On this West Virginia Week, a second data center is coming to Mason County, the Rural Health Transformation Program Funds are beginning to be distributed in the state, and remembering Dolly Parton. 

Bill Lynch is our host this week. Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. 

West Virginia Week is a web-only podcast that explores the week's biggest news in the Mountain State. It's produced with help from Bill Lynch, Chris Schulz, Eric Douglas and Maria Young. 

Learn more about West Virginia Week. 

We remember the one and only Dolly Parton. 

Dolly used her musical success to help others. She started the Imagination Library, a free book program for children that included some of her favorites, like the Little Engine that Could. 

And, Dolly’s kindness touched people from all walks of life.  

Today, we’re honoring Dolly Parton, Inside Appalachia.

In This Episode:

Since her estate made the announcement of her passing on Aug. 25, grieving fans have written tributes and fond remembrances. Mountain Stage host and fellow country music star Kathy Mattea, who has spent a little time with Dolly, shared a few memories with Host Mason Adams. 

Blue Ridge Public Radio’s Katie Myers lives in east Tennessee. And she was in Sevier County, Tennessee on assignment the day it was announced Dolly had died. While in the area, Myers visited Dolly’s statue in Sevierville and brought us this story.

Dolly Parton recorded more than 1,000 songs. But — crucially — she was also a song writer, who wrote more than 3,000 songs, including tracks that were recorded by many, many others. 

Lydia Hamessley is a professor of music at Hamilton College, in New York, and the author of Unlikely Angel: The Songs of Dolly Parton. She spent nearly a decade researching Dolly’s music catalog. 

Associate Producer Abby Neff talked with Hamessley. 

For all of her musical success, a lot of people have spent the time since her death talking about her community work. A huge part of that, was Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, an early childhood literacy program she started in 1995. The program mails free, high-quality books to children from birth to age five, no matter their family’s income.

In 2022, Dolly visited West Virginia, to celebrate the moment when all 55 of the state’s counties became part of the Imagination Library. 

WVPB's then Executive Producer Suzanne Higgins met Dolly at the Clay Center in Charleston and spoke with her about the origins of the program and why it was so dear to her.  

Dolly also meant a lot to educator, author and poet Willie Carver Jr. from east Kentucky. He wrote a piece for MSNOW memorializing her life and death.

Producer Bill Lynch spoke with Carver about the loss of Dolly Parton. 

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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Blue Dot Sessions, Mountain Stage with a recorded live performance by Kathy Mattea. Additional music from Ron Mullennex and Dolly Parton.  

Bill Lynch is our producer. Abby Neff is our associate producer. Our executive producer is Eric Douglas. Irina Zhorov is our editor. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens.  

You can send us an email: [email protected].

You can find us on Instagram, Threads or here on Facebook.

Inside Appalachia is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

On this West Virginia Morning, we remember Dolly Parton, not just as a musician and celebrity, but as a voice for Appalachian humor, resilience and kindness. Inside Appalachia’s Mason Adams spoke with Mountain Stage host and country star Kathy Mattea, who shares some of her memories. 

Also, a second data center is coming to Mason County, Gov. Patrick Morrisey announced Thursday. 

And, Justice William “Bill” Wooton has been released from a hospital following a medical incident Wednesday morning in the midst of oral arguments at the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia.  

Finally, the U.S. Department of Justice is offering free training and prevention resources to help schools and youth groups keep children safe online.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content. 

Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.

West Virginia Morning is produced with help from Bill Lynch, Chris Schulz, Eric Douglas and Maria Young.

Eric Douglas is our news director. Teresa Wills is our host. Maria Young is our producer.

Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:49 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning

On this West Virginia Morning, NPR recently released a story showing that heat-related deaths in the United States have likely been undercounted. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) tracks deaths, but it isn’t always easy to attribute a death to heat. News Director Eric Douglas sat down with Brian Leary, assistant professor and director of tactical performance physiology with the WVU School of Medicine Division of Exercise Physiology, to discuss what heat does to the body and what it means in West Virginia.

Also, Justice William "Bill" Wooton experienced what was described as a medical incident Wednesday morning during oral arguments at the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia.

And, a new analysis from the state treasurer's office hopes to dispel confusion around potential tax revenue from data centers.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, which is solely responsible for its content.

Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.

Maria Young produced this episode.

Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:49 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning

On this West Virginia Morning, every week, the Appalachia + Mid-South Newsroom’s Bill Burton and meteorologist Tawana Andrew break down what we know - and what we don't - about the climate and weather in the region. This week, we're talking about when different areas of the country have their hottest days.

Also, education leaders, families and community members are calling on lawmakers to take immediate action on school funding.

And, a memorial that honors a West Virginia hero and generations of soldiers who bravely served with him is one step closer to reality.

Finally, state tax collections for August came in higher than expected, but the pace is expected to cool as the most recently passed personal income tax cuts are fully implemented.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, which is solely responsible for its content.

Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.

Maria Young produced this episode.

Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:49 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning

On this West Virginia Morning, National Save A Life day began in West Virginia, but organizers say some people are reluctant to pick up the free, easy-to-use naloxone kits that could someday help someone in need due to stigma. Maria Young caught up with Caroline Wilson, the National Save A Life Day coordinator, to find out what to expect if you stop by one of the dozens of booths planned across the state later this month. 

Also community and conservation groups are asking West Virginia courts to make sure their challenges to an air permit are properly reviewed, and a second climber dies near Seneca Rocks.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, which is solely responsible for its content.

Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.

Maria Young produced this episode.

Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:49 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning

On this West Virginia Morning, noise pollution has reached dangerous levels for residents living near the Memphis-Mississippi border. That’s the home of Elon Musk’s X-AI data center campus that runs Grok, the AI chatbot for the social platform X, formerly known as Twitter. For the Appalachia + Mid-South Newsroom, WPLN’s Caroline Eggers reports on what’s becoming an emerging model of data center – and unchecked noise pollution. 

Also, SNAP recipients in four West Virginia counties are now able to purchase hot foods using their SNAP benefits through Sept. 26. 

And, 54 low-security inmates at the Ohio County Correctional Center in Wheeling are in the process of being moved to other facilities so the jail there can close.  

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, which is solely responsible for its content.

Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.

Maria Young produced this episode.

Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:49 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning

On this West Virginia Week, a client for a big data center is revealed, flock cameras see resistance and social media settles in court. 

Bill Lynch is our host this week. Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. 

West Virginia Week is a web-only podcast that explores the week's biggest news in the Mountain State. It's produced with help from Bill Lynch, Chris Schulz, Eric Douglas and Maria Young. 

Learn more about West Virginia Week. 

On this West Virginia Morning, we lost the beloved Dolly Parton this week. The Tennessee native was an American music icon, an actress and a philanthropist. She was also, undeniably, Appalachian.

To mark her passing, Inside Appalachia’s Mason Adams spoke with Ted Olson, a country music historian at East Tennessee State University’s Department for Appalachian Studies.

And South Charleston High School's varsity football team took to the field for the first game of the season Thursday night wearing new, safer helmets that are showing up on football fields across the state.

Also, a West Virginia whistleblower alleges federal funds for HIV treatment are being misused, and some of the best whitewater in the country is coming to West Virginia in a few short weeks.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content. 

Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.

West Virginia Morning is produced with help from Bill Lynch, Chris Schulz, Eric Douglas, and  Maria Young.

Eric Douglas is our news director. Teresa Wills is our host. Maria Young produced this episode.

Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:49 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning

On this West Virginia Morning, Hollywood may have coined the term 'failure to launch,' but it's showing up in young adults in West Virginia – for a troubling reason. There are so many young people in the U.S. who are not working or going to school, there’s a name for it - disconnected youth. About 12% of West Virginia’s young people from 16 to 24 fall into that category. And while the rate has dropped, it’s still a challenge.  

In the latest episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay works with co-producer Kyle Vass to learn why the state has such a high number. Vass talks with psychologist Colleen Moran about what prevents some people from moving ahead.  

A national settlement with the makers of social media platforms Facebook and Instagram means not only big money for West Virginia, but changes to the sites themselves.

Also Dolly Parton's Imagination Library of West Virginia has received tremendous response to the passing of the country music superstar and the moon puts on a celestial show tonight.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, which is solely responsible for its content.

Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.

Maria Young produced this episode.

Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:49 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning