Category: Press Release

Winners Announced For The 2025 PBS KIDS Writers Contest At WVPB

The winners of the 2025 PBS KIDS Writers Contest at West Virginia Public Broadcasting (WVPB) have been announced. Eighteen stories written and illustrated by children in grades K-5 were chosen out of close to 120 entries from across the state.

[CHARLESTON, WV ]— The winners of the 2025 PBS KIDS Writers Contest at West Virginia Public Broadcasting (WVPB) have been announced. Eighteen stories written and illustrated by children in grades K-5 were chosen out of close to 120 entries from across the state.

“We are so impressed with every one of the submissions we received,” said WVPB Director of Education, Autumn Meadows. “The creativity of the stories and illustrations from the youngest to the oldest is very entertaining and imaginative. We thank all of the teachers, caregivers, and children for their time and effort to make sure these stories had an opportunity to be told and shared!”

A celebration for the winners will be held in Charleston on June 14 with special speakers and West Virginia authors, Ashley Belote and Adeline Boggs. Check wvpublic.org soon to see this year’s winning stories and select animations.

Thank you to West Virginia Drug Intervention Institute for sponsoring the 2025 PBS KIDS Writing Contest.

The PBS KIDS Writers Contest at WVPB is an annual competition that encourages West Virginia children in grades K-5 to explore the power of creativity by writing and illustrating their own stories.

For questions, please email WVPB Education at education@wvpublic.org.

See below for our 2025 winners:

2025 Writers Contest Winners

Kindergarten

1st place: “Haymes the Knight” by Caelum Groves

2nd place: “Lazy Fruits” by Cole McAvoy

3rd place: “Beau Finds a Family” by Luca Cassiadoro

1st Grade

1st place: “Cabby’s Great Adventure” by Hazel Hagler

2nd place: “The Best Boy” by Bowen Groves

3rd place: “The Family Vacation” by Maggie Stackhouse

2nd grade

1st place: “A Hungry Little Donkey Travels the World” by Helina Goodwin

2nd place: “Ms. Pickle Toes” by Rowan Bailey

3rd place: “Toto and His Friends” by Zean-Ying Eugene Thong

3rd grade

1st place: “Ella and the Typewriter” by Avonlea Cooper

2nd place: “The Absence of Life” by Isaiah David Umbel

3rd place: “Total Solar Eclipse” by Francesca Briar Shangler

4th grade

1st place: “The Adventure at The Eastern Blue River” by Ryman Dennison

2nd place: “Duckbilled” by Jonah Neil

3rd place: “We Have a Problem: How NASA (Accidently) Launched the First Cat into Space” by Elise Silber

5th grade

1st place: “Pickle Pete 2: A Curious Quest” by Lilly Stubbs

2nd place: “Marble Run” by Theresa ‘Reese’ McGowan

3rd place: “Nora and Ultima vs. The Ice Witch” by Emma Gladwell

About West Virginia Public Broadcasting:

The mission of West Virginia Public Broadcasting (WVPB) is to educate, inform, and inspire people by telling West Virginia’s story. WVPB is an indispensable resource for education, news and public affairs, emergency services and economic development. Learn more at http://www.wvpublic.org or find us on Facebook and Instagram.

WVPB Newsroom Wins Big At Virginias AP Broadcasters Awards

The WVPB Newsroom received seven first place awards, eight second place awards, with Randy Yohe, WVPB Marshall/Huntington bureau chief, receiving The West Virginia Lifetime Achievement Award.

The winners of the 2024 Virginias Associated Press Broadcasters (VAPB) Awards were announced on April 5 at the Awards Luncheon and Annual Membership Meeting at The Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. West Virginia Public Broadcasting (WVPB) Newsroom won 16 awards this year.

Thirty-four news organizations in Virginia and West Virginia submitted 611 entries into the contest, which featured news and sports stories from 2024.

