This Conversation

"Free Frozen Embryos -- and an IVF Baby."Tracey Mercier and her husband Greg had every challenge imaginable in wanting to have a baby.For a while they had given up. Then, a series of events presented the possibility that they could have a child.With pursuits of doctors and treatments from here to California -- and across the border to Mexico, the Merciers found a total of 5 embryos. Two failed. Of the other three, one became their daughter Lily.You'll hear why the trip to Mexico resulted from restrictions in the United States. From her experience, Tracy Mercier has become politically active. In this conversation, she speaks out about the proposed amendment to Virginia's Constitution on the November ballot in the midterm elections on November 3rd. The change is supposed to protect personal decisions in a wide range of reproductive health care. Virginiaans will choose YES for protection of personal freedom vs. NO, which could result in leaving the decision to state government. She says VOTE YES on Amendment #1 on Nov. 3.More information from Virginia's Department of Electionshttps://www.elections.virginia.gov/election-law/proposed-constitutional-amendment-question-1/

Han Jones is campaign director with Virginians for Reproductive Freedom, an organization that is encouraging Virginians to vote YES on a proposed state constitutional amendment to assure that the government does not have a role in a woman's reproductive health decisions. The decision will be made in the November 3 mid-term elections.This interview explores the views of the organization.Links below give more detail about VfRF and about the language of the amendment.https://ballotpedia.org/Virginia_Question_1,_Right_to_Reproductive_Freedom_Amendment_(2026)https://va4reprofreedom.org/

Dan Gray, Immigration Lawyer with the Garza Law Firm discusses his interactions with immigrants in the area who have been arrested, detained, and are facing deportation issues. Families are affected, but, as Gray explains, the community is affected as well.Gray's legal action takes place in the larger national context of increased arrests and more aggressive tactics of the Trump Administration.Contact for Dan Gray viahttps://garzalaw.com/

Kindergarten teacher Jessica Watts volunteers her time and resourses on behalf of immigrants whose families are caught up in deportation and detention issues. She describes the effect of enhanced enforcement on families and communities, and talks about why this issue is meaningful to her.

The Democratic Primary election will be held on August 4th.In this episode of This Conversation, you'll meet the three Democratic Primary candidates: Douglas Crockett, Adam Murphy, and Joy Powers. The winner wll face Incumbent Republican Candidate Morgan Griffith in the mid-term election on November 3.Congressman Griffith's office received an invitation to record an episode and have equal time. There was no response.

This week we talk to another social media star. It's Josh Mancuso. He's an actor. filmmaker, and comedian -- best known for his social media routines on how college teams name their mascots.Learn more athttps://www.joshmancuso.com/

This week's conversation focuses on the stunning internet success of Marion, Va native Amy Kiser Schemper with her fitness and lifestyle videos. You find her as Body Fit by Amy. She has 955,000 YouTube subscribers who tune in for her two -thousand- plus videos and is hoping to hit the one million mark soon.Hear how she and her husband built the social media business that supports their family of four in Los Angeles.Learn more at ​https://www.youtube.com/user/BodyFitByAmy

The Appalachian Highlands Community Dental Center is offering dental care for those who can't afford it in Abingdon, Virginia. The facility is funded, in part, from fundraising work with the associated fundraising organization Appalachian Highlands Community Dental Charities.Rachel Helton leads the fundraising work and describes the organization in this program and she introduces her summer intern Teddy Pillion.The Dental Center has 21 treatment facilities and has served thousands of people, but still faces a waiting list of more than three thousand people. Resident dentists can help those who need cleanings, crowns, bridges, dentures, fillings and more.For those who need dental care and think they can't afford it, call 276-525-4487.For those who would like to contribute to the work, call Rachel Helton at 276-275-1063.For more information, https://appalachiandentalcharities.org/

