Shows / Blankenship On Trial
Blankenship On Trial
On April 5, 2010, 29 men were killed in an explosion at the Upper Big Branch Mine in Montcoal, West Virginia. Federal regulators say a history of unsafe practices led to the explosion and prosecutors are now trying to prove that culture at Massey Energy came from the top down, starting with former CEO Don Blankenship. These are the stories as they are told in the courtroom, the evidence as presented by both sides and the community's reactions to the trial of Don Blankenship.
Episodes
Blankenship On TrialWhat To Expect At A National Save A Life Day Booth, This West Virginia Morning
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…
Blankenship On TrialUnchecked Data Center Noise Pollution, This West Virginia Morning
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…
Blankenship On TrialData Center Client Revealed And Flock Cameras See Resistance, This West Virginia Week
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…
Blankenship On TrialRemembering Dolly Parton’s Appalachian Roots, This West Virginia Morning
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…
Blankenship On TrialWhy The Youth Are Disconnected, This West Virginia Morning
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…
Blankenship On TrialUs & Them Encore: Disconnected Youth
There are so many young people in the U.S. who are not in school, working or training for work, that there’s a name for it. They are ‘disconnected youth,’ and…
Blankenship On TrialDolly Parton’s Imagination Library In W.Va., This West Virginia Morning
On this West Virginia Morning, singer, actress and icon Dolly Parton visited West Virginia in 2022 to celebrate the state’s full participation in her…
Blankenship On TrialEfforts Underway To Protect A Rare Plant, This West Virginia Morning
On this West Virginia Morning, one of the world’s rarest plants, the Peters Mountain Mallow, lives on only one mountainside, in the New River Valley along the…
Blankenship On TrialKentucky Neighbors Call For More Data Center Transparency, This West Virginia Morning
On this West Virginia Morning, as developers rapidly propose data centers across Kentucky, their neighbors are struggling to find out what it will mean for…
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New Transmission Line Sees Resistance And The State Has A New Secretary Of Tourism, This West Virginia Week
On this West Virginia Week, plans for a new transmission line may be in trouble, a former state delegate is indicted, and the state has a new secretary of…
Blankenship On TrialBlack Lung And Beasts Of The East, Inside Appalachia
A new report finds the number of black lung cases is at its highest since the 1970s. The human cost is high. Also, the author of a new book says reintroducing…
Blankenship On TrialRestoring The Eastern Wilderness By Reintroducing Big Game To Appalachia, This West Virginia Morning
On this West Virginia Morning, as wildlife advocates push to reintroduce large game to parts of Appalachia, there's an effort underway to bring back some…
Blankenship On TrialThe Future Of Social Security Benefits, This West Virginia Morning
On this West Virginia Morning, Social Security began 91 years ago when President Franklin Roosevelt signed it into law. Since then, it has provided a social…
Blankenship On TrialUnderstanding Different Kinds Of Thunderstorms, This West Virginia Morning
On this West Virginia Morning, it’s thunderstorm season, but not all of them are the same. For the Appalachia + Mid-South Newsroom, Bill Burton and…
Blankenship On TrialHyperscale Data Centers Sparking Bipartisan Outrage, This West Virginia Morning
On this West Virginia Morning, for the third installment in our series on data centers, we look at how data centers proposals are provoking outrage from local…
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FEMA And Voucher Controversy Continues, This West Virginia Week
On this West Virginia Week, changes are coming to FEMA, few details on school clothing voucher accusations, and the state has a new guide for data centers…
Blankenship On TrialShinto Garden In Southwest Virginia And A Healing Mosaic In Kentucky, Inside Appalachia
A Japanese Shinto Garden took root in southwestern Virginia because of family connections spanning geography and generations. Also, in Whitesburg, Kentucky, a…
Blankenship On TrialDigging Deeper Into Rising Black Lung Cases, This West Virginia Morning
On this West Virginia Morning, a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) finds that black lung rates are the highest they’ve…
Blankenship On TrialUs & Them: What We Hide — Examining The Collateral Damage Of Addiction
For a decade or more, West Virginia has been at the center of America's opioid epidemic and overdose death toll. There is encouraging news as the state’s…
Blankenship On TrialParental Addiction’s Impact On Trust, This West Virginia Morning
On this West Virginia Morning, West Virginia has been at the center of America's opioid epidemic and overdose death toll. While recent reports show the state’s…
