Year in review

Staff reports

January

The new year arrived last January on icy roads. According to Virginia State Police, more than 100 wrecks in Washington, Smyth and Wythe counties as a cold mist fell and froze on area roadways.
Meanwhile Ecumenical Faith in Action began the year on a particularly low note when The Lord’s Storehouse, Faith in Action’s then-largest food provider, announced it would no longer be able to give to the organization.
Despite the depressing economic news, county property owners got notice that assessments on land and homes would got up by around 23 percent. Commissioner of Revenue David Henry said at the time that had the economic meltdown not occurred, county property owners would have seen 35 to 40 percent increases in values.
At least one property owner, though wasn’t troubled by the news. She was just glad to have a house where the walls weren’t so thin she could overhear everything going on in the next apartment. Judith Crosswhite and her family became in April, the recipients of the county’s ninth Habitat for Humanity house. A groundbreaking for the new house, located in Abingdon, was held in early January.
Also in early January, Jan. 2 to be exact, just before noon, Cameron Blake Vanover became the county’s new baby. Delivered at Johnston Memorial, the baby almost became the first baby of the new year to be delivered at John Douglas Wayside. A wreck on 19 that blocked both lanes nearly prevented Tabitha Harvey and David Vanover from getting to the hospital, where the 7 pound, 9 ounce baby was born.
Tough times were in full swing for schools at the opening of 2009. Dr. Alan Lee, the school’s superintendent, announced at the first meeting of the year, that the governor’s cut to funding would be permanent. Lee promised to try to avoid cutting jobs as he looked for ways to take $3.3 million from the school’s coffers.
Mid-month, a pair of zero-turn lawnmowers were taken from Abingdon Equipment, but the getaway ran into some trouble. Or rather trouble ran into the getaway. Capt. Jack Davidson of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office said the thief or thieves only made it a short distance when Bristol resident Tyrone Frye’s car slammed into a trailer hauling the stolen mowers in front of Virginia Highlands Airport.
According to Davidson, county officers were on the lookout for Frye’s ‘97 Chevy Cavalier as he had been spotted driving erratically before crashing into and totaling the trailer. Virginia State Police Sgt. Michael Conroy said Frye isn’t being charged with anything as the accident was the result of his medical condition. He also added that Frye suffered only minor injuries.
According to Trooper Pat Lower, who worked the scene, Frye hit the trailer’s wheels, severely damaging them.
“It sort of kills the getaway,” he said.
The unidentified thief then got out, unhitched the trailer and left the scene according to Lower.
There was good news on tap for the Abingdon wastewater treatment plant. Just a few short years past being ordered to do something about its overflows, Wolf Creek Water Reclamation Facility received word it had won a PISCES Award from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund. Only one locality in each state is eligible for the annual award.
While the town’s wastewater plant was getting kudos, though, the town and county were staring at a lawsuit. Clifton-Stewart Developments, the owners of land where a Joint Regional Sports Complex was supposed to have been located, filed a $1.3 million suit against Abingdon and Washington County because the localities hadn’t closed on the $2.37 million deal to buy the land. In 2007, the town and county had agreed to buy the land near Interstate 81’s Exit 22.
A snag in funding in late 2008 postponed for a second time a merger between Johnston Memorial and Johnson City, Tenn.,-based Mountain States Health Alliance. However, both sides said that the deal would go through in March. The announcement came as Mountain States shed 109 jobs.
Also postponed was a date for former Damascus Police Chief Tony Richardson’s sentencing. In October 2008, Richardson pleaded no contest to drug charges.
By month’s end, county residents were taking part, either in person or via the television, in history being made as President Barack Obama was inaugurated.
Adam Gambrell, an eighth-grader at E.B. Stanley Middle School, and Alyssa Triplett, a sophomore at Patrick Henry High School, found themselves on the National Mall, witnessing the event first-hand.
January closed with the news that trailblazing lawyer Dorothy Boucher had died at 84.
“She was a tremendous source of inspiration to me,” her son Rick Boucher said. “She gave me the confidence that I could succeed in achieving lofty goals and I owe largely the success that I have enjoyed to that early inspiration and guidance. She was a great friend to this town and Washington County.”
She is remembered as unfailingly gracious and kind to everyone and was highly accomplished as an attorney at law.
“She was a path blazer for other women in the legal profession in our area and served as a role model to them and she inspired confidence in them that in this region they too could succeed in the practice of law,” Boucher said. “I’m going to miss her enormously and one cannot ask for a better mother.”
Finally, there was some good news. The United Way announced that it had blasted past its $850,000 goal, raising $881,909 by the end of the campaign. It was third consecutive time the nonprofit had met or exceeded its goal.

