Minute - The Appalachian Writing Project - UVa-Wise

Transcription

Sports |Page 1B |Eastside edges Rye Cove to keep district lead. Encore |Page 14B|Youth fest featured at Heartwood.
F R I D AY
the
April 27, 2012
Vol. 101 • No. 34
24 Pages
NORTON, VA 24273
A Progressive Newspaper Serving Our Mountain Area Since 1911
JUST A
Minute
PROGRESS
USPS 120-120 $1.00
Land
deal
Dedication
Jeff Lester
NEWS EDITOR
Bad weather near tornado anniversary.
Bad memory for Glade Spring native.
Hope new winds caused no harm.
Council elections are Tuesday.
Everyone get out and vote!
Choose your leaders.
Be part of future.
Don’t abstain!
County gets
option to buy
Norton site
for Central
We may have found a cure for most
evils; but we have found no remedy
for the worst of them all, the apathy of
human beings.
— Helen Keller
JEFF LESTER
NEWS EDITOR
d Clarification
Coeburn town council candidate Jess
Powers took exception to the use of
an editor’s note in his April 24 candidate profile. Today, we explain the
newspaper’s approach and Powers’
concerns in a clarification. Find it on
Page 7.
d A passing
Learned late yesterday afternoon that
well-known local public accountant
Bardin Thrower passed away. Funeral
arrangements will be by Hagy &
Fawbush. Details unknown so far.
Watch our Facebook page and
www.hagyfawbush.com for specifics
to come.
d Jail death
A report published late yesterday indicates that an unidentified inmate at
the Duffield regional jail was killed by
another inmate at lunchtime. The jail
houses inmates from Norton and
Wise, Lee and Scott counties. Watch
for an update on Facebook and in
next week’s pages.
d Push paper — out!
Keep Wise County Beautiful is sponsoring Clean Your Files Day today, 10
a.m.-3 p.m. in the Magic Mart parking
lot. Bring your outdated paper files to
be shredded and hauled away; free
up space and reduce excess trash.
Questions? Call 328-1000.
d Give blood
Just one local opportunity to give
blood coming up soon: Thursday,
May 3 at Food City in Wise, 1-6 p.m.
One donation could save up to three
lives, and the blood bank loves Onegative donors because their blood
can be used for anyone. More info?
Call 423/224-5888 or visit www.marshblood.com.
d Roaming office
Ninth District U.S. Rep. Morgan
Griffith’s staff will conduct traveling
office hours in May, including: May 2,
Big Stone Gap federal courthouse,
Room 303, 2-4 p.m.; May 8, Norton
council chambers, 2-4 p.m.; May 15,
Gap courthouse, 10 a.m.-noon, and
Dickenson Center for Education &
Research, 818 Happy Valley Dr.,
Clintwood, 2-4 p.m.
65,
000
Wise town
manager
expects the
JORDAN FIFER PHOTO
u Merry Lu Prior applauds the unveiling of a plaque Wednesday honoring her late
husband, former University of Virginia’s College at Wise Chancellor David Prior, as the
college’s new convocation center was dedicated in his name. Also applauding is college board Vice Chairman Charlie Jessee. See more on Page 2.
Pound High School eyed
for community center
MIRANDA MCCOY
STAFF WRITER
POUND — While citizens may want the nowvacant Pound High School building renovated into a
community center, funding that development may
prove challenging.
Discussion of the opportunities and obstacles,
such as addressing asbestos, dominated Pound Town
Council’s April 19 meeting.
Herb Shortt, spokesman for a new community
center committee, said such a facility would greatly
benefit town residents. Allowing the town’s youth to
use the athletic fields alone would be more than
worthwhile, he said following the meeting, where he
presented an update on the new committee.
The building would be the perfect location to
house various classes and activities, he said. Shortt
hopes community center plans would include a technology room providing computers and internet
access. Pound Historical Society has already
expressed interest in using the home economics
area, he said.
Pound Planning Commission “applauds the effort
and hopes that it is successful,” commission member
George Dean told council, saying a community center would be “wonderful.” But the commission also
“stands behind the fact that we see big dollars to get
that building off and running,” Dean said.
The commission is concerned the project may
become a financial burden on the town and its residents, he said.
POUND, PAGE 10
Coal anthology
Eastside High students publish heritage book
KATIE DUNN
STAFF WRITER
‘I just hope that they
understand the
importance of our
history, what it is,
what our heritage is;
it’s what makes us
who we are and it’s
worth investigating
and giving some
time to learn about
our past and our
families.’
— Hope Cloud,
English teacher
COEBURN — Just
as
Loretta
Lynn
immortalized through
song her life as a coal
miner’s
daughter,
Eastside High School
students have done the
same through the publication of an anthology,
“Unearthing
Diamonds:
Finding
Our Coal Heritage.”
The collection of
poems, memoirs and
research
explores
Southwest Virginia’s
role in coal production
and the stories of those
who have dedicated
their
lives
to
unearthing the natural resource.
Hope Cloud, an English teacher at Eastside
High, launched the coal study unit last November
in her advanced ninth grade English class. The
two-month project was made possible through a
grant from Coal Education Development and
Resources of Virginia Inc., or CEDAR, a nonprofit organization focused on educating students in
BOOK, PAGE 2
Norton
Industrial
Development Authority
has approved an option
giving Wise County
first rights to buy city
property behind the
Norton Commons shopping center and build
the
county’s
new
Central High School
there.
The option expires
July 1 unless a purchase agreement is
made.
If county supervisors and the county
school board decide to
buy it, the price is
$700,000, according to
the option agreement
signed Monday by
NIDA Chairman Byron
Cantrell, supervisors
Chairman Bob Adkins
and
school
board
Chairman
Nolan
Kilgore.
NIDA voted 5-0 to
approve the option during a special meeting
Tuesday, with two
members
absent,
according
to
City
Manager Fred Ramey.
One absentee was ill
and the other was not
expected to be available that night, he said.
The county school
board
voted
5-3
Monday night to pursue
purchase of the 25-acre
site behind Walmart,
with Mark Hutchinson,
Rocky Cantrell and
Betty Cornett opposing
it.
Norton city council
voted 3-2 last week to
support
negotiating
with the county to sell
the land, with Mark
Caruso and Terry Roop
opposing it. County
supervisors endorsed
the purchase in a 5-2
vote April 12, with J.H.
Rivers and Virginia
Meador opposing it and
Robby Robbins absent.
TERMS
u Eastside High ninth graders Megan
Wright, left, and Hali Meade get a first look
at the anthology that their advanced
English class produced last semester.
The option’s provisions include:
r NIDA grants the
county access to the
land for testing, survey
work and other measures, including bore
testing and limited
earth work, to determine its suitability for a
school site.
r Because of the
urgent time frame to
build the new school,
LAND, PAGE `0
town’s sales tax
revenue to drop
by about
— TOWN E L E C T I O N S 20 12 —
$65,000
in fiscal 2012-13.
See Page 3.
Look for profiles of the
candidates for St.Paul
mayor and town council
on page 6.
PAGE 2 Friday, April 27, 2012 The Coalfield Progress Norton, Virginia 24273
Convocation center named after David Prior
Marcia Gilliam, chair of The University of Virginia’s
College at Wise board, said it best when she addressed
the 250 people who gathered on Wednesday to officially
dedicate a 78,000-square-foot arena in honor of the late
Chancellor David J. Prior.
“Today, we are here to celebrate a life well-lived, a
heart well-loved, in a place that will be well-used,”
Gilliam said. “We are here to celebrate David J. Prior
and the David J. Prior Convocation Center.”
Prior died suddenly on Feb. 2. He was the seventh
chancellor at UVa-Wise, and the college experienced
remarkable growth under the seven years of his leadership.
Prior was extremely proud of the facility that now
bears his name. He gave so many tours during construction that he kept the trunk of his car full of hard hats,
Gilliam recalled.
“There could be no other name for this building,” said
Gilliam. “We can all attest to how much David loved this
place. During construction, he was here almost every
day in his hard hat, watching it emerge from the
ground.”
State Del. Terry Kilgore, who worked with the
region’s legislators in the General Assembly to acquire
the $30 million needed to build the center, called Prior “a
true friend and a wonderful individual” who will leave
an impact on the community.
Kilgore presented Mrs. Merry Lu Prior and UVaWise with a framed copy of the House joint resolution
that authorized funding for the center’s construction in
2009. The resolution was signed by the region’s legislative delegation.
Mrs. Prior said she and her family have been overwhelmed by the support they have received from near
and far.
“He did absolutely love this building,” Prior said of
her husband. “If he wasn’t home at 5 o’clock, I figured he
was here, and it was usually true.”
Marvin Gilliam Jr., a member of the University of
Virginia Board of Visitors and chair of that board’s UVaWise committee, called Prior a “forceful and successful
advocate for The University of Virginia’s College at
Wise.”
UVa President Teresa Sullivan said UVa-Wise exists
because the people of Southwest Virginia saw in its
founding the creation of opportunity for their children.
The convocation center also represents opportunity for
enhanced prosperity in Southwest Virginia, she added.
“How appropriate that this building will bear the
name of the man who was most responsible for bringing
it to fruition,” Sullivan said.
As wonderful as the center and the other buildings
that were constructed and renovated during his chan-
r Book
FROM PAGE 1
Wise and Buchanan counties and Norton about the
benefits that the coal industry offers. The organization
provides financial and educational resources to students and teachers.
Cloud spent almost $500
of the more than $700 grant
to publish the 101-page
anthology, purchase supplies and buy copies of “Up
Molasses Mountain,” a
novel the class read about a
mining town in Clay, W. Va.
During the unit, students also wrote personal
essays and poems, took a
field trip to the Kentucky
Coal Museum in Benham,
Ky. and learned about the
coal industry from guest
speakers.
MEMOIRS
As a final project, some
students interviewed relatives who had worked in
the coal industry and
developed those correspondences into memoirs
that were published in the
anthology.
Ninth graders Anna
Ketron, Aimilee Bright,
Chance Jones and Haley
Mays all interviewed their
grandfathers.
Anna’s
grandfather,
Wilford
Zane
Hale,
worked 30 years for
Pittston Coal Co. in the
Clinchfield division. In his
memoir, Hale told Anna
about the changes that
occurred in the mining
industry during his career,
including the technology
and the union and strikes.
He also mentioned the
safety hazards that miners
faced each day.
“‘Many of my friends
were killed in mining accidents like gas explosions,
collapses, rocks fell on
some, mining shafts would
break, and a few of my
friends even had their
arms and legs cut off,’” he
told his granddaughter.
Anna, 15, said in talking
with her grandfather, she
developed a better understanding about his life and
how Hale, a union member,
worried about losing his
job to non-union members
during the 1989-90 Pittston
strike.
Aimilee’s
interview
with her grandfather,
Tommy
Bright,
also
addressed the strike.
Bright, who now works for
Elite Coal, shared stories
from his colorful coal
industry career, including
the Pittston strike. Bright, a
non-union member during
the strike, recalled his coal
truck being shot several
times. “‘I still have one of
them that I can show you
that still has the bullet
holds in it,’” he told his
granddaughter. “‘I was
shot at when I was driving
my truck three or four different times, and once I
was working on my bulldozer on my own strip job
that was close to the highway and some of the people
shot at me several times
and shot my bulldozer several times.’”
Aimilee, 15, said she
found it interesting to learn
about the mining industry’s
safety measures and also
about how the area’s mining climate has changed.
During his 32-year
career, Chance’s grandfather, Danny Mefford,
worked for various coal
companies. In his interview, Mefford talked about
being laid off, close calls
with mining equipment
and being a union member.
“I’ve never realized how
many struggles he went
through with that until the
interview,”
admitted
Chance, 15, citing the number of times his grandfather had been laid off and
rehired during his career.
Haley’s grandfather,
Roy Mullins, spent much of
his career working in
underground mines.
Haley, 14, said she
learned about the tasks her
grandfather performed in
the mines, the challenges
associated with working
underground and the
changes the industry has
experienced. She said
Mullins talked a lot about
how working conditions
were much tougher when
he started his career since
workers performed each
task by hand.
“I thought it was a neat
project because it had to do
more with our region than
just a regular English project would, and I learned a
lot of stuff from it, especially from the field trip and
actually going into a closed
down mine (and) being
able to feel what a coal
miner feels every day,”
said Mays about the class
project.
Cloud also published a
memoir in the anthology.
She interviewed her father,
Louie Mays, who worked
more than 27 years for
Clinchfield.
