Radio Live - Podcasts - Blankenship On Trial - Encore: Holiday Traditions, Inside Appalachia

Encore: Holiday Traditions, Inside Appalachia

December 27, 2025 Duration: 0:00

Podcast episode

Blankenship On Trial is a news and politics podcast that investigates the deadly explosion at the Upper Big Branch Mine in Montcoal, West Virginia, where 29 miners lost their lives on April 5, 2010. Through detailed storytelling and careful reporting, this series examines how a history of unsafe practices may have paved the way for disaster, and how federal regulators and prosecutors worked to trace responsibility up the corporate ladder to former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship. Listeners can expect a gripping, methodical look at corporate power, regulatory failure, and the human cost of profit-driven decisions. Each week, Blankenship On Trial guides you through courtroom developments, key witness testimony, and the broader political and social context that shaped the case. Listen episodes to gain a deeper understanding of how one mine disaster became a national reckoning over workplace safety and corporate accountability.

This week, we go a-wassailing in Asheville, North Carolina. It’s kind of like Christmas caroling, with a kick. Also, family recipes bring generations together. But what happens when you’ve got grandma’s potato candy recipe, and it doesn’t have exact measurements? And, a new book explores the magical dark side of nature....

More episodes

Delegates Discuss Process For Creating State Budget

07.02.2026 Duration: 0:00

While the West Virginia Legislature may consider hundreds of bills during the 60-day session, there is only one thing they are required by the state constitution to do and that is to pass a balanced budget. The state is…

Episode page

Printmaking Inspired By Appalachian Stories, Inside Appalachia

07.02.2026 Duration: 0:00

This week, some of the stories on our show inspired college student art — including a vivid image of a bear smashing a clarinet. Also, a Hare Krishna community in West Virginia serves vegetarian food made in three sacred…

Episode page

WVU Students Inspired By ‘Inside Appalachia,’ This West Virginia Morning

06.02.2026 Duration: 0:00

Our program, Inside Appalachia, in December was tagged in an Instagram post by WVU Professor of Art Joseph Lupo. The post showcased four-color reductive relief prints made by WVU students — each one inspired by a story o…

Episode page

Tackling The Nation’s Blood Shortage, This West Virginia Morning

05.02.2026 Duration: 0:00

Blood is a key part of modern medical care, but keeping a regular supply relies on thousands of volunteers donating regularly. We learn about the importance of blood drives and how technology is making it easier than eve…

Episode page

Climbers Take Advantage Of Cold Weather, This West Virginia Morning

04.02.2026 Duration: 0:00

For most of us, the cold and ice of the last few weeks have been a struggle, but a group of local rock climbers made the best of it. Also, lawmakers considered bills related to absentee ballot deadlines and medications u…

Episode page

3 Years After East Palestine Train Derailment And ICE Arrests, This West Virginia Morning

03.02.2026 Duration: 0:00

It has been three years since the East Palestine train derailment. What have we learned about the health impacts from exposure to chemicals on board? Also, ICE officers arrested 650 people in West Virginia over 14 days l…

Episode page

How Cold Affects The Body And A Talk With State Senate President, This West Virginia Morning

02.02.2026 Duration: 0:00

We hear from Senate President Randy Smith who in last week's episode of The Legislature Today discussed his goals for supporting small businesses in the state. Also, the Appalachia + Mid-South Newsroom examines how cold…

Episode page

Tax Cuts, A Bible Discussion And Smoking Grades, This West Virginia Week

31.01.2026 Duration: 0:00

This week, Gov. Patrick Morrisey talks tax cuts, the state Senate discusses adding Bibles to certain classrooms, and the American Lung Association released its annual report card on states’ efforts to reduce smoking. ...

Episode page

School Finances, Economic Development, Historic Bibles And Senate President Randy Smith, At The Legislature This Week

31.01.2026 Duration: 0:00

On The Legislature This Week, our student reporters dig into Gov. Patrick Morrisey’s legislative plan. We also hear from Senate President Randy Smith about his plans to help small businesses. ...

Episode page

Senate President Smith Says ‘It’s A Balance’ When Addressing Issues During Session

31.01.2026 Duration: 0:00

On this episode of The Legislature Today, Sen. Randy Smith, R-Preston, is in his second year as the Senate President. In that role, he is also the lieutenant governor. Smith sat down with News Director Eric Douglas to di…

Episode page

A Secret City In East Tennessee, Inside Appalachia

31.01.2026 Duration: 0:00

This week, we take a look at how the U.S. government built a secret city in East Tennessee during World War II to work on the atomic bomb. Also, almost everybody has a favorite cup or coffee mug, but how far would you go…

Episode page

New American Experience Film Explores WWII Atomic Bomb, This West Virginia Morning

30.01.2026 Duration: 0:00

"Bombshell" is a new film from American Experience that explores how the government manipulated the public about the bomb’s development and deployment. Inside Appalachia’s Mason Adams spoke with author Greg Mitchell, who…

Episode page

Soaring Electricity Costs, This West Virginia Morning

29.01.2026 Duration: 0:00

We hear the latest story from The Allegheny Front, a public radio program based in Pittsburgh, that reports on environmental issues in the region. In this story, we learn how electricity costs are on a sharp rise despite…

Episode page

W.Va. Receives Low Grades From American Lung Association, This West Virginia Morning

28.01.2026 Duration: 0:00

Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death in West Virginia, accounting for about 4,200 deaths annually. The American Lung Association released its annual report grading West Virginia with Ds and Fs. We spoke…

Episode page

Proposed Changes To Endangered Species Act And Aftermath Of Winter Storm, This West Virginia Morning

27.01.2026 Duration: 0:00

How important is habitat for survival? We listen to The Allegheny Front’s latest story on what’s happening with federal efforts to limit protections for endangered species. Also, following a major winter storm, West Virg…

Episode page