The WVPB Newsroom received seven first place awards, eight second place awards, with Randy Yohe, WVPB Marshall/Huntington bureau chief, receiving The West Virginia Lifetime Achievement Award.

“I could not be prouder of the WVPB newsroom,” said WVPB Director of Broadcast Journalism, Eric Douglas. “The challenges of telling stories across the entire state are great, but the reporters turn out news stories each day that are important to our audience. And do it as well as anyone in a two-state region.”

“The journalists at West Virginia Public Broadcasting continue to tell stories that have impact on our local communities”, added WVPB Executive Director, Eddie Isom. “They keep West Virginians informed and are committed to the mission of WVPB to educate, inform and inspire.”

The VAPB also awarded a $2,000 scholarship to Claudia Di Lima, a student majoring in media and broadcast journalism at West Virginia University’s (WVU) Reed College of Media.

The VAPB is an independent association comprised of local members of The Associated Press, a not-for-profit news cooperative that represents thousands of newspapers and broadcast stations across the United States.

2024 Virginias AP Broadcasters Contest Awards:

The West Virginia Lifetime Achievement Award:

  • Randy Yohe, WVPB Marshall/Huntington bureau chief
Combined Division (TV/RADIO):

Best Podcast-Audio:

Radio I/Metro:

Best Spot News:

  • First, Briana Heaney, Jack Walker and Caelan Bailey, WVPB-FM, Charleston, WV “De Soto Arrested”
  • Second, Julia White and Harper Emch, WVNS-TV, Beckley-Bluefield-Lewisburg, WV, “Crime in the Coalfields”

Best Continuing News:

  • First, Sandy Hausman, WVTF-FM, Roanoke, VA, “Red Onion”

Best Documentary or In-Depth:

  • Second, Megan Pauly, Jahd Khalil and Whittney Evans, VPM News, Richmond, VA, “Protest Policies at Virginia’s Colleges.”

Best Light Feature:

  • Second, Roxy Todd, WVTF-FM, Roanoke, VA, “Afghan Refugees”

Best Serious Feature:

  • First, Katherine Hafner, WHRO-FM, Norfolk, VA, “Researchers Look to Virginia’s Barrier Islands for Answers to Climate Change”

Best Use of Sound:

  • First Cianna Morales, WHRO-FM, Norfolk, VA, “Restoring Voting Rights in Virginia With Fish as the Bait”

Best MMJ/One-Person Band Reporter:

  • First, Patrick Larsen, VPM News, Richmond, VA

Best Multi-Platform Story:

Best Website:

  • First, Emma Gallus, Shane Darling and John Boggess, WMUL-FM, Huntington, WV

Best Newscast:

  • First, Craig Wright, WVTF-FM, Roanoke, VA

Best Mountain State Heritage:

Excellence in Diversity, Equity & Inclusion:

  • Second, Brad Kutner, WVTF-FM, Roanoke, VA, “Transgender Day of Visibility.”

About West Virginia Public Broadcasting:

The mission of West Virginia Public Broadcasting (WVPB) is to educate, inform, and inspire people by telling West Virginia’s story. WVPB is an indispensable resource for education, news and public affairs, emergency services and economic development. Learn more at www.wvpublic.org or find us on Facebook and Instagram.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Amanda Rogers
Marketing Manager
304-556-4911
arogers@wvpublic.org

West Virginia Book Festival Announces Featured Authors For 2025

[CHARLESTON, WV]— The West Virginia Book Festival has announced the 2025 featured authors. This years’ festival will feature Pulitzer Prize winning author Jayne Anne Phillips, sci-fi and fantasy author Neal Shusterman, New York Times bestselling author TJ Klune, author and illustrator Rosalie Haizlett, and local novelist Rajia Hassib.

West Virginia Public Broadcasting is a sponsor of the event, along with The West Virginia Library Commission, The West Virginia Center for the Book, The Marshall University Foundation, The Friends of The Library, Tri-State Roofing & Sheet Metal Company and The Spartan Foundation, H.B. Wehrle Foundation, Martha Gaines & Russell Wehrle Memorial Foundation, and the Nelle Ratrie Chilton Charitable Trust.

