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Articles by Robbie Harris
A Renaissance for Southwest Virginia?
Coal was once king of the economy in Appalachia, but with climate change and the advent of the pandemic, it’s a new day. And that has leaders in the region calling this moment a huge opportunity to finally diversify its economy and attract people who could live anywhere, to move here. That’s what Mary Trigiani did. She’s an executive communicator who worked in Silicon Valley and Chicago.
Still Cleaning Up After Coal
A decades old government plan to clean up abandoned Coal mines has never lived up to that promise. But a new proposal may have a shot at tackling that enormous task in coal states around the country. Robbie Harris reports. As demand for clean energy rises, and coal power wanes, thousands of now abandoned mine lands still scar the landscape in Appalachia and other parts of the country.
E-P-A says "No" to MVP Water Crossings Permits
The U.S. Environmental protection agency is recommending, water crossings along the Mountain Valley Pipeline route, not receive permitting to continue. Robbie Harris reports. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency wants the Army Corps of Engineers to refuse to issue water crossing permits along the path of the Mountain Valley Pipeline.
New Book Explores Appalachia's Coal Mined Landscapes
For more than a hundred years, coal from Appalachia helped power the nation and the world. But that’s changing as new forms of clean energy emerge. A new book documents the rise of coal and its eminent decline, when coal is no longer King. Robbie Harris has more. Without coal, there might never have been an industrial revolution.
Water Crossings Next Hurdle for MVP Approval
Time was about to run out for Virginia’s Department of Environmental Quality to gage the impact of the Mountain Valley Pipeline, on sensitive wetlands in its path. Now that deadline is being extended until next year. Robbie Harris has more. Virginia’s department of environmental Quality is getting more time to assess the impact of the 303-mile 42-inch-wide pipeline, on hundreds of tiny streams and water ways. This week the Army Core of Engineers granted an extension until spring of next year.
UAPs or Space Junk?
Human beings have long speculated, hoped, or feared that UFOs would one day show themselves. A new report, confirms, for the first time, that what we now call U-A-Ps are real, but that’s all they’re saying for now. Robbie Harris reports It’s out there. This week, the Pentagon’s Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Unit announced it’s extending its research to explore what it calls, “existing unknowns.” Jonathan Black teaches aerospace engineering at Virginia Tech.
Smooth Coneflower in Less Danger
Since the endangered species act became law in 1973, ninety-nine percent of all at risk species are still with us, thanks to that conservation effort. Now one more plant, native to Virginia, is being ‘down listed’ and that’s a good thing. Robbie Harris reports. The smooth coneflower has been on the endangered species list since 1992. There were just 21 populations across Virginia, the Carolinas and Georgia. The only places it grows.
High quality Early Ed Leads to Changes in the Brain Compared to Control Group
A new study finds that high quality early childhood education leads to actual changes in the brain, but those changes don’t actually show up until middle age. In part two of our report on early childhood education, Robbie Harris talks with co-author, Virginia Tech Science Professor Craig Ramey.
A Special Brew: Coffee & Childcare
One of the longest studies on early childhood development is out with its latest findings. Researchers followed 2 groups, from infancy, through adulthood and middle age, to gage the impact of high-quality childcare. But in many places, there’s not enough high-quality childcare available. In part one of our report, Robbie Harris talked with people at one company that created its own. Rose Mcutchion and Haden Polseno-Hensley started Red Rooster Coffee in Floyd in 2010.
Expanding Options for Solar in Virginia
Solar energy in Southwestern Virginia is expected to increase, now that the utility that serves the region, Appalachian Power, may be lifting long held restrictions on solar energy production on schools and government buildings. Schools and localities around the country are going solar, putting arrays on roofs or other structures to harvest energy from the power of the sun.
Champions of the Soil
Southwest Virginia is known for its majestic mountains, but there’s a whole other landscape below the surface. The variety of colors and textures in soil and sand actually tell you a lot about their composition and potential uses, if you know how to ‘listen’ to the dirt.
A Very Different Pair of Genes
Thirty years after scientists began mapping human genome, we’re all familiar with the idea that our genes account for many of our physical characteristics. Now, scientists at Virginia Tech have identified a new kind of gene, that plays a powerful role in when we sleep and when we don’t. It’s actually a very different pair of genes than previously thought.
