On this West Virginia Morning, we talk with National Park Ranger Eve West to learn about ways to enjoy the nation’s newest National Park at the New River Gorge this summer. Also, we explore the state’s low voter turnout and the impact it has on young voters.
On this West Virginia Morning, summer has nearly arrived here in West Virginia. The mountains have filled in and rounded out with lush green trees. The air is getting warmer and the days are longer. Briana Heaney sat down with National Park Ranger Eve West to talk about ways to enjoy the nation’s newest National Park at the New River Gorge.
Also, in this show, we have a special report from graduate students Meaghan Downey and Anastasia Mason of Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism based in Washington, DC. Voter turnout in West Virginia, and across the country, is low. It’s even worse among young voters who say they are disconnected and not interested.
Just before the May 14 Primary Election, Downey and Mason came to West Virginia to report on the state’s low voter turnout and the impact it has on young voters. They spoke with students at West Virginia University and BridgeValley Community and Technical College.
This story is part of a larger project they are working on about how young peoples’ disillusionment with political institutions is a threat to democracy.
West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University.
Eric Douglas produced this episode.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
Residents of Wyoming County, West Virginia, say there’s something wrong with a local creek. One resident says fish are dying, and even pets.
This conversation originally aired in the June 2, 2024 episode of Inside Appalachia.
Residents of Wyoming County, West Virginia, say there’s something wrong with a local creek.
One resident, Dakota Day, says fish are dying, and even pets. He recently spoke with Mountain State Spotlight reporter Erin Beck.
“You see all these chicken pens?” Day said to Beck. “Every one of these was full of roosters last year.”
Day gave his roosters creek water. But he noticed “white stuff coming down the creek, all oily.” Then, “all my roosters got sick and died.”
Dakota Day (left) and his sister Christina (wearing the brown coat) receive a bottled water donation from Richard Altizer (middle) and James Christian (right).
Inside Appalachia Host Mason Adams reached out to Beck to learn more.
The transcript below has been lightly edited for clarity.
Adams: Your story in Mountain State Spotlight is about a community along Indian Creek in Wyoming County, West Virginia. What happened there?
Beck: More than a year ago, a Wyoming County resident, James Christian, found his backyard was flooded. It turned out to be an eruption of mine water from underground. It was about two feet high. It was rising so rapidly that his friend Richard Altizer had to run over and help him dig a ditch to nearby Indian Creek to keep it from seeping into their house. They have black mold in their house because of it.
I found out about it because during the end of the recent [West Virginia] legislative session, Del. Adam Vance, who represents Wyoming County, pleaded with his other lawmakers in a floor speech for help. He said he had tried every avenue, different state agencies, and it had been going on for a year. He hadn’t been able to see a resolution. So as soon as I heard about it, I went straight to the Capitol to ask him about it. He told me who I should talk to in the community. I traveled there as soon as I could. I saw and heard some things that were very alarming to me.
One family told me that their water comes out of the spigot black in the mornings. Lots of people told me that since the mine water had started seeping into the nearby Indian Creek that it had gotten into their well water, and they were very sick because of it. A lot of people described nausea and chronic fatigue. They can’t let their kids fish both because of safety concerns, and because the fish are dying.
At the Christians’ house, there’s still an overwhelming smell of sulfur. It makes James’s wife so sick that she’s mostly bedridden. One couple that does have an expensive water filtration system showed me that, even after the water had been filtered numerous times, it was still brownish yellow, and they’re expected to drink it. Bottled water is donated, sometimes, but not enough to use every day, [and] not enough for showers and laundry. Richard told me that independent testing showed there was arsenic in the water. I myself could see that the creek was not a normal creek. There was slime floating on the water. There was foam on the water. James and Richard showed me a picture of a dead deer that they had gotten along the river bank; they actually saw that its veins were bright yellow.
West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection workers collect water samples from Indian Creek, which dirty mine water flows into in Wyoming County.
