holes and playing in the woods. And scientists say, giving kids space to explore in nature is important for their development and mental health.
Radio IQ’s Roxy Todd recently visited one summer camp in Southwest Virginia, to hear how kids feel about spending time in nature.
Marbles Still Roll At Recess
Grayson Casto shows off his favorite marbles. Photo Credit: Zack Harold/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Hang out with kids for very long at all, and you realize some playground games never go out of style – hide and seek, tag and Duck, Duck Goose. Kids today still play those classics. And every spring, the students of one elementary school in Boone County, West Virginia, still get excited for a game that’s more than 100 years old. Folkways Reporter Zack Harold has the story.
Zack also made a video about marbles. It’s part of the Inside Appalachia Folkways television special that first aired last Thanksgiving on West Virginia Public Broadcasting. The show recently won a 2024 Ohio Valley Emmy Award.
Blue Ribbon-Winning Fair Food
It’s summer fair season. A staple of county and state fairs is the annual craft competition, where everyone from 4-H kids to the local dentist brings their finest quilts and peanut butter fudge to be judged for cash and prizes.
The prizes are usually pretty modest, but local bragging rights are at stake — as well as the highly coveted blue ribbon.
Few have been as successful as Linda Skeens. The Russell County, Virginia resident has won hundreds of ribbons — which made her a social media sensation and got her featured in the New York Times.
In 2023, Skeens released a cookbook featuring her winning recipes, plus poems, pictures and a peek into her life in southwestern Virginia.
Producer Bill Lynch spoke with Skeens about the book.
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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Jeff Ellis, Joe Dobbs and the 1937 Flood, Paul Loomis, Blue Dot Sessions and Hello June.
Bill Lynch is our producer. Abby Neff is our associate producer. Our executive producer is Eric Douglas. Kelley Libby is our editor. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens. We had help this week from Folkways Editor Chris Julin.
You can send us an email: InsideAppalachia@wvpublic.org.
Inside Appalachia is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.
The Appalachian Comics Project And Our Song Of The Week, This West Virginia Morning
Aug 08, 2025
On this West Virginia Morning, an award-winning comic book writer uses his talents to bring authenticity to stories about Appalachia. After he and his dog survived Hurricane Helene almost a year ago, Andrew Aydin started the Appalachian Comics Project.
And, our Song of the Week this week features “Planetarium,” by Blitzen Trapper, an indie rock and folk group from Portland, Oregon. We’ll listen in on this hit from their album, “100’s of 1000’s, Millions of Billions.”
West Virginia Morningis a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
West Virginia Morning is produced with help from Bill Lynch, Chris Schulz, Curtis Tate, Eric Douglas, Jack Walker, Maria Young and Randy Yohe.
Eric Douglas is our news director. Teresa Wills is our host. Maria Young produced this episode.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
Welcoming A New Justice And Decades Of State Fair Memories, This West Virginia Morning
Aug 07, 2025
On this West Virginia Morning, there’s a new member of the state’s Supreme Court of Appeals. Gov. Patrick Morrisey made the announcement Wednesday. Judge Tom Ewing was one of four candidates recommended by the Judicial Vacancy Advisory Committee to fill the seat after Justice Beth Walker resigned earlier this summer.
And, today marks the first of ten days of concerts, carnival rides and exhibitions as the annual State Fair of West Virginia returns to the state fairgrounds in Greenbrier County for its 100th season. Bill Lynch caught up to long-time state fair board member John Wilson who – at 81 – is something of a state fair historian.
West Virginia Morningis a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
West Virginia Morning is produced with help from Bill Lynch, Chris Schulz, Curtis Tate, Eric Douglas, Jack Walker, Maria Young and Randy Yohe.
