A firefighter was injured and a family pet killed on Monday in a late-evening blaze that gutted a Wytheville residence.
Wytheville Volunteer Fire Department Chief Ronnie King said Capt. Donnie Widner was checked out and released from Wythe County Community Hospital after bits of plaster ceiling fell on him while he was fighting a fire at 1045 4 ½ St.
According to King, firefighters went to the Mark and Sue Stiltner residence at approximately 11:07 p.m. on Monday.
“It (fire) was coming out of two (basement) windows when we got there,” he said.
King said smoke was also coming from windows in the upstairs of the split-level structure.

The show goes on.
George Wythe High School’s theater team followed up its Hogoheegee District title last month with a runner-up performance Saturday at the Region C festival in Botetourt County.
The second place finish secured George Wythe a place in the Group A state championships, the first time the team has advanced beyond regionals in director Lorna King’s 10 years at the helm.
GWHS senior Kayla Gilman received the regional festival’s Best Performer Award and junior Robby B. Suthers and sophomore Alora King earned honorable mention honors for their portrayals of eccentric British puppets.

Think you’re a big, tough bully?
You’ll soon be changing your ways once more than 250 Vikings start looking out for your victims.
The Vikings of Max Meadows Elementary School kicked off their Olweus Bullying Prevention Program last week with a spirited assembly to show the school’s commitment to fostering a bully-free environment.

A Virginia group that advocates expanding rail said the slumping economy might just be a good thing.
Less money for highway building and more interest in improving infrastructure and creating jobs could equal more room for rails, supporters say.
“I think one of the things that’s encouraging is there’s no longer much money for highway construction,” said Rail Solution Executive Director David Foster.
Rees Shearer, chair of the grassroots advocacy group, said the crisis in transportation funding could have some advantages. The justification for improving rail – fuel costs, pollution and future availability have only increased since 2003, when Rail Solution got its start.

It was the same old song and dance at Wednesday’s meeting of the Wythe County School Board – time to decide on a construction bid and already projected costs were off by millions of dollars.
But this shimmy had a different twist.
$13.2 million became $10.7 million.

Two major players in the real estate business are banking on continued success as part of Wytheville’s Main Street. Joseph Hand Jr. of Remax Landmark Real Estate and Barry Catron of Coldwell Banker Select Real Estate proclaimed their commitment by opening new offices.

One fugitive wanted in Wythe County remains at-large while another was taken into custody last weekend in Kentucky, according to the Wythe County Sheriff’s Office. They were involved in separate incidents.
Wythe Sheriff Doug King reported Thursday that 47-year-old Timothy E. Coffey of Max Meadows is being sought in connection with the robbery of a Food Country customer at Fort Chiswell on Wednesday afternoon. King said a felony warrant for Coffey’s arrest has been obtained by the Sheriff’s Office.

This grant is made for walking and that’s just what its proponents hope the residents of Bland and Wythe counties will do.
The Wythe-Bland Community Foundation announced its latest grants Tuesday, including a $400,000 award to Wytheville Community College for the development of an extensive walking and biking trail around the college’s campus.

Troy Lawson is a meat and potatoes loving guy. He was raised on his mom’s southern cooking in Baltimore but he added such northern fare as Philly cheese steak subs and pizza to his diet.
“I love southern cooking – basic meat and potatoes and biscuits and gravy,” Lawson stated. “But I like Italian food, too. My parents were from the south and we lived in Baltimore for awhile. All my friends ate at our house. They loved my mom’s fresh biscuits and gravy.”

The Wytheville Fire Department is getting a new pumper/tanker truck. An appropriation of up to $300,000 for the purchase was approved Monday night by Wytheville Town Council.
Approval will hinge on the Wythe County Board of Supervisors’ redistribution of fire funds available to the county fire departments. Council is asking that the town’s share be applied to the new fire truck.
In her budget and finance committee report Monday night, council member Jackie King noted, “Wythe County is currently undergoing a fire needs assessment and one of the matters that they are considering is redistribution of fire funds that are available to Wythe County fire departments. Their study is not yet completed and it is necessary for us to proceed with replacing this vehicle.”