Photo Credit: Erin Beck
Adams: All that sounds like a terrible mess. The agency in West Virginia that’s responsible for environmental compliance is the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). How has it responded to this issue?
Beck: Shortly after this event happened, the DEP filed a lawsuit against the owner of the Pinnacle Mining Complex. The Pinnacle Mining Complex is an inactive mine. They found that flooding within it was causing so much pressure that it burst upward through a former household well in James’ backyard. They filed a lawsuit against Pinn MC Wind Down Co., which owns the Pinnacle Mining Complex. But then the DEP allowed the coal company to dig another ditch rather than the ditch that Richard and James had dug. That still resulted in the mine water reaching Indian Creek. The DEP is also conducting water sampling. I saw that they were conducting water sampling while I was there. But in the meantime, people are still sick and getting sicker.
Adams: And it sounds like this has potential to be a bit bigger issue. Indian Creek flows into the Guyandotte River and eventually down to the Ohio River. But it does sound like there’s not been an easy fix.
Beck: Mountain State Spotlight has reported in the past on some of the reasons why this sort of thing isn’t easy to fix. We’ve reported that courts have been allowing coal companies that are dealing with the inevitable decline of the coal industry by going bankrupt and then establishing spin-off companies [and] are allowing them to evade responsibility because of that bankruptcy.
We’ve also reported that public officials haven’t prepared for the decline of the coal industry by preserving enough money to pay for environmental restoration in places like Wyoming County. Coal companies in the area have also been blaming each other. Once DEP filed the lawsuit, the spin-off company accused Bluestone Resources, which is a company that’s owned by the governor’s family, of being responsible because it had purchased the flooding mine, Pinnacle Mining Complex.
Bluestone countered that they weren’t responsible because, when they purchased it, they didn’t assume responsibility for any and all violations. Then Bluestone sued another mining company that’s right there in the area, Alpha Metallurgical Resources. So that’s resulted in the case being delayed and delayed. It’s more than a year later, and the problem is just getting worse. And meanwhile, none of the coal companies that I contacted responded to me about what they plan to do.
Adams: What’s the current status of the court situation?
Beck: The judge ordered all three companies that are playing a part in this to secure and seal the mine shafts to prevent the flooding. They haven’t done it because they’re still arguing about who’s responsible. There have been several hearings where the companies are supposed to update the judge on what kind of progress they’ve made, but they basically keep evading blame or saying they need more time. After my story came out last month, there was another status hearing, but they asked for more time once again.
James Christian, of Wyoming County, points out that foam is visible on Indian Creek, which he said has contributed to sickness in the community and animal deaths.
Photo Credit: Erin Beck
Adams: So has the problem been fixed? Are residents seeing any difference?
Beck: No. It’s actually getting worse since the story came out. I checked in with one woman who I had spoken to when I was in Wyoming County. She said previously her water didn’t come out black in the morning, like some other residents had experienced. But her water now is coming out black in the morning. Now she’s sick with extreme nausea and fatigue. She even told me that she recently went on a trip to another county, and she felt like her old self again. She said her energy was restored and she felt like a healthy person. As soon as she got back to Wyoming County and had to rely on the water there again, she was back to being sick.
I’ve also seen videos on Facebook. Richard, who I mentioned earlier, has taken the lead on attempting to organize the community around demanding that the coal companies and DDP take responsibility. He posts videos that show that the Indian Creek is looking worse since it was when I visited it. There are places where the creek water itself is black now. Meanwhile, there’s concern that it is flowing into the Guyandotte River. People were telling me that they were affected now and weren’t necessarily affected even a month ago. So the problem is obviously spreading.
I also just wanted to mention that I’ve been a West Virginia resident my entire life, and I always hear about environmental problems in the southern coalfields. I’ve read stories about people being concerned about health problems or the quality of their water. But it really took being there for me to understand the gravity of the issue. Just hearing the disillusionment and the desperation and anger in people’s voices, and seeing the water that they’re expected to drink was very alarming to me.
I really hope that because more news coverage is focusing on this issue, that attention will also be paid to other struggling communities in areas where there are abandoned mines and where coal companies have failed to restore the land, and that they can get some help, too. I hope that Wyoming County rapidly gets some help. I also hope people take away from this that West Virginia is a state where we haven’t adequately prepared for the decline of the coal industry. This sort of thing could happen to them, too. And I hope they don’t just brush aside stories as not something that can happen to them, because this is a widespread problem and will be an ongoing problem.
Pop into just about any coffee shop in Appalachia and you’ll find locally inspired stickers for sale. Folkways Reporter Maddie Miller got curious about the stickers at her neighborhood coffee shop — ones with phrases like, “Worn plumb out” or “Fiddle Fart.” They’re designed by Elizabeth Elswick, who’s built a merchandising business in St. Albans, West Virginia, called Hippie’s Daughter.
This conversation originally aired in the June 2, 2024 episode of Inside Appalachia.
Pop into just about any coffee shop in Appalachia and you’ll find locally inspired stickers for sale. Folkways Reporter Maddie Miller got curious about the stickers at her neighborhood coffee shop — ones with phrases like, “Worn plumb out” or “Fiddle Fart.”
They’re designed by Elizabeth Elswick, who’s built a merchandising business in St. Albans, West Virginia, called Hippie’s Daughter.
This interview has been edited for clarity.
Miller: Hippie’s Daughter — where’s the name come from for the shop?
Elswick: It’s actually pretty funny. The name was born before the business was ever born. Probably a couple years before. My dad — both of my parents, actually — were hippies. My dad’s hair is probably almost down to his butt now, but my husband always called him a hippie. So one day, my husband’s like, “You’re the hippie’s daughter.”
Like, “Okay, we’re gonna keep that. We’re gonna put it in our pocket.” Then when I started the business a few years later, that was the only option.
Miller: Do you remember seeing a lot of West Virginia merch (merchandise) and memorabilia when you were growing up?
Elswick: Not really growing up. I mean, it would be at huge events like the old regatta before they brought it back. But most of the time, it would just be little buttons or T-shirts or the big bumper stickers.
Elizabeth Elswick, owner of Hippie’s Daughter, stands in her new store room in St. Alban’s, West Virginia. Her non-sticker merchandise is on full display around her.
Photo Credit: Maddie Miller/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Miller: Is that some of your inspiration for making West Virginia-related merchandising?
Elswick: Yeah, it’s kind of a niche — which, there’s a lot of people that do it now. So I focus more on Appalachia now. But there was kind of a void in stickers in general. And it’s — if you’re a millennial, or Gen Z — then you grew up with Lisa Frank, you probably had stickers all the time and put them on everything. And when we turned into adults, we didn’t really have any.
Miller: I totally agree. I was one of those kids. I didn’t stick my stickers on anything. I kept them all in a folder because I was too scared. And I do that with stickers I buy now. I hang them on my wall, but I’m very scared to commit to sticking them anywhere. What do you see people doing with your stickers when they buy them?
Elswick: I think the most common is putting them on your laptops or water bottles. I’ve seen them on cars here and there. And then there are also people like us who just kind of save them forever because you don’t know what to do with them.
Miller: What do you think, then, with people putting them in such public places? Do you think that’s part of the appeal for West Virginia stickers, that it’s a signifier like, “Hey, look, I’m from West Virginia, too?”
Elswick: Yeah, West Virginia, in general, the residents here, they’re very proud. So they always have West Virginia merch. So it’s like another way for everybody to express themselves.
Miller: You had said, inspiration-wise, you used sayings from different family members.
Elswick: Yeah, most everything that I use are things that my family always said like, “Come hell or high water.” A newer one that I did was one that my dad says a lot, which is, you’ll say, “Whatcha doing?” and he’ll say, “Ohh, just mildewin.” And my mom says “fiddle fart” all the time.
They’re all just things that we’ve all heard growing up here in West Virginia or in Appalachia.