Eric Douglas is our news director. Teresa Wills is our host. Maria Young produced this episode.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
Solar Program Going Dark And Old-Time Music Bridges Generations, This West Virginia Morning
Aug 06, 2025
On this West Virginia Morning, the Environmental Protection Agency plans to cancel billions of dollars in grants for a solar program intended to improve home energy efficiency. The funds – including more than $100 million in West Virginia – were meant to help low-income residents combat rising electricity costs.
And, an annual competition celebrates the strains of fiddle, banjo and guitar – and a tradition of passing a uniquely West Virginian sound to the next generation.
West Virginia Morningis a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
West Virginia Morning is produced with help from Bill Lynch, Chris Schulz, Curtis Tate, Eric Douglas, Jack Walker, Maria Young and Randy Yohe.
Maria Young produced today's episode.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
Trains Are ‘Back On Track’ And Housing Homeless Veterans, This West Virginia Morning
Aug 05, 2025
On this West Virginia Morning, a weekend derailment blocked Amtrak’s Cardinal from operating. Curtis Tate brings us details about what happened – and whether this has a lasting impact.
And, the city of Huntington is tackling its homeless problem by doing something radically different: getting those in need into housing, starting with unhoused military veterans
West Virginia Morningis a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
West Virginia Morning is produced with help from Bill Lynch, Chris Schulz, Curtis Tate, Eric Douglas, Jack Walker, Maria Young and Randy Yohe.
Maria Young produced today's episode.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
Digging Clay For More Natural Art And Happy Birthday To The Postal Service, This West Virginia Morning
Aug 04, 2025
On this West Virginia Morning, you’ll meet a couple of Appalachian potters who prefer to dig their own clay. That way, they can decide how much of the tiny pieces of natural debris to leave in for authentic texture.
And, United States Postal Service turns 250 years old this year. You might not realize how West Virginia played a critical role in its history: free, rural delivery began in Jefferson County where it proved to be widely popular with farming families and continues to this day.
West Virginia Morningis a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
West Virginia Morning is produced with help from Bill Lynch, Chris Schulz, Curtis Tate, Eric Douglas, Jack Walker, Maria Young and Randy Yohe.
Maria Young produced today's episode.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
A New Leader For W.Va. GOP And Help For Homeless Vets, This West Virginia Week
Aug 02, 2025
On this West Virginia Week, growing pains in the Eastern Panhandle and a new plan to house homeless veterans in Huntington by the end of August. Also, the head of West Virginia’s third largest university hit the road this week. We'll tell you why. And, the state is poised to pick up hundreds of thousands of federal dollars to help offset Medicaid cuts – but will it be enough to prevent rural hospital closures?
Maria Young is our host this week. Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert.
West Virginia Week is a web-only podcast that explores the week's biggest news in the Mountain State. It's produced with help from Bill Lynch, Chris Schulz, Curtis Tate, Eric Douglas, Jack Walker, Maria Young and Randy Yohe.
Baby Cai on his dad Chuck Kleine’s chest. Photo Credit: Glynis Board/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
In June of 2020, former West Virginia Public Broadcasting videographer Chuck Kleine and Pennsylvania resident Joe Buckland recorded their experiences with having children during the pandemic.
Buckland and his wife had a baby in mid-February, nearly a month before the lockdowns.
Kleine and his wife, Glynis Board, WVPB’s assistant news director at the time, had a baby in March, about a week after most staff were sent home.
Mortgage Lifter Heirloom Tomato
Mary Lou Estler slices up her family’s heirloom mortgage lifter tomato. But there’s a mystery with this tomato. Photo Credit: Zack Harold/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
One of Inside Appalachia Host Mason Adam's friends hates tomatoes — but started growing them in 2020 because he “wanted to be part of it.” It being growing a garden, complete with a swath of heirloom tomatoes. Like a variety called Radiator Charlie’s Mortgage Lifter tomato. This heirloom breed got its start in Logan County, West Virginia.
A guy known as Radiator Charlie bred two varieties of tomato together to get a giant, juicy fruit. Word spread, and eventually so many people bought his $1 tomato plants that he was able to pay off his house. That’s how the “mortgage lifter” got its name.
