This week on Inside Appalachia, a Hare Krishna community in West Virginia serves vegetarian food made in three sacred kitchens. Also, an Asheville musician’s latest guitar album is a call to arms. And, we talk soul food with Xavier Oglesby, who is passing on generations of kitchen wisdom to his niece.
New Therapy Dog Arrives for First Day of Work at Mary C. Snow Elementary
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Students at Mary C. Snow Elementary School on Charleston’s West Side got to meet the school’s new therapy dog Monday. Two years ago, the students said goodbye to their beloved friend Paca, who had been one of the state’s first therapy dogs to work at a school. Paca had to leave because her owner, the school’s librarian, took a job out of state.
Now, two years later, Paca’s successor has arrived. His name is Axelle.
On Monday morning, the dog’s handler, music teacher Walter Tucker, introduced Axelle to students for the first time. The dog smiled, wagged his tail, and even licked some faces on his first day of work.
Credit Kara Lofton/ WVPB
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Axelle arrives to work at Mary C. Snow elementary school
Axelle has been trained to specialize in helping children cope with emotional stress and trauma, and to encourage students to enjoy learning. He’ll be working with all of the students, but especially with special needs students.
The students, teachers, community members, and even students in neighboring Lincoln County, helped raise thousands of dollars to purchase Axelle from a training facility in Kansas. It was the same facility where Paca came from, and they are also the same breed and color, a black English Labrador.
Pamela Cox, an art teacher at Nicholas County High School, earned West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s December 2024 Above and Beyond Award, which honors the excellence and creativity of Mountain State teachers.
West Virginia Week looks at the start of the 2025 West Virginia legislative session -- beginning with Gov. Patrick Morrisey's State of the State address.
On this episode of The Legislature Today, we have a roundtable with our Energy & Environment Reporter Curtis Tate, Health Reporter Emily Rice and Statehouse Reporter Briana Heaney. They discuss the first days of the 2025 state legislative session and look ahead to the remaining weeks.
This week on Inside Appalachia, a Hare Krishna community in West Virginia serves vegetarian food made in three sacred kitchens. Also, an Asheville musician’s latest guitar album is a call to arms. And, we talk soul food with Xavier Oglesby, who is passing on generations of kitchen wisdom to his niece.