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This October, the Adaptive Climbers Festival will gather in Kentucky’s Red River Gorge for the fifth year. In 2023, Folkways Reporter Emily Chen-Newton covered the event for Inside Appalachia. Since then, the Adaptive Climbers Festival has grown. Organizers say they’re nearly at capacity, with 300 climbers, caregivers and volunteers. Ahead of the festival, the campground has made accessibility improvements. Volunteers with the ACF have also been sprucing up the trails.
Testing conducted by the state Department of Health on the Wayne water supply has shown no sign of transformer oil anywhere in the system, according to a news release.IVASHstudio/Adobe Stock
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The roughly 5,700 residents of the town of Wayne are one step closer to being able to use city water, more than two weeks after receiving a “do not consume” order.
Lab results received Friday by the West Virginia Department of Health from samples collected on Tuesday, Jan. 27, have found no sign of transformer oil within the Wayne water distribution system. This includes the Ballards Farm area – the only location in which the oil was detected following the vandalism at Appalachian Power’s East Lynn substation.
A power transformer in the East Lynne area was vandalized on Jan. 13, causing nearly 5,000 gallons of transformer oil to leak into the nearby creek where the city draws water for its water supply. On Jan. 16, the Department of Health issued a do not consume order. That order has not been lifted yet.
Water testing in the town of Wayne shows no evidence of transformer oil remaining in the system.
Courtesy West Virginia Department of Health
The results of additional testing conducted by the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) earlier this week will help inform when the Town of Wayne’s “do not consume” order can be modified or lifted.
Gov. Patrick Morrisey has approved funding to assist the Town of Wayne to evaluate the operational components of the water facility and identify any needed upgrades or maintenance improvements.
Residents are encouraged to follow the “do not consume” order issued by the Town of Wayne on Jan. 16.
Water distribution sites for the Town of Wayne are as follows:
Wayne Town Hall: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily
East Lynn Fire Department: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday and Friday
Shower and laundry services are as follows:
Beside Wayne Town Hall
East Lynn Fire Department
Dunlow Community Center
Wayne Charter House
Water buffaloes are available at both locations for residents to fill personal water jugs and containers.
Officials say residents can allow their faucets to drip to prevent freeze damage to their plumbing.
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In recent years, physicians across the country have monitored surges of a condition known as Alpha-Gal Syndrome, which can cause allergic reactions to red meat. Hannah Saad with Appalachia + Mid-South Newsroom member station WKMS reports that, now, farmers, restaurateurs and the afflicted are flocking to a new source of protein.
