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Columns

  • Grassroots group's efforts paid off

    Kroger supporters and their grassroots movement might not have prevented their beloved Galax store from closing last month, but it has come to The Gazette’s attention that they did play an integral role in attracting new business to the city.
    On April 3, family-owned grocery chain Grants Supermarket announced that it would open a new store in the old Kroger building this summer. In a statement to the newspaper, the owners mentioned that the “Save Kroger” group had caught their attention while they were searching for new spots to expand.

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  • Agencies cooperated to handle emergency

    David Hutchins is Chairman of the Carroll County Board of Supervisors

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  • Keep fighting the good fight

    Despite not getting the results they were hoping for, the hundreds of supporters of keeping the Kroger store in Galax have shown a tremendous amount of organization and effort in the past several weeks.
    When it was first announced that the store would close March 21, these folks didn’t take the news lightly. Instead, everyone got together and did whatever they could think of to convince the corporation to change its mind.

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  • Not all land is created equal

    Carroll supervisors have a plan to help property owners turn their hard-to-reach or inaccessible land into cash.
    These ideas, called “Class C subdivisions” and “flag lots” that have entry through driveways known as “flag poles” are proposed modifications to the county’s subdivision ordinance.
    Class C subdivisions as proposed would be limited to five lots off a narrow, dead-end road.

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  • Dog owners should take responsibility

    It’s easier and more convenient for dog owners to just open the door and let their pet outside for a bathroom break or a run around the neighborhood. After all, what harm could five minutes do?
    This is a thought that these owners eventually regret when they hear that sickening squeal of tires on the blacktop near their house.
    Or, when they open the door to call them back, just to find an empty yard.
    Or, when their local animal control officer notifies them that their dog has killed the neighbor’s poodle.  

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  • It's time to explore health coverage options

    By Jon D. Applebaum, CEO of Twin County Regional Healthcare

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  • Zoning law needs a scalpel, not an ax

    Last week, Grayson County supervisors put a temporary stop to the controversial zoning repeal that has split the county into two sides over the past month.
    The supervisors, the newspaper and social media have heard arguments from all sides during this divisive debate.
    Some believe that zoning restricts their personal freedom to do what they want with their property. Others like zoning for that exact reason, because they don’t want to wind up with a brewery or a Hooters erected next to their church or family farm.

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  • Arguments in favor of zoning

    These “zoning talking points” were submitted to The Gazette by Concerned Citizens for Grayson County and signed by the Rev. Laura M. George, J.D., and members of the group. The Grayson Board of Supervisors is considering a repeal of the county’s zoning ordinance.

    Zoning and Taxes
    Zoning reduces taxes by locating industrial businesses in specific areas and building infrastructure just once (such as commercial roads, power, water, waste disposal).

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  • Ten reasons in favor of zoning

    Alexis Jones of Galax has a background in local government administration in Virginia and North Carolina

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  • Fix zoning instead of repealing it

    John S. Fant of Independence has a background in project and mission planning from his time in the military.

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