Tag: Inside Appalachia

A southern West Virginia town works to revitalize itself.

Appalachia remembers John F. Kennedy’s assassination.

A bicyclist pedals across the country raising awareness of Lyme disease.

And a Kentucky writer discusses his latest book.

Ky. SOAR Conference: An initiative that begins next month on improving the economy of Eastern Kentucky will not be successful without the support of the people who live in the region. That’s according to the two individuals who are spearheading the effort called SOAR or “Shaping Our Appalachian Region,” Rep. Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) and Governor Steve Beshear talked about it during a joint interview on PIKE TV.

Princeton, W.Va. Revival: Meanwhile some folks in a Southern West Virginia town are rolling up their sleeves to create a better a reality for people there. The goal is to turn the main street in Princeton into a safe place to socialize, shop, and grow. As West Virginia Public Radio’s Jessica Lilly found out, residents basically decided to stop complaining about the rundown reality, and do something to change it.
 

JFK Anniversary: Friday was a day of reflection and remembrance for many. It was 50 years since President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. The killing shocked the nation and world, and to this day, people still talk about it. We have two reports, from West Virginia Public Radio’s Ben Adducchio and Kentucky Public Radio’s Emil Moffatt. And we revisit a 1979 interview with a Kentucky man who worked with President Kennedy and was in Dallas that day.

Lyme Disease Ride: 24-year-old John Donnally from New Jersey got on his bike in San Fransisco this past September and he’s been peddling across the country, stopping along the way to talk with people with Lyme Disease and other tick borne illnesses. Donally just made his way through West Virginia and West Virginia Public Radio’s Glynis Board caught up with him on the phone to talk about the trip and the disease.

Parkinson’s research: A team of doctors at the University of Kentucky will investigate new treatments for patients with Parkinson’s disease.   As WEKU’S Stu Johnson reports, it potentially could reverse the brain damage done by Parkinson’s.

What are the potential side effects of cracker plants planned in West Virginia and Pennsylvania?

Some folks in Eastern Kentucky are having a potentially explosive problem with their wells.

Some hot doings on a cold day recently at West Virginia University.

And new inductees join the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame.

This past week a Brazilian company announced it might locate an ethane cracker plant and three polyethylene plants near Parkersburg, W.Va. And Shell has talked about building a cracker plant in Beaver County Pa. The Allegheny Front’s Reid Frazier looked into the potential impact these plants could have on their communities by visiting Norco, La. and talking to a key figure in a fight against a Shell plant there.

Residents of Premium in Letcher County, Ky., made headlines earlier this year when they sued the nearby Sapphire Coal Company, accusing it of ruining their water supply.  But now, some Premium residents have found a new, and potentially explosive, problem to deal with in their old water wells.  WMMT’s Parker Hobson has their story.

To commemorate Veterans Day this past week, Traveling 219 recorded an interview recently with World War II veteran William Sherman Beard of Hillsboro, W.Va. Beard enlisted in the Army Air Force and eventually went overseas at the end of 1944, where he saw combat flying B-24s over Europe.

People, schools, and local businesses in Morgantown, W.Va. pulled together to create a vessel with which to melt iron. West Virginia Public Radio’s Glynis Board reports that the inaugural iron pour was both very cool and very hot at the same time—in all senses of the words.

The West Virginia Music Hall of Fame inducts its latest class of notable musicians this weekend.  West Virginia Public Radio’s Beth Vorhees sat down to talk with Hall of Fame Executive Director Michael Lipton about some of the inductees.

How much mine-able coal is left in Appalachia?

An old coal company store in Southern West Virginia has some spooky history.

We revisit the story of the Greenbrier Ghost, through the voices of school children.

And learn how growing a garden benefits women in a Pocahontas County prison facility.

Mine-able Coal Study: A study released this past week says mine-able coal will run out much more quickly than expected. The report comes from an environmental organization and the author claims its science based and not politically driven. West Virginia Public Radio’s Jessica Lilly has more.

Houston Air Quality: Royal Dutch Shell may or may not build a plant in Western Pennsylvania that would create ethylene, a key component of plastic, from natural gas. The company is rethinking its plans in light of disappointing third quarter profits. If it’s built, an ethane cracker in Beaver County would have a major impact on jobs in the region. But what impact will it have on air quality in a region that has struggled for decades to clean up its air? The answer may lie in the city of Houston, home to the largest chemical hub in the Americas, and one of the smoggiest cities in the country. The Allegheny Front’s Reid Frazier traveled to Houston to learn more.

Haunted Company Store: Built during a time of labor strife in the southern coalfields, the Whipple Company Store in Fayette County, W.Va., is one of those buildings that just LOOKS haunted. Every Halloween, the owners offer haunted history tours. Producer Catherine Moore set out to do a fun piece about the reported paranormal activity at the store with a couple of local ghost hunters. Well, she got more than she bargained for and found out that there’s a lot more to the so-called hauntings and to the history of the store, than meets the eye. Now, here’s The Soul of a Company Store, a 20-minute documentary produced by Catherine Moore.