February

A quartet of politicians braved a windy and cold February Abingdon runway, bringing news that money from the OxyContin civil settlement was coming back to Southwest Virginia. Virginia received more than $1 million in the total $19.5 million payout. More than half of that went to help fund local agencies.
February was sort of a pinnacle of bad news for regional employment. Glade Spring’s Utility plant announced it had laid off 49 workers.
The School Board, meanwhile, struggled with balancing an $84 million budget which included a $3.3 million cut in funding for construction and salary hikes. The board OK’d a $2.1 million teacher salary hike. The board also asked the county offset state cuts, saying 91 jobs were on the line if the money wasn’t.
A newly renovated Hayters Gap Library opened in February, boasting an area twice as big, freshly painted and with a new entrance and bathrooms.
Emory & Henry chemistry professor Dr. Jim Duchamp loves what he does. And so too does the State Council of Higher Education. Duchamp won the 2009 Virginia Outstanding Faculty Award. He became the fourth E&H professor to win the award. His honor was also the 11th time in 20 years that an E&H professor had won a state or national teaching award.
Round the Mountain network began scouring Washington County for artisans who wanted to be united in a trail.
District Three transit extended its reach in late February. Ridership continued to grow even as funding dipped. Operating funding was cut by 8.5 percent as ridership increased 12.4 percent. In addition a new program rolled out in 2009 that transported riders to places as far away as Winston-Salem, N.C., Roanoke, Va., and to the Tri-Cities.
Another library was in the February news. Director Charlotte Parsons told Damascus Town Council that finalized plans would be revealed on March 2. Some of the improvements over the current library include a larger space, 6,500 square feet total. Parsons said they’ll also be more than doubling their shelf space and computers, having designated reading and meeting rooms and displays for local information.

March

A multi-stage retirement community began to take shape in early March. Roanoke-based Smith/Packett, a large senior housing and health care company that designs, develops, finances, markets and operates facilities throughout the Southeast, scheduled a community meeting at St. Thomas Episcopal Church to announce its plans for Abingdon, plans that include building a $24 million-$26 million project on 20-acres adjoining the Creeper Trail along Abingdon’s Green Spring Road. Plans call for a construction start in 10 to 12 months. It would open almost a year after construction begins.
According to its Web site, Smith/Packett owns rehabilitation centers and retirement homes in Roanoke, Richmond and Stafford, Va., along with two centers in North Carolina and one in Florida.
The deal that didn’t close in February, didn’t close in March either. A partnership between Johnston Memorial Hospital and Mountain States Health Alliance hit another snag. Chief Executive Officer Sean McMurray said earlier in February that a combination of high interest and proposed cuts to Medicaid funding are the cause of the setback that have delayed the $135 million partnership until March, pushing the new hospital’s projected completion to some time in 2010.McMurray then said the partnership might not close until April and the new tentative opening of the new hospital is set for January 2011.
About 40 people gathered at the Damascus Town Hall before the regularly scheduled council meeting for a presentation about the new Damascus public library.
The plans have been five years in the making, according to Washington County Public Library System Director Charlotte Parsons. Damascus’ coming library, a 6,500-square-feet building on Water Street, will include community and conference rooms, children’s and computer areas, plug-ins for laptops, wood flooring in parts and a porch that looks out onto the creek. Jeff Johnson of McCarty Holsaple McCarty Architects told the group that the 22-foot peak of the building would be made of exposed natural heavy timbers and comply with the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System’s standards and feature energy-efficient toilet fixtures and energy-efficient heating and cooling system.
The third month wasn’t the charm for Utility Trailer Manufacturing’s Glade Spring facility.
In early February, the Washington County plant laid off 49 workers, citing a lack of trailer orders and lower-than-expected sales. A month earlier, the company announced it would lay off about 90 assembly workers at its Smyth County plant in Atkins.
Now, come early March, Plant Manager Jack Washburn said the Glade Spring facility would close in 60 days, shedding its remaining 117 workers.
Washburn said the anticipated closure is a “result of unprecedented economic challenges.”
As the economy soured, Dr. Jane Toothman and Cathy Maine, a nurse practitioner, cut their work week to four days. They kept the pay period at 40 hours, but cut out Friday, allowing their Preston Square Family Practice employees to save on gas money.
Now, with the economy in freefall, the two are helping out patients as well as employees, particularly those who lost jobs or health insurance.
“Toothman and Maine have worked together for more than a decade. They got a taste for donating their medical skills a few years ago when they volunteered for a Remote Area Medical Health Expedition in Wise County. There they saw the many in need and how few could afford basic care.
Take their now-free Fridays and add the fact that their church, Pleasant View United Methodist in Abingdon, had bought a piece of property and a house on Lee Highway, and you end up with a free clinic.
The Wesley Clinic, at 18370 Lee Highway in Abingdon next to Pleasant View United Methodist Church, is set to open April 17. A community open house is scheduled for this Sunday, March 15, from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Emory United Methodist Church members put down a small fire that threatened to take the whole building. Dirk Moore, a spokesman for the college, where the chapel is located, said congregants caught the fire before it had a chance to get out of hand. No one was injured.
“From what I understand, members of the congregation put out the fire with a fire extinguisher… most of the damage is isolated to the downstairs restroom,” he said.
According to a Washington County Sheriff’s Office press release, the damage was estimated to be no more than $8,000.
Washington County News employees learned in March that the building on Main Street would be sold. The Washington County News moved into the building in April 1988
Mark Widener-Reynolds’ fingers melted when he grabbed his bedroom doorknob. It was March 1, a Sunday, early Sunday, 4:30 a.m. Smoke and flames surrounded him.
The 17-year-old Abingdon High School suffered second- and third-degree burns on his hand. Burns to his feet, legs, arms, back and face were less serious.
Reynolds’ friend, Ashlee Puckett, threw a benefit concert to raise money for his family later that month.
Admission was $2. Student hard rock bands Acropolis and Pouring Rein played for the group of about 40 and raised $202.85.
The Washington County Virginia Sheriff’s Office Division of Animal Control reported its first confirmed case of rabies for the year. According to Washington County Sheriff Fred Newman, the incident occurred on Friday, March 13 at a location in the Rush Creek section of the county.
Personnel from the Washington County Health Department were notified and they picked up the animal. The skunk tested positive for rabies. Reports indicated that two dogs were exposed to the rabid skunk. The dogs were seized by Animal Control personnel.
Washington County News publisher Samuel F. Cooper died Friday, March 27, at his Wytheville residence. He was 74.
Within days of a murky encounter that left a Washington County man dead, a grand jury on decided it had heard enough evidence to return felony murder indictments against two men in the death.
Jason Ray Trivett, 27, of Stoney Battery Road, Marion, and James Steven Armstrong, 25, of Mouth of Wilson each face one murder charge in connection with the death of Gregory Wayne Powers of Glade Spring. Powers was 23.
State Police Sgt. Michael Conroy aid an autopsy report showed that Powers had been killed by blunt force trauma, “apparently the victim of an assault.”

