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Today's News

  • Schools allowed to seek loan

    HILLSVILLE — Carroll school officials can apply for state literary loan construction funds to upgrade remaining facilities, county supervisors decided Tuesday after thinking about a request for a month.

    Schools Superintendent Greg Smith asked the supervisors in September for permission to proceed with planning and seeking state funds to complete the division-wide school improvement program after a decade of pursuing the work.

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  • New fee trashes town's budget

    INDEPENDENCE ee* After agreeing to continue trash collection service with Grayson County, the Town of Independence faces nearly a $13,000 deficit to make up in the 2009-10 budget.

    Town council agreed unanimously last Tuesday to approve the same contract that the board of supervisors approved last week.Vice Mayor Tom Maxwell and Council Member Ronald Sexton were absent at the vote.

    The contract calls for Independence to pay the county $5,247.67 monthly, or $62,972 a year ee* a $26,972 increase in the town’s expenses.

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  • Galax may throw vehicle decal decision into reverse

    A decline in revenue for property tax and vehicle license fees has Galax officials considering bringing back automotive sticker decals, according to Keith Barker, acting city manager.

    Galax City Council held the first reading last week to change a draft ordinance in order to reinstate the windshield decal.

    If the ordinance passes, it could go into effect by January. As with previous policy, residents would have to buy a sticker decal for their windshield in the spring.

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  • Expected to rise

    Everybody’s looking forward to the end of our Great Recession, but at least one bad thing will come along with the good — higher prices.

    Many construction projects have come in under budget around the country, leading consultants to point out the decreasing cost factors to localities with needed infrastructure projects.

    But the nation — with the stock market clawing its way back and federal stimulus funding causing many infrastructure projects to heat up — may soon see an end to construction discounts provided by the soft economy.

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  • Letters to the Editor for 10/19/09

    Bring Change, Buy Local

    To be certain, these are perilous economic times.

    As consumers, we still are frightened by high unemployment figures, a roller coaster stock market, bailouts of major corporations, and a general feeling that the worst may not yet be over.

    With worry comes hesitancy to spend and discretion about items we do purchase. We’ve become a nation of picky buyers and rightfully so.

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  • Woman charged with felony child neglect

    HILLSVILLE — A Hillsville woman has been charged with felony child neglect for failing to obtain medical care for a child with a serious injury.

    According to a press release from the Hillsville Police Department, officers were called Oct. 5 to a residence to check on the welfare of a small child who had reportedly been injured.

    Officers found a five-year-old child with a large cut on the foot. The child was in need of immediate medical care.

    EMS was called and the child was taken to Twin County Regional Hospital for treatment.

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  • Nautilus could close in December

    INDEPENDENCE — Less than a year after an announcement that fitness company Nautilus, Inc., would expand its plant in Independence, workers have been told they may not have jobs past Dec. 18.

    According to Wayne Bolio, senior vice president of Nautilus, Inc., based in Vancouver, Wash., employees at the Independence plant were given the federally mandated 60-day notice on Tuesday that the plant could be shutting down.

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  • Fancy Gap awarded ARC tourism grant

    Another federal grant will benefit Fancy Gap as a gateway community to the Blue Ridge Parkway. The community won one of six tourism grants from the Appalachian Regional Commission.

    Fresh off getting more than $8 million in federal stimulus funds to pay for public water and sewer projects, Fancy Gap will also receive $38,500 for an interactive tourism information kiosk, according to the ARC.

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  • H1N1 vaccinations planned in local schools

    INDEPENDENCE — Local schools are planning to offer vaccinations for the H1N1 virus beginning this week.

    Galax Public Schools will provide free H1N1 FluMist vaccine to students during school hours on Friday, while Grayson and Carroll schools plan to offer vaccinations next week.

    The vaccine will either be administered through the nose or by injection, depending on the child's medical status.

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  • Grayson schools making progress

    INDEPENDENCE — Grayson County has all but one school accredited and once again barely missed federal adequate yearly progress (AYP) benchmarks as a division — leaving school administrators excited about the improvements.

    School Director of Instruction and Assessment Stephen Cornett updated the school board on the system's progress during a regular meeting Oct. 12.

    The school system managed to add Independence Middle School to its list of schools that met AYP, leaving only two — Fries Middle and Independence Elementary — remaining to improve

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