ALERT (03/07/2024): Due to a lightning strike, WVPB TV will be off the air in the Bethany/Wheeling area until new parts arrive. Thank you for your patience.
On this West Virginia Morning, after a new owner took over a Mercer County mobile home park, rents quickly went up while repairs slowed. One resident did some digging and found a reporter in California who had some unexpected answers about who this new owner was. Inside Appalachia Host Mason Adams spoke with reporter Julie Reynolds.
Back in 2021, Inside Appalachia produced an episode we called, “What is Appalachia?” It was all about parts of Appalachia that aren’t always thought of as being “Appalachia.”
We asked listeners, “Do you consider yourself an Appalachian?”
Well, we recently got some email responses from students in a writing class at Ohio University Chillicothe. For some of the students, it was their first encounter with the idea of Appalachia.
The Banjo Explained And Explored
Jammy music festival season is on its way and one of the main instruments in string band music is the banjo, which originated in Africa and was brought to this country by enslaved people.
The banjo crossed over into white culture, while its history was white-washed to obscure its African identity. In recent decades, Black musicians have reclaimed the banjo and are taking the instrument in new directions.
Folkways reporter and banjo player David Wooldridge brought us the story.
Silas House Ascending
In April, Governor Andy Beshear named writer Silas House Kentucky’s newest poet laureate. In early 2020, reporter Britanny Patterson spoke with House after he wrote an essay in The Atlantic about the lack of media attention to catastrophic winter flooding in central Appalachia.
Possum Painting Produces A Predicament
The Virginia opossum — also known as the North American opossum, or just plain “possum” depending on who you’re talking to — are showing up more in pop culture, especially here in the mountains. But not everyone loves possums.
In 2019, a community in Harlan County, Kentucky, found that out first-hand, when they decided to feature a possum on a mural downtown.
Folkways reporter Nicole Musgrave gave us the story.
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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by David Mayfield, John R. Miller, Jeff Ellis, Marissa Anderson and Town Mountain.
Bill Lynch is our producer. Our executive producer is Eric Douglas. Kelley Libby is our editor. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens. Zander Aloi also helped produce this episode.
You can send us an email at InsideAppalachia@wvpublic.org.
On this West Virginia Morning, after a new owner took over a Mercer County mobile home park, rents quickly went up while repairs slowed. One resident did some digging and found a reporter in California who had some unexpected answers about who this new owner was. Inside Appalachia Host Mason Adams spoke with reporter Julie Reynolds.
On this West Virginia Morning, tourists from around the world visit Harpers Ferry each year to immerse themselves in U.S. history. But the number of visitors fell in 2020, as public health restrictions ramped up nationwide. Jack Walker visited the town to learn how things have changed since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
Across the nation, there are more and more local news deserts; communities with no local newspaper, television or radio station to cover what’s going on. When a small town paper like The Welch News in McDowell County, WV, can’t compete and shuts down, losing those local eyes and ears can affect accountability. No one is there to watch over things. Local news also provides a sense of cohesion and identity for a community. What happens when it’s gone? This story was supported by the Pulitzer Center.