A W.Va. Hot Dog Legend And COVID-19 Vaccines On This West Virginia Morning

On this West Virginia Morning, we remember a culinary legend in West Virginia: Russell Yann of Yann’s Hotdogs in Fairmont passed away last month.

“If there was a fire in the community, usually when the firefighters got back to the station, there would be hotdogs and drinks for them,” Marion County Sheriff Jimmy Riffle said.

But first, West Virginia is vaccinating residents as quickly as possible. Since the start of the year, senior citizens and many frontline workers have been able to get two shots to fully vaccinate themselves from the coronavirus.

June Leffler spent some time at a weekend vaccine clinic in Charleston, where more than 2,000 people got their final dose.

In Kentucky, students learning English face enormous challenges with online learning during the coronavirus pandemic.

Data obtained by WFPL shows 72 percent of high school English Language Learners in Jefferson County Public Schools in Louisville, Kentucky, were failing a class during the first term of this school year.

WFPL’s Jess Clark talked with a few immigrant high school students to find out more about the challenges they’re facing.

And finally, if you live in West Virginia and care about food, you probably know about DiCarlo’s in Wheeling, where they serve pizzas topped with cold cheese.

You’ve probably heard — or even been to — the big springtime ramp feed in Richwood.

And you probably know that, when it comes to hotdogs joints, Yann’s Hotdogs in Fairmont is on a level all its own.

Russell Yann — the longtime owner of the iconic lunch spot — died on Jan. 15, 2021. As part of our Inside Appalachia Folkways project, reporter Zack Harold took a look at Yann’s life and legacy.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, which is solely responsible for its content.

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

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