Each year, the Charleston Gazette-Mail’s sports staff names a West Virginia native as Sportsperson of the Year. This year, the staff is honoring Mike Hamrick, athletic director at Marshall University.  Don’t ever mistake cloud computing with the weather. The weather might give you a white Christmas, but cloud computing might make your Christmas a little greener by saving you money. Learn more at advantage.tech/podcast. Listeners: We’d love your feedback and to learn more about you! Fill out our short survey here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1OUtbg6F4l7IfCjqRl8ad_cpPiGPoblubBGcYlhT0ayw/edit

Mountain State Morning

Why Marshall’s Mike Hamrick is our Sportsperson of the Year

Special announcement: The Mountain State Morning podcast is going on hiatus as we put all of our time and energy into covering the coronavirus and its effects on our community. You can read all that coverage for free at wvgazettemail.com/coronavirus.  Now more than ever, please consider subscribing to the Charleston Gazette-Mail. This is the best way you can show your support that allows us to keep bringing West Virginians the news they need. Find out more at wvgazettemail.com/subscriptions. Thank you, stay safe, wash your hands and if you can, stay home for now. We look forward to bringing you more episodes of Mountain State Morning in the near future.

Announcement: Covering the coronavirus in WV

For Stephanie and Neil Legg, traditional church services are becoming something of the past. Neil is pastor at Covenant Christian Fellowship, in Charleston. Stephanie is a therapist and yoga instructor. The couple is liquidating everything from the church their congregation has practiced in for nearly 40 years to renovate an old school bus into a mobile wellness clinic. They’ll offer rotating church services in different places while Stephanie will use the bus to provide therapy and counseling to those in need. Listeners: We’d love your feedback and to learn more about you! Fill out our short survey here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1OUtbg6F4l7IfCjqRl8ad_cpPiGPoblubBGcYlhT0ayw/edit

Congregation sells its church to start a mobile wellness clinic

Tax reforms, greyhounds, Bibles in schools and the foster care system. Those are just some of the hundreds of issues that West Virginia's legislators have debated over the last 50 days. But now, there are less than 10 days left to pass bills and get them to the governor’s desk. On this week’s episode, Phil Kabler talks to us about the importance of Crossover Day, and how this session compares to the others he’s seen during his three decades as a statehouse reporter. Listeners: We’d love your feedback and to learn more about you! Fill out our short survey here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1OUtbg6F4l7IfCjqRl8ad_cpPiGPoblubBGcYlhT0ayw/edit

WV's 2020 legislative session is nearly over. What will the last stretch look like?

Earlier this legislative session, as they debated the need for a Fairness Act, lawmakers questioned whether members of the LGBTQ community in West Virginia are discriminated against for their sexual orientations or gender identity. The answer? A resounding yes. A group of advocates from Morgantown, armed with a documentary film crew and several members of the community willing to share their stories, set out to show legislators what that discrimination looks like. This week, we talk more about that effort and the politics behind the proposed West Virginia Fairness Act. Listeners: We’d love your feedback and to learn more about you! Fill out our short survey here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1OUtbg6F4l7IfCjqRl8ad_cpPiGPoblubBGcYlhT0ayw/edit

Advocates bring LGBTQ stories to WV Capitol to prove, yes, they face discrimination

Gunnoe Farms has operated in Charleston for more than 70 years, first as a sausage company, and now making salads. That’s about to end though. Owner Joy Gunnoe announced earlier this month it was the end for the salad business. The choice came after years of unfortunate circumstances -- a derecho, loan debt, the water crisis, to name a few. Today, we hear from Joy on what the last few years have entailed, and the uncertainty of the future. Listeners: We’d love your feedback and to learn more about you! Fill out our short survey here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1OUtbg6F4l7IfCjqRl8ad_cpPiGPoblubBGcYlhT0ayw/edit

Salad days over for business hurt by 2014 water crisis

In less than one year, 26 people in Charleston have had their lives saved by Naloxone kits carried by area businesses. Leaders with the program want to get more businesses on board to save more lives in 2020. This week, we join them as they work to recruit businesses on Charleston’s West Side. Listeners: We’d love your feedback and to learn more about you! Fill out our short survey here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1OUtbg6F4l7IfCjqRl8ad_cpPiGPoblubBGcYlhT0ayw/edit

This group saved 26 lives by improving access to naloxone. They're just getting started.

