A Conversation With Filmmaker Elaine McMillion Sheldon

On this West Virginia Morning, we’ll hear from award-winning filmmaker Elaine McMillion Sheldon, about her passion for shining a light on the resilience and strength of Appalachians. 

An executive order reopening in-person visits for nursing homes in certain counties takes effect today. Emily Allen has more.

In the latest episode of Inside Appalachia, we hear stories about people who are finding inner strength and to overcome substance use disorder challenges. 

Even though most of us have been touched by the substance use disorder crisis, stigmas still exist that create barriers, and keep people from getting help. 

But there are also heroes among us who are trying to break those barriers down. Several of these heroes are featured in two Netflix documentaries, “Heroin(e)” and “Recovery Boys,” both directed by Elaine McMillion Sheldon, and her husband Curren Sheldon. 

Elaine and Curren both grew up in West Virginia. In 2018, just after the release of “Recovery Boys,” Elaine sat down with Sarah Smarsh, host of a podcast called The Homecomers to talk about what drove her to devote her career to telling stories about both the difficult realities, and the resilience of Appalachians. 

Saturday marked the start of “BreonnaCon,” a four-day community convention aimed at raising awareness about the police killing of Breonna Taylor.

But BreonnaCon, and the group that organized it, have faced criticism over the branding and intention of the event. Eleanor Klibanoff, with the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting, explains.

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