Appalachia Matters

Appalachia Matters is a weekly radio show highlighting life in Appalachia. Each week we have a segment on leadership from retired Major General Jim Hoyer, features highlighting agriculture in our region, health care updates from Tom Susman and our host Bo Higby each week highlights a story of community interest. The show is produced by Vandalia Media Partners.

Appalachia Matters is a news podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 0 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Unknown Host hosts Appalachia Matters, a news show with 0 episodes published.

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  Episode #33

  Your Social Security Payment Faces 20% Cut, Great Donuts, & a Great Coffee Place

  Aug 30, 202630 minS3

  Your Social Security Payment Faces 20% Cut, Great Donuts, & AGreat Coffee Place This week on At The Leadership Table, General Hoyer sits down with Mateo Martinez, founder and owner of Jazzy’s Sweet Spot and Seb’s Donuts in Star City, West Virginia . Mateo and the General discuss his journey from creating homemade donuts as a high school student to building a successful local businesses, the role of social media in growing his brand, and the importance of entrepreneurship in strengthening communities. This month was West Virginia State Fair month and the folks with the Department of Agriculture were a little tied up and so instead of asking them for a new Rooted in The Mountain State segment this week, we decided to replay one about Black Dog Coffee in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. Social Security payments in America may be reduced by 20% in 2032 if congress does nothing and Tom Susman talks with J ohn Hishta National Senior Vice President for Policy for AARP.

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  Episode #32

  Morgan is Brining Hope To Hope Gas

  Aug 23, 202630 minS3

  Welcome to Appalachia Matters presented by New River Health. Today’s episode is a special . The full show is a discussion Tom Susman had with Morgan O’Brien CEO of Hope Gas . Hope is investing significant resources in West Virginia as they update 7,000 miles of natural gas distribution in the state. The company has significantly increased the number West Virginia employees and is adopting a buy West Virginian philosophy for its West Virginia operations. Morgan and Tom talked about a number of issues pipeline replacement, cost of Natural Gas, and the need for energy fto power data centers that are being built in West Virginia.

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  Episode #31

  New Weight Wait Loss Surgery, State Fair is Here & The Hustle Culture

  Aug 16, 202630 minS3

  This week on At The Leadership Table , General Hoyer sits down with Joelle Moray, a bestselling author, licensed professional counselor, and nationally recognized advocate for transforming workplace culture. Joelle shares more about her journey and what motivates her perspective on leadership. She and the General also define and discuss the term "hustle culture" and how this culture can present challenges in individual and organizational contexts. The 2026 State Fair of West Virginia has started and runs through August 22. In the Rooted in the Mountain State segment provided by the West Virginia Department of Agriculture we will hear from Agriculture Commissioner Kent Leonhardt. In our final segment I have an extended interview with Doctor Semeret Munie from the Marshall School of Medicine and Marshal Health Network , she specializes in weight loss surgery and she will tell us about a new weight loss procedure being performed by the Marshall Health Network.

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  Appalachia Matters

  Local Beef, Civil Defense, Coopers Farm and the Scoop on Reverse Mortgages

  Jul 27, 202630 min

  This week on At The Leadership Table , General Hoye r sits down with Dr. Nick Studer , an emergency physician, service member, and founding director and archivist of the National Museum of Civil Defense at Randolph Air Force Base in Randolph, Texas. Dr. Studer and the General discuss the role of civil defense in modern America, including defining civil defense and how its tenets can help shape future emergency preparedness and response efforts, including in Appalachia. In our Rooted in the Mountain State we will play a best of report about the Coopers Farm in Points, WV in Hampshire Co. It is owned and operated by Tim and Becca Cooper and their children. Locally sourced food is in great demand in this country. The USDA has documented a significant growth in this area of farming and food production. Also with the recent out break of food borne illness shoppers want to know who produces their food. We will talk with a long time producer, Valley View Farms. Some seniors are pressed for cash and one option available to them is a loan called reverse mortgages. The home owner takes out a mortgage on their house and its not due until after they die. We talk with Bo Higby who is a loan broker and he will explain what these reverse mortgages are. Before taking out a reverse mortgage a person should do their research and make sure they understand the consequences if they go do this path.

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  Episode #27

  Sleeping with the Bees, Health Leadership, Inn for Sale, and Avoiding the Parasite

  Jul 19, 202630 minS3

  Sleeping with the Bees, Health Leadership, Inn for Sale, and Avoiding the Parasite General Hoyer sits down with Dr. Lisa Costello on At The Leadership Table. Dr. Costello is a pediatrician from West Virginia who cares for children in hospitals across the state. She is a medical leader who advocates in the state and at the national level for healthy Appalachian kids and families. Dr. Costello returns to the program to talk with the General about her leadership journey and to give us all an update on the West Virginia State Medical Association’s leadership program called Physician LEADS. In the Rooted in the Mountain State Segment provided by the West Virginia Department of Agriculture we will learn about a Ritchie County Bee House inspired by one in Europe. In Summers County, there is a former inn that is for sale, it is called Pence Springs. It started as a resort, then became a state women’s prison, an Inn and finally a school. The property is for sale and Dave Sibray who operates WV Explorer provides some history of the site. In our final segment, Tom Susman talks with local health leaders about a new food borne illness that is impacting our country and region. It comes from various vegetables and fruits.

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