This Conversation

Delegate Sam Rasoul has family roots in the West Bank and shares his view that Israel is breaking international law and conducting a genocide in Gaza. He insists that the conflict is not one of religion and describes the long history of Christians, Jews, and Muslims living peacefully together until post World War II when Israel was formed and hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were run off thei...

Kenny Shuman is Jewish -- and a lifelong resident of Washington County, Virginia. He was willing to share some of his personal story and his view of the Israel-Hamas war for listeners to This Conversation. The show has heard from Rev. Boyd Evans, priest of Episcopal church in Abingdon, who had spent a significant amount of time in Gaza. https://player.captivate.fm/episode/63390c14-78c5-4f5d-80ce-3...

Alan Linkous owns Adventure Diving in Bristol. He can fix you up with scuba gear, train you to dive, and help design a trip for you and your friends. At other times, he may be diving to attempt to find and recover a body. It's kind of change of pace for the show, but a refreshing look at fun and adventure. Learn more at https://adventurediving.com/ Mentioned in this episode: WEHC 90.7 FM is the Vo...

Debbie Antonelli played college basketball for NC State and has developed a sports broadcasting career at the highest network levels. She's a member of the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. In This Conversation, we hear about her three sons, her activism with Special Olympics and her connection to Emory & Henry College. Mentioned in this episode: WEHC 90.7 FM is the Voice of Southwest Virginia....

In this interview, aired on Apr. 10, 2024, Bettie Mae Fikes, known as "The Voice of Selma," tells her story of the Civil Rights struggle she lived in the 1960s. As a young girl, she sang in marches for the right to vote, the right to ride a bus, and the right to basic freedoms. She remained non-violent in the face of horrible cruelty, simply because her skin was black. She was jailed and kept in j...

Dr. Ed Damer, Professor of Philosophy at Emory & Henry College for 45 years, died on March 21, 2024. This tribute presents a look at Ed through the eyes of several close colleagues and his weekly lunch group. Special attention is given to Ed's focus on logic, his love of fun conversation, and his service to the Abingdon Rotary club where he directed the annual Frolics performance. Ed leaves be...

Local film debuts tomorrow/Thursday, March 28 at Legacy Theatres in Bristol and runs through April 4. Legacy Theatres. Bristol. With its professional cast and local connections, early reviews say that "You won't believe it's a local film." The film is called "Searching for the Elephant, " produced by Cross Purposes Productions. Learn more in Teresa's conversation with filmmaker David Alford, Wedne...

March is Women's History Month and Dr. Amy Sorensen has presided over the opening of the new Helen Matthews Lewis Women's and Gender Center at Emory & Henry College. In this conversation, Sorensen addresses skepticism about a Center that addresses women's issues along with concerns of LGBTQ students. She shares her personal history that led to her passion for helping. Mentioned in this episode...

Johnny Wood is a beloved broadcasting icon in the surrounding five-state region with a 44 year career at WCYB-TV. HIs career has been recently celebrated with the debut of an hour-long documentary honoring his career. Hundreds of people turned out for the premier of  Good Morning. I'm Johnny Wood  at the Paramount Theatre on Friday, March 8, 2024. The video is now available on WCYB's&nbs...

Virginia Delegate Isarel O 'Quinn talks about his path from Patrick Henry High school and Emory & Henry College to the state legislature with a focus on his bill to pay for development of a small modular nuclear reactor, planned for Wise County in Southwest Virginia. He shares his philosophy of working across the aisle in state government at a time of harsh political fights on the national lev...

Emory & Henry graduate Kevin Saxton will be getting a Superbowl ring as a team member of the Kansas City Chiefs following their 25-22 Superbowl victory over the San Francisco 49ers in Las Vegas on Feb. 11, 2024. After stints as an assistant coach for a North Carolina high school coach and for Benedict College in South Carolina, he won a Bill Wash minority fellowship and was assigned to the Kan...

Nuclear energy -- along with nuclear waste may be coming to Wise County in Southwest Virginia. Volunteer with SW Virginia Nuclear Watch Coalition Rees Shearer presents objections to the idea. Plans are underway for a Small Modular Nuclear Reactor on a 65,000 acre site in Wise County. Utility companies Dominion Power and American Electric Power/Appalachian Power want to build the reactors in conjun...