Blankenship On TrialUnderstanding A Complicated Educational Landscape, This West Virginia Morning
On this West Virginia Morning, as lawmakers and educational leaders across West Virginia take a hard look at school finances, administrative staff that work…
Blankenship On TrialKentucky Fried Chicken Founder’s Items Up For Auction, This West Virginia Morning
On this West Virginia Morning, Kentucky Fried Chicken founder Colonel Sanders' iconic items earned big bucks at auction. For the Appalachia + Mid-South…
Blankenship On TrialConcerns Over Data Centers And Rising Electricity Costs, This West Virginia Morning
On this West Virginia Morning, residents across Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia have packed public meetings in recent months to speak out against data…
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Pushback On School Clothing Vouchers And Black Lung Numbers Grow, This West Virginia Week
On this West Virginia Week, Gov. Patrick Morrisey gets pushback over school clothing vouchers, Huntington residents seek to ban Flock cameras, and black lung…
Blankenship On TrialThe Legacy Of Comic Strip Snuffy Smith, This West Virginia Morning
On this West Virginia Morning, for nearly 100 years, Snuffy Smith has been a staple of newspaper comic pages, though these days, it’s easier to find him…
Blankenship On TrialBlack Lung Disease At Its Highest In 50 Years, This West Virginia Morning
On this West Virginia Morning, federal health researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have a new report about black lung…
Blankenship On TrialAn Inside Look At New ‘Coolest Thing’ Tournament, This West Virginia Morning
On this West Virginia Morning, the West Virginia Manufacturers Association (WVMA) has just launched its inaugural Coolest Thing Made In West Virginia…
Blankenship On TrialThe Changing Appalachian Farmstand, This West Virginia Morning
On this West Virginia Morning, roadside farmstands with homemade jams and bread are a common sight in Appalachia. Because they’re unmanned, many of them work…
Blankenship On TrialCommunities Have Questions As Data Center Development Underway, This West Virginia Morning
On this West Virginia Morning, data center development is a fast-growing industry, with projects popping up in seemingly every corner of the country. But…
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Remote Work Programs, Child Online Safety and An Appalachian Memoir, This West Virginia Week
On this West Virginia Week, parents are urged to have the difficult discussions and take the necessary steps to keep their children safe from harm after a…
Blankenship On TrialAll That’s Unseen, Inside Appalachia
A new memoir explores the struggle to stay in Appalachia and the struggle to leave. Also, an exhibit in Kings Mountain, North Carolina, documents the…
Blankenship On TrialWriter’s Memoir Explores Complicated Relationship With Appalachia, This West Virginia Morning
On this West Virginia Morning, writer Emilee Hackney has a complicated relationship with where she grew up. She loved her friends, family, the swimming holes…
Blankenship On TrialA Look At The State’s Successful Relocation Program, This West Virginia Morning
On this West Virginia Morning, a recent national story identified West Virginia’s Ascend program as being highly successful, even though the numbers are…
Blankenship On TrialSteps To Protect Our Kids From Harm, This West Virginia Morning
On this West Virginia Morning, the criminal charges against teacher and now-former delegate Elliott Pritt shocked many of his colleagues – and alarmed parents…
Blankenship On TrialReimagining Traditional Appalachian Ballads, This West Virginia Morning
On this West Virginia Morning, traditional Appalachian ballads have found new life in the form of an audio drama podcast produced by the Appalachia Book…
Blankenship On TrialHow AI May Help Predict Tornadoes, This West Virginia Morning
On this West Virginia Morning, tornadoes are notoriously unpredictable, making forecasting nearly impossible. But now, artificial intelligence (AI) is being…
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Fatal Floods, Criminal Charges Against A Delegate And The 2026 National Scouting Jamboree, This West Virginia Week
On this West Virginia Week, torrential rains flood the north-central part of the state – damaging homes, businesses and bridges – and claiming the lives of two…
Blankenship On TrialAppalachia Comics Project And Open Door Cafe, Inside Appalachia
After a disaster, can comics help set the record straight? Also, sifting through Hurricane Helene’s debris, one group tries to reunite keepsakes with their…
Blankenship On TrialHow A Café Uses Gardening To Fight The Stigma Of Homelessness, This West Virginia Morning
On this West Virginia Morning, Open Door Café in Wytheville, Virginia uses gardening as a way to feed the hungry while breaking down the stigma of…
Blankenship On TrialUs & Them: Who Can Call Morgantown Home?