Students in Herbert Hoover High School’s next three graduating classes will finish their high school careers without ever having a high school of their own. They learn in portable trailers, as they have since floods destroyed the school in 2016. Students will do the same for the next two years, until a new school opens. It’s not quite a traditional high school experience. This week, we talk to students about what’s different. Listeners: We’d love your feedback and to learn more about you! Fill out our short survey here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1OUtbg6F4l7IfCjqRl8ad_cpPiGPoblubBGcYlhT0ayw/edit

Herbert Hoover: The high school with no high school

So you wake up in the morning and your newspaper is sitting on your porch. But how did it get there? This week, former Mountain State Morning producer Kate Mishkin takes us on a ride around Kanawha and Putnam Counties, giving a behind-the-scenes look at the newspaper delivery process and the people who make it possible. Also in this episode: The House of Delegates passed a criminal justice reform bill, and the Secretary of State's purge of voter rolls took out more Democrats than Republicans. Listeners: We’d love your feedback and to learn more about you! Fill out our short survey here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1OUtbg6F4l7IfCjqRl8ad_cpPiGPoblubBGcYlhT0ayw/edit

The carriers who make the morning paper happen

More than 300,000 West Virginians rely on food pantries each month to eat. Many of those pantries have little on their shelves, which are supplied by wavering donations and organized by a handful of aging volunteers. The state’s largest food bank, however, is sometimes overflowing with food. Today we look at why that food doesn’t make it to some of the smaller pantries that residents rely on, and what could be done to alleviate some of the hunger in West Virginia.  Listeners: We’d love your feedback and to learn more about you! Fill out our short survey here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1OUtbg6F4l7IfCjqRl8ad_cpPiGPoblubBGcYlhT0ayw/edit 

Thousands in WV are hungry. Why can’t we get food to them?

West Virginia’s legislature is officially back in session. State senators and delegates will be in Charleston for the next 60 days passing and debating bills that will affect many West Virginians. Last night, Governor Jim Justice gave his annual State of the State address. We’ll break down what he discussed, and what we can expect to see from other state lawmakers as the session proceeds. Listeners: We’d love your feedback and to learn more about you! Fill out our short survey here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1OUtbg6F4l7IfCjqRl8ad_cpPiGPoblubBGcYlhT0ayw/edit

Looking ahead at WV's 2020 legislative session

Since 1972, Larry Groce has been helping shape West Virginia into a cultural haven. He helped found annual arts events like FestivALL, but he’s best known as the host of Mountain Stage, which is recorded in West Virginia and airs on NPR stations across the country. Today we look at Groce’s career before and after the Texas native found his home in West Virginia, and how those accomplishments make him the 2019 Gazette-Mail West Virginian of the Year. It’s not a coincidence that the new year is 2020 and perfect eyesight is 20/20. That’s a sign that this year should be a year of clear vision. Now is the time to get a real handle your business technology needs with our FREE tech evaluation. Learn more at advantage.tech/podcast. Listeners: We’d love your feedback and to learn more about you! Fill out our short survey here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1OUtbg6F4l7IfCjqRl8ad_cpPiGPoblubBGcYlhT0ayw/edit

A look at the career of Larry Groce, the Gazette-Mail’s West Virginian of the Year

West Virginia holds the second highest rate of people living with diabetes nationally. That’s more than 15 percent of the people here relying on insulin every day to keep them alive. But as insulin prices rise, many struggle to afford their medication — no matter their health insurance coverage. Earlier this month, a group of residents met and Morgantown and traveled to Canada, where some purchased insulin for a tenth of the price it costs them here. Our reporter Jake Zuckerman joined them on the trip. The Advantage Technology telecommunications team follows the high standards of BICSI for cabling installation. It’s no wonder they don’t want to string Christmas lights when they get home at night! Learn more about us at advantage.tech/podcast. Listeners: We’d love your feedback and to learn more about you! Fill out our short survey here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1OUtbg6F4l7IfCjqRl8ad_cpPiGPoblubBGcYlhT0ayw/edit

WV diabetics took a caravan to Canada for affordable insulin. We rode along.

Last week, a photo emerged of a class of roughly 30 correctional officers from Glenville’s training academy performing a Nazi salute. State officials, including the governor, were quick to condemn the training class’ actions, but many questions remain unanswered, even with an investigation underway. Mountain State Morning is powered by Advantage Technology. In this week’s tech minute, Advantage Technology discusses how cybercriminals see every morning as Christmas morning. Learn more about us at advantage.tech/podcast. Listeners: We’d love your feedback and to learn more about you! Fill out our short survey here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1OUtbg6F4l7IfCjqRl8ad_cpPiGPoblubBGcYlhT0ayw/edit

Photo of jail guards doing a Nazi salute sparks firings, suspensions and an opaque investigation

Hunting is a favored pastime in West Virginia, but even a skilled hunter would struggle to out-shoot the students on the West Virginia University rifle team. This week, we learn how demanding the sport of rifle shooting really is. Mountain State Morning is powered by Advantage Technology. In this week’s tech minute, Advantage Technology will discuss the twinkling lights of the holiday season. Learn more about us at advantage.tech/podcast. Listeners: We’d love your feedback and to learn more about you! Fill out our short survey here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1OUtbg6F4l7IfCjqRl8ad_cpPiGPoblubBGcYlhT0ayw/edit

So you think you can shoot? Not like the WVU rifle team

Mountain State Morning is a weekly update on important stories from West Virginia's Charleston Gazette-Mail.

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Why Marshall’s Mike Hamrick is our Sportsperson of the Year

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