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How COVID-19 Has Altered Worship For Muslims, A Conversation About Coal Mine Cleanup

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On this West Virginia Morning, we’ll hear from a veteran reporter who covers the environment about the struggling system that makes sure that mining sites are cleaned up. Also, in this show, we hear about a resolution passed Tuesday in Shepherdstown calling on Gov. Jim Justice to require face masks across the state, and we hear how COVID-19 has affected worship for Muslims.

A month after passing a resolution strongly encouraging Shepherdstown businesses to require face masks inside their establishments, the town council is formally calling on Gov. Jim Justice to mandate face masks in public spaces across West Virginia. Liz McCormick reports.

Federal data shows coal production in the Ohio Valley has decreased by nearly 50 percent since 2009. COVID-19 has flattened energy demand, striking another blow to the already struggling industry. Bankruptcies keep piling up. As the market shrinks, reporter Mark Olalde says the systems put in place to make sure coal mines are cleaned up are in jeopardy. Olalde has been covering the issue for years. In his latest investigative piece, he explores how the bonding programs and insurance companies backing millions of dollars in cleanup obligations are on the brink. He spoke with reporter Brittany Patterson. Here’s an excerpt from their conversation.

The pandemic has changed how worship happens in churches and synagogues. It’s also affected how Muslims worship. To learn more about how COVID-19 has affected this community, reporter Kyle Vass went to a mosque in Huntington, West Virginia to see what a return to worship looks like and how COVID-19 has impacted their services. He produced this story during the final week of Ramadan, in May.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content. You can keep up with the latest West Virginia news throughout the day on our website, wvpublic.org.

Support for our news bureaus comes from West Virginia University, Concord University, and Shepherd University.

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