West Virginia Morning

On this West Virginia Morning, we learn about efforts to improve an important Appalachian waterway, which reaches 14 different states. The Allegheny Front, a Pittsburgh-based public radio program that covers environmental issues, brings us this report on a cleanup of the Ohio River.

Also in this episode, Congress is weighing cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which connects low-income residents with food benefits. Kentucky Public Radio’s Sylvia Goodman reports on the prospective changes from Appalachian Kentucky, where more than one in five residents rely on those benefits.

West Virginia Morning is a production of...

On this West Virginia Morning, Congress is reviewing a bill that would significantly cut funding to Medicaid. In recent weeks, we've spoken to West Virginians who worry that could impact their access to health care. And those concerns have carried beyond West Virginia.

Eastern Panhandle Reporter Jack Walker caught up with residents who traveled to the United States Capitol this month to raise their issues with the bill directly to their elected representatives.

Plus, some West Virginians may be receiving an unexpected letter in the mail soon from Undue Medical Debt, informing them that some...

On this West Virginia Morning, every week for 15 years, kids have gotten together at the Roanoke Public Library to play Dungeons and Dragons, a roleplaying game that allows players to work together to battle monsters and hunt for treasure. Inside Appalachia’s Mason Adams visited youth services librarian Jeffrey Wood and spoke with him about the longevity of this game at the library.

And our Song of the Week is the cult classic, "I Put A Spell On You." Originally recorded in 1956 by “Screamin’ Jay” Hawkins and famously interpreted by Nina Simone, we hear Welsh vocalist Judith Owen per...

On this West Virginia Morning, a U.S. Supreme Court ruling just out upholds a state ban on gender affirming care for transgender minors. The Tennessee case is the most recent chapter in the culture war over LGBTQ rights. From the next episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay hears from those shaping the debate over transgender rights.

And a mother and son from Gaza have spent two months in Louisville, Kentucky for medical care that would be nearly impossible to get back home. Louisville Public Media’s Amina Elahi shares this story via the Appalachia Mid-South Ne...

On this West Virginia Morning, Randy Yohe reports that in a state with many people dependent on federal assistance, health industry workers, care givers, and individuals across West Virginia continue to protest proposed cuts and requirement adjustments to Medicaid and SNAP benefits.  

And The Allegheny Front, a Pittsburgh-based public radio program that reports on environmental issues in the region, looks at the market for electric vehicles in the United States.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, which is solely responsible for its content.

Support for our news bureaus co...

On this West Virginia Morning, Mason County's four billion dollar NUCOR steel plant is now more than half way to completion. Randy Yohe reports that with the facility and others on the way, an employee housing challenge looms large throughout this western West Virginia region.

And in the forests outside Louisville, Kentucky the season of the rare Appalachian blue ghost fireflies is at its peak. Kentucky Public Radio’s Sylvia Goodman takes us to the Bernheim Forest and Arboretum, a half hour drive south of Louisville, to learn about the efforts to study the rare Appalachian lightning bug...

On this West Virginia Morning, a year after the Mountain Valley Pipeline began transporting gas through West Virginia and Virginia, Curtis Tate reports that residents who live near it remain uneasy about its impact on their lives and property.

And in Western North Carolina, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is working to preserve their language. In 2004, community leaders opened a language immersion school for elementary students. The school also works with a printmaking instructor to create learning materials. For the Rural Remix podcast, reporter Anya Petrone Slepyan has this story.

West Virginia Morning is...

On this West Virginia Morning, we learn about a McDowell County resident's efforts to restore a historically Black coal camp through farming. The coal industry was booming in the early 20th century, but the decline of coal meant Black coal camps began to dwindle, too. Tiara Brown reports.

Plus, this week's encore broadcast of Mountain Stage features a performance from singer, songwriter, poet and Grammy Award winner Carrie Newcomer. Our Song of the Week is her Mountain Stage rendition of “Take More Time, Cover Less Ground” from her 2023 album “A Great Wild Mercy.”

West Virginia Morning ...

On this West Virginia Morning,  an update on devastating floods in the northern part of the state and a preview of a new documentary on caregiving with a look at its impact in West Virginia.

Also in this episode, as hospitals close nationwide and rural communities struggle to access healthcare, we’ll take a look at a troubled facility in Appalachia.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, which is solely responsible for its content.

Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Jou...

On this West Virginia Morning, a group of bicyclists from the Cherokee Nation have spent the last four decades taking an annual ride spanning nearly 1,000 miles, from New Echota, Georgia to Tahlequah, Oklahoma. Between 1830 and 1850, the United States government forcibly displaced roughly 60,000 Native Americans along this route — an arduous journey that claimed thousands of lives.

The present-day bike ride retraces the northern route of the Trail of Tears, with participants honoring the ancestors forcibly removed from their homelands. WPLN's Cynthia Adams caught up with the group on the fifth leg of their journey, and brings us this re...

