Charter Schools, Boxing, And Kids Talk Quarantine This West Virginia Morning

On this West Virginia Morning, two counties have rejected a proposal that would have established the state’s first public charter school. Also, we hear from kids who talk about their quarantine experiences and what they miss most before the pandemic, and we hear about a new biography that features the life of Muhammad Ali’s “hype” man.

Boards of education in both Monongalia and Preston counties unanimously rejected yesterday a proposal that would have established the first public charter school in West Virginia. As Liz McCormick reports, the proposed school would have been located in Morgantown and served students in both counties.

The coronavirus pandemic has brought a lot of added stress for adults and children. Virtual schooling. All kinds of time in front of screens. Children can’t play with their friends, and it’s such a crucial time for them, in terms of learning from social interactions with each other. The latest episode of Inside Appalachia features an excerpt from a podcast called Social Distance Assistance. Eight-year-old June has been spending a great deal of her time lately helping her mother produce the podcast. She called up some of her friends to talk with them about how they’ve been coping.

One of the greatest boxers of all time is Muhammad Ali. In Ali’s corner was his “hype” man – the writer of many of his rhymes and the person who kept Ali motivated during training, Drew Bundini Brown. West Virginia native Todd Snyder has recently published a biography on Brown titled “Bundini: Don’t Believe the Hype.” It looks at Brown’s influence on Ali and how the boxer’s words inspired early hip-hop artists 20 years later. Snyder also looks at his own experiences, growing up in Cowen, West Virginia in a boxing gym with his father. Eric Douglas spoke to Snyder by Zoom to learn more about the book.

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