There’s a foster care crisis in America. Nationally, more than 390,000 children are in foster care, in West Virginia that’s just over 6,000 children who need a safe place to call home. Last year, more than half of all states saw their number of licensed homes drop, some as high as 60 percent. That challenge comes because new foster parents don’t stay in the system for long. On this episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay hears about the shortage of licensed foster homes. Foster care is most ofte...
Apr 24, 2024•52 min•Ep. 212
More than 4.5 million Americans cannot vote because of a felony conviction but only about a quarter are currently in prison. On the newest episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay talks with people who support expanded voting rights for felons, and those who say people who’ve committed crimes should forfeit their rights until they serve their entire sentence, including any probation or parole. Felon disenfranchisement laws differ significantly from state to state and even legal experts say it can...
Apr 11, 2024•40 min•Ep. 211
Our country’s divides often reveal themselves in our choices and habits, including how and where we get our information. As the economics of the media landscape have imploded, the economics of the industry have forced changes. In the past two decades, online sites have taken over much of the income stream from classified ads and general advertising. That has led newspapers and broadcasters to slash thousands of jobs. Many local news outlets have gone out of business and there are now more than 2...
Mar 26, 2024•52 min•Ep. 210
There's a nationwide rift among farmers over the use of dicamba, a popular herbicide. A 2024 federal court ruling has halted dicamba's use, but the Environmental Protection Agency has given the green light for farmers to use existing supplies this year. In this episode of Us & Them, we revisit a story from our archives that delves into the intense battle unfolding in farm country. Originally designed to help soybean farmers combat 'pigweed,' dicamba has proven controversial because it drifts...
Mar 13, 2024•54 min•Ep. 209
Our healthcare systems continue to struggle from aftereffects of the pandemic. The most recent example spotlights Medicaid - a joint federal and state program that provides health coverage for more than 90 million Americans with limited resources. After several years of continuous coverage, now everyone must reapply for eligibility. In the this episode of Us & Them , host Trey Kay reports more than a quarter of West Virginia residents rely on Medicaid for their healthcare. It pays for three-...
Feb 21, 2024•52 min•Ep. 208
State borders are the new front lines in the nation’s abortion battle. On this episode of Us & Them , host Trey Kay looks at the evolving geography of abortion. Since a 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision overturned federal abortion rights, 21 states have either banned or restricted abortion access, including West Virginia. Meanwhile, West Virginia’s neighbor, Maryland, is one of 22 states that are protecting abortion rights and expanding access. Kay follows the decision of Women’s Health Cente...
Feb 07, 2024•33 min•Ep. 207
It’s estimated that more than a quarter of the adults in West Virginia have a criminal record. That includes cases with one arrest or more, but no conviction or jail time. Those records can still show up years later in a background check and make someone ineligible for a job or a place to live. On this Us & Them , host Trey Kay looks at the road toward a second chance. Nearly every state now has some sort of process to seal or expunge a record depending on the severity and type of crime, for...
Jan 24, 2024•52 min
American politics is now a very ‘us and them’ world. Insiders know the privilege of power, but loyalties can shift and doors can slam shut. Cassidy Hutchinson, who worked in the Trump administration knows both sides. She was a dedicated White House staffer who’s best known for her stunning testimony to the January 6th committee. Us & Them host Trey Kay talks with Hutchinson about her memoir “Enough,” which offers an intimate portrayal of life on the inside and a failed effort to stay in powe...
Jan 10, 2024•34 min•Ep. 205
It’s the time of year to look back on where we’ve been and prepare for what’s ahead. Us & Them host Trey Kay has been reflecting on 2023, and a theme that’s been consistent - trust, or more importantly, our lack of trust in each other and our institutions. In this episode, we’ll explore how that reality could shape the year to come and its social and political landscape. Kay will also remember several people he met during the year who have passed away unexpectedly and reflect on the work the...
Dec 21, 2023•52 min•Ep. 204
Friendships that last through the years can be a remarkable gift. In this episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay remembers his dear friend Alice Moore who recently passed away. Kay talks about the gentle kindness that defined their relationship, which stretched across the divides of their social and political beliefs. Moore made West Virginia — and national — headlines in the 1970s over a contentious and violent conflict focused on public school textbooks. As a county school board member, Moore...
Dec 13, 2023•34 min•Ep. 203
Our confidence is eroding. Polls and surveys report we’ve lost trust in one another and in some of our most essential institutions. As a followup to September’s event at WVU on trust in the media, Us & Them host Trey Kay has a new conversation focused on our trust in science. The COVID pandemic presented examples of our differing confidence in science and medicine. We continue the abortion debate with the central question of when life begins. A few decades ago, evolution was in the spotlight...
Nov 21, 2023•52 min•Ep. 202
In this episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay invites his dinner party guests to gather once again for some fresh conversation across the divide. Kay’s friends, old and new, all share a favorite dish at the potluck meal while offering honest and sometimes raw accounts of how the social and political issues of the day affect them. Kay guides the conversation through a range of potential minefields - including the indictments of former President Trump, trust in elections, allegations of governme...
Nov 08, 2023•48 min•Ep. 201
Trust is in short supply in America as social and political divides continue to erode our faith in our democratic republic. National surveys and polls show that people distrust each other as well as our government and institutions. Us & Them host Trey Kay recently partnered with West Virginia University’s Reed College of Media for a conversation focusing on diminished trust in journalism and the news media. He spoke with special guests Raney Aronson-Rath, editor-in-chief and executive produc...
Oct 25, 2023•52 min•Ep. 200
Many Americans are getting good at ignoring friends and relatives who disagree with them. Roughly four in ten registered voters say they don’t have a close friend who supports the opposing party’s candidate according to a Pew Research study. Think how often you’re tempted to unfriend someone on social media. However, some lifelong friendships seem to beat those odds and the people in them say it enhances their understanding of the world. On this Us & Them episode, host Trey Kay hears two chi...
Oct 11, 2023•35 min•Ep. 199
Overcrowding and understaffing have pushed West Virginia’s prisons and jails to what many believe is a crisis point. On this episode of Us & Them , we hear what incarceration is like for someone in a mental health crisis. Hundreds of thousands of people with mental illnesses are caught up in a criminal justice system that was never intended to treat them. In a recent special session, West Virginia lawmakers earmarked $30 million to address staffing shortages and provide pay raises and retent...
Sep 27, 2023•52 min•Ep. 198
In the aftermath of a disaster, people search for assistance and answers. Since a rural Ohio train derailment sent toxic material into the air, soil and water earlier this year, people in East Palestine have needed help. Some look to the government for that support, while others aren’t sure who to trust. In this episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay hears from residents who face daunting challenges. Some say government agencies are doing their best at ongoing cleanup, while others say delays a...
Sep 13, 2023•52 min•Ep. 197
At least 20 states have laws banning transgender girls and women from competing on girls and womens sports teams. On the next episode of Us & Them , host Trey Kay looks at the battle over gender and sports. Kay talks with transgender athletes who say they want to be who they truly are as they compete on the playing field. We hear from a state lawmaker who says the new laws are not anti-trans, but rather designed to protect girls and women from unfair competition playing against transgender a...
Aug 23, 2023•52 min•Ep. 196
Travel is an activity some people use as a classroom. Leaving the familiar lets us learn about culture, history, the environment and many other topics. Us & Them host Trey Kay joined a small group to travel through America’s southern states learning about the country’s racial past and the impact of the Civil Rights movement today. This immersive journey took them across several states to places that have come to define periods in America’s racial history—from Charleston, South Carolina’s sla...
Aug 09, 2023•47 min•Ep. 195
This episode of Us & Them was first released in December of 2022 and since then, it has received a regional Edward R. Murrow award from the Radio Television Digital News Association for best podcast. We've updated the episode and want to share it with you again now. In West Virginia there are nearly 50 specialized court programs designed to help teens and adults kick their drug addictions. Drug courts divert people away from incarceration into a rigorous, court-monitored treatment program. T...
Jul 26, 2023•52 min•Ep. 194
More than 12 percent of Americans, or 42 million people, need help getting enough food to eat. In West Virginia, that number is about 18 percent. That help comes from a federal program called SNAP - the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly called food stamps. The Mountain State is one of the top recipients of SNAP benefits - nearly 45 percent are older adults or families with someone who’s disabled while nearly 60 percent are families with children. The government’s food support p...