Form Coal Fields to Solar Farms
Southwestern Virginia has a long history of coal mining, but its energy future is a work in progress. A pilot project is underway to transform former coal mines into six, solar electricity plants, in the central Appalachian coalfields. Robbie Harris reports The Nature Conservancy has been acquiring land to build the solar installations in the Cumberland Forest, a quarter million acres comprising parts of Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee.
"Rock Castle Gorge" Short Film Celebrates Appalachian Heritage
How do you go home again, when home is no longer there? A new documentary on a small mountain community, called “Rock Castle Gorge” is about a place that lost its town, but not its story. Robbie Harris has more.
Human Brain Imaging Project to Study Social Interactions in Real Time
Researchers at Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC have recieved a $2.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, for a groundbreaking new brain imaging technique. It can actually study nuances of social interactions, by monitoring subtle pressure changes in the brain. Scientists have long been able to study the human brain with MRIs, but this new device deploys something called “optically pumped magnetometry.” It measures changes in brain blood flow during social interactions.
Some Graduations in Person Again
This year’s, graduation ceremonies may look more like a masked ball, but the pomp and circumstance will be more poignant than ever, with schools hosting smaller, in person and virtual ceremonies, to celebrate the new grads. Robbie Harris prepared this report. Creativity and Improvisation may be the theme for this year’s graduates, after COVID carved out new ways to study, teach and learn. So it's not the most ideal. It's definitely not what I imagined it to be like.
White House to Fuel Coal Transition to Diversified Economies
For decades, a committed conglomeration of environmental activists in Virginia and around the country has been working toward this moment: A presidential promise to transition to clean energy and funding to create new economies in coal country. The massive new White House report on how to re-invigorate and reimagine coal communities on the decline, rolled out almost on cue, just a few months after Joe Biden became president.
Pipeline Run; MVP Opponents Continue the Protests
People who oppose the Mountain Valley Natural Gas Pipeline project are continuing the fight to stop it. This week, 3 women set out on a relay run through parts of Virginia and West Virginia. They’re protesting the project with their feet --- with a goal to highlight the sensitivity of potential water crossings along the pipeline’s route.
Covid Companions
When COVID-19 began changing everyone’s lives in the winter of 2020, the town of Blacksburg started planning ahea. It mobilized resources and created a coalition of public officials, academics, and volunteers to keep health and safety measures going out there. But one man was concerned that there was more that needed to be done for the community, something not so easily seen.
Living Small Thinking Big & Protecting the Environment in Floyd
At a time when people are looking for ways to save the planet, the town of Floyd is offering a kind of virtual road map. The tiny town is taking on the big questions in its virtual ‘Eco Fair,’ this streaming this Saturday; As Robbie Harris reports it will be a full day of expert speakers sharing practical tips and ideas for living small and thinking big…for long term sustainability.
Racism Makes You Sick; VA Passes Resolution For Remedies
It’s long been known that racial inequality tracks with higher rates of health problems and earlier death. Now Virginia has become the first state in the south to call out racism as a public health crisis perpetuated for hundreds of years ---and promote a plan to remedy the situation. Robbie Harris has more.
Embracing Cultural Diversity on Campus; Learning More about APIDA
As the country continues to grapple with racism, new cultural engagement centers are ramping up on campus. They’re charting a course toward better understanding of the APIDA community. APIDA stands for Asian Pacific Islander and Desi American. The community comprises people of Asian descent, wherever they live today.
Authorities Have Forced Anti-Pipeline Protesters Out Of The Blue Ridge Mountains
Music and NPR News for Central and Northern Michigan
Authorities Have Forced Anti-Pipeline Protesters Out Of The Blue Ridge Mountains
Originally published on March 24, 2021 10:26 am Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.
Authorities Have Forced Anti-Pipeline Protesters Out Of The Blue Ridge Mountains
Originally published on March 24, 2021 1:21 pm Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.
