West Virginia Morning

Kentucky writer Willie Edward Taylor Carver Jr’s new book Tore All To Pieces weaves poetry and short stories into a narrative about people and place. Inside Appalachia’s Bill Lynch recently spoke with Carver and brings us this conversation. The post Weaving Poetry Into Short Stories, This West Virginia Morning appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting .

Two people have died, and a third is listed in critical condition following a sudden chemical release Wednesday at a catalyst refinery plant near Nitro and Institute. Also, we listen to an excerpt from the latest Us & Them where host Trey Kay leads a community discussion at Marshall on the American Revolution. The post Chemical Leak In Institute And Latest ‘Us & Them,’ This We...

The American Lung Association has released its 27th State of the Air report on air pollution and awarded grades for metro areas across the country. No one in West Virginia lives in a county with a failing grade. We talk with Kevin Stewart, director of Environmental Health for the American Lung Association, about the report and what it all means. The post The State Gets Good Grades For Air Quality,...

A West Virginia photographer is representing Team USA in the 2026 World Photographic Cup in Iceland this week – and he’s there because of a photo he almost didn’t take. We hear from longtime photographer for the West Virginia Legislature and two-time winner of the Professional Photographers of West Virginia Photographer of the Year award, Perry Bennett. The post W.Va. Photographer Talks Photo That...

Especially in a land-locked state, the idea of caring for our natural waterways may not come easily. The Allegheny Front, a public radio program based in Pittsburgh that reports on environmental issues in the region, brings us their latest story on the healing power of water. The post The Healing Power Of Water, This West Virginia Morning appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting .

Lawmakers in both West Virginia and Virginia have been looking at ways to make power bills more affordable, but their approaches are very different. We spoke with economists, politicians and ratepayers to learn why tensions between the two states may be driving up costs.  The post Different Approaches To Providing Electric Power, This West Virginia Morning appeared first on West Virginia Public Br...

On this West Virginia Morning, some unusual things are happening in the leadup to the state's primary elections next month. A Marshall political science professor shares some perspective. The post Political Science Professor Analyzes Upcoming Primary Election, This West Virginia Morning appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting .

With the war in Iran now in its second month, many questions remain about the motivations for and the objectives of the conflict. Ace Parsi’s family left Iran for the U.S. because of the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s. He shared his perspective on the situation with reporter Chris Schulz. The post Iranian American Weighs In On War In Iran, This West Virginia Morning appeared first on West Virginia Pub...

America’s rural hospitals are closing at an alarming pace. That’s become a concern in many parts of West Virginia. We look at nearby Tennessee, which has the highest hospital closure rate in the nation – but also some shining examples of hope. WPLN’s Health Reporter Catherine Sweeney takes us to Linden – a Tennessee town where the shuttered hospital there has recently reopened.  The post Saving Ru...

We’ve long known that smoking can cause lung cancer. But what about air pollution? As The Allegheny Front reports, a new Appalachian study finds a connection. The post The Connection Between Pollution And Lung Cancer, This West Virginia Morning appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting .

Lots of public radio listeners know acclaimed cellist Yo-Yo Ma. In the fall, WNYC released Our Common Nature, a podcast that follows the musician and producer Ana Gonzalez as they explore the country. This included a visit to West Virginia. Inside Appalachia host Mason Adams spoke with Gonzalez about the podcast and what she and Yo-Yo Ma learned along the way. The post A Conversation On Acclaimed...

By some measures, West Virginia has the nation’s highest homeownership rate. However much of that housing is old and needs repair. Our latest episode of Us & Them is a recent award winner from the Virginia AP Broadcasters. Trey Kay uncovers an aspect of the housing crisis we don't often hear about – structures without electricity or running water that people call home. The post A Look At The...

Fluorspar is a little-known mineral used to make everything from steel, aluminum and gasoline to uranium fuel and batteries. For the Appalachia Mid-South Newsroom, WKMS’ Lily Burris reports the largest known deposit of the critical mineral in the U.S. is in western Kentucky – and its applications in artificial intelligence (AI) could reawaken the region’s mining industry.  The post The Connection...

The economy is everything we buy or sell and services we use. It can be a broad category and most of us struggle to understand what it all means. The show "Planet Money" from NPR dives into those topics and attempts to make sense of it. And now, the show has published a book called Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life. We speak with the author and one of the program's...

"Verity Vox and the Curse of Foxfire" is a young adult novel set in Appalachia. Written by West Virginia native Don Martin, the book follows the story of a witch-in-training who uses her magic to help a forgotten mountain coal town. It was an instant New York Times bestseller after it was released last year. Inside Appalachia Producer Bill Lynch spoke with Martin about the book and his podcast "He...

For nearly 100 years, Snuffy Smith has been a staple of newspaper comic pages, though these days, it’s easier to find him online. Snuffy Smith was brought to life by artist Fred Lasswell in the 1930s, but now the strip is written and drawn by John Rose, who lives in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. Inside Appalachia host Mason Adams spoke to Rose about drawing the famous hillbilly.  The post The Lega...

A panel discussion consisting of community, political and data center industry leaders Tuesday night at Shepherd University has reignited the debate over local control of data center development in the state. Also, WorkForce West Virginia has released state unemployment figures for January. And, Amazon this week celebrated the grand openings of two news operations facilities in West Virginia. The...

It has been a week since the bill creating the state’s new Office of Entrepreneurship was signed into law – with an official opening date of July 1. Maria Young caught up with Secretary of State Kris Warner to find out what the new office can do to help would-be new business owners turn their hopes and dreams into reality.  The post A Look At The State’s New Office Of Entrepreneurship, This West V...

Overwhelming issues at school districts across the state in the last few years have prompted the West Virginia Department of Education to investigate and intervene in the administration of local education. We learn about an analysis conducted by the Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy of 10 school districts and the need for a broader look at the issues facing the state's schools. The post...

Thousands of people at roughly 20 different events in West Virginia last weekend joined "No Kings" protests against President Trump and the actions of his administration. Also, we learn about the cosmos above the Mountain State in our latest episode of our occasional series, Almost Heavens. The post ‘No Kings’ Rallies And A Look At Mountain State Skies, This West Virginia Morning appeared first on...

On this West Virginia Morning, a photographer spends more than a decade documenting grandfamilies and new business opportunities come to the state. The post Photographing Grandfamilies in Appalachia, This West Virginia Morning appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting .

On this West Virginia Morning, a look at the consequences of the Safer Kentucky Law, and a look forward to protests planned nationwide this weekend. The post The Consequences Of A Statewide Camping Ban, This West Virginia Morning appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting .

Two films that made the Netflix Top 10 list this month were shot in West Virginia and produced by the same West Virginia film company. As it turns out, the film industry here has been quietly growing in recent years, thanks in part to financial incentives. But the state is also home to some picture-perfect settings that aren’t easy for movie makers to find. The post W.Va.’s Growing Film Industry,...

Kathleen Driskell is Kentucky’s current poet laureate. Driskell has authored six poetry collections, and her work has appeared in The New Yorker and Rattle, among others. Her most recent is Goat-Footed Gods. Inside Appalachia producer Bill Lynch spoke with Driskell about living next to the dead and America’s most lethal cryptid. The post KY Poet Laureate Talks ‘Goat-Footed Gods,’ This West Virgini...

GLP-1s have quickly become one of the most popular weight loss drugs in America, but it takes more than a regular shot to be successful. Also, extreme weather and aging infrastructure are a tough combination for many rural communities. One impact? The quality of drinking water. The post Weight Loss Drugs And How Weather, Infrastructure Affect Water Quality, This West Virginia Morning appeared firs...