April

A change in how schools report grades to college created a dustup for the School Board when a John Battle student was forced to share the valedictorian title with another student who reportedly didn’t make straight A’s every semester.
Despite earning A’s in every class, a John Battle senior wasn’t the only valedictorian.
The School Board on April 6 reversed its 2008 policy in a 4-3 vote.
“It became very apparent the next day that that vote will create serious problems,” Lee said.
Southwest Virginia Community Health Systems’ regional dental clinic inside Saltville’s T.K. McKee Hospital building received $200,000 from the Appalachian Regional Commission on the recommendation of Gov. Timothy Kaine.
The governor’s office said the funding is part of a $2.7 million ARC package funding 17 community projects addressing economic development, early childhood education, health programs, job-training and water quality. The funds are awarded through the ARC’s Area Development and Asset-Based Development Initiative programs.
As the land thawed, the Abingdon Farmers Market returned with a bounty of certified organic produce, grass-fed and farm-fresh meats, homemade baked goods, honey, jam, jellies and canned goods, eggs, artwork, crafts, plants and flowers. The market marked its eighth year in Abingdon.
Over an iced mocha and blueberry muffin, U.S. Sen. Mark Warner sat down at Zazzy’Z Coffeehouse in Abingdon and talked with a handful of small business owners and banks about the economy.
“This may be one of the first times you have a politician here that’s not coming here to talk,” Warner said. “What I wanted to do this morning is hear what your concerns are.”
He said he wanted to know what the federal government can do and if any of the people at the table had seen any opportunities through the U.S. Small Business Administration.
The meeting was one of 17 events in the senator’s four-day sweep of the state to hear from Virginians about the economy and highlight local organizations and programs that can benefit from recent actions taken by Congress. Warner serves on the Committee on Banking, Housing & Urban Affairs, Committee on the Budget, Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation and the Committee on Rules & Administration.
For nine years, Damascan Tom Davenport has been active with land conservation in the region. All his hard work came to a head on Monday, March 30, when President Barack Obama signed the 2009 Omnibus Public Lands Management Act, an act that Davenport played a hand in getting through the various levels of government.
But Davenport said even watching the president sign a bill that he helped push along wasn’t the proudest moment of the whole nine year process. It was the process itself.
“It was a classic example of how America works best,” said Davenport. “From the grassroots on up.”
One fifth of the No. 4 team is headed to prison for 18 months after pleading guilty to five criminal tax charges. Though Larry McClure, one of the founding members of the motorsports team Morgan-McClure, asked for probation, federal Judge James P. Jones rejected the request. His sentence of a year and half was toward the low end of the guidelines. McClure will have to serve a year’s term of supervised probation once he’s released from prison. In addition to the 18-month prison sentence, McClure his to pay Eastman Kodak $59,852, a fine of $40,000, $25,000 to the IRS for investigative costs and a special assessment of $500.
The first two days the all-volunteer Wesley Medical Clinic in Abingdon was open weren’t as busy as expected. Five people showed up on opening day. Still, two of those were turned away because they had a form of insurance. The free medical clinic is only for people who have no insurance. The clinic, almost a year in the making, is a nonprofit outreach of Pleasant View United Methodist Church next door and is run by a 12-member board of directors independent of the church. The group received a $10,000 new ministry startup grant from the Holston Conference of the United Methodist Church for the clinic.

May

A member of the anti-bullying watchdog group Bully Police USA and a Washington County resident Kristl Widener, with the help of fellow Bully Police members Brenda Morrison and Ava Morgan, put in some calls to Virginia Delegate David Englin, who sponsored a bill to put more muscle behind the state’s anti-bullying efforts. With Widener and other’s concerns on his mind, Englin focused House Bill 1624 on cyber bullying, requiring the state to develop a way to handle the problem.On April 8, Gov. Tim Kaine signed the bill into law.
E.B. Stanley Middle School is doing something right. The school recevied designation as A Virginia School to Watch. It’s an honor only granted to five middle schools in the state. E.B. Stanley is the first in Southwest Virginia and one of only two west of Lynchburg to get the honor.
The only thing Meadowview residents seemed to agree on is that it couldn’t agree on whether a truck stop would help or hurt the community. A May 5 meeting made the split evident. At issue was a plan by Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores to build a truck stop near Meadowview Elementary School.
There are guerrillas in our midst. But not that kind. And not that kind either. They’re guerrillas armed with spades and sunflower seeds. They’re the guerrilla gardeners.
Ten Virginia Highlands Community College students joined the ranks of an international movement Monday. A movement with a mission to commandeer neglected open spaces and give them some love, make them beautiful again, plant some plants. The group invaded an empty plot of land between the Cinemall and CVS parking lots in Abingdon. They stationed themselves around the perimeter, along the steep slopes least likely to be bush-hogged and scratched in 1,000 sunflower seeds.
An 81-year-old Chilhowie woman died after her car was struck by a driver who ran a red light in Washington County Wednesday.
Margaret “Peggy” Kegley of Old State Road was struck as she attempted to make a left turn from Route 700 onto southbound Highway 19, said Virginia State Police spokesman Sgt. Michael Conroy. That intersection is in the Greendale community north of Abingdon. Kegley’s 2005 Ford Taurus was impacted in the driver’s side door by the 2003 Mercury Mountaineer SUV, driven by Melinda Miller, 23, of Wise after Miller failed to stop for a traffic light, according to Conroy.
Damascus Trail Days was big this year. Parking at Tent City was full by Friday night and the people kept coming. Wristbands for camping on the town-owned Bayer Property, known as Tent City during the festival, totaled at 1,491.
The wolves were back in Wolf Hills. Advance Abingdon President Gary Kimbrell helped coordinate a plan to pair 26 wolf statues with local artists and spread them around town. Wolves were chosen due to the town’s history. As many residents know, famed frontiersman Daniel Boone passed through the area in 1760, where his dogs were attacked by a pack of wolves. Boone then dubbed the area Wolf Hills and since, the wolf has been closely related to the town, even having a wolf’s face appearing in the modern town seal.