Energy microgrids have been touted as an economic boon for West Virginia. But as Chris Schulz reports, a grassroots organization in Tucker County is coalescing in opposition to one of the first such developments in the state.

Plus, people who perform a traditional style of American music called “shape note singing” are publishing a new edition of music and planning a gathering to celebrate and, of course, sing. For the Appalachia + Mid-South Newsroom, Justin Hicks reports that singers are excited for this once-in-a-generation event.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, which...

On this West Virginia Morning, the Contemporary American Theater Festival (CATF) returns to the campus of Shepherd University next month, bringing actors and creatives from across the country together to premiere five new productions.

Featured among them is the festival’s first play written by a West Virginian. Jack Walker caught up with Marion County native Cody LeRoy Wilson about the production — plus his journey from rural West Virginia to the world of theater.

Also, our Song of the Week is “Life Is Just A Vapor” by Paul Thorn. This is the title track on Life is...

On this West Virginia Morning, Congress is reviewing legislation that would end tax credits for clean energy projects, risking hundreds of millions of dollars in investments and jobs in West Virginia.

Curtis Tate spoke with Mitch Carmichael, former West Virginia economic development secretary, who supports preserving the tax credits.

Also in this episode, we revisit a 2024 podcast episode that received top honors from the Virginia Associated Press Broadcasters. In it, Us & Them host Trey Kay explores the shifting geography of abortion access.

Kay follows the story of the Women’s Health Center of We...

On this West Virginia Morning, we take a look at what recovering from problem gambling can look like in West Virginia. As part of an ongoing series on problem gambling, News Director Eric Douglas spoke with a resident about her experiences recovering from gambling addiction, and how she is helping others find the same path.

Also in this episode, water providers in neighboring Pennsylvania say they are removing PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals,” from drinking water just as the Trump administration threatens to weaken federal regulations adopted last year.

Zoe Read with public radio stat...

On this West Virginia Morning, the West Virginia Department of Human Services (DoHS) is in the process of analyzing the data gathered over eight listening sessions held last month with people in various aspects of the state’s child welfare system.

Assistant News Director Maria Young spoke with DoHS Secretary Alex Mayer about takeaways from those sessions and the courses of action ahead.

Also in this episode, a Hardy County LGBTQ group traveled to the nation’s capital this weekend for an international event. Jack Walker caught up with them at the WorldPride parade, and brin...

On this West Virginia Morning, federal spending cuts have slowed the ability to help miners with black lung, according to those who attended an annual conference last week, even after a court order to resume the work. Curtis Tate has the story from the Pipestem Resort.

Plus, tourism leaders in Charleston have launched a new campaign that builds on the success of the capitol city’s five year contract to host the Pro Road National Championships. This year was the second year of the competition, and once the dust had settled, Maria Young caught up with Charleston Co...

On this West Virginia Morning, youth who are alleged to have committed minor offenses can be referred to members of an elite squad known as the teen court. As Chris Schulz reports, organizers say accountability from peers is more effective at keeping teens from re-offending.

And our Mountain Stage Song of the Week is "Lou Reed Was My Babysitter" by Jeff Tweedy, who is no stranger to Mountain Stage. He performed this time with a more familial kind of band, that includes his sons, Spencer on drums and Sammy on backing vocals.

West Virginia Morning...

On this West Virginia Morning, cicadas are emerging from the ground after completing a 17-year nap. Brood 14 can be found in Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia. The Appalachia + Mid-South Newsroom’s Justin Hicks reports, while the crunchy critters are annoying to some, they have profound meaning to others.

And WVPB is bringing you a new radio and television feature called Almost Heavens. In it, Shannon Silverman, an astrophysicist at the Clay Center in Charleston, West Virginia, guides us through the cosmos above the mountains – including how to find the Orion Nebula with nothing more than your naked eye...

On this West Virginia Morning, as online gambling increases more people are losing more money than they can afford. In West Virginia, there is the Problem Gambling Help Network at 1-800-GAMBLER. News director Eric Douglas recently spoke with Sheila Moran, director of Marketing and Communication for First Choice Services that runs the helpline. She is also a certified gambling counselor.

And the U.S. House of Representatives last month passed a bill that would wipe out tax credits for solar projects of every scale, from those generating power for utilities to rooftop panels producing electricity for h...

On this West Virginia Morning, schools became rallying points for community volunteer efforts during the February floods that hit West Virginia and Kentucky. As the flood damage is slowly repaired, children in those schools still carry trauma. Reporter Wendy Welch looks at one Mingo County school where an embedded behavioral health clinic offers support to those students.

And otters once inhabited every river system in Pennsylvania. But by the early 1900s, most of them were gone. The Allegheny Front’s Julie Grant joins a wildlife biologist who has been working for decades to bring back river otters, an...

