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🪑 THE FRONT PORCH
Talk it over whilst whittlin’, quiltin’, or porch sittin’
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It started in 1943.

A handful of businessmen in Kingsport, Tennessee, looked down the railroad line at the coal communities that built their economy and said: we owe them something.

Eighty-three years later, CSX, Appalachian Power, Food City, and the Kingsport Chamber of Commerce are still making good on that debt.

This year hit different.

Eastern Kentucky took a gut punch from severe flooding earlier this year, and Bryan Tucker from CSX didn't dance around it.

"We know very, very well the hardships that the folks in these communities endured."

These are the same communities that host the railroad every single day. Every rumble through the holler. Every crossing. Every loaded coal car headed somewhere else.

The train coming back with Santa and a pile of toys is the least they could do.

WUOT reporter Jacqui Sieber has the story.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE

And in other news …

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🗺 In The Kitchen With Kay
Gospel singer Sister Kay Himes Knuckles shares favorite recipes
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At a very young age I loved watching my mother cook and clean in her kitchen. She always allowed me to watch and help as she made from scratch, no recipe dishes for her family, my father and her 5 children.

A little bit of this, a tad of that, a sprinkle of whatever she thought was needed, she prepared the most delicious meals.

That love of the kitchen is still true to this day for me. Often times trying to accomplish what I saw my mommy do many times. Mom would tell me repeatedly, clean as you go and don’t let the dirty dishes pile up. Keep the kitchen clean, no one wants eat from a dirty kitchen. Mom made sure I learned that trait quickly.

I hope you enjoy the recipe I’m sharing, one which I make often for my family. Notice, I do double this recipe for a 9 X 13 pan.

Psalm 34:8

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🗺 KNOW YOUR NEIGHBORS
Visit all 423 Appalachian counties, one week at a time
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Roane County sits in the rolling hills of central West Virginia, where hardwood forests outnumber stoplights and the pace feels a couple clicks slower than the outside world. Founded in 1856 and named for Virginia judge Spencer Roane, the county’s seat is Spencer, a small town that serves as the commercial and civic hub. The area is defined by ridgelines, winding two-lane roads, and tight-knit communities where high school sports and church gatherings still matter. It is the kind of place where people know their neighbors and Friday night lights carry more weight than most breaking news alerts.

Historically, Roane County played a role in West Virginia’s early oil and gas development, especially around Burning Springs, where some of the state’s first oil wells were drilled during the 19th century. Timber and small-scale agriculture also shaped the local economy. Today, it remains largely rural, with outdoor recreation around Charles Fork Lake and the surrounding woodlands drawing anglers, campers, and hunters. The county reflects the broader Appalachian story. Deep roots, a proud sense of independence, and communities that have weathered economic swings while holding tight to their identity.

Before oil tycoons wore cowboy hats, Roane County was drilling.
In the 1860s, Burning Springs became one of West Virginia’s first major oil fields. Wells shot up almost overnight. Speculators rolled in. During the Civil War, Confederate raiders torched the operation, turning the hills into a fireball that lit up the night sky.

For a short stretch of history, Roane County was the center of the early American oil rush. Not bad for a place most folks now pass on a two-lane highway.

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Every fall, Spencer throws one of the longest-running festivals in West Virginia. The Black Walnut Festival brings parades, pageants, craft booths, live music, and enough walnut desserts to test your blood sugar and your discipline.

It feels like a county reunion. The kind where everybody knows somebody who knows you.

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Need a little quiet? Charles Fork Lake is Roane County’s reset button.

Fishing. Camping. Boats easing across still water at sunset. Lawn chairs set out early and not folded up until the bugs win.

It is not a tourist circus. It is Appalachian calm.

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Roane County is ridge tops, hollers, churches on winding roads, and families who have been there for generations. High school games matter. Neighbors still show up when it counts.

It carries the steady backbone of central Appalachia. No pretense. Just grit and belonging.

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The best part of Roane County might be the drive through it.

Rolling hills. Hardwood forests. Fall colors that look like they caught fire on purpose.

It is the kind of place where you roll the windows down and take the long way home, even when you do not have to.

Old-school, no-frills, exactly what you want it to be. The Spot is a Roane County staple. Burgers hot off the grill, crinkle fries, milkshakes that actually taste like milkshakes, and carhop nostalgia if you time it right.

If you like your diners honest and your ketchup bottles well-used, this is your stop.

