West Virginia Morning

On this West Virginia Morning, the Ohio Valley’s opioid crisis has given rise to a new health threat: the region now has some of the nation’s highest risk areas for outbreaks of needle-borne disease such as HIV. Health experts say a needle exchange is a good defense, but exchange programs face public opposition. That was the case in Bourbon County, Kentucky, where local officials had twice rejected the idea. As part of the Ohio Valley ReSource series “Rural Risk,” Mary Meehan visited the county

On this West Virginia Morning, during the teacher strike a couple of weeks ago, educators were asking for two main things: a pay raise, and a fix for the public employees health insurance program -- PEIA. While the program’s finance board ultimately agreed to freeze proposed changes that would have increased insurance costs, truly fixing PEIA in the long term might not be that simple. Kara Lofton takes a look at the rising cost of health care nationally and some of the other factors that affect

On this West Virginia Morning, the U.S. Detention Facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, is the longest-standing war prison in our nation’s history. Trey Kay, host of WVPB’s podcast Us & Them , has been thinking a lot about how Guantanamo compares to similar detention facilities throughout history. He recently interviewed journalist and Parkersburg native Andrea Pitzer, who just published a book that provides an extensive history of concentration camps. She says if you want to know about the

On this West Virginia Morning, big natural gas pipelines and plants that use that gas are under construction across the region. Many of those jobs have gone to labor unions, and now unions are using their political clout to advocate for oil and gas. That’s given the gas industry a powerful ally in labor-friendly Pennsylvania. For State Impact Pennsylvania, the Allegheny Front’s Reid Frazier reports.

On this West Virginia Morning, we hear from West Virginia high schools students gearing up for the March for Our Lives event in Washington, D.C.; a farmer and chef who uses maple syrup as a main ingredient in his recipes; a former coal miner and veteran who has been honored with the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award in volunteerism; and this week's Mountain Stage Song of the Week.

On this West Virginia Morning, President Donald Trump’s call to implement the death penalty for drug traffickers grabbed headlines Monday. But public health officials are stressing other elements of the administration’s plan to address the opioid crisis. Aaron Payne spoke with the acting director of the Centers for Disease Control about plans for the Ohio Valley.

On this West Virginia Morning, the Center for Disease Control’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health released a study last month on the largest cluster of complicated black lung cases ever reported. Kara Lofton spoke with WVU School of Public Health physicians Carl Werntz and Anna Allen about the study and what it means for West Virginia.

On this West Virginia Morning, we explore attempts to finding solutions to the region’s opioid epidemic, and we hear a story from the Ohio Valley ReSource on the potential impacts of tariffs on imported steel and aluminum.

On this West Virginia Morning, West Virginia Public Broadcasting is partnering with the Concord University’s Social Work and Sociology Department for the second annual Opioid Symposium and Job Fair.

On this West Virginia Morning, West Virginia Public Broadcasting had the chance to interview our U.S. senators about the issues facing Congress and the nation. Usually, our reporters come up with the questions, but this time, we asked you, our audience, to come up with questions to ask Sen. Shelley Moore Capito.

Since late February tree sitters have been perched in two trees atop Peters Mountain in Monroe County. They are so remote, few have seen or heard directly from the protestors, but still there’s plenty of people noticing. Nancy Andrews reports. And we’ll hear a preview of this week’s episode of Inside Appalachia, which explores the lessons of the recent W.Va. Teacher Strike. Our Mountain Stage "Song of the Week " is Dailey & Vincent's "More Than a Name On the Wall". Larry Groce calls it "one

Saturday March 17th is “ Mountain State Maple Day” in West Virginia. Sugar shacks and maple operations around the state will open their doors to the public. Maple syrup has a long tradition in the high mountain regions of our state, and the industry is growing. As part of our ongoing series called “Appetite Appalachia”, this morning, we’ll hear two stories about maple syrup farmers in the Mountain State. It’s part of a new collaboration between West Virginia Public Broadcasting and the West

Lawmakers discussed several bills around opioid abuse and prevention this session, including the Opioid Reduction Act and have re-examined the state's medical marijuana law. Michael Brumage is the new director of the WV office of Drug Control Policy. Health reporter Kara Lofton talked to him last week about the role his office plays in implementing legislative policy.

On this West Virginia Morning, we hear an excerpt from our latest Us & Them podcast episode called, “The Black Talk.” Do you remember the first time you learned that police may think of you as a threat? If you’ve never been given the talk on how to conduct yourself when stopped by the police, chances are you’re not African-American.

On this West Virginia Morning, the 2018 regular session of the West Virginia Legislature ended at midnight on Saturday. The final hours were hectic at times. Many bills passed at the last minute and others died on the chamber floors. Senior reporter Dave Mistich was in the thick of things at the Capitol. He spoke with news director Jesse Wright about those final hours.