West Virginia Morning

On this West Virginia Morning, an unattractive, slimy, two-foot salamander may hold the key to detecting healthy water ways in West Virginia.  The post Helping Hellbenders Help Water Health, This West Virginia Morning appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

On this West Virginia Morning, if you've ever seen the eye-catching ‘Bus On A Rock' in the New River and wondered why – and how – it got there, we have some answers for you. The post Finding Solitude In A Bus On A Rock In A River, This West Virginia Morning appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

On this West Virginia Morning, the client of a Charleston attorney says the DEA allowed millions of doses of potentially deadly Fentanyl into the United States. The post Whistleblower Raises Alarm On Fentanyl Trafficking, This West Virginia Morning appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

On this West Virginia Morning, blind athletes rely on sound to hit the ball and run to a base in beep baseball. The post Playing Baseball By Ear, This West Virginia Morning appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

On this West Virginia Morning, the spike-covered hawthorn is unique to our region but little known, and the heat you feel might be more about how humid it is than the temperature. The post A Rare Appalachian Tree And How Humidity Affects Heat, This West Virginia Morning appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

On this West Virginia Morning, not much has been known about Appalachia's contributions to the Underground Railroad, but a Marshall University historian is documenting that history. The post The Underground Railroad’s Route Through Appalachia, This West Virginia Morning appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

On this West Virginia Morning, affordable dental care is a little-talked-about challenge low-income families face in this state, but there is an effort underway to change that. The post Mobile Dental Care A Lifeline In Rural Communities, This West Virginia Morning appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

On this West Virginia Morning, many people are looking towards the country's future after the nation's 250th anniversary. A group in West Virginia is talking to the region's youth to capture their voices and perspectives about what comes next. The post How Appalachia’s Young People See The Next 250 Years, This West Virginia Morning appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

On this West Virginia Morning a new musical, written right here in our region, takes a look at a small Ohio town, just across the river from West Virginia, that played a significant role in the development of the nation. The post Larry Groce On His New Ohio History Musical, This West Virginia Morning appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

This week, Inside Appalachia discusses the influence and contributions of Oscar Micheaux, an African American filmmaker who lived in Virginia in the 1920s. Mason Adams speaks with Roanoke historian Jordan Bell about Micheaux's life and career. The post A Look At Filmmaker Oscar Micheaux's Impact, This West Virginia Morning appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

On this West Virginia Morning, both the U.S. and Japan are considering robots as a potential solution to an aging population amidst a caretaker crisis. The post The Robotic Future Of Caring For The Elderly, This West Virginia Morning appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

As baby boomers in West Virginia and nationwide continue to age, more Gen X and Millennial adults are finding themselves as caregivers for their parents. Pittsburgh's major health systems are designing a new program alongside federal agencies aimed at keeping seniors at home for as long as possible. The post New Program Aims To Keep Seniors At Home, This West Virginia Morning appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

Bats are the subject of myths and legends, often in a negative light. But that goes against the reality of their role in ecosystems, including critical agricultural services for humans. Bat populations have dropped significantly in the face of a changing climate and disease.  The post Appalachia's Declining Bat Population, This West Virginia Morning appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

Urban renewal in the last century was supposed to revitalize struggling cities, but it often sacrificed Black neighborhoods and business districts, like Black Bottom in Bristol, Virginia. Inside Appalachia's Mason Adams spoke with organizer Tina McDaniel about “The Souls of Bristol's Black Bottom,” a project in Bristol that remembers the community through interpretive signs, public art and digital storytelling. McDaniel says learning about Black Bottom was a revelation. The post Remembering ‘Black Bottom' In Bristol, Va., This West Virginia Morning appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

On this West Virginia Morning, federal cuts and changes to state law focused on Medicaid programs could undermine West Virginia's drug addiction and treatment system for 50,000 residents. The post Federal Cuts To Medicaid Endanger Addiction Treatment, This West Virginia Morning appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

A $1 million initiative through the Rural Health Transformation Program aims to help rural EMS agencies expand access to health care in rural and underserved areas of West Virginia. We spoke with Secretary of Health Dr. Arvin Singh to understand how the program is designed to work – and who it will focus on first. The post Improving Health Care Access In Rural Communities, This West Virginia Morning appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

On this West Virginia Morning, our partner HealthQ explores why embracing the title of “caregiver” matters—and how recognition and support can make a difference in this phase of life. The post Caring For The Caregivers Of Aging Adults, This West Virginia Morning appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

On this West Virginia Morning, freshwater mussels play a vital role in the health of the region's waterways, but their populations have dwindled over the years. The post Protecting Appalachia's Flexing Mussels, This West Virginia Morning appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

