Hometown Stories

They say grandpa's way may not be the most effective.

This is the basis of research experts at Virginia Tech are conducting to better protect us when it comes to our online presence. In this episode of Hometown Stories, we discuss the importance of privacy measures, how bad actors could be using your data and ultimately - how to regain control.

One rural Virginia county has a robust relationship with all things maple. In fact, they're so sweet on the product there's an entire festival dedicated to it. In this episode of Hometown Stories, let us take you on a sugar camp tour. They teach us how they've come to boil down to a science the art of tradition and innovation to keep producing their precious products even as winters grow shorter and warmer

The FDA has just approved the lifesaving opioid overdose reversal medication for over-the-counter purchase. What does this mean? How could it help prevent more fatal overdoses? In this episode of Hometown Stories, Danny Clawson with the Virginia Harm Reduction Coalition explains why everyone should carry Narcan and how this approval will help save lives.

In 2020, Frederick Miller was looking to buy a place in Gretna, Virginia to host family gatherings. He settled on Sharswood, a stately home with gothic architecture and a hidden past. He discovered a beautiful property and a family mystery. In this episode of Hometown Stories, WDBJ7s Makayla Shelton explains how the Millers unknowingly reclaimed the land once home to their enslaved ancestors.

Henrietta Lacks was born in Roanoke in the 1920s. Unknowingly, she would go on to change the world, thanks to her immortal cells - taken from her without her consent or knowledge. More than 70 years after her death, her hometown is recognizing her in new ways with the help of two local artists

A historian walks into the National Archives and walks out with something we've never seen before. Virginia Tech Professor Ed Gitre unearths forgotten surveys of WWII soldiers. In this episode of Hometown Stories, how history and technology are painting us a more intimate picture of life as a soldier, one Gitre hopes will allow us to better understand the Greatest Generation. (A note from the curators of the project, the archive materials contain sensitive historical documents that may be difficult to read, harmful and offensive and some may be unsuitable for children.)

Some people falsely believe it simply didn't exist in our Blue Ridge Mountains. Now, the Glencoe Museum in Radford, Virginia is highlighting that history with a special exhibit and oral histories from locals and experts.

On December 8, Hometown Stories hosted its first ever in person storytelling event! We invited the community to hear from three guest speakers to talk about Hometowns - how they have been inspired by and continue to inspire their hometowns. Our guests included recently retired WDBJ7 meteorologist and anchor Robin Reed, Xavier Duckett (Humble Hustle and Imagine Me Mentoring), and Leah Weiss, award-winning southern writer (If the Creek Don't Rise and All the Little Hopes). And we made sure to record it so we could share it with you.