Ann Ledgerwood is the guest in this episode of This Conversation and we learn about her passion in volunteering to help those who are dealing with addiction. Ann's work as a volunteer helped launch the program that established the treatment facility for women in Abingdon, Va. in 2023.The 70 bed facility is part of a larger system that serves men and women in several area locations. The program is paid for by Medicaid and supplemented by donations and volunteer work.For people who want to know more and may know someone who needs this kind of help, more information is available through Fairview Housing, the nonprofit group that oversees the programs. Here is a link that includes a short video featuring women in the Abingdon facility.https://fairviewhousing.org/programs/mended-women-recovery/To reach Mended Women Lifestyle recovery, call 276.451.3996More information about similar programs for men, including a facility in Bristol, Virginia, is available at fairviewhousing.org.In a previous series on This Conversation, we talked with two people who could have benefitted from a program like these lifestyle recovery centers. Here are two of those interviews.I’m Jessica. I’m an addict:https://player.captivate.fm/episode/ac5f351c-0d5d-4da3-8931-6e72aad6711e/I’m Bo and I’m an addict:https://player.captivate.fm/episode/e4bd1213-e9d0-4525-b217-2220eb9090f2/

In this episode we talk with actor Amy Baldwin, now performing in two shows at Barter Theatre for the summer repertory.Amy introduces us to Marlafaye, her character in the comedy romp Savannah Sipping Society and previews her upcoming role in the theatre's summer musical Guys and Dolls, both running through the first week in August. Then, she is scheduled to perform in Come from Away in September, the story of airline passengers who became stranded in Newfoundland after the 9/11 attacks.Amy is a graduate of Emory & Henry University but did not appear on stage or take classes in the theatre department there. The story of her first acting role at the age of 27 and what she gave up to do it ranks as both unusual and improbable.In this interview, you'll learn how Equity Union status affects Barter Theatre and its staff.It's a profile of an actor. Amy Baldwin.

This week's show is an update from inside Cuba. After 60 years of a US Embargo on trade and now a new US blockade on Cuba, what is life like for people on the island? Sylvia Rozwadowska of Colibri Travel and Tours just returned from Cuba and is planning another trip in June in order to help the Cuban people. Hear the latest about the effect of power outages and the attitudes of people in face of a failing government and international actions.In partnership with Colibri Travel & Tours, this Humanitarian Trip to Cuba (June 13-19) supports Con Razón, connecting you with local communities to make a real impact.https://conrazoncuba.org/https://colibritraveltours.com/

This Convo for this week is a conversation with LeRae Collins, the 2026 Emory & Henry University Commencement Speaker. She's President and CEO of Holston Foundation in Knoxville, the first woman to hold the position in the organization's 40-year history.You'll hear her overall message she shared with graduates that "all roads lead to Emory & Henry." She also reviews some of the important concepts she emphasized in the address and reminds us all of John Wesley's important guidance for us to "do all the good we can.... as long as ever we can."

This Conversation this week focuses on Treva Randall and her soap... candle.. lotion...and cream business. Plus, the conversation gets off the business and soap making skill into Treva's life that provides the background for her small, private business as well as her 21 -year -career at Emory & Henry.The business is called Bohicket Apothecary and you'll hear the origins of the name in this episode.You can find her at the Abingdon Farmer's Market -- and online at https://www.bohicketapothecary.com/

Wendell Potter worked for large health care corporations CIGNA and HUMANA for 20 years. In a crisis of conscience, he quit. Two events prompted his decision: (1) observing the RAM health care clinic in Wise, VA where uninsured people were literally getting health care in a barn, and (2) the death of a 17-year-old girl who was denied coverage for a liver transplant. Since his resignation, he has been a strong and constant voice for finding a better way to provide health care in our country.What is the scam?What about Tennessee's RX Bill?What are the chances for improvement?What does Potter advise us all to do?

