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Interested in improving WV’s public health? Receive a scholarship to this conference.

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A limited number of scholarships are available for students and community members that want to attend the 25th Annual West Virginia Rural Health Conference in Davis this October. The scholarships cover the cost of conference registration, and recipients are also afforded lodging at the conference center if the recipient resides 50 miles or more outside the conference area. Fifteen scholarships are available for students, and and five for community members.

Scholarships will be awarded based on applicant’s experience, service, and desire to provide health service and/or promote access and the continuation of quality health care to the rural population of West Virginia.

The application deadline is August 18, 2017. For more information, and to access the application form, visit the West Virginia Rural Health Association (WVRHA) website at wvrha.org »

WVRHA Executive Director Debrin Jenkins said this week that, given the massive health care challenges the state is wrestling with in 2017, it was vitally important that the conversation about health care in West Virginia involve as many people as possible, and include a broad array of experiences, knowledge and viewpoints.

“The loss of good paying jobs in the state and a critical shortage of healthcare providers has created a ‘perfect storm’ that has hit West Virginia very hard,” Jenkins said. “The rural health conference in October will dive head-first into some of our most urgent issues, including the future of Medicaid, opioid addiction and recovery, what health reform might look like in rural communities, and behavioural health management.”

Jenkins said that if West Virginia was to successfully navigate this perilous year for the health of people in this state, ideas and solutions would have to come from a wide range of West Virginians.

“That’s why we provide these scholarships,” she said. “It’s critically important that students and community members are involved in shaping these health solutions, and so we absolutely must have them at the table.”

The West Virginia Rural Health Conference will be held in Davis, October 11-13. To register and learn more, visit wvrha.org.

Jenkins said the conference was also an excellent opportunity for students looking to find a healthcare job in West Virginia to network and meet healthcare employers.

The West Virginia Rural Health Conference will be held in Davis, October 11-13. To register and learn more, visit wvrha.org.

In addition to a full schedule of expert speakers, the conference will also feature a rural health research poster display and oral presentation session. Students and health researchers are encouraged to submit abstracts for consideration. The deadline for abstracts submissions is August 20.

The West Virginia Rural Health Association advocates for empowering all West Virginians to advance their quality of life, their well-being and their access to excellence in rural health care. Its mission is to unite people, communities and organizations to strengthen rural health in West Virginia.

The application deadline is August 18, 2017. For more information, and to access the application form, visit the West Virginia Rural Health Association (WVRHA) website at wvrha.org »

The Herald Dispatch: Huntington Artist Zac White Spurs Creative Community

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By Dave Lavender

Heck Yeah Fest Poster Design | Facebook

During a recent interview, Zac White is wearing a T-shirt that reads “Drink Coffee, Make Art.”

And his hat says “Off!” but maybe it should say “On!” because White, who turns 31 on Aug. 24, has been rocking the local art and music scene in his own punk rock DIY style.

In the past couple years White, a Charleston-born, Winfield-raised and Huntington-made man, has been a whirlwind – he’s started a series of regular music-infused one-night art show parties called Huntington Culture Storm; has started his own day-long heavy metal and art festival, Heck Yeah Fest!; has cranked out a series of old-school skate/punk zines called Strange Lives (which has fans as far away as Europe); and has dived into the heart of Huntington’s creative community in ways like organizing a Culture Storm in a downtown alley for Create Huntington’s recent #WeBAM Pop-Up Block Party that was filled with bands, music, art, a fashion show and more.

And this is the second year White has helped Huntington Music and Arts Festival organizer Ian Thornton book all of the arts and crafts vendors for the fest, which has ballooned to 12 events over eight days running from Sunday, Aug. 27, to Sunday, Sept. 3…

Read the full article at The Herald Dispatch »

WV Public Broadcasting: $25 Million Now Available to Develop Abandoned Mine Sites

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by Liz McCormick

Federal funds are available for economic development projects in the state. The money is meant to help communities left with mining impacts from activity before 1977.

The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection’s Office of Abandoned Mine Lands and Reclamation is accepting applications for a portion of $25 million in grant funding available for economic development projects.

To qualify, the projects need to be located on or adjacent to mine sites that ended operations prior to the signing of the Surface Mine Control and Reclamation Act in 1977…

Read the full story at West Virginia Public Broadcasting »

Bridgeport Farmers Market: Think a trip to the Farmers Market will break the bank? Think again.

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by Bob Workman

For the 5th consecutive year I have taken it upon myself to compare Bridgeport Farmers Market pricing with our local grocers. Again, I picked a Sunday during the peak season and gathered pricing info from all of our meat and produce vendors to arrive at an average price. Remember the word “average”, so some vendors are higher and some are lower than these prices. Like American capitalism itself, it’s a free market and the farmers set their own prices.

This year there is not much more for me to say about this that I haven’t already stated over the past 4 years. See the links at the bottom to look at those past surveys. The one thing I will explain are the changes I decided to make this year.

First off I decided to name names. It was really silly to keep using “Store A” and “Store B”. Everyone knows who I was referring to so this year it’s Wal-Mart and Kroger instead.

Secondly, this year is more of an apples-to-apples comparison…

Read the full story + see the price comparison at “Lets Get Fresh” from the Bridgeport Farmers Market »

The Lincoln Log: Small Business Workshops Coming to Lincoln County

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by Kimberly Donahue

Free small business workshops are coming to Lincoln County in August and September, 2017.  All workshops are free and open to the public, whether you currently have business, are interested in potentially opening one or just want more information.

