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America's Awesome Kids
West Virginia’s children ages 8-10 have the opportunity to “tell their stories” as part of the America’s Awesome Kids project. A partnership between WVPB and WGBH in Boston.
If you’ve ever been on TikTok or Instagram and seen short, quirky videos of English people talking about Marshall University football, or in this case, soccer, those are the brainchild of independent British filmmaker Daniel Johnson.
Every year West Virginia children are taken into state custody. Sometimes, a case involves parental neglect or drug abuse. Other times, kids commit crimes and are placed in juvenile residential facilities.
The juvenile justice programs and agencies have been under a spotlight over the past decade — partly because West Virginia has had one of the highest rates of juvenile incarceration in the country. Lawmakers have passed bills to reform the system but the outcome is mixed.
Meanwhile, juvenile incarceration means the system makes decisions for kids — and those changes can last a lifetime.
This episode of Us & Them is presented with support from the West Virginia Humanities Council and the CRC Foundation.
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Louis Mitchell
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Geard Mitchell (19) knows West Virginia’s juvenile system first hand. He spent nearly three years in the Donald R. Kuhn Juvenile Center in Julian, W.Va. Mitchell, who now lives in Brooklyn, NY, is one of 12 plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed against the State of West Virginia. The plaintiffs argue the state violated the rights of children by failing to plan appropriately for juveniles in state custody.
Trey Kay
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This is the exterior of the Donald R. Kuhn Juvenile Center in Julian, W.Va.
Laura Rigell
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Trey Kay is in Boone County, W.Va. standing on the shoulder of U.S. Route 119 in front of the Donald R. Kuhn Juvenile Center.
Trey Kay
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Ronda Lehman has been the coordinator of Teen Court in Jefferson County, W.Va. since 2013. There are currently about 16 other Teen Courts in the State of West Virginia.
If you’ve ever been on TikTok or Instagram and seen short, quirky videos of English people talking about Marshall University football, or in this case, soccer, those are the brainchild of independent British filmmaker Daniel Johnson.
Leaders of Huntington want commuters who work in the city to have a home there -- they've got a plan. And a campaign to help those in need access clean water looks at the unique challenges in Appalachia.
This week, we speak with the author of a new graphic novel about the West Virginia Mine Wars. Also, professional storyteller James Froemel invents quirky characters, like a sign maker who can’t spell. And, one of the most common animals to get hit by cars are opossums. But, there’s a kind of animal rescue called pouch picking. We talk with author Laura Jackson.