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Every Appalachian county has a go-to pizza joint. In Roane County, it’s Gino’s. Thick crust, pepperoni that curls up just right, baked spaghetti, breadsticks, and the kind of family-table vibe where ball teams gather after games.

It’s dependable. And dependable matters.

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Breakfast, burgers, and blue-plate comfort food done the way it’s been done for years. Lynn’s is where you go for biscuits and gravy in the morning or a plate lunch that sticks with you through the afternoon.

It feels like the whole county rotates through there before noon.

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Locally loved and known for hearty portions, Big Daddy’s delivers pizzas piled high, wings, subs, and comfort food classics. It’s a good call when the family can’t agree on what they want. There is something for everybody.

You won’t leave hungry. That’s a promise.

If Roane County has a front porch with a water view, this is it. Charles Fork Lake is the go-to spot for fishing, camping, boating, and slow evenings by the shoreline.

It is not crowded. It is not flashy. It is peaceful. You bring a lawn chair, maybe a thermos, and watch the hills reflect off the water. That is the whole point.

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History runs deep here. Burning Springs was one of West Virginia’s earliest oil boom towns in the 1860s. Wells were drilled, fortunes were chased, and during the Civil War, Confederate troops set parts of the oil field on fire.

Today it is quiet, but if you stand there long enough, you can imagine the chaos of derricks, smoke, and ambition that once filled the valley.

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Small towns do not get much more authentic than this. The courthouse square, local shops, and community events give Spencer its heartbeat. If you visit during the Black Walnut Festival in the fall, the whole place wakes up with parades, music, vendors, and enough dessert to keep you moving a little slower than usual.

Even on a normal day, it is worth a walk. You will see front-porch life up close.

Walt Helmick was born in Spencer and went on to become one of West Virginia’s most recognizable public officials. He served multiple terms as West Virginia Commissioner of Agriculture and also represented the state in both the House of Delegates and State Senate.

In a state where farming and rural life still matter, Helmick became a strong advocate for small producers and community-based agriculture. Roane County has long counted him as one of its most prominent public servants.

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Bob Ashley, another Spencer native, served in the West Virginia House of Delegates for more than three decades. During his career he rose to become Speaker Pro Tempore, one of the chamber’s top leadership positions.

Ashley built a reputation as a steady legislative presence who represented central West Virginia for years, making him one of the most experienced lawmakers in the state during his tenure.

If you remember one thing about Roane County, remember this.

Before Texas oil fields made headlines, before Standard Oil dominated the map, Burning Springs in Roane County was already drilling. In the 1860s, it became one of West Virginia’s first major oil boom sites. Wells went up fast. Speculators rushed in. During the Civil War, Confederate forces even set parts of the oil operation on fire, turning the valley into a blazing spectacle.

For a brief moment in American history, this quiet Appalachian county sat at the center of the early petroleum industry.

Not bad for a place most people today drive past without realizing what once burned beneath its hills.

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🧠 The Thought Crossed My Mind
Wayne’s Weekly Observations About Things
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l’m country as cornbread and southern as a sip of sweet tea beneath the magnolias.

I’m an American by the grace of God and a Kentucky Colonel by the grace of Gov. Wallace G. Wilkerson Jr. (may he rest in peace).

I’m as big as my dreams, and as small as my limiting beliefs.

I’ve smelled the smell of victory on Millionaire’s Row during the Derby, but I’ve never smelled a better smell than momma’s homemade biscuits.

I want to soar with the eagles but keep my feet firmly planted in southern soil.

I have champaign tastes on a Sears and Roebuck budget.

l’ve traveled the world, but never found a better place than my own back yard.

Coal piles and beach sand need the right bucket.

My heart is full of love, but I could never marry a woman who puts sugar in her cornbread.

We’re not the jet set, we’re the old Chev-ro-let set. (John Prine)

No sandwich tastes better than a sandwich someone else makes.

Being retired takes some of the fun out of hating Mondays.

No man ever stood so tall as when he stooped to help a child. (Shriners)

Clothes make the man. Cheeseburgers make it hard for the man to find clothes that fit.

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📰 THE BACK PAGE
What people will be talking about next week
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Next week is shaping up to be a heavy-hitter for both political junkies and sports fans. From the first official State of the Union of the second Trump term to the high-stakes evaluation of future NFL stars, here’s what will be dominating the headlines starting February 23, 2026:

The biggest "must-watch" event is Tuesday, February 24, when President Trump delivers his first official State of the Union address of this term.

While the Super Bowl is in the rearview, the "Underwear Olympics" are just beginning.