, Author at West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Inside Appalachia- Oct. 5, 2013

One of the most immediate effects of the federal government shutdown hits tourists.A record number of raptors flew over an observation point in West…

One of the most immediate effects of the federal government shutdown hits tourists.

A record number of raptors flew over an observation point in West Virginia recently.

A story teller puts a new twist on old Appalachian traditions.

And a Kentucky school program helps who want to children learn music.

TN Smokies Closed: Shutting down much of the federal government this past week meant national parks across the country were closed. The third most visited park in the country last year according to the National Parks Conservation Association is the Great Smoky Mountains. Brandon Hollingsworth and Christine Jessel from WUOT in Knoxville, Tn., went to the Smokies to get reaction from visitors hoping for a fun fall experience only to find the park closed. Hear from Drema and Fred Johnson from West Virginia, Alyss and Rachel Miller from Ohio, Florence Gibson from Missouri, Don and Rebecca from Alabama and their granddaughter, Abigail, from Kentucky and Zack Newman who lives in Maryville, Tn. and works at a restaurant just outside the Park entrance in Townsend.

KY WV Parks Open: State parks across Appalachia want to make sure visitors know there’s an alternative to visiting the national parks. West Virginia’s state parks and forests have been publicizing the fact that they’re open and have lodging available. All of Kentucky’s 49 state parks remain open.

WV Inspiring West Virginian: As we continue our series of Inspiring West Virginians, here’s the story of a man originally from Berkeley County who’s working hard to preserve the state’s unique and wild places. Producer Jean Snedegar takes us to the top of a mountain with field biologist Rodney Bartgis, the State Director of The West Virginia Nature Conservancy.

WV Raptor Migration: This month, hawks, falcons, and eagles will continue their migration south, and thousands will pass through the eastern mountains of West Virginia. This year, on Sunday, Sept 22^nd, one thousand 591 raptors were counted at the Hanging Rock Raptor Observatory in Monroe County, W.Va. This broke the record for the most raptors logged at Hanging Rock in a single day since 1995. To see the migrating raptors pass just feet from view, hundreds of visitors come each Fall to the Hanging Rock Lookout Tower, originally a fire tower for the Forest Service, located in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests, in the southeastern corner of West Virginia. recently Roxy Todd and Dan Schultz caught up with some of the volunteer naturalists who travel daily to help record the migration of raptors up at Hanging Rock.

WV Story Teller CD: Story telling is an old art form in Appalachia. One West Virginia story teller’s newest project, a CD of music and stories entitled The Mountain Came Alive, attempts to modernize this tradition by addressing today’s concerns.

KY School Music Program: Instruction which includes instruments is known to enhance a child’s appreciation of music. But, musical instruments are not always within the reach of families with modest means. A program launched by the Central Kentucky Youth Orchestra provides the tools needed by low-income music students. WEKU’S Stu Johnson has more from Lexington.

Government shutdown affects….bass fishing?

With a shutdown in the United States government, nearly one million employees are not able to work. But in northern West Virginia, area fishermen and…

With a shutdown in the United States government, nearly one million employees are not able to work. But in northern West Virginia, area fishermen and women are also feeling that pinch.

This weekend, a bass fishing tournament along the Monongahela River is scheduled to take place. Normally contestants would be able to catch bass anywhere along the river between Fairmont and Point Marion, Pennsylvania. But because of the government shutdown, the United States’ Corps of Engineers employees aren’t able to open the locks. So that will limit the ability of fishermen to travel up and down the river. Tim Mitchem is the president with B.A.S.S. Nation of West Virginia.

“Once the government shut down, I received a message that they wouldn’t be able to honor that agreement. They’re not allowed to pay anybody overtime, during a furlough, which is essentially what they’re doing with the staff there. The locks will not be open for us,” he said.

Mitchem is frustrated because the Corps of Engineers and organizations like B.A.S.S. have been negotiating for months to keep the locks open as much as possible during the tournament.

