Madison Middle School student Cohen Craddock died over the weekend from a traumatic brain injury he sustained during football practice. During a virtual press briefing Thursday, Gov. Jim Justice called the boy’s death a tragedy.
The death of a 13-year-old student in Boone County has sparked conversation on how player deaths from school sports are investigated.
Madison Middle School student Cohen Craddock died over the weekend from a traumatic brain injury he sustained during football practice. At the time of his injury, he was wearing a helmet.
During a virtual press briefing Thursday, Gov. Jim Justice called the boy’s death a tragedy.
He also said he would be open to state investigations from the West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission (WVSSAC) into player deaths from school sports.
“If the SSAC would do their own investigation, or whomever it may be, I’m all in,” he said.
Craddock’s father told news outlets his family is still mourning the loss. He also said he will advocate for better protective headgear for student-athletes, specifically soft-shell helmet covers.
“I want to take the loss of my boy to try to protect the other guys,” he told the Associated Press. “I don’t want anybody else to go through what we are going through currently.”
This week, we hop a tiny train to discover the miniature wonders of a West Virginia model railroad club that now faces an uncertain future. We also visit Madison, West Virginia — a former coal community that’s looking to reinvent itself. And we visit a cemetery in Bluefield, Virginia and learn how racial segregation extended from cradle to the grave. You’ll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.
This week, we hop a tiny train to discover the miniature wonders of a West Virginia model railroad club that now faces an uncertain future.
We also visit Madison, West Virginia — a former coal community that’s looking to reinvent itself.
And we visit a cemetery in Bluefield, Virginia and learn how racial segregation extended from cradle to the grave.
You’ll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.
Model trains are a symbol of American childhood. You can probably picture it. A circle of track, some plastic trees, a few diecast cars sitting at the railroad crossing.
Well, the model train setup in our next story takes things to a whole different scale. Folkways Reporter Zack Harold brings us the story.
Coal Towns Look To Reinvent
Appalachia’s coal industry has had a pretty good last couple of years, all things considered. But a growing number of places have lost coal altogether. And after decades of relying on it, they’re trying to figure out what’s next.
West Virginia lawmakers established a grants commission last year, to funnel federal dollars to coalfield communities. WVPB’s Randy Yohe visited Madison, West Virginia, to hear about its efforts to build a new economy, after coal.
Appalachian Writers Workshop To Return
Last summer, torrential rains brought flooding and destruction to parts of Eastern Kentucky, West Virginia and southwestern Virginia. Among the communities hit was the town of Hindman, Kentucky — home to the Appalachian Writer’s Workshop at the Hindman Settlement School. When the floods began, the writer’s workshop was midway through its weeklong session. Several campus buildings were damaged, but all of the students and faculty there eventually made it home safely.
The school announced plans for this year’s Appalachian Writers Workshop. Inside Appalachia Producer Bill Lynch spoke with workshop organizer Josh Mullins about the flood and the upcoming workshop.
Segregated Cemetery Remembered And Restored
Bluefield is a small town on the border of Virginia and West Virginia. For decades, on the Virginia side, graves of the Black residents who helped build the community were neglected in the town’s segregated cemetery. And it might have stayed that way if it hadn’t been for the efforts of one persistent woman whose family was buried there.
Folkways Reporter Connie Bailey Kitts reports.
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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Otis Gibbs, Del McCoury, Tyler Childers and Amythyst Kia.
Bill Lynch is our producer. Our executive producer is Eric Douglas. Kelley Libby is our editor. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens. Zander Aloi also helped produce this episode.
You can send us an email at InsideAppalachia@wvpublic.org.
A yearlong fraud investigation into the finances of the City of Madison resulted in a third conviction for employee Kim Bannister who pleaded guilty to a felony embezzlement charge.
Bannister served as the office manager for the city. Two other employees were convicted earlier this year.
Bannister was charged by the State Auditor’s Special Prosecuting Attorney for skimming city funds, receiving extra payroll checks, and being paid for leave she was not entitled to have.
Bannister was sentenced in Boone County Circuit Court by Judge Jay Hoke. The court agreed to suspend her sentence and granted a motion for probation for a period of seven years. Bannister was ordered to pay $39,904 in restitution to the City of Madison.
In February, two of Bannister’s co-workers were sentenced for their part in this scheme. Joanna Bias and Tammy Hill both pleaded guilty to felony embezzlement charges. The two were sentenced to one to 10 years in prison and ordered to pay restitution for funds they stole, $34,973 for Bias and $39,726 for Hill.
Another case against a fourth employee, who is alleged to also be a part of this scheme, has yet to be adjudicated.
The embezzlement took place from July 2012 through March 2020 and the amount stolen from the city totaled $157,073.
“This is a small sample of the many cases the State Auditor’s Public Integrity and Fraud Unit has taken on through a partnership with county prosecutors and law enforcement agencies across the state,” Auditor J.B. McCuskey said.
The West Virginia State Auditor’s Public Integrity and Fraud Unit includes a legal director, seven fraud examiners, four investigators and three purchasing card (P-Card) fraud monitors. To report suspected fraud, call (833) WV-FRAUD, or email wvfraud@wvsao.gov. You can also file an online complaint at www.wvsao.gov.
