West Virginia Public Broadcasting Podcast

On this episode of The Legislature Today, Government Reporter Randy Yohe speaks with Senate Finance Chair Eric Tarr, R-Putnam, and House Finance Committee member Del. Larry Rowe, D-Kanawha, to get the latest on the state budget. Also, the House Education Committee had a vigorous debate Monday on a bill titled the Anti-Racism Act of 2023. This is th…

For working comedians, mean-spirited hecklers are part of the job. But what happens when someone gets angry enough to throw a beer? And, West Virginia poet laureate Marc Harshman had his own experience with an intimidating gig. We also hear some advice for people caring for aging relatives. You’ll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appal…

On this episode of The Legislature Today, reporter Chris Schulz talks with Del. David Kelly, R-Tyler, and Sen. Mike Caputo, D-Marion, to get their take on the state’s jail challenges and how the West Virginia Legislature could help. Also, it was a busy day for the West Virginia Senate as they passed a dozen bills, ranging from issues about schools …

On this episode of The Legislature Today, our WVPB reporters Randy Yohe and Chris Schulz sit down with fellow reporter Steven Allen Adams of Odgen Newspapers to discuss the past week at West Virginia’s statehouse. Also, the Senate suspended its own rules to pass a bill Friday morning. Senate Bill 510 was introduced and passed by the chamber in less…

On this episode of The Legislature Today, Government Reporter Randy Yohe talks with the chairmen of the Senate and House Workforce committees, Sen. Rollan Roberts, R-Raleigh, and Del. Evan Worrell, R-Cabell. West Virginia has seen a huge jump in companies declaring their intentions to open new manufacturing facilities here. And that means good payi…

On this episode of The Legislature Today, two bills have passed through both chambers of the West Virginia Legislature and have been approved by Gov. Jim Justice. They are Senate Bill 161 and Senate Bill 162. The two bills are expected to be used to recruit a possible hydrogen manufacturing project using natural gas. Emissions from the manufacturin…

On this episode of The Legislature Today, the Senate passed a bill that would allow the concealed carry of handguns on the state’s university campuses. Reporter Chris Schulz has more. Also, a bill that would clarify the authority of governor and legislature to proclaim and declare a state of emergency and preparedness, passed the House 93-3. The Se…

On this episode of The Legislature Today, reporter Chris Schulz talks with Del. Charlie Reynolds, R-Marshall, and Fred Albert, the president of the American Federation of Teachers — West Virginia, to get their perspectives on the latest concerns surrounding PEIA — the health care benefit for state employees and teachers. Also, in this show, a bill …

On this episode of The Legislature Today, the pace is beginning to pick up at the West Virginia Legislature as bills are passing through their originating chambers.The House Committee on Health and Human Resources passed a bill Thursday, which would require medical marijuana be added to the controlled substance monitoring database. Our Appalachia H…

This week on Inside Appalachia, we go back to school with West Virginia women who are training to fill the shortage of construction jobs. And, EMTs and first responders take care of Appalachian communities, but who’s watching out for them? We’ll also talk with country music star Morgan Wade about what it’s like to play in Nashville one week and the…

On this episode of The Legislature Today, the Senate Judiciary Committee advanced a bill to the Senate floor that would allow the concealed carry of handguns on the state’s university campuses. Reporter Chris Schulz has more. Gov. Jim Justice’s 50 percent income tax cut proposal was passed by the House on Wednesday. But the bill received a cold rec…

On this episode of The Legislature Today, Gov. Jim Justice has tested positive for COVID-19. Appalachia Health News Reporter Emily Rice joins our host Bob Brunner to discuss what that means for the legislative session and the state. Also, in this show, the House of Delegates overwhelmingly passed its version of Justice’s 50 percent income tax reduc…

On this episode of The Legislature Today, government reporter Randy Yohe sits down with House Speaker Roger Hanshaw, R-Clay. We get his take on progress and problems in these early legislative general session days. We also have a story from education reporter Chris Schulz, who attended Tuesday’s Senate Education Committee meeting and spoke to its c…

On this episode of The Legislature Today, reporter Chris Schulz sits down with Senate President Craig Blair, R-Berkeley. The state Senate wasted no time in getting to work this year, passing 25 bills in the first two days of the legislative session. Republicans hold a supermajority, and despite an early start in the Senate, there’s still a lot of w…

On this episode of The Legislature Today, reporter Chris Schulz spoke with Margaret Pomponio, CEO of reproductive health and rights advocacy group WV FREE, to learn more about HB 2002. If passed, the bill would create the West Virginia Mothers and Babies Pregnancy Support program and fund Pregnancy Help Organizations to encourage women to give birt…

This week on Inside Appalachia, we’ll hear about a farm in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania that can grow a lot of agriculture on one acre of a former industrial site. We’ll also hear about a podcast that remembers the "Back to the Land" movement in West Virginia during the 1970s and 1980s — as well as a mysterious disappearance. And, we’ll hear about a tea…

On today’s episode of The Legislature Today, the 2023 session started as the Senate got down to business on opening day and suspended rules to pass 23 bills and send them to the House of Delegates. Most of these were bills the upper chamber passed last year, but for one reason or another didn’t become law. The House of Delegates introduced nearly 5…

On this week’s encore episode of Inside Appalachia, we’re journeying far and wide through Appalachia and beyond. Author Mesha Maren takes us from the hills of West Virginia to the border between Texas and Mexico — the land of the Luchador. We’ll also hear about what West Virginians are doing to help Ukrainian refugees flee the war with Russia. And,…

This week on Inside Appalachia, we venture to southern Ohio to visit the last remaining washboard maker in the United States. Its washboard’s aren’t just for laundry — but for music. And people come there to jam. We also speak with Elliott Stewart, who makes the zine "Porch Beers." The zine tracks his life and travels, like his move from West Virgi…

This week on Inside Appalachia, we talk with James Beard-nominated West Virginia chefs Mike Costello and Amy Dawson, who serve up special dishes with stories behind them. And, we’ll visit an old-fashioned toy shop whose future was uncertain after its owners died, but has a new chance at life because of a twist of fate. We’ll also be sharing a few m…

This week, one of the NFL’s oldest franchises began right here in Appalachia — in Portsmouth, Ohio. And for some workers in the natural gas industry, unregulated, radioactive waste is part of the job. We also revisit one of our most popular stories from 2022. It’s all about Appalachia’s contribution to America’s great pizza wars. You’ll hear these …

This week, we'll meet a man who has struggled with substance use disorder. Now, he’s a recovery coach. We'll also meet a woman who started a farm and culinary training program to help people in recovery, and we'll learn about barn quilts in North Carolina. And childhood friends who first started singing together 70 years ago show us why it’s never …

This week, we look back at some of the stories we told in 2022. We took you to the floods in eastern Kentucky, where you met people who witnessed terrible destruction. We also invited you along as we talked to Appalachians who know a little something about resilience, like Dolly Parton. Because you invited us into your homes, we invited you into ou…

This week, we talk with folklorist Emily Hilliard about her new book exploring contemporary folklife and Appalachian culture — like the lore behind the West Virginia slaw dog. We’ll also hear about the Asian-Appalachian experience from a student filmmaker who was born in China and grew up in western Maryland, and we’ll travel back to 2016 and liste…

This week on Inside Appalachia, we talk with contributors to a new collection of writing by LGBTQ Appalachians — about how they see themselves reflected here in the region. We also hear about the history of baseball in the coal camps of southwestern Virginia and we return to flood damaged eastern Kentucky and meet gospel musician Dean McBee. You’ll…