This week, Hurricane Helene devastated central Appalachia and disrupted the lives of people in recovery. Also, in West Virginia, fur trapping continues, even in the 21st century. And, baseball is America’s past-time. One league is making the game more inclusive.
The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection’s Surface Mine Board is holding a hearing Monday focused on the appeals of Keystone Industries’ KD Mine No. 2. The mine sits just 1,500 feet from thed edge of the Kanawha State Forest.
Environmentalists, including the newly formed Kanawha State Forest Coalition, are protesting the mountain top removal mine site saying it threatens the plant and animal life in the forest. On Friday, the group gave Gov. Tomblin’s office a petition with over 2,000 signatures asking him to revoke the mine’s permit.
The appeal’s hearing is being streamed live on YouTube beginning at 8:30 a.m. You can watch it here.
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Unpredictable weather is making it harder for amphibians to survive in West Virginia and elsewhere, but we learn about an effort to protect them. Also, the WVU Cancer Institute is enrolling pancreatic cancer patients for a promising, first-in-human clinical trial.
A small federal grant program aimed at increasing first-time farmers’ access to land, training and tools was finding fertile ground in West Virginia. But in March, the Trump administration suddenly terminated it, leaving local partners uncertain about their futures.
It’s been a year-and-a-half since Hurricane Helene ravaged central Appalachia. Communities are still recovering, including those who were already in recovery for addiction.