Across the nation, more than 390,000 children rely on foster care. However, a shortage of licensed foster homes is creating a national crisis. While official foster care cases are carefully tracked, many informal examples of kinship care aren’t part of the data. For this Us & Them episode, we hear the experiences of those who’ve been part of the foster care system.
General Chuck Yeager Honored During Ceremony In Charleston
Listen
Share this Article
Aviation pioneer and West Virginia native Chuck Yeager was honored Friday as “one of the greatest heroes in American history” by friends, family and dignitaries.
“Chuck Yeager got into the cockpit of the Glamorous Glennis and became the first human being ever to break the sound barrier,” Vice President Mike Pence said. “At just 24 years of age, Chuck Yeager became an inspiration to an entire generation of American pilots.”
Born in Myra, West Virginia on Feb. 13, 1923, Yeager learned to fly in the U.S. Army Air Corps. After World War II he became a test pilot.
On Oct. 14, 1947, Yeager broke the sound barrier in the Bell X-1 airplane, paving the way for manned space flight. His role was immortalized in the book and the film, “The Right Stuff.”
Dignitaries and public figures including Apollo astronauts Charlie Duke and Frank Borman, along with Barbara Eden and the Oak Ridge Boys, honored Yeager in a series of recorded messages.
On the stage, Yeager’s wife Victoria Yeager pointed to an empty chair and paraphrased something she remembers her husband once said.
“This chair may seem empty, but it’s not,” she said. “It’s full of memories. And don’t any of you ever forget, don’t let your children forget, your grandchildren, your great grandchildren on down the line, know who this man was and all that he has done.”
Yeager was 97 years old when he died at his home in California on Dec. 7, 2020.
Across the nation, more than 390,000 children rely on foster care. However, a shortage of licensed foster homes is creating a national crisis. While official foster care cases are carefully tracked, many informal examples of kinship care aren’t part of the data. For this Us & Them episode, we hear the experiences of those who’ve been part of the foster care system.
Stock car racing’s roots run deep in Appalachia. Our twisty roads and dark hollers were home to moonshiners — and moonshine runners, who became known for their driving skills. And they became some of NASCAR’s first stars when it formed in 1948. But NASCAR’s oldest continuous racing team had nothing to do with moonshine.
WVPB's Matt Jackfert speaks with harper, composer and producer Maeve Gilchrist. They discuss her compositions, the Silkroad Ensemble and the group's upcoming performance.
For Sue and Stan Jennings, woodworking isn’t just a way to make a living, it’s a way of life. What started out as a passion for the craft was born out of necessity. Over the last 30 years, the Jennings have developed a thriving business making wood objects called treenware — small wooden kitchen utensils.