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 […]
Who can represent the diverse landscape of the Ninth District?
The image above is the ninth district as seen by the 2011 edition of the National Land Cover Database (you can zoom in to explore this data at http://www.arcgis.com/home/webmap/viewer.html?webmap=e4c45b7769af40d280c1a74208662c9d — note: it takes a moment to load all layers) Our district is larger than New Jersey. In the image above: The red is our roads and cities. The […]
Hiding in the Opioid Numbers
If there is one thing that Americans can agree on at this moment in our history, it’s that we have an opioid problem. An epidemic that touches every state and county. In fact, we all likely know someone who has become addicted to oxycodone, morphine, fentanyl, or any of the other countless prescription painkillers that […]
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 […]
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 […]
Pulaski Explainer: Should Pulaski Join the Opioid Lawsuit?
Some of you may have read about a large lawsuit being brought against the manufacturers of opioid prescription drugs by many localities throughout the country. In our neck of the woods, Smyth, Wythe, and Russell counties have joined and their lawyers have attempted to add Pulaski County to their client list. I’ll attempt to explain […]
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 […]
Dont forget to vote in local elections tomorrow, Tuesday May 1
Elections will be held tomorrow (May 1) in Pulaski and Dublin. On the ballot will be candidates for Mayor (Pulaski) and Town Council (Pulaski and Dublin). Full sample ballots for both can be found at the Pulaski County Registrar’s website (http://www.pulaskicounty.org/Registrar.html). In Pulaski, David Clark is running unopposed for mayor and 5 candidates are running […]
Delegate Report- How Changing One Number can Affect Hundreds of Lives in Pulaski
In 1980, Virginia set the minimum amount (or threshold) for a felony larceny charge at $200. Since then, as inflation has risen 3% every year (on average) and virtually every state in the nation has raised the amount to at least $500 (in Texas it’s $1500 and North Carolina its $1000), Virginia has done nothing. […]
Death in a Small Town: A National Tour
What if we woke up tomorrow in a completely different small town? Would we feel at home in Summerville, GA, with 4 colleges just a county over? Or in Hartford, KY, among generations of coal miners? I imagine our neighbors in Greensburg, IN, heading off to the Honda plant every day, would be a little […]