Tag: West Virginia

Appalachian Studies Association Holds 37th Annual Conference

Nearly 800 people were on Marshall’s campus this weekend for the Appalachian Studies Conference.

The three-day conference marked the 37th time the organization has got together to discuss the ins and outs of what makes Appalachia, Appalachia. Tyler Hughes made the trip from East Tennessee State University to attend.

“Even though every community has its own issues and each community is diverse, we’re still part of a larger system,” Hughes said. “I think it’s important for us to stay connected that way we can learn from each other in similar instances, we can learn from each other’s mistakes and from each other’s successes.”

Linda Spatig is a Professor in the College of Education at Marshall and the organizer of the conference.

“It brings together people who are academics doing scientific research on all kinds of aspects of the region all together with artists and writers and people who do that kind of work that are interested in the region and also there is a big strand of work in activism in the organization and blends all three of those components in a real unusual way,” Spatig said.

Sessions ranged from pop culture, to the psychology of the region, to musical performances and sessions on the food that is native to Appalachia, a region that stretches from New York to Alabama and Mississippi. Chris Green is a professor at Berea College in Kentucky and the outgoing President of the association. He said it’s a conference that touches on subjects as wide in scope as any conference out there.

“That means we’re people with a commonality of care about a wide place and I say a wide place because this is includes everywhere from Knoxville, Tennessee to Hinton, West Virginia, it includes the Cranberry Glades and it includes Huntington and it includes all the people therein, this includes immigrant doctors, it includes people who have been in this region because their granddads came in from Alabama to work on the railroads and work in McDowell County,” Green said.

Marcus Fioravante is a Marshall student from Charleston. He said it was important to him to be able to attend the event because he believes understanding about the area in which the university is located is important.

“I think it’s immensely important to remind people where you’re at, you’re not just here at Marshall University and that’s displaced from everything, so it’s great when it can bring opportunities that aren’t just reminders that this is a college, but this is an Appalachian college,” Fioravante said.

The keynote address was provided by Kentucky Writer Silas House.

The Three Absolutes: Death, Taxes, and….Litigation on EPA Regulations?

Scores of environmental regulators, lawyers, and other interested parties discussed what they will be facing when the Environmental Protection Agency releases its new rules on existing coal fired power plants later this year.

Lawyers are concerned with the possibility of excessive amounts of litigation over the issue, and some hope coal-rich states like West Virginia are given a great deal of flexibility to implement changes.

Wyoming County Town Receives Needed Water Donation

A  truckload of water was delivered to a school in Wyoming County Monday morning. The school and several communities served by Alpoca Water Works have been without usable water for almost five months.

Last week, we brought you the story about Herndon Consolidated and the surrounding communities.

Public Service officials are working to fix what they call a “dated” water system owned by a small private company. Residents in Alpoca, and Bud along with an elementary school, have been on a boil water advisory since September.

Principal Virginia Lusk told us she was contacted by a church in North Carolina the day our story aired. The church promised a truckload of clean water. Lusk tells us that on Monday, the Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church kept their word and brought 300 cases of bottled water.

Credit Leigh Hall
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Herndon Consolidated Principal Virginia Lusk (left) accepts water from Pastor Mitch Smith (center) and his church to pass out to residents like Mike Sandy (right).

Lusk says instead of using the water at the school, it was distributed to people in the community. She says the school is happy to accept any more donations to distribute to the community that remains in need.

The residents and school have been purchasing drinking water since September.

UMWA Slaying: 44 Years Later

This New Year’s Eve marks the 44th anniversary of the murder of Union presidential candidate Joseph “Jock” Yablonski.Earlier this month the trigger-man in…

This New Year’s Eve marks the 44th anniversary of the murder of Union presidential candidate Joseph “Jock” Yablonski.

Earlier this month the trigger-man in the 1969 murder, Paul Gilly, petitioned the court asking to be released from prison.  But the union believes Gilly should stay behind bars.

Dark time in United Mine Workers of America history

Jock Yablonski, his wife and daughter were murdered December 31, 1969. It was just over a year after the Farmington Disaster, where an explosion killed 78 men, underground.

Paul Rakes is a former coal miner, and soldier. He now is an Associate Professor of History at West Virginia University Institute of Technology.

Rakes grew up in a coal mining community in Southern West Virginia.

“I grew up with injury and death and hearing about it and surrounded by coal mines on a regular basis…but Farmington was so vicious in the explosion itself,” he said.

Outrage in the coalfields

The president of the United Mine Workers of America in 1968 was Tony Boyle. He visited the scene of the Farmington disaster shortly after the explosion. A fact based 1986 TV movie “Act of Vengeance” portrayed his remarks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8sSYVHJkf0

Boyle is quoted in the West Virginia encyclopedia saying, ‘‘As long as we mine coal, there is always this inherent danger. This happens to be one of the better companies, as far as cooperation with our union and safety is concerned.’’

