Economy

On this West Virginia Morning, the Ohio Valley region has disproportionately high numbers of seniors and people living with disabilities and on low incomes -- those are all groups that frequently depend on public transit. Without transit, older people lose independence, and reaching a doctor or workplace becomes much harder. 

A new report finds that demand for transit in rural areas is climbing faster than in cities. But as Becca Schimmel reports, spending on rural transit is not keeping pace with demand.

On this West Virginia Morning, the Environmental Protection Agency’s move to end the Clean Power Plan is the Trump administration’s latest attempt to support the struggling coal industry. The Department of Energy is also pushing a new way to subsidize coal power. But as Glynis Board reports, a new study suggests that market forces -- not regulations -- will still make more coal power plants in the region vulnerable.

Here in Appalachia, it’s apple season. And that means apple growers are sending this year’s crop to farmers markets and grocery stores. But the majority of the apples grown here get sent to manufacturers to be used in apple sauce and apple juice. By the way, did you know that Golden Delicious Apples originated right here in West Virginia?  In fact, apples are our state fruit. 

On this West Virginia Morning, as the number of coal mining jobs continues to decline in central Appalachia, hemp is getting a lot of attention as one way to diversify eastern Kentucky’s post-coal economy. But the region’s growing hemp industry is riddled with uncertainty.

The lack of land suitable for growing hemp and its association with marijuana pose significant challenges. Rachel Cramer, from our partners at WGBH and The GroundTruth Project, has that story.

As the number of coal mining jobs continues to decline in central Appalachia, hemp is getting a lot of attention as one way to diversify eastern Kentucky’s post-coal economy. But the region’s burgeoning hemp industry is also riddled with uncertainty. The lack of land suitable for growing hemp, and its association with marijuana pose some significant challenges.

A biologist is studying how some insects might be adapting to a changing climate. Scott Hotaling is studying stoneflies that live in glacial regions in the north, and how these animals might be evolving. We'll hear about a grant the city of Huntington is receiving to help first responders combat the drug abuse epidemic. 

On this West Virginia Morning, talks on renegotiating NAFTA are set for later this month and farm country is concerned about changes to the trade agreement. Nicole Erwin reports that pork producers in the Ohio Valley could have the most to lose in a trade dispute.

Most of the state’s trees are harvested by small-scale logging operations, using chainsaws, but a growing number of logging companies use large, mechanized logging machines that can do much more, faster.

Jean Snedegar joined veteran logger Jerry Huffman on Knobley Mountain, in Grant County.

In response to the work being done in Congress around autonomous vehicles, Rep. David McKinley (R-W.Va.) invited industry leaders and the public to examine the issue at a forum at West Virginia University's Erickson Alumni Center, in Morgantown.

On this West Virginia Morning, most trees harvested in West Virginia are collected by small-scale logging operations with chain saws. But a growing number of companies use large, mechanized logging machines. In the next part of our occasional series on the timber industry, Jean Snedegar joins veteran logger Jerry Huffman on a job on Knobley Mountain, in Grant County.

Also this morning, we hear from 38-year-old Dave Hathaway, a laid-off coal miner. His story is part of our Struggle to Stay series, where we follow six people as they wrestle with the decision, do I stay or do I go? Unlike many others Dave is determined to STAY in Appalachia.

The Allegheny Front’s Reid Frazier went to visit him at his home in Greene County, Pennsylvania, just after his new baby was born to hear how his job search is going.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is hiring temporary employees to assist with the agency’s disaster recovery efforts at several locations across the country. 

Hurricanes Harvey and Irma have caused massive devastation, and the SBA is staffing up to respond to the increased flow of disaster loan applications from homeowners, renters and businesses of all sizes.