On this West Virginia Morning, summer is just around the corner and that means more time outside, and under the sun. Dr. Alan Thomay, West Virginia University associate professor of surgical oncology, spoke with reporter Chris Schulz about increasing skin cancer rates, and how to stay safe.

Also, the latest story from The Allegheny Front, a Pittsburgh-based public radio program that reports on environmental issues, is about the mental health struggles farmers face.

And Pride Month is now underway. As Jack Walker reports, hundreds turned out Sunday for a first-of-a-kind celebration in West Virginia’s fi...

On this West Virginia Morning, it is another cicada summer in Appalachia. The noisy bugs have emerged again, especially in parts of Kentucky, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

For Inside Appalachia, Bill Lynch spoke with Jakob Goldner, an entomologist with the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, about this season’s brood.

Plus, this week’s premiere broadcast of Mountain Stage was recorded live at the Culture Center Theater in Charleston. Our Song of the Week comes from singer-songwriter Darrell Scott, who returned to the stage with a special rendition of Paul Simon’s “American Tune.”

We...

On this West Virginia Morning, the annual Trail Days festival in Damascus, Virginia attracts thousands of outdoor enthusiasts and Appalachian Trail hikers each year.

But the small town was devastated last year during Hurricane Helene, which destroyed local trailways. As Radio IQ's Roxy Todd reports, residents are rebuilding, and businesses are seeing the return of tourists to Damascus.

Also in this episode, Lake Pleasant in northwestern Pennsylvania was created more than 15,000 years ago when a glacier retreated. It is now home to rare plants and birds like osprey.

For the Allegheny Front, an...

On this West Virginia Morning, electricity is fundamental to our modern, digitally connected lives. But a proposal for a new transmission line in northeast West Virginia has sparked local concern. Chris Schulz reports.

Also in this episode we hear from Shannon Silverman, an astrophysicist at the Clay Center in Charleston. She walks us through how to view planets in the clear night skies over West Virginia as part of a series called Almost Heavens.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, which is solely responsible for its content.

Support f...

On this West Virginia Morning, one weekend every spring and fall, landowners, historians and archaeologists join in opening up the Pocahontas County site of the pre-revolutionary war Fort Warwick to the public. Reporter Randy Yohe followed his ancestry-loving wife Vickie to help unearth some West Virginia history.

And when the nonprofit Education Alliance announced the winners of its statewide 2025 School-Business Partnership competition earlier this month, a grassroots program started by a mom in Pocahontas County was the top winner. Maria Young looks at what made the program stand out. 

West Virginia Morning is a production o...

On this West Virginia Morning, the annual Weatherford Awards honor books about the Appalachian South. The winner of the 2024 award for nonfiction is “This Book is Free and Yours to Keep,” a book that’s mostly letters from incarcerated people across the region who corresponded with the Appalachian Prison Book Project. Inside Appalachia’s Mason Adams spoke with Ellen Skirvin, one of the book’s editors.

And our Song of the Week comes from this week’s premiere broadcast of Mountain Stage, recorded in Charleston, WV at the Culture Center Theater. Singer-songwriter Maya de Vitry, along with Joel Timmons...

On this West Virginia Morning, we'll hear an audio postcard of last year's Vandalia Gathering, which is set to return to the state capitol grounds this weekend. We'll hear about a possible Republican primary challenge to West Virginia's senior U.S. senator. And we'll hear about what changes the governor is requesting for the federal food assistance program many West Virginians rely on.

And 100 days into the Trump administration, hear Us & Them go around the table for the thoughts dinner guests have about where the country is.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Vi...

Every year, the Vandalia Gathering’s Liar’s Contest brings people out to the Culture Center to see who can tell the biggest tall tale. Appalachian storyteller W.I. “Bill” Hairston is the contest longtime emcee. He spoke with Bill Lynch and gave him some tips on how to tell your best tall tale.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Bill Lynch: As a good way to begin this, since you have been involved with the Vandalia Gathering and The Liars Contest for so long, how did you get into storytelling? 

W.I. “B...

On this West Virginia Morning, some members of Congess – including those in West Virginia's delegation – will soon see their names on billboards asking them to support law enforcement. In Washington, D.C. Thursday, labor leaders are planning a protest against cuts to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health – which oversees mine safety. 

And what to do with more than a dozen pallets full of left over medical supplies nearing their expiration dates? The West Virginia Department of Health found an innovative solution. 

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, which is...

On this West Virginia Morning, many workers at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health remain uncertain about their employment status. Curtis Tate spoke with Brendan Demich, chief steward for the American Federation of Government Employees Local 1916 about his Pittsburgh-based mine research team, who was issued a termination notice last month.

And The 2025 USA Cycling Professional Road National Championships continues on the roads of Charleston. This is the second year for the Professional Road National Championships in the state capital, and it brought a significant economic impact to the city.