June

Abingdon Town Council voted unanimously to acquire a stretch of land on Lee Highway between Interstate 81’s Exits 19 and 22. The town had originally planned to use the property in conjunction with the county for a joint sports complex, but the land seems to have caused problems since it was first eyed as a site. The two governments couldn’t agree on a governing party, delaying the purchase to the point the owner, Clifton-Stewart Rentals, sued. The county dropped out (though put up $600,000 for the town’s use on the project) and the town settled with Clifton-Stewart to purchase the land anyhow for around $2.2 million.
There was some elbowing going on over Abingdon Market Pavilion space during the Highlands Festival. Town Manager Greg Kelly said Anheuser-Busch brought 10 Clydesdale horses to Abingdon but didn’t have a place to put them. Abingdon Farmers Market Manager Sara Cardinale said Anheuser-Busch’s first choice was setting up stalls under the Pavilion. Unfortunately, the horses’ stay directly coincided with Farmers Market hours on Tuesday, Aug. 4, and on Saturday, Aug. 8. That also happened to be during the market’s Tomato Fest.
“For many of the vendors that weekend brings in 10 percent of their income,” Cardinale said. “A lot of the members of the council don’t come to the farmers market so I don’t think they really understand what a big weekend this is.”
On the other hand, it’s also a big deal to have the horses in town.
“They are a huge draw,” said Town Manager Greg Kelly. “I think it will draw a lot of people to Abingdon and hopefully that will transfer into revenue.”
But the pavilion was built for the farmers market, specifically, Cardinale said. Eventually, the groups worked it out, with the horses taking over the market and the farmers taking over a closed street.
Food City gave Ecumenical Faith in Action a $10,000 boost. Almost halfway through 2009, Faith in Action had given out 94 tons of groceries to 3,145 families.
“It’s very difficult to walk up to that counter and tell a volunteer that doesn’t know them and tell them they can’t feed their family,” Lowe said.
The group had to deny 237 requests due to limited funds.
Washington County Sheriff Fred Newman’s name was in the running for a position with the U.S. Marshal Service in Virginia. He said it was two years ago when he was made aware that the position may become available. Then last December he submitted his resume and application to the Obama transition team and Sens. Webb and Warner for consideration. In mid-February, he was contacted for an interview in Washington, D.C., with two staff members from each senator’s offices. He said those interviews lasted about 15 minutes.
“(Roanoke County) Sheriff (Gerald) Holt has just as good a chance as I do,” Newman said.
Ultimately, Newman stayed on as Holt got the nod for the Marshal post.
Two wolf statues were stolen then returned anonymously. They were found between some hedges on the north side of the public library, Abingdon Police Chief Tony Sullivan sai. The wolves were part of 27 hand-painted statues placed around Abingdon. A note made from cut out letters from a newspaper was attached to the biggest of the wolves.
Sullivan said the note read, "we were out chasing Daniel Boone’s dogs," indicating that the heist was some sort of prank.

July

Former E.B. Stanley Middle School Assistant Principal Scott Allen took over the reins from retiring Glade Spring Middle School Principal Sharon Rainey. Wendy Davis, a math and Latin teacher at Patrick Henry, moved to Allen’s spot.
There are more than a pair of trails in Damascus, Chris Scott of Shenandoah Mountain Touring said.
“It’s an amazing area,” he said. “Most other trails don’t receive much use because most people stay on the AT or the Creeper Trail.”
For two years, Scott’s been working toward the Iron Mountain 100K Bike Race held in July. To prepare for the race he had to figure out the 100K route, get the OK from the Forest Service for use of the trails and then there was the task of clearing the trail.
The race snaked up the Creeper Trail from Damascus to Straight Branch, climbed Beech Grove trail to Feather Camp Ridge, Shaw Gap down to Beartree Gap trail, through Beartree campground to the Lum trail, Skulls Gap to Jerry’s Creek trail back to Skulls Gap to the Barton Gap trail to the Iron Mountain trail and then Chestnut Ridge trail to Damascus.
“I think (this race) will be a real good way to increase tourism,” Scott said. “Lots of people might ride this route even if they don’t ride it during the race.”
Damascus Council member Johnny Blevins called it quits in July. After a closed session, Blevins read from a letter that, “Due to health and reasons beyond my control, I must resign my position as town councilman and all other committee assignments effective July 7, 2009. This decision was made with much regret.” Blevins’s resignation also left vacant a position on the Parks and Recreation Committee. Charles A. Tony Bebber took Blevins’ seat.
Rob Goldsmith was at the Glade Spring July meeting to relate a dream, offer an opportunity and ask for help. The president and chief executive officer of People Inc. said waiting lists and other data show his group that there’s enough kids in the area to fill two Head Start classrooms. Head Start, which was created in 1965, provides education and other services to low-income children and their families. Goldsmith said there is currently no Head Start program in the Glade area. The dream, Goldsmith said, is to remedy that through the help of stimulus funds. The application, he said, is due by mid-month. The opportunity, he said, was the possibility of building a Head Start program, complete with a new playground appropriate for 3- to 4-year-olds, on the property directly across from the town’s community building. The help, he said, would be in the form of the town passing a motion giving its support to a Head Start program. He said the facility would serve 36 to 40 children and create 10 new jobs. Goldsmith said some indication that there is a site ready for the program would strengthen the application, since the stimulus funds must be spent by September 2010.
The Abingdon Farmers Market has joined the ranks of four other markets in the state in accepting government food vouchers. July 25, EBT card holders were able to withdraw a given amount from their card and receive tokens for twice that amount to purchase vendor items. They can use the tokens like cash but the same EBT rules apply. For instance, they cannot buy hot or ready-to-eat items.
The matching funds for the EBT card holders is thanks to an anonymous donor through the Wholesome Wave Foundation who gave up to $10,000 to four farmers markets in Virginia specifically for this use.

