Viewpoint
Standing Up – and Sitting Down – for the Mountains
As this issue of the Appalachian Voice goes to press, Ed Wiley, a grandfather from West Virginia’s Coal River Valley, has just ended his sit in and hunger strike on the steps of the West Virginia state capitol. Wiley, a coal miner, went to Charleston to demand a meeting with Governor Joe Manchin about a…
Read MoreA Catholic Bishop Speaks Out Against Mountaintop Removal
Reprinted from the Catholic Virginian. First published on January 16, 2004. About 10 days before Christmas, I together with Steve Colecchi of our Justice and Peace Office traveled to eastern Kentucky to join a delegation of church leaders who wanted to experience the devastating environmental disaster of “mountain top removal.” Our delegation included Bishop Ronald…
Read MoreA Second Chance
For nearly fifty years, one of North America’s most magnificent bird species was thought to be extinct. But just a week before the printing of this paper, scientists confirmed that at least one ivory-billed woodpecker – and they suspect at least a few more – is alive and well in Arkansas. Tim Gallagher from the…
Read MoreOne Valley, Two Worlds
Climbing the steps at C.D. Owen High School in Black Mountain, NC, as hundreds of my classmates do each morning, offers two unique and contrasting perspectives. Looking straight ahead, as most do when preparing to start their school day, we see the rigid vertical and horizontal lines of the school’s modern facade-the carefully laid cinder…
Read MorePersonal Geography
We are marked by the place we call home, not the house or people (though that is true, too), but by the land. I am the daughter of the mother of mountains, child of this earth’s oldest river, suckled by Appalachian breasts, sung to sleep by New River’s roar. The road ended, petered out, at…
Read MoreThe Electoral Non-Issue
On November 2nd, Americans turned out in droves to cast their votes for president. Yet before a single vote was counted, it was clear who the real losers of the 2004 election were. They were the future generations of Americans whose health and quality of life depend so heavily on decisions our political leaders make…
Read MoreGive a Gift to the Mountains
Have you ever thought of a dollar as a vote? The average American will spend $800 on gifts this holiday season, and with each dollar, consumers have the choice to cast their vote for businesses that care about their communities and the environment. Appalachia is home to thousands of locally-owned businesses that have been sustaining…
Read MoreFor Our Members
Brenda Huggins, Awarded Outstanding Volunteer in Watauga County Appalachian Voices would like to congratulate and thank Brenda Huggins for her dedication and service. She has been honored by the State of North Carolina as an Outstanding Volunteer in Watauga County. Brenda is a great volunteer and is always lending a helping hand. She drives from…
Read MoreThe Garment of God
I once sat on a cement step leading to a sidewalk and watched an ant carry a tiny straw on its back. It came to a crevice between the cement slabs and had no means of getting across with the straw on its back. Faced with this dilemma, the tiny ant engaged in some practical…
Read MoreNow it’s your Turn
For nearly a decade, now, the Appalachian Voice has presented stories on the many facets of life here in the Appalachian region. We have written about fishing, hiking, skiing, hunting, and many other recreational and cultural opportunities that we are blessed with, either as residents or visitors, in the Appalachian Mountains. In all issues of…
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