This morning, we’ll hear the love story of a couple who met in Mexico, and then moved to West Virginia nearly 70 years ago. Our listeners might recognize the voice of Frank Stowers. Stowers is a part time host of our classical music programming. Inside Appalachia producer Roxy Todd sat down with Frank and his wife of 67 years, Emita Stowers, to hear their story.
The interview is part of this weekend’s episode of Inside Appalachia. This episode is a special Valentine’s show- dedicated to Appalachian Love stories. Listen Sunday morning at 7 and again Sunday evening at 6 here on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.
Credit Brian Blauser/ Mountain Stage
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Charles Wesley Godwin can be heard on this week’s new episode of Mountain Stage with guest-host Kathy Mattea.
Morgantown, West Virginia native Charles Wesley Godwin’s song “Coal Country” is out Mountain Stage Song of the Week. A song to remind us that the coal’s impact reaches far beyond Appalachia, broadening the definition of what many think of as “Coal Country.”
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.
On August 18, 1920, Congress ratified the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, giving women the right to vote.
Women’s suffrage is a major event in American history and a milestone in the national aspiration of the equal right of every individual to participate in their government.
Credit MotherWitDesign.com
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To commemorate this historic event, the Kanawha Valley Chapter of the National Organization for Women has produced “One Hundred Years Ago,” 11 two-minute radio segments to highlight the decades of struggle in this movement. Three of these segments describe West Virginia’s dramatic role in the struggle.
The production was based on extensive research conducted by Renate Pore (Ph.D. History, West Virginia University). Author, singer, songwriter, and graphic artist Colleen Anderson narrates the segments. The theme music “Possum Rag” was written by Geraldine Dobyns in 1907.
Listen Tuesdays and Thursdays in the morning at 6:42 a.m. and in the afternoon at 4:49 p.m. in February and March.
The series is made possible by a grant from The West Virginia Humanities Council.
For more information about the West Virginia Centennial Celebration of the 19th Amendment, including a growing list of events planned throughout the state, visit the Secretary of State’s website or see more on Facebook.
This has been another year of development for the WVPB newsroom. We’ve tackled issues big and small while maintaining and growing important regional and national editorial partnerships.
Ten reporters produced more than 500 original stories across our region in 2019. Each of our reporters has picked their favorite story from this year, with a little explanation about why.
Hopefully, you’ll gain a little insight about what drives us to do what we do each day. We’re grateful to our sources who give up their time and privacy so we can bring our audience their stories.
Credit Emily Allen / West Virginia Public Broadcasting
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West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Brittany Bauer teaches classes for biology and life sciences at Wyoming East High School in New Richmond, West Virginia.
Making a Difference Locally, Globally: Teacher Leads Student Recycling Program In Wyoming County
I think some of our most meaningful stories at WVPB are the ones that highlight a national problem by spotlighting the way local communities are dealing with it.
A few years ago, teens in an advanced science class in Wyoming County told their teacher they wanted to do something about the litter in local parks and public roadways. They noticed a lot of the trash was recyclable.
In 2017, members of the school’s Friends of the Earth Club began collecting plastics and metals from their neighbors for a recycling program in neighboring Raleigh County. Those students collected more than 17,000 pounds of recyclable metals, plastics and cardboard during the last school year.
Credit Jesse Wright / West Virginia Public Broadcasting
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West Virginia Public Broadcasting
The Cheat River canyon on the Monongalia/Preston county line.
Appalachian Mountains: A Story Of Their Own
This story was a challenge on many levels — like squeezing an accurate, compelling, concise story out of a rock. But it turns out that rocks are pretty good recorders of ancient history, if you know anyone good at deciphering their subtle messages. And with some creative license, I was able to bring the relevance into today with music, family, fate and a renewed love of place and storytelling.
But the biggest reason I like this story is because it’s one shaped by our audience. West Virginians come up with the best story ideas and it’s an honor to be working for such smart, curious, and fun people.
Ed Skaggs (left) and Eric Douglas underwater at Summersville Lake.
