ALERT (03/07/2024): Due to a lightning strike, WVPB TV will be off the air in the Bethany/Wheeling area until new parts arrive. Thank you for your patience.
Across the nation, there are more and more local news deserts; communities with no local newspaper, television or radio station to cover what’s going on. When a small town paper like The Welch News in McDowell County, WV, can’t compete and shuts down, losing those local eyes and ears can affect accountability. No one is there to watch over things. Local news also provides a sense of cohesion and identity for a community. What happens when it’s gone? This story was supported by the Pulitzer Center.
The History Channel featured a new show this year that focused on ginseng in Appalachia. According to Neilson ratings, the show, called Appalachian Outlaws, was one of the most popular on cable channels, averaging over 2.7 million viewers per each of its six episodes. There’s no official word if season two is in the works, and while some fans are hoping that there will be a second season, other people are hoping the show will just go away.
What is Ginseng?
Wild American ginseng has been harvested from North America since the 1700s. Demand for the plant’s root comes from Asian markets where plants like ginseng have been used medicinally for over 2500 years. And yes, we’re talking serious demand. A pound of quality, dried ginseng can easily sell for $400-$900. But that’s wild ginseng, or wild simulated (which means it’s being grown under watchful eyeballs in forested areas where it would naturally grow—if it had a chance).
The up-shot is that the plant is at risk. It’s been declining in numbers and it faces a lot of threats. In fact, it’s listed alongside things like ivory and shark and mahogany on CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, an international agreement between governments, which exists to protect species against over-exploitation through international trade.
Threats:
Habitat loss
Overharvesting
Browsing by white-tailed deer
Invasive species
Learn More:
How to Pick:
Three For the Money:
Is Appalachian Outlaws Irresponsible TV?
Some worry it promotes all the wrong practices, and viewers are mislead by inaccuracies. A letter has been written to A&E Network expressing concern. Petitions have been created to help in conservation efforts.
Across the nation, there are more and more local news deserts; communities with no local newspaper, television or radio station to cover what’s going on. When a small town paper like The Welch News in McDowell County, WV, can’t compete and shuts down, losing those local eyes and ears can affect accountability. No one is there to watch over things. Local news also provides a sense of cohesion and identity for a community. What happens when it’s gone? This story was supported by the Pulitzer Center.
A county commissioner has joined a chorus of healthcare professionals asking Gov. Jim Justice to veto a bill that would eliminate vaccine requirements for certain students in West Virginia.
On this West Virginia Morning, political analysts say the two Republican candidates for the U.S. Senate in the upcoming May primary election give voters some particular, and troubling, food for thought. The candidates themselves say voters need to focus on the positives, not the negatives.
Coles and Theresa “Red” Terry have been fighting over the Mountain Valley Pipeline nearly since it was first proposed in 2014. The project connects natural gas terminals in Virginia and West Virginia with a 303-mile pipeline that stretches across some of Appalachia’s most rugged terrain. Almost immediately after construction began, protestors tried to block it by setting up and living in platforms in trees along the route.