Not far from the Pennsylvania border in the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia, dozens of people recently signed leases for Marcellus shale drilling on their land. Those signing leases include members of the Hare Krishna community near Moundsville. They see it as a way to invest in their community.  

Also: Allegheny Front’s Jennifer Szweda Jordan speaks with news analyst Ann Murray about Marcellus shale drilling.

In January Kentucky reopened the historic dining room at Cherokee State Resort. The park opened in Aurora in 1951, the only state park in Kentucky built exclusively for African-Americans. There, Jacque encountered an area gentleman who came to the park as a boy, during segregation. To commemorate Black History Month, she brings us his personal story in the form of an audio postcard. 

During the Civil War Andersonville in southwest Georgia served as one of the largest and most notorious Confederate military prisons.  During the war both Black and white soldiers were held there. A new book published by West Virginia writer Bob O’Conner documents how many U.S. colored troops stayed in Andersonville.