Dr. Robin Feierabend has diagnosed our health system in the U.S. as "failing." His conclusion is based on more than 30 years as a teaching physician and Professor Emeritus in Medicine at East Tennessee State University.He and some high profile fellow professionals are trying to address the issue in an event to which the public is invited.The prestigious panel includes a keynote address by Wendell Berry, author of four books on healthcare and a former insurance executive turned whistleblower. He is now president of the Center for Health and Democracy.The event is set for Saturday, April 25, 2026 from 9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. at the Kingsport Center for Higher Education, 300 West Market Street, Kingsport, TN. It is free and open to the public.With early registration, attendees get a free lunch.More information at www.tccihc.org.What are the major problems in healthcare and how can we fix them? Details in this episode of This Conversation with host Teresa Keller.

Latin America journalist Cody Weddle was arrested, detained and deported from Venezuela in 2019. Now, he's living in Bogata,​ ​ Columbia and, again, covering news events in Venezuela. Furthermore, this international journalist is home grown -- in Meadowview, Virginia.We trace his pathway from Patrick Henry High School to his current work feeding information about Venezuela and Columbia to news sources around the world.Mentioned in this episode:WEHC 90.7 FM is the Voice of Southwest Virginia. Stay tuned, connected, informed and entertained. This is listener supported radio. www.wehcfm.com

You may not see yourself as a soccer fan but this interview with Emory & Henry's soccer coach Ali al-Gashamyis about much more than the game.It's about a vision... a plan to achieve it... and seeing early results. It's about bringing more of the world to Emory, Va with a taste of the struggle it takes for some people to get here. It's about the gifts and contributions they bring, even to a small community in SW Virginia.And beneath it all lies the humble effort born from a refugee camp and a pair of soccer cleats from the Salvation Army.Mentioned in this episode:WEHC 90.7 FM is the Voice of Southwest Virginia. Stay tuned, connected, informed and entertained. This is listener supported radio. www.wehcfm.com

This show is about the Virginia Special Redistricting Election, scheduled for April 21. The referendum reflects a national battle for "fairness" in the mid-term elections in November.There is one question: should the Va. Constitution be amended temporarily to allow redistricting? YES or NO.Who started it and what's the other side doing about it? And, how will you vote on April 21?Guests are Republican Steven Statzer and Democrat Julianne Miles, both from Washington County, VAMentioned in this episode:WEHC 90.7 FM is the Voice of Southwest Virginia. Stay tuned, connected, informed and entertained. This is listener supported radio. www.wehcfm.com

When Emory resident Sabrina Durling-Jones took a teaching job for a semester at a university in Dubai, she did not expect that incoming missiles from Iran would be part of her experience. Hearing Patriot missiles take off to intercept the incoming attacks is now routine for Sabrina.In This Conversation, we'll hear about this professor's experience in Dubai as the U.S. - Israeli war on Iran intensifies and Iran sends missiles to neighboring nations.Mentioned in this episode:WEHC 90.7 FM is the Voice of Southwest Virginia. Stay tuned, connected, informed and entertained. This is listener supported radio. www.wehcfm.com

In fall 2025, the U.S. began bombing boats from Venezuela and other countries, killing 130 people and claiming that they were narco terrorists and a threat to U.S. national security, which justified military action. On Jan. 3, 2026, the United States invaded Venezuela, arrested and imprisoned its president, and now says that the U.S. is now in charge of the oil industry in Venezuela.What is the reaction of the Venezuelan people? Dr. Oleski Miranda Navarro, Chair of Hispanic Studies at Emory & Henry University, grew up in Venezuela and is now a dual citizen of both Venezuela and the United States and continues research in Latin America. Navarro was in Venezuela just a few weeks before the capture of the country's president and shares varying viewpoints of Venezuelans about these actions. He talks about his upbringing in the oil fields and the international significance of oil in this new relationship with the U.S.Mentioned in this episode:WEHC 90.7 FM is the Voice of Southwest Virginia. Stay tuned, connected, informed and entertained. This is listener supported radio. www.wehcfm.com

After a number of campuses in the national Job Corps program were told they were being shut down by the Labor Dept and the results of Elon Musk's DOGE investigation, supporters filed injunctions and court cases have dragged on from summer 2025 until Congress stepped in. Legislators superseded temporary injunctions that were keeping Job Corps programs running and funded the program through June 2027.Marion, Virginia's campus Admission Manager Heather Goodpasture ignored warnings not to talk about the issues, but she did. Along with other defenders, they made the case for the value of the program.In this episode, Goodpasture reviews the complicated and devastating steps in reviving the program for now and also describes basic needs for bringing the program back to its full measure from before the shut down.Mentioned in this episode:WEHC 90.7 FM is the Voice of Southwest Virginia. Stay tuned, connected, informed and entertained. This is listener supported radio. www.wehcfm.com

Tom Chapman is the Project Director for Washington County Virginia's RECOVERY COURT, previously known as DRUG COURT.This program provides an alternative to jail when an addict is facing charges and gets approval to enter the program. In this interview, Chapman explains how the program can save money for taxpayers with the hope of the addict's success in getting clean, making the community stronger and safer, saving taxpayer dollars, and putting families back together.Mentioned in this episode:WEHC 90.7 FM is the Voice of Southwest Virginia. Stay tuned, connected, informed and entertained. This is listener supported radio. www.wehcfm.com

This week, Teresa Keller and This Conversation present Part II of a new series on Drug Addiction Recovering addict Jessica talks about the first steps toward her drug addiction as a young child in her home in Abingdon, Virginia. In an intense and gripping story, Jessica details her decline into the world of drugs until she hit rock bottom. Now she can talk about her road to recovery. This Conversation. Wednesday at 6 and Sunday at 2:00 -- and available on the podcast site by searching "WEHC This Conversation."Mentioned in this episode:WEHC 90.7 FM is the Voice of Southwest Virginia. Stay tuned, connected, informed and entertained. This is listener supported radio. www.wehcfm.com

Meet Bo. He's a recovering drug addict who has seen it all: things you can imagine and things you wouldn't have thought of.He started young...with alcohol. After that addiction kicked in, he found his way to cocaine, meth, jail repeated attempts in rehab, and prison. Finally, his rehab stuck and he has been clean for one year. What are the tools he believes will keep him straight?This interview kicks off a three-part series to be followed by a conversation with a woman who lived in a world of drug addiction before she became clean. Finally, we will talk with a representative of the Washington County, Virginia Recovery Court, formerly known as Drug Court where people facing pending felony drug charges can avoid jail buy successfully completing the Recovery Program.What can we learn from this story of those among us who are living in an unreal world of drug addiction?Mentioned in this episode:WEHC 90.7 FM is the Voice of Southwest Virginia. Stay tuned, connected, informed and entertained. This is listener supported radio. www.wehcfm.com

Jerry Hill is organizing events to celebrate Martin Luther King in Abingdon, Virginia.He puts the week's events in the context of his history, from segregation through today's chaos.Mentioned in this episode:WEHC 90.7 FM is the Voice of Southwest Virginia. Stay tuned, connected, informed and entertained. This is listener supported radio. www.wehcfm.com

We recorded this interview at the beginning of basketball season 2025.Do you ever notice the referees in big-time basketball games? Do you ever wonder about their lives...their families...the constant travel... and what it's like to be jeered and taunted by unhappy fans?  Find out in this interview with Division I basketball referee Justin Porterfield. And... by the way... he's a 2000 Emory & Henry graduate with a degree in Mass Communications.Mentioned in this episode:WEHC 90.7 FM is the Voice of Southwest Virginia. Stay tuned, connected, informed and entertained. This is listener supported radio. www.wehcfm.com

