Appalachian Livin'

Inside the Campaign with Sarah Brown

Sarah Brown ran for a Board of Education seat in Putnam County in this most recent election, the 2026 Primaries. Sarah breaks down what it was like to run a county campaign in a very volatile time in our society. School Board campaigns have been known to cause an uproar within the communities that they serve. Many counties in our region have seen county school board election races turn very ugly. Join us as we discuss policy and community action and probably some other things.

From Below: Rising together for Coalfields, Community and Clean Water

Brad Davis and Caitlyn Ware are responsible for the movement From Below: Rising Together for Coalfield Justice [https://www.facebook.com/groups/629075958675198/]. They originally began as an immersive experience in McDowell County, WV. However, when Brad asked his congregation to help neighbors across the county line, whose water had recently been poisoned, a woman in the back laughed out loud and said, “our water has been bad for years”. This moment sent them down a path filled with water distributions and legislative sessions. Most recently, McDowell County, was featured on an episode of 60 Minutes [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFtxQoBAGOU]. The original story was about “affordability” and the “birthplace of foodstamps”, but Brad negotiated with the producers to make sure that they told the story of the people. Water IS the biggest issue, because Water IS Life. If we don’t have water, we can’t eat, work or anything else. Our state government is not doing right by their people and Caitlyn is one of our biggest advocates, when it comes to legislative policy and crunching the ACTUAL numbers for these water projects that are making their way into a few bills this session. She is also aware of the bills with good ideas that have not gone anywhere during this 2026 Legislative session. This is just a couple of the things that we touched on in this 2 hour conversation about our home, the place that is worth saving, West Virginia

Paige Reiring on The Life of Mother Jones, AKA, The Most Dangerous Woman in the World

Paige Reiring on The Life of Mother Jones Lindsay and Elise met Paige in person, for the first time, the day we filmed this episode. She brought her, aptly described, emotional support Ax. As we have expressed before, we love Mother Jones and aspire to have the same grit and charisma that she had. Paige embodies the image that mother jones portrayed in public. As Paige goes through Mother Jones’ life with us, we tend to Fan Girl over Mother Jones and how she handled thugs like Baldwin-Felts and anyone she came into contact with, friend or foe. She was revered and coined as “The Most Dangerous Woman in the World”. Goals. This was such a fun episode to record, we laughed and fantasized about what kind of woman Mother Jones really was and if she would have liked us or not. Anyways, Paige is a one of a kind woman and I am so proud that she likes us here at Appalachian Livin’. You can follow her here on TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@runoutofwit [https://www.tiktok.com/@runoutofwit]

Maria Gunnoe - Holding the Line in Appalachia

On this episode of Appalachian Livin’, we talk to Maria Gunnoe via video call. Maria is a well known as a local advocate from Boone County, West Virginia. Her family has lived in they West Virginia Mountains for generations. So, of course, she comes from a long line of coal miners. During this episode we talk about our collective experiences as local, environmental advocates in an extraction state. We talk about our love for the mountains and the choices of living here, that we all have to make. We recorded this before the holidays, so keep that in mind. Thanks os much for listening!! Maria Gunnoe’s Honors and Appearances * In 2005, Gunnoe received the Environmental Courage Award from the West Virginia Environmental Council [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=West_Virginia_Environmental_Council&action=edit&redlink=1].[4] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Gunnoe#cite_note-GJEP-4] * In 2006, Gunnoe received the Callaway Award [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Callaway_Award] for her organizing efforts in her southern West Virginia [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_West_Virginia] community.[11] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Gunnoe#cite_note-ohio-11] * In 2007, she also received the David Vs. Goliath Award from the Rainforest Action Network [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainforest_Action_Network].[4] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Gunnoe#cite_note-GJEP-4] * In 2009 Gunnoe received the Goldman Environmental Prize [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goldman_Environmental_Prize], which is the second time an environmentalist has been awarded a Goldman Prize for fighting coal mining operations in West Virginia. In 2003, Julia Bonds [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_Bonds] won a Goldman for opposing the controversial practice of mountaintop removal in Appalachia.[1] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Gunnoe#cite_note-gun-1][12] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Gunnoe#cite_note-12] * In October 2012, Gunnoe received the University of Michigan [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Michigan]'s Wallenberg Medal [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallenberg_Medal], and was the first person to receive the award for environmentalist work.[3] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Gunnoe#cite_note-EJ-3][8] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Gunnoe#cite_note-WL-8]

Coal Scrip, White Water, and Wild Stories with Derek Bolt

The views and opinions expressed by the guests on this podcast are theri own and do not necessarily reflect those of the hosts. This podcast should not be considered a professional news service. The content is for entertainment and informational purposes only. Accuracy and completeness are not guaranteed. We are regular folks, having a regular conversation. We hope that you join us. This week on Appalachian Livin’, we took a break from the serious stuff and just had some, much needed, fun and laughter. We sat down with Derek Bolt, a fellow Pineville native, to swap stories and laughs about growing up in the coalfields of southern West Virginia in the 1990s. Derek shares what it was like coming from a family who were heavy into the local politics during our childhood—his dad served as a Magistrate—and how that shaped his upbringing in a small town where everybody knew everybody. True to his roots, Derek even showed up bearing gifts and brought us some authentic coal scrip he picked up from a local gem, Village Antique and Things [https://www.facebook.com/p/Village-Antiques-things-100064703271068/], which sparked even more memories and laughs. We also dive into Derek’s adventures beyond the white water rapids of the Appalachian mountains, to guiding trips out in Colorado, and how those experiences shaped him. We also chatted about the similarities and the differences between the two mountain ranges. Lindsay goes into her trip out to Indiana where she met some really cool people and vendors at the farmers market in Lafayette, Indiana. Shout Out to these awesome local businesses. https://www.artwithahappyheart.com/?srsltid=AfmBOooRowtF29S_xdIFsW8L0Pk0x45u-3dzbEEh2Zl4nlbj_HRRRnCg [https://www.artwithahappyheart.com/?srsltid=AfmBOooRowtF29S_xdIFsW8L0Pk0x45u-3dzbEEh2Zl4nlbj_HRRRnCg] oldgraycatherbs.com [http://oldgraycatherbs.com] studiogreen557.com [http://studiogreen557.com] cronebydesign.com [http://cronebydesign.com] This episode is packed with nostalgia, humor, and a lot of good-natured storytelling—easily one of the funniest episodes we’ve had so far. We hope you join us and enjoy!! Please like, follow or leave a review, we greatly appreciate the listeners!!