Rising Health Insurance Rates And Cipher, Inside Appalachia

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The cost of health insurance is going up in 2026. Millions of people are faced with sticker shock.

Also, a mountain farmer kept an encrypted diary for years. It’s unclear whether he would have wanted that code to ever be cracked.

And, a beloved West Virginia hot dog restaurant closed in 2018. An annual tribute sale gives people a chance to relive its glory days.

You'll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.

In This Episode:

Tennesseans Losing Healthcare Subsidies During Government Shutdown
Appalachian Residents Fight Against Bitcoin Mines
Skeenies Hot Dogs Annual Tribute Sale
Caregiving For Aging Parents
Upcycling Jack O'Lanterns
Descendant Of Southern Farmer Publishes New Book Cipher
Universal Basic Income in Mercer County, W.Va.

Tennesseans Losing Health Care Subsidies During Government Shutdown

People who buy health care through the federal marketplace are set to see big spikes in their premiums next year. Depending on where you live, your age and whether you have kids, your premiums could rise 40 percent or more. Ruby Rayner is a reporter for the Chattanooga Times Free Press who’s been covering this story as it plays out in Tennessee.

Host Mason Adams spoke with Rayner late October when the federal government was still shut down, but we think the conversation is still relevant.

Appalachian Residents Fight Against Bitcoin Mines

Two silhouettes of people looking over a hill toward something on fire. — Mike (left) and Cynthia Trentham (right) look out at a gas fractionation plant operated by the NGL Supply Co., which moved in across the street from their family farm in Bulls Gap, Tenn., last year. They say a flame there burns day and night, casting harsh light through their windows as they sleep and disturbing their cattle.
*Photo Credit: Pierce Gentry/WUOT News*

Across Appalachia, residents are seeing cryptocurrency operations pop up. In Bulls Gap, Tennessee, residents are fighting plans for a propane-fueled bitcoin mine. This is after over more than a year of disruption from a nearby gas flare that disrupted the town’s once-peaceful rural life.

WUOT’s Pierce Gentry has more.

Skeenies Hot Dogs Annual Tribute Sale

Photo of a building at nighttime that has a sign on top that says "Skeenies". — Despite the cold, patrons are willing to wait for a taste of Skeenies Hot Dogs.
*Photo Credit: Zack Harold/West Virginia Public Broadcasting*

For generations, Skeenies Hot Dogs in Sissonville, West Virginia, was known for serving some of the best slaw dogs around.

The restaurant closed in 2018 — but still comes alive for the annual Skeenies Tribute Sale at Thanksgiving. Giving devoted Skeenies fans a few days to make up for lost time.

Last year, Folkways Reporter Zack Harold went to Skeenies and brought us this story.

Caregiving For Aging Parents

More than a quarter of adult West Virginians serve as caregivers for family members. That can take its toll both emotionally and physically.

WVPB News Director Eric Douglas was a caregiver for his mother until her death earlier this year. Eric recently spoke with Jane Marks, the state president of the American Association of Retired Persons, about the organization’s new report on caregiving.

Upcycling Jack O'Lanterns

With Halloween over and Thanksgiving is on its way. What to do with those Halloween pumpkins that are getting long in the tooth? WVPB’s Chris Schulz reports that decorative pumpkins and Jack O’Lanterns can find a second life on your table and in the garden.

Descendant Of Southern Farmer Publishes New Book Cipher

William Thomas Preston was a southern farmer who lived and died in the 19th century. His story might have been lost to time, but Preston kept journals, which he wrote in code. More than a hundred years later, after the diaries were discovered and decrypted, North Carolina writer Jeremy B. Jones set about using the diaries to tell Preston’s story – and his own. Jones was Preston’s great-great-great-great grandson.

Producer Bill Lynch spoke with Jones about Cipher, the book that came out of his exploration.

Universal Basic Income In Mercer County, W.Va.

People have spent years arguing over how to lift folks out of poverty. One idea that’s been discussed but not tried so much is what’s known as UBI. That stands for “universal basic income” – or simply paying out cash. More than 500 residents in Mercer County, West Virginia, all of whom are living at or close to the poverty line, will receive $1,500 a month for 16 months. The hope is the windfall will make a difference, not just for the recipients, but for Mercer County as well.

WVPB’s Maria Young reports.

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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Hello June, Mary Hott, Dinosaur Burps and Blue Dot Sessions.

Bill Lynch is our producer. Abby Neff is our associate producer. Our executive producer is Eric Douglas. Kelley Libby is our editor. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens. We had help this week from Folkways Editor Chris Julin.

You can send us an email: [email protected].

You can find us on Instagram, Threads and X @InAppalachia. Or here on Facebook.

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Inside Appalachia is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

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