Summersville Lake Provides Inland Scuba Destination
This story was important to me because it gave me a chance to share my love of the water, especially what’s below the surface, with others. It was also an interesting challenge to give radio listeners the experience of going diving in a freshwater mountain lake.
Credit Corey Knollinger / West Virginia Public Broadcasting
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West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Crystal Bauer and Dr. William Mercer are checking to see if the camp is inhabited to come back another day.
Wheeling Organization Takes Hope To The Streets
This story is my favorite of the year, not only because of how eye-opening it was, but also because of how inspiring it was to report. It’s one step to acknowledge that there are people in your community who don’t have access to permanent housing, but it’s another to do something about it. Seeing these doctors and nurses showing up, off the clock, to provide medical care and companionship to a community that desperately needs it was super heartwarming.
Credit Kara Lofton / West Virginia Public Broadcasting
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West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Emma Pepper plays with her son at their home in Charleston. Pepper struggled to breastfeed for six weeks before switching to formula — a decision she says she wishes she would have made ‘much sooner.’
Breastfeeding is Natural, but for Many Women, It’s Not ‘Easy’
Roxy Todd, Glynis Board and I worked on the series about breastfeeding when Roxy was a new mom and I was pregnant. On a personal level, it was probably the best thing I could have done. Because as a new mom, breastfeeding ended up being exceptionally difficult for me.
My kid is about three months old now and is still exclusively breastfed. But for 10 LONG weeks, it was exceedingly painful, despite exploring all possibilities for why that might be. Working on this series gave me access to women who had experienced the same things I ended up experiencing. Things that are often not talked about but are deeply integral to and important stories about early motherhood.
The New River Gorge Bridge and several other W.Va. landmarks appear in Fallout 76.
Fallout 76: Turning ‘Almost Heaven’ Into a Post-Apocalyptic Tourist Destination
There were quite a few stories that I enjoyed working on in 2019, but I think the one that has to be my favorite is this story about the video game Fallout 76. Full disclosure, I love video games, so when Fallout 76 was announced, I was eager to follow it and see the potential impacts it would have on our state.
Fallout 76 takes place entirely in a post-apocalyptic West Virginia. It’s up to the players to reclaim a lost Appalachia and, essentially, bring it back to life. One of the reasons I loved working on this story is because of the collaboration that went into it. This story was produced for both television and radio. I wrote the script, and then videographer Daniel Walker produced a television version, while I produced a radio version. Daniel and I worked together to come up with two different pieces that were fun creative in their own ways.
Morgantown native J. Marinelli poses with Daniel Johnston in Louisville, Kentucky in November 2008.
Hi, How Are You: Remembering Musician, Artist Daniel Johnston
“Newspaper reporters and technical writers are trained to reveal almost nothing about themselves in their writings,” Kurt Vonnegut wrote in his 1981 collection Palm Sunday. And, he’s right. Read through my reporting on state government, public controversies or breaking news and you’re likely not able to discern much about who I am or what I think. (I hope so, at least.) Like so many other journalists, I’ve been trained to operate as such.
In the case of reporting on — and paying tribute to — musician, artist and one-time West Virginia resident Daniel Johnston, it felt appropriate to do the opposite.
Like legions of others, Johnston’s work is one of those things that has stuck with me since I discovered his weird and sincere songwriting. When I learned of his passing, it only made sense to dig up some tape I had of him from my past life as a music writer. It was an opportunity to tell the reader (and radio listener) a bit about myself, my connection to his music and how his lo-fi punk ethos has ingrained itself in my identity.
Credit Brittany Patterson / West Virginia Public Broadcasting
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West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Conesville coal plant
Powering Down: Ohio Community Reckons With Coal Plant Closure
Jobs and Risk — Atlantic Coast Pipeline Shutdown Divides W.Va.
There is no shortage of stories to cover on the energy and environment beat. 2019 has been a busy year from a fight in the Legislature about water quality standards to a series of high-profile coal company bankruptcies to the continued rise in the importance of natural gas.
