March 2012
49 posts
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Surge in Mobile News Consumption
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WatchI just made a very simple data visualization using “Many Eyes.” I used the data they provided and their layout…it could’t have been easier but it’s not interactive.
Carbon map infographic: a new way to see the Earth... →
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Playboy names War, WV "Overdose County, USA" →
According to Playboy’s website, War, West Virginia is the focus of an article about prescription drug abuse and is named “Overdose County, USA.” I do not want to judge too soon (I have not read the article and Playboy typically has well researched/written stories) but I just received this news from Tom Hindman.
War made April, Playboy….they’re pretty pissed down...
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THE MASTER FROM FLINT HILL: EARL SCRUGGS →
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New Wave Bluegrass →
Music Review written by a friend and talented WV native, Courtney Balestier. Read here
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Coal executive predicts more layoffs due to weak... →
The head of Alpha Natural Resources, the largest coal producer in West Virginia, said the mine closures and layoffs the company announced last month probably won’t be the last this year.
Kevin Crutchfield, Alpha’s chief executive officer, also said he is concerned that the United States is following a regulatory path that will eventually turn the nation irrevocably away from coal and...
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Calhoun deals with rise in crime →
GRANTSVILLE - The indictments of four people for three murders in Calhoun County last week came as a shock and left many wondering if the county’s rise in crime - particularly major crime - was an aberration or signs of a bigger problem.
In addition to a small population (52nd among 55 counties), Calhoun County has the highest unemployment rate in the state, 13.2 percent for January,...
Web Encounters of the Hunting Kind →
West Virginia hunter uses YouTube to make his excursions more “social.”
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McDowell schools superintendent encouraged by... →
Despite a state takeover of the McDowell County education system in 2001, little progress had been made until the appointment of a new superintendent 2 years ago.
“I did come in with a 30-day and a 90-day plan, threw those out in 24 hours,” said Jim Brown. “It took me a while to grasp where the building block was and where we needed to go from there and try to improve the system.”
Brown is...
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Charleston Daily Mail Front Page: March 26
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Congregants surround grieving grandmother with... →
ST. ALBANS, W.Va. — Sunday services at Maranatha Fellowship Church saw a sea of congregants encircle Talma Isabell, who lost her daughter and five grandchildren in the deadliest house fire in Charleston’s history.
Pastors and churchgoers said her strength is a testament to her faith in God. They also said that faith would guide her through the tragedy.
“It shakes you...
‘Natural decrease’ hits counties as residents die... →
West Virginia was the first to experience natural decrease statewide over the past decade, with Maine, Pennsylvania and Vermont close to following suit, according to the latest census figures. As a nation, the U.S. population grew by just 9.7 percent since 2000, the lowest decennial rate since the Great Depression.
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New Doc Series on Mountain Traditions →
Each film will be short–fourteen minutes max. Collectively they will be called The Mountain Traditions Project. According to a write-up onAppalachian Independent, the films will follow area residents who are keeping mountain traditions alive. They include a dulcimer player, a metalworker, a quilter, a group of homesteaders, and kayakers. The music for the films was also composed and performed...
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Flooding in Logan County
Photos by Craig Cunningham/Daily Mail
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Flooding in Logan, W.Va.
Front page of the Charleston Daily Mail today after flash flooding in Southern West Virginia.
I spent the largest portion of my childhood growing up in Logan and attended grade school and middle school in the county. It still has a very special place in my heart and hate to see this extreme flooding and devastation.
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Country roads took them home →
For most, living in other places has made them appreciate what West Virginia has to offer.
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Americorps: the next generation of volunteers make... →
West Virginia is most often ridiculed as the stereotype for all things Appalachian, but preconceived notions fell to the wayside the more time I spent there.
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Blog You Should Follow:Appalachian Chronicles →
Climb aboard and journey through the Appalachians with a thoughtful, irreverent, smart, opinionated and humorous student of life. See the world through her eyes with wonder and delight. Whether talking about her upbringing, her family, or the many places and people she has seen along way, you can’t help but want to move with her from one story to another.
