This week, we’re revisiting our episode “What Is Appalachia?” from December 2021. Appalachia connects mountainous parts of the South, the Midwest, the Rust belt and even the Northeast. The Appalachian Regional Commission defined the boundaries for Appalachia in 1965 with the creation of the Appalachian Regional Commision, a part of Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty. It was legislation that sought to expand social welfare, and some localities were eager for the money, while others resisted the designation. The boundaries and definition of Appalachia can now only be changed by an act of Congress.
Six Months After Capitol Riot, 46 From Ohio Valley Face Charges
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The January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol left five people dead and caused an estimated $1.5 million in damage to the Capitol building.
In the six months since then, federal authorities say, about 470 people have been arrested in nearly every state, including at least 46 people in the Ohio Valley.
The Ohio Valley ReSource has mapped the home counties of those from Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia who have been charged in connection with the Capitol violence.
As of July 2, the FBI had made at least 16 arrests in Kentucky, 25 in Ohio, and five in West Virginia.
Ohio’s Franklin County stands out on the map with seven arrests, the greatest concentration in the region by far and among the most arrests by county in the country. Only two other counties nationwide have that many arrests: Orange County in California, and Brevard County in Florida. Franklin County is home to Columbus, Ohio’s capital, and has a population of about 1.3 million.
In Kentucky, the greatest concentration of arrests is in Louisville, where three people face charges. Two were arrested in the Lexington region.
All five arrests in West Virginia came from five different counties.
Mix of Charges
Many of the charges against people around the Ohio Valley include entering and remaining in a restricted building, and disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building. Some also include violent entry of the capitol, obstruction of law enforcement, and theft or destruction of government property.
However, some area defendants face more serious charges.
George Tanios, a Morgantown, West Virginia restaurant owner, is charged with assault on a federal officer with a dangerous weapon, and conspiracy to injure an officer. A criminal complaint describes Tanios and a Pennsylvania man arranging to use chemical irritant spray on officers at the Capitol.
One of the injured officers, Brian Sicknick, later died. However, a coroner determined Sicknick’s death was unrelated to the injuries sustained in the Capitol violence. Tanios was arraigned in April and he pleaded not guilty to all counts. He remains in federal custody.
Four Ohio residents who are alleged members of the militia group the Oath Keepers are charged with conspiracy to delay or hinder Congress’ certification of the Electoral College vote.
Clayton Mullins of Mayfield, Kentucky, is charged with assaulting an officer and engaging in physical violence in a restricted building. The criminal complaint against Mullins includes images of him pulling a capitol officer by the leg into a crowd, where the officer was struck with poles, kicked, stomped and sprayed with chemical irritant. The complaint stated that a cut on the officer’s head required staples to close.
A former member of West Virginia’s legislature, Derrick Evans, was originally charged with entering a restricted building, a misdemeanor. Last week, federal authorities added a felony obstruction charge. Evans could face prison if convicted.
Lawmakers are responding to Gov. Jim Justice’s recent statement that the lack of health and human services funding in the recently passed budget is "a dog’s mess.”
The governor has signed 73 bills into law, and vetoed one. There are slightly fewer than a hundred bills waiting for action - including some controversial bills.