Appalachia produces less coal than it once did, but that coal is still desired around the world for making steel. The demand is now creating problems for people who live near the terminals where coal is moved from train to ship, to then be carried overseas. Residents of Norfolk and Newport News, Virginia, say airborne coal dust from export terminals is getting on their cars, on their houses, in their lungs. Residents have started to take matters into their own hands.
Step Dancing At WVSU And Radioactive Brine, Inside Appalachia
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Step shows are a tradition at many historically Black universities, including schools in Appalachia. We hear about one that’s part of West Virginia State University’s annual homecoming celebration.
Abandoned industrial sites have long been a magnet for people to explore and turn into not-at-all-legal hangout spots, but some come with hidden dangers. We learn about the danger at Fairmont Brine, a site in West Virginia that processed liquid used in hydraulic fracking.
You’ll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.
Fraternities and sororities at West Virginia State University (WVSU), one of the state’s two historically Black universities, introduced step dancing at the school decades ago. They made it part of the school’s annual homecoming celebration.
Folkways Reporter Traci Phillips has been attending step shows since she was a kid. Last fall, she brought along her 11-year-old daughter Jayli. They brought us the story.
Teaching Soul Food
The Appalachian table is complex and varied. Along with biscuits and gravy, it includes things like collard greens, extra cheesy mac and cheese and fried chicken feet — soul food.
Soul food is associated with southern Black communities, but it’s also traditional to Appalachia, too.
Folkways Fellow Vanessa Peña visited with Xavier Oglesby, a master artist in soul food cooking from Beckley, West Virginia.
Radioactive And Dangerous
Starting in the late 2000s, parts of Appalachia saw a natural gas boom from hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking. But, some of that faded and in some places, the oil and gas industry has left behind dangerous industrial sites — like Fairmont Brine in Marion County, West Virginia.
Left alone, the abandoned site became a popular hangout spot for unsuspecting young folks.
Mason Adams spoke with Nobel about his investigation.
Sugar Syrup Season In Central Appalachia
Highland County, Virginia and its neighbors in West Virginia are some of the southernmost places in the U.S. to make maple syrup.
Generations of people in these communities have turned tapping trees for syrup into a longstanding tradition — but modern producers are experimenting with new syrups while adapting to changing demands, and a changing climate.
Folkways Reporter Clara Haizlett brought us the story.
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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Jeff Ellis, Tyler Childers, Amethyst Kiah, Joe Dobbs and the 1937 Flood and Frank George.
Bill Lynch is our producer. Zander Aloi is our associate producer. Our executive producer is Eric Douglas. Kelley Libby is our editor. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens.
Appalachia produces less coal than it once did, but that coal is still desired around the world for making steel. The demand is now creating problems for people who live near the terminals where coal is moved from train to ship, to then be carried overseas. Residents of Norfolk and Newport News, Virginia, say airborne coal dust from export terminals is getting on their cars, on their houses, in their lungs. Residents have started to take matters into their own hands.
On this West Virginia Morning, federal officials are encouraging more school districts to switch to electric buses. Also, in this show, the appointed watchdog of the state's Foster Care System has resigned and The Allegheny Front interviews WVPB's Curtis Tate.
Gathering wild foods has long been a way to put food on the table in the Appalachian mountains. In recent years, the practice has gone digital, with online communities devoted to foraging in the wild, springing up like wild mushrooms after a spring rain. One woman in eastern Kentucky is sharing what she knows (and some humor) with the TikTok generation through an account called “Appalachian Forager.”