“A lot of people say this is just a fishing tournament. It is, but when you plan for something for over a year, which is what we’ve done, but we’ve got people spending money in the area, and we could have people not even show up to this tournament now, because they are not going to want to fish in a congested area. So it could affect a lot of things. It’s frustrating, but we have to deal with what we have to deal with,” said Mitchem.

The fishermen will be using only one section of the river for the tournament. Metchum says it’s better than nothing, but it’s not that good either. Mitchem didn’t want to move the tournament, since several hotel rooms were already booked.

“It’s not the end of the world, but it’s not an ideal situation, because when you have that many boats in that limited space of water, it’s difficult for guys to find fishing spots that haven’t been fished many times over. Saturday should be an alright day, Sunday will probably be more difficult and we will probably see that when fish are brought in for weigh-in,” he said.

But Mitchem said the tournament will go on, and wants the public to come to enjoy two days of fishing.

West Virginia Morning – October 4, 2013

On this West Virginia Morning, Clark Davis brings a story of obesity and research that is changing how we look at it. Plus, bass fishers are shut down?…

On this West Virginia Morning, Clark Davis brings a story of obesity and research that is changing how we look at it. Plus, bass fishers are shut down? Those stories and more.

Where's the best place to leaf peep this weekend?

State foresters recommend heading to the high country this weekend to see foliage at its peak. Perennial foliage hotspots, including Dolly Sods, Blackwater Falls and Canaan Valley are reportedly either at peak or expected to peak over the next few days. In Pocahontas County, favorite foliage spots like Cheat Mountain, Snowshoe and the headwaters of the Greenbrier River are getting close to peak. The Highland Scenic Highway has good but scattered color.

The Silver Lake area of Preston County is approximately 60 percent peak and another recommended destination this weekend.

Pendleton County’s Spruce Knob is between 50 percent and 75 percent peak. A variety of yellow, orange and red hues are reportedly well worth the trip. The Allegheny Front and North Mountain also are must-see destinations.

Foresters in Morgan County report an abundance of color along the Cacapon River. The recommended drive is State Route 9 from Berkeley Springs toward Paw Paw, with a stop at the Panorama Overlook. The overlook includes views of three states, West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania, as well as the Potomac and Cacapon Rivers.

Masterpiece: Downton Abbey, Season 4

The most-watched drama in PBS history enters its fourth gripping season with the whole world waiting to learn how the beloved characters deal with a shocking tragedy.

See a preview from Season 4:

http://video.wvpubcast.org/video/2365089408/

The acclaimed ensemble is back, together with returning guest star Academy Award®-winner Shirley MacLaine and new guest star Paul Giamatti. Also joining the cast are Harriet Walter, Gary Carr, Joanna David, and Tom Cullen, as the legend continues on Downton Abbey, Season 4, airing over eight Sundays beginning with a two-hour premiere on January 5, 2014 on West Virginia PBS.

The returning cast includes Hugh Bonneville, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter, Brendan Coyle, Michelle Dockery, Joanne Froggatt, Rob James-Collier, Lily James, Allen Leech, Phyllis Logan, Elizabeth McGovern, Sophie McShera, Lesley Nicol, Dame Maggie Smith, Penelope Wilton, and a host of others, joined by Shirley MacLaine (Oscar® for Best Actress, Terms of Endearment), who reprises her role as Martha Levinson, the forthright American mother of Cora, Countess of Grantham (McGovern). Martha again battles wits with Cora’s wickedly acerbic mother-in-law, Violet (Smith).

Among the new faces are Paul Giamatti (Sideways) as Cora’s playboy brother, Harold, who appears in the season finale; Dame Harriet Walter (Little Dorrit) as Violet’s old friend Lady Shackleton; Gary Carr (Death in Paradise) as jazz singer Jack Ross; Joanna David (Bleak House) as the Duchess of Yeovil; Tom Cullen (World Without End) as the dashing Lord Gillingham, and Julian Ovenden (Smash, Any Human Heart) as an unexpected houseguest.

