This Conversation

Head Curator of the Bristol Country Music Museum Renee Rodgers reviews the highlights of the museum that recognized the Big Bang birth of Country Music in Bristol, Virginia in 1927. In this interview, she highlights the temporary exhibit about Johnny Cash. Special note: During Bristol Rhythm & Roots music festival, Sept. 16 - 18, 2022, Johnny Cash's daughter Roseanne Cash visited her dad's tri...

Meghann Cotter is director of Micah Ministries in Fredericksburg, VA and she is a key figure in fighting homelessness there. In This Conversation she talks about causes and cures with the numbers to prove that her city and the leaders there are making big progress. Mentioned in this episode: WEHC 90.7 FM is the Voice of Southwest Virginia. Stay tuned, connected, informed and entertained. This is l...

Abortion is the topic in this episode of This Conversation, originally aired on 90.7 WEHC . As of Aug. 26, abortion is banned in Tennessee, with the possible exception of the life of the mother. The Bristol, Tennessee clinic where women had been going will obviously not be offering abortions anymore, but a new clinic has opened on the Virginia side of the state line. Our guest talks about the chan...

This episode updates advice from Mt. Rogers Health District re monkey pox and COVID. Guest is Breanne Forbes Hubbard, population health manager of the SW Virginia district. 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

When artist Ellen Elmes learned about the massacre of 23 people at a Wal Mart in El Paso in 2019, her questions were-"Why are their names not included in the memorial?" and "What can I do?" The answer came from her artistic talent and her caring heart in portraits of the victims that she presented as gifts to their families. In this interview, she describes the process she went through, the relati...

The Virginia ACLU philosophy holds that women have a right to abortion and freedom from government-forced birth. Breanna Diaz explains the new legal landscape in the wake of the Dobbs decision that leaves decisions about abortion to state legislatures. Mentioned in this episode: WEHC 90.7 FM is the Voice of Southwest Virginia. Stay tuned, connected, informed and entertained. This is listener suppo...

Dr. Mark Matney is Commissioner of Revenue in Washington County, Virginia, but his April 12, 2022 appearance before the Washington County Board of Supervisors was not related to his official duties. Matney and several others told the Supervisors that Lawn Boy by Jonathan Envison should not be included on the shelves of the Washington County Public Library. This appearance followed the rejection of...

Ben Beakes is President of the Metallurgical Coal Producers Association and he wants people to understand the difference between hot-burning Met Coal and the thermal coal that is used for making electricity. Met coal is used to make steel -- and represents 90% of coal production these days. He talks about mining potential, regulations, safety, technology, and addresses concerns about climate chang...

Taysha DeVaughan has announced her candidacy for the Virginia 9th District Congressional seat. She will be challenging 11-year incumbent Congressman Morgan Griffith. How did this member of the Comanche nation, born in Oklahoma, find her way to Southwest Virginia, where settled in Wise, Virginia, and wound up as a Governor Northam appointee to the Virginia Council on Environmental Justice? Intervie...

Dr. Linda Dobkins, Professor of Economics, uses a dog as a metaphor for current inflation and efforts by the Federal Reserve to control it. You are sure to come away with a better understanding of economic issues by listening to Dr. Dobkins in this interview. Aired June 29, 2022. Mentioned in this episode: WEHC 90.7 FM is the Voice of Southwest Virginia. Stay tuned, connected, informed and enterta...

WCYB-TV reporter Andrew McClung is responding to the common complaint that there's never any good news. In a new series called "The Good Stuff" on the NBC affiliate in Bristol, Virginia, he will introduce viewers to people who are making the world around them better -- whether it's an almost 90 year old who still makes his popular fried chicken every week for students in a nearby college cafeteria...

Adam Bolt is a well-known singer-songwriter, based in Abingdon Virginia, with a large following for his "heart-hewn melodies." And, these melodies have garnered several significant awards: 2018 1st Winner "Over All" Gathering in the Gap 2018 1st Place winner in the Richard Leigh Songwriters Competition 2016 2nd place winner in the Richard Leigh Songwriters Competition 2015 2nd place winner in the...

Adam Mullins operates a store on Main Street in Abingdon, called Grounded. He sells CBD oils and other hemp derivatives as well as products containing THC. In This Conversation, he updates listeners on the products he sells, the purpose they serve, and the laws that govern his business as well as the sale of marijuana in Virginia. Recorded June 1, 2022. Mentioned in this episode: WEHC 90.7 FM is t...

Dr. Merisa Richmond is the guest on This Conversation in June 2021. The show was rerun in 2022 to focus again on LGBTQ Pride month. As a transgender woman, Dr. Richmond is a long term activist on issues of human rights and has served as President of the Tennessee Transgender Coalition and as a board member of a variety of organizations that work for equal rights for LGBTQ causes. Mentioned in this...

Todd Stanley is a Licensed Professional Counselor and the Director of Counseling Services at Emory & Henry College. In this interview, he talks about the issues he sees with college students and his stories give insight into taking care of your own mental health. At the time of this recording, the Counseling Center was looking for a new employee. Mentioned in this episode: WEHC 90.7 FM is the...

Aaron describes the experience of a mental health break during graduate school, plus his time in the hospital and the journey to recovery. The conversation took place during the WEHC fundraiser so there are some donation requests. 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...

Rev. Dr. David St. Clair talks about the split in the Methodist Church over the issue of gay pastors and gay marriage. 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

Jayne Hillman knows what it's like to spend weeks in the hospital with COVID and to be left with ongoing struggles, including lungs that doctors say are like crushed glass inside. Her story now includes an ever-present oxygen tank and she tells us what she wants us to know in this interview from July 2021. Mentioned in this episode: WEHC 90.7 FM is the Voice of Southwest Virginia. Stay tuned, conn...

Dr. William Turner talks about his book The Harlan Renaissance : Stories of Black Life in Appalachian Coal Towns, based on the lessons of community he learned growing up in Harlan, Kentucky. 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

Hear about life on the road in the national Broadway touring company of Dear Evan Hansen from singer/actress Haile Ferrier -- born in Abingdon, Virginia with ties to Emory & Henry. How does a newly minted Elon College graduate wind up in a role that is the envy of every young theatre graduate. She's special to us at This Conversation -- and her talent is obviously very special! Mentioned in th...

Dr. Michelle Ferrier began her academic career at Emory & Henry and has recently been recognized with international awards from the International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences. The honor was designated for the work of the organization she founded, called Trollbusters. The organization is designed to combat cyberbullying directed at journalists. She talks about the award with a brief r...

Concert pianist Pravda Sikorski talks about her parents Alys and Ludwik Sikorski just prior to their being named Emory & Henry Legends of the Arts.. She became an icon of music in her own right. Pravda lives in Emory and stands as one of the many legacies of the Sikorski contributions to the college and community. Mentioned in this episode: WEHC 90.7 FM is the Voice of Southwest Virginia. Stay...

David McClaskey has worked with more than a thousand companies in his career as a business consultant and helped lead eight companies to the Baldridge Award, the nation's highest honor for well-run businesses, presented each year by the US President. In this conversation, he outlines the fundamentals of leading a business from ordinary to extraordinary. Mentioned in this episode: WEHC 90.7 FM is t...

Scrapper Broady was the first African American athlete at Emory & Henry College and still holds the college record for career interceptions. He's a member of the EHC Sports Hall of Fame. In this interview, he talks about his passion for finding his own family history. Specifically, he talks about the mysteries of his 6th great grandfather, a slave who was freed before the Civil War and was giv...

We talk to Steve Curd as he's finalizing plans for his Fall 2021 fashion show in Glade Spring, Virginia. 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