But in 2020, Folkways Reporter Zack Harold brought us a story about another West Virginia tomato plant, also called “mortgage lifter.” And it’s even older.
The Ramp Hunter
The Ramp Hunter. Caroline Blizzard, Secret Location. Photo courtesy of Michael Snyder
A lot of big events were canceled in 2020 — high school proms, baseball games, and even family reunions — but some annual traditions would not be stopped. Like foraging for ramps.
People still went out to their favorite ramp patches in early spring. In 2020, we aired this story of a ramp-hunting expedition, led by Maryland park ranger Caroline Blizzard.
Shape-note singers in the region most often use oblong-shaped tunebooks like The Sacred Harp and The Shenandoah Harmony. This singer has personalized their copy of The Sacred Harp. Photo Credit: Kelley Libby/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
One of the oldest European musical traditions in Appalachia is shape note singing. It’s also called Sacred Harp singing. It’s sung acapella, often in large groups, with singers facing each other in a square.
Social distancing made shape note singing a lot harder, but a group figured out a way to continue to sing through the pandemic. Inside Appalachia Editor Kelley Libby — then a Folkways Reporter — filed this story in 2020.
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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Jeff Ellis, John Inghram, Joe Dobbs and the 1937 Flood, Mary Hott and the Cornelius Eady Trio.
Bill Lynch is our producer. Abby Neff is our associate producer. Our executive producer is Eric Douglas. Kelley Libby is our editor. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens. We had help this week from Folkways Editors Chris Julin and Caitlin Tan.
You can send us an email: InsideAppalachia@wvpublic.org.
Inside Appalachia is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.
Camping Ban Leads Homeless To Hide And Matt Pond PA’s Song Of The Week, This West Virginia Morning
Aug 01, 2025
On this West Virginia Morning, since a statewide camping ban went into effect in Kentucky last year, the number of homeless people has increased. A story produced for the Appalachia Mid-South Newsroom finds homeless people hide now to avoid arrest – which makes it harder to get them the services that might help.
And, this week’s Song of the Week is “Love To Get Used” by Matt Pond PA. Making his debut appearance, Matt and his band performed this bouncy song off of Spring Fools, from his eighth studio album The Dark Leaves.
West Virginia Morningis a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
West Virginia Morning is produced with help from Bill Lynch, Chris Schulz, Curtis Tate, Eric Douglas, Jack Walker, Maria Young and Randy Yohe.
Eric Douglas is our news director. Teresa Wills is our host. Maria Young produced this episode.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
Rescinding The Rules Of Climate Change And The Benefits Of Time Outside, This West Virginia Morning
Jul 31, 2025
On this West Virginia Morning, the Environmental Protection Agency is moving to repeal the scientific findings about greenhouse gas emissions and their impact on the environment. It’s a move that would affect countless regulations that govern everything from vehicles to power plants.
And, in the weeks before school starts, parents are squeezing in time for the kids to spend in nature. Young campers share how they feel about spending time outdoors – and away from electronics.
West Virginia Morningis a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
West Virginia Morning is produced with help from Bill Lynch, Chris Schulz, Curtis Tate, Eric Douglas, Jack Walker, Maria Young and Randy Yohe.
Maria Young produced today's episode.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
Preserving Meadows For Endangered Butterflies And On The Road With FSU President, This West Virginia Morning
Jul 30, 2025
On this West Virginia Morning, scientists are working to preserve the meadows that are home to the endangered Mitchell’s Satyr butterfly. One of those is not far from the borders of West Virginia. RadioIQ’s Roxy Todd ventured there to find out about efforts to save these pretty but rare winged insects.
And, with the fall semester looming at campuses from preschool to college, the president of Fairmont State University is on a road trip. Mike Davis is traveling from county to county in a camper van across West Virginia this week to talk about FSU, how the school is faring and the difference between a job and a career.