Cloud said he talked at
JORDAN FIFER PHOTO
u UVa-Wise board Chairwoman Marcia Gilliam speaks to 250 people gathered
Wednesday in the convocation center to celebrate its dedication in the name of the late
chancellor, David Prior.
Children who visit the center will ask their parents about David Prior,
UVa President Teresa Sullivan said. ‘There are a lot of ways to answer
that question. Chancellor. Scientist. Community leader. Family man . . .
But the parents could tell their child, ‘He built this building,’
and that would be the right answer, too.’
cellorship, Prior’s legacy is more than bricks and mortar, she said.
“David will live on in the hearts and minds of the people in the college and all of Southwest Virginia,” she
said. “His legacy is a legacy of hope, energy and boundless optimism for what the people in this college and this
region can accomplish together.”
Children who attend events at the center will ask
their parents about David J. Prior, she said.
“There are a lot of ways to answer that question,” she
told the crowd. “Chancellor. Scientist. Community
leader. Family man. All those are right answers to the
question. But the parents could tell their child, ‘He built
this building,’ and that would be the right answer, too.” u
— Provided by UVa-Wise.
u During a coal study unit in their ninth grade advanced English class, Eastside High
School students toured Portal 31, an exhibition mine, in Lynch, Ky.
length about the Pittston
strike, which lasted 10
months. He also recalled
when his father, Raymond
Mays, was killed while
working in an underground
mine in 1953. Louie was
just seven years old at the
time.
Twenty-three students
participated in the project;
16 interviewed relatives
and seven completed
research projects. Those
projects explored the role
of coal in Southwest
Virginia, the uses of coal,
how mining safety standards
have
evolved,
Virginia’s coal distribution
and the historical development of unions.
Kaitlin Meade, who has
no immediate family in the
coal industry, researched
the various products made
from coal and its multiple
uses. While most understand it’s used to produce
electricity, Kaitlin, 15,
found it interesting that
coal also helps make steel
and cement and filters
water.
PROJECT PRAISED
Cloud recently submitted her class’ anthology to
the annual CEDAR coal
study unit competition,
along with other Wise
County, Buchanan County
and
Norton
classes.
Projects were judged last
weekend, and Cloud’s class
KATIE DUNN PHOTO
u Ninth grade students, from left, Anna Ketron, Kaitlin Meade,
Aimilee Bright and Chance Jones pose with English teacher Hope
Cloud, back row, center, and the anthology, 'Unearthing
Diamonds: Finding Our Coal Heritage,' that their advanced English
class created last semester.
earned a first-place nod in
the high school 9-12 category. Cloud was also
named the CEDAR of
Virginia Teacher of the
Year.
Gequetta
Laney,
CEDAR coordinator at
Eastside High, said this
year the school boasted
exceptional participation
in the competition. This is
the seventh year the school
has participated, and four
teachers coordinated units
in art, English, history and
science. In all, Eastside
High submitted 22 student
projects to the contest.
Overall, Cloud said she
hopes her class’ project
helps students better
appreciate their heritage.
“I just hope that they
understand the importance
of our history, what it is,
what our heritage is, it’s
what makes us who we are,
and it’s worth investigating
and giving some time to
learn about our past and
our families,” she said. “I
wish that when I was these
students’ age that I had valued the stories of my
grandparents, my grandfather, more and written
them down.” u
Norton, Virginia 24273 The Coalfield Progress Friday, April 27, 2012 PAGE 3
Wise to hold budget workshop Monday
KATIE DUNN
STAFF WRITER
WISE — Town Council will
hold a workshop regarding its
proposed fiscal 2012-13 budget
at 7 p.m. on Monday.
Council members on Tuesday
unanimously agreed to hold the
workshop.
The proposed balanced budget totals $13.8 million and represents a $2.8 million decrease
from the current fiscal year.
Several tax rate increases are
being proposed for next year.
The town is considering doubling its cigarette tax rate from 5
cents per pack to 10 cents per
pack. It is also proposing to
increase the transient lodging
tax rate from 4 to 5 percent and
the meals tax rate from 5 to 6
percent. In an executive summary given council members,
Town Manager Beverly Owens
notes that the tax increases are
“necessary to fund operations.”
She also mentions several
anticipated decreases in revenues next year, including a
reduction of about $65,000 in
sales tax collections, which is
largely due to the completion of
construction on Dominion’s
Virginia City power plant. This
has resulted in a decrease in the
company’s local purchase of con-
struction materials, writes
Owens.
Owens also mentions a drastic
decrease in fines and forfeitures
revenues. Last year, the town
received an estimated $17,550 in
income stemming from court
and parking fines and investigative restitution. This year, that
figure is estimated to be only
$200. Owens said this is due to a
legislative action that diverts
local fine collections to a state
fund.
In addition, consumer utility
tax revenues are expected to
decrease by $35,000 and consumption tax collections by
$7,000, which Owens reports is
due to the area’s mild winter and
early spring. Those taxes, she
writes, are based on a rate
applied to kilowatt hours of
usage, which has decreased.
The town is also proposing to
use $3.2 million of the $3.4 million in its unassigned fund balance to fund capital improvement projects. Also being considered is a transfer of $1.8 million
from the general fund to the
water/sewer fund to aid with
capital projects. Owens attributes the need for this transfer to
decreasing utility rate revenues.
The town will hold a public
hearing regarding the budget
during its May 22 meeting. u
Wise council axes beer garden proposal
KATIE DUNN
STAFF WRITER
WISE — Beer will not
be part of the Big Glades
Community Square summer concert series after
all.
Town Council on
Tuesday voted 4-1 in
favor of prohibiting alcohol sales for consumption
on
public
property.
Councilman
Luther
Adkins voted against the
motion. He stated that he
wanted to allow concert
organizers to hold a beer
garden on a trial basis to
see whether it would
work.
The council’s decision
followed an almost hourlong discussion between
council members and
Angela Gibson, co-owner
of The Tavern on Main
restaurant.
Gibson wanted to host
a beer garden during
seven to nine summer
concert series events
being
held
at
the
amphitheater. She sug-
gested shutting down
Nottingham Avenue NE
during the concerts and
creating a beer garden
and grilling area in that
location. Hosting the beer
garden here, she said,
would shield the area
from those not wishing to
be near any alcohol consumption. Gibson added
that no one under the age
of 21 would be allowed in
that area, and those who
purchased a beer would
have to drink it in the
beer
garden
before
returning to the concert.
While she supports the
concert series, Gibson
said it hurts her business,
since concerts fall on
Saturdays, normally the
restaurant’s most profitable night. “We do lose a
lot of revenue during
these events,” she said.
“We do have to bring our
business from the inside
out to try to make it at
these events.”
Vice Mayor Caynor
Smith said his concerns
about allowing alcohol
STAFF WRITER
WISE — Though he was
named a finalist in a
superintendent
search
conducted by a Colorado
school district, county
schools Superintendent
Jeff Perry said yesterday
he decided not to pursue
the position. Perry was one
of three finalists in the
Delta County School
District 50J’s superintendent search. He and two
other finalists interviewed
for the position on April
21. The school district is
located in west central
Colorado.
The district’s board of
education met Monday in
an executive session to
decide which candidate
should be offered the job,
but later that day issued a
press release stating that
the candidate selected by
the board had withdrawn
from consideration. The
release also noted that the
board had made the deci-
events. What if other
restaurants wanted to do
the same thing? he asked.
The town must be fair to
everyone.
While council members did not agree on the
beer, they did agree to
close Nottingham Avenue
during events and allow
food vendors to sell fare
so that downtown eateries, such as The Tavern,
can benefit financially
from the concerts.
This agreement followed a failed motion by
Adkins to close the street
not only for food sales,
but also potentially alcohol sales.
Tuesday’s discussion
was in response to a
request last month from
Dave Stallard, co-chair of
the Bristol Rhythm and
Roots music committee,
asking permission to
operate a beer garden onsite during four concerts
being
sponsored
by
Bristol Rhythm & Roots
Reunion. The council
agreed to table the issue
until this month so it
could further discuss the
proposal in an administrative committee. Prior
to this week’s meeting,
however, Stallard contacted town officials to
say he no longer believed
locating a beer garden
on-site at Big Glades
would work due to space
constraints. Stallard did
attend Tuesday’s meeting, though, to speak in
favor of The Tavern’s
proposal to host an offsite beer garden. u
?
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BECKY MCELROY
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ext. 241
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JENAY TATE
ext. 236
Publisher and Editor
[email protected]
JEFF LESTER
ext. 235
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ext. 252
Staff Writer
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KEVIN MAYS
ext. 250
Sports Editor
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ext. 253
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© 2012, American Hometown
Publishing, Inc. The Coalfield Progress is
published twice weekly on Tuesday and
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APR 27 ~ MAY 3 • 2012
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Schools chief interviews
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KATIE DUNN
sales stem from the fact
that most of the concerts
are
family-friendly
events, and he doesn’t
think alcohol should be a
part of that. Smith said he
talked with some of the
bands that will perform,
namely the KISS cover
band. The band’s members told Smith they
would prefer that alcohol
not be sold since they
promote their act as a
family-friendly affair.
Mayor
Erra
Sutherland
and
Councilwoman Teresa
Adkins said they did not
support the proposal
because it would be too
much of a liability for the
town. Sutherland noted
that if The Tavern sold
alcohol on its own property, she would be more
inclined to approve the
proposal.
Councilman Clifton
Carson said he had no
problem with the beer
garden, but did find fault
with allowing only one
business to sell alcohol at
Need
sion not to offer the position to either of the other
candidates.
Perry said he did interview for the position and
noted that it was an
extremely positive and
productive interview that
he believes could have led
to an offer. While he was
somewhat reluctant about
interviewing for the position, Perry said he did
want the chance to explore
that option.
With all the unfinished,
ongoing projects that the
Wise
County
School
System has, however,
Perry said the timing is not
right to move elsewhere.
“I’ve decided that there
are a few things here in
Wise County that we need
to finish up and now would
not be the time to leave,”
he said.
Perry, a native of
Pound, was the superintendent of a different
Colorado school district
before taking the Wise
County job. u
CORRECTION
A Tuesday story about formation of a committee to
search for the next chancellor of the University of
Virginia’s College at Wise included two errors.
Committee member Marvin Gilliam is an alumnus
of the University of Virginia, not UVa-Wise. Also, Jacob
Somervell is a UVa-Wise alumnus as well as a faculty
member. We regret the errors. u
DAILY: 4:30 • 7:00 • 9:00 PM
SAT-SUN: 12:00 • 2:00 • 4:30
7:00 • 9:00 PM
SHERIFF’S
REPORT
CAPTAIN AMERICA 3D PG-13
MARVEL SUPERHERO MARATHON
THU (5/3): 9:00 PM
THE AVENGERS 3D PG-13
THU (5/3): 12:00 MIDNIGHT
IRON MAN PG-13
The Wise County Sheriff’s Office reports the following activities for April 16-22.
Wise Central Dispatch received a total of 1,324 calls.
Of the total calls received, 303 were dispatched to the
sheriff’s office, including 19 domestic violence calls.
Criminal process served 15 felony warrants, 21 misdemeanor warrants, made one arrest for driving under
the influence and worked no traffic accidents.
Civil process served 337 civil papers.
Twenty-two additional criminal investigations were
initiated and 30 were cleared by arrest.
The sheriff’s office provided 174 man hours of courtroom security for the three courts.
The sheriff’s office transported no adults in state,
one adult out of state, two mental patients and five juveniles for a total of 51.25 man hours, unlocked no vehicles and escorted seven funerals. u
THU (5/3): 7:00 PM
THE RAVEN R
DAILY: 5:00 • 7:30 • 10:00 PM
SAT-SUN: 12:00 • 2:30 • 5:00
7:30 • 10:00 PM
THE FIVE-YEAR ENGAGEMENT R
DAILY: 4:30 • 7:15 • 10:00 PM
SAT-SUN: 12:15 • 4:30
7:15 • 10:00 PM
SAFE R
DAILY: 4:30 • 7:00 • 9:30 PM
SAT-SUN: 12:00 • 2:00 • 4:30
7:00 • 9:30 PM
THE LUCKY ONE PG-13
DAILY: 4:45 • 7:30 • 9:45 PM
SAT-SUN: 12:15 • 2:30 • 4:45
7:30 • 9:45 PM
THE THREE STOOGES PG
DAILY: 5:00 • 7:15 • 9:30 PM
SAT-SUN: 12:30 • 2:45 • 5:00
7:15 • 9:30 PM
THE HUNGER GAMES PG-13
DAILY: 4:15 • 7:00 • 10:00 PM
SAT-SUN: 12:30 • 4:15
7:00 • 10:00 PM
CABIN IN THE WOODS R
Vintage on Main
OPEN HOUSE
Wednesday, May 2
10AM-6PM
All Jeans
1/2 Price
ALL DAY
Come Join us for our
Ribbon cutting & Open house
309 Wood Ave. • Big Stone Gap, VA •524-1360
DAILY: 5:00 • 7:30 • 9:45 PM
SAT-SUN: 12:30 • 2:45 • 5:00
7:30 • 9:45 PM
MIRROR MIRROR PG
DAILY: 5:00 • 7:15 PM
SAT-SUN: 12:15 • 5:00 • 7:15 PM
AMERICAN REUNION R
DAILY: 9:30 PM
SAT-SUN: 2:30 • 9:30 PM
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Blackwood • VA
276-679-3761
THE VOW PG-13
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Serving Wise County
& Surrounding Areas
For Over 10 Years!!!
