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Across the nation, there are more and more local news deserts; communities with no local newspaper, television or radio station to cover what’s going on. When a small town paper like The Welch News in McDowell County, WV, can’t compete and shuts down, losing those local eyes and ears can affect accountability. No one is there to watch over things. Local news also provides a sense of cohesion and identity for a community. What happens when it’s gone? This story was supported by the Pulitzer Center.
Home » Encore: Taylor Swift’s Appalachian Millipede, Agriculture Innovations And A Mysterious Disappearance
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Encore: Taylor Swift’s Appalachian Millipede, Agriculture Innovations And A Mysterious Disappearance
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This week on Inside Appalachia, we’ll hear about a farm in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania that can grow a lot of agriculture on one acre of a former industrial site.
We’ll also hear about a podcast that remembers the “Back to the Land” movement in West Virginia during the 1970s and 1980s — as well as a mysterious disappearance.
And, we’ll hear about a team of entomologists who documented dozens of new species of millipede across Appalachia. One of them used the opportunity to pay tribute to a surprising influence.
That and more as we journey through Appalachia.
In This Episode:
Decade-Long Boil Water Advisory Lifted In Southern West Virginia
Saving Mountain-Lovers From Extinction
A “Swift” Discovery: Newly Identified Millipede Named For Pop Star
I Was Never There Podcast Sheds Light On 1988 Disappearance
Decade-Long Boil Water Advisory Lifted In Southern West Virginia
Accessing clean water in West Virginia’s McDowell County hasn’t always been easy. After years of inconsistent availability, some communities in McDowell County have been connected to a reliable tap water system. One of these communities is Keystone, where 74 percent of residents are African American and where there has been a boil water advisory for a decade. Jessica Lilly has the story.
Saving Mountain-Lovers From Extinction
Across Appalachia, plant species are rapidly dying out, but researchers are trying to save one plant, found only in the Appalachian Mountains, from extinction. Paxistima canbyi, or Canby’s Mountain-Lover” is a species of ground cover that is rare even in its home in the Appalachians. The Allegheny Front’s Andy Kubis brings us the story from Pennsylvania.
A “Swift” Discovery: A Newly Identified Millipede Named For Pop Star
Singer-songwriter Taylor Swift didn’t technically grow up in Appalachia, though she did live in Pennsylvania and Tennessee. Still, a newly discovered Appalachian millipede was named for Swift. The Nannaria Swiftae (Swift Twisted-claw Millipede) is one of 17 new species of millipede found by entomologist Derek Hennen. Hennen spoke with our host, Mason Adams, about the discovery and about pop stars.
I Was Never There Podcast Sheds Light On 1988 Disappearance
The 1988 disappearance of Marsha Ferber has puzzled the community around Morgantown, West Virginia for decades. Ferber moved to Morgantown from New Jersey in the late 1970s and quickly became a fixture of the town, establishing a pair of clubs and the Mountain People’s Co-Op. Then, in April 1988, she vanished.
A new podcast, I Was Never There aims to shed new light on the disappearance, and on the “Back to the Land” movement that provides the story’s backdrop. The mother-daughter duo who created the show, Jamie and Karen Zelermyer, discuss the show with Chris Shulz.
Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Ona, Montana Skies, and Taylor Swift. Bill Lynch is our producer. Alex Runyon is our associate producer. Our executive producer is Eric Douglas. Kelley Libby is our editor. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens. Zander Aloi also helped produce this episode. You can find us on Twitter @InAppalachia.
Across the nation, there are more and more local news deserts; communities with no local newspaper, television or radio station to cover what’s going on. When a small town paper like The Welch News in McDowell County, WV, can’t compete and shuts down, losing those local eyes and ears can affect accountability. No one is there to watch over things. Local news also provides a sense of cohesion and identity for a community. What happens when it’s gone? This story was supported by the Pulitzer Center.
On this West Virginia Morning, it has been a year since allegations of illicit recordings of cadets and other women at the West Virginia State Police barracks launched federal and state investigations into the law enforcement department. We speak with the superintendent of state police for an update.
On this West Virginia Morning, political analysts say the two Republican candidates for the U.S. Senate in the upcoming May primary election give voters some particular, and troubling, food for thought. The candidates themselves say voters need to focus on the positives, not the negatives.
Coles and Theresa “Red” Terry have been fighting over the Mountain Valley Pipeline nearly since it was first proposed in 2014. The project connects natural gas terminals in Virginia and West Virginia with a 303-mile pipeline that stretches across some of Appalachia’s most rugged terrain. Almost immediately after construction began, protestors tried to block it by setting up and living in platforms in trees along the route.