West Virginia Morningis a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
West Virginia Morning is produced with help from Bill Lynch, Chris Schulz, Curtis Tate, Eric Douglas, Jack Walker, Maria Young and Randy Yohe.
Maria Young produced today's episode.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
GOP Welcomes New State Chair And A Battery Firm Charges Ahead, This West Virginia Morning
Jul 29, 2025
On this West Virginia Morning, the state Republican party has a new chairman – a 23-year-old native of Boone county with a surprising amount of political experience. Josh Holstein shares his ideas for bringing the party together and his vision for West Virginia.
A battery factory in Weirton is working to lay foundations and ready its first site for delivery later this year. The co-founder and CEO of Form Energy talks with Curtis Tate about the first installation and how the company fared in recent federal tax legislation.
West Virginia Morningis a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
West Virginia Morning is produced with help from Bill Lynch, Chris Schulz, Curtis Tate, Eric Douglas, Jack Walker, Maria Young and Randy Yohe.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
Flood, Energy Assistance And The Impact Of SNAP Cuts On Nutrition Ed, This West Virginia Week
Jul 26, 2025
On this West Virginia Week, flood assistance for storm victims in the Northern Panhandle and energy assistance for families in need. We’ll tell you how upcoming federal cuts to SNAP programs will affect nutrition education here in West Virginia. Also, a mobile black lung screening program is back in operation, and, how ocean lovers in land-locked West Virginia can help protect our seas.
Maria Young is our host this week. Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert.
West Virginia Week is a web-only podcast that explores the week’s biggest news in the Mountain State. It’s produced with help from Bill Lynch, Chris Schulz, Curtis Tate, Eric Douglas, Jack Walker, Maria Young and Randy Yohe.
A Singer’s Newly Released ‘Black Book’ And Our Song Of The Week, This West Virginia Morning
Jul 25, 2025
On this West Virginia Morning, the music of a West Virginia singer and songwriter was self-recorded long before she passed in 2020. But some of those recordings have been discovered, restored and are now featured in a newly released record entitled “Ella Hanshaw’s Black Book.” A granddaughter, inadvertently featured in some of the recordings, tells the back story.
Our Song of the Week features Will Hoge making his seventh appearance on Mountain Stage. His performance of “John Prine’s Cadillac” pays tribute to the late Prine’s legacy and musical influence.
West Virginia Morningis a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting with support from Marshall Health.
West Virginia Morning is produced with help from Bill Lynch, Chris Schulz, Curtis Tate, Eric Douglas, Jack Walker, Maria Young and Randy Yohe.
Eric Douglas is our news director. Teresa Wills is our host. Maria Young produced this episode.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
Tracking Health Risks Of Fracking And The Impact of ‘Three Strikes’ Laws, This West Virginia Morning
Jul 24, 2025
On this West Virginia Morning, fracking has long been a controversial process, pitting oil and gas companies who say the process is necessary and safe, against environmentalists and often nearby residents who point to possible health dangers. Now a non-profit has a new way to track chemical exposure and health effects.
Plus, as more states consider increasing tough-on-crime legislation designed to keep dangerous criminals behind bars, Us & Them, host Trey Kay examines the long-term impact of three strikes laws in Kentucky.
West Virginia Morningis a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
Maria Young produced this episode.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
Us & Them: Three Strikes 2.0 — But Is Kentucky Any Safer?
Jul 24, 2025
The perception of crime in our nation shows an enormous divide. One recent poll reports 90% of Republicans say crime is up while 60 percent of Democrats say crime is down.
The result has been a wave of ‘tough on crime’ laws from states across the political spectrum that expand the definition of violent crimes and their penalties. The 2024 Safer Kentucky Act is one of those omnibus crime bills that some say casts too wide a net.
