Trail Days was a hot topic at the Damascus Town Council meeting this week.
The council unanimously approved a $5 per person camping fee for the Bayer Property and a $10 vehicle fee during Trail Days.
In a contentious vote regarding a vendor fee for manufacturer representatives volunteering to repair hiking gear, the council voted 4-2 to instate a $250 per manufacturer, council members Lannis Greene and Mitchel Greer opposed.

The election drew 42 percent of registered voters in the county.

Someone forgot to tell Wythe County voters that turnout was expected to be low this election. And the voters were, for the most part, kind to incumbents. County wide, 45 percent of registered voters, about 7,730, cast ballots.

In Smyth’s uncontested races, Sheriff David Bradley returned to office with 99.15 percent of the vote, or 5,063 ballots cast. Commonwealth’s Attorney Roy Evans received 4,774 votes. Treasurer Thomas Burkett II was returned to office with 5,022 votes. Commissioner of Revenue Jeff Richardson received 5,011 votes.

In spite of an at-times spirited campaign, voters didn’t flock to the polls to cast ballots in Tuesday’s General Election. Fewer than 35 percent of the county’s 32,452 registered voters chose to take part in the election.

Floyd County voters went to the polls Tuesday to choose new leaders. In the open Commonwealth’s Attorney post, Stephanie Shortt notched 2,440 votes to Eric Branscom’s 1,314 to become the first female commonwealth’s attorney in the county and one of only a few in the region.

A quiet campaign ended with a busy Election Day in Bland County as nearly half of Bland County’s 4,383 registered voters logged a choice in Tuesday’s General Election.
Many of the incumbents ran uncontested races, including Sen. Phillip Puckett, who received 1,225 votes in the county. District wide, Puckett received 28,425 votes.

With only three contested races on the ballot and none of them county wide voter turnout was light in Tazewell County.

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