Odeliya Matter grew up within yards of her Palestinian neighbors. She didn't ever meet any of them, but she learned about the Palestinians in school, at home, and in the community. She was told that they were dangerous and they wanted to kill Jews. Then Odelyia met a Palestinian man while doing volunteer work with refugees in Lesbos, Greece. She found great commonality with his story and the story of her relatives who had to flee the persecution of Jews.In this episode of This Conversation, you'll hear what came next for Odelyia and the emotional toll it has taken. You'll also hear the reasons Odelyia says she's optimistic in her role as a peace activist. She holds additional titles such as lobbyist, Program Associate for Middle East Policy, and Friends Committee on National Legislation.Mentioned in this episode:WEHC 90.7 FM is the Voice of Southwest Virginia. Stay tuned, connected, informed and entertained. This is listener supported radio. www.wehcfm.com

This episode is a chat with Tarah Taylor about how we make our cars go -- and the full spectrum of energy possibilities -- from gas and electric to hydrogen and propane. Taylor is Economic Development Director of Southwest Virginia's chapter of Virginia Clean Cities.Mentioned in this episode:WEHC 90.7 FM is the Voice of Southwest Virginia. Stay tuned, connected, informed and entertained. This is listener supported radio. www.wehcfm.com

Princeton History Professor Dr. Sean Wilentz shares his views on Conspiracy Theory, one of his areas of expertise.Wilentz is author of the Pulitzer Prize nominated book Rise of American Democracy: Jefferson to Lincoln as well as No Property in Man: Slavery and Anti-slavery. He is a well-known political commentator and his writing on music has earned him two Grammys.In this conversation, Wilentz compares historical examples of conspiracy theories that challenged our political and governmental systems. The Red Scare in the McCarthy era. Q-Anon today.What is the best way to examine information that seems suspect?Mentioned in this episode:WEHC 90.7 FM is the Voice of Southwest Virginia. Stay tuned, connected, informed and entertained. This is listener supported radio. www.wehcfm.com

After 30 years as President of the United Mine Workers of America, Cecil Roberts is retiring at the end of October 2025.We asked him for an overview of the coal industry in SW Virginia and surrounding areas. He's clear that things are not like they used to be.How has the number of miners changed? How much coal is there? Where is it sold? How have Trump tariffs affected the sale of coal?Roberts also reviews his career and describes what he feels are his major accomplishments on behalf of coal miners -- sometimes as a result of strikes.Mentioned in this episode:WEHC 90.7 FM is the Voice of Southwest Virginia. Stay tuned, connected, informed and entertained. This is listener supported radio. www.wehcfm.com

Democrat Cindy Green is running for a seat in the Virginia House of Delegates in the Nov. 4 election. She is challenging Republican Delegate Israel O'Quinn who has held the seat since 2011.Topics include campaign financing, issues related to potential cuts to Medicaid, Virginia's Clean Energy Requirement Act that requires 100% clean energy in the state by 2050, Green's view on proposed Virginia Constitutional Amendments that (1) guarantees access to abortion and (2) overturns a previous Constitutional Amendment banning same sex marriage.Unfortunately, her opponent's campaign reported that Del. O'Quinn was unable to find 30 minutes during the month of October to answer questions on this program.He spoke to This Conversation in March of 2024 when he was proposing a bill that would allow utilities to raise rates on consumers to pay for the proposed development of a small modular nuclear reactor in Southwest Virginia. Here is a link to that interview: https://player.captivate.fm/episode/f746ac61-8702-4ac5-86ec-604739053f0a/Mentioned in this episode:WEHC 90.7 FM is the Voice of Southwest Virginia. Stay tuned, connected, informed and entertained. This is listener supported radio. www.wehcfm.com

Haile Ferrier spent her early years in Emory, Virginia, home of WEHC-FM and This Conversation.Host of the show Teresa Keller goes into groupie/biggest fan mode in the conversation with Haile Ferrier.Haile reviews her time in Emory and her early theatre experiences with Barter Theatre. She traces her short and VERY successful career from Elon University through a role in the national Broadway tour of Dear Evan Hansen and other shows until being cast in Masquerade.The style of the show is a first in New York -- an intimate, immersive experience. The show has secrets.... but we weren't at liberty to reveal them.The conversation is lively, and we hope will be fun for listeners.Mentioned in this episode:WEHC 90.7 FM is the Voice of Southwest Virginia. Stay tuned, connected, informed and entertained. This is listener supported radio. www.wehcfm.com