GUARANTEED
LOWEST PRICES
208 Rigg Ave., N.W. • Wise, VA 24293
328-2700
NAOMI SUFFRIDGE FAWBUSH
Naomi Suffridge Fawbush, 93, died Tuesday, April 24,
2012 at her residence in Jacksonville, Fla.
She was preceded in death by her son and daughterin-law Greg and Ashira Fawbush in 1990, her husband
Col. Andrew Tyler Fawbush in 1991, her sisters, Edna
Patterson and Ruth Sowder, and her brother William
Suffridge.
Surviving are her daughter and son-in-law, Patricia
and Henry Webb of Hermitage, Tenn.; her son and
daughter-in-law, Andrew J. and Lin Fawbush of
Jacksonville; eight grandchildren, Craig (Barbara)
Webb, Chuck (Diane) Webb, Andrew Fawbush, Jr., Tyler
Fawbush, Karin Fawbush, Michelle Fawbush, Lemore
(Sean) Zausner, and Alan (Karen) Weinstein, 12 greatgrandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.
Graveside committal services will be conducted 11
a.m. Tuesday, May, 1, at Mountain Home National
Cemetery in Mountain Home, Tennessee with Dr. Henry
Webb and Dr. Craig Webb officiating.
A memorial service will be held in Jacksonville, on
Saturday, May 12, at Southside United Methodist Church
at 11 a.m. Memorial contributions may be made to her
church, Southside United Methodist Church, 3120
Hendricks Avenue, Jacksonville, FL 32207 or to the
Disabled American Veterans.
Hagy & Fawbush Funeral Home, is serving the
Fawbush family. Online condolences may be made by
visiting hagyfawbush.com.
JEFFREY HAROLD GREEAR
Jeffrey Harold Greear, 52, of Coeburn, died
Wednesday, April 25, 2012 at Mountain View Medical
Center in Norton.
He was the son of the late Glenn Earnest Greear.
Survivors include his wife, Donna Greear, Coeburn;
Mother, Freida Iris Greear, Coeburn; two daughters,
Ashley Nicole Hayes and Erica Danielle Hayes, both of
Coeburn; sisters, Myra Lawson, Franklinton, NC, Dena
Frazier, Bracey, and Joy Ward, Coeburn; sister-in-law,
Charma ‘Libby’ Bolling, Kingsport, Tenn.; brothers,
Kevin Greear, Louisburg, NC, Keith Greear, Franklinton,
NC, and Mark Greear, Zebulon, NC; brother-in-law,
Franklin Burns Greear Jr., Coeburn; step-daughter,
Stephanie Miner; step-son, Bryan Hall, Jr.; two grandchildren, several nieces and nephews.
Funeral services will be held on Friday, April 27, at 7
p.m. at Estes Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Wayne
Perry officiating. Burial will be 11 a.m. Saturday. April
28, at Greear Cemetery. Visitation will be held after 5
p.m. Friday.
ALBIE JEAN INGLE
Albie Jean Ingle, 76, of Norton, died Wednesday, April
25, 2012 in Norton Community Hospital.
She was born in Seco, Kentucky to the late Henry and
Goldie Thacker Williams. Also preceding her in death
were four brothers, John Henry Williams, Robert
Williams, Edward Williams and Gary Williams and a sister, Gracie Fields.
She is survived by her husband of 31 years, John Ingle
of Norton; a daughter, Sandra Sturgill of Norton; a son
and daughter-in-law, Don and Melissa Fields of
Sevierville, Tenn.; two grandchildren, Willie Brian and
Shelley Dingus of Norton and Jessica Fields of
Sevierville; one brother and sister-in-law, Freddie and
Linda Williams of Norton; three sisters, Hazel Minnix,
Joyce and Aubrey Wilson and Glenda and Mark Mullins
all of Norton; five great-grandchildren, Ryan and
Jonathan Dingus, Jade-Tresa White, Ella-Marie White
and Leigh-Mark White; several aunts, uncles and cousins
and several nieces and nephews, and a host of friends.
The family will receive friends from 5-7 p.m. Friday,
April 27, at Hagy & Fawbush Funeral Home. Funeral
services will follow at 7 p.m. in the funeral home chapel
with Robert Fultz, Scott Addison and Michael Addison
officiating.
Graveside committal services will be conducted 11
a.m. Saturday at the White Oak Gap Cemetery. Family
and friends will meet at 10:30 a.m. at the funeral home to
travel in procession to the cemetery.
Online condolences may be made by visiting hagyfawbush.com.
MARY A. MINNIX
Mary A. Minnix, 79, of St. Clair, Mich., died Thursday,
Feb. 2, 2012.
Mary was born, March 1, 1932 in Dunbar, to the late
Oakley and Pearl Minnix. She was retired from Oakwood
Hospital where she worked in housekeeping.
Mary is survived by her sisters Grace Minnix, Flo
(Harry) Lewis and Clarice Jackson; one daughter, Janet
Jorgensen-Cole and her husband, Michael; grandchildren, Buddy Jones and Faith Noelle Jorgensen; nephews,
Michael and Mark (Sherri) Lewis, Steven (Sondra) Goad
and niece Vicki (Keith) Schembri.
A graveside service will be held at 10 a.m. on
Saturday, April 28, at Rosedale Baptist Church Cemetery
with Ray Welch, Minister officiating. Family and friends
are asked to assemble at the cemetery by 9:50 a.m.
Those wishing to express sympathy online may do so
by visiting www.farrisfuneralservice.com and signing the
online guest book.
The family of Mary A. Minnix is being cared for by
Farris Funeral Service and Crematory, Abingdon.
IVAL HURLEY MITCHELL
Ival Hurley Mitchell, 83, of Coeburn, passed away
Monday, April 23, 2012 at his home in Coeburn with his
family at his side.
He was preceeded in death by two daughters, Cleda
Elaine Mitchell, Lavon Mitchell and son, Darrell
Hollyfield.
He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Roxie Payne
Mitchell, Coeburn; sons, David Mitchell and Hurley
Mitchell, both of Knoxville, Tenn. and Troy Holyfield,
Coeburn.
Sturgill Funeral Homes
WISE, VA • 276-328-5751 COEBURN, VA • 276-395-3263
Buford G. Sturgill • Richard G. Sturgill • Mark C. Sturgill
Locally Owned and Operated Since 1963
Brother, which he was called, retired at 55 from
Jewell Ridge Coal Co. of the UMWA in Richlands, where
he lived with Roxie and Cleda. In 1984 he was called into
full time ministery and for 28 years with his wife and her
guitar by his side he did what he was called to do.
Brother was a student of the Bible, a song leader who
could recall hundreds of songs, a historian of times and
events, as well as a reference for family genealogy. He
taught by the 3 B’s, Be Prepared, Be to the Point and Be
Seated. In closing he would say; Be Prepared cause you
to shall die. What a man, he practiced what he preached!
The family would like to say a special thank you to
Brother Mitchell’s support team, Rex and Wanda
Brickey, Ralph Wells, Terry Turner, Claudetta Mullins,
Oma Mullins, Greg and Rhonda Edwards and Judy
Jenkins.
Visitation was held Wednesday April 25, at Pine Camp
Church of God of Prophecy. Funeral services followed at
7:30 p.m. with Rev. Curtis Bond and Rev. Monty Elswick
officiating.
Burial was Thursday at Edwards Cemetery.
Arrangements by Estes Funeral Home, Coeburn.
D. M. MAC SALYERS
D. M. Mac Salyers, 70, passed away Wednesday, April
25, 2012 at the Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville,
Tenn..
He was of the Christian faith and was a retired coal
miner. He was preceded in death by his parents, William
Harrison and Laura Bradley Salyers.
Surviving are his wife, Nancy Salyers; a daughter,
Tina Salyers of Pound; four sons, B.I. Salyers of
Kingpsort, Tenn., Jimmy Salyers of Pound, Sean Salyers
of Appalachia and Steven Salyers of Wise; eight grandchildren; three brothers, Ernie Salyers of Clarksville,
Tenn., Bill Salyers and Johnny Salyers both of Coeburn;
five sisters, Jan Salyers of Castlewood, Betty Jordan of
Knoxville, Ina Lou Madison of North Carolina, Mavis
Spivey of Weber City and Pearlie Mae Young of West
Virginia; and a host of other relatives and friends.
Funeral services will be conducted at 7 p.m. Friday,
April 27, at the Sturgill Funeral Home Chapel in Wise,
with Pastor Chad Hall officiating. The family will receive
friends from 5 p.m. until time of services.
Graveside committal services and burial will be held
at 11 a.m. Saturday in the Miller family cemetery. Family
and friends will meet at 10:30 a.m. at the funeral home to
go to the cemetery in procession. Please visit
www.sturgillfuneral.com to leave online condolences for
the family.
ROBIN LYNN SHOCKLEY
Robin Lynn Shockley, 46, of Norton, died Tuesday,
April 24, 2012 in Johnson City Medical Center.
A memorial service will be planned at a future date.
Hagy & Fawbush Funeral Home. Funeral is serving
the Shockley family
Online condolences may be made by visiting hagyfawbush.com.
CARD OF THANKS
The family of Minister Jerry Wayne Vanover of
Pound, wishes to thank the Baker Funeral Home for their
exceptional services in handling such a large funeral.
We want to thank Pound J.W. Adams Combined School
and their staff for all their participation and outstanding
service. I also want to thank and recognize the veterans,
the VFW Post 9600 and Pound Masonic Lodge 59 AF &
AM for all their participation and diligent work in planning this so suddenly.
We thank the community for all the prayers, food,
flowers and other acts of kindness. Jerry would be
pleased with all the love shown toward him and our family throughout the community mourning his passing and
especially cherishing his memory. We really appreciate
everything our church family did during this time of
bereavement.
Thank you all again and please keep us in your
prayers.
Linda Harris Vanover
and Casey Mullins u
This Week in
APRIL 26, 1962
Pinwheel display
recognizes foster care
awareness month
has implemented where
case workers try to work
with families to prevent
children from having to
enter foster care. Thanks
to this initiative, she said
12 children in March
avoided placement in the
foster care system.
In honor of Foster
Care Awareness Month,
which is recognized in
May, Blair said the
department wants to
place 200 pinwheels in
Wise’s
prominently
placed Gateway Garden.
The county now has 165
children in foster care,
though previous numbers
have been as high as 200.
Blair said the county is in
desperate need of more
foster parents, and she
hopes the pinwheel display will also bring some
attention to this.
The council unanimously approved the
request.
Blair
and
Demory said they hope to
install the pinwheels next
week and have the display in place for about
two weeks. u
KATIE DUNN
STAFF WRITER
WISE — The town’s
Gateway Garden will
soon boast 200 tiny pinwheels, each erected in
honor of a child in Wise
County’s foster care program. During the Wise
Town Council meeting on
Tuesday,
Suzanne
Demory, child protective
services supervisor with
the Wise County Social
Services
Department,
and Christine Blair, foster
care
supervisor,
addressed council about
the pinwheel project, as
well as the county’s need
for more foster care families.