The Festival will feature:

Jayne Anne Phillips was born and raised in Buckhannon, WV and published her first book at the age of 26. Her book Night Watch was the winner of the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for fiction.

Neal Shusterman is a New York Times bestselling author of more than thirty award-winning books for children, teens, and adults.

TJ Klune is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. Klune’s latest book, The Bones Beneath My Skin, was released in early February of 2025.

Rosalie Haizlett is a wildlife illustrator and author. She is the author and illustrator of Watercolor in Nature. Her latest book is Tiny Worlds of the Appalachian Mountains.

Rajia Hassib was born and raised in Alexandria, Egypt, before moving to the US at the age of twenty-three. Her first novel, In the Language of Miracles, was a New York Times Editors’ Choice and received an honorable mention from the Arab American Book Award. She holds an MA in creative writing from Marshall University, where she currently teaches

The West Virginia Book Festival will take place on Saturday, October 25 at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center. The Festival will feature presentations from bestselling national authors, local and regional authors, writing workshops, family activities, a literary marketplace, and the annual Used Book Sale. All events and programs are free and open to the public.

For more information, visit www.wvbookfestival.org or reach out to the Festival Co-Chairman Stan Howell at stan.howell@kcpls.org.

About West Virginia Public Broadcasting:

The mission of West Virginia Public Broadcasting (WVPB) is to educate, inform, and inspire people by telling West Virginia’s story. WVPB is an indispensable resource for education, news and public affairs, emergency services and economic development. Learn more at www.wvpublic.org or find us on Facebook and Instagram.

Black History Town Hall Streamed Live On WVPB YouTube

Student News Live, in partnership with the Carter G. Woodson Lyceum, will present a live-streamed Black History Month Town Hall with Rev. Al Sharpton from the Paley Center for Media in New York City. WVPB will share the live stream from 7:30 – 8:15 p.m. Feb. 7 on our YouTube channel.

Student News Live, in partnership with the Carter G. Woodson Lyceum, will present a live-streamed Black History Month Town Hall with Rev. Al Sharpton from the Paley Center for Media in New York City.

West Virginia Public Broadcasting (WVPB) will share the live stream from 7:30 – 8:15 p.m. Feb. 7 on our YouTube channel.

The presentation will be entirely moderated by students asking Rev. Sharpton questions. Rob Quicke, director of the W. Page Pitt School of Journalism & Mass Communications at Marshall University, is co-founder of Student News Live. He will be making remarks to begin the presentation.

Two Marshall students have traveled to New York to participate in the event.

Bio

Rev. Al Sharpton serves as the founder and president of the National Action Network (NAN), anchors PoliticsNation on MSNBC, hosts the nationally syndicated radio shows Keepin’ It Real and The Hour of Power, holds weekly action rallies and speaks out on behalf of those who have been silenced and marginalized.

Rooted in the spirit and tradition of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., NAN boasts more than 100 chapters across the country to promote a modern civil rights agenda that includes the fight for one standard of justice, decency and equal opportunity for all.

Sharpton resides in New York City. He is the proud father of two daughters, Dominique and Ashley, and the grandfather of Marcus Al Sharpton Bright.

West Virginia Public Broadcasting Now Streaming On Prime Video

[CHARLESTON, WV]— West Virginia Public Broadcasting (WVPB) is excited to announce that we are now available to stream free on Prime Video as part of Amazon’s FAST channels.

WVPB is under the Live TV section of Prime Video. The channel is geo-locked to West Virginia only. The channel is searchable on Prime Video app on televisions and under entertainment on the web.   

PBS and Amazon announced in November that more than 150 local PBS stations and the PBS KIDS Channel would be available ad-free as a Prime Video FAST offering. FAST Channels on Amazon are accessible through Prime Video and Fire TV. Non-Prime users will have free access to programming under the “Watch for Free” section within Prime Video.

