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America's Awesome Kids
West Virginia’s children ages 8-10 have the opportunity to “tell their stories” as part of the America’s Awesome Kids project. A partnership between WVPB and WGBH in Boston.
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. Inside Appalachia Host Mason Adams spoke with Aydin about the project.
Home » A Generation of Addiction Inside Appalachia
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A Generation of Addiction Inside Appalachia
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For a generation of Appalachians, growing up with a parent addicted or abusing drugs is a way of life. On this week’s episode of Inside Appalachia, we hear from men and women who have experienced the effects of opioid addiction and of the innocence that this epidemic has claimed.
In the United States, drug overdose is the leading cause of accidental death. Appalachian communities are among some of the hardest hit by this issue. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), West Virginia has the highest rate of drug overdoses in the country, with Ohio and Kentucky ranking in the top five.
It destroys relationships, families and communities. What’s it like to be addicted to something? What’s it like when your addiction makes all the rules, even how you care for your kids and whether you live or die?
Growing Up With a Parent Addicted
Kristina Weaver, or Breezie, grew up in southern West Virginia with a loving family and father who struggled with addiction. Her father, David Siers, died in June of 2015 of a heroin overdose.
In this episode, producers Matt Shafer Powell and Jess Mador, with WUOT’s podcast Truckbeat, share stories from east Tennessee. We’ll hear from recovering addicts, their families, as well as members of law enforcement, such as Sheriff Jack Stockton, whose own son suffers with addiction.
Foster Parents Wanted
Liz McCormick introduces us to the Holbens, a foster care family who is seeing first hand how the opioid crisis is affecting children- and we’ll hear what they’re doing to try to help.
The statistics and the stories you’ll hear in this episode paint a bleak picture. However, not all hope is lost. The youth are taking notice and fighting back. Last fall, President Obama visited West Virginia to learn more about the opioid crisis. The students of Riverwood High School interviewed people in their community about the problem and produced a short film called “Mr. President, We Want You To Know…”
Since his visit in October 2015, President Obama advocated for improved drug monitoring and increased funding for treatment. Congress passed a bill in July called the Comprehensive Addiction Recovery Act of 2016. The law aims to expand grant-funded prevention and education efforts. After it passed, the White House called it a “small step in the right direction.”
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. Inside Appalachia Host Mason Adams spoke with Aydin about the project.
Top news stories in West Virginia this week include the return of a mobile clinic to screen miners for a fatal disease, the cost of energy in the Mountain State and the 100th anniversary of the West Virginia State Fair.
