Us & Them

Us & Them episodes:

• 04.24.2024

  Our Foster Care Crisis

  There’s a foster care crisis in America. Nationally, more than 390,000 children are in foster care, in West Virginia that’s just over 6,000 children who need a safe place to call home. Last year, more than half of all states...

  
• 04.11.2024

  Us & Them: Locked Out Of Voting?

  More than 4.5 million Americans cannot vote because of a felony conviction but only about a quarter are currently in prison. On the newest episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay talks with people who support expanded voting rights for...

  
• 03.26.2024

  Us & Them: Another Small Town Paper Down

  Our country’s divides often reveal themselves in our choices and habits, including how and where we get our information. As the economics of the media landscape have imploded, the economics of the industry have forced changes. In the past two...

  
• 03.13.2024

  Us & Them Encore: Dicamba Woes

  There's a nationwide rift among farmers over the use of dicamba, a popular herbicide. A 2024  federal court ruling  has halted dicamba's use, but the Environmental Protection Agency has given the green light for farmers to use existing supplies this...

  
• 02.21.2024

  Us & Them: Navigating Post-Pandemic Medicaid

  Our healthcare systems continue to struggle from aftereffects of the pandemic. The most recent example spotlights Medicaid - a joint federal and state program that provides health coverage for more than 90 million Americans with limited resources. After several years...

  
• 02.07.2024

  Us & Them: The Geography of Abortion

  State borders are the new front lines in the nation’s abortion battle. On this episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay looks at the evolving geography of abortion. Since a 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision overturned federal abortion rights, 21...

  
• 01.24.2024

  Us & Them: Expungement — Between Hope and Danger

  It’s estimated that more than a quarter of the adults in West Virginia have a criminal record. That includes cases with one arrest or more, but no conviction or jail time. Those records can still show up years later in...

  
• 01.10.2024

  Us & Them: Caught Between Two Worlds

  American politics is now a very ‘us and them’ world. Insiders know the privilege of power, but loyalties can shift and doors can slam shut. Cassidy Hutchinson, who worked in the Trump administration knows both sides. She was a dedicated...

  
• 12.21.2023

  Us & Them: 2023 Had Some Serious Trust Issues

  It’s the time of year to look back on where we’ve been and prepare for what’s ahead. Us & Them host Trey Kay has been reflecting on 2023, and a theme that’s been consistent -  trust, or more importantly, our lack...

  
• 12.13.2023

  Us & Them: Bidding Farewell To My Unlikely Friend, Alice Moore

  Friendships that last through the years can be a remarkable gift. In this episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay remembers his dear friend Alice Moore who recently passed away. Kay talks about the gentle kindness that defined their...

  
• 11.21.2023

  Us & Them: Diminished Trust In Science

  Our confidence is eroding. Polls and surveys report we’ve lost trust in one another and in some of our most essential institutions. As a followup to September’s event at WVU on trust in the media, Us & Them host Trey...

  
• 11.08.2023

  Us & Them: Potluck & Politics

  In this episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay invites his dinner party guests to gather once again for some fresh conversation across the divide. Kay’s friends, old and new, all share a favorite dish at the potluck meal...

  
• 10.25.2023

  Us & Them: Diminished Trust In The News Media

  Trust is in short supply in America as social and political divides continue to erode our faith in our democratic republic. National surveys and polls show that people distrust each other as well as our government and institutions. Us & Them...

  
• 10.11.2023

  To Friend or Unfriend? That Is The Question

  Many Americans are getting good at ignoring friends and relatives who disagree with them. Roughly four in ten registered voters say they don’t have a close friend who supports the opposing party’s candidate according to a Pew Research study. Think...

  
• 09.27.2023

  Mental Health Crisis Behind Bars In West Virginia

  Overcrowding and understaffing have pushed West Virginia’s prisons and jails to what many believe is a crisis point. On this episode of Us & Them, we hear what incarceration is like for someone in a mental health crisis. Hundreds of thousands...

  
• 09.13.2023

  Trust: East Palestinians Not On The Same Track

  In the aftermath of a disaster, people search for assistance and answers. Since a rural Ohio train derailment sent toxic material into the air, soil and water earlier this year, people in East Palestine have needed help. Some look to...

  
• 08.23.2023

  Us & Them Encore: The Right To Compete

  At least 20 states have laws banning transgender girls and women from competing on girls and womens sports teams. On the next episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay looks at the battle over gender and sports. Kay talks...

