A Decade Of Change In The Ohio Valley

On this West Virginia Morning, as we transition into 2020, we consider where the Ohio Valley has been in the last decade, what to expect this election year, and what it took to get here. We also hear how recent and upcoming elections are playing out in states across central Appalachia, and we hear a story on the centennial of the ratification of the 19th Amendment.

With the new year we are leaving a decade of dramatic change for the Ohio Valley: The economy improved, but slowly. The coal industry declined sharply. And the addiction crisis took a terrible toll.

The Ohio Valley ReSource has a look at the trends that shaped the region over the past ten years, and the data behind those trends. Becca Schimmel has the story. The Ohio Valley ReSource is supported by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

In this weekend’s episode of Inside Appalachia, we focus on how recent and upcoming elections are playing out in states across central Appalachia. Guest host Dave Mistich spoke with Kentucky Public Radio’s Ryland Barton about how state races in Kentucky could play out in 2020, and what implications all this may have for the country as a whole.

One hundred years ago, after a 70-year struggle that included marches and protests to beatings, hunger strikes and force feeding, women earned the right to vote.

Today, much of that history is forgotten. 2020 marks the centennial of the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution. Across the nation, efforts are being made to remember the struggle.

Eric Douglas sat down with Dr. Renate Pore and Rita Ray, from the Kanawha Valley National Organization for Women, to discuss why it is important to remember this history and some of the ways it is being commemorated this year.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content. You can keep up with the latest West Virginia news throughout the day on our website, wvpublic.org.

Support for our news bureaus comes from West Virginia University, Concord University, and Shepherd University.

Our news director is Jesse Wright. Our producer is Glynis Board.