Housing is becoming less affordable for many people. As a result, more cities and towns grapple with growing homeless populations. Hundreds of cities across…
Blankenship On TrialMorgantown’s Housing Approach, This West Virginia Morning
Many people struggle to find affordable housing, and more cities and towns now grapple with growing homeless populations. On the latest episode of Us &…
Blankenship On TrialHow To Stop Spread Of Spotted Lanternfly, This West Virginia Morning
There are many insects that threaten West Virginia's agriculture and bother us when we're trying to enjoy time outdoors. But with its distinctive Dalmatian…
Blankenship On Trial‘Tis The Season For Ticks, This West Virginia Morning
On this West Virginia Morning, a look at how the hot, humid weather of summer is a prime season for the sometimes disease-carrying ticks. The post ‘Tis The…
Blankenship On TrialHelping Hellbenders Help Water Health, This West Virginia Morning
On this West Virginia Morning, an unattractive, slimy, two-foot salamander may hold the key to detecting healthy water ways in West Virginia. The post Helping…
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The Smokey Air And Flock Cameras, This West Virginia Week
On this West Virginia Week, weekend storms may help clear the smokey air, Huntington City Council approves Flock cameras and how Fentanyl may have made its way…
Blankenship On TrialFinding Solitude In A Bus On A Rock In A River, This West Virginia Morning
On this West Virginia Morning, if you’ve ever seen the eye-catching ‘Bus On A Rock’ in the New River and wondered why – and how – it got there, we have some…
Blankenship On TrialWhistleblower Raises Alarm On Fentanyl Trafficking, This West Virginia Morning
On this West Virginia Morning, the client of a Charleston attorney says the DEA allowed millions of doses of potentially deadly Fentanyl into the United…
Blankenship On TrialRestoring The Oldest Building On The Capitol Complex, This West Virginia Morning
On this West Virginia Morning, renovation work is underway on the Holly Grove mansion, the oldest surviving residence on the state capitol complex after…
Blankenship On TrialPlaying Baseball By Ear, This West Virginia Morning
On this West Virginia Morning, blind athletes rely on sound to hit the ball and run to a base in beep baseball. The post Playing Baseball By Ear, This West…
Blankenship On TrialA Rare Appalachian Tree And How Humidity Affects Heat, This West Virginia Morning
On this West Virginia Morning, the spike-covered hawthorn is unique to our region but little known, and the heat you feel might be more about how humid it is…
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A Flood Watch And The Parkersburg Fire, This West Virginia Week
On this West Virginia Week, the state is under a flood watch through Sunday, the fire in Parkersburg is under investigation and a class action against the…
Blankenship On TrialThe Underground Railroad’s Route Through Appalachia, This West Virginia Morning
On this West Virginia Morning, not much has been known about Appalachia’s contributions to the Underground Railroad, but a Marshall University historian is…
Blankenship On TrialMobile Dental Care A Lifeline In Rural Communities, This West Virginia Morning
On this West Virginia Morning, affordable dental care is a little-talked-about challenge low-income families face in this state, but there is an effort…
Blankenship On TrialHow Appalachia’s Young People See The Next 250 Years, This West Virginia Morning
On this West Virginia Morning, many people are looking towards the country's future after the nation's 250th anniversary. A group in West Virginia is talking…
Blankenship On TrialLarry Groce On His New Ohio History Musical, This West Virginia Morning
On this West Virginia Morning a new musical, written right here in our region, takes a look at a small Ohio town, just across the river from West Virginia…
Blankenship On TrialUnderstanding The Significance Of Signal Species, This West Virginia Morning
The Appalachia + Mid-South Newsroom recently wrapped up a month-long series about signal species. These are animals, plants and other organisms that offer us…
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Studying Endangered Bats, A Pioneering Appalachian Filmmaker And The Supreme Court Rules On Local Sports, This West Virginia Week
On this West Virginia Week, bats play a critical role in our ecosystems and agriculture, but their numbers are declining in the face of a changing climate and…
Blankenship On TrialEncore: Oscar Micheaux, Kathleen Driskell And Soul Food, Inside Appalachia
This week, in the 1920s, Oscar Micheaux was an entrepreneur filmmaker in western Virginia. He became a world-renowned director and producer. Also, Kentucky’s…
Blankenship On TrialA Look At Filmmaker Oscar Micheaux’s Impact, This West Virginia Morning
This week, Inside Appalachia discusses the influence and contributions of Oscar Micheaux, an African American filmmaker who lived in Virginia in the 1920s…
Blankenship On TrialThe Robotic Future Of Caring For The Elderly, This West Virginia Morning
On this West Virginia Morning, both the U.S. and Japan are considering robots as a potential solution to an aging population amidst a caretaker crisis. The…