Indigenous people created hundreds of earthen monuments in what is now Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia. John E. Hancock, a professor of architecture and design at the University of Cincinnati, spent years studying these earthworks. He published a guidebook for visiting them. Inside Appalachia's Bill Lynch spoke with Hancock about the book.   The post A Guidebook For Visiting Ancient Earthworks, This West Virginia Morning appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

On this West Virginia Morning, State Sen. Ryan Weld has written a history of Wellsburg through a unique lens -- he focused on 14 homes in the town and the people who lived in them. The post New Book Charts Town’s History Through Its Homes, This West Virginia Morning appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

On this West Virginia Morning, an Appalachian distillery has rediscovered an old technique for aging their bourbon and whiskey products. The post A Forgotten Secret Of Bourbon Aging Rediscovered, This West Virginia Morning appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

On this West Virginia Morning, the nine-banded armadillo has become an indicator of rising temperatures in Kentucky and the surrounding region. The post Climate Change Brings Armadillos To Appalachia, This West Virginia Morning appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

This week's Inside Appalachia features storytellers from around the region, including author, television host and five-time West Virginia Liars Contest winner Bil Lepp. Here he is back in 2019, telling a story during a Mountain Stage performance at the West Virginia Culture Center. The post A Story From Liars Contest Winner Bil Lepp, This West Virginia Morning appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

The late singer-songwriter Daniel Johnston grew up in West Virginia and came onto the indie music scene in the 1980s. Last year, Johnston was inducted into the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame and he's featured in the next episode of Us & Them. In this award-winning show, host Trey Kay learns about Johnston's legacy which was partly shaped by his challenges with mental illness. The post Remembering Singer-Songwriter Daniel Johnston, This West Virginia Morning appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

The Public Service Commission of West Virginia is currently conducting public comment hearings concerning developer NextEra Energy's application to construct a new 107.5-mile-long transmission line from Pennsylvania through West Virginia to Virginia. WVPB spoke with NextEra about the project. The post A Discussion On The NextEra Transmission Line Proposal, This West Virginia Morning appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

There are just over 6,000 abandoned or orphaned natural gas wells in West Virginia, according to the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection. Some estimates suggest that number is low. The surprising thing, though, is where some of them are located. The post Dealing With Thousands Of Abandoned Natural Gas Wells, This West Virginia Morning appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

Throughout the Southern United States, you'll often find three-pronged leaves with hairy vines swallowing entire sections of forests. It can be a beautiful sight at first glance. But the invasive plant causes persistent ecological problems in the region. We look at the efforts to tackle the ‘vine that ate the south.' The post A Look At An Invasive Vine That's Taken Over The South, This West Virginia Morning appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

The Nelsonville Music Festival celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. The Ohio-based festival over the years has hosted American music icons, like John Prine, Willie Nelson and Loretta Lynn, while also supporting regional artists. Inside Appalachia's Abby Neff spoke with festival founder Tim Peacock to learn more. The post Nelsonville Music Festival Celebrates 20 Years, This West Virginia Morning appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

If your aging parent needs surgery, you might need to take time away from work to care for them. A federal policy called the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) gives many employees job-protected leave for caregiving. But it has noteworthy limitations. The post The Challenges And Benefits Of FMLA, This West Virginia Morning appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

One in six West Virginians is food insecure. Meaning, 270,000 people in the state regularly don't know where their next meal will come from. Assistant News Director Maria Young recently toured Mountaineer Food Bank's greatly expanded, new facility to find out what it takes to meet that need every day – and what it will take in the years to come. The post Meeting The Food Needs Of The State, This West Virginia Morning appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

While baseball fields are run of the mill in most communities, there's a certain type of diamond that's less common: it's called a “Miracle Field.” There are three of these in West Virginia – in Morgantown, Wheeling and Green River. These are accessible baseball facilities that can accommodate players with disabilities. The post A Look At Baseball's ‘Miracle Fields,' This West Virginia Morning appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

Black bears now inhabit all 55 counties of West Virginia, and bear encounters are on the rise across Appalachia. Climate change is often a hidden culprit. But state wildlife managers are working to promote peaceful coexistence. The post Black Bear Encounters On The Rise, This West Virginia Morning appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

Monsters in the workplace? Maybe. Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh is developing a team building game using Appalachian cryptids like Bigfoot and the Flatwoods Monster. Inside Appalachia's Mason Adams spoke with Jessica Hammer, associate professor and director of the university's Center for Transformational Play, to learn more. The post Team Building With Appalachian Cryptids, This West Virginia Morning appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

America's foster care crisis is serious for nearly 400,000 kids who rely on the system. In the latest episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay looks into the shortage of licensed foster homes – and the wide range of agencies and nonprofit organizations who offer help navigating what can be a complicated system. The post How A Wide Range Of Agencies Are Tackling The Foster Care Crisis, This West Virginia Morning appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