All who tuned in last season know that Matthew Crawley—heir to Downton Abbey, husband to Lady Mary (Dockery), and brand new father to a baby boy and successor—lies dead on a country road next to his overturned roadster. On top of this, the family is still grieving over the death in childbirth of Sybil, Mary’s youngest sister, who also left a baby behind.

Season 4 opens six months later. Although it is the 1920s, Britain still observes mourning rituals that are almost Victorian in their solemnity. Nonetheless, the Crawleys are beginning to snap out of it: Robert, Lord Grantham (Bonneville), must manage the estate without his canny son-in-law; Cora suddenly faces a staffing crisis; Violet, who has seen enough tragedy, knows how to recoup quickly; Isobel (Wilton), Matthew’s mother, may never recover; Edith (Carmichael), who was jilted at the altar, tempts scandal with a new beau; and Mary now finds herself the most desirable widow in Yorkshire.

The servants also pick up, buck up, and get on with it—with new arrivals, departures, rivalries, and betrayals among the downstairs staff. Life goes on at Downton Abbey.

Written and created by Julian Fellowes, the series has won many accolades include nine Emmys®, two Golden Globes®, and a coveted Screen Actors Guild Award® for the ensemble cast.

Is obesity related to genetics?

Childhood obesity could be related to the absence of one particular hormone according to research presented this week during a conference in Huntington.

Losing weight is as simple as having more self-control. At least that’s what some think. A new study though shows that maybe it’s not that simple, maybe obesity is tied to a hormone called Leptin. And when people don’t have enough of it in their system, their body tells them to eat more.

Dr. Jeffrey Friedman of Rockefeller University in New York, presented these findings at a Childhood Obesity Conference in Huntington hosted by the Marshall University School of Medicine. The focus was on fighting childhood obesity and its causes, including alternative ideas like Friedman’s.

Friedman said he along with other researchers want to look deeper into body weight than just saying people need more self-control.

“We study the genes and biological factors that regulate body weight and we now know that there are several genes that when defective can cause obesity in humans and this has led us to a deeper understanding of the neural circuitry in our brain that regulates appetite and weight,” Friedman said.

Scientists are studying genes related to the hormone Leptin, which plays a role in regulating the appetite. Leptin is a protein produced by fatty tissue and is believed to regulate the fat storage in the body. Scientists believe people with low or absent levels of Leptin tend to eat much more. Friedman said these are factors that people can’t control.

"This is not simply a matter of lack of will power or a toxic environment, that different people have different genetic endowments that lead some people to become obese and others not," Friedman said.

“I think the bottom line here is that this is not simply a matter of lack of will power or a toxic environment, that different people have different genetic endowments that lead some people to become obese and others not,” Friedman said.

Friedman said these findings could lead to an entire new way of thinking for scientists.

He says it could take 10 to 20 years for those treatments to emerge. He also says only a small amount of people are lacking Leptin, but that it could lead to other research that might combine Leptin with other drugs to solve some obesity cases. Friedman said obese individuals need a new mindset when trying to lose weight.

“It should focus our attention much more on health than weight per say. And the health benefits of weight loss can be achieve with pretty modest amounts of weight loss. And so I think it’s going to be important based on what we know about the biology to not focus on people normalizing their weight, but rather reducing their weight sufficiently to improve their healt,” Friedman said..

Athar Nawab is a first year medical school student at Marshall. He said Friedman presented an entirely new way of looking at obesity.

“I thought his ideas of obesity and the genes involved were pretty enlightening and it’s a different way of thinking about it as opposed to blaming the person that’s obese, there could be deeper issues,” Nawab said.

Michael Andryka is also in his first year of medical school.

“It’s not necessarily an issue of will power or environment, but there may be some hormonal control and some genetic role. And I think this is probably a pretty promising line of research or it seems to be,” Andryka said.

The students think it could open the doors for different treatments as they become doctors.