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Doodle Dust deposits on right bank of Peak Creek. "Doodle Dust" deposits on the Right Bank of Peak Creek, June 2019 (courtesy of Virginia Tech)
December 10, 2019  |  By Jill_Williams In Community Organizing, Environment, Health Care, History, Inequality, Profiles

Pulaski County is…Doodle Dust?

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 […]

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Clad in a bulletproof vest, Ashley White arrives for a court hearing on the death of her five-year old son, Noah Thomas.
June 13, 2018  |  By Jill_Williams In Economy, Health Care, Inequality, Uncategorized

Finding Truth in Noah Thomas’s Death

I have spent the majority of my adult life working on, consulting with, and learning about truth and reconciliation commissions. These bodies are generally tasked with investigating human rights abuses or other injustices so that a community or nation can learn from the past, establish accountability for what happened in some way, and make recommendations […]

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primary elections
June 11, 2018  |  By Jill_Williams In Uncategorized

Primary Elections are tomorrow – Tuesday, June 12!

Historically, very few people show up to vote in primary elections like the one that will happen tomorrow (Tuesday, June 12) in Virginia. But there are all sorts of reasons why we should. One is that higher numbers of primary voters signals to national parties and others that people in our part of the state […]

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fullsizeoutput_1076
May 29, 2018  |  By Jill_Williams In Uncategorized

I ♡ Poor Boys Produce, Part 2

Around this time last year, I published my first love letter to Poor Boys Produce Stand, but over the past year, I discovered more reasons to love the place, so here I am again. While I appreciate that I can find Daisy’s Bread in the local produce stand all year round, Doug Steger’s story about […]

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ExpandMedicaidSign
December 14, 2017  |  By Jill_Williams In Economy, Health, Health Care, Inequality, State Politics, Taxes, Uncategorized

On expanding Medicaid: “Virginia’s money needs to stay in Virginia”

One of my hardworking colleagues just found out that her family’s health insurance premiums are about to go from about $250 to $1200 a month. Upon hearing that, I was tempted to sarcastically exclaim, “Thanks Obama” and rethink my limited support for the Affordable Care Act. But then I looked into the reason her premiums […]

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IMG-0894
December 14, 2017  |  By Jill_Williams In Uncategorized

Beth O’Connor: When a Hospital Dies

At a recent media event sponsored by Virginia Organizing, Beth O’Connor, executive director of the Virginia Rural Health Association shared the following remarks. We are publishing them in full here because all of us in Pulaski County – insured or not, health care professionals or not – have a stake in our local economy and should […]

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affordability
September 29, 2017  |  By Jill_Williams In Uncategorized

Can you afford to “vote yes for PCMS”? (You might be surprised at the answer.)

As I’ve spoken with my neighbors about the upcoming referendum to fund a new consolidated middle school, I’ve learned that many people have no idea of what the tax increase will mean for their own families’ budgets. That’s in part because many of us pay our county taxes through our mortgage servicers and therefore never […]

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Vickie HoukPhoto by Hung Lui
August 30, 2017  |  By Jill_Williams In Profiles

Remembering Vickie: Share your memories

On Friday, we learned that Vickie Houk had passed away suddenly and unexpectedly. As one of the founders of the View from Peaks Knob, her writing, incisive commentary, and unflinching willingness to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable will be missed. But we know that her legacy extends far beyond this blog and the […]

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survey response 2
July 23, 2017  |  By Jill_Williams In Budget, Community Organizing, Education

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 […]

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life-expectancy-vs-health-expenditure
July 16, 2017  |  By Jill_Williams In Budget, Community Organizing, Education, Health Care, Inequality, Pulaski Explainer, Taxes

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 […]

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