The Appalachian Oracle

05/08/2023

'Stalking is again listed as a crime in West Virginia code... Senate Bill 132, which passed during the legislative session earlier this year, has finally taken effect…

'Stalking was once law in West Virginia, but had been removed—partially. Certain parts of the code still referred to stalking, even though it didn’t exist as a criminal offense.

'The removal created a host of problems...'

Stalking is again listed as a crime in West Virginia code as of May 2, 2023. Senate Bill 132, which passed this session, took effect this week. “This is a real win for West Virginia,” said Joyce Yedlosky, one of two Team Coordinators for the West Virginia Coalition Against Domestic Violence (WVC...

11/08/2021

‘“People are applying to job postings thinking a human being is going to look at their submission, but they rarely get through if they have a gap in their job history or don’t have the exact right key words,” said Joseph Fuller, a management professor at Harvard Business School and lead author of the recent study that found more than 90 percent of major employers now use automated screening of job applications.

‘Despite having a college degree and decades of experience in executive roles in sales, marketing and strategy, Avital Shimshowitz gets rejected within hours for anything she applies to online. She used her network to get some interviews, but many tell her she’s overqualified for the roles they have open.

‘“Even if I’m willing to take a pay cut, I can’t get back into the workforce,” said Shimshowitz… “I was successful. I’m 52 and I’m thinking: Am I over the hill?”’

Job seekers increasingly want higher pay, more flexibility, and remote options. Meanwhile, companies continue to favor candidates with several years of experience, availability to work evening or weekend hours, and willingness to work in-person.

10/30/2021

Read about the toxic environment anti-worker practices at OVEC have created for the workers:

10/26/2021

After a special meeting held yesterday evening, the Monongalia County West Virginia Democratic Executive Committee has announced they have unanimously endorsed a statement that reads in part:

“We deplore Senator Manchin’s efforts to obstruct and whittle down President Biden’s signature legislation. His actions thus far have only served to appease his corporate benefactors and harm constituents who have actually voted for him in the past.

“Senator Manchin has told West Virginians that we do not have another Democrat who can be elected statewide, and that he is free to do as he pleases. Whether this is true or not, it is absolutely true that he is not helping West Virginians. His attitude and actions are reprehensible….”

Read the whole statement:

WV Dems: “Senator Manchin has told West Virginians that we do not have another Democrat who can be elected statewide, and that he is free to do as he pleases. Whether this is true or not, it is abs…

10/16/2021

‘In a public meeting, Westover City attorney Tim Stranko called Delegate Danielle Walker—the only Black woman in the WV House of Delegates—a “b*tch” because she’d joined residents in expressing concern about public safety in Westover.

‘The expletive that grabbed so much attention on WV Twitter and Facebook actually came in the context of multiple allegations of conspiracy, corruption, racism, and brutality—and was uttered directly after 11 police officers had written a letter to the mayor demanding Police Lieutenant Aaron Dalton—one of two officers accused of a brutal beating—be removed for the safety of the public and of other officers…’

The expletive that grabbed so much attention on WV Twitter and FB actually came in the context of multiple allegations of conspiracy, corruption, racism, and brutality…

10/11/2021

Appalachia is not often what you see depicted on TV or in newspapers from outside of Appalachia—and it’s certainly not how you hear us described by far too many politicians and pundits—owned by fossil fuel, Big Banks, or Big Pharma…

We invite you to meet Appalachia beyond the stereotypes.

On this page, click the logos to discover and connect with independent grassroots journalism, media projects, podcasts, folk reporting—and/or progressive or civic advocacy organizations—that choose the side of working people and vulnerable populations.

Learn about Appalachia from Appalachians.

Meet Appalachia beyond the stereotypes, by connecting with independent media projects, podcasts, and more: Learn about Appalachia from Appalachians.

10/10/2021

Take the poll!

Our senator is demanding the senate dump two of its three top plans to give back to working people what we’ve earned. The expanded child tax credit alone—which is only a temporary program unless we make it permanent in the budget reconciliation proposal—cuts child poverty in half and allows families to get back to work.

Would you dump it and choose to keep something else, like paid family leave?

Which two of the three policies, would YOU dump if you were a senator representing a poor state in Appalachia? Let us know by taking our poll!

After demanding bank bailouts for his donors, one notorious corporate senator is now whining that providing services to working people in exchange for our taxes is an “entitlement mentality.” He’s …

10/09/2021

BREAKING – “House investigators probing the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol took a rare and little-noticed step on Wednesday, subpoenaing a current House staffer working in the office of Congresswoman Carol Miller, a West Virginia Republican.”

BREAKING – House investigators probing the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol took a rare and little-noticed step on Wednesday, subpoenaing a current House staffer working in the office of Rep. Car…

10/07/2021

The typical WV family would get a huge $15,800 per year boost from the investment in childcare.

“And that’s just one provision of the bill that would massively benefit working families, instead of the wealthy.

“Guess who opposes it? One guess, fam. You already know the answer to this.

“That’s right. HIM.

“And look, about 80% of West Virginians support the bill, including about 77% of conservatives, yet he claims to be representing us…”

State-by-state analysis reveals that a typical WV family of four would save $15,800.

09/22/2021

The Dark See, a poem from Appalachia:

Unflinching
Hollows in the deep
Reflect a dim star,
Which eons of feeble and uncertain light
Draw eagerly down to the grim earth…

Read here:

A poem from Appalachia: Unflinching Hollows in the deep Reflect a dim star, Which eons of feeble and uncertain light Draw eagerly down to the grim earth…

09/20/2021

‘West Virginia leaders are coming together this Saturday to launch a statewide coalition called Mountain State Harm Reduction.

‘Harm reduction is effective, and provides the first line of defense against impacts of the addiction epidemic and the spread of infectious disease.

‘West Virginians witnessed the overdose deaths of 1,275 of their neighbors and friends in 2020 (up from 878 in 2019). This tragedy was coupled with an HIV outbreak the CDC has called “the most concerning in the U.S.”

‘And politicians in WV have made matters worse by fighting harm reduction efforts amidst this crisis…’

West Virginia harm reduction leaders are coming together to launch a statewide coalition called Mountain State Harm Reduction.