A new initiative to reduce recidivism at the Watauga County jail is already receiving positive feedback, with one inmate calling it an “inspiration” and a “blessing” in a handwritten letter to Sheriff Len Hagaman. The letter was written to Hagaman in spring 2018 after an intern, Appalachian social work graduate student Mollie Mellishrencken, studied inmate recidivism — the cycle of coming in and out of incarceration on multiple occasions.

Dula family reunions in western North Carolina include members of the black and white sides of the family. But for decades these two sides did not communicate or even acknowledge their relation. Filmmaker Beth Davison, a faculty member at Appalachian State University, explored this story in her recent documentary “Dulatown.”

As most visitors can quickly tell, the restaurant and cafe in South Charleston, West Virginia is located inside a former church building. But Cafe Appalachia is about more than food. It’s nourishment for the community and intended to serve as a support tool in helping fight the opioid epidemic by providing a safe learning and working environment for women in long-term recovery programs, says Cheryl Laws, the founder and chief executive of the nonprofit organization Pollen8.

Eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly and taking the right vitamins—like vitamin D—are the best ways to improve your immune system. “If you look at all the lifestyle factors that decrease the number of days you suffer from common cold, being a physically active and fit person is the most important,” says David Nieman, a professor of public health and director of the Human Performance Lab at Appalachian State University.

The R+L New Orleans Bowl turned into a season-ending coronation for the Sun Belt champions. Malik Williams delivered two trick-play touchdowns on wide receiver passes, including one to quarterback Zac Thomas, and the defense made several important stops under tough circumstances to help App State maintain its perfect bowl record with a 45-13 victory against Middle Tennessee on Saturday night.

Kurt Michael says he got “a front-seat view of human suffering” while volunteering for a crisis line for three years as a psychology major at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

During the kick-off talk in Appalachian State University’s fall 2018 Sustainable Energy Speaker Series: Alumni Edition, Bill Pfleger said the U.S. electricity system, which has served the nation for more than 100 years, “is standing on the brink of disruption” — and that’s a potentially good thing.

A graduate of Appalachian State University’s growing fermentation science degree program, Nathan, a first-generation German-American, found a whole new route for his brewing creativity with the ciders he creates.

The Community Music School at Appalachian State University held its fifth annual Scale Olympiad on Saturday, Nov. 10, for High Country area pre-college pianists. Almost 30 students demonstrated their technical and theory skills, earning ribbons and rosettes for varying levels of mastery.