April is Child Abuse
Prevention Month, said
Demory. She reported
that in March, the county
investigated 63 complaints of child abuse or
neglect. Last year, she
continued, it investigated
671 cases. Demory also
mentioned a new initiative, family partnership
meetings, the department
Marriage licenses certified recently in Wise County include:
r Gary Lee Knight, 60, and
Alesha Danelle Egnor, 30,
Wayne, W.Va., April 20.
r Denver Lee Turner, 25,
and Jessica Beth Ingle, 26,
Norton, April 20.
r Jeffery Jackson Salyer, 47,
Nicholasville, Ky., and Elisha Lynn Greear,
36, Norton, April 21.
r Brandon Michael Varner, 22, and Wendy Bryson
Ray, 33, Big Stone Gap, April 21.
r Paul Roger Fuller, 64, Wise, and Janice Allene Cox,
63, Beavercreek, Ohio, April 23.
r Michael Audry Fleming, 44. and Crystal Gail
Stanley, 35, Clintwood, April 23.
r Edward Oferl Salyer III, 36, and Candie Rae
Gilliam, 36, Norton, April 25. u
SOCIAL SECURIT Y DISABILIT Y
WOLFE, WILLIAMS,
RUTHERFORD & REYNOLDS
Open Saturday 9 am - 5 pm • Weekdays Until 7 pm
(276) 679-0777
Joe Wolfe, attorney • 470 Park Avenue • Norton, VA 24273
Local History
50Years Ago . . .
r James Thacker, 26, of Appalachia, was sentenced
to life in prison for murder and an additional 30 years
for attempted murder, maiming and armed robbery. He
was found guilty of strangling a Lynchburg woman to
death, shooting and robbing a local man and trying to
shoot the man’s friend in Pardee in November 1961.
r Clinch District Ranger Bruce Merritt said four airplanes were used to fight a fire in the national forest
that destroyed 30 acres of timber on Little Stone
Mountain. Two air tankers made 14 drops to suppress
the blaze, he said.
r Ninth Congressional District Republicans nominated Russell County prosecutor Leon Owens, 30, to
challenge Democratic incumbent Congressman Pat
Jennings.
r Wise County Schools accepted the newly built
Pound elementary school, built by Quesenberry
Construction Co. for $177,000. Students “will move into
the structure in August under a consolidation program,”
the newspaper reported.
r The Council of the Southern Mountains was to
meet April 28 at Clinch Valley College. Speakers would
include folklorist Bonnie Ball, CVC professor Helen
Lewis, college dean Thomas Hamilton, national forest
ranger Bruce Merritt and Virginia state forester Eugene
Ohlson. u
H AGY & FAWBUSH
FUNERAL HOME
Downtown Norton
276-679-0192
956 Park Avenue
Norton, Virginia 24273
hagyfawbush.com
Follow us on
facebook.com/hagyfawbush
In Loving Memory
Brittany Danyeal
Carter
Went to be with our Lord,
Jesus Christ on April 27, 2009
She was a beautiful and caring
Daughter, Sister, Mother,
Fiance, Niece, Cousin &
Grand Daughter.
We love and miss you.
You’re in our thoughts, prayers
and our hearts always.
LOVE YOU FOREVER!
Mom - Dad - Bubby Kenzie - Jay - Your Beautiful
Baby Boy Jay Jay - Family & Friends
Preserve Your
In Memory
Only
$ 00
7 Each
Includes the
obituary & poem
laminated into a
3 1/4” x 9”
bookmark.
Several Poems
to choose from.
Call
Bill Endean
679-1101
Inmate stabs corrections officer
MIRANDA MCCOY
STAFF WRITER
A Red Onion State Prison corrections officer was stabbed multiple times Tuesday afternoon by
a prisoner, according to a
Virginia
Department
of
Corrections official.
The injuries were not life
threatening and the officer,
whose name has not been made
COALFIELD
CALENDAR
OF PUBLIC MEETINGS
TUESDAY, MAY 1
Town of Wise Planning
Commission (Laura Mullins
328-6013, voice and TDD) at 6
p.m. in council chambers at
the Wise Municipal building.
Norton City Council (Fred L.
Ramey Jr., 679-1160) meets at 6
p.m. in council chambers in
the municipal building in
Norton.
Big Stone Gap Town Council
meets at 7 p.m. in council
chambers at the town hall.
THURSDAY, MAY 3
Lonesome Pine Regional
Library Board of Trustees
(Amy Bond, Director 328-8325)
meets at 1 p.m. , LPRL
Headquarters in Wise.
public, was treated and released
from a hospital, according to
DOC spokesman Larry Traylor.
Traylor said the officer was
attacked by the inmate, whose
name is not being released
either, a few minutes after 3 p.m.
Tuesday in what appears to be an
isolated incident. No other officers or inmates were involved or
injured, said Traylor.
The maximum-security prison
WEDNESDAY, MAY 9
Lonesome Pine Soil and Water
Conservation District (Bobbi
Rasnick, 926-6621) meets at 10
a.m. at the district office in
Clintwood.
THURSDAY, MAY 10
Norton
City
Planning
Commission (Winfred Collins
679-1160) meets at 7:30 p.m. in
Council chambers in the
was still in lockdown as of late
Tuesday evening, following standard procedure, Traylor verified.
“All of the staff responded
immediately and very professionally, making sure that everything was handled correctly and
securely,” said Traylor.
An investigation is being conducted and charges could be
pending, stated Traylor. u
Municipal building in Norton.
Wise County Board of
Supervisors
Annette
Underwood 328-2321) meets
at 6 p.m. in the board room of
the Wise County Courthouse.
MONDAY, MAY 14
Coeburn
Town
Council
(Loretta Mays, 395-3323)
meets at 6 p.m. at the Depot.
Planning
Wise
County
Commission
(Annette
Underwood 328-2321) meets
at 6 p.m. in the board room of
the courthouse in Wise.
Norton School Board (Martha
Wells 679-2330) meets at 5:30
p.m. in council chambers.
Wise County School Board
(Judy Clawson, Clerk, 3289421 or 328-8017) meets at 6
p.m. in the Education Center
Conference Room A. u
PAID ADVERTISEMENT
★★★★★★★★★★★
VOTE ON MAY 1ST
MONDAY, MAY 7
Norton Industrial Development
Authority (Fred L. Ramey Jr.
679-1160) meets at 7 p.m. in
council chambers in the
municipal building.
TUESDAY, MAY 8
Wise County Public Service
Authority (Danny Buchanan,
679-1263) meets at 6 p.m. in
the PSA office boardroom,
located at 5622 Industrial Park
Rd. in the Esserville industrial
park.
Big Stone Gap Town Council
meets at 7 p.m. in council
chambers at the town hall.
Wise County Redevelopment
and Housing Authority and
Wise
County
Housing
Corporation (Monty Salyer,
395-6104) meets at 4:30 p.m. at
the John Vandiver Community
Center in Coeburn.
Jeff
★★★
Dotson
FOR WISE TOWN COUNCIL
★★★★★★★★★★★
PAID FOR AND AUTHORIZED BY JEFF DOTSON
FREE SPORTS PHYSICALS
John I. Burton High School will be
offering free sport physicals for Norton
City School athletes (Grades 7-11).
Local physicians and a physical
therapist will be at John I. Burton High
School on May 04, 2012 from 8:30 AM
– 12 Noon. Participants must have
completed and signed the VHSL
physical examination form prior to the
physical examination. The VHSL
physical form can be picked up in the
office at John I. Burton High School. If
any questions, please call Mrs. Caroll
Addington, School Nurse, at 679-0971.
SUNSHINE TOURS
2012 TOUR SCHEDULE
Date
Tour
Apr 27-May 3
** Louisiana Cajun Country/Baton Rouge/New Orleans........ 895
Per Person Price
Apr 29-May 5 ** Branson, MO/America’s Music Show Capital 995
May 3
Greenbrier Resort/1 Day/Buffet/$15 Free Slot Play ...75
May 4-5
“Jonah”/Tour PA Dutch Country/Miller’s Restaurant .....295
May 4-6
May 5
May 5
May 8-13
May 12
New York City/Springtime/”Porgy & Bess”....... 895
North Carolina Zoo/Asheboro, NC....................... 50
Tulip Festival/Holland, Michigan ....................... 795
Old Salem/Reynolda House/Winston-Salem, NC 55
May 12-13
Tangier Island/Monticello/Lunch Chesapeake Hs ...260
May 14-17
May 14
May 14 & 15
May 16
Cape May, New Jersey/Victorian Splendor ....... 650
Billy Graham Library/Stowe Botanical Gardens . 55
Andy Griffith’s Mayberry/Mt. Airy, NC ................. 45
Shatley Springs Inn/Fresco Paintings................. 45
May 16-Jun 2
** San Francisco & The Pacific Northwest/Yellowstone..... 2,195
May 18-20
May 19-20
May 20-24
May 21-26
Washington, DC/Our Nation’s Capital ............... 350
Baseball/Washington Nationals/2 Games ........ 250
Springtime in Vermont/Trapp Family Lodge ..... 995
Las Vegas/Grand Canyon/Sedona/FLY/Land. 1,595
May 26-28
** Nashville, TN/Music City, USA/Opryland Hotel ....450
May 29
Jun 2
“All Hands On Deck”/Barn Dinner Theatre ......... 85
Carowinds/Charlotte, NC ..................................... 75
Jun 2-3
** Chattanooga ChooChoo/Tennessee Aquarium ...275
Jun 2-3
Tygart Flyer Train/American Music Theatre/Elkins, WV .275
Jun 3-5
Jun 3-9
Jun 3-9
Jun 4
Atlantic City/Taj Mahal/Boardwalk/$25 Coin/3Day...210
Niagara Falls, Canada/Montreal & Quebec ...............995
** Branson, MO/America’s Music Show Capital.......995
Jun 4-7
Jun 7-10
Jun 8-10
Jun 8-10
Baseball/Phillies/Yankees/Nationals ................. 655
Tall Ships/Opsail 2012/Chesapeake, VA............ 475
Philadelphia & Baltimore ................................... 395
June 9
Lowe’s Motor Speedway/NASCAR Hall of Fame .......75
Jun 13-24
Great Southwest/California/Grand Canyon Land/FLY ........ 1,895
Jun 14-17
Jun 15-Jul 1
** Pigeon Forge/Dollywood/Gatlinburg/Smoky Mtns ......595
** The Great Southwest & California/Grand Canyon ...2,195
Jun 16
Jun 17-26
Jun 17-20
“Legally Blonde”/Barter Theatre/Abingdon, VA . 75
Nova Scotia & The Atlantic Provinces ........... 1,295
Jun 17-23
** Florida’s Walt Disney World/Sea World/Universal ......995
Jun 20-24
Jun 22-29
** Kentucky/The Blue Grass State .............................650
Michigan & Mackinac Island/The Grand Hotel ......1,595
Jun 25-Jul 4
California Coast/Los Angeles to San Francisco Land/Fly.. 2,395
Jun 28-Jul 7
Canyonlands FLY/Land/”Our Most Scenic Tour” ........1,850
Atlantic City/Taj Mahal/Broadwalk/$40 Coin/4Day...275
Jun 29-Jul 1 Renfro Valley & Lexington, Kentucky ............... 375
Jul 1-7
Niagara Falls, Canada/Montreal & Quebec........ 995
Jul 1-6
Boston/4th of July/Boston Pops/Tall Ships .... 1,395
Jul 1-7
Jul 3-11
Jul 4-Aug 4
Jul 5
Jul 6-7
Jul 7-21
Hawaii/Honolulu/Waikiki ................................. 2,395
** Alaska & Canada’s Yukon by Motorcoach . 4,695
“Branson on the Road”/Barn Dinner Theatre ..... 85
“Jonah”/Tour PA Dutch Country/Miller’s Rest.. 295
Alaska & Canada FLY/Land/Northbound ....... 3,795
Jul 10-18
Glacier National Park/Yellowstone/Jackson, WY.........2,095
Jul 11-28
Jul 14
Jul 15-29
Jul 15-18
Jul 19
Jul 20-28
San Francisco, CA & The Pacific Northwest .........2,195
** Canyonlands ”Our Most Scenic Tour”...............2,195
Baseball/New York Yankees/New York City .............690
Canadian Rockies FLY/Land ...................................2,095
Jul 20-22
** Nashville, TN/Music City, USA/Opryland Hotel ...........450
Jul 20-Aug 3
Jul 21
Jul 22-29
British Landscapes/Ireland/Scotland/Wales .........4,950
Summer in New England/Martha’s Vineyard .........1,250
Jul 23-Aug 6
Jul 24
Alaska & Canada’s Yukon/FLY/Land/Southbound ......3,795
Greenbrier Resort/1 Day/Buffet/$15 Free Slot Play....75
Jul 28-29
Jul 31-Aug 9
Aug 3-4
Aug 3-5
Aug 6
Aug 7-24
Annapolis, MD/Inner Harbor.......................................295
NORTH & SOUTH Dakota/FLY/Land.......................1,895
** World’s Longest Yard Sale .....................................325
Greenbrier Bunker/Hotel Tour......................................90
** San Francisco, CA & The Pacific Northwest .....2,195
Aug 7
Aug 8-19
Aug 12-18
Aug 14-17
Aug 18-19
Aug 18-19
Sep 1
Sep 1
“Smoke on the Mountain”/Barn Dinner Theatre . 85
Seattle/Northwest/Yellowstone/FLY/Land...... 1,995
** Niagara Falls, Canada/Montreal & Quebec.... 995
** ELVIS/ Tupelo, MS/Graceland/Memphis, TN.. 550
Baseball/Atlanta Braves/2 Games/Atlanta, GA . 250
Tangier Island/Monticello................................... 260
D-Day Memorial/Smith Mountain Lake/Lunch..... 85
North Carolina Zoo/Asheboro, NC....................... 50
Sep 1-3
** Nashville, TN/Music City, USA/Opryland Hotel ...........450
Sep 3-6
Sep 6
Sep 7-9
Atlantic City/Taj Mahal/Broadwalk/$40 Coin/4Day...275
Carl Hurley/Jeanne RobertsonCharlottesville, VA.....75
Myrtle Beach, SC/Fun & Sun/Oceanfront Rooms ....395
Sep 7-9
Sep 9-15
Niagara Falls, Canada/Montreal & Quebec........ 995
Sep 9-15
Sep 10-15
Las Vegas/Grand Canyon/Sedona/FLY .......... 1,595
Sep 12 & 15
Sep 21-23
Sep 28-29
Sep 30-Oct 6
Oct 1-12
Oct 4-24
Oct 6
Oct 6
New England/Fall Foliage .................................. 995
Nova Scotia & New England/Fall Foliage ....... 1,650
