Page 22 - Eric Douglas News Today

On this West Virginia Morning, when it comes to decoding the language of the drug epidemic, advocates say using compassionate language is vital when speaking with the people behind the numbers. Emily Rice has more.

On this West Virginia Morning, West Virginia’s hospitals continue to navigate an altered landscape since the onset of COVID-19. As Caroline MacGregor reports, even after the end of the pandemic, significant challenges remain.

West Virginia became a state 160 years ago on June 20, 1863 in the midst of the Civil War. West Virginians participate in activities around the state to commemorate the day.

On this West Virginia Morning, a company called Omnis Technologies has stepped forward as a potential buyer of the Pleasants Power Station, which is currently not producing any electricity. Curtis Tate speaks with Sean O’Leary, senior researcher on energy and petrochemicals at the Ohio River Valley Institute, about the proposal.

June 5-9 is Medicare Fraud Awareness Week, and the West Virginia Bureau of Senior Services is out to draw attention to the problem. 

On this West Virginia Morning, during the COVID-19 pandemic, from 2019 to 2022, the state’s overdose death rate increased by 67 percent. But it may be returning to where we were before that. Emily Rice has the story.

This week on Inside Appalachia, Drop of Sun Studios in Asheville, North Carolina has put out some of the hottest indie rock records of the year. We talk with one of its co-founders. We also visit the Allegheny Highlands, where Appalachia’s maple syrup traditions are changing with the times. And, poet Lacy Snapp introduces us to east Tennessee’s poetry scene.

On this West Virginia Morning, Drop of Sun Studios in Asheville, North Carolina has become something of an “it” record studio. Run by Alex Farrar and Adam McDaniel, the studio has racked up a slew of acclaimed records inside the past year, including albums by Angel Olsen, Archers of Loaf and more.

This week on Inside Appalachia, a high school football game, a street festival, and a kids' classroom are all settings in a new film about how coal mining shapes Appalachian culture. We also learn about the results of a new survey showing alarming mental health trends in Appalachia’s LGBTQ community. And we meet a taxidermist in Yadkin County, North Carolina who was just a teenager when she found her calling.

This week on Inside Appalachia, a North Carolina potter is reviving an art form brought to America by enslaved Africans. We return to the town of Hindman, Kentucky, which endured catastrophic flooding last July, and get an update on the town’s recovery. We also talk with West Virginia poet Doug Van Gundy about disasters, and their relationship to art.