On this West Virginia Morning, in an effort to attract more horse racing competitors this year to West Virginia, the state Legislature increased the funding cap to $2 million for certain races – and neighboring states are taking similar action. When Golden Tempo won the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, his owner, trainer and jockey won an estimated $3.1 million winning purse. For the Appalachia + Mid-South Newsroom, Justin Hicks reports much of that growth can be attributed to increased gambling on historical horse racing games.

Also, the source and cause of a small mercury spill in Charleston remains under investigation, but the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the City of Charleston coordinated cleanup efforts throughout the weekend.

And, following an environmental group’s litigation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently put protections in place along nearly 4,000 miles of river in 17 states, including Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia, for four species of mussels. Derek Operle with member station WKMS reports.

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Maria Young produced this episode.

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A Look At Recent Growth In The Horse Racing Industry, This West Virginia Morning