Australia & New Zealand/FLY ......................... 8,259
Oct 6-22
Oct 7-13
** Great Southwest & California/Grand Canyon....2,195
Oct 7-13
Oct 9,10&11
Oct 10-24
Oct 12
Oct 13-14
Oct 16 & 17
Oct 16 & 17
Oct 19-20
New England/Fall Foliage .................................. 995
Cass Railroad/Fall Foliage/Lunch........................ 80
** Hawaiian Islands/Four Island Tour ............. 3,895
** Cherokee, NC/Smoky Mountain Railroad ...... 325
Shatley Springs Inn/Fresco Paintings................. 45
Andy Griffith’s Mayberry/Mt. Airy, NC ................. 45
Oct 19-21
** Nashville, TN/Grand Ole Opry/General Jackson .........450
Brushy Mountain Apple Festival ......................... 45
Greenbrier Bunker/Hotel Tour......................................90
Oct 20
Oct 20
Carolina Balloon Fest/Statesville, NC ................. 55
Nov 2-4
** Sunshine Tours Family Reunion ................... 475
Nov 6-8
Atlantic City/Taj Mahal/Boardwalk/$25 Coin/3Day...210
Nov 10
Concord Mills/Concord, NC ................................. 45
Nov 10-11
Reading & Lancaster, PA/Factory Outlets ........ 175
Nov 10,13&14 Southern Christmas Show/Charlotte, NC ......... 50
Nov 15
** Southern Christmas Show/Charlotte, NC........ 50
Nov 15-18
** Biltmore House/Smoky Mountain Christmas .......695
Nov 18-19
Greenbrier Hotel & Casino/Overnight/$20 Cash Back ....225
Nov 21-24
Nov 23-25
Nov 30-Dec 2
Nov 30-Dec 2
Nov 30-Dec 2
Dec 1
New York City/Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade.........1,095
Nashville/Country Christmas/Opryland Hotel ..........795
Christmas at Myrtle Beach/Oceanfront Rooms .......395
** Nashville/Country Christmas/Opryland Hotel ......795
New York/Radio City Christmas Spectacular ...........950
“A Christmas Story”/Barter Theatre/Abingdon, VA ..75
Dec 2-3
Dec 2-8
Dec 3-7
Dec 4
Colonial Williamsburg/Grand Illumination ........ 295
** Branson, MO/Ozark Christmas ...................... 995
** Charleston/Savannah Christmastime ............ 795
Biltmore House & Gardens/Christmas ................ 85
Dec 4
Christmas Lights/Tanglewood Park/Winston-Salem ........40
Dec 6-10
Niagara Falls/Festival of Lights ......................... 595
Dec 7-9
** Nashville/Country Christmas/Opryland Hotel ......795
New York/Radio City Christmas Spectacular ...........950
Dec 7-9
Dec 7-9
Dec 11
Festival of Lights/Wheeling, WV........................ 395
**Grove Park Inn Gingerbread Competition........ 75
Dec 12
Christmas Lights/Tanglewood Park/Winston-Salem ........40
Dec 15
Dec 26-31
Biltmore House & Gardens/Christmas ................ 85
** Florida/Christmas at Disney World................ 895
Dec 29-Jan 3
Tournament of Rose’s Parade/Pasadena, CA .......2,195
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www.gosunshinetours.com
r Why do you want to
be mayor?
KYLE FLETCHER:
He wants another term
as mayor because St.
Paul is involved in
numerous projects and
improvements, and he
wants to continue to
work to see them through, Fletcher said.
RAYMOND TRENT: St. Paul needs to go in a different direction with different
leadership, Trent said. For example, council recently voted 4-2 to hire a new
police chief, and the chief is already taking that department in a different direction, he noted.
— TOWN E L E C T I O N S 2012 —
Two vie for St. Paul mayor
life. To the end, he wants
to pursue upgrades at the
river park to improve it
for children and adults.
The town also needs to
follow through on making the downtown Willis
building usable space. Its
uses could include apart-
ments, businesses and mixed-use spaces.
Downtown truck traffic is a challenge, but Fletcher think the town can manage
it.
TRENT: The town has a drug problem, he said, and it is getting worse. The first
step has already been taken by hiring a new police chief, he said. St. Paul has a
Neighborhood Watch program, but it needs to be built up and promoted better.
Also, the town’s economic situation needs to be addressed by attracting more
businesses and possibly a new
industry. Further, more needs to
be done to keep St. Paul’s youth
r Age: 77
busy. The town park needs equipr Street address: 3228 Longview Dr., St.
ment upgrades and ballfields need
Paul
lighting improvements.
r Did any one thing make you decide to run? What, and why?
FLETCHER: There are many
pieces of unfinished business that
Fletcher wants to continue working on, he said. They include the
downtown revitalization project in
which St. Paul has become a Main
Street community, construction of
r Home phone:
a new sewer plant, St. Paul’s farm762-9720
ers market and more. Fletcher
r E-mail: [email protected]
wants to follow through on develr Educational background: St. Paul High
oping St. Paul’s potential as a
graduate; B.A., Carson Newman College,
regional crossroads for tourism.
He said his goal each day is to
majoring in history, political science, ecomake the town a great place to
nomics; M.S., Radford University, history
live. Fletcher also noted that St.
and school administration; Education spePaul has an interest in looking out
cialist, UVa; U.S. Army, sergeant major
HUBERT KYLE
for its neighbors in Castlewood
academy
and Russell County as well.
FLETCHER
TRENT: Belief that a change is
r Employment history: Wise County
needed, he said.
schools, 29 years, retired; military service, 42 years; Clinchfield
Lumber & Supply, St. Paul Builders
r Is there anything about the
way town government operates
that you think needs to change?
What? What will you do as a council member to make changes?
FLETCHER: Fletcher said he
always thought the mayor’s position should be for a four-year
term; it is currently two years.
The idea, he explained, was for
the mayor to be a tie-breaker, and
Fletcher votes only to break ties.
The current council has been
very effective overall, Fletcher
said, adding that the town has a
good office staff and outstanding
maintenance and public works
crews. Recent audits show that
the town’s books are managed
well.
There may be a time when the
town wants to hire a town manager, Fletcher said. It will be in good
shape financially in a few years
and will be able to pay for one, he
noted.
TRENT: Everyone should have
a voice, not just a few people,
Trent said. People need to be
treated equally and have their
concerns addressed without bias.
r What makes you the right
r Civic involvement: Mayor for the last four years; eight years on
candidate to elect?
town council in the 1990s; St. Paul Tomorrow; farmers’ market;
FLETCHER: Fletcher noted
that he puts in eight hours a day
Lenowisco Planning District Commission board; former member,
during the week working for the
Wise County School Board; St. Paul Alumni Association; Order of
town, and he comes out for special
Kentucky Colonels; Spearhead Trailblazers, at-large member
events and emergencies. Being at
town hall helps take a burden off
town employees, he said. As
r Age: 62
mayor, he sees what’s happening
r Street address: 3056 Sixth Ave., St. Paul
in St. Paul and works with those
r Home phone: 276/762-9566
who can help the town, including
Dominion officials and consultr E-mail: [email protected]
ants such as sewer project engir Educational background: St. Paul High
neers.
School, 1969; ETSU, two years
Fletcher said he has a lot of
r Employment history: Retired from
experience as a leader, organizing
Clinchfield Coal Co.
things, conducting training and
r The structure of local govplanning operations. He is also
r Civic involvement: Past president of Wise
ernment
both empowers and limgood on his feet and communiCounty Shrine Club; former member of
its
council
members, which can
cates well, he said, and he knows
local Jaycees; former member of St. Paul
create conflict among council
how to compromise to get things
RAYMOND TRENT
Lions Club
members, municipal employees
done. He grew up around his famand citizens. Explain the powers
ily’s lumber business, he noted.
of a council member and the limHis father was mayor for about 30
its on those powers, as you underyears, he said, and a lot of that
stand them, and describe how you will strike the appropriate balance if elected.
experience rubbed off on him.
FLETCHER: The town staff includes department supervisors, and elected offiTRENT: He is a people person who can talk to anyone, he said. If elected, he
will be for regular people and not just specific people. He has served on town cials must work with them, not try to go around them and tell employees what to
council off and on for about 30 years, he said, and he believes it’s time for him to do, Fletcher said. Conversely, supervisors can always approach elected officials
to raise concerns, complain or discuss issues. If there is a personnel problem,
lead.
council must discuss it. In St. Paul, the mayor does not make motions but can
r What do you consider the most important challenges for the town? What will solicit motions, he explained. The mayor generally does not inject opinions into
discussions, but the mayor does have that power. The mayor’s main role is to manyou do as mayor to address those challenges?
FLETCHER: The town’s challenges include following through on the above- age council meetings, Fletcher said. However, the mayor serves as a non-voting
mentioned projects, Fletcher said. He noted that the new sewer plant is a region- member on committees as well and represents the town at events. The mayor canal project that will add 1 million gallons of daily treatment capacity and will help not make major decisions without a vote from council, but can decide, for examRussell County and the Wise County Public Service Authority along with the ple, to make small purchases such as office supplies.
town.
ST. PAUL, PAGE 7
Fletcher said town officials and staff are always working to improve quality of
Four vie for St. Paul town council
r Why do you want to be a council member?
Turner said she wants to serve her community and believes she is qualified to do
so.
r Did any one thing make you decide to
run? What, and why?
She said the retirement of council
members Sharon Steele and Grant
Marshall leaves a huge void, and she wants
to make sure it is filled with good people.
Until she decided to run, there were no
women candidates and none from her
neighborhood, West Hills.
r What makes you the right candidate
to elect?
Turner said she has skills that can be
very beneficial for the town. She has no ax
to grind with anyone. She said she wants to
be a council member who looks at facts
and makes decisions based on the good of
the majority of people. Current council
members are approachable, and she will
be as well, she said.
r Age: 38
r Street address: 2636
Warren Dr., St. Paul
r Home phone:
276/219-5460
r Email: [email protected]
r Educational background: Attended
Radford University and
East Tennessee State
University; bachelor’s
ALISON RAMSEY
degree
in mass communiTURNER
cations, minor political
science; master’s degrees in public administration and business administration; pursuing
doctorate in organizational leadership
r Employment background: Owner, Snapshots
graphic design studio, 2011-present; marketing analyst, Gates Corp., 2008-10; worked at
Wolfe, Williams and Rutherford law office,
2005-08; worked as graphic designer after
college
r Civic involvement: Volunteer for the Borgen
Project since 2009, working to promote legislation that reduces global poverty; vice president of women’s group, St. Paul United
Methodist Church
r What do you consider the most important challenges for the town? What will
you do as a council member to address
those challenges?
There are not enough job opportunities,
Turner said, and the town has scarce
resources. She wants to see St. Paul follow
through on its downtown revitalization,
grow its farmers market and promote
tourism, she said, but she cautioned that St. Paul won’t become another Abingdon.
The town has too many empty buildings and should look at marketing downtown
for professional offices, and could try to attract a call center-type business.
Hopefully, the former furniture factory building can be marketed for an industry
after Shaw, the contractor building the Dominion power plant, finishes using it.
