On this West Virginia Morning, a year ago this week, white supremacist groups descended on Pikeville, Kentucky, aiming to rally “white working families,” where they were met by anti-fascist groups from across Appalachia and elsewhere in the country. After a deadly incident in Charlottesville, Virginia in August, many of these white supremacist groups fractured as a result of increased scrutiny and internal power struggles.
There is evidence that remnants of those groups have recently sprung up in north-central West Virginia. Dave Mistich takes a look some incidents where the groups have been active, the community reaction and how to identify such messages if you find them in your own neighborhood.
Also on today’s show, the Department of Energy is considering a request from Ohio-based utility FirstEnergy Solutions for an emergency order to help keep some of its power plants operating across the Ohio Valley. As Brittany Patterson reports, the request has reignited the debate over what can and should be done to help the struggling coal industry.