I originally started Mountain State Matters as a blog for my Interactive Storytelling class at Medill. Now, the class is over. I’m going to keep trying to maintain and update the site, but posts will likely be more sporadic than they used to be. Keep checking back, though! Also, check out the geo-tagging tab at the top, as I’ll be trying to geo-tag each post. If you’re looking for posts about a certain area of the state, you might be able to find them on the map.
I’m also looking for other contributors. If you’re from or interested in West Virginia and think writing a post or two a week about the state sounds like a good time, let me know! You can comment on this post, or e-mail me at erica DOT m DOT peterson AT gmail DOT com with your contact information. Submissions of WV-related photos and stories are also appreciated and encouraged.
Let’s just say that hypothetically a small mountain community is able to choose between two different types of energy production. Both will put their town in a place of providing energy for a good chunk of the country. Both will provide jobs. One will be sustainable. The other will ruin the town’s mountains and streams and be used up in 14 years.
This is the quandary in which the folks of Coal River Mountain find themselves. An article today in the Register-Herald outlined the community’s proposal to the Raleigh County Commission to support a wind farm, rather than strip mining, on the mountain’s ridges.
“It was found that Coal River Mountain has enough wind potential and land area to accommodate 220 two-megawatt wind turbines. Calculations showed that this was enough energy to power over 150,000 homes or over 90,000 total electricity customers, including residential, commercial and industrial units,” [Rory Mcilmoil of Coal River Mountain Watch said.]
Mcilmoil claims production estimates in the strip mining permits show that mining operations will last for only 14 years.
“Once the coal is gone, there will be no more jobs available, the water will be contaminated, many of the residents will have moved out or been bought out, and the forest, another source of potential jobs and revenue, will be gone for decades to come, as will the possibility of producing clean wind energy on the scale that is currently available,” he said.
A fact that’s key is that mining permits haven’t yet been issued for the land, so there could be time to get a wind farm in. Let’s hope the Raleigh County Commission realizes a great opportunity for Southern West Virginia to begin cultivating more sustainable, environmentally-friendly energy sources.
Mountain State Matters has now grown to over 40 (40!) posts, and I’m conducting a bit of readership research. No matter who you are or why you’re here, if you wouldn’t mind answering the following questions I’ll be forever grateful. You can post the responses as a comment (no need to leave your full name) or e-mail me at erica DOT m DOT peterson AT gmail DOT com.
1. Tell me about yourself. Where do you live? What do you do? How old are you?
2. Why are you reading this blog? Did you happen upon it during a Google search? Are you interested in West Virginia news and issues? Do you know me and feel obligated to read my blog?
3. What online groups and communities do you belong to? Do you use Facebook, Myspace or Flickr?
4. How do you prefer to read blogs: via online, e-mail digest, RSS feed, etc.?
5. Which posts/categories on Mountain State Matters have you enjoyed the most?
6. What can I improve about the website that would make it more interesting/prettier/easier to navigate?
The Associated Press reported today that Dick Cheney took a shot (pun intended) at West Virginia. It turns out there are Cheneys on both sides of his family.
“And we don’t even live in West Virginia,” Cheney quipped.
“You can say those things when you’re not running for re-election.”
Haha. Hilarious. I hope someone takes the liberty of adding Vice President Cheney to the definition of “inbred” at Urban Dictionary.
The Asheville Citizen-Times reported yesterday that the North Carolina General Assembly will hear a proposal to halt the state’s use of coal obtained through mountaintop removal.
“Mountaintop removal coal mining presents a clear and present danger to the Appalachian Mountains, which are home to a vibrant and indelible culture, stunning biodiversity and enormous economic potential,” said Rep. Pricey Harrison, D-Guilford, the bill’s sponsor.”
Apparently nine of the state’s power plants get their coal from mountaintop removal. I have no idea if the bill will pass, but check out I Love Mountains to find out if your electricity is also coming from mountaintop removal.
The New York Times had a front page article today on clean coal…and how the industry seems to have slowed moving forward on the technology.
President Bush is for it, and indeed has spent years talking up the virtues of “clean coal.” All three candidates to succeed him favor the approach. So do many other members of Congress. Coal companies are for it. Many environmentalists favor it. Utility executives are practically begging for the technology.
But it has become clear in recent months that the nation’s effort to develop the technique is lagging badly.
In January, the government canceled its support for what was supposed to be a showcase project, a plant at a carefully chosen site in Illinois where there was coal, access to the power grid, and soil underfoot that backers said could hold the carbon dioxide for eons.
Perhaps worse, in the last few months, utility projects in Florida, West Virginia, Ohio, Minnesota and Washington State that would have made it easier to capture carbon dioxide have all been canceled or thrown into regulatory limbo.
True, this is a story in the business section, but I know few (or no) environmentalists who are into clean coal. The whole concept is basically a blind to make people think that coal could ever be environmentally friendly. If the industry is slowing down, it may be a reluctance to invest more money in something that doesn’t offer a long-term environmentally-viable solution. But probably not. It probably means people are questioning the profitability of clean coal.
The Charleston Gazette reported today that smaller hospitals in West Virginia want to be able to offer heart procedures–and they’re meeting resistance from three of the state’s large hospitals that offer the surgery. Currently, only six hospitals in the entire state offer open heart surgery.
The issue has become contentious, in part because heart catheterizations are one of the few profit-making services that hospitals offer.
In letters to the Health Care Authority, executives at large hospitals said they’ve invested millions of dollars in catheterization labs to diagnose and treat heart disease. They predict they’ll lose patients to nearby hospitals that duplicate services.