August

After two years of his case winding through the court system, the former Damascus police chief accused of selling drugs in 2007 will spend the next five years behind bars.
One of Tony Richardson’s sisters and several friends testified on his behalf.
“I’ve been through tough times and didn’t always have a place to stay, and he opened his door to me,” said Richardson’s friend of 15 years, Kevin Edwards. “He’d get out of bed in the middle of the night if I needed him.”
Edwards said Richardson had counseled and helped straighten out his eldest son when, at 16, he got mixed up in drugs.
Even his ex-wife’s current husband, Steven Thompson, had kind words for Richardson. Thompson said he and Richardson have worked together to raise Tanner, Richardson’s now 11-year-old son.
The commonwealth’s attorney painted a picture of two different people living in one skin. There was “Tony Richardson the cop, friend, son, brother ...“ And then you have the Tony Richardson, according to Dennis Godfrey, who “parades as a champion of justice when he really parades as nothing more than a drug dealer wearing a badge.“
By selling drugs while serving as chief of police, Godfrey said, Richardson violated the public’s trust and made a mockery of the system. He recommended a 135-year sentence with all by 30 years suspended. He also lobbied for a $10,000 fine.
The United Ways in Washington and Russell counties merged to streamline costs and operations. The move, officials say, will form a stronger and more sustainable organization for both entities.
“We will collaborate and strengthen the system,” said Travis Staton, chief executive officer of the new organization, now named United Way of Russell and Washington Counties.
He said the two counties are interlinked already, with residents working in one county and living in another that it’s a natural transition.
Russell County was previously part of United Way of Southwest Virginia, which included Scott, Wise and Dickenson counties. United Way is a network of organizations that raises funds and focuses on advancing education, income and health in communities around the country. The newly merged organization will serve 81,000 residents across 14 towns more than 1,000 square miles.
A project five years in the making broke ground in August.
“It’s taken a long time to get to this point,” said Diana Blackburn, executive director of Heartwood. “A whole lot of work has been going on behind the scenes. I’m just really excited.”
The Heartwood artisans center is designed to showcase the cultural and natural heritage of Southwest Virginia. The 29,000 square-foot building will sit on eight acres next to Virginia Highlands Community College and will feature galleries and exhibits. The building will also allow space for artisans to sell work. There will also be a food court and a visitor information center with information about the region. There will be space for local musicians as well.
“The 3,000 square-feet gallery provides space for a good sampling of what’s out in the 19 counties and four cities (in Southwest Virginia) and hopefully it will entice visitors to go visit the artisans at their studios,” Blackburn said. “The ultimate goal is to get people out into our region.”
She said the construction of the building is scheduled to take 15 to18 months with a grand opening scheduled for early 2011.
The entire Damascus community was glued to the television as its girls softball team faced stiff competition from around the globe during the Senior League Softball World Series. Damascus’ first in the series. It ended in five innings because of the mercy rule. Final score – 17-5, Damascus
Damascus went into game four, versus Maunabo, Puerto Rico, with two wins and one loss in the World Series. The team started strong, crossing the plate twice in as many innings. But as the game wore one, Puerto Rico pushed back.
Damascus ended up losing that game 5-3. With it hopes of a championship game slipped away. The Damascus Senior League Softball team arrived back home Sunday tired and ready for a much needed rest before school started Tuesday.
The Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center began to harvest daylight in 2009. Solatubes installed in classroom ceilings that collect and filter sunlight, eliminate the need for electricity during the day. Grids in the ceiling have shades to dim the natural light if needed. Daylight harvesting is just one of many environmentally friendly practices undertaken by the center for its newly completed addition, as well as for the original facility that opened in 1998.
During the summer, the center was designated as a Virginia Green facility because of its environmentally friendly practices, such as recycling and waste reduction, the reduction of Styrofoam and other disposables, and water and energy conservation. The points earned for these innovative practices earned the Higher Education Center a LEED Gold certification.
In addition to Tazers and other law enforcement equipment, Damascus police officers now carry a few other bags in the back of their police vehicles. The new bags are filled with First Aid and other lifesaving supplies.
Damascus police officers can, as of August, operate as first-responders, allowing them to respond to a medical call and begin treatment on a patient until the Damascus Volunteer Rescue Squad arrives on scene.
Police Chief Bill Nunley, who is also a critical care paramedic, said the department’s first-responder license was a year in the making.
“Now, we are the only law enforcement in Southwest Virginia that is first-responders,” he said.
In what had to be the most chill bump-inducing story of the year, Damascus Police officer Chris Shumate, traveling home from work, noticed something amiss on Widener Valley Road. He stopped his cruiser, pulled out a light and followed tracks down to the creek, where he saw tires sticking from the water, steam rising into the night air. Once underwater, trying to free the trapped motorist, it hit him that the trapped motorist was driving the same car as his son.
“I knew he was dead,” Shumate said. “I’ve been an EMS for over 10 years, and I’ve never pulled someone out of an overturned car in the creek alive. Every one of them has been dead.”
In one last effort, Shumate shattered the back window, grabbed his son by the neck and hauled him free of the wreck.
Later in the month, national news came to town as Rick Boucher became the latest politician to host a town hall meeting related to health care. Unlike many though, Boucher’s never turned earnestly ugly. The congressman set the tone early, ensuring civility reigned, even if agreement didn’t. Boucher and a panel of hospital executives and health care providers, some who disagreed with the prevailing winds in the Democratic Party, were joined by around 1,500 people at the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center.

