Marion officials unveiled a renovated water treatment plant Monday in a dedication keynoted by Congressman Rick Boucher, D-9th.

Former Chilhowie Police Chief Dwayne Sheffield was sentenced May 1 in Washington County Circuit Court to one year in jail on a charge of distributing methamphetamine.

Picketing United Auto Workers and United Defense Workers voted down a proposed contract offered by General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products Saturday, sending the strike into its fifth week.

Only a couple of years after Joe and Susie Ellis finished their multi-million renovation of the General Francis Marion Hotel, the historic local landmark has landed on a travel list compiled by one of the most widely read travel magazines in the world.

The office responsible for oversight of state mental-health facilities is investigating a personnel situation at Southwestern Virginia Mental Health Institute that has resulted in the institute’s director taking three weeks of paid leave.

When John Shields and Karen Urie talk, they tell a love story. The elements of devotion, respect, excitement and a leap of faith combine for a compelling tale of passion for one another and for food.

Marion officials continue moving stepwise toward some yet to be identified best use for the controversial 1908 school house on Strother Street, and the next step comes Tuesday.

Billy Joe Parris, booked last September on a capital murder charge in the shooting of Chilhowie Police Lt. Kevin Testerman, received a 10-year prison sentence in a plea agreement Monday.

The nationwide slowdown in home construction is having a local effect. Coffman Stairs manufacturing in Marion has laid off 19 employees, but four were recalled Monday, according to Virginia Employment Commission office manager Betty Keith.

Chickens and a parrot. Snakes and lizards. A pony. Seeds. Herbs. Weather. Storybooks about animals and nature. It’s hard to list everything that was featured Friday at Marion Primary School’s annual Discovery Day, and those subjects are just a start.