Kristina Sandi

Doctors have been warning us for years that too much salt in the diet can have negative effects on our bodies. Hypertension and high blood pressure have both been linked to excess sodium levels. What many of us may not realize, however, is that too much salt may also have a negative effect on our environment. When the winter season hits, most states that witness snow have to salt their roads in order to keep them passable and safe. Road salt has the potential to corrode roadways, vehicles, bridges and other steel structures. Read this blog

How would you feel if you woke up one morning to find that a giant electric line would soon be turning your once pristine backyard into a scene from the movie Transformers? (And there was nothing you could do about it!) A plan is currently in proposition that could make this idea a reality for many West Virginians. American Electric Power (AEP) and Allegheny Energy are fighting hard for permission to build the largest possible interstate power line from Southern West Virginia, into Western Maryland. Read this blog

While hunting in the backwoods of southern West Virginia in 1983, third generation coal miner, Todd Lester, spotted a giant, long-tailed cat stepping cautiously down the mountainside. Remembering the stories his grandmother had told him, Todd recognized the animal as a cougar. When he reported the sighting to officials at the State Game Department, he was ridiculed. The cougar has been extinct in the Appalachian region for decades, he was told. Ever since that day, Todd Lester dedicated his life to learning everything about the animal, and proving its existence in this area. Read this blog

Around 5,000 years ago, a root was discovered in the mountains of northern China that was believed to strengthen the soul, invigorate the body and prolong the life. It was so cherished by Chinese emperors, that they were willing to pay for the root with its weight in gold. Chinese demand for this root encouraged a flourishing industry of trade and export in the region, that would eventually cause the virtual extinction of the plant in Asia.   Read this blog