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Face Masks Politicized And Karst Topography On West Virginia Morning

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On this West Virginia Morning, we learn about Karst Topography, which makes up parts of the Mountain State. Also, in this show, we hear updates on West Virginia’s special mine reclamation fund and efforts by the West Virginia House of Delegates to call a special session. We also hear from a former acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who discusses the importance of face masks.

Environmental groups are raising the alarm over the financial sustainability of a fund that is used to clean up coal mining operations when mining companies walk away. Brittany Patterson reports.

Lawmakers in the West Virginia House of Delegates are approaching the needed number of signatures to call themselves into a special session, but such an effort appears to be dead on arrival in the Senate. As Dave Mistich reports, legislators are concerned with how Gov. Jim Justice is spending federal funds in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Health officials and researchers say the science is clear: face masks can help reduce the spread of the coronavirus. But rhetoric from some elected officials has not been so clear — including some leaders around the Ohio Valley. That’s especially worrisome as the nation’s COVID-19 cases hit an all-time high. Liam Niemeyer with the Ohio Valley ReSource spoke with a former acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about the importance of masks and the right messages.

A mysterious underground formation that’s key to the health of water may be in jeopardy. These ancient structures, known as Karst, are found in many parts of the world, including West Virginia and Virginia’s western spine. But they remain relatively unexplored. As Robbie Harris reports, that makes them hard to protect.

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.

Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning