Revitalizing Rural Downtowns, This West Virginia Morning

Public radio listeners know acclaimed cellist Yo-Yo Ma. WNYC recently released "Our Common Nature," a new podcast that follows the musician and producer Ana Gonzalez as they explore the country. This included a visit to West Virginia. Inside Appalachia’s Mason Adams spoke with Gonzalez about the podcast. We listen to an excerpt....

More than nine months after the February flood that hit southern West Virginia, residents are still rebuilding their lives. WVPB asked West Virginia photojournalist Roger May to create a photo essay on the people in that region. May sat down with News Director Eric Douglas to discuss the project....

Low-head dams across Appalachia have been responsible for many deaths, causing state officials to label them as public safety hazards. But some community members are hesitant to have the fixtures removed....

Regular listeners to our afternoon programming will immediately recognize the voice of Terry Gross. She has been the host of Fresh Air for 50 years – well before it became a national staple. News Director Eric Douglas spoke with Gross recently about her career, her style and the uniqueness of public radio....

Gov. Patrick Morrisey appeared on NPR’s All Things Considered over the weekend with host Miles Parks to discuss the shooting of the two West Virginia National Guard soldiers, Air Guard Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe and Army specialist Sarah Beckstrom. We listen to an excerpt....

People who buy health care through the federal marketplace are set to see their premiums rise 40 percent or more. It depends on whether Congress extends the 2021 enhanced subsidies that help people pay their premiums. Ruby Rayner is a reporter for the Chattanooga Times Free Press who’s been covering this story in Tennessee. Inside Appalachia’s Mason Adams spoke with Raynor....

We're an aging nation, and the cost of care is lower the longer people stay in their homes. The trend has led to an explosion in home-based support and care services. On the next episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay focuses on the challenges of care for our growing elderly population....

By now, cooler temperatures have closed many theme parks around the area. But if you’ve got a craving to get on a roller coaster, you don’t have to wait until spring and you don’t have to drive very far. Bill Lynch takes us to the Brush Creek Holl’r Mountain Coaster....

WVPB is hosting a special screening of “Becoming Thurgood: America’s Social Architect” at Marshall University on Nov. 18, and Us & Them host Trey Kay will moderate the live event along with a panel discussion. Ahead of the screening, Kay talked with one of the panelists, historian Cicero Fain, about why Marshall’s story matters now....

More than a quarter of adult West Virginians are serving as caregivers for a family member. The AARP just released a new nationwide report on caregiving. News Director Eric Douglas speaks with Jane Marks, the state president of the organization, to find out more....

There’s a style of singing in bluegrass and traditional music that’s rooted in the music of Primitive and Old Regular Baptist churches, places where singers like bluegrass legend Stanley were raised. On a recent episode of Inside Appalachia, reporter Zack Harold introduced us to a woman who helps keep this sacred tradition alive....

How violent is America? We listen to an excerpt from the latest episode of Us & Them where host Trey Kay looks at what crime data really tells us....

On this West Virginia Morning, decorative pumpkins and Jack O’Lanterns can find a second life on your table and in the garden. We explore ways to reuse fall decorations. Also, we have the latest edition of our occasional series, Almost Heavens....

More than 500 residents of Mercer County are about to find out if they have been chosen for a rare opportunity. They have applied for a Guaranteed Minimum Income program through the nonprofit Give Directly, which uses funds from wealthy benefactors to give cash benefits to those in need....

High winds Wednesday fanned more than 20 fires across the state, and the largest of those fires is still burning. Also, we speak with a journalist who has been covering population decline in central Appalachia....