Eastern Standard

A retelling of the Daniel Boone saga through the eyes of his wife, Rebecca, and her daughters. (Image: University Press of Kentucky)

• It was hard being a pioneer in the wilds of what would become Kentucky. Try doing it as…

Nearly 1 in 4 Kentucky adults is functionally illiterate (Photo: Shutterstock)

• “Nearly 1 in 4 Kentucky adults can read and comprehend only basic material, making them functionally illiterate” begins the first in a five chapter series by Courier-Journal investigative reporter…

Together Outdoors Coalition Lead Gerry Seavo James

• A new book from Sayre graduate, former Marine and now Wall Street Journal correspondent Ben Kesling follows the experiences of Bravo Company, an army unit that saw heavy combat in Afghanistan. The book…

Have math anxiety? You are not alone. (Image: Shutterstock)

• It’s unusual for one person to appear twice in an edition of ES, but Whit Whitaker does just that: in his role as Director of the Lyric Theater in Lexington, and…

Jon Meacham on Abraham Lincoln and the parallels between then and now.   (Image: Shutterstock)

Presidential biographer and historian Jon Meacham is out with a new book about Abraham Lincoln. We discuss the parallels between the divisive atmosphere of 1861 and…

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Is it possible to get a divided America back on speaking terms? "Meeting of America" aims to find out, and it begins in Kentucky. We’ll hear from co-founder Pearce Godwin and Meeting of America Kentucky Director, Julie Babbage…

Kentucky elections officials are flooded with public records requests (Image: Shutterstock)

• Efforts to inundate local elections officials with records requests only weeks before we go to the polls: we ask the state’s top elections official, Secretary of State Michael Adams…

The music of India in Kentucky (Image: Shutterstock)

Never far from our minds these days: school safety and security. Education contributor Gill Hunter gets an update from state School Security Marshall, Ben Wilcox. LISTEN 

Why is the state short-handed and…

PG Peeples, Sr. to be honored for a half-century of civil rights leadership in central KY (Photo by Sam Dick)

• PG Peeples, Sr. has for many decades been a quiet force behind civil rights in Kentucky. As the Urban League…

A program aims to improve parent-teacher relations (Image: Shutterstock)

 What can public records tell us about the 19th century slave trade - and the enslaved - of Lexington, Kentucky? We’re about to find out. Fayette County historical property records include…

Flood damage in Eastern Kentucky (Photo by Reggie Van Stockum)

• The losses to flooding in Eastern Kentucky are extensive and as WEKU's Samantha Morrill reports, they could include important historical records and artifacts at the Hindman Settlement School LISTEN
• Days…

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EKU mental health services are available to Eastern Kentucky flood survivors. Logan Burris is our guest. He is the EKU Psychology Clinic Coordinator and a native of the Letcher County town of Partridge.  LISTEN

Alan Maimon offers an…

• The new school year finds Kentucky experiencing a nationwide shortage of qualified classroom teachers. In her Eastern Standard debut as an interviewer for our series on education, Brigitte Blom, President and CEO of the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence discusses…

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 The science behind the misery: State Geologist William Hanesberg and UK hydrologist Chris Barton on how the topography of Eastern Kentucky’s mountain region contributes to destructive and deadly flash flooding. LISTEN: Haneberg / Barton 

Lindsay Kampfer joins us…

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Religion and climate change. Making connections through religious texts and teachings is the mission of Dr. Leah Schade, a professor at Lexington Theological Seminary LISTEN

Sam Dick sits down with retiring Central Christian Church pastor David Shirey LISTEN

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Out with standardized testing, in with Deeper Learning. The details from KY Board of Education chair Lu Young.  LISTEN

A look at how Appalachian communities are making the most of their surroundings and growing an Outdoor Economy LISTEN

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"Strained Pears", an Eastern Standard Ten Minute Radio Play (Image: Shutterstock)

• The arts have our undivided attention this week with an extended version of Tom Eblen’s chat with Lexington’s Ada Limón on her appointment as U.S. Poet Laureate. LISTEN 
• Bill…

Farmer-artist Arwen Donahue (Image provided by artist)

A new ES series highlighting through music the cultural diversity of central Kentucky. This week: Genaro Rascon, Jr., instructor of Mariachi and traditional Mexican music at Berea College. LISTEN 

 Angie Wilcox, guidance counselor…

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• The idea of importing drugs from Canada to reduce prices in the U.S. is being floated in Congress and according to a Kaiser Family Foundation survey, 80 percent of Americans like the idea. But there are concerns about…

•  Preparations are underway at Blue Grass Army Depot in Madison Co. for the elimination of Sarin Gas. How it’s done and, although said to be very remote, what we need to know in the event of an accidental release into…

(Above) Andrew Wyatt as "Winston Smith", Madeline Curtis as "Julia" in a performance of George Orwell's dystopian vision, "1984" (Image: Nicholas Brown-Bell)

A new book is coming in late July from Eastern Kentucky University professor Travis Martin, an Iraq War…

How learning something new can transform your point of view. (Image: Shutterstock)

“Transformational Learning” is just that: deepening your knowledge of a given topic, changing the way you perceive it. That’s the focus of an interview by education contributor Cynthia…

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Farrah Alexander, author of the just-published "Resistance in the Bluegrass" on how to safely and effectively protest actions and policies you oppose or support those that you favor.  LISTEN 

When a traumatic childhood memory comes out of hiding…

How Senate Bill 1, passed in the most recent session of the Kentucky General Assembly, encourages teachers in Kentucky public schools to avoid classroom discussion of controversial topics and untruths. Education contributor Cynthia Resor talks with Russell County public school…