Authorities Have Forced Anti-Pipeline Protesters Out Of The Blue Ridge Mountains
Authorities Have Forced Anti-Pipeline Protesters Out Of The Blue Ridge Mountains For more than two years, protesters from across the country have lived in trees in the Blue Ridge Mountains to protest construction of a gas pipeline. This March, authorities forced them to leave.
Authorities Have Forced Anti-Pipeline Protesters Out Of The Blue Ridge Mountains
ARI SHAPIRO, HOST: For more than two years, protesters have been trying to block the construction of a natural gas pipeline through Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains. Well, that fight came to an end today. A court order authorized the use of force, and police went up in a crane to remove the last protester who'd attached themselves to a tree. Robbie Harris of member station WVTF in Blacksburg reports.
Tree Sitters Extraction Day 1
For more than 2 years anti pipeline protesters have been living up in the tree canopy, in an effort to block the way forward for the 3-hundred- and 3-mile Mountain Valley Gas pipeline, slated to run through the area. But today authorities began the difficult process of extracting the last 2 sitting. Robbie Harris reports. “They had a negotiator here earlier with a bull horn.” That’s Acre, one of the tree sitters. “Let them! with a megaphone trying to negotiate us out of the trees it appears.
Update: Tree-Sitting Pipeline Protesters Being Removed
Law enforcement officers have apparently begun removing protesters from the Yellow Finch Lane site, according to the group Appalachians Against Pipelines. The group posted video from one of the tree sitters that showed law enforcement working with chainsaws around the site. Original Story: In the mountains between Roanoke and Christiansburg, protestors are putting their bodies on the line to block completion of a long-delayed gas pipeline.
SWVA Grant Competition for Eco Friendly Econ Dev Proposals; 100K to be Split by Winners
If you have an idea for a cool, new, eco-friendly business you’ve always dreamed of starting, Southwest Virginia is looking for you. Grant money is available from the University of Virginia’s College at Wise and The Nature Conservancy. Proposals are being accepted now, and you have until March 29th to submit yours. Southwest Virginia is having a moment. The region was just awarded a large funding package from the state, to expand broad band in underserved areas.
Blackouts Big as Texas; Could It Happen Here?
The recent black out in Texas got people wondering; could something like that happen here? Robbie Harris reports. The Lone Star state lives up to its name especially when it comes to its power grid. It’s not part of any Co-op, unlike like most states, which agree to help each other out, sending electricity when and where it’s needed in a pinch. “Texas is an isolated grid so the state has its own grid that doesn't connect to the rest of the country. That's by design.” Ivy Main, writes about energy.
Unpacking Political Extremism
U.S. Capital law enforcement is on high alert in case of more violent actions against the government. Part of the problem is the easy spread of false conspiracy theories. They’re becoming more prevalent and potentially, -- calls to action. Researchers at Virginia Tech have been working on ways to debunk untrue theories and stop the spread of the kind of disinformation that threatens the Republic. Robbie Harris reports.
Saving Endangered Streams & the Species that Depend on Them
If an endangered species goes extinct, there’s no turning back. And its absence can set off a cascade of carnage, harming entire ecosystems from farming to recreation. But a growing coalition of wildlife experts and private landowners has been working together to save endangered streams and the species that depend on them. The North Fork of the Roanoke River in southwestern Virginia flows through one of the prettiest watersheds in the state.
Study Finds Trees Growing Taller Due to Climate Change
New research out of West Virginia University says trees are now taking up more Carbon Dioxide than ever recorded. And because forests are the planet’s carbon sink, trees all over the world are actually growing larger to keep up with rising CO2. Robbie Harris has reports. In Greek mythology what’s known as the Gaia theory posits, earth is a self-regulating system with a positive feedback loop that somehow, keeps things in homeostasis or balance.
MVP Protesters: Day 9-hundred & One
It’s day nine-hundred and one of the Mountain Valley Gas Pipeline protest. Tree sitters have been perched above its path and authorities are making plans to remove them. There are now just 2 remaining tree sitters, who say they will continue to refuse to come down from the treetops. Robbie Harris spoke to one of them about what it’s like up there now. Yesterday marked 9-hundred days of protesters living in trees above a section of the Mountain Valley Gas Pipeline near Williston.
They're Out There: Satelites Beaming Broadband from Space
In what’s quickly becoming a virtual world, students with no --or slow-- Internet are being left behind. So, school administrators in rural Wise County where broadband is lacking, reached out to Elon Musk’s SpaceX. Now, households in the mountains of Central Appalachia are helping beta test Broadband Internet from space…. With nearly a hundred more beta testers, following soon. Robbie Harris reports. It seems like overnight; students everywhere were learning virtually.
Shenandoah National Park is Growing
Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park is growing. It comes courtesy of sizeable pay-out from one of the largest environmental damage settlements in Virginia’s history. Robbie Harris reports. After a disastrous release of mercury in Waynesboro a decade ago, by what is now DuPont, the company agreed it would pay 50-million dollars, compensating the public for the loss. Now, some of that money will go to acquire the additional acreage and upkeep for the park.
Peaceful Transition of Power: Precious & Rare
The peaceful transition of political power is a hallmark of democracy. New administrations have to ramp up quickly in an increasingly complex world. Plitical scientists formed an organization 20 years ago, specifically to help new administrations make the increasingly complex transition to the white house. Virginia Tech political science professor Karen Hult is a founding member of the Center for Presidential Transition. "We now call ourselves the Presidency and Executive Politics Group.
At The Cradle Of Country Music, A Monument You Can Hear As Well As See
The Birthplace of Country Music Museum takes its name from a recording session in 1927, which produced such future stars as Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family. Malcolm Wilson/Birthplace of Country Music Museum hide caption toggle caption Malcolm Wilson/Birthplace of Country Music Museum The Birthplace of Country Music Museum takes its name from a recording session in 1927, which produced such future stars as Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family.
After the Insurrection: Exploring a Crisis of Democracy
Some say, they saw it coming, the insurrection at the U.S. capital January 6th. But what happened on that day raises new questions about how we got to this point and where we go from here. Robbie Harris has more. The insurrection at the U.S. Capitol January 6th will go down in history. Researchers are already digging into what happened and why. Farida Jalalzai is professor of political science at Virginia Tech.
Climate Center Stage in New Administration
With the new administration putting climate at the top of the agenda, advocates for coal communities in transition are asking for a seat at the table--- literally. They hope to see an ‘Office of Economic Transition’ created in the Whitehouse to reinforce the idea that climate change and climate justice must go hand in hand. Robbie Harris reports. The new administration has as one of its urgent goals, to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and create a new clean energy economy.
Window Theater
Performance Artists, Steven Licardi and Courtney Surmanec work in a field they call “creative ageing.’ They wanted to do something to help keep people stay engaged in life and connected in these times, when everywhere, doors were closing. Robbie Harris has more. Since the pandemic means you can’t perform inside most public spaces, Courtney Surmanec and Steven Licardi decided to create a new kind of show to be performed by players outside a building.
Health Wagon Busier Than Ever, Breaking New Ground
A free mobile medical clinic in Southwestern Virginia, known as the “Health Wagon” is serving record numbers of patients this year, due to COVID -19. And even though the pandemic is spiking, they report that have not lost a single patient to the disease. Robbie Harris has more. Busier than ever, The Health Wagon is, as always, up and running. “You know, the thing I just want to emphasize is please get your flu shots.” That’s Teresa Tyson, Nurse Practitioner and CEO of The Health Wagon.
Green Groups Challenge Resuming Construction on MVP
By Robbie Harris • 12 minutes ago Conservation groups are fighting yesterday’s decision by the United States Department of Agriculture, allowing construction of the Mountain Valley Pipeline to resume as soon as possible. If they get the green light, workers would begin cutting a one-hundred foot wide swath of trees along a three and a half mile section of Jefferson National Forest. Robbie Harris has more.
Increased Flooding in Virginia Predicted
Scientists are documenting increasingly higher temperatures each year ---and climate change is not really in question anymore. As we heard in part one of this report, once bare alpine mountains are sprouting new vegetation, never before seen at those elevations, allowing invasive species thrive. In part two, we look at climate change at the lowest altitudes; the Virginia coast, where increasing flooding is raising the question: stay put or head for higher ground. Robbie Harris reports.
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