Miller: I noticed a lot of them have skeletons and that kind of thing. The Gothic inspiration — is that just your personal interest? Or is that something that you think also aligns with some of the West Virginia vibes?
Elswick: It’s more so me. I’m an “elder Emo.” But there is that Appalachian Gothic-type — we’ve always had kind of weird customs where, you know, your family’s buried in the yard or the casket’s in the house when they die. Appalachia is kind of Gothic.
The most popular is probably, “Well, s— fire.” Everybody stops when they see that one. Locally, it’s the coal miner ones. They’ll buy it because their dad or grandpa was in the mines.
Sticker stock at Hippie’s Daughter’s headquarters. The store offers more than 100 sticker designs featuring the imagery and sayings of Appalachia.
Photo Credit: Maddie Miller/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Miller: Will you describe your new shop?
Elswick: I think it was built in 1950. It’s just a cinder block building literally split in half. So right now I’m working in the back half, which is like a warehouse. It has a big garage door on it where we remodeled the front half so that I can put retail in the front.
Miller: Why make West Virginia-related stickers versus just like any kind of art stickers?
Elswick: When I started, I did a lot of “West Virginia” plus nature-related things and dabbled in some other things. After a few years of that, I realized I just need to “niche” it down because it’s already out of control with how many stickers I have.
So I just “niched” it down to West Virginia and Appalachia things with a few other random things, too, in there that I just love. Like aliens. Skeletons.
Definitely a lot of black and white. It’s my favorite.
Let’s see, we got a snake. We’ve got a devil hand. “Fixing” and “y’all” are really popular. “Bless your heart” is classic. “Lollygag.” Everybody should lollygag.
“It is what it is.” I mean, because it is.
“Lord willing and the creek don’t rise,” — another classic.
My grandpa always says, “Watch for deer.”
Miller: The Appalachian “I love you,” — classic. You’re out the door, “Watch for deer. Drive safe.”
Elswick: All of these sayings hit very close to home for me. And I know they do for other people as well. So I kind of just wanted to keep those nostalgic sayings going. My mom and my aunt — actually, their favorite is “Well, s— fire.”
My aunt was actually buried in a “Well, s— fire” hat last year. She wore it all throughout chemo. It was her absolute favorite. She was my number one fan. Yeah, obviously, it hits very close to home for me. So I do like to use these nostalgic sayings to kind of hit close to home for others as well.
And it’s really cool when I do events. People will come up and tell me a lot of those stories. Or I’ll even get an email or message online about why they bought this and this because of this person. So it’s really sweet.
Miller: We talked a lot about nostalgia. Why are we always missing something?
Elswick: I think it goes back to — West Virginia is unique in that we’re all very prideful to be from West Virginia. We literally would die for this state. A lot of us grew up with very close families, like some of my cousins are like my siblings — a lot of people grew up with that, like, going to my mamaw’s, getting the good country food and everything. So I think it’s very ingrained in us to want to reminisce on all of that, because we spend a lot of time with our families.
Miller: Do you think not only are we constantly missing and being very close-knit families, but very close-knit to the land? Do you see that melding with missing the environment?
Elswick: Absolutely. In 1957, my grandpa bought 35-ish acres in the Monongahela National Forest. So I got to go there multiple times a year and grow up there with no neighbors, no electricity, just the land. So that also inspired me a lot, but it’s really just part of growing up in West Virginia. But yeah, it is kind of like a badge of like, “Hey, I’m from West Virginia,” or “I’m from somewhere else in Appalachia, and I’m proud of it.”
The Folkways Reporting Project is made possible in part with support from Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies to the West Virginia Public Broadcasting Foundation. Subscribe to the podcast to hear more stories of Appalachian folklife, arts and culture.
On this West Virginia Morning, the Mountain Valley Pipeline is under scrutiny from federal regulators after it failed a pressure test in Virginia last month. Curtis Tate spoke with Cynthia Quarterman, the former head of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration from 2009 to 2014, about the federal agency’s role in regulating 3 million miles of pipeline.
