Mountain State Morning

Special announcement: The Mountain State Morning podcast is going on hiatus as we put all of our time and energy into covering the coronavirus and its effects on our community. You can read all that coverage for free at wvgazettemail.com/coronavirus. 

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For Stephanie and Neil Legg, traditional church services are becoming something of the past. Neil is pastor at Covenant Christian Fellowship, in Charleston. Stephanie is a therapist and yoga instructor. The couple is liquidating everything from the church their congregation has practiced in for nearly 40 years to renovate an old school bus into a mobile wellness clinic.

Tax reforms, greyhounds, Bibles in schools and the foster care system. Those are just some of the hundreds of issues that West Virginia's legislators have debated over the last 50 days. But now, there are less than 10 days left to pass bills and get them to the governor’s desk. On this week’s episode, Phil Kabler talks to us about the importance of Crossover Day, and how this session compares to the others he’s seen during his three decades as a statehouse reporter.

Earlier this legislative session, as they debated the need for a Fairness Act, lawmakers questioned whether members of the LGBTQ community in West Virginia are discriminated against for their sexual orientations or gender identity. The answer? A resounding yes. A group of advocates from Morgantown, armed with a documentary film crew and several members of the community willing to share their stories, set out to show legislators what that discrimination looks like.

Gunnoe Farms has operated in Charleston for more than 70 years, first as a sausage company, and now making salads. That’s about to end though. Owner Joy Gunnoe announced earlier this month it was the end for the salad business. The choice came after years of unfortunate circumstances -- a derecho, loan debt, the water crisis, to name a few. Today, we hear from Joy on what the last few years have entailed, and the uncertainty of the future.

In less than one year, 26 people in Charleston have had their lives saved by Naloxone kits carried by area businesses. Leaders with the program want to get more businesses on board to save more lives in 2020. This week, we join them as they work to recruit businesses on Charleston’s West Side.

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Students in Herbert Hoover High School’s next three graduating classes will finish their high school careers without ever having a high school of their own. It’s not quite a traditional high school experience. This week, we talk to students about what’s different.

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So you wake up in the morning and your newspaper is sitting on your porch. But how did it get there? This week, former Mountain State Morning producer Kate Mishkin takes us on a ride around Kanawha and Putnam Counties, giving a behind-the-scenes look at the newspaper delivery process and the people who make it possible.

Also in this episode: The House of Delegates passed a criminal justice reform bill, and the Secretary of State's purge of voter rolls took out more Democrats than Republicans.

More than 300,000 West Virginians rely on food pantries each month to eat. Many of those pantries have little on their shelves, which are supplied by wavering donations and organized by a handful of aging volunteers.

The state’s largest food bank, however, is sometimes overflowing with food. Today we look at why that food doesn’t make it to some of the smaller pantries that residents rely on, and what could be done to alleviate some of the hunger in West Virginia.

West Virginia’s legislature is officially back in session. State senators and delegates will be in Charleston for the next 60 days passing and debating bills that will affect many West Virginians. Last night, Governor Jim Justice gave his annual State of the State address. We’ll break down what he discussed, and what we can expect to see from other state lawmakers as the session proceeds.