Stories of Appalachia and its people →
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Balloon Mapping Kit Has Arrived!
Our cartographer on the project is developing ways we can use balloon mapping as part of the Hollow interactive experience.
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"Map Box: Fast, Beautiful, Interactive" →
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Community service McDowell should utilize Boy... →
Opportunity is knocking for McDowell County in the form of thousands of Boy Scouts who are coming to town next year to help with various community service projects. However, despite a looming deadline, county officials have been slow to identify community service projects. That’s surprising and unfortunate. The Boy Scouts of America is partnering with the Citizens Conservation Corps of West...
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Republicans to Romney: Fix your message →
I noticed a comment on this CNN article about McDowell County:
GI Joe.
He needs to stop walking that prissy short-step walk and maybe give to charities other than the Mormon church for starters. Then he can work on his stuttering and sputtering and pandering and bragging and being just plain ignorance of the way the 99% REALLY live.
A tour in a car thru Mingo and McDowell Counties in WV to...
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Hollow featured on Soft Rock Renegade Blog →
Check out this post about Hollow on Mike Andrick’s blog that focuses West Virginia related music and more. Andrick is a West Virginia native who now lives in Austin.
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Coal Mining Propaganda During Wartime
WWI Fuel Administration poster. Coal miners were bombarded with praise and constantly urged to dig more coal to fuel the war effort. The miners were told their sacrifices were the equivalent to soldiers, and therefore they were exempted from the draft. Nevertheless, thousands volunteered for military service (Via Coal Country Tours).
McDowell County Homes a Bargain Compared to... →
MARTINSBURG, W.Va. (AP) -
The average cost of housing in the Eastern Panhandle’s Jefferson County is more than 11 times higher than in the southern coalfields county of McDowell. A new report also shows that Jefferson’s $229,000 average is more than double the West Virginia average of just under $112,000.
In impoverished McDowell, the cost of housing averages just over $20,000.
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W.Va. lawmakers pass compromise measure to help... →
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A West Virginia county seeking help with its public schools can expect some from the Legislature.
The House and Senate passed a compromise Saturday for a proposal directed at McDowell County’s school system.
Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin proposed waiving certain state education policies so McDowell County can seek new ways to improve its troubled schools.
The measure is...
Aerial views of coal mining operations in Wyoming →
Coal production’s center of gravity in the United States has moved from central Appalachia to the Powder River Basin in Wyoming and Montana.
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Pastor plans Appalachian outreach with solar... →
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"On Elkhorn Mountain"
Photo by Alan Johnston, McDowell County resident and community blogger for Hollow.
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Hillbilly Artifacts: Berea College Documents... →
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Former WV journalist records oral histories of... →
A glorious era of movie magic has come to an end... →
But there is still lost footage — perhaps still sitting on some editing bay — of the “Primal Fear” scenes shot in McDowell County so many years ago. For those who may not recall, the year was 1995, and Paramount Pictures came to town for about four days to shoot scenes of actor Richard Gere in the Northfork and Keystone communities. The movie was more or less a courtroom thriller about a lawyer —...
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Love flourishes for state’s longest-married couple →
After 70 years together, the pair is still going strong and were recently declared West Virginia’s longest-married couple. Both McDowell County natives, the two met in War in 1941 and were married six months later on Dec. 6, 1941, the day before the attack on Pearl Harbor. “I was from War and he was from Coalwood,” Juanita said. “We just met casually when we were both walking down the street in...
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W.Va. festival celebrating 'Rocket Boys' canceled →
This is so sad that the McDowell County community is losing this celebration.
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Survey: McDowell, Mercer counties rank poorly for... →
McDowell and Mercer counties have again found themselves in the bottom tier of counties when it comes to the well being of children Both counties ranked in the bottom 10 of the 55 counties in the state, with McDowell County ranking last while Mercer County ranked 49 out of 55, according to the 2011 West Virginia Kids Count survey released Tuesday. The report found McDowell County ranked the lowest...
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Churches and Emptiness Part 4 →
Blog by McDowell County resident