West Virginia Morning is a...

On this West Virginia Morning, West Virginia shares a similar climate with our neighbors in Kentucky, where flooding is the most frequent and costly natural disaster. Yet, only about 1% of the state’s property owners have flood insurance. As Lisa Autry reports from the Appalachia Mid-South Newsroom, experts say major flood events are becoming more common and everyone needs flood insurance regardless of where they live.

And The 2025 USA Cycling Professional Road National Championships will take place beginning today on the roads of downtown Charleston. This is the second year for the Professional Road National Championships in the s...

On this West Virginia Morning, the new novel called “Happy Land” tells a story set in “The Kingdom of the Happy Land,” a society in Western North Carolina formed by freed people after the Civil War. Inside Appalachia’s Mason Adams spoke with its author, Dolen Perkins-Valdez.

And our Song of the Week comes from a premiere broadcast of Mountain Stage recorded on the campus of West Virginia University at the Canady Creative Arts Center in Morgantown. The versatile singer, composer and musician Moira Smiley & The Rhizome Quartet perform “Mourning Dove”, which reflects on the sometimes mournful and isolating...

On this West Virginia Morning, popular releases like Beyoncé's "Cowboy Carter" and the movie "Sinners" are drawing the world’s attention to the erasure of music’s Black history. What’s gained less notice is the fact that the grassroots movement to reclaim the Black roots of folk and country music is having its own moment. It just had its own festival, too, and senior Nashville Public Radio's music writer Jewly Hight was there.

And the new "Brews and Booze Trail" from Visit Southern West Virginia takes visitors on a winding trail through nine counties with ten sto...

On this West Virginia Morning, Huntington and Cabell County, often considered ground zero for the opioid epidemic, are still waiting for opioid settlement funds from their lawsuit against pharmaceutical companies. This week, the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia declined to determine a point of state law in the cities' suit, sending the matter back to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond. Eric Douglas spoke with Anthony Majestro, one of the lead attorneys on the case, to sort it all out.

And the USDA's Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program, which provided funds...

On this West Virginia Morning, a recent graveside ceremony in Huntington offered recognition many say was long overdue for a West Virginia activist. They also say the sister of the founder of Black History Month stood strong on her own merits. Randy Yohe has the story of Bessie Woodson Yancey. 

And, Inspectors are taking a much closer look at truckers on the road this week. The Public Service Commission of West Virginia (PSC) is taking part in the 2025 International Roadcheck, a 72-hour period of increased inspections organized annually by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance to promote collaboration b...

On this West Virginia Morning, West Virginia’s black bear population was estimated to be about 500 animals not too long ago. But conservation efforts brought them back from the brink. As News Director Eric Douglas reports, human interactions with bears are causing a new problem.

And The Trump administration has made deep cuts to MSHA and the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, which monitors the health of coal miners. Joe Main, the former head of the Mine Safety and Health Administration in the Obama White House, has seen the consequences of understaffing and cuts to th...

On this West Virginia Morning, every professional sports program has a concussion protocol that dictates when a player can return to the roster. One of the two doctors who developed the program is from the Wheeling area. This weekend, UPMC Presbyterian Hospital neurosurgeon Dr. Joe Maroon is receiving an Ellis Island Medal of Honor and he spoke with News Director Eric Douglas.

And Our Song of the Week is a stirring performance of fan-favorite “Furr,” by Pacific Northwestern folk-rock outfit Blitzen Trapper making their third appearance on Mountain Stage in November 2024. This week's broadcast of Mountain Stage feat...

On this West Virginia Morning, from the latest episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay celebrates a milestone - the podcast’s tenth anniversary - with the members of Marshall University’s Dead Podcasters Society. The event highlights moments from past shows and offers a conversation about storytelling and artistic expression.

And The Allegheny Front, a public radio program based in Pittsburgh that reports on environmental issues in the region, reports on a natural history exhibit featuring invasive plants to the region.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, which is sole...

On this West Virginia Morning, Appalachia’s most famous cryptid is back and on a bag of chips. For Inside Appalachia, Bill Lynch went out in search of the new Mothman potato chips from Mister Bee in Parkersburg.

And The Allegheny Front, based in Pittsburgh, is a public radio program that reports on environmental issues in the region. We hear their story by Kara Holsopple about efforts to cut carbon emissions that are generated by making cement.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, which is solely responsible for its content.

On this West Virginia Morning,  we meet a West Virginia man selected to  join an detailing team at Seattle’s Museum of Flight – and work to restore the original Air Force One. We’ll find out about a public-private effort underway to give West Virginia high school students enhanced career training 

And, could the colorful Monarch butterfly be endangered? We’ll follow the debate and find out what we can do to help sustain them as they travel through our region.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible...