Appalachia produces less coal than it once did, but that coal is still desired around the world for making steel. The demand is now creating problems for people who live near the terminals where coal is moved from train to ship, to then be carried overseas. Residents of Norfolk and Newport News, Virginia, say airborne coal dust from export terminals is getting on their cars, on their houses, in their lungs. Residents have started to take matters into their own hands.
Home » In Appalachia, Elusive Mountain Lion Myths Abound & Hope Surrounds Tiny Homes Project in Schools
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In Appalachia, Elusive Mountain Lion Myths Abound & Hope Surrounds Tiny Homes Project in Schools
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This week on Inside Appalachia: wildlife experts agree the Eastern Mountain Lion is extinct. So why do so many people across Appalachia swear they’ve seen mountain lions? Have they? What did they really see? WMRA’s Andrew Jenner and Brent Finnegan explored the stories behind mountain lion sightings in the mountains of central Appalachia. What they found, made them question the expert opinion.
And we’ll hear how a school cooperative in coal country is changing how people think about education and their region’s future. As coal country looks for a new path forward, a few communities are looking to their public schools. Some school administrators are changing not just how they prepare students academically, but how they help those students meet economic and social challenges.
“Tiny House” Project Tackles Big Problems
We’ll also meet high school students in eastern Kentucky who are learning real life skills by building tiny homes.
In eastern Kentucky’s coal country, jobs are scarce and many people struggle with substandard housing. Some high school students think they can help tackle those big problems by building tiny houses. As part of the series, “Changing Course,” Benny Becker reports on a project called “Building It Forward” that has vocational students designing, building and selling tiny homes.
Also in this episode you’ll hear:
Second Chance: The Economic Case For Drug Treatment Over Jails
Burned By Coal: Coalfield Communities Facing Electricity Price Hikes
We had help producing Inside Appalachia this week from WMRA in Harrisonburg, Virginia, WMMT in Whitesburg, Kentucky, WKYU in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and the Ohio Valley ReSource. Music in today’s show was provided by Mike Hudson, Dinosaur Burps, Andy Agnew Jr. and Ben Townsend.
Appalachia produces less coal than it once did, but that coal is still desired around the world for making steel. The demand is now creating problems for people who live near the terminals where coal is moved from train to ship, to then be carried overseas. Residents of Norfolk and Newport News, Virginia, say airborne coal dust from export terminals is getting on their cars, on their houses, in their lungs. Residents have started to take matters into their own hands.
On this West Virginia Morning, federal officials are encouraging more school districts to switch to electric buses. Also, in this show, the appointed watchdog of the state's Foster Care System has resigned and The Allegheny Front interviews WVPB's Curtis Tate.
Gathering wild foods has long been a way to put food on the table in the Appalachian mountains. In recent years, the practice has gone digital, with online communities devoted to foraging in the wild, springing up like wild mushrooms after a spring rain. One woman in eastern Kentucky is sharing what she knows (and some humor) with the TikTok generation through an account called “Appalachian Forager.”
On this West Virginia Morning, solar is expanding in West Virginia, thanks to shifts in federal and state policies. Curtis Tate spoke recently with Dan Conant, founder and CEO of Solar Holler, about solar growth in the Mountain State. Also, in this show, a patient at Sharpe Hospital has filed a lawsuit against the facility, its CEO and state health officials. Emily Rice has more.