For instance, Wheeling Hospital, which offers open-heart bypass surgery, would have to compete with hospitals only a few miles away, if Ohio Valley Medical Center in Wheeling and Reynolds Memorial Hospital started to offer life-saving catheterizations.
“Creating duplicative programs at hospitals across town will do nothing to increase access, will do everything to increase costs and, most important, will decrease quality,” wrote Wheeling Hospital Chief Executive Officer Ron Violi last week.
True, but what about the rest of the state? The Wheeling area is pretty heavily populated (by West Virginia standards) and is right by both Ohio and Pennsylvania. Currently, Charleston is the southernmost city in the state offering heart surgery (there are two hospitals offering procedures there). Wouldn’t it, in fact, improve access to care to allow smaller hospitals in smaller cities to do the surgery as well?
If hospitals in Princeton, Bluefield, Beckley, Welch, Williamson and Lewisburg could all perform heart surgery, at least the costs of having to airlift heart attack patients to Charleston would be eliminated. I have no idea how legitimate Violi’s concerns about quality are, but if it is a legitimate concern maybe having qualified surgeons staffing the state’s hospitals should be a priority. You can check out West Virginia health stats here…they aren’t really uplifting.
The death of a man from Connecticut on Sunday marks the third whitewater rafting fatality in West Virginia in a week. Whitewater rafting is amazing, and is something that West Virginia is known for (the Gauley River is one of the best advanced whitewater rivers in the country), but carries a ton of risks. In case you’re lucky enough to get the chance to raft (whether in W.Va. or elsewhere) here are some safety tips, with help from essortment.com.
1. There are a ton of rafting companies operating near whitewater rivers. Therefore, you have a choice where to spend your (large amounts of) money. Check safety records, whether you have to go to the owner of the company or local authorities.
2. This should be obvious, but don’t go without a professional guide. Most people can’t get away with jumping into the river with a rubber raft. You’ll probably die.
3. Make sure you get the proper safety equipment when you get on the raft. You should definitely have a Coast Guard Approved life jacket that fits snugly. Helmets are also a very good idea, though not required by law.
4. Wear shoes. I know you’re in the water, but find some sandals or old sneakers that you don’t mind getting wet. If you get out of the boat, you’ll need something to protect your feet.
5. Choose a trip that’s appropriate for your skill level. If it’s your first time on a raft or your swimming skills are questionable, don’t go on an advanced trip. Also make sure to tell your guide that you’re a beginner at the beginning of the trip.
Child abuse is a huge problem in the United States, and West Virginia is no exception. In fact, in 2005 (the last year for which data was available) WV had the highest child abuse referral rate in the nation–about one referral for every 10 children. The same year, West Virginia also had the second-highest child death rate from abuse and neglect.
How can one recognize the signs of child abuse and do something about it? In the video below, Emily Chittenden, an AmeriCorps*VISTA at the Child and Youth Advocacy Center in Lewisburg, WV, answers those questions.
This potent beverage, also known as “white lightening,” “’shine,” “corn likker” and “rotgut” is still technically illegal in the United States. It used to be brewed in the light of the moon, hence the name, in old-fashioned moonshine stills (like in the picture). Today, however, it’s just as likely to be brewed in someone’s kitchen. Depending on the distiller’s taste, you can get many flavors, ranging from apple to cherry to peach.
The truth is though, that moonshine tastes like very strong liquor, regardless of the flavor. So why the allure? Is it a desire to get drunker while drinking less, or curiosity about moonshine? It sure isn’t cheap to buy, and will definitely set you back more than a cheap bottle of vodka.
A recent article in the Knoxville Voice addresses the mystique surrounding moonshine. The whole article is really interesting, but here’s a snippet:
The average jar of moonshine ranges between 90- and 140-proof. The masters say once beyond the 100-proof level, 50 percent alcohol content, the fun component begins to wane and the headaches increase exponentially. Everclear grain alcohol is sold at 190-proof. Southern Comfort whiskey is 100-proof. Moonshine can be made stronger than those, but it usually isn’t. Even if it were, most wouldn’t want to drink it, as it would contain a flavor similar to lighter fluid — which it practically is; 190-proof alcohol is highly flammable.
Although I couldn’t find the fabled land of moonshine bars and open stills, I’ve still seen plenty of jars passed around at parties and gatherings in the area. So why do some go to the trouble of obtaining it, paying cash and risking arrest or fine? Why do people still risk everything they have to make it?
“Right now, there’s a whole lot of nostalgia involved,” says Stephen Feinstein, East Tennessee moonshine maker and historian. “My grandfather did it. He got sick, but then his uncle was one of the largest bootleggers in Nashville. It’s a family thing, and it’s very important to me. My grandfather was a legend, and that’s why I got into the whiskey.”
And that is a common answer: People who make moonshine are celebrating their family’s history and culture. Perhaps people who drink moonshine want a piece of that history, want to be a part of that narrative.
“People buy it now out of curiosity,” says Feinstein. “People call other people to say ‘I got moonshine.’ It’s expensive, but people want to say they have it. I don’t think most of them like it. Some just buy it to have it at a party. It’s the allure.”
For anyone who wants to try their hand at manufacturing it, here’s a convenient video from YouTube. I’m not a huge fan of the music choice (”Banana Boat Song” and “Eye of the Tiger,”) and I have no idea how accurate it is, but I suppose there’s only one way to find out.
