Mountain News & World Report

First, in this episode, we'll hear recent news from the Ohio Valley ReSource on the new Appalachian Regional Commission appointment, and an outbreak of Hepatitis A in the region. Then, we hear audio from a 2017 ARC health roundtable presentation about "diseases of despair" in the mountains. Finally we'll hear audio from the "What's Next EKY?" gathering in Hindman, KY last week.

This episode of Mountain News focuses on caring for our communities past, present and future is now up over on the website. Give it a listen for stories about #ChildAbusePreventionMonth, community efforts to clean up a historic Black cemetery in SWVA, & a cross-cultural conversation on empathy between Letcher County's own Gwen Johnson and Milmon F. Harrison - Professor of African-American and African Studies at the Univeristy of California in Davis from the Imagining America StoryShare Project.

This episode of Mountain News and World Report begins with a remembrance of the Buffalo Creek Disaster, which took place 46 years ago on February 26. Then, we hear two stories from Ohio Valley ReSource about the Black Lung Epidemic and Data Analysis of the WV Drug Overdose Epidemic. Finally, Rich Kirby brings us a story of a new restaurant and hotel in St. Paul, VA aiming to increase tourism to SWVA.

It’s been a big week in Kentucky, from right here in Letcher County all the way to Frankfort-- stories happening in our communities have been making waves and getting national attention. From the KY teachers rally in Frankfort on April 2nd to local efforts to feed students while teachers strike. From the U.S. Bureau of Prison's record of decision signaling plans to move forward with construction of a Federal Prison in Letcher County, to KY state lawmakers passing legislation that makes it harder for miners to access treatment for black lung. April is in with a bang.

On this episode we’re exploring issues in education. First, we’ll hear from Letcher County Teachers who rallied in support of public education and in opposition to Governor Bevin’s proposed pension reforms on Monday, March 19th. This episode ends with a piece about students organizing against gun violence in the wake of the Parkland School Shooting in Florida last month.

This week on Mountain News & World Report we hear interviews with WV Teachers about why they went on strike. Then, we hear 3 pieces from the Ohio Valley ReSource about issues in rural community health: pesticides, HIV, and water. Photo by Greenbrier County Teacher, Emily Haas.

In this episode we remember tragic news from our region’s past, and we explore current news about public health crises in our mountains, and of new economic development projects. February 26 marks the 46th anniversary of the Buffalo Creek Disaster in Logan County, West Virginia. We begin our program with a piece from the WMMT Archives produced by Mimi Pickering. Then, we bring you two pieces from the Ohio Valley Resource. The first focuses on the unprecedented Black Lung Epidemic in Central Appalachia today. The second brings us information about a new data analysis system being used to address the opioid epidemic in West Virginia. Finally, Rich Kirby brings us the story of a new restaurant and hotel in St. Paul, Virginia which aims to increase economic development through tourism in the region.

In this episode of Mountain News we bring you multiple pieces with a theme of reflecting on the past. First, we hear from current & past members of the Stay Together Appalachian Youth Project, a Central Appalachian regional youth organization celebrating its 10th anniversary this year! STAY members joined us to talk about their upcoming Appalachian Love Week - which aims to lift up stories of our complex active love for the mountains we call home. Then, we bring you a series of four pieces from the Ohio Valley Resource - which focus on Trump’s first year in the White House - measuring his campaign promises against outcomes.

This week we bring you stories about community health, from the ground up! First we’ll hear about a new bakery which aims to provide Letcher County residents with healthy, locally sourced breads and baked goods while supporting Drug Court participants in their journeys to recovery. Then, we’ll hear Whitesburg’s own Dr. Van Breeding speaking on a panel presentation at Appalshop last week, in which local media makers, lawyers, and healthcare providers talked to students with the Harvard Kennedy School of Governance about healthcare needs in EKY.

In this week's Mountain News and World Report we look forward towards possibilities for economic development in the region, and we look back, remembering two great writers, readers, and supporters of justice and education in Appalachia. Our first story features a new workforce training and economic development program called the Southeast KY Revitalization Project. Then, we’ll hear two remembrances of great mountain writers who’ve recently passed away. The first, of Paul Nyden - a journalist at the Charleston Gazette for over 30 years who is infamous for holding those in power accountable to the people. And the last, of Anne Caudill - best known as the wife of writer Harry Caudill - but also a writer, thinker, and lover of learning herself.