In this episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay looks at the history of America’s crime laws to check on provisions that are back, like the so-called Three Strikes law that’s part of Kentucky’s crime bill. In the 1990s, similar measures addressed violent drug crimes, however over time the costs of incarcerating more and more people became too big a burden.
This episode of Us & Them is presented with support from the Just Trust and the CRC Foundation.
Subscribe to Us & Them on Apple Podcasts, NPR One, RadioPublic, Spotify, Stitcher and beyond.
Rep. Jared BaumanRep. Jason Nemes
Photos courtesy of the Kentucky General Assembly
Reps. Jared Bauman and Jason Nemes, Republicans from Jefferson County, Ky., sponsored the Safer Kentucky Act, a sweeping crime bill that includes a “three strikes” provision. Similar laws gained popularity in the 1990s but have since been widely criticized as costly and ineffective. Both lawmakers declined interview requests for this story.
Pam Thomas, senior fellow at the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy, focuses on state budget and tax policy, the social safety net, and the criminal legal system — areas she says are deeply interconnected through public funding. Photo Credit: Trey Kay/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
“The last time Kentucky did major criminal legal system reform was in 2011… They tried to reduce the number of people incarcerated, bring down prison populations, and increase probation and parole. But since then, they’ve passed six or seven times more bills that increase incarceration, lengthen sentences, and impose harsher penalties than ones that reduce them.
A lot of times, people think of violent crime and have a specific image in mind. The federal definition only includes five crimes. But in Kentucky, we have many more definitions in our statutes. What the Safer Kentucky Act did was essentially say that almost everyone charged as a violent offender has to serve 85% of their sentence… Before, someone might be eligible for parole after serving 20%. Now they’re going to serve 85%, which means a lot more days in prison. Year after year, the number of people in the system is going to grow — and there’s nothing you can do about it because they have to serve 85%.
Without more revenue, no — Kentucky can’t afford that if it still wants to fund education, pave roads, maintain a healthcare system, support the judicial system… But it depends on your priorities. You can afford what you decide to afford, but it means you don’t do other things.”
— Pam Thomas, Senior Fellow at the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy
Judah Schept, a professor in the School of Justice Studies at Eastern Kentucky University. Photo Credit: Trey Kay/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
“[Kentucky’s] House Bill 5, the so-called Safer Kentucky Act, is what we call an omnibus crime bill — reminiscent of those passed by state legislatures and the federal government, like the 1994 crime bill signed by President Clinton. We actually have the data. We know this is a disastrous public policy approach to all kinds of issues. After four-plus decades of investing so much into the infrastructure of jails and prisons, they’ve become the catch-all solution to every social problem. If there’s a problem with addiction in your community, you invest in the jail. If there’s a revenue decline — like in Eastern Kentucky after the fall of the coal industry — you ‘solve’ it by expanding jail capacity and renting beds to the state or ICE, who pay a per diem that helps fund your county budget.”
— Judah Schept, professor at Eastern Kentucky University.
Sylvia Goodman, a reporter with Kentucky Public Radio, covers the state Capitol and government affairs. Photo courtesy of J. Tyler Franklin
“One of the main things about the Safer Kentucky Act is that the sponsors emphasized repeatedly in hearings that this was a data-driven bill… they talked a lot about the extensive research. And Democrats who were opposed to the bill and reporters like myself had asked repeatedly for some of their sourcing… until on the House floor, a Democrat asked for [a list of their supporting research]. And lo and behold, they actually pulled out a source list and started reading from it… it was very hyper-academic. It sounded like he was reading citations, like from a bibliography. And so afterwards I asked the lead sponsor of the bill, Jared Bauman, for that list, and he provided it to me… it was more than 100 sources of academic research. And I started looking into it.
At first, I thought, man, they really did do their research… but it became apparent very quickly that many of the studies on that list did not have anything to do with this bill… it’s literally a copy and paste—you can tell the formatting is the same and everything is almost exactly the same. It’s a Georgia policy paper that actually called for very different recommendations than what is in this report… they took maybe one of a dozen or so recommendations that this Georgia policy paper recommended… and then they said that all their sources supported the bill. So, you know, it’s a little dubious, frankly.”