Turner also called for upgrading the town park with some new equipment and
new lighting in places. Some sidewalks need upgrades.
r Is there anything about the way town government operates that you think
needs to change? What? What will you do as a council member to make changes?
Turner does not see any need for fundamental changes. She noted that she has
not aligned herself with any other candidates, and will make up her own mind,
justifying her decisions with facts and figures.
r The structure of local government both empowers and limits council members, which can create conflict among council members, municipal employees
and citizens. Explain the powers of a council member
and the limits on those powers, as you understand them,
and describe how you will strike the appropriate balance if elected.
As a council member, she will have one voice and one
vote, Turner said. “I can’t go in and say, ‘I want you to do
this or get rid of that.’” She hopes people will be open
with her, she said, and she will represent citizens in her
actions.
r What do you think should be the future use or uses
of the former high school building? In your opinion,
should the building be used strictly for activities that
generate enough money to cover the costs of keeping it
open? Explain.
After the school system finishes using it, the building
should become surplus property and be used by the
town, Turner said. It could be leased for music and live
performances; it might become a new town library,
depending on the building upkeep needs. Turner said she
is open to allowing some uses that don’t necessarily help
pay for the building’s upkeep.
r We checked all council candidates to find out
whether anyone owes delinquent Wise County or St.
Paul property taxes. At the time of this interview, you
owed back real estate and personal property taxes to
both the county and the town. Please explain why and
what you are doing about them.
Turner said that arrangements had been made to pay
the taxes. All taxes have now been paid, according to the
county and town treasurer’s offices.
r Anything else to say?
St. Paul needs a woman on council, and she offers
many valuable skills the town can use, Turner said,
adding that she hopes everyone will come out and vote. u
Boardwine, Kelly, Kilgore
running for St. Paul council
Also seeking seats on St. Paul town council are Tim
Boardwine, Harry Kelly and Jason A. Kilgore. Despite repeated efforts, the newspaper was unable to schedule interviews
with them. u
CLARIFICATION
Coeburn town council candidate Jess
Powers has taken exception to the newspaper’s handling of an item in his candidate profile published April 24.
Powers responded to a question asking if he thinks anything about how town
government operates needs to change.
His answer included comments about
spending, and he said, “In 2006, before I
was on the town council, Coeburn had
about $3 million in savings, and now
they don’t have that.”
Powers objected to the insertion of an
editor’s note after his response to the
question. The note stated: “According to
(Town Manager Loretta Mays), the savings was about $2.5 million in 2006 and
was slightly less than $900,000 as of this
month. Money has been spent on capital
improvements such as refurbishing the
swimming pool and bath house, along
with having no choice but to relocate the
public works facility after she took
office and learned that the town did not
own the previous facility.”
While Mays provided slightly different dollar amounts, her information confirmed Powers’ point — that the town
had substantial surplus funds in 2006,
and now it does not.
Powers protested the use of the editor’s note in part because he had
requested financial information from
the town and had not received all of it.
He expressed concern that information
he wanted had been shared with the
newspaper first. If Powers had received
the information first, the numbers he
used in his answer would have been correct, he said.
Powers further protested that an editor’s note was used instead of giving him
an opportunity to respond to the corrected numbers and Mays’ comments about
how the money was spent. “There was
no disclosure that a third party would
have an opportunity to review and openly comment on the candidate’s answers
without rebuttal from the candidate,” he
noted.
Mays did not review any candidate’s
answers. The newspaper was doing the
due diligence of checking a single fact
for accuracy; it asked Mays a specific
question and received a specific answer.
Powers emphasized that he answered
the question with the best information
provided to him by a town council member because he had not received it from
the town manager.
Powers sent the newspaper a copy of
his records request and the town’s
response.
In an April 10 letter to Mays, Powers
requested:
r Council minutes from April, May,
June,
October,
November
and
December 2011, and January through
April of 2012.
r Proposed budgets for fiscal years
2010 through 2012.
r Reconciled budget reports for fiscal 2010 and 2011.
r Resolutions passed since April
2011.
r Records of allocations to Veolia, the
company that handles the town’s public
works and utilities, since contract initiation.
r Records of savings, certificates of
deposit and/or investments of the town
Local Guard unit named best in state
The Gate City-based
1032nd Transportation
Co.,
1030th
Transportation
Battalion,
329th
Regional
Support
Group, has been awarded
the
Eisenhower
Trophy and Superior
Unit Award and recognized as the most outstanding company-level
unit in the Virginia
Army National Guard
during the 2011 training
year.
The award is presented to the unit that ranks
the highest in areas of
assigned
personnel
strength, percentage of
personnel qualified in
their duty position,
attendance at monthly
drill weekends and
annual training, individual weapons qualification scores and physical
fitness test scores.
The unit, formerly
based in Big Stone Gap
and including Wise
County soldiers, and
other units were recognized April 21 at the
Virginia National Guard
Officers
Association
Conference
in
Williamsburg.
The
Eisenhower
Trophy is named in
honor of General of the
Army
Dwight
D.
Eisenhower
and
is
awarded by the Chief
of
National
Guard
Bureau to the most outstanding Army National
Guard
unit in each
state.
To earn the Superior
for the past five years.
In an April 17 letter to Powers, Mays
wrote that the town was immediately
providing to him:
r Council minutes from April
through June 2011 and March 2012. She
noted that minutes for July 2011
through February 2012 are available on
the town’s website, and minutes for the
April 9, 2012 meeting were not yet prepared.
r Approved budgets for fiscal 2008
through 2012.
r Resolutions passed since April 1,
2011.
r Payment records to Veolia since the
contract began in 2009.
Mays explained: “It has not been
practically possible to provide the
remaining documents you have requested within the five-work-day period and
we will require a seven-work-day extension on the request for those items. I
hope you understand that our office staff
has been tied up with audits and decal
season. We will make those available to
you as soon as possible, but certainly
within seven business days.” u
Grant aims
to get kids
moving
KATIE DUNN
STAFF WRITER
u Maj. Gen. Daniel E. Long, Jr., the Adjutant General of Virginia,
presents the Eisenhower Trophy to Capt. Brian J. Sansom, commander of Gate City-based 1032nd Transportation Company.
(Photo by Cotton Puryear, Virginia Department of Military Affairs)
Unit Award, the unit
must
maintain
an
assigned strength of 95
percent of authorized
each month of the training year for which being
nominated,
maintain
monthly drill attendance of 95 percent,
attain annual training
attendance of 95 percent, have 95 percent of
all assigned personnel
qualify
with
their
assigned weapon and
have 90 percent of all
assigned personnel pass
the
Army
Physical
Fitness Test.
Also
recognized
were:
r The Manassasbased 266th Military
Police
Co.,
1030th
Transportation
Battalion,
329th
Regional
Support
Group, with the statelevel Pershing Award
for the highest marksmanship scores in the
Virginia Army National
Guard in annual qualification with assigned
individual weapons.
r The Hamptonbased
Headquarters
Battery, 111th Field
Artillery
Regiment,
116th Brigade Combat
Team, with the Adjutant
General’s Cup. The cup
is awarded to the unit
achieving the highest
overall average in the
areas
of
overall
assigned
personnel
strength, attendance at
monthly drill weekends
and attendance at annual training.
r The Martinsvillebased
1173rd
Transportation
Company
and
the
1030th Transportation
Battalion,
with
Excellence in Training
Awards for meeting the
Adjutant General’s standards for training for
the previous training
year. u
Concert added to Big Glades lineup
KATIE DUNN
STAFF WRITER
WISE — Another concert has
been added to the summer lineup at
Big Glades Community Square.
Local radio station Mix 106.3
plans to host a concert, dubbed
Summer Jam 2012, on June 23 that
will feature six local artists:
Generation Undeclared, Lethality, If
Birds Could Fly, We Killed Vegas,
Craig
Street
Ramblers
and
Cornbread Mafia.
The station’s general manager,
Mark Belanger, on Tuesday asked
Local radio station Mix 106.3 plans to host a
concert, dubbed Summer Jam 2012, on June
23 that will feature six local artists.
Wise Town Council members if the
town would be willing to co-sponsor
the event.
Belanger said he would love to
hold the concert at Big Glades, but
cannot cover the overhead cost of
the facility. The radio station is also
seeking sponsorships to pay the
bands, fund concert lighting and
r St. Paul
FROM PAGE 1
TRENT: Town council runs town government, he
said, while the mayor’s primary job is to oversee council meetings. Council walks a fine line regarding dayto-day town business, he said, explaining that employees should not have to answer to a particular council
member unless it is to fix a hazard or a safety violation.
The mayor should advise council as to what he believes
should happen, but council does not have to abide by it.
Neither council nor the mayor should go around asking
employees to do certain things. Town government has
only one department head, the police chief, and the
chief answers to the mayor.
r What do you think should be the future use or
uses of the former high school building? In your opinion, should the building be used strictly for activities
that generate enough money to cover the costs of
cover other expenses, which overall
will likely cost $1,000.
Belanger requested that the town
waive the lease fee for Big Glades,
provide coverage for the radio station under its insurance policy and
provide crowd and traffic control.
The
council
unanimously
approved Belanger’s request. u
keeping it open? Explain.
FLETCHER: Possible uses include a large civic
library, commercial or professional offices, even some
type of senior living facility, Fletcher said. The auditorium can be used for meetings, events and live music.
The school could house higher education programs or
mine safety courses that are well-located to serve the
region. Also, Fletcher noted, the town needs the
school’s parking lot for some events. The ballfields will
be useful for town youth facilities.
TRENT: When the school system is finished with it,
the building should become town property, Trent said.
The town could seek an entity that would offer college
courses, or relocate the public library to the school
building. Other possible uses could be a nursing or
senior citizens’ home, a new site for town hall or coal
company offices. The gym would be good to offer for
youth recreation. Trent is not averse to allowing uses
that don’t pay for the cost of building operation and
WISE — This summer, events at Wise’s Big
Glades Community Square might not only promote family and fun, but also good health.
During
the
Wise
Town
‘We’re looking to
Council meeting
Tuesday, Michelle
partner with a
McPheron, nurse
town that kind of
manager of the
Lenowisco Health
wants to adopt a
District,
spoke
about a grant
policy of proopportunity that
moting physical
addresses childhood obesity by
activity at as
offering
and
increasing access
many events as
to safe, affordable
physical activity.
possible. That’s
McPheron told
kind of the goal
council members
she would like to
of the whole
partner with the
town this summer
overall grant.’
to
incorporate
some fun physical
— Michelle
activities at Big
McPheron,
Glades and the
town’s pool.
nurse manager,
As part of that
plan, McPheron
Lenowisco
also hopes to work
Health District
with the town and
Wise
County
Schools to schedule a walk to
school event in the fall.
She said via email Wednesday that the health
district is hoping to bring the project to
Pennington Gap, as well.
“We’re looking to partner with a town that
kind of wants to adopt a policy of promoting
physical activity at as many events as possible,”
she told Wise council members. “That’s kind of
the goal of the whole overall grant.”
She said activities could be coordinated
before or during intermission at concerts and
family movie nights.
The mini-grant, which was awarded by the
Virginia Department of Health, Office of Family
Healthy Services, Preventive Health and Health
Services, ends Sept. 30. McPheron said the
health district has until then to partner with both
towns and complete its planned activities, which
may include brief, light physical activities at Big
Glades that have been modeled after First Lady
Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move campaign, as well
as informational demonstrations at the town
pool about physical activities that can be done in
the pool.
She said the grant will help fund a media
campaign for the project, a walk to school event,
as well as compensation for instructors providing physical activity programs at town events.
The council agreed to study the proposal via
the town’s recreation committee, and then revisit the issue in May. u
maintenance.
r TO TRENT: We checked all council candidates to
find out whether anyone owes delinquent Wise County
or St. Paul property taxes. At the time of this interview,
you owed Wise County personal property taxes. Please
explain why and what you are doing about them.
Trent said the tax was on a small pop-up camper
that the county had assessed incorrectly as a different
type of camper. It took him awhile to straighten it out.
At press time, the tax had been paid, according to the
county treasurer’s office.
r Anything else to say?
FLETCHER: Nothing further.
TRENT: Trent said he will work hard and do the
best he can for the town. He will see that people are
treated fairly and equally and will help anyone who
needs help. u
Page 8
F r i d a y, A p r i l 2 7, 2 0 1 2
N O R T O N , VA , 2 4 2 7 3
Opinion
the
Editor and Publisher
Jenay Tate
Published by
American Hometown Publishing Inc.
Coalfield
PROGRESS
Q
U O TA B L E Q U O T E S
‘Let hiim that would move the world
first move himself.’