“Amazon Prime’s inclusion of the West Virginia Public Broadcasting livestream is great news for our many viewers who are looking for alternative ways to watch WVPB outside of cable and over the air”, said WVPB Executive Director Eddie Isom. “We’re hopeful this new partnership will expose WVPB content to new viewers.”

“As the way we watch changes, WVPB now has more ways to meet our viewers wherever they are and continues to find new ways to bring our programming to new audiences”, said WVPB Director of Programming Zander Aloi.

WVPB content is available on the PBS app, PBS Passport, and the WVPB app.

About West Virginia Public Broadcasting:

The mission of West Virginia Public Broadcasting (WVPB) is to educate, inform, and inspire people by telling West Virginia’s story. WVPB is an indispensable resource for education, news and public affairs, emergency services and economic development. Learn more at www.wvpublic.org or find us on Facebook and Instagram.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Amanda Rogers
Marketing Manager
304-556-4911
arogers@wvpublic.org

Joy To The World 2024

Bob Thompson’s annual holiday jazz celebration is back! The event is at the West Virginia Culture Center Theater Thursday, Dec. 14, and Friday, Dec. 15.

Joy to the World with Special Guest Vocalist Judith Owen and Trumpeter James Moore

Thursday, Dec. 12 and Friday, Dec. 13, 2024
West Virginia Culture Center Theater in Charleston, WV

CHARLESTON, WV: Bob Thompson’s annual holiday jazz celebration is back! For over 30 years, Joy to the World has been delighting audiences with old and new holiday favorites. Joining Thompson on stage is his long-time bandmates Timothy Courts on drums, Ryan Kennedy on guitar, John Inghram on bass, plus special guest vocalist Judith Owen with James Moore on trumpet.

Doors will open at 7:30 p.m. and the show will begin at 8pm.

“To say that we are excitedly looking forward to this year’s edition of Joy to the World is really an understatement. Our special guest will be the fabulous Judith Owen. Judith is a truly dynamic performer, and a wonderful jazz vocalist who, true to her Welsh heritage, really loves Christmas. She is also a fine songwriter, and plans to include a couple of her original Christmas songs in this show.

Judith is bringing, New Orleans based saxophonist, Ricardo Pascal along with her. Ricardo will be joining our guest trumpet player, James Moore. And as always you will hear Ryan Kennedy on guitar, John Inghram on bass, and Tim Courts on drums. I’m sure glad I’ll be playing piano, otherwise I’d be definitely buying a ticket to this show. Hope to see you there!”

The world-renowned jazz pianist Bob Thompson is the Mountain State’s best-loved musician and ambassador of jazz. Since 1991, he has been a pianist, and regularly featured artist, on WVPB’s syndicated radio show, Mountain Stage, distributed by NPR Music. For 32 years now, he has also been co-producer and host of Joy to the World, a holiday jazz show broadcast on public radio stations nationwide. In October 2015, Thompson was inducted into the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame. He makes his home in Charleston, West Virginia, and has enjoyed a long and active career as a performer, composer, arranger and educator. Learn more about his work at colortones.com.

Joy to the World is presented by West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

All seats are general admission and are available online at Eventbrite.

Click here for Thursday, Dec. 12 tickets
Click here for Friday, Dec. 13 tickets

Member Tickets on sale Tuesday, Oct. 15 at 10am ET: $25
Early Bird Tickets on sale Friday, Oct. 18 at 10am: $25 (Sales end on Tuesday, Nov. 26 at 10am)
General Admission Tickets on sale Thursday, Nov. 26 at 10am: $30
Day of Show Tickets: $35

Watch and listen for last season’s show coming in December on WVPB radio and television. More info coming soon.

Production funding provided by West Virginia Lottery

MEDIA CONTACT:

Amanda Rogers, WVPB Marketing Communications
Arogers@wvpublic.org

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