— Sylvia Goodman, a reporter with Kentucky Public Radio
Josh Crawford, director of criminal justice initiatives at the Georgia Center for Opportunity, authored a report on crime rates in Atlanta that was cited by supporters of HB5, also known as the Safer Kentucky Act. Photo courtesy of Georgia Center for Opportunity
“I had written a report on violent crime reduction for Atlanta… that report had been given by another legislator to Representative Bauman. He reached out… we had a number of conversations about that report and some of the provisions in House Bill 5 and how they either did align or did not align with some of that work… I provided feedback on some of the relevant provisions… dealing with gangs and violent offenses and stuff like that. The report for Atlanta… included sentencing provisions that are recommendations for the state of Georgia as well… things that impact city-level policy are city-level recommendations, things that impact state-level policy are state-level recommendations. My understanding from the legislators who crafted House Bill 5 was they basically took the principles and some of the technical literature on sentencing that are contained in that report and then used that to inform how they crafted changes in Kentucky.”
— Josh Crawford, director of criminal justice initiatives at the Georgia Center for Opportunity
Former Sen. Whitney Westerfield, R-Christian County, served as the longtime chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and was a former prosecutor. He was one of two Republicans who voted against the Safer Kentucky Act before retiring at the end of the 2024 legislative session. Photo courtesy of Craig Hodge
“The legislators behind the bill talked about exploding crime—even in Jefferson County. It’s just not true... But there was a painted picture of crime on the rise. Most legislators, regardless of the subject, rely on a handful of colleagues they trust as experts. I think that’s what drove the bill.
It’s politically very popular to do tough-on-crime things, to put bad guys in jail and keep them there. Who doesn’t support that—left or right?
The problem is, in the criminal justice space, nuance matters... the costs and the bottom lines matter... and the outcomes for public safety matter a whole bunch. When you move forward with policy without taking those into consideration, you’re blowing it and creating more harm than you intend.
But when you have to explain the nuance, you lose. The ‘tough on crime, clean up our streets’ side wins by default.”
— Former Sen. Whitney Westerfield
The Impact Of Flavor On Vaping And Nutrition Education After Federal Cuts
Jul 23, 2025
On this West Virginia Morning, a new study from Marshall University confirms that flavors added to e-cigarettes don’t just make them taste good. The flavors can also enhance the effects of nicotine on the nervous system – and make it harder to quit, despite the health risks.
Plus, how will federal cuts to nutrition education program affect healthy lifestyles for low-income families? The director of SNAP-Ed through the WVU Extension Service tells Chris Schulz that poor households need more that education – they also need access to healthy, nutritious food.
West Virginia Morningis a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications. Maria Young produced this episode.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
All Abuzz Over Bees And A Looming Deadline For Solar Tax Credits, This West Virginia Morning
Jul 22, 2025
On this West Virginia Morning, a seemingly simple project – to catalog the native bee population in a neighboring state – has led nature preservationists to identify hundreds of bee species. Some are multi-colored, live far away from a hive and specialize in their life’s work, pollinating only one kind of plant.
Plus, the budget bill has created a looming deadline for commercial and residential solar projects relying on tax credits.
West Virginia Morningis a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications. Maria Young produced this episode.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
The Daily Lives Of Trans Teens And Protecting Our Oceans From Afar, This West Virginia Morning
Jul 21, 2025
On this West Virginia Morning, a West Virginia author chronicles the daily lives of eight transgender teens across the United States, delving into their unique situations and personalities in a way that goes far beyond the culture that sometimes define them.
Plus, how people in a land-locked state like West Virginia can help protect oceans and sea life – and why some scientists argue we should.