On this episode we bring you two stories from the Archive. One was produced by Kelli Haywood in 2016 and features the history of Joe Packs - a Letcher County favorite restaurant in Isom, KY. The other - produced by Beth Bingman - is an exploration into the history of the Fellowship House Day Camp, an integrated summer camp hosted in Knoxville during the 50s and 60s. But first, we bring you a recent news story from the Ohio Valley Resource about the possibilities of marketing rare earth elements in acid mine runoff.

This week's program brings together stories that question what comes next for our region. As coal jobs decline throughout Central Appalachia - communities, scientists, and schools work to develop innovative approaches to economic transition. First, we’ll hear a story from the Ohio Valley Resource about the Kentucky Valley Educational Cooperative’s work to provide relevant, effective education in uncertain economic times. Then, we’ll hear an excerpt from an interview with Dr. Jeremy Richardson from the Got Science Podcast. Richardson is a senior energy analyst in the Climate and Energy program at the Union of Concerned Scientists - and he speaks about his research on economic diversification in the West Virginia coal fields. And finally we bring you an interview with Brett Ratliff and Abby Huggins at the Hindman Settlement School about the upcoming 3rd annual Dumplins and Dancin event- a weekend celebration of the rich food and traditional dance communities in our mountains.

This week on Mountain News & World Report we hear stories of communities throughout Central Appalachia speaking out against injustice, documenting important stories and perspectives, and organizing to create change. This edition brings you stories of: -LGBTQ+ organizing in the mountains through the Appalachian Community Fund's Out in the South Project, -young women documenting reproductive healthcare through the All Access EKY Program, -and Letcher and Pike County State Representative Angie Hatton speaking out against KY Power's proposed rate increase.

On this edition of Mountain News & World Report we’re talking about healing ourselves. It’s no secret that Central Appalachia faces a devastating drug epidemic, or, that our economy is struggling. These challenges call for creative solutions, and in this episode we hear about local, regional, and national projects aimed at creating healthier communities and economies in Central Appalachia. First, is a story about the new Netflix Documentary "Heroin(e)" which follows three women - a fire chief, a judge, and a street missionary as they battle Huntington, West Virginia’s drug epidemic. Next, the Ohio Valley Resource brings us a story about Trump's newly declared "Opioid Emergency." And lastly, we learn about the Herb Hub: a new project based in Duffield, VA which aims to support Appalachian farmers in growing and selling wild medicinal plants. *Photo is 11 year old Magnolia Huish harvesting cohosh on her family farm, submitted by her father Ryan Huish - one of four growers participating in the first seas

On this week's Mountain News & World Report: Appalachia has long been known as a home to traditional music and crafts, but less well known is our thriving digital arts scene. We'll hear from WMMT's Rich Kirby about the history of the guitar and the Crooked Road Heritage Music Project, an excerpt from Malcolm Wilson's 2016 Interview with WV born musician Glen Simpson, and WMMT's Rachel Garringer shares a piece about Appalachian Media Institute youth filmmaker Oakley Fugate - who was recently selected for an exciting fellowship!

It's been a big year for internet in the coalfields, and across rural Appalachia. In this episode: stories of people who have internet access and others who don't, communities organizing to get better access, and projects that use the internet to create new jobs.

Appalachian health is continuing to fall behind the rest of the nation, a government study into the health effects of surface mining was suddenly stopped, and Appalshop's Alex Gibson reflects on the rural-urban divide.

On this week's Mountain News & World Report: Painting and hiding rocks is hugely popular new pastime in Letcher County, the idea of giving a prescription for fresh produce from the farmer's market is spreading, and leaders like Coach Calipari, Governor Bevin, and Congressman Rogers share the ideas they want to spread at this year's SOAR Summit.

This episode features a July news roundup of some of the top stories from the Ohio Valley ReSource and the Public News Service. Listen to hear about pesticides and bees, water quality in the Ohio Valley, the energy sector's switch from coal to natural gas and what that means for the environment, and more.

This episode is dedicated to youthful insight. Listen to hear about a partnership between Kids On The Move - Perry County Wellness Coalition and the non-profit Go Give Yoga to bring yoga to the children of Appalachia. Also featured are stories about making old-time music modern, and the tale of how a ghost's testimony was used to convict a husband of murder in West Virginia.