S O C R AT E S
LETTERS
FUNT
Help us to
combat
adult abuse
and neglect
Too many
zeros
make it
‘funny’
TO THE EDITOR:
For most Americans, a
penny at the gas pump has
vivid significance but billions of dollars create a
meaningless blur.
Increasingly, we are unable
to fathom the really big
numbers in our modern
world, a condition known as
innumeracy.
In a recent 24-hour period, Facebook paid $1 billion
for the photo-sharing service Instagram — a firm with
12 employees that most people had never heard of, and
that a week earlier was valued at $500,000; Microsoft
gave AOL more than $1 billion for some patents, and
Sony said its annual loss
was $6.4 billion.
Do these numbers mean
anything anymore?
Not long ago people used
the term “billion” so infrequently that, for clarity, they
spelled the first letter:
“That’s billion, with a B.”
Today, according to Forbes,
there are 1,226 billionaires.
Congress spends billions
here, billions there and, as
the late Sen. Everett
Dirksen famously concluded, “pretty soon you’re talking about real money.”
During the height of
During state fiscal year 2011,
Virginia Adult Protective Services
received over 17,936 reports of adult
abuse, neglect and exploitation.
Of the reports investigated, 59 percent were substantiated as having concerned elderly or incapacitated adults
who had been abused, neglected, or
exploited or who were at risk.
During May, in recognition of Adult
Abuse Prevention Month, Wise County
Department of Social Services is conducting a campaign to inform our community about the tragedy of abuse of
vulnerable adults. Last year in Wise
County, 251 Adult Protective Services
reports were investigated.
There are many forms of adult abuse,
including physical and mental abuse,
neglect and self-neglect and financial
exploitation. Abuse of elderly and disabled adults occurs in families and communities of all social and economic
backgrounds. In Virginia, the local
department of social services Adult
Protective Services Unit investigates
reports of adult abuse, neglect and
exploitation and can arrange for a wide
variety of services to stop the abuse and
prevent further mistreatment.
If you or someone you know is being
abused, neglected or exploited, call the
local department of social services or
the 24 hour toll-free APS hotline at 1888/832-3858. Wise County Department
of Social Services may be reached by
calling 276/328-8056 and the Norton
Department of Social Services may be
reached at 276/679-2701.
Thank you for your assistance in
breaking the silence regarding
elder/adult abuse. Prevention of abuse,
neglect and exploitation of disabled or
elderly adults is a concern for everyone.
These folks often get help because
someone was concerned enough to get
help for them.
VICKI HALL
SOCIAL WORK SUPERVISOR
High school
planning
raises some
questions
TO THE EDITOR:
As I was watching the local news on
Channel 5, the site for the new Central
High School was shown behind Wal
Mart. Wasn’t that the original site for the
three-on-one that fell through? Why
LETTERS, PAGE 9
PETER FUNT
FUNT, PAGE 9
Big banks punish worthy borrowers
MICHAEL REAGAN
REAGAN
I don’t know if it’s Dodd-Frank. Or if
it’s Barney Frank and Christopher
Dodd themselves. Or if it’s just the big
bankers.
But the reality is, our banking system is completely screwed up when it
comes to getting a home loan.
The problem used to be that the
banks, in collusion with a federal government, made bad loans to bad people.
That’s what helped bring us the housing
bubble and the inevitable bust that followed.
Today the problem is reversed. The
banking system is so nuts it won’t even
allow banks to make good loans to good
people. An example of our new backward banking system in action is what’s
happened to the daughter of a friend of
mine.
She’s a 29-year-old schoolteacher.
When she was 24 she went out and
bought herself a townhome that a bank
had ended up owning after a foreclosure.
The bank was buried in the townhome for $560,000. The schoolteacher
got the house for $360,000 and put
$110,000 down. Her interest rate five
years ago was 6 percent.
Today the townhome is worth more
The banking system is so
nuts it won’t even allow
banks to make good
loans to good people.
than what the teacher paid for it and
now she wants to refinance and get a
low-interest loan. But she’s just been
told by Big Bank that she doesn’t qualify for a 3 or 4 percent loan. They’ve
even told her she shouldn’t have been
able to qualify for her original loan.
Think about this: Here is a teacher
who has never missed a house payment.
She has her monthly mortgage payment
taken out of her bank account automatically. She’s never missed paying her
taxes. She’s never missed paying her
homeowner’s dues.
Yet she is treated as though somehow she’d suddenly stop making her
mortgage payments if the bank gave
her a new loan at 3 or 4 percent. The
schoolteacher is looked at by the bank
as if she was a future criminal.
I come from a generation where people were allowed to have a personal
relationship with their bank. I used to
be able to go down and talk to my local
banker about a loan.
I’d tell him what I wanted to do and
how much money I needed. The banker
would say, “Mike, I’ve known you for 30
years. I know you’re good for it.”
Now there’s no such thing as a personal relationship with your banker.
The “local” bank is owned by a bunch
of international mega-corporations and
the management changes every 3 minutes.
Dodd-Frank has created a situation
where only the large banks will survive.
Small banks are essentially being outlawed. That means our ability to ever
have a personal relationship with a
banker is also being outlawed. And one
bad result of that will be to create more
people who become upside-down on
their mortgages.
If we want to bring the U.S. economy
back to life we have to do it through the
housing industry. But there’s no way in
hell housing is going to recover if banks
are no longer even giving good loans to
REAGAN, PAGE 9
Discovery’s last flight a bittersweet elegy for program
TOM PURCELL
“Hello, Discovery, this is
Mission Control. How are
things going up there on your
final mission, over?”
“Surprisingly smooth,
Mission Control. The least
bumpy ride we’ve had in years,
over.”
“You got that right,
Discovery. We’ve had our share
of ups and downs since the
space shuttle program
launched in 1981, over.”
“Regrettably true, Mission
Control. We’re all still smarting
over the Challenger disaster in
1986, when it broke apart 73
seconds into its flight, killing
all seven crew members,
including Christa McAuliffe,
the first female teacher in
space, over.”
“A very sad day for
America, Discovery. We recall
how the program was grounded for two and a half years,
and being overcome by sadness again when tragedy
struck Columbia in 2003. A
PURCELL
piece of foam fell off the fuel
tank and punctured a wing,
allowing superheated gases
inside during re-entry, which
caused Columbia to disintegrate just 16 minutes before
landing, over.”
“An awful memory, Mission
Control. After that, we did
extensive testing and redesign
to make sure the foam problems would not happen again.
Unfortunately, it did happen
again on a subsequent flight,
but thankfully didn’t cause an
explosion, over.”
“Thank God for that,
Discovery, but the response
from then-NASA chief Michael
Griffin sure didn’t fill
Americans with confidence.
He said his engineers goofed
on key safety checks, over.”
“It was certainly off-putting
to hear the head of our onceproud agency use the word
‘goof,’ Mission Control. We
remember how the public
grew weary of such goofs —
particularly with all the money
we were spending. The 135
shuttle missions cost $209 billion — well beyond initial estimates, over.”
“Well, Discovery, we all
hoped the Constellation program, signed into law in 2004
under President Bush, would
breathe new life into U.S.
space exploration. Bush’s plan
sought to return us to the moon
by 2020. It anticipated completion of the International Space
Station and the shuttle program’s planned cessation in
2010, over.”
“But President Obama canceled Constellation last year.
With Americans losing their
enthusiasm for space and
America’s budget hemorrhaging red ink, he didn’t face
much resistance. Obama’s plan
may be underwhelming in
many respects, but it calls for
more reliance on the private
sector, over.”
“That’s true, Discovery.
Many Republicans criticized
Obama, but his plan may be
the better way to explore
space. The New Atlantis, a conservative publication, says that
when President Kennedy
expanded NASA in 1961 to
compete with the Soviets,
America created a ‘massive,
centralized, command-andcontrol agency.’ Big government agencies tend to be inefficient, expensive and make
mistakes, over.”
“Agreed, Mission Control.
As The New Atlantis says,
whereas Obama loves big government programs in all other
areas, he has offered a conservative approach to space. We
now have an opportunity to
unleash the private sector’s
creativity to explore space
more efficiently and effectively, over.”
“Perhaps, Discovery, but it
still is sad to see America dial
down its commitment to space.
It’s like we’re giving up our
leadership role and handing it
off to China and Russia. Your
last flight getting a piggy back
ride to a space museum is a
bittersweet image, over.”
“All of this is sad, indeed,
Mission Control. We surely
hope and pray America gets its
affairs in order, enjoys robust
economic growth again and
generates the funds needed to
reinvigorate our space programs, over.”
“Well, Discovery, you’re
about to reach your final destination. Discovery has had
more missions than any other
shuttle, assisting with the
Hubble Space Telescope and
the space station. You’ve got
plenty to be proud about. And
you now can enjoy a victory
lap over Washington, D.C. All
things considered, Discovery,
your work was victorious
indeed. Over and out.” u
Tom Purcell, a freelance
writer, is also a humor columnist for the Pittsburgh TribuneReview, and is nationally syndicated exclusively by Cagle
Cartoons newspaper syndicate.
Email Tom at
[email protected].
r Funt
FROM PAGE 8
Mega Millions fever, NBC
News asked ticket buyers
what they’d do with $650
million if they won. One
woman said, with apparent sincerity, that she
would purchase a lifetime
supply of Oreo cookies.
That’s classic innumeracy. If the woman
lives 60 more years, and
is willing to eat 150 Oreos
every week, her tab
would be roughly
$70,000. It’s a lot of
money, but as a percentage of $650 million it’s so
small — about one-hundredth of one percent —
that, for all intents and
purposes she could have
her Oreos and $650 million.
Try getting a grip on
numbers like these:
Google’s revenue is $20
billion a year! Matt Cain
of the San Francisco
Giants makes $3,000 per
pitch! The U.S. government spends $1.5 million
per minute!
Big numbers, right?
Well, the real figures are
actually double: Google is
taking in $40 billion; Cain
earns $6,000 every time
he throws the ball, and
the government’s outflow
is $3 million per minute.
So what?
The mathematician
and scholar Douglas
Hofstadter coined the
term innumeracy some
30 years ago, back when
the National Debt was
under $2 trillion. It’s currently $15.6 trillion, but
the numbers are so large
that a 680 percent
increase has basically no
meaning for average
Americans, except that
we know it’s a lot of
money.
According to one estimate, just counting to a
trillion takes over 190,000
years. If we paid off the
debt at the rate of a dollar per second, we would
get the job done in roughly half a million years —
without interest.
Many of our elected
leaders seem to suffer
from what might be
called poli-innumeracy the inability to control the
numbers that control us.
That’s how we get
bridges to nowhere and
the military’s infamous
thousand-dollar toilet
seats.
It’s only a matter of
time before U.S. politicians start talking about a
sextillion of this (21
zeros) or a vigintillion of
that (63 zeros).
Travelers used to find
it amusing to deal with
foreign currencies that
required, say, 10,000
whatevers for a cup of
coffee. I remember visiting Brazil in the ‘80s
when taxi drivers needed
a daily printout to determine how many thousand
Cruzeiros to collect per
mile.
These were “new”
Cruzeiros which differed
from the “old” Cruzeiros
in that the Brazilian government chopped off a
few zeros so that one of
the new was worth 1,000
of the old. A few years
later they did it again,
declaring that 1,000 new
Cruzeiros would be worth
one Cruzado. Soon they
had to drop away three
more zeros and
Brazilians were given the
“new” Cruzados. In 1990,
these Cruzados Novos
were retired, and the
Cruzeiros were back; in
1993, the Cruzeiros lost
another three zeros and
were turned into “real”
Cruzeiros. The numbers
ceased to have meaning,
although the value of the
service or product
remained clear.
What divides
Americans nowadays is
not just that a few people
have a lot of money while
many have much less, it’s
that some people understand the really big numbers — or so we assume
— but most of us do not.
Yet, as our innumeracy
worsens, we don’t trust
bureaucrats who claim to
understand huge sums if
at the same time they
appear clueless about the
price of an Oreo. u
Peter Funt is a writer
and speaker and can be
reached at
www.CandidCamera.com
r Reagan
FROM PAGE 8
good and rightful people.
The big bankers and
politicians co-produced
the meltdown of the economy. They’re the criminals, not the honest
schoolteacher looking for
a better interest rate on
her mortgage.
If we’re going to bring
this country back, the
Dodds and Franks of
Washington are going to
have to rewrite the laws
so we can have personal
relationships with local
banks again. u
Michael Reagan is the
son of President Ronald
Reagan, a political consultant, and the author of
“The New Reagan
Revolution.” He is the
founder and chairman of
The Reagan Group and
president of The Reagan
Legacy Foundation. Visit
his website at www.reagan.com, or e-mail comments to [email protected].
r Letters
FROM PAGE 8
doesn’t the School Board
be honest with its “stupid” constituents, which
is what they think we are?
