Seven of the leading causes of death are higher in Appalachia compared with the nation as a whole. But amid that grim news, there’s some diversity in these statistics. When researchers analyzed all 420 counties in Appalachia, they found that 42 outperformed their statistical odds. A team of researchers has been studying […]
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A hundred years ago, gristmills weren’t just a place where people went to get cornmeal and flour, they were also gathering places for communities. But supermarkets replaced the local gristmill economy, and few working mills are still in operation today. One of West Virginia’s last remaining gristmills, Reed’s Mill in […]
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West Virginia Public Broadcasting reported earlier this year on an economic development project to grow lavender on former strip mines in West Virginia. After the story was released, the organization heard from a number of students involved in the program, saying they were disappointed and felt misled by the outcomes of the […]
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Being a farmer isn’t easy. One woman in Georgia found that getting assistance as a black farmer can be especially tough. Shirley Sherrod said she found discrimination in the federal government’s farm assistance programs, and she and other farmers fought back in the biggest class action lawsuit in U.S. history. […]
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Ten folklore students from George Mason University in Virginia recently spent a week visiting central and southern West Virginia. They traveled to five counties to learn more about the culture, stories and history found throughout our area and how traditions have impacted the personal lives of several West Virginians. For […]
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The nine-day teachers’ strike in West Virginia made headlines across the country, and some are wondering what the events mean for state’s political landscape. How did a widespread labor strike, a practice normally associated with Democrats, happen in a state that voted so heavily for Donald Trump? We wanted to […]
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