Dr. Keith Perrigan is bragging about student achievement in Washington County Schools. He's also set a goal of having WCOVA school teachers be the highest paid teachers in the state. Where does this passion and optimism come from and who is the student in Dr. Perrigan's office.. and why is he there? Be sure to tune in to this wide-ranging, uplifing conversation with Dr. Keith Perrigan of Washingto...

Dr. Theresa Burriss has brought her expertise in Appalachia to Southwest Virginia, by way of 25 years' teaching at Radford University, a Fulbright in Romania, and a Governor's appointment to the Virginia Council on Environmental Justice. In this conversation, she talks about unique characteristics of the economy in Appalachia -- and specifically in Southwest Virginia. Mentioned in this episode: WE...

This week's interview is with Orchestra Conductor Cornelia Laemmli Orth of Song of the Mountains Orchestra-- from Switzerland via other major world cities to the TriCities, she brings passion, drama, and excitement to the professional orchestra performances. Soundtrack about movies is the theme for the Jan. 27, 7:30 Concert and Eastman Employee Center. On Feb. 10, a tribute to Martin Luther King p...

William Isom produces a series of programs focused on being Black in Appalachia. This interview precedes 2024 celebrations of Martin Luther King Day and airs in advance of Mr. Isom's presentation in Abingdon about some of the history and contraditions in views toward Blacks in the area. For example, support for abolition of slavery was often expressed by slave owners. The SW Virginia area has high...

David Miller will blow your mind with the story of how a bee hive gets a new queen. Her is a bee keeper and owner of Bee Woodwork. beewoodwork.com. where he sells supplies for bees. He's also President of Highlands Bee Keepers. highlandsbeekeepers.com. Bottom line. David Miller loves bees and wants others to know how important they are to us. Mentioned in this episode: WEHC 90.7 FM is the Voice of...

Rev. Boyd Evans of St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Abingdon, Va. reflects on his own experience in Occupied Gaza in the light of the current Israel -Gaza war that began on October 7, 2023 with an attack on Israel by Hamas operatives. The conversation includes an intro to historical background to the establishment of Israel and the ongoing violence and tensions between Israel and the occupied West B...

We talked to Nurse Curt Phillips in the midst of the initial COVID crisis. Now, with an uptick in new COVID cases in the Bristol area, Curt reviews the changes in cases and treatments. Mentioned in this episode: WEHC 90.7 FM is the Voice of Southwest Virginia. Stay tuned, connected, informed and entertained. This is listener supported radio. www.wehcfm.com

David Alford founded Cross Purposes Production when he realized that a play by that name that he was writing should be a screen play. That short film led to three feature films, the most recent of which is Searching for the Elephant and its release is imminent. The film was shot in Southwest Virginia with a cast drawn from area professionals. Details of the release of Searching for the Elephant in...

Rural areas don't have the ease in recycling that metropolitan areas have, but depending on your location in or around Abingdon, VA, and Bristol, VA/TN, you might be able to get curbside recycling from REVOLUTIONS CURBSIDE RECYCLING. The small company could pick up your recycling, including glass, cans, Plastics #1 and #2, paper and cardboard. In this epidosde, company owner Tasha Foy will explain...

What a fun conversation with Aaron Brand. You'll learn the long-time nickname of this 2023 Football Inductee into the Emory & Henry Sports Hall of Fame -- and his fundamental purpose that led to the name. He was quarterback for four years and didn't lose a single home game. Also a pitcher on the baseball team. Hear his story about acting and why he did not major in mass communic...

In this episode of This Conversation , you'll hear the two candidates vying to become Washington County Commonwealth Attorney. What does the County Attorney do? How does each candidate envision that work? Incumbent Democrat Josh Cumbo and Republican Dove Goodpaster present their visions for the county courtrooms preceding the November 2023 election that is less than a week away at the time of this...

Candidates for Washington County, Virginia Treasurer Incumbent Fred Parker and opponent Derek Webb talk about their qualifications for the job. How much should age be a factor? Why does a pharmacist want to become a county treasurer? Mentioned in this episode: WEHC 90.7 FM is the Voice of Southwest Virginia. Stay tuned, connected, informed and entertained. This is listener supported radio. www.weh...

Rex Carter is running in the Nov. 7 election as an Independent candidate for Sheriff of Washington County, Virginia. In this interview, he describes examples he sees as lack of leadership under the current sheriff and his Republican opponent Sheriff, Republican Blake Andis. Sheriff Andis was offered half of the time for this interview but said that he was unable to participate. Because Sheriff And...