Dr. Rob Jones has just returned from Sri Lanka where he was doing battle with a mountain of plastic on the beach of the Indian Ocean.Hear about his organization Parley Oceans Plastic.What are his signs of hope in conquering the plastic problem?Mentioned in this episode:WEHC 90.7 FM is the Voice of Southwest Virginia. Stay tuned, connected, informed and entertained. This is listener supported radio. www.wehcfm.com

Luke Groom came to Emory & Henry from a small town in East Tennessee. He played football and he sang in the choir.In this interview, you'll hear the story of his pathway to New York and Broadway world tours and his recent months in Thailand.Another fascinating success story from Emory & Henry graduates. And Luke is big-time fun to talk to!!Mentioned in this episode:WEHC 90.7 FM is the Voice of Southwest Virginia. Stay tuned, connected, informed and entertained. This is listener supported radio. www.wehcfm.com

A special group of actors is presenting a one-time reading of the 1937 play "It Can't Happen Here" at the Martha Washington Inn in Abingdon on Saturday, September 13 at 6:00. The play developed from Sinclair Lewis's 1935 book of the same name, is described as a cautionary tale about the fragility of democracy and potential for fascism.The book describes a president who develops a military that arrests political enemies, targets the press and education, and relies on a Congress that defers to strong executive authority. The president's dictatorship offers a promise to save the country from immorality, crime, and dangers from various groups, including those who refuse to pledge allegiance to the flag and the New Testament.According to reviewers both in 1935 and now, the message remains fresh.Director Michael Gerber talks about why this group of actors is presenting this one-time event at this particular time.Mentioned in this episode:WEHC 90.7 FM is the Voice of Southwest Virginia. Stay tuned, connected, informed and entertained. This is listener supported radio. www.wehcfm.com

I interviewed "Dalton" many years ago. "Dalton" was a name we used to disguise his real identity. He had been one of my students as a female and was undergoing a gender reassignment to be a male when we talked."Dalton" recently died, which caused me to find the old interview and listen to it once again. Being transgender has become a topic that is currently a political lightning bolt with fierce, conflicting opinions. This episode of This Conversation is a chance to turn down the heat and hear the personal story of why one person would undergo the expense, inconvenience, surgery, and frequent rejection that comes with such a move.Dalton's story is worth hearing again.Mentioned in this episode:WEHC 90.7 FM is the Voice of Southwest Virginia. Stay tuned, connected, informed and entertained. This is listener supported radio. www.wehcfm.com

  We talk with Thomas Jefferson. What are his thoughts about writing the Declaration of Independence? How can he justify the contradiction in his commitment to individual rights while simultaneously owning slaves?You'll be amazed at how the issues in Jefferson's time mirror current philosophical perspectives on the role of government.And in the latter part of the interview, we meet Kurt Smith who portrays Jefferson in his role with Colonial [email protected] in this episode:WEHC 90.7 FM is the Voice of Southwest Virginia. Stay tuned, connected, informed and entertained. This is listener supported radio. www.wehcfm.com

Former WCYB news anchor Julie Newman now runs PBS Appalachia, an all digital television station, operating from inside Hard Rock Bristol.  After winning the highest honors for the station and leadership, she now faces the challenge of lost funding for PBS from the government.  What is the mission of the station and why is it important?   What is the path forward?Mentioned in this episode:WEHC 90.7 FM is the Voice of Southwest Virginia. Stay tuned, connected, informed and entertained. This is listener supported radio. www.wehcfm.com