Registration is not required but strongly requested.  The workshops are offered as part of the Lincoln County Entrepreneurial Community Project, a community effort led by local citizens to create more community prosperity through better support of local entrepreneurs.  This effort is assisted by the West Virginia Community Development Hub and the Center for Rural Entrepreneurship.

Read the full story at The Lincoln Log »

Charleston Gazette-Mail: Ravenswood Church Revives Greenhouse as Part of Ministry

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By Jeff Baughan, The Parkersburg News and Sentinel

LifeSpring Community Church-Jackson doesn’t look like a church as you drive by. There are churches along the main street in Ravenswood. None look like LifeSpring.

The reason LifeSpring doesn’t look like a church is simple — it was a farm store with a greenhouse behind it before it became a house of worship.

LifeSpring is taking the greenhouse and combining aquaculture and hydroponics — that’s why it’s known as aquaponics — to raise fish and vegetables. The harvested food will be distributed to the marginalized people in Jackson County, according to Lisa Simmons of LifeSpring, who initially researched the project more than two years ago.

“It is a unique ministry to feed people, to reach out to them,” Simmons said. “It’s going to start small, and we have the room to start expanding once we get settled. We should be able to make the first distribution six-seven months after we finish construction.”

JD Scritchfield of LifeSpring, who is assisting Simmons with the project and overseeing the construction portion, said the science is pretty simple…

Read the article on the Charleston Gazette-Mail website »

News & Observer: North Carolina Government Offers Grants to Address Food Deserts

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By Lauren Horsch

Soon six stores in areas of Eastern North Carolina that are considered food deserts will be able to provide fresh fruits and vegetables for customers, thanks to a grant program through the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

In the past two state budgets, lawmakers have given $250,000 to the department to reimburse small food retailers in areas considered food deserts for refrigeration equipment, display shelving and other equipment to ensure they can sell fresh fruits, vegetables and other healthy foods. Small food retailers are considered to be less than 3,000 heated square feet with a limited selection of food and other products — including corner stores, convenience stores and even bodegas.

In fiscal year 2016-17, the state allocated the first $250,000, and then another $250,000 for the 2017-18 fiscal year. The initial allocation is going to help six stores in the eastern part of the state: Black Rock Deli in Bertie County’s Merry Hill community, Stella’s I in Elizabeth City, Tina’s Country Cupboard in southern Bladen County, Hwy 242 Grill near Elizabethtown, Food Mart in Jacksonville and One Stop Shop, also in Jacksonville.

Each store is eligible for up to $25,000…

Read the article on the News & Observer website »

Next City: How to Engage Artists in the Nuts and Bolts of City Planning

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By Jen Kinney

Mary Miss has worked at the intersection of sculpture, public installation and landscape design for decades, and she believes that artists are a resource city agencies aren’t tapping effectively.

Artists can speak to issues of sustainability and equity, she says. They can call attention to often invisible infrastructure and get communities to care. But, she says, “I realized that I couldn’t just go into the city planning office and say, ‘Here’s this great way you can start thinking about artists.’ I needed some examples.”

Now, with evidence under her belt, she’s serving as the first artist-in-residence at New York City’s Department of Design and Construction (DDC). Having visualized historic flooding patterns in Boulder, highlighted the streams of Indianapolis, called attention to the architectural guts of New York’s Union Square subway station and more, Miss is currently developing a framework for other artists to work with and within this city agency…

Read the article on Next City’s website »

Listen: Grafton’s Tom Hart Discusses Community Project Successes

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Grafton Farmers Market; Source: All Aboard Grafton Facebook Page

Tom Hart is a local business owner, chair of the All Aboard Grafton community group, and most of all a community champion. He was asked to speak with radio host Gary Bowden a couple of weeks ago about the work being done in Grafton. I listened to the show and was blown away by all the wonderful things this community has accomplished – and I already knew about many of the things mentioned. Grafton is an amazing community with an abundance of community champions – all of them doing their part to continue to make Grafton a place where folks want to live and visit.

Listen here (interview starts at 14:50):

Hi, Amanda.

Charleston Gazette-Mail: RCBI Helps Existing Southern WV Businesses Pivot to New Markets

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by Max Garland, Staff Writer

Machines whir and stir throughout the day at the Robert C. Byrd Institute’s Charleston Center, but their work rarely becomes repetitive.

Manufacturing equipment like the FORTUS 900mc 3D Printer, the EOSINT M280 Direct Metal Laser-Sintering System and the Abrasive Water Jet Machine produce solutions for West Virginia companies of all sizes in the fight to survive the rapidly changing business world.

“I like to think of us as problem solvers,” said Jerry Jefferson, a technical trainer at the Charleston Center. “If someone has a lack of equipment or needs our help to program something, we have the tools to do that.”

The problem solvers at RCBI have recently increased their focus toward Southern West Virginia. RCBI Director Charlotte Weber said the decline in coal production and population loss has made many West Virginians look for work elsewhere, especially those involved in manufacturing. The RCBI’s recently launched Appalachian Hatchery project hopes to point them in the right direction…

Read the article on the Charleston Gazette-Mail website »