Preservationists win second battle of Blair Mountain

A twenty year battle to preserve the site of the historic Blair Mountain miners uprising is ending with a victory for labor and the environment. In a hearing February 22, the West Virginia Archives and History Commission gave its unanimous final recommendation for the preservation of 1600 acres of the Blair Mountain Battlefield as a…

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Baseball and rebellion: The treason trial of Bill Blizzard

Nothing matches it in the history of baseball, if the visting players’ lineup is any clue: • Bill Blizzard. Right field. Treason, murder. • Cecil Sullivan. First base. Murder. • Okey Burgess. Second base. Murder. • W. Lacey. Third base. Treason. • Okey Johnson. Pitcher. Treason • Joe Rhodes. Shortstop. Murder. • A.C. McCormik. Left…

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Ag-Ventures: Appalachian Sustainable Development

Their motto: from field to table. In the case of agricultural work, this means the food that goes on the table. For the logging and forestry portion of the enterprise, it means the table itself. Appalachian Sustainable Development first came together in 1995 to address the question of jobs versus environment, and the solutions that…

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New river organic growers find themselves growing

Organic farming is one of the fastest growing markets in the agricultural industry, and the New River Organic Growing (NROG) cooperative wants to fill this niche. “The demand is here,” Charles Church, an original member of NROG, said. “People eat everyday and somebody has to grow food. That’s one thing you know people will buy.”…

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New perspectives on a platter

The lofty vision of the Harvest Table Restaurant in Meadowview, Virginia can be served up in two different ways. One, you can catch the drift by reading some of the comments on the menu and getting into a heated debate with the restaurant manager. Or two, you can read the runaway bestseller, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle,…

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Moral compass points South again

WORLD’S MORAL COMPASS POINTS TO THE SOUTH AGAIN American Southerners are independent folk — independent enough to stand for the truth, even if it means standing alone. A few weeks ago, Al Gore joined five other Southerners who have also been awarded the world’s most distinguished honor, the Nobel Peace Prize. We conservatives and liberals…

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News Briefs

Grammy Award Winning Artist Sees Mountaintop removal First Hand By Sandra Diaz Kathy Mattea’s journey started when she saw Al Gore give his presentation about global warming in January of 2006; the slideshow that is the basis of An Inconvenient Truth. His presentation struck her so profoundly that she decided take action. She signed up…

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Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I am the wife of a recently disabled coal miner, and offer my opinion on the (Clean Coal) campaign. Coal is filthy, and in more ways than one. I was insulted when (West Virginia) allowed the workers’ compensation laws to be changed so coal companies don’t have to pay when a miner is…

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News Briefs

Twelve arrested in protest over Marsh Fork elementary school State police arrested 12 demonstrators at the West Virginia state capitol during a peaceful protest over conditions at Marsh Fork elementary school on March 16. Holding signs asking “What would Jesus do?” and “Build a New School,” demonstrators demanded that WV Gov. Joe Manchin build the…

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