Us & Them

We are releasing this bonus podcast because this month marks a significant milestone for Us & Them, West Virginia and actually American history. Fifty years ago today, on June 27th, the Board of Education in Kanawha County, West Virginia set off a chapter of the nation’s culture wars as it debated whether to purchase a controversial series of new textbooks. The meeting room was packed and emot...

Fifty years ago this month, a fierce controversy erupted over newly adopted school textbooks in Kanawha County, West Virginia. The fight led to violent protests in West Virginia. Dynamite hit school buildings. Bullets hit buses. And protesting miners forced some coal mines to shut down - because of the new multicultural textbooks. The classroom material focused on an increasingly global society, i...

Forty-two million Americans or about 12 percent of the the population need help feeding their families. That help often comes from a federal program called SNAP - which stands for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly called food stamps. The Mountain State is one of the top recipients of SNAP benefits. Nearly 45 percent of recipients are older adults or families with someone who’s di...

We continue to learn more about the way childhood trauma can affect our physical and psychological health and the result is creating a social movement. More than two decades ago, researchers first came up with a way to assess the impact of childhood neglect, abuse and family dysfunction. Nearly half the kids under 18 in the U.S. have had an adverse experience or serious trauma. Now, advocates are...

Homelessness has been on the rise since 2016 and the pandemic only exacerbated an acute shortage of resources to help people living on the streets. Now, many communities are struggling to provide support as some homeless people turn away from emergency shelters and remain in outdoor encampments. In Charleston, West Virginia, the city’s opioid response program also now focuses on homelessness. Outd...

There’s a foster care crisis in America. Nationally, more than 390,000 children are in foster care, in West Virginia that’s just over 6,000 children who need a safe place to call home. Last year, more than half of all states saw their number of licensed homes drop, some as high as 60 percent. That challenge comes because new foster parents don’t stay in the system for long. On this episode of Us &...

More than 4.5 million Americans cannot vote because of a felony conviction but only about a quarter are currently in prison. On the newest episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay talks with people who support expanded voting rights for felons, and those who say people who’ve committed crimes should forfeit their rights until they serve their entire sentence, including any probation or parole. Felo...

Our country’s divides often reveal themselves in our choices and habits, including how and where we get our information. As the economics of the media landscape have imploded, the economics of the industry have forced changes. In the past two decades, online sites have taken over much of the income stream from classified ads and general advertising. That has led newspapers and broadcasters to slas...

There's a nationwide rift among farmers over the use of dicamba, a popular herbicide. A 2024  federal court ruling  has halted dicamba's use, but the Environmental Protection Agency has given the green light for farmers to use existing supplies this year. In this episode of Us & Them, we revisit a story from our archives that delves into the intense battle unfolding in farm country. Originally...

Our healthcare systems continue to struggle from aftereffects of the pandemic. The most recent example spotlights Medicaid - a joint federal and state program that provides health coverage for more than 90 million Americans with limited resources. After several years of continuous coverage, now everyone must reapply for eligibility. In the this episode of Us & Them , host Trey Kay reports more...

State borders are the new front lines in the nation’s abortion battle. On this episode of Us & Them , host Trey Kay looks at the evolving geography of abortion. Since a 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision overturned federal abortion rights, 21 states have either banned or restricted abortion access, including West Virginia. Meanwhile, West Virginia’s neighbor, Maryland, is one of 22 states that a...

It’s estimated that more than a quarter of the adults in West Virginia have a criminal record. That includes cases with one arrest or more, but no conviction or jail time. Those records can still show up years later in a background check and make someone ineligible for a job or a place to live. On this Us & Them , host Trey Kay looks at the road toward a second chance. Nearly every state now h...

American politics is now a very ‘us and them’ world. Insiders know the privilege of power, but loyalties can shift and doors can slam shut. Cassidy Hutchinson, who worked in the Trump administration knows both sides. She was a dedicated White House staffer who’s best known for her stunning testimony to the January 6th committee. Us & Them host Trey Kay talks with Hutchinson about her memoir “E...

It’s the time of year to look back on where we’ve been and prepare for what’s ahead.  Us & Them host Trey Kay has been reflecting on 2023, and a theme that’s been consistent -  trust, or more importantly, our lack of trust in each other and our institutions. In this episode, we’ll explore how that reality could shape the year to come and its social and political landscape. Kay will also rememb...

Friendships that last through the years can be a remarkable gift. In this episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay remembers his dear friend Alice Moore who recently passed away. Kay talks about the gentle kindness that defined their relationship, which stretched across the divides of their social and political beliefs. Moore made West Virginia — and national — headlines in the 1970s over a content...

Our confidence is eroding. Polls and surveys report we’ve lost trust in one another and in some of our most essential institutions. As a followup to September’s event at WVU on trust in the media, Us & Them host Trey Kay has a new conversation focused on our trust in science. The COVID pandemic presented examples of our differing confidence in science and medicine. We continue the abortion deb...

In this episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay invites his dinner party guests to gather once again for some fresh conversation across the divide. Kay’s friends, old and new, all share a favorite dish at the potluck meal while offering honest and sometimes raw accounts of how the social and political issues of the day affect them. Kay guides the conversation through a range of potential minefield...

Trust is in short supply in America as social and political divides continue to erode our faith in our democratic republic. National surveys and polls show that people distrust each other as well as our government and institutions.  Us & Them host Trey Kay recently partnered with West Virginia University’s Reed College of Media for a conversation focusing on diminished trust in journalism and...

Many Americans are getting good at ignoring friends and relatives who disagree with them. Roughly four in ten registered voters say they don’t have a close friend who supports the opposing party’s candidate according to a Pew Research study. Think how often you’re tempted to unfriend someone on social media. However, some lifelong friendships seem to beat those odds and the people in them say it e...

Overcrowding and understaffing have pushed West Virginia’s prisons and jails to what many believe is a crisis point. On this episode of Us & Them , we hear what incarceration is like for someone in a mental health crisis. Hundreds of thousands of people with mental illnesses are caught up in a criminal justice system that was never intended to treat them. In a recent special session, West Virg...

In the aftermath of a disaster, people search for assistance and answers. Since a rural Ohio train derailment sent toxic material into the air, soil and water earlier this year, people in East Palestine have needed help. Some look to the government for that support, while others aren’t sure who to trust. In this episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay hears from residents who face daunting challen...

At least 20 states have laws banning transgender girls and women from competing on girls and womens sports teams. On the next episode of Us & Them , host Trey Kay looks at the battle over gender and sports. Kay talks with transgender athletes who say they want to be who they truly are as they compete on the playing field. We hear from a state lawmaker who says the new laws are not anti-trans,...

Travel is an activity some people use as a classroom.  Leaving the familiar lets us learn about culture, history, the environment and many other topics. Us & Them host Trey Kay joined a small group to travel through America’s southern states learning about the country’s racial past and the impact of the Civil Rights movement today. This immersive journey took them across several states to plac...

This episode of Us & Them was first released in December of 2022 and since then, it has received a regional Edward R. Murrow award from the Radio Television Digital News Association for best podcast. We've updated the episode and want to share it with you again now. In West Virginia there are nearly 50 specialized court programs designed to help teens and adults kick their drug addictions. Dru...

More than 12 percent of Americans, or 42 million people, need help getting enough food to eat. In West Virginia, that number is about 18 percent. That help comes from a federal program called SNAP - the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly called food stamps. The Mountain State is one of the top recipients of SNAP benefits - nearly 45 percent are older adults or families with someon...