Researchers have spent almost two decades restoring a threatened species of orchid in southern Kentucky. But those efforts were disrupted when an EF-4 tornado swept through the area in May 2025, carving visible lines in the landscape. We learn about recovery efforts. The post How A Tornado Affected Threatened Orchids, This West Virginia Morning appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

Unpredictable weather is making it harder for amphibians to survive in West Virginia and elsewhere, but we learn about an effort to protect them. Also, the WVU Cancer Institute is enrolling pancreatic cancer patients for a promising, first-in-human clinical trial. The post Protecting Frogs And WVU Explores New Cancer Treatment, This West Virginia Morning appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

It's been a year-and-a-half since Hurricane Helene ravaged central Appalachia. Communities are still recovering, including those who were already in recovery for addiction. The post How Hurricane Helene Affected Substance Use Recovery, This West Virginia Morning appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

A small federal grant program aimed at increasing first-time farmer's access to land, training and tools was finding fertile ground in West Virginia. But in March, the Trump administration suddenly terminated it, leaving local partners uncertain about their futures. The post Future Of First-Time Farming Program Uncertain, This West Virginia Morning appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

Last weekend was the first anniversary of a tornado that devastated communities in nearby southern Kentucky. A Day of Remembrance event honored those who lost their lives, and reflected on a year of recovery. For the Appalachia + Mid-South Newsroom, Shepherd Snyder has this report. The post Day Of Remembrance Held In Kentucky One Year After Tornado, This West Virginia Morning appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

On this West Virginia Morning, the price of gas has skyrocketed, but how do you know if you would save money with an electric vehicle? The post Understanding If An Electric Vehicle Is Right For You, This West Virginia Morning appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

On this West Virginia Morning, an historic steam locomotive that occupied Nashville's Centennial Park for decades will soon hit the rails again. The post Bringing A Nashville Steam Locomotive Back To Life, This West Virginia Morning appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

On this West Virginia Morning, Appalachian music comes in all kinds. Inside Appalachia's Mason Adams spoke with Mason Salomeini, organizer of electronic music celebration Dungeon Fest. The post Fantasy Music Festival Comes To Appalachia, This West Virginia Morning appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

On this West Virginia Morning, psychedelic drugs might find acceptance as a treatment potential for mental health conditions and drug addictions. The post Treating Addiction With Psychedelics, This West Virginia Morning appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

On this West Virginia Morning, Secretary of State Kris Warner provided an election night update on voter turnout and results from Tuesday's primary election. The post An Election Night Update From The W.Va. Secretary Of State, This West Virginia Morning appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

On this West Virginia Morning, a conversation about some of the challenges that lie ahead for hospitals and those who need them in the Mountain State. The post A Changing Landscape For W.Va. Hospitals, This West Virginia Morning appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

On this West Virginia Morning, an intimate look at the work of the crisis teams responding to the opioid crisis. The post Riding With W.Va.’s Quick Response Teams, This West Virginia Morning appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

A plan to funnel millions of dollars in oil and gas royalties toward conservation efforts is getting support from an unexpected group. From The Allegheny Front, we learn about fracking proposals in southeastern Ohio – and what WVU researchers say could be the impact on wildlife. The post Fracking Proposals And Possible Impacts, This West Virginia Morning appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

Across the country, old railroads have been converted into multi-use trails for folks to get out and enjoy nature. Chris Schulz has more on an ambitious vision to connect communities in West Virginia to Pittsburgh via rail trail. The post Plans To Connect W.Va. To Pittsburgh Via Rail Trail, This West Virginia Morning appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

Prices at fuel pumps have surged since the United States went to war with Iran. But the Middle East conflict is also having major impacts on international shipping and supply chains. Those issues are taking a major toll on Appalachian corn farmers. The post How The War In Iran Is Affecting Shipping, Supply Chains In Appalachia, This West Virginia Morning appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

In an effort to attract more horse racing competitors this year to West Virginia, the state Legislature increased the funding cap to $2 million for certain races – and neighboring states are taking similar action.  When Golden Tempo won the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, his owner, trainer and jockey won an estimated $3.1 million winning purse.  For the Appalachia + Mid-South Newsroom, Justin Hicks reports much of that growth can be attributed to increased gambling on historical horse racing games.  The post A Look At Recent Growth In The Horse Racing Industry, This West Virginia Morning appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

Mills Kelly is a lifelong hiker and Appalachian Trail scholar. He shares the trail's history and more on "The Green Tunnel Podcast." He's also written several books, including his most recent, called "A Hiker's History of the Appalachian Trail." Inside Appalachia's Bill Lynch spoke with Kelly to learn more. The post Author Describes How His Love For The Appalachian Trail Began In New Book, This West Virginia Morning appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.