September

More budget cuts to the schools were the talk of the month when Superintendent Alan Lee sent out a warning e-mail.
“Washington County Schools has already absorbed a $1.3 million reduction
in state and local funding, and we have been told that likely there will be further reductions for us,” Lee wrote in the e-mail.
Also in September, Mike Hubble took over as superintendent for the Abingdon District of the Holston Conference of the United Methodist Church. The Abingdon District includes Bristol, Va., Washington County, Smyth County and part of Russell County in Virginia and Bristol, Tenn., part of Sullivan County. and Johnson County in Tennessee.
“I’ve been a pastor for nearly 40 years. I’m used to preparing sermons, visitations, church services, and this is a different role.”
Though a shaky economy shook many in the region, Virginia Highlands Community College found a silver lining. According to the Virginia Highlands Community College Vice President of Instruction and Student Services Debbi Clear, those who have been laid off found a new purpose with the college’s help. Attendance, Clear said, was up 16 percent from prior year. The non-traditional students, which helped account for the growth, are usually people who have been laid off from their jobs and want to retrain or they are seeking more job security through the school’s technical programs.
The United Way sought ways to make the money stretch further by eliminating some operating and administrative costs. Travis Staton, executive director, announced in September that the Washington County and Russell County United Ways would combine. Also, many of the new organizations operating costs would be covered by a corporate sponsorship from Alpha Natural Resources, Universal Fibers and Food City.
A Damascus native living in New York made a splash when he returned home to premier the movie he starred in, “Mow Crew.” The comedy featured singer Aaron Barr in a lead role and brought tons of fans and friends to the Abingdon Cinemall.
Other actors got some good news too, this month, as the Barter Theatre and Emory & Henry inked a deal that continues the collaborative arrangement between the two.
The deal gives students at the college access to the professionals at the Abingdon theater at an unprecedented level.
Meth, a menace that had seemed to go away after a couple of ugly years early in the decade, returned with a new easier and cheaper cooking method. All you need is a soda bottle, some household chemicals and a handful of cold pills.
The process, according to Virginia State Police 1st Sgt. John Ruffin, is known as “shake-and-bake” or the “one-pot” method. The method started showing up in 2009, Ruffin said.
There were two competing nursing home facilities, two requests for a Certificate of Public Need and 126 people at a hearing at the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center. Abingdon Health Investors is looking to build a 120-bed, $10.6 million facility next to the under-construction Johnston Memorial Hospital on U.S. Highway 11. Just down the road, Abingdon Health Care Center has plans for a $14.3 million, 180-bed nursing home off Interstate 81’s Exit 22 at Enterprise and Alpine drives.
A piece of county history was saved. Though the historic Robert E. Lee Motel was too far gone, too much of an eyesore and needed to be demolished, the sign was safe. Ron Counts of RC’s Storage took that on, all 6,100-plus pounds of it.
“It’s so big,” Counts said last week, looking up at the towering sign. “I think it’s a work of art the way it’s built. It’ll be gorgeous if it was all lit up again.”

October

The fallout from the ongoing recession hit food pantries harder and harder as the year went on. To help out Allen Vickers, co-coordinator of the annual Washington County CROP Hunger Walk, and others sought to mitigate the damage. Vickers said $10,676.50 was raised for the event and that money will go to the Church World Service to help survivors of disasters and refugees keep food in their bellies. He also said 25 percent of the money would stay here in Washington County, along with all the food donations that will go to the Stone Soup Food Pantry.
Finally, October brought some good news to schools, with a caution. The spending freeze was lifted, but Superintendent Alan Lee said he’s still worried about next year. The system lifted a freeze on instructional money that goes toward paying for instructional supplies and capital items, including computers and books. The most important thing this money pays for is the extra tutoring before, during and after school, he said. Lee said he fears that an even larger cut could affect programs in the school.
The weather, especially rain, was the biggest problem facing the under-construction Johnston Memorial Hospital. Still the project manager said all was on schedule for an early 2011 opening. The final steel beam was placed on the structure in December.
While the hospital was building a new home, the sheriff was settling into a new one. The Sheriff’s Office moved to a space three times the size of the one they had in downtown Abingdon, to a 58,000-square-foot facility on Route 19 shared by county General Services, Emergency Services and Information Systems.
Newman said the move was needed. His 85 employees shared offices, desks and cramped bathrooms. Eight people shared one bathroom. In addition, the old Sheriff’s Office on Park Street in Abingdon was made up of four separate buildings, one of which dates back to 1900. Another served as the old jail until it was closed in 2005. Each building had a separate heating and cooling system and employees had to walk from building to building to meet with different divisions of the Sheriff’s Office. The deputy quarters were in a building that was prone to flooding, so they kept computer equipment on blocks to prevent damage, Newman said.
WEHC didn’t get a new home in October, but id did reach new homes – in five counties. A signal increase totaling 9,000 Watts allowed the E&H station to reach from Richlands to Mountain City, Tenn., and from Rural Retreat to Blountville, Tenn. WEHC is partnered with the Virginia Tech Foundation and WVTF airing NPR and BBC programming through its affiliate Radio IQ.

