by WV Public Broadcasting's Liz McCormick

Almost every year since 1936, a select group of high schools boys have attended Mountaineer Boys State, and since 1941 girls have attended Rhododendron Girls State. The week long camps, sponsored by the American Legion, focus on citizenship, leadership and patriotism. This year, Boys State focused on the nonpartisan, statewide initiative, What’s Next, West Virginia?  The young men at Boys State had a great deal to add to a conversation on positive change in West Virginia during a 45 minute discussion in Charleston.

WV Boys State on "What's Next, WV?"

Story by Roxy Todd for WV Public Broadcasting

Mapping Appalachia's Food and Farm to Table Destinations

Over the past two years, 1,800 coal miners in Boone County have been laid off from work—that’s a fifth of the county’s total labor force. And the crisis doesn’t show any signs of slowing. At the end of July, Alpha Natural Resources announced it expects to lay off 1,100 more workers at 11 mines in southern West Virginia. Reporter Catherine Moore went in search for the human side of these staggering figures at the WV Coal Festival, held every year at the end of June in Madison. She talked to residents about how the layoffs are affecting everyday life in Boone County, and how they’re thinking about the future of their home. 


As Coal Mines Shed Jobs, What's the Future of Boone County?

"Talkline" is a two hour call-in portrait of West Virginia, conducted by one of the state’s best known broadcasters, Hoppy Kercheval. On Aug. 18, Hoppy sat down with Betty Knighton, Director of the WV Center for Civic Life, to talk about What's Next, WV? and economic diversification.

Hoppy Kercheval Talkline Interview

"What's Your Dream?" - Mayor Steve Williams

A previous story, "Young Wheeling," focused on some of the young leaders who are working to build a new economy in the city of Wheeling, West Virginia, after decades of economic decline. Some are buying and rehabbing old houses in the neighborhood of East Wheeling, historically home to the city’s African American community. The revitalization movement is largely made up of middle class, white professionals. So how does the movement look to a young person of color from East Wheeling? Producer Catherine Moore toured the neighborhood with one of its long-time residents, Ron Scott Jr., who counsels at-risk youth in East Wheeling. He shares his memories of the way things used to be, his perspective on how things have changed, and his opinions about the efforts to re-envision his old stomping ground.

"What's Next, WV?" is an initiative to encourage discussion and actions to strengthen and diversify the local economies of West Virginia. It is a partnership of the WV Center for Civic Life, the WV Community Development Hub, and WV Public Broadcasting. Visit whatsnextwv.org for more information.

Hope is a Luxury: A Conversation with Ron Scott Jr.

There’s a movement afoot to reinvent the city of Wheeling, West Virginia, a once vibrant factory town that has since settled into decades of industrial decay. Like most movements for change, it’s beautiful, messy, inspiring, and complicated. And the young people leading the way say: it’s worth it.

Over the past few years, a group of ambitious, active, community-minded young people has settled in the Friendly City. Some came from afar, some returned home, and some never left. They have been coming together over time to talk about what's next for their city. Now they are rehabbing abandoned mansions, making art, farming, opening businesses, and starting organizations that they hope will lead the way to a new economy.

The transformation isn’t quite on the scale of Rust Belt resurgence towns like Buffalo or Pittsburgh. Not yet, anyway. But it appears this group is just getting started. Producer Catherine Moore went to Wheeling to meet some of them and brought back these snapshots of some of the faces of Young Wheeling.

"What's Next, WV?" is an initiative to encourage discussion and actions to strengthen and diversify the local economies of West Virginia. It is a partnership of the WV Center for Civic Life, the WV Community Development Hub, and WV Public Broadcasting. Visit whatsnextwv.org for more information.

Young Wheeling

What’s Next, West Virginia? is a series of conversations that will take place in communities all over WV in the coming year. These conversations are designed to encourage talking, thinking, and actions based on West Virginians’ own ideas for building a more vibrant and diverse economy. The effort is being organized by a broad--and growing--coalition of partners from nonprofit, philanthropic, governmental, educational, and faith-based organizations.