Today's News

 Week 11 of the high school football season will be far from a ho-hum night in Southwest Virginia, but there will be almost no big-picture drama on the final night of the regular season in Region C, Division 1.

With all six playoff spots already locked up, the only thing left is dotting the I’s and crossing the T’s. That, and working out little details such as who plays whom in the first round next week.

 INDEPENDENCE — The Grayson County Board of Zoning Appeals and Zoning Administrator Lisa Barker have been dropped as defendants in a lawsuit that alleges the Board of Supervisors denied a special use permit for a spiritual retreat center because of religious beliefs.

In June, the Board of Supervisors denied a special use permit for The Oracle Institute, which planned to build a non-denominational spiritual retreat center in the Wilson District. 

 HILLSVILLE — In a candid moment during Monday's student announcements broadcast at the intermediate school, English and mass media instructor Dana Burnette received Carroll's teacher of the year award.

Schools Superintendent Greg Smith and Principal Chuck Thompson joined Burnette in front of the camera set up for the video feed, ostensibly to talk about a fund raising effort for the school.

 HILLSVILLE ― Voting with classes in session at Carroll schools proceeded in textbook fashion, county election board officials and educators agree.

Hosting both students and voters in the building during the mid-term elections Tuesday reversed a long-standing tradition that schools take a holiday when the polls opened.

"We wanted the voters not to be hampered in getting to the polls," said electoral board member Keith Meredith after the election.