The Overlooked Crisis: Black Overdoses in West Virginia - for ⁦Think Kids WV⁩ By ⁦Crystal Good⁩ thinkkidswv.org/black-overdose…

And of note: most #WVU students protesting yesterday wore red shirts & bandanas as a nod to the red bandanas worn by coal miners who famously went on strike in the 1920s around Southern West Virginia on behalf of miners’ rights.

Happy book pub day to two outstanding journalists with West Virginia ties -- Erik Erik Schelzig (formerly AP West Virginia reporter) + Joel Ebert (of the Charleston Daily Mail and Charleston Gazette-Mail)!

vanderbiltuniversitypress.com/9780826505859/…

NEWS: West Virginia Public Broadcasting chief Butch Antolini has resigned, effective last Friday, the state educational broadcasting authority announced this afternoon.

My earlier investigation of the climate of political pressure at the network: npr.org/2023/02/13/115…

Book censors could end up closing the only library in Columbia County, Washington.

That would leave a hardware store—seller of a dozen or so cookbooks, including “Weber’s Charcoal Grilling”—as the only in-town source of books.
David Gutman The Seattle Times
seattletimes.com/seattle-news/b…

Tranq is even worse than straight fentanyl
npr.org/2023/08/13/119…

Powerful reporting by Astrid Langer about a mother's search for her fentanyl addicted son and the spreading drug scene in San Francisco. English-language version at link
nzz.ch/english/fentan…

Lights out by the numbers watchdog reporting here by the dynamic duo of Brett Murphy + Alex Mierjeski
propublica.org/article/claren…

Oscar-nominated West Virginia filmmaker Elaine Sheldon's latest masterpiece KING COAL embarks on a national tour this week.

Stops include NYC, Los Angeles and Warner's Drive-In movie theater in Franklin (Pendleton County), WV.

The full schedule:
kingcoalfilm.com/screenings

Insecure leaders strive to be the most powerful person in the room. They make others feel weak so they alone can stay strong.

Secure leaders aim to amplify the power of the room. They use their strength to make others stronger.

The best and highest use of power is to share it.

10 days until KING COAL comes to select theaters. Starting with DCTV on August 11. Join us for the film and conversation! firehousecinema.dctvny.org/kingcoal

Many teens are left to suffer through the agony of withdrawal with no medications to ease their cravings. As a result, many seeking relief go back to opioids—often with tragic consequences. cnn.com/2023/08/01/hea…

This West Virginia newspaper became one of the thousands of U.S. newspapers that have shuttered since 2005.

Its publisher, Missy Nester, says it’s a crisis “terrifying for democracy” and one that disproportionately impacts rural Americans like her.

Hedge funds believe Mallinckrodt 'promised too much when it agreed to the [opioid] settlement' and 'the company's money first belongs to senior lenders like themselves, not to addiction victims or state governments.' Wow. via @wsj buff.ly/3rIhY0t

So proud of Tyler Childers continuing to plow new ground in country music with this powerful collaboration with fellow Kentucky wordsmith Silas House 📘 Come see Tyler play all the new songs in September at Healing Appalachia! healingappalachia.org

'Haught was a giant intellect, tireless fighter and certainly an inspiration to reporters.'

wvgazettemail.com/news/former-ga…

Jim Haught, legendary investigative reporter/editor/editorial writer/city editor/'typewriter guerrilla' at the Charleston (W.Va.) Gazette Charleston Gazette-Mail (60+ years), passed away this morning.

R.I.P., Haught. You were the ultimate #newspaperman

Lovely writing here about West Virginia -- its past, present and future -- by Randolph County, WV native Cassady Rosenblum

nytimes.com/2023/07/21/opi…

The opioid epidemic pushed thousands of West Virginia children into foster care.

Now, an increasing number of kids are fleeing foster homes (state bureaucrats call them 'run events') as the drug addiction crisis persists. via Amelia Knisely

westvirginiawatch.com/2023/07/19/nea…

Writing advice from a 4-time Pulitzer winner (and 5-time finalist):

'You avoid the types of sections that people tend to avoid reading: the ones that are dense, that pull you out of the story, that are so explanatory that they read like homework.'
niemanstoryboard.org/stories/a-coll…