Heather Taylor was in middle school, the eighth grade, when the first waves of “shock and awe” ushered in the war in Iraq.

MySpace is one of those things that, like cell phones and the Internet, that has become a necessity and a way of life for young people.
And like those cell phones and the Internet, the social networking site doesn’t come without risks. 

The stimulus package that will be supplying people with $300 and $600 checks in the coming months can be a bit confusing, especially for people who haven’t needed to file taxes in some time.
If you’re one of those people who hasn’t received a W2 in forever but you’re still wanting to get you check, Washington County Treasurer Fred Parker is here to help.
According to Parker, one of the more misunderstood things about the stimulus package is that, even if you didn’t earn an income in 2007, you still have to fill out a zero return. Parker said it takes about five minutes and he as well as a few other people around Abingdon are willing to help for free.

Anthony Flaccavento calls it the process of building an economy from the bottom up. It’s a process, he said, that calls for communities to focus not on what they don’t have, but what they have.
It’s part of creating sustainability and it’s the reason for a scheduled conference May 19 and 20 at the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center in Abingdon.
The conference, “Building a Creative Economy in Southwest Virginia: Art, Culture and Sustainable Development,” promises to look for ways to strengthen the region’s economy through what it has – a wealth of artisans, artists and farmers.

The region’s artisans will get their first chance for a spot of retail space in the planned artisan center come July.
The first jury session for Heartwood: Southwest Virginia’s Artisan Gateway is scheduled for July 7 in Abingdon. According to a newsletter from Round the Mountain, artisans can drop off their work on July 6 and pick it up July 9.

It started as a joke, Fred Parker said.
It was three years ago. Parker and Wayne Austin – working as Bert and Bart – held up a bone, not to pick but to auction.

Virginia State Police Trooper Kristopher Chapman is reminded everyday how critical it is for drivers to steer clear of officers and rescue workers stopped along Virginia’s highways.

A Washington County man working in Iraq says agriculture is the key to a lasting peace after five years of war, and for the country to achieve stability, U.S. forces will need to stay at least another five years.

Looks may not be everything, but leaders in this small Washington County town say a long-awaited face lift is a step in the right direction.
With new pavement, streetlights, landscaping and smooth sidewalks on the town square, Glade Spring’s downtown revitalization is taking on a visual reality.

Hoping to enhance awareness of the cost in lives, money and the U.S.’s world authority, peace activists rallied in Abingdon Saturday to mark the fifth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq.
Members of the Appalachian Peace Education Center held a vigil in front of the Federal Court building Saturday morning, working to reawaken people’s awareness and promote the end of this conflict.