Wise County needs to
awaken to what is going
on. Our children deserve
better than what they are
getting. Going to UVaWise for their graduations, giving up the
Coeburn baseball field
and track to whom? The
School Board that is suffering through a flight of
ideas. The Committee of
100 saw their weakness
and pounced.
The town manager
should not have
approached the School
Board about the baseball
field and track. There
should be enough people
to afford the so called
needed repairs that she
can’t afford.
I live in the county, not
in town, but myself, my
daughter and her two
sons attended Coeburn
High School. All but one
graduated from Coeburn
High School. It seems
like the only thing to be
left in Coeburn is the
sewage that has made its
way into my niece’s home
and others. We lost our
three theaters to Norton.
The price of gas and the
prices of movies should
show people how wrong
they are.
Wise County has suffered blood, sweat and
tears and deserves better
leaders than they have.
God bless the U.S.A.
CONNIE COUNTS
COEBURN
radio station and we
cooperated on several
remote broadcasts and
promotions.
A couple of years ago,
Jeff worked for me as an
enumerator during two
major operations of the
2010 Decennial Census.
As his crew leader, I was
extremely impressed
with his ability to get the
work done in a timely and
efficient manner. If I ever
needed a particular area
enumerated by a tight
deadline, Jeff was my
main go-to person and I
knew he would get the
job done quickly and
accurately. His organizational skills and people
skills were quite amazing.
I was tickled to hear
that he was going to run
for office. Besides his
genteel nature and love of
people, Jeff Kiser will
bring business experience, maturity, levelheadedness, and a fresh
approach to Coeburn
Town Council.
STEPHEN M. MULLINS
WORKFORCE SERVICES
REPRESENTATIVE
VIRGINIA EMPLOYMENT
COMMISSION
Young
Dems
surging
again
TO THE EDITOR:
Kiser
needed
for town
council
TO THE EDITOR:
Although my residence
is in the city of Norton, I
am writing to endorse
Jeff Kiser as a candidate
for Coeburn Town
Council in the upcoming
May 1 election.
I have known Jeff
since 1994 when I
became program director
and production manager
at WZQK Radio in
Coeburn. Jeff’s familyowned theaters —
Coeburn Cinema, Plaza I
& II, and Blackwood
Drive-In — did substantial advertising with our
Gladeville Insurance
Agency, LTD.
Homeowners policies for
manufactured housing since 1975
Call Tess Teasley
679-1673
The Wise County
Democratic Party is surging once again! There’s a
new group now, the Wise
County Young
Democrats. It’s for all
Democrats between the
ages of 13-35. Not only
will we be working on
campaigns in this huge
election year, we’ll also
be focused on doing lots
of community outreach.
Whether it be for local
charities/organizations or
drives for larger ones,
we’ll be involved doing
whatever we can do. Just
like the local Democratic
party and Democrats
everywhere, we’ll be
working toward progress
in our community and the
average hard-working
person.
It’s time for
Democrats to stop letting
the GOP label us and tell
us/everyone what WE
stand for. I’m pretty sick
and tired of it. WE are
the ones fighting for the
lower/middle classes
when it comes to taxes,
not worried about the
incredibly wealthy tax
cuts. WE are the ones
fighting for seniors when
it comes to Medicare and
not trying to privatize it
like Paul Ryan and
Republicans in Congress
(including our own
Morgan Griffith). WE are
the ones fighting for
equally accessible and
affordable health care for
all Americans. WE are
the ones fighting for an
affordable education, not
eliminating Pell grants or
letting student loan interest rates double from 3.4
percent to 6.8 percent.
WE are the ones fighting
for women’s rights, not
trying to strip them away.
And lastly, we aren’t
against coal or coal-miners . . . I am the son,
nephew, cousin, grandson, and great-grandson
of coal-miners. They and
I see through the attacks
on Democrats with coal.
Contrary to popular
belief, Democrats in
Congress, in the Virginia
state legislature and yes,
the President aren’t out
to get coal.
It’s time we take our
name back and own the
issues we have long stood
for. Students at Union,
Central, Eastside, along
with UVa-Wise/MECC
students or anyone any
young person that wants
to join the Wise County
Young Democrats, contact me at 276/395-4632
or by email at
[email protected].
Also, go click “like” on
the Wise County
Democrats facebook page
at
www.facebook.com/wisec
ountydems to stay updated about meetings/events
by the Wise County
Democratic Committee,
campaign stops by local
and state Democrats and
now the newly formed
Wise County Young
Democrats.
Sometime next month
we’ll kick into full gear
ratifying our constitution
to become an official
chartered group. We’ll
have positions available
within the club that we
need such as a vice president, treasurer, secretary
and other leaders to head
up the various committees we’ll be starting to
work in the community.
Come out and join the
party, the Wise County
Democrats are back in
full force! u
MATT SKEENS
COEBURN
Social Security Disability
OVER 60% OF INITIAL CLAIMS FOR SOCIAL
SECURITY DISABILITY ARE DENIED.
Let Charlies L. Bledsoe
Fight for You
" Making a difference
one case at a time."
Charles L. Bledsoe
408 Wood Ave. BSG, VA
(276) 523-5462 Toll free 1-866-295-2889
www.bledsoelawoffice.com
Call Now For Your Free Consultation
Let Our Experience Work For You
r Pound
FROM PAGE 1
“We need to make sure
that there’s front money”
before the project moves
forward, he said. In order
to fund the renovation and
operational costs, the
committee will need to go
beyond fundraising, Dean
said, and attempt to obtain
grant monies.
One reason the new
committee
is
being
formed, Shortt said, is to
“limit
the
financial
responsibility
of
the
town.”
Shortt said Lenowisco
Planning
District
Commission Executive
Director Glen “Skip”
Skinner has agreed to help
the project move forward
by attempting to identify
sources of grants for the
transition of the building.
He acknowledged that
Skinner believes it would
be difficult to obtain
grants to assist in paying
for day-to-day operations.
Currently under consideration are “green
grants” that help fund
projects that will better
the environment, he said.
Homeland security grants
may be available for the
creation of an emergency
shelter.
“I really don’t see that
much initial money to get
it open and started,”
Shortt told the council,
adding that costs may not
be as high as some think.
removed.
“That could get really
ugly really fast in dollars,”
he said.
Council member Larry
Wright said a low bid for
the removal could be
expected to come in
around $250,000.
Council discussed that
the reason the asbestos
must be dealt with going
forward, while it was
acceptable when Pound
High School was still
operating, is because
there would be a change
in use of the building and
the asbestos may be disturbed as renovation takes
place. Asbestos is only the
beginning of the cost concerns, Dean said.
There is the possibility
of having to replace the
roof, he noted. The cost of
a “long-life roof ” can
range from $500,000 to
$800,000. When the school
division considered roof
replacement,
council
member Glenn Cantrell
said, the cost was estimated at about $1 million.
Further, the building is
heated by a boiler system
that is an “all or none” situation, Dean said. It is
impossible to heat only
one area of the building
and not heat another, he
noted.
“I just don’t want this
to be a pie in the sky kind
of thing,” he said. The
reality is the cost will be
high. “How do we get
those dollars?” he asked.
Can the town financially support the building?
Town attorney Gary
Gilliam is not certain.
“It’s not a matter of wanting, it’s a matter of being
able,” Gilliam said.
If the community center committee states that
it can financially support
the building, then the
town may be willing to
fully support the project,
said Cantrell.
Council member Jerry
Wolfe mentioned that the
town could possibly provide free water and sewer
service to the building to
assist the project.
PUSHING FORWARD
The community center
committee is pushing forward and hopes the project will be successful.
The next committee
meeting is scheduled for
May 4, said Shortt, and
at that time the group
hopes to fully organize
and appoint a board of
directors.
According to town
clerk Linda Meade, the
school board plans to
declare the building surplus property and will
then return it to the county board of supervisors.
Supervisors will need
to be made aware if the
town is interested in the
transference
of
the
building, Meade said. u
ASBESTOS, ROOF
As far as asbestos goes,
Shortt said, he has spoken
to the county building
code department and,
based on that conversation, he does not believe
the cost of the removal nor
the process itself will be
much of an obstacle to the
project. He believes the
removal will be simple.
Others disagreed, with
Dean calling asbestos
removal one of the more
costly aspects of transitioning the building into a
community center.
While the kind of
asbestos found in the
vacant building is the
least deadly of the five different types, Dean said it
just being there becomes
an
issue
with
the
Environmental Protection
Agency and it must be
r Land
FROM PAGE 1
NIDA will allow the
county to do site preparation between the
exercise of the option
and the closing of the
sale.
r The county school
board will obtain a survey of the property and
share it with NIDA. The
school board will be
responsible for deed
preparation and costs.
r If a sale is not
closed by Sept. 1, either
party may terminate
the option.
r If the county
decides not to buy it,
the land must be
reclaimed to original
contour, and all surveys
and written reports on
the land and the tests
will go to NIDA. u
L-R Front - Karen Tate, Chris Willis, Rhonda Richardson, Kevin Mays, Jeff Lester
L-R Back - Denise Casey, April Bevins, Jenay Tate
The Coalfield Progress won 14 news and
advertising awards Saturday night from the
Virginia Press Association, including a best-inshow graphic design award among all non-daily
newspapers in the state.
The Dickenson Star in Clintwood won seven
awards, and The Post in Big Stone Gap won six
awards.
The contest was judged by the Illinois Press
Association. Awards were presented at the Hotel
Roanoke and Conference Center.
COALFIELD PROGRESS
News awards earned in competition among
non-daily papers with circulation between 5,000
and 9,999 included:
➤ Jeff Lester, first place, editorial writing.
➤ Jenay Tate, first place, health, science
and environmental writing.
➤ Chris Willis, first place, informational
graphics. This entry also won the non-daily bestin-show award, for an illustration of the cost to
outfit a firefighter.
➤ Kevin Mays, second place, sports news
photo.
➤ Kevin Mays, third place, sports column
writing.
Advertising awards included:
➤ April Bevins, Denise Casey, Karen Tate &
Graphics Staff, first place, special occasion and
multiple advertisers-black and white, for prom
night.
➤ Karen Tate, Chris Willis, second place,
“think outside the box,” for The
Troutdale/Easter.
➤ Karen Tate, Chris Willis, second place,
education and churches-black and white, for
McLean Little League.
➤ April Bevins, Chris Willis, second place,
fashion and personal care-black and white, for
Changes Salon.
➤ Denise Casey, Chris Willis, second
place, automotive-black and white, for Dotson
Chevrolet.
➤ Staff, second place, special sections,
for Best of the Best 2011.
➤ April Bevins, Rhonda Richardson, third
place, automotive-color, for Morgan-McClure.
place, home and garden-black and white, for
The Clapboard House/Flexsteel.
➤ Jenay Tate, third place, “think outside
the box,” for Norton’s Earth Day.
DICKENSON STAR
News awards in competition with nondailies with circulation up to 4,999 included:
➤ Myra Marshall, Kevin Mays, second
place, sports page design.
➤ Jeff Lester, third place, general news
writing.
Ad awards included:
➤ April Bevins, Denise Casey, Karen Tate,
Chris Willis first place, special occasion and
multiple advertisers-black and white, for
“Hunting at its Best!”
➤ Catherine McPeek, Chris Willis, second
place, automotive-black and white, for Johnson
Chevrolet.
➤ Annie Miller, Chris Willis, third place,
automotive-black and white, for Fremont Body
Shop.
place, entertainment and lifestyles-black and
white, for Dan Hall Mountain Resort.
➤ April Bevins, Chris Willis, third place,
fashion and personal care-black and white, for
Lemons Jewelry/Le Vian.
THE POST
News awards, earned in the same
circulation category as the Dickenson Star,
included:
➤ Glenn Gannaway, third place, breaking
news writing.
➤ Glenn Gannaway, third place, health,
science and environmental writing.
Ad awards included:
➤ April Bevins, Chris Willis, first place,
recruitment advertising, for Sykes.
➤ Denise Casey, Rhonda Richardson, first
place, real estate-color, for Trail Realty.
➤ Denise Casey, Chris Willis, second
place, automotive-color, for Dotson Chevrolet.
➤ April Bevins, Chris Willis, third place,
food and drug-color, for Payless. u
–– BEST IN SHOW ––
for Informational Graphics
Chris Willis

Minute - The Appalachian Writing Project - UVa-Wise

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