On this West Virginia Morning, the Mountain Valley Pipeline is under scrutiny from federal regulators after it failed a pressure test in Virginia last month. Curtis Tate spoke with Cynthia Quarterman, the former head of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration from 2009 to 2014, about the federal agency’s role in regulating 3 million miles of pipeline.
Also, in this show, just before the start of the fall semester last year, the band director at Midland Trail High School left for another job. With no one else to take over, senior Carol Nottingham stepped in. We bring you this story from student reporter Kelsie Carte.
West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University.
Emily Rice produced this episode.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
This week on Inside Appalachia, we meet a West Virginia artist who designs stickers, t-shirts, patches and pins. She draws on classic Appalachian phrases her family has used for years. Also, people who live near Indian Creek in southern West Virginia say something is wrong with the water. Tests show contamination from a nearby mine.
This week, we meet a West Virginia artist who designs stickers, t-shirts, patches and pins. She draws on classic Appalachian phrases her family has used for years. They’re not all radio-friendly.
Also, people who live near Indian Creek in southern West Virginia say something is wrong with the water. Tests show contamination from a nearby mine. Now people and animals are getting sick.
And, lots of schools are seeing teacher shortages. But what happens when the band director quits?
You’ll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.
Elizabeth Elswick has turned a love of design and Appalachian pop culture into a popular line of clothes and stickers.
Photo Credit: Maddie Miller/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Stickers have been a regular part of American pop culture for generations. Over the last several years, they’d become more local.
Folkways Reporter Maddy Miller visited with a West Virginia favorite, the Hippie’s Daughter, to talk about some of her best designs and most memorable phrases.
Jayne Anne Phillips Talks Night Watch
West Virginia author Jayne Anne Phillips is this year’s winner of the Pulitzer Prize for literature.
Courtesy Photo
This year’s Pulitzer Prize for literature went to West Virginia writer Jayne Anne Phillips, for her novel Night Watch.
Set years after the end of the American Civil War, the book takes readers to the Trans Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, a mental hospital in the town of Weston, West Virginia.
Last fall, Producer Bill Lynch spoke with Phillips about Night Watch and growing up near the asylum.
Trouble At Indian Creek
West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection workers collect water samples from Indian Creek, which dirty mine water flows into in Wyoming County.
Photo Credit: Erin Beck
Residents of Wyoming County, West Virginia, say there’s something wrong with the water in a local creek. Residents says it’s making them sick and killing fish.
Reporter Erin Beck has been following the story. Mason Adams spoke with Beck about what she’s learned.
Leader Of The Band
Just before the start of the fall semester the band director for Midland Trail High School left for another job. With no one else to take over, a high school senior stepped up.
Kelsie Carte, a student at the Fayette Institute of Technology reported.
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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Sierra Ferrell, Amethyst Kiah, John Blissard, John Inghram, Sean Watkins and Little Sparrow.
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.
You can send us an email: InsideAppalachia@wvpublic.org.
On this West Virginia Morning, Elizabeth Elswick couldn’t find a lot of merchandise to represent her home state of West Virginia while she was growing up. But today, she represents Appalachian culture and sayings through her sticker shop. Folkways Reporter Maddie Miller brings us this story.
On this West Virginia Morning, Elizabeth Elswick couldn’t find a lot of merchandise to represent her home state of West Virginia while she was growing up. But today, she represents Appalachian culture and sayings through her sticker shop. Folkways Reporter Maddie Miller brings us this story.
Also, in this show, our Mountain Stage Song of the Week comes to us from Nick Lowe and Los Straitjackets. We listen to their 2019 performance of “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding” – a song from their EP, Love Starvation/Trombone.
West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University.
Our Appalachia Health News project is made possible with support from Marshall Health.
West Virginia Morning is produced with help from Bill Lynch, Briana Heaney, Chris Schulz, Curtis Tate, Emily Rice, Eric Douglas, Jack Walker and Liz McCormick.
Eric Douglas is our news director. Tersea Wills is our host. Emily Rice produced this episode.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
