WILLIAMSON - The Daily News broke a news story on Wednesday that the CBS “Sunday Morning” news crew and Emmy-award winning commentator Rita Braver were in Williamson on Tuesday, filming interviews with Hatfield and McCoy descendants and local historians, and also shot film-footage of several feud related sites.

Tomorrow morning at 9 a.m., the footage shot in the Tug Valley area will be the feature story during the morning news cast, and according to Mingo County’s WVU Extension Professor Bill Richardson, this broadcast is slated to include more minutes of coverage for our county than any news related shows thus far.

“The CBS crew was actually here for two days,” stated Richardson, “and conducted interviews with local entertainer and songwriter Jimmy Wolford, Linda Van Meter, a Hatfield descendant who is also a local business owner and myself.”

“Tuesday afternoon we took a tour of several locations including the Hog Trial site, the site where Randall McCoy’s house had stood and the Hatfield Cemetery, where the statue of Devil Anse stands above his grave.”

“Rita Braver is an outstanding commentator who has traveled all over the world and has interviewed Heads of State and other dignitaries, and was the CBS Chief White House Correspondent while former President Bill Clinton was in office,” remarked Richardson. “For us to have someone of her caliber and reputation come here to do a news story is sensational.”

Braver had told the Daily News that she had thoroughly enjoyed her visit to the land of the Hatfield’s and McCoy’s, and stated that she had learned a lot from those she interviewed.

Richardson commented on the continued national media attention featuring our communities, saying that the increase of tourists whose interest in the Hatfield and McCoy feud was peaked after the mini-series and 2 hour documentary on the History Channel is clearly evident in Mingo County, as an influx of visitors has steadily arrived over the last two weeks.

“We need to make hay while the sun shines,” said Richardson. “This media coverage won’t last forever, and we need to take advantage of every possible opportunity to promote our area and lay the foundation for tourism in the future.”

The CBS “Sunday Morning” news will be aired on Huntington station WOWK Channel 13, at 9 a.m.