  
• 08.09.2023

  Us & Them Encore: Leaving The White Bubble

  Travel is an activity some people use as a classroom.  Leaving the familiar lets us learn about culture, history, the environment and many other topics. Us & Them host Trey Kay joined a small group to travel through America’s southern...

  
• 07.26.2023

  Us & Them Encore: Court of Second Chances?

  This episode of Us & Them was first released in December of 2022 and since then, it has received a regional Edward R. Murrow award from the Radio Television Digital News Association for best podcast. We've updated the episode and...

  
• 07.12.2023

  Us & Them: SNAP — Do The Hungry Get More Policy Than Nutrician?

  More than 12 percent of Americans, or 42 million people, need help getting enough food to eat. In West Virginia, that number is about 18 percent. That help comes from a federal program called SNAP - the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program,...

  
• 06.21.2023

  Us & Them: Who Gets Stuck Behind Bars In West Virginia?

  West VIrginia’s state prisons and jails are overcrowded and understaffed. Just over half of those who are incarcerated have not yet been found guilty of a crime, they’re in a cell because they can’t make their bail. Many of those people...

  
• 06.07.2023

  Us & Them: Larry Bellorín’s Unwritten Song

  Larry Bellorín began making his living as a singer, multi-instrumental musician and music teacher when he was a teenager in Venezuela. His career was interrupted abruptly in 2013 when Venezuela’s state-run economy crashed and socialist President Nicholas Maduro cracked down...

  
• 05.24.2023

  Us & Them: The ‘Toxic Stew’ Of School Discipline

  Across the nation, students of color and those from poor families are more likely to be suspended from school and data from West Virginia reflects this national trend. In fact, research shows when a teacher thinks a student of color is...

  
• 05.10.2023

  A Fiddler Contemplates The Fate of the Mountain State

  Phillip Bowen grew up playing the fiddle. The 38-year-old learned classical violin as well as how to improvise on the fiddle, combining musical styles and genres. Now, the West Virginia native has turned to song writing, becoming a phenomenon on...

  
• 04.26.2023

  Us & Them Encore: The Gun Divide

  Us & Them was recently honored with a first place award for best documentary from Virginias Associated Press Broadcasters. Our episode called “The Gun Divide” looks at gun ownership in America, and the way our social, political and racial divisions fuel...

  
• 04.11.2023

  Diminishing OB Care In Rural America

  Children are the future - it’s a common refrain. However, in isolated, rural communities across America, there are people traveling many miles from their home to deliver babies. Since 2010, nearly 150 rural hospitals have shut down - a victim of...

  
• 03.23.2023

  Changing A State's Mind About Health

  West Virginia often ends up at the bottom of national health reports — the rates of obesity and diabetes, conditions that can lead to cardiac and kidney disease. The region’s legacy of active, manual mining work has given way to a...

  
• 03.08.2023

  Compassion Fatigue

  Homelessness has been on the rise since 2016 and the pandemic only exacerbated an acute shortage of resources to help people living on the streets. Now, many communities are struggling to provide support as some homeless people turn away from...

  
• 02.22.2023

  Us & Them: Re-Entry

  America’s prison system incarcerates millions of people, but at least 95% of all state prisoners are released after they serve their sentence. Some struggle to navigate that transition successfully. On this Us & Them episode, host Trey Kay hears about...

  
• 02.08.2023

  The Fight For The Youth Vote

  Nothing divides Americans like politics. At the same time, young people are showing up to vote. Turnout in America among 18 to 29 year olds shot up in the 2020 election to 55% — a level of participation not seen...

  
• 01.25.2023

  The Housing Struggle

  America is staring down the barrel of its long term housing issues. Now, there are added complications and divisions created over the last few years. On this episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay looks at the outcome of...

  
• 01.06.2023

  Finding Your Family

  International adoption helped many Americans build families, but a dark side victimized poor people in developing countries. The practice began in the 1950s to help Korean War orphans and more than 70 years later hundreds of thousands of children born...

  
• 12.19.2022

  2023: Where Do We Go From Here?

  It’s been a year in America with lots of big political news and some very disturbing events. Supreme Court decisions are reshaping the nation’s policies as violence and shootings continue to take lives. Us & Them host Trey Kay has...

  
• 12.07.2022

  Court of Second Chances?