One theme that has emerged is how communities across Appalachia — both that have long relied on fossil fuels and those that are newly so — are dealing with transition. Both stories listed here examined how these changes profoundly affect communities. The first story looked at how one community in Ohio prepared for the closure of a coal-fired plant. The other looked at how a newer industry — natural gas pipeline construction — is dividing communities in West Virginia. In both cases, I am so grateful to those who so generously shared their time and stories to help me better understand.
Credit Caitlin Tan / West Virginia Public Broadcasting
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West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Paul Williams (left) helps Scott build his ‘backpack’ guitar. It has a smaller body, meant to easily fit in a pack.
Luthiery School Taps Eastern Kentucky’s Rich Music Tradition As Part Of Opioid Crisis Solution
This story is a favorite of mine because it addresses a serious issue – addiction — but through the lens of a traditional Appalachian craft. It is a different way of discussing addiction, and one we don’t hear that often.
Additionally, the audio and photo elements are strong and engaging — each time I listen I feel like I’m back in Hindman, Kentucky. The time I spent reporting in the town was really important to me — I felt like telling this story was truly important for the greater good.
West Virginia foster parents say they need more support
Credit Roxy Todd / West Virginia Public Broadcasting
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West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Kelly Crow and her husband Darin Crow, foster parents in Dunbar, West Virginia.
This is the second story in a two-part series about foster care in West Virginia that I reported for Marketplace. I learned a tremendous number of heartbreaking facts in the course of reporting this story. There are too many children who simply aren’t getting the love and stability that any of us deserve, and there are not enough homes available to take them all.
But I also met some foster parents and social workers who are doing some really important, though difficult, work. If there is one issue I think we need to be paying more attention to in the state, it’s foster care. I was honored to get to tell this story for a national audience, and the editing crew at Marketplace’s The Uncertain Hour taught me a lot in the process of reporting and writing this story. Our newsroom will undoubtedly be following this issue more closely in the coming year.
Without Enough Support, Working Moms Struggle to Make Breastfeeding Work
This episode was a real labor of love, inspired in part by our producer Roxy Todd’s own experience of being a new mom. More than 900 women answered our survey about their experiences, and many shared their stories about their struggles with breastfeeding.
Roxy and Appalachia Health News Coordinator Kara Lofton interviewed more than a dozen women, and a couple of men, about how our society treats women when they become mothers, and the pressures many women face trying to make breastfeeding work. And many mothers we spoke to said they felt guilty about all of this, particularly as they struggle to balance work and parenting. Motherhood is beautiful; but it’s not all rosy. Bottom line, there’s probably a lot our society could do to better support mothers. Even just listening to each other may help.
On this West Virginia Morning, last-minute settlement negotiations in Ohio are proceeding in a closely watched case against some companies that made or…
On this West Virginia Morning, last-minute settlement negotiations in Ohio are proceeding in a closely watched case against some companies that made or sold opioid painkillers.
It’s the first hearing of the National Prescription Opiate Litigation, which consolidated thousands of lawsuits brought by state, county and local governments. The stakes are enormous, especially for the Ohio Valley, which has some of the worst rates of addiction and overdose deaths.
As the Ohio Valley ReSource’s Aaron Payne reports, the hardest-hit communities have no shortage of needs, and plenty of ideas for how money won from a judgement or settlement should be used.
Also on today’s show, a Polish family-owned cosmetics business has decided to place its United States flagship in West Virginia. As Liz McCormick reports, the family hopes to open a manufacturing facility in Martinsburg in five years.
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.
Pianist Bob Thompson continues his annual holiday tradition with two shows, Thursday Dec. 12 and Friday Dec. 13, featuring special guest Jane Monheit. Produced by West Virginia Public Broadcasting, Joy to the World is heard nationally on radio stations across the country, and seen on the television networks of WVPB. Both concerts will once again emanate from the Culture Center Theater on the state capitol grounds in Charleston, WV.
This modern jazz concert celebrates holiday favorites, new and old, performed by WV Music Hall of Fame member Thompson and his band, Doug Payne on saxophone, Timothy Courts on drums, Ryan Kennedy on guitar and John Inghram on bass. World renowned jazz sensation Jane Monheit will join the band to spread joy throughout the winter season.
Tickets are on sale online and at Taylor Books, 226 Capitol St. in Charleston.
About Jane Monheit: Blessed with “a voice of phenomenal beauty” (Stephen Holden, New York Times), Jane Monheit has had plenty of milestone moments in establishing herself as one of today’s best and most important vocalist-musicians. The twice Grammy-nominated singer has released 12 solo albums and has collaborated with Michael Bublé, John Pizzarelli, and Terence Blanchard, among many others. Her latest release, The Songbook Sessions: Ella Fitzgerald, pays joyous tribute to the legendary singer, while sharing a definitive portrait of herself.
Monheit was raised in Oakdale, New York, on Long Island’s South Shore. Her aunt and grandmother were professional singers. Her mother performed in musical theater and currently performs in local choirs, and her father plays banjo and guitar. His love of bluegrass, folk, and acoustic blues (Bonnie Raitt and Maura O’Connell were among his favorites) shaped her musical sensibility. Jane went on to study voice at the Manhattan School of Music with Peter Eldridge, a founding member of the vocal group New York Voices, where she graduated with honors in 1999. Soon after, Jane released her stunning debut album, Never Never Land, which was voted Best Recording Debut by the Jazz Journalists Association and stayed on the Billboard jazz chart for a year. She’s released 12 albums including a CD and DVD Live at the Rainbow Room, documenting her performance at the iconic New York club with a full band and Symphony Orchestra conducted by Alan Broadbent. In 2005 she released a holiday collection called The Season.
About Bob Thompson: Since 1991 Bob Thompson has been pianist, and regularly featured artist on West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s nationally syndicated radio program Mountain Stage w/ Larry Groce. For the past twenty-seven years he has also been co-producer and host of “Joy to the World,” a Holiday jazz show, broadcast on public radio stations nationwide. With a prolific career of recording, collaborating and performing, Thompson is a beloved treasure to the music lovers in West Virginia and to anyone who experiences his music. In October 2015, Thompson was inducted into the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame.
Monheit will join The Bob Thompson Unit- Doug Payne, saxophone, Ryan Kennedy, guitar, Timothy Courts, drums, John Inghram, bass- to celebrate the season for two nights at Charleston’s Culture Center Theater. The show will be recorded for television broadcast this season on West Virginia Public Broadcasting, with national radio distribution scheduled for Winter 2020.
Joy to the World is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting with production support provided by WV Lottery.
Night One: Joy to the World with Bob Thompson feat. Jane Monheit Thursday December 12, 2019 Culture Center Theater – State Capitol Grounds Greenbrier & Washington Streets Charleston, WV
Doors 7:30pm Show 8pm
All Seats General Admission Advance Tickets: $30 Day of Show: $35
Available online and locally at Taylor Books, 226 Capitol St. Charleston, WV starting Friday October 25 at 10a.m. EST.
Night Two:
Joy to the World with Bob Thompson feat. Jane Monheit Friday December 13, 2019 Culture Center Theater – State Capitol Grounds Greenbrier & Washington Streets Charleston, WV Doors 7:30pm Show 8pm
All Seats General Admission Advance Tickets: $30 Day of Show: $35 Available online and locally at Taylor Books, 226 Capitol St. Charleston, WV starting Friday October 25 at 10a.m. EST.
Joy To The World 2019 will premiere Monday, December 23, at 8 p.m. on WVPB.
This Labor Day, members of the United Mine Workers of America marched eleven miles from the town of Marmet in West Virginia to Racine. As Emily Allen reports, the route traces part of a much longer journey miners made almost a century ago.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service took a rare species of plant off the endangered species list August 28. Amid controversial proposals to change the law protecting rare species, the Running Buffalo Clover is an example of a successful recovery. Glynis Board went to the woods with some experts to find it and has this story.
Also in this West Virginia Morning, a river barge company called Amherst Madison has been towing coal barges for most of its long history. But a downturn in coal production meant the company had to look to other ways to stay afloat.
Roxy Todd went to talk with some of the people who work at Amherst Madison about how they see the future of the river boat industry. And while she expected to talk economics with them, the conversation took an unexpected turn.
