Acting Anecdotes, Declining Overdoses And Child Care Chaos, This West Virginia Week

On this West Virginia Week, we look back at the life of renowned actor James Earl Jones, who died this month at age 93. Jones was a cast member in the 1987 John Sayles film “Matewan,” shot in Thurmond, West Virginia.

Reporter Curtis Tate spoke to David Wohl, who invited Jones to speak to his acting class at West Virginia State University decades before his passing.

Plus, we’ll hear some good news about the overdose rate from public health issues, concerns over how to address a growing child care crisis and the latest on keeping students focused in the classroom.

In this episode, we also travel 110 years into the past, where a murder, payroll robbery and posse chase played out in one weekend in the hills of Mingo County.

West Virginia Public Broadcasting debuted an original radio play entitled “The Last Train to Glen Alum” this week. The story relives the century-old caper through the contemporary writing of News Director Eric Douglas.

Douglas sat down with historian Stan Bumgardner to discuss the dramatic moment in West Virginia history. You can learn more about the play at this link.

Jack Walker is our host this week. Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert.

West Virginia Week is a web-only podcast that explores the week’s biggest news in the Mountain State. It’s produced with help from Bill Lynch, Briana Heaney, Caelan Bailey, Chris Schulz, Curtis Tate, Emily Rice, Eric Douglas, Jack Walker, Liz McCormick, Randy Yohe and Maria Young.

Learn more about West Virginia Week.