“It was a trying time for our union if you read the history of it was a very trying time,” Mike Caputo,  International District 31 Vice President of the United Mine Workers .

Opposition against Boyle mounted in the coalfields. 

“Corruption was perceived whether it was real or whether it was just perceived I don’t know the answer to that,” Caputo said, “but you know perception is reality sometimes and Jock Yablonski vowed to change all that.”

A new election

After Yablonski’s death, the federal government launched an investigation of the election and filed suit to have it overturned. In December 1972, the union voted former miner Arnold Miller as president.

Rakes was in his first year underground and looked to his respected father and old timers for guidance in deciding how to vote.

“I do know that all of them were convinced that Boyle had something to do with the death of Yablonski and you know that’s attacking a brother would be the way it’s was thought of,” he said. “It’s a union brother you’re not going to attack them.” 

Rakes voted for Miller. Tony Boyle along with gunman Paul Gilly and two others were convicted and sentenced to life in prison for Yablonski’s murder. Gilly remains behind bars in Pennsylvania.

A new era

“One thing that shouldn’t be forgotten is the sacrifice that was made by Yablonski himself as well as the 78 miners at Farmington because it changed everything,” Rake said.

The Farmington disaster and Yablonski’s murder sparked initiatives to address problems in coal mine health and safety . The West Virginia legislature passed a black lung compensation law, and in 1969 Congress passed  the Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act .

The law dramatically increased federal enforcement powers in coal mines, required fines for all violations, and established criminal penalties for knowing and willful violations among other things.

Today, the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration is governed by the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977, an amendment to the Coal Act.

West Virginia night on WV PBS

Watch these two documentaries Monday, Dec. 9 beginning at 8 p.m. on WV PBS

8:00 p.m. — West Virginia: A Road to Statehood — This documentary brings to life the issues, differences and disagreements that divided the Commonwealth of Virginia, turning families and neighbors against one another throughout what is now West Virginia.

9:00 p.m. — West Virginia: A Film History — This documentary first premiered in 1995 and presents an unparalleled saga revealing the enduring strength and courage of a people who have faced some of America’s greatest challenges — clashes between colonists and Native Americans, the Civil War split from Virginia, the Hatfield and McCoy feud, the drama of the coal and lumber camps, modern labor struggles, and the social crises leading to the 1960s War on Poverty.

Narrated by Richard Thomas, West Virginia: A Film History weaves historic photographs and motion picture footage, quotes from letters and diaries, first-person interviews, and live cinematography into a rich and compelling narrative enhanced by a haunting musical score.

Nature Conservancy celebrates 50 years in W.Va.

Fifty individuals or organizations who contributed to the protection and restoration of West Virginia’s natural heritage over the past 50 years are being…

Fifty individuals or organizations who contributed to the protection and restoration of West Virginia’s natural heritage over the past 50 years are being honored by The Nature Conservancy, which has announced the Mountain State’s “Conservation Heroes.”

The Heroes were identified by the staff of the Conservancy, which celebrates 50 years of conservation in West Virginia this year. Those named were chosen from the thousands of dedicated conservationists who have supported the Conservancy mission over the past half century, said Rodney Bartgis, director of The Nature Conservancy’s program in West Virginia.

“We wish to honor the leadership of the conservation movement in West Virginia. These are our partners, our champions in government, our friends,” Bartgis said.

The “Heroes” program honors West Virginians living and remembers those who have passed on. A few examples include:

  • Charlie Baer, a retired professor of ecology at West Virginia University, where the Conservancy has its West Virginia roots,
  • The late U.S. Sen. Robert Byrd, who during his many years in Congress tirelessly supported the protection of public lands, especially significant natural areas that are now part of the Monongahela National Forest,
  • The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, whose leaders have worked closely with the Conservancy on many critical conservation projects over the years,
  • Ed Maguire, the Conservancy’s first West Virginia state director, who organized the scattered forces of enthusiastic volunteers across the state and helped launch the private land conservation movement in West Virginia.
  • Volunteers like Steve and Terry Bailes, whose maintenance and public programs at the Conservancy’s Ice Mountain Preserve has brought a greater public appreciation for the National Natural Landmark,
  • And corporate partners, including Dominion, which has supported conservation and stewardship of our Bear Rocks Preserve.

“The Heroes come from all corners of West Virginia and represent a variety of backgrounds,” Bartgis said, “but all exemplify the same standards of persistence, generosity, and enthusiasm for West Virginia’s wild places.”
The Heroes will be honored at the Conservancy’s 50th Anniversary celebration on Friday Oct. 25 in Morgantown.

http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/westvirginia/

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