Prison Vegetable Garden: Grow Appalachia is an organization based in Berea, Ky., that promotes growing local food across four states, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. The organization’s web site says, as of April, Grow Appalachia was working with more than 25 partner sites in 39 counties. One of those sites is the Denmar Birthing Center in Pocahontas County, W.Va., a facility for pregnant federal prison inmates. Allegheny Mountain Radio’s Megan Moriarty visited Denmar recently to learn more about the garden project and has this report.

Kentucky prepares to introduce new science education standards.

A report on the effects of natural gas fracking is due out soon.

And we hear from two West Virginia writers with books out just in time for the spooky season.

KY New Science Curriculum: Kentucky is among several states preparing to introduce new science standards in public schools. But there’s opposition from a vocal minority. Kentucky Public Radio’s Devin Katayama has more on the challenges that face Kentucky as it once again leads the charge in changing what and how students learn science.             

WV Frack Study: The Horizontal Well Control Act of 2011 requires studies be conducted to gain a better understanding of the effects of the natural gas drilling that’s sweeping northern West Virginia, Pennsylvania and other states. Those reports are coming due, and this past week legislators in West Virginia got a sneak peek from scientists who have been looking into the matter. West Virginia Public Radio’s Glynis Board reports.    

PA Chemical Plants in Gulf: Because of shale gas, the U.S. has become the cheapest place in the world to make plastic. This has led to more than $100 billion in investment along the Gulf Coast in colossal new petrochemical plants that take natural gas and break it into the raw materials to make plastic. Western Pennsylvania may get its own taste of these cracker plants if Shell builds one in Beaver County. The Allegheny Front’s Reid Frazier took a trip to the Gulf to see what the impact may be if the plant is built in Pennsylvania. This is the first story in a four-part series by The Allegheny Front in Pittsburgh, paid for in part by the Fund for Investigative Journalism.

WV Lumberjack Jamboree: The Lumberjackin’ Bluegrassin’ Jamboree was in full swing earlier this month at Twin Falls State Park.  As West Virginia Public Radio’s Brian Allen reports the annual event includes speed competitions, vendors, and of course, bluegrass music.

WV Ghost Story Book: Just in time for Halloween- a book of ghost and mystery stories by a West Virginia writer. John Douglas of Berkeley Springs is the former editor of the Morgan County Messenger newspaper and his new book is called A Fog of Ghosts, Haunted Tales and Odd Pieces. Douglas discusses his book with West Virginia Public Radio’s Cecelia Mason.

WV Short Story Book: In the tradition of the old dime store novels, West Virginia State University student Frank Larnered has edited and published a book of short stories. Hills of Fire: Bare-Knuckle Yarns of Appalachia features 12 authors that showcase Appalachians as heroes. Larnered sat down with West Virginia Public Radio’s Beth Vorhees to talk about folklore, monsters and horror that inspires this book and his work.

A new Kentucky café caters to Alzheimer’s patients and their families.

Arts and Culture provide economic development in one Kentucky county.

A new book profiles one of West Virginia’s most picturesque river valleys.

And ink lovers turn out for the first WV tattoo expo.

KY Memory Café: In Kentucky, Louisville has joined a growing number of U.S. cities creating a place for people with Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia and their caregivers to socialize and share a meal.   As Kentucky Public Radio’s Rick Howlett reports, it’s called the Memory Café.

WV Inspiring West Virginian: In a final installment of Inspiring West Virginians, we meet a woman from Beckley who has distinguished herself on a global stage in science, technology, engineering, mathematics AND business.  Jean Snedegar visited Linda Powers, a bio-engineer, and builder of ground-breaking scientific instruments.

KY Elliot County Economic Development: In the 1990s, Elliot County Ky. was declared the poorest county in the nation. But rather than going the usual route and focusing efforts on recruiting outside companies to come in, leaders in Elliot County took a different approach to the problem, and looked towards their own strengths.  Many years later, these efforts are paying off, and Elliot County is making a name for itself in asset based approach to rural economic development through Arts and Culture. WMMT’s Sylvia Ryerson reports.

WV Cacapon River Valley Book: Stories and photographs from West Virginia’s Lost and Cacapon River valley are featured in a book just released by West Virginia University Press. Listening to the Land features the stories of several owners throughout the watershed who have chosen to preserve their land through the Cacapon and Lost River Land Trust.

PA Perch and Climate Change: A favorite entrée at fish fry’s is the yellow perch. And that fish on the dish might have come from the Great Lakes. But warmer lake waters and a changing climate threaten the population of perch as well as other species- like walleye. The Allegheny Front’s Jennifer Szweda Jordan headed out with researchers on Lake Erie to learn more.