David and Jill Dalton live in the William King House in Abingdon. They've restored it and they're sharing it because of its significant history. In fact, the house now hosts a permanent Virginia Historic marker because William Clark -- of Lewis and Clark fame-- spent the night there. And William King was the richest man in the region at the time he built this first brick house -- WITH running water that came through hollowed out logs.Hear the story of how the Daltons decided to move to Abingdon to buy and restore the house and to help preserve the importance of Abingdon in the early days of our country.Mentioned in this episode:WEHC 90.7 FM is the Voice of Southwest Virginia. Stay tuned, connected, informed and entertained. This is listener supported radio. www.wehcfm.com

Through a renowned re-enactor, "Thomas Jefferson" will be making several presentations at the popular Virginia Highlands Festival in Abingdon July 25 through August 3, 2025. Guest Walter Jenny will describe several events that focus on important historical connections to Southwest Virginia. He'll explain why Thomas Jefferson proclaimed that the Battle of Kings Mountain was the turning point in the Revolutionary War and defeat of British Control. A group of 400 militia men began the march to that battle at the Muster Grounds in Abingdon Virginia.Walter Jenny will offer more information about the battle in his own presentation on Thursday, July 31 at the Higher Education Center at 7:30 p.m.Tens of thousands of people visit the festival each year for a variety of events, including music, outdoor activities, arts and crafts, food events, and more.Find details on times and locations of events through this website. https://vahighlandsfestival.com/Mentioned in this episode:WEHC 90.7 FM is the Voice of Southwest Virginia. Stay tuned, connected, informed and entertained. This is listener supported radio. www.wehcfm.com

Dr. Julia Adeney Thomas, a professor of History at Notre Dame, is part of a group that is working to rename the current epoch in the history of the earth to "Anthropocene." The "anthro" label suggests that the literal structure of the earth and its biosphere have been changed by human behaviors. The proposition for the new name comes with objections.How did Dr. Thomas, born in Abingdon, Virginia, and a professor of history come to the forefront of a controversial earth science question?Scientific thought is the subject. Details in this episode of This Conversation.Mentioned in this episode:WEHC 90.7 FM is the Voice of Southwest Virginia. Stay tuned, connected, informed and entertained. This is listener supported radio. www.wehcfm.com

Emory & Henry University is now offering a Certification in Addiction Counseling in the School of Health Sciences Clinical Mental Health Counseling Department at the School of Health Sciences.Program Director Matthew Tirrell talks about the 12-credit post-Master's program and its requirements. He emphasizes the need for the program, both locally and nationally.Those who may be interested in the program can visit the website https://www.emoryhenry.edu/academics/clinical-mental-health-counseling/Professor Tirrell can be reached directly at [email protected] in this episode:WEHC 90.7 FM is the Voice of Southwest Virginia. Stay tuned, connected, informed and entertained. This is listener supported radio. www.wehcfm.com

This episode features a member of TAKE ACTION SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA, one of the organizers of the NO KINGS protest in Abingdon, Virginia on Saturday, June 14, 2025. Guest Lynn Manweiler works with the local protest group that claims attendance of 700 people in one of the more than 2,000 protests held nationwide on the same day.  We look at the issues causing  people to take to the streets, including claims of Presidential overreach in areas of immigration, free speech, and budget cuts that threaten those who have Medicaid health coverage.Regarding the rights to free speech and the rights to protest, Manweiler talks about people who have been taken from the streets and sent to prison without due process.  She talks about a protestor who was shot and killed as part of the nationwide protests in which her event was part.  And yet, she persists in being part of the demonstrations and explains her motivations.Mentioned in this episode:WEHC 90.7 FM is the Voice of Southwest Virginia. Stay tuned, connected, informed and entertained. This is listener supported radio. www.wehcfm.com

Blue Ridge Job Corps Admissions Manager Heather Goodpasture continues to defy instructions to keep quiet and provides updates on Department of Labor orders to shut down the Job Corps. The shut down is under a restraining order, due in part because of the public backlash, and is set for a hearing on June 17 in a federal court. The decision will affect nearly 100 Job Corps programs nationwide. This interview contains part of a previous interview that details the mission of the program for educating and training at-risk students.At this writing, the website for the Job Corps remains active.https://blueridge.jobcorps.gov/Mentioned in this episode:WEHC 90.7 FM is the Voice of Southwest Virginia. Stay tuned, connected, informed and entertained. This is listener supported radio. www.wehcfm.com

