This week, ballads tell stories about all kinds of real-life events, but after Hurricane Helene, one group of ballad singers felt some topics were still too raw. Also, the author of a new book on ancient Ohio credits a former grad student with introducing him to the region’s mysterious earthworks. And, the legacy of Affrilachian poet Norman Jordan includes a summer camp for teens to study their heritage.
John Phillips of Mars Hill, North Carolina performs an Appalachian ballad called “Little Maggie” at the ballad swap at Zadie’s Market in Marshall, North Carolina.
Photo Credit: Sarah Melotte/Daily Yonder
When Hurricane Helene tore through western North Carolina in 2024, it took lives and upended communities. A community of ballad singers lost a place where they could share their tradition. The storm set them back, but it didn’t stop them. And what might’ve seemed lost could be restored.
From Marshall, North Carolina, Sarah Melotte reports for the Rural Remix, a podcast from the Center for Rural Strategies.
How To Protect Amphibians Against Climate Change
Climate change has affected the seasons and made weather less predictable. And severe storms and flooding are causing damage to wildlife habitat. Kylie Frederick is a journalism student at West Virginia University (WVU), and reports that protecting amphibians, like frogs and salamanders, can start at home.
Tornado Destroys Orchid Restoration In Southern Kentucky
Tara Littlefield, a botanist and ecologist with the Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves, has been working to restore this wetland site in Mount Victory.
Photo Credit: Lily Burris/WEKU
Researchers have spent nearly 20 years restoring a threatened species of orchid in southern Kentucky. Those efforts were disrupted after a tornado last spring. For the Appalachia + Mid-South Newsroom, WEKU’s Lily Burris went to Mount Victory to learn about the recovery.
Traveler’s Guide To Ancient Ohio
The cover of “Traveler’s Guide to Ancient Ohio” by John E. Hancock.
Courtesy of Ohio University Press
Thousands of years ago, Indigenous people created hundreds of earthen monuments in what is now Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia. Some were burial mounds. Others were curious shapes and designs whose purposes are not entirely understood.
John E. Hancock, a professor of architecture and design at the University of Cincinnati, has spent years studying these earthworks. Recently, he published Traveler’s Guide to Ancient Ohio. If you want to visit these ancient sites, it’s a good place to start.
Producer Bill Lynch spoke with Hancock about the book.
Abandoned Gas Wells In W.Va.
Dave McMahon, left, and Ted Boettner look at an abandoned natural gas well near Kanawha State Forest in Kanawha County.
Photo Credit: Eric Douglas/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
According to the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP), there are more than 6,000 abandoned or orphaned natural gas wells in the state. But some advocates say that number is low.
WVPB’s News Director Eric Douglas visited a few.
Tennessee Town Struggles To Reopen Its Only Hospital
Local minister Benji Johnson stands outside of the shuttered Jellico Regional Hospital on Monday, March 30, 2026.
Photo Credit: Pierce Gentry/WUOT
As the health care industry cuts unprofitable rural hospitals, small towns across Appalachia are paying the price.
WPLN’s Pierce Gentry takes us to Jellico, Tennessee, where the local government is struggling to reopen its only hospital.
The Legacy Of Norman Jordan
Students participate in a poetry workshop at the 2024 Norman Jordan African American Arts and Heritage Academy.
Photo Credit: Traci Phillips/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Affrilachian poet and playwright Norman Jordan was a prominent voice in the Black Arts Movement through the 1960s and 1970s. He was also one of the most published poets in the region, anthologized in at least 42 books. He died in 2015 at the age of 77. Along with his writing, Jordan left another legacy: a summer camp for teens to learn music, theater and dance.
Last summer, Folkways reporter Traci Phillips visited the Norman Jordan African American Arts and Heritage Academy in Westover, West Virginia.
Rising Temperatures Bring Armadillos To Kentucky
Armadillos are moving farther north to states like Kentucky and the surrounding region.
Courtesy of Bernheim Forest and Arboretum
In 2023, we reported on the appearance of armadillos as far north as Virginia. Now, they’re being found in Kentucky, which is seen as another indicator of rising temperatures in the region. For the Appalachia + Mid-South Newsroom, LPM’s Giselle Rhoden has more on how the species has made its way north from South America.
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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Blue Dot Sessions, Hello June, Paul Loomis, Jeff Ellis and John Inghram.
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. We had help this week from Folkways Editor Nicole Musgrave.
You can send us an email: InsideAppalachia@wvpublic.org.
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Indigenous people created hundreds of earthen monuments in what is now Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia. John E. Hancock, a professor of architecture and design at the University of Cincinnati, spent years studying these earthworks. He published a guidebook for visiting them. Inside Appalachia’s Bill Lynch spoke with Hancock about the book.
