Underground Railroad And Fly Around Festival, Inside Appalachia

This week, before emancipation, Appalachia provided pathways to freedom for enslaved people trying to escape bondage. A new project identifies more than two dozen previously unknown underground railroad sites. Also, the Fly Around Music & Arts Festival in North Carolina was inspired by the hard work that followed Hurricane Helene. And, a ballad about floods recorded a generation ago still provides solace for people today.

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Arts & Culture Bill Lynch +, May. 01, 2026

Mills Kelly, Coalfield Depopulation And Cuz's Uptown Barbeque, Inside Appalachia

This week, historian Mills Kelly’s love affair with the Appalachian Trail started when he was a boy scout. Also, the region is known for exporting coal, but it’s losing people, too. And, Cuz’s Uptown Barbeque in southwestern Virginia fuses Asian ideas with Appalachian comfort food.

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Economy Mason Adams, Nov. 13, 2025

Study: Estimates Project Catastrophic Population Loss In Central Appalachia

The population in Appalachia’s coal-producing counties has declined since the boom of the 1950s. As the coal industry mechanized and shrunk, jobs went away, and young people did, too. Now, a series of population estimates shows things might get even worse.

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Arts & Culture Bill Lynch +, Nov. 07, 2025

Appalachia's Population Problem, Inside Appalachia

This week, the region is known for exporting coal, but it’s losing people, too. Also, folk singer Ginny Hawker grew up singing the hymns of the Primitive Baptist Church, but she didn’t think of performing until she got a little boost from Appalachian icon Hazel Dickens. And, the chef of an award-winning Asheville restaurant was shaped by memories of growing up in West Virginia.

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Energy & Environment Jack Walker, Feb. 27, 2025

Federal Disaster Declaration Granted For 4 Southern W.Va. Counties

President Donald Trump has approved a major disaster declaration for McDowell, Mercer, Mingo and Wyoming counties over severe flooding that swept southern West Virginia roughly two weeks ago.

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Government WVPB Staff, Feb. 13, 2024

A Deep Dive Into The ‘Women’s Bill Of Rights’

On this episode of The Legislature Today, the “Women’s Bill of Rights,” or House Bill 5243, would put certain definitions of “man” and “woman” into code and determine who can use single-sex spaces like restrooms and locker rooms. Democrats call it an “anti-trans” bill. We talk with lawmakers and stakeholders to get perspective.

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Arts & Culture WVPB Staff, Nov. 03, 2023

A Mystery Novel From The Coalfields And Our Song Of The Week, This West Virginia Morning

family comes from McDowell County. His first book, The Moonshine Messiah, is a mystery set in the coalfields of West Virginia. Bill Lynch spoke to Johnson about his book and the long road to getting published.

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