West Virginia Morningis a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications. Maria Young produced this episode.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
Future Of Public Media Funding, Fighting A ‘Hunger Tsunami’ And A Popular Hotdog, This West Virginia Week
Jul 19, 2025
On this West Virginia Week, how West Virginia senators voted on the congressional rescission bill and how hunger activists are preparing for massive federal cuts. We’ll tell you about a key victory in court for anti-abortion activists in the state. Also, a little bakery is getting a big moment to shine. And, the surging popularity of a hotdog called The Homewrecker.
Maria Young is our host this week. Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert.
West Virginia Week is a web-only podcast that explores the week's biggest news in the Mountain State. It's produced with help from Bill Lynch, Chris Schulz, Curtis Tate, Eric Douglas, Jack Walker, Maria Young and Randy Yohe.
Pictures From Alleghania And Remembering Travis Stimeling, Inside Appalachia
Jul 18, 2025
An international photographer turns his lens toward home.
Also, after Hurricane Helene, whitewater rafting guides are adapting to diminished business and changed rivers.
And, we remember Travis Stimeling. The author, musician and educator left a mark on mountain culture and the people who practice and document it. You'll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.
Photographer Michael Snyder Documents Allegheny Mountain Home
Derek Cutter and his sons, Crosby and Max, in Savage River, Maryland. Photo courtesy of Michael Snyder
Michael Snyder is a photographer and filmmaker who grew up in the Allegheny mountains on the border of Maryland and West Virginia. His work has been featured in National Geographic, The Guardian and The Washington Post.
After living away from Appalachia for over a decade, Snyder moved back to document what changed and what stayed the same. The result is a new book. It’s called Alleghania: A Central Appalachian Folklore Anthology.
Associate Producer Abby Neff recently spoke with Snyder.
Whitewater Rafting After Hurricane Helene
Heather Ellis rafts down a section of the Pigeon River with two of her friends and fellow guides. Some parts of the river are running clear and strong enough to host rafters, while other areas are still recovering almost a year after Hurricane Helene. Photo Credit: Gerard Albert III/Blue Ridge Public Radio
Hurricane Helene left a lasting mark on central Appalachia and the rivers that run through it. The Nolichucky, the French Broad and the Pigeon were home to a multi-million dollar rafting industry. Seasonal whitewater river guides help tourists have fun and keep them safe. Helene has made that job less certain.
Blue Ridge Public Radio (BPR) and Grist reporter Katie Myers reports.
Remembering Travis Stimeling
Stimeling and Linscheid performing together. Photo courtesy of Mary Linscheid
West Virginia University (WVU) Professor Travis Stimeling carried the torch for bluegrass and traditional music in Appalachia. It was a shock when they died abruptly in November 2023 at the age of 43. There was an outpouring of remembrances from colleagues, former students and friends.
Some shared their stories with Folkways Reporter Zack Harold. In June of this year, Zack’s remembrance of Travis Stimeling won an award from the Public Media Journalists Association (PMJA).
Surfing The Gauley River
Andrew Wagner packs up surfboards for long hike out. Photo Credit: Briana Heaney/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Last fall, WVPB's Briana Heaney reported on how the Gauley River has become a destination for surfers — even in landlocked West Virginia.
Appalachian Fireflies Light Up The Night
Blue-ghost fireflies, who appear a pale blue-green in person and neon green on camera, are generally found in southern Appalachia but can be found as far north as Bernheim Forest and Arboretum south of Louisville. Photo Credit: Eric Nally/Bernheim Forest and Arboretum
A rare Appalachian firefly lives in the forests outside Louisville, Kentucky. While the season for the blue ghost fireflies was at its peak, Kentucky Public Radio’s Sylvia Goodman visited the Bernheim Forest and Arboretum, a half hour drive south of Louisville, to learn about the rare Appalachian lightning bug.
Scopes Trial: A Century Later
One hundred years ago, John Scopes taught evolution in a Dayton, Tennessee, high school.