  In West Virginia there are nearly 50 specialized court programs designed to help teens and adults kick their drug addictions. Drug courts divert people away from incarceration into a rigorous, court-monitored treatment program. They are intense experiences, some more than...

  
• 11.21.2022

  Reimagining A Region

  Imagining the future is at the core of this episode of Us & Them. Earlier this fall, we held a day-long workshop to hear ideas and talk about what can make the future a reality. The Civic Imagination Project based...

  
• 11.09.2022

  Us & Them: Post-Roe Mountain State

  There’s a lot of energy and movement on abortion policy and law this fall. Some states have defined their position with five states offering ballot measures to protect or further restrict access to abortion. Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned...

  
• 10.26.2022

  Please Pass The Politics

  It’s time for our Us & Them dinner party crew to share a meal in person! This remarkable group of people has been meeting for two years, virtually, to talk across their social and political divides. There’s a lot they...

  
• 10.05.2022

  Manchin Is Us & Them

  U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin may be redefining the nation’s political landscape by reconfiguring the middle. While some say he’s tough to predict, others insist Sen. Manchin’s consistency has come to serve as an important political reference point. As the spotlight...

  
• 09.21.2022

  Manchin In The Middle

  West Virginia’s U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin is the man in the middle. For years, Manchin has used his deciding vote in the Senate to stand up to Pres. Joe Biden’s legislative agenda, but recently a surprise agreement changed everything. In...

  
• 09.07.2022

  Do We Have A Hearing Problem?

  Whatever you call what happened at the Capitol on January 6th, 2021, a rally - a protest - a riot - or an insurrection, the congressional investigation and hearings are forging new territory. On this episode of Us & Them,...

  
• 08.24.2022

  Us & Them Encore: Blair Mountain

  More than a hundred years ago West Virginia was home to our nation’s most violent labor uprising. For some, the Battle of Blair Mountain was a watershed moment when coal workers decided their rights were worth fighting and even dying...

  
• 08.10.2022

  Us & Them Encore: The Dental Gap

  Many West Virginians have trouble with their teeth. In fact, there’s a big gap between folks who can reliably access an affordable dentist and those who can’t. That’s no surprise when half the state’s counties have fewer than six dentists....

  
• 07.27.2022

  The Right To Compete

  More than a dozen states have new laws banning transgender girls and women from competing on girls and womens sports teams. Recently, three states have limited medical care or treatment that supports gender affirming therapy. On this episode of Us...

  
• 07.13.2022

  Us & Them Encore: Kingwood March Exposed a Raw Seam of Rage

  2020 presented new levels of outrage over police killings of Black and Brown people in this nation. Police killed George Floyd and Breonna Taylor which prompted protests, marches and rallies to denounce racially motivated police brutality. A Black Lives Matter...

  
• 06.22.2022

  Vaccines: Now For Us, Later for Them

  Charges of vaccine hoarding and global protectionism are coloring the debate over our  response to new strains of COVID with vaccinations. The World Health Organization reports so far, only 16% of people in low-income countries have gotten a single vaccine...

  
• 06.07.2022

  Doctors Hit Socials To Cure Disinformation

  Healthcare workers are the glue in our public health system. They’ve seen firsthand the impacts of messaging around COVID-19 — the good, the bad, and the downright dangerous — especially on social media. That firehose of information shaped our experience...

  
• 05.25.2022

  The Gun Divide

  America has roughly 400 million guns in circulation. Our divisions - social, political and racial - and our fear of those differences fuel even more gun purchases. 2020 showed a historic rise in gun violence. Guns killed a record 45,000...

  
• 05.12.2022

  Dicamba: Things Have Gotten A Bit Ugly

  The weedkiller dicamba has created a divide between people who work the land in Arkansas.  In a new episode from the award-winning program Us & Them (from PRX & West Virginia Public Broadcasting), their team follows up on a story...

  
• 04.28.2022

  Us & Them: Who Can We Trust?

  Our trust can be tested by many things, both personal and professional. Political fractures make us question those we disagree with. The shifting science of a pandemic presents challenging scenarios for healthcare leaders. As COVID cases continue to rise and...

  
• 04.14.2022

  Us & Them: Books Under Fire

  America’s public schools are once again in the crosshairs of our nation’s culture wars. Some parents want more say in what and how their kids are taught — especially topics like racial history and gender studies. These parents say schools...