Heather Goodpasture, Admissions Manager of Marion, Virginia's Blue Ridge Job Corps has gotten notice that she is losing her job and that 90 students at the Job Corps will be turned out of their living quarters. Goodpasture is ignoring instructions not to speak to the media and wants people to know the benefits of the program to individual students and to the community.Mentioned in this episode:WEHC 90.7 FM is the Voice of Southwest Virginia. Stay tuned, connected, informed and entertained. This is listener supported radio. www.wehcfm.com

IN 2023, Southwest Virginia author Barbara Kingsolver won the Pulitzer Prize for her novel Demon Copperhead. In this interview, you'll hear how the title character reflects the challenges of drug addiction in his family and in his own life. The boy is loveable and resilient with a grand dream to see the ocean.Barbara talks about how many of the region's challenges were pressed upon the area by external forces and reminds us that addiction is a disease -- and not a moral failing. And she announces her plan for giving back to Lee County and addressing a need that , had it been met in the world of fiction, could have changed the trajectory of Demon Copperhead's life. Details here: https://hgwrr.org/How is Barbara using the power of writing in the face of today's challenges to education and health care? What are her plans for another book? A movie? And what's the latest with her family?Mentioned in this episode:WEHC 90.7 FM is the Voice of Southwest Virginia. Stay tuned, connected, informed and entertained. This is listener supported radio. www.wehcfm.com

Long-time U.S. resident Dr. Philip Farah is member of the Palestinian Christian Alliance for Peace and was a speaker at the United Nations just before this interview aired on May 21, 2025. Farah is a Christian who has lived in the West Bank and who has relatives in Gaza who have been killed in the Israeli-Gaza War. His Palestinian parents were displaced from their home in the establishment of Israel after World War II. He shares his view of the war in Gaza as a genocide and describes some of his family's experiences in the Israeli occupation of Palestine. In the midst of the horrors of the war, he finds reasons for hope.Mentioned in this episode:WEHC 90.7 FM is the Voice of Southwest Virginia. Stay tuned, connected, informed and entertained. This is listener supported radio. www.wehcfm.com

Susan Lachman has been presenting the radio show "Women on Air" for 38 years.In this interview, she details the first idea of the show and talks about its growth, leading to its current airing of five hours per week.The show can be heard on WEHC-FM, 90.7 and WISE-FM, 90.5 on Wednesdays at 3:00 and Fridays on 6:00 in Southwest Virginia.On WETS-FM, 89.5 in Johnson City, TN, the show airs on Saturday nights at 10:00 p.m. and is also presented on WETS's HD-2 channel on Sundays at both 7:00 p.m. and at midnight.Lachman talks about moving interview moments and her commitment to women artists.Mentioned in this episode:WEHC 90.7 FM is the Voice of Southwest Virginia. Stay tuned, connected, informed and entertained. This is listener supported radio. www.wehcfm.com

Emory & Henry History Professor is leaving his position to start a new life in Egypt. Why? We'll find out in this episode of This Conversation.Mentioned in this episode:WEHC 90.7 FM is the Voice of Southwest Virginia. Stay tuned, connected, informed and entertained. This is listener supported radio. www.wehcfm.com

This week's conversation is a lively conversation with Monica Hoel -- an Emory & Henry legend who is retiring after 40 years as a staff member at the University.Until April 30, Monica is the Alumni Director. She has hosted her radio show, The Duckpond Wall for many years. She reviews some of the highlights of her career and of her radio show.Mentioned in this episode:WEHC 90.7 FM is the Voice of Southwest Virginia. Stay tuned, connected, informed and entertained. This is listener supported radio. www.wehcfm.com