This week, people continue to resist the Mountain Valley Pipeline. Some folks have complained to the company about noise from compressor stations. Also, why is Appalachia so prone to severe flooding? We spoke with a reporter whose team dug into the data to find out. And, a good blanket will keep you warm on a cold night, but a handmade temperature blanket can convey a message to a loved one.
Crisis Response Teams And Essays On Nature, Inside Appalachia
A sheriff’s deputy and mental health worker participate in a roleplay with Aaron Beeman, left, during CIT training in Princeton, West Virginia.Mason Adams/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
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Too often, people with mental health challenges or substance use disorder wind up in jail. But crisis response teams offer another way.
Also, changes to the Endangered Species Act could benefit big business. They could also kill animals like the eastern hellbender.
And, in troubled times, a West Virginia writer says to find peace in nature. We talk about her collection of essays.
You’ll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.
Members of the Cabell County quick response team pose for a photo in front of their EMS station in Huntington, West Virginia, on Free Naloxone Day in September 2024.
Photo courtesy of Cabell County Quick Response Team
Appalachian communities have long dealt with high rates of substance use disorder and mental health challenges. The toll is felt by everyone: the person in crisis, their families, even police officers and EMTs. In West Virginia, the problem reached a boiling point during the COVID-19 pandemic. The systems couldn’t handle it. So, a few localities tried something new. So far, it seems to be working.
Over several months, host Mason Adams spent time with crisis teams in Huntington and Princeton, West Virginia, and produced the following story in collaboration with the Carter Center and the Mental Health Parity Newsroom Collaborative. A warning, this story contains descriptions of suicide attempts, substance use disorder and mental health crises.
In Conversation With A Gambling Addiction Counselor
Online gambling has led to a spike in problem gambling among more men — and younger ones.
Photo Credit: Eric Douglas/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Since a U.S. Supreme Court decision opened the door, online sports betting is legal around much of the country. Online poker and casino gambling is legal in six states, including at multiple places in Appalachia. As gambling became more mainstream, states have moved to offer resources to help with gambling addiction. In West Virginia, there is the Problem Gambling Help Network at 1-800-GAMBLER.
WVPB News Director Eric Douglas spoke with Sheila Moran of First Choice Services, which runs the helpline. She’s also a certified gambling counselor.
Eastern Hellbender Preserve In Ohio Promotes Railroad History
Aaron Dodds, project manager at the Jefferson County Soil and Water Conservation District, at the new Hellbender Preserve in Bloomingdale, Ohio.
Photo Credit: Julie Grant/The Allegheny Front
The Trump administration plans to weaken the Endangered Species Act. That could affect the fate of lots of species of insects and animals, including the monarch butterfly, the alligator snapping turtle and the eastern hellbender salamander.
The Allegheny Front’s Julie Grant recently visited a new preserve dedicated to hellbenders and found not only natural history, but American history.
W.Va. Author Writes About The Natural World
Sheila McEntee, author of Soul Friend: And Other Love Notes to the Natural World.
Photo courtesy of Sheila McEntee
Writer Sheila McEntee has been observing nature for most of her life, especially birds. She’s published essays about her experiences in Stonecrop Review, Woods Reader and Wonderful West Virginia magazine.
Several of these essays have been collected for McEntee’s first book. It’s titled, Soul Friend: And Other Love Notes to the Natural World. Producer Bill Lynch spoke with McEntee about writing and developing an interest in nature.
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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Blue Dot Sessions, Hello June and Gerry Milnes.
Bill Lynch is our producer. Abby Neff is our associate producer. Our executive producer is Eric Douglas. Kelley Libby is our editor. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens.
You can send us an email: InsideAppalachia@wvpublic.org.
This week, people continue to resist the Mountain Valley Pipeline. Some folks have complained to the company about noise from compressor stations. Also, why is Appalachia so prone to severe flooding? We spoke with a reporter whose team dug into the data to find out. And, a good blanket will keep you warm on a cold night, but a handmade temperature blanket can convey a message to a loved one.
Following the vandalism of a transformer at an East Lynn mine power substation last week, which resulted in an oil leak, Wayne Water customers have been unable to use their water for a full week.
What some are calling the largest storm to hit the country in recent memory is set to arrive in West Virginia Saturday. It is expected to bring with it snow and ice, leading to slick roads and downed power lines.
