Across the nation, more than 390,000 children rely on foster care. However, a shortage of licensed foster homes is creating a national crisis. While official foster care cases are carefully tracked, many informal examples of kinship care aren’t part of the data. For this Us & Them episode, we hear the experiences of those who’ve been part of the foster care system.
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Christmas with a Jewish Touch, and a Radio Show Connects Inmates with Their Families
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This week’s Inside Appalachia is a special holiday edition. We hear stories of Christmas past, present and hope for the future. We’ll check in with West Virginians still recovering from historic flooding that hit in 2016, find out how to avoid gaining weight, hear a story about a welcomed Star of David on a Christmas tree, and more.
After losing her husband, daughter and grandson during the summer 2016 flood, one woman prepares for a different kind of Christmas. “My husband loved Christmas. I mean, our house used to be decorated so bad that the electric company would send us a Christmas card, so that’s going to be hard but there will be new traditions not the old ones,” Deborah Nicely said.
How to Help Bring a Little Extra Joy to the Holiday Events
Linda Pickholtz Klein and her father, Bob Pickholtz, both grew up Jewish in a Pittsburgh neighborhood called Squirrel Hill. He recalls holidays with Jews and non- Jews, and he even has a special Christmas memory. Their interview was recorded as part of the American Pilgrimage Project, a partnership of the national nonprofit, StoryCorps, and Georgetown University’s Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs.
A Long-Distance Christmas
Families of inmates in seven prisons in central Appalachia are able to connect to their loved ones through a radio show, called Hip Hop from the Hilltops, Calls from Home. Every Monday night there are dozens of family members trying to get through to WMMT radio station in Whitesburg, Kentucky. Around Christmas time, the lines to the radio station are overloaded with families leaving messages.
In this episode, we’ll hear from DeVaughn Hall’s family. They produced an audio postcard for DeVaughn during the holidays, with the help of producer Sylvia Ryerson.
WMMT broadcasts the show from the Appalshop studio in Whitesburg, KY on Monday nights from 7 until 10. The producer or DJ takes music requests for the first couple of hours, and from 9-10, families call into the station to leave recorded messages for their loved ones in prison.
A Civil War Christmas
We also take a step back in time to find out what Christmas was like in Harper’s Ferry in 1864.
“The war’s coming to an end, and everybody feels that, and you can feel joy while you’re feeling pain,” re-enactor Melinda Day said.
We had help producing Inside Appalachia this week from WMMT, Georgetown University and StoryCorps.
Music in today’s show was provided by Josh Ritter, Cory Chisel and The Wandering Sons, as heard on Mountain Stage, Matt Jackfert, and The Ritchie Collins Three O.
Our producer is Roxy Todd. Our editor is Jesse Wright. We’d love to hear from you. You can e-mail us at feedback@wvpublic.org. Find us on Twitter @InAppalachia or @JessicaYLilly.
Across the nation, more than 390,000 children rely on foster care. However, a shortage of licensed foster homes is creating a national crisis. While official foster care cases are carefully tracked, many informal examples of kinship care aren’t part of the data. For this Us & Them episode, we hear the experiences of those who’ve been part of the foster care system.
Stock car racing’s roots run deep in Appalachia. Our twisty roads and dark hollers were home to moonshiners — and moonshine runners, who became known for their driving skills. And they became some of NASCAR’s first stars when it formed in 1948. But NASCAR’s oldest continuous racing team had nothing to do with moonshine.
On this West Virginia Morning, domestic violence prevention advocates lined the State Capitol rotunda in February, seeking a budget increase. They said lawmakers were receptive to the idea. But no increase was passed before this year’s regular legislative session ended. Jack Walker checked in with domestic violence prevention advocates on funding needs as a potential special session approaches.
For Sue and Stan Jennings, woodworking isn’t just a way to make a living, it’s a way of life. What started out as a passion for the craft was born out of necessity. Over the last 30 years, the Jennings have developed a thriving business making wood objects called treenware — small wooden kitchen utensils.