Google “environmental justice in Appalachia” and nearly every returned link will exclusively describe the impact of coal extraction on the region. It’s no surprise, then, that here in Pulaski, VA, many of us only feel peripherally connected to that conversation. Although we have had a few coal mining operations in this County historically, most of […]
Middle School Survey Update
On July 13, we published a survey to collect feedback on the Pulaski County School Board’s proposal for a new middle school. In nine days, 749 people responded. Of course the responses are not representative of the entire county, for a variety of reasons. Since it was distributed via social media, respondents were likely a […]
Pulaski Explainer: How rising healthcare costs hinder our schools
If your news feed looks anything like ours right now, it is probably full of stories about Russia, the proposed new Pulaski County Middle School, and the Senate’s health care plan, in that order. We’re not going to touch the Russia story at this point, but we do want to take a look at how […]
“Seeking to understand”: A survey on the Pulaski County Middle School proposal
The View from Peaks Knob convened a community organizing workshop on July 3, led by trainers from Virginia Organizing. Thirty-five Pulaski County residents got to know each other and learned a little bit about organizing principles and strategies. We used the struggle for a new middle school as a case study for applying these principles […]
How we will win the middle school and beyond, Part II
(Part I here.) After a frustrating Board of Supervisors meeting last night and weeks of discouraging news about Pulaski County’s much-needed new middle school, you might be feeling disheartened. But we can do hard things! Let’s come together on July 3rd to learn organizing skills and create a plan for how we will get a new […]