The Future of West Virginia

Why West Virginians in coal country are turning to beekeeping

Leisa Moten has a stable job as a church administrative assistant in West Virginia, but like some others in her town of Pipestem, which has a population of 846, she is living below the poverty line, earning $15,800 a year.
Where she lives in southern West Virginia, the poverty rate reaches as high as 28 percent in certain areas, and unemployment in some counties is more than twice the national average.
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Beekeeping- an alternative for West Virginia

Plagued by poverty and unemployment due to the decline in the coal industry, West Virginia is looking to reinvent itself. Beekeeping just might be the answer. Appalachian Beekeeping Collective is a new nonprofit in southern West Virginia teaching those affected by the plummeting coal industry a new trade. With the help of locals, they are helping the economy and the ecosystem.

In the original lead, I believe the author focused on the story of a West Virginian too much. They never mentioned beekeeping or the foundation that is working to improve the state. However, I think that the author chose to start the lead like this to highlight the effects of the decline in the coal industry in an emotional way, allowing the reader to form an emotional connection with the story. I chose to write the headline the way I did to drive how important the beekeeping industry can be to West Virginia. In the lead, I believe it is important to highlight the company helping West Virginia, making the information more appealing to the people in the area and letting them know that there is an alternative for them besides the mines.

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