November

At the top of the state’s ticket, county voters supported all Republicans. Closer to home, Election Day held a few surprises as Joe Straten narrowly unseated incumbent Jack McCrady for the District E Supervisor seat. Nicole Price and Dulcie Mumpower also proved victorious.The three School Board candidates, all running unopposed, were J. Sanders Henderson III in District B, Tom Musick in District E and Herschel Stevens in District G. Henderson. In the General Assembly races, county voters returned Terry Kilgore and Joe Johnson Jr., also unopposed.
As the year wound down, a county property owner and the town of Saltville prepped to head back to court, this time to the state’s top court. The Virginia Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case at an undetermined time. The case began in March 2006, when the town of Saltville filed a complaint against Shirley Ann “Sissy” Bailey.
Bailey maintains that the old Norfolk & Western Railway, which runs through her property, and became the Salt Trail, is her private property. The town claims that an easement gives it the right to build the trail.
“I own almost a mile of the track and I don’t feel it’s right to bully me into giving up my property,” Bailey said. “If my deed is no good than no one’s in Washington County is. I think it’s worth fighting for.”
A private Glade Spring group hatched an idea to help the town regain a little of the glory gone. Project Glade applied to the Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission and was awarded $276,000 from the to help get a business incubator off the ground. Now, Moore said the group is looking at the Appalachian Regional Commission for funding.
A half a year after a town meeting that had the potential to be rancorous, a dozen or so people showed up at U.S. Rep. Rick Boucher’s office to voice concern with the Democrats no vote on the Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009. Dueling protests, one supporting the congressman’s no vote and the other, across Main Street, opposing Boucher’s decision, set up outside his office.
According to a press statement on Nov. 7, Boucher said he opposes the House bill because he thinks a government-operated health insurance plan would put area hospitals at risk, especially given a public option would likely siphon customers from the private insurers, which reimburse hospitals at higher rates.
A Virginia Highlands Community College professor, working on his PhD from the University of Tennessee received a high honor. Kevin Hamed, a biology teacher known for his work with Appalachian salamanders, was named the 2009 Virginia Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching in Washington, D.C. Hamed has taught biology at Virginia Highlands Community College for six years. Before that, he was the Nature Center manager at the Steele Creek Park for eight years.
Holston Mountain Arts and Crafts Cooperative Manager Donna price asked Supervisors to help her organization find a new home.
Now located in the Cave House on Abingdon’s Main Street, Price said the group needs to move out by the end of the year so the building can be renovated. She had asked county officials to consider the old Washington County Sheriff’s Office builing.
“It will allow us room to grow and expand,” Price said.
She said a new home on Park Street in Abingdon would allow the 125-member Cooperative room to have educational and music programs and teach heritage arts and crafts such as spinning, weaving and quilting.

December

Ecumenical Faith in Action usually serves an average of 800 families each month. In November almost 1,000 came through their doors on Hillman Highway in Abingdon, and in December the nonprofit was bracing for more.
“We’re seeing a lot more families this year,” said Director Kathi Lowe. “We’re getting so many more people who have worked for many, many years. When they lost their job they thought they could make it on unemployement until they get another job, but they’re just not finding anything. They’re mortified they have to this; it’s like begging.”
She said FEMA provides the funds for rent, utilities and mortgage. By the end of October Faith in Action provided $106,000 toward rent and mortgage payments. But now has no more to give. By mid-November all the rent funding was used and there won’t be any more until April, she said. She is still planning to help out with electricity and fuel payments.
Glade Spring windshields will be a little more barren this year. Town Council decided to eliminate the town decals and instead establish a $20 tax on vehicles. The fee, which is the same currently paid for decals, would be assessed on personal property taxes.
The year went out the same way it came in, with icy roads.
“A lot of people had a rough time getting home,” said Washington County Sheriff Fred Newman. “As the day went on, things went from bad to worse.”
As the snow piled up on Friday evening Newman said many motorists found themselves stuck. Especially on U.S. 19. Newman said that stretch of asphalt was the worst, with tractor-trailers jackknifed and cars stuck in ditches all along the highway.
“Many people were stuck in their cars for six to eight hours,” he said.