Researchers at Ohio University are working to make life better for the many patients with diabetes in Appalachia Ohio.

According to the state Department of Education, West Virginia teachers have the highest average age in the country. More than 6000 are retiring this year and an estimated 10,000 in 2012. A federally funded program is helping attract new teachers – from various occupations - to fill critical shortages.

Five family members of victims of the Upper Big Branch mine explosion spoke directly to lawmakers yesterday during a House Education and Labor Committee field hearing. Some referred to the Massey Energy owned mine as a "ticking time bomb.”

Sen. Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia was at the hearing, and says changes need to be made to federal mine safety laws.  Rockefeller spoke with Erica Peterson about his reactions to the testimony and the future of mine safety legislation. And more about the investigation: A retired but still controversial program known as “compliance assistance” may affect the way inspectors enforce federal laws.

An independent investigation into the Upper Big Branch mine explosion is underway. It's being led by former head of the Mine Safety and Health Administration, Davitt McAteer. WVU College of Law professor, Pat McGinley, is on the investigative team. He was the featured guest on a recent episode of The Law Works on West Virginia PBS. On the program, McGinley talks about the coal industry's need to create a work place culture that puts safety first.

Most Americans are probably unaware that they benefit from federal programs proposed by a man from eastern Kentucky. In this installment of our look at Kentucky’s greatest statesmen,Carl Perkins.

Author Kay Meredith has set her historic novel at a posh West Virginia hotel, known for its medicinal waters and famous spring house. You may think she’s set this tail of murder and romance at the famed Greenbrier Hotel. But it is not. Affair at Boreland Springs takes place at the Boreland Springs Hotel, once a lavish playground for the wealthy in Wood County where  Meredith grew up. 

An estimated 600,000 visitors are expected in Lexington, Kentucky this fall for the World Equestrian Games.  According to Kentucky's First Lady Jane Beshear says that an entire region of the US is expected to benefit from the international event. Beshear, an accomplished equestrian, came to the Culture Center in Charleston to invite West Virginians to participate in the games and to emphasize the benefits for the entire region surrounding the Kentucky Horse Park.