A few months later he was arrested, tried and convicted of breaking the law in what became known as the Scopes Monkey Trial — a flashpoint in the debate about how to teach science in schools.
To mark the centennial, the town is holding a special celebration. WPLN’s Mary Mancini visited Dayton and brought this report.
Psychedelic Treatment For Mental Health
A West Virginia researcher is working at the cutting edge of the study of psychedelics. Corrine Hazel is a West Virginia University microbiology student. This spring, she found a fungus that was barely more than a theory. It produces effects similar to the drug LSD, and might have uses in treating depression, PTSD and addiction.
Producer Bill Lynch spoke with Hazel and her professor, Dan Panaccione, about the discovery.
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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Erik Huey Vincent, Mary Hott, John Blissard, Blue Dot Sessions, Paul Loomis and Hello June.
Bill Lynch is our producer. Abby Neff is our associate producer. Our executive producer is Eric Douglas. Kelley Libby is our editor. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens. We had help this week from Folkways Editor Chris Julin.
You can send us an email: InsideAppalachia@wvpublic.org.
Inside Appalachia is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.
Capito On Cuts To NPR, PBS And Documenting Changes In Appalachia, This West Virginia Morning
Jul 18, 2025
On this West Virginia Morning, what West Virginia’s senior senator, Shelley Moore Capito, has to say about funding for public broadcasting after she and other Republicans vote for cuts.
Plus, a photographer and filmmaker who grew up in West Virginia has turned the camera on the Appalachian region of his childhood. We’ll find out what he has to say about how much has changed – and how much has stayed the same.
Our Song of the Week comes from Nashville banjo man, Kyle Tuttle. “Hard To Say,” from his 2024 solo album Labor of Lust reflects on the grief Tuttle experienced after the loss of his close friend and bandmate.
West Virginia Morningis a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting with support from Marshall Health.
West Virginia Morning is produced with help from Bill Lynch, Chris Schulz, Curtis Tate, Eric Douglas, Jack Walker, Maria Young and Randy Yohe.
Eric Douglas is our news director. Teresa Wills is our host. Maria Young produced this episode.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
The Decision To Cut Abortion Meds And A Push To Strengthen Harm Reduction, This West Virginia Morning
Jul 17, 2025
On this West Virginia Morning, Chris Schulz examines a decision from the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals this week to allow limits on the sale of abortion medications – even those medications that the FDA has deemed to be safe and effective. It partially comes down to a separation of state and federal rights. But there’s more.
Plus, harm reduction programs are controversial – and opponents often point to figures that suggest they aren’t particularly effective. But supporters have studied practices in Appalachia and say some of the programs aren’t broad enough to reach the population that most needs their help.
West Virginia Morningis a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications. Maria Young produced this episode.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
Restricting Abortion Meds And Feeding The Hungry After SNAP Cuts, This West Virginia Morning
Jul 16, 2025
On this West Virginia Morning, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld a lower court ruling that West Virginia can limit the sale of abortion medications – even those medications that the FDA has deemed to be safe and effective. The case involved mifepristone, which is often used to terminate a pregnancy.
Plus, as hunger activists and those who work to provide food for low income people brace for cuts to SNAP benefits, the head of a Huntington-based foodbank details how the cuts may affect thousands of Appalachians.
West Virginia Morningis a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications. Maria Young produced this episode.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
Battle Brewing At Education Board And An Appalshop Documentary, This West Virginia Morning
Jul 15, 2025
On this West Virginia Morning, the West Virginia Board of Education (BOE) held a 10-minute meeting on Monday, to address what sounded like a routine policy issue. But it was promptly rejected by Secretary of State Kris Warner. Now the board plans legal action.
Plus, a new documentary follows efforts to preserve one of the largest collections of Appalachian culture and history from devastating flood waters.
West Virginia Morningis a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.Maria Young produced this episode.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
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