Jul 12, 2023•46 min•Ep. 193
West VIrginia’s state prisons and jails are overcrowded and understaffed. Just over half of those who are incarcerated have not yet been found guilty of a crime, they’re in a cell because they can’t make their bail. Many of those people are poor and a disproportionate number are Black. On this episode of Us & Them , host Trey Kay takes a look at what contributes to the racial disparities in our justice system. Black people make up about 3.5% of West Virginia’s population but 12% of the state...
Jun 21, 2023•52 min•Ep. 192
Larry Bellorín began making his living as a singer, multi-instrumental musician and music teacher when he was a teenager in Venezuela. His career was interrupted abruptly in 2013 when Venezuela’s state-run economy crashed and socialist President Nicholas Maduro cracked down on opponents and folks like Larry, who refused to choose sides. He and his family fled to Raleigh, North Carolina and have added their names to a huge backlog of asylum applicants. Larry worked construction and thought his mu...
Jun 07, 2023•33 min•Ep. 191
Across the nation, students of color and those from poor families are more likely to be suspended from school and data from West Virginia reflects this national trend. In fact, research shows when a teacher thinks a student of color is misbehaving on purpose, they’re more likely to get suspended or expelled. Missing just two days of school each month makes a student less likely to graduate which has a big impact on their prospects for the future. On this episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay l...
May 24, 2023•52 min•Ep. 190
Phillip Bowen grew up playing the fiddle. The 38-year-old learned classical violin as well as how to improvise on the fiddle, combining musical styles and genres. Now, the West Virginia native has turned to song writing, becoming a phenomenon on social media. Bowen releases his first album soon, with a wide range of offerings. Us & Them host Trey Kay talks with Bowen about his music and the songs that focus on memories of things past as well as the Mountain State reality of today. Bowen sing...
May 10, 2023•39 min•Ep. 189
Us & Them was recently honored with a first place award for best documentary from Virginias Associated Press Broadcasters. Our episode called “The Gun Divide” looks at gun ownership in America, and the way our social, political and racial divisions fuel gun purchases. 2020 showed a historic rise in gun violence. Guns killed a record 45,000 people, the majority of them by suicide. Us & Them host Trey Kay explores the foundations of the Second Amendment and the cultural and historical beli...
Apr 26, 2023•52 min•Ep. 188
Children are the future - it’s a common refrain. However, in isolated, rural communities across America, there are people traveling many miles from their home to deliver babies. Since 2010, nearly 150 rural hospitals have shut down - a victim of the financial stresses facing U.S. health care. One survey finds that about 40 percent of rural hospitals lose money offering obstetric care, since it costs $18,000 on average to have a baby. So, when small hospitals look at cost-cutting measures, delive...
Apr 11, 2023•31 min•Ep. 187
West Virginia often ends up at the bottom of national health reports — the rates of obesity and diabetes, conditions that can lead to cardiac and kidney disease. The region’s legacy of active, manual mining work has given way to a more sedentary lifestyle that relies on processed food to feed families quickly and cheaply. More than a decade ago, Huntington, WV made headlines as the “fattest city in the nation.” That spotlight led to some changes with doctors and dieticians focusing more on healt...
Mar 23, 2023•52 min•Ep. 186
Homelessness has been on the rise since 2016 and the pandemic only exacerbated an acute shortage of resources to help people living on the streets. Now, many communities are struggling to provide support as some homeless people turn away from emergency shelters and remain in outdoor encampments. In Charleston, West Virginia, the city’s opioid response program also now focuses on homelessness. Outdoor encampments have been a focus at the state legislature as debate continues over how best to help...
Mar 08, 2023•54 min•Ep. 185
America’s prison system incarcerates millions of people, but at least 95% of all state prisoners are released after they serve their sentence. Some struggle to navigate that transition successfully. On this Us & Them episode, host Trey Kay hears about the challenges of reentry. How do we want men and women coming back after prison? How do victim advocates feel about programs designed to help formerly incarcerated people succeed on the outside? Some suggest an important starting point is to r...
Feb 22, 2023•52 min•Ep. 184
Nothing divides Americans like politics. At the same time, young people are showing up to vote. Turnout in America among 18 to 29 year olds shot up in the 2020 election to 55% — a level of participation not seen since the 1970s Recent voting trends also show the number of young people engaging in conservative politics is on the rise. In 2020, four in ten young people — from 18 to 29 — voted for former President Donald Trump and Trump won that youth vote in seven states. In this Us & Them epi...
Feb 08, 2023•36 min•Ep. 183
