From the town manager to lifeguards clad in their shorts and tank tops, the Saltville Town Council chambers were crowded Tuesday night with town employees fearful of losing their jobs. Their anxiety was legitimate, not because the town couldn’t afford to pay their wages, but because the council couldn’t agree on a budget that state law required to be in place by July 1.

Tom Burkett is convinced that eliminating county vehicle decals is the right path for Smyth County to take, and Monday the Smyth County treasurer pledged to continue his campaign in favor of that goal.

Following on the success of their blood drives last fall, Johnston Memorial Hospital Blood Bank and Wings Air Rescue will hold a third blood drive and community event from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Walmart in Marion July 8 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

A team of Polish dairy consultants had a firsthand look at dairy production in Wythe and Bland counties recently. The eight-member delegation is employed by Blattin Feeds, a major feed supplier for Polish operations.

The nation got to know Capt. Michael Harrison last week.
Blacksburg and Christiansburg residents, on the other hand, were just left wondering what happened to all their newspapers.
Harrison, 27, a 2000 graduate of Rural Retreat High School and a U.S. Army company commander serving in Afghanistan, was featured on the front page of the June 22 edition of the Washington Post.

A Wythe County man remains hospitalized after being stabbed Tuesday night. Dennis Wayne Dunford, 34, of Locust Hill Road is listed in serious condition at Roanoke Memorial Hospital, according to a family spokesman.

Pastors, bankers, veterans and plenty of politicians gathered Wednesday night in Wytheville to say one thing to a proposed boost in Appalachian Power rates.
No.

A 34-year-old Max Meadows man remains at a Roanoke hospital after being stabbed Tuesday night. Dennis Wayne Dunford sustained a stab wound to the ribs around 7:10 p.m. and was airlifted to Roanoke Memorial Hospital.

Dr. Phyllis C. Ashworth and Julia Jackson-King have been honored with Distinguished Service and Teaching Awards from Wytheville Community College. Ashworth received the Distinguished Service Award and Jackson-King was announced as the recipient of the Distinguished Teaching Award at the college’s annual Honors Convocation held May 7.

The decision clears the way for a man to be retried on a third offense of driving under the influence and eliminates any questions over other charges filed as a result of the checkpoints.