Features

William Jones was on his way back to work and just wanted to pick up a soft drink when he bought a Win It All Scratcher ticket from the Virginia Lottery.

Instead, he walked out of the store with a $200,000 top prize-winning ticket.

By SHAINA STOCKTON
Staff
Frank Edward Morris lived most of his life in Galax and made extensive contributions to the community, especially throughout his long career at American Mirror Company.
Morris, who passed away on Feb. 3 at age 72, is remembered as a hard worker and a dedicated salesman.
Morris started working at American Mirror in 1962, and after a couple of years training at the plant and throughout the company, he was made sales manager in 1964.

Audrey Hope Gillespie may have been born with a rare disease that left her with half a heart, but you’d never know from her sweet, playful nature and her brilliant smile.
And as if to make up for that little heart, the hearts of her family are singing with joy after musicians both local and national have volunteered to play a concert this weekend to help pay her medical expenses.
The happy 10-month-old’s cheerful demeanor never hints at the struggles she has been through in her brief time on earth.

HILLSVILLE — Fancy Gap students want 1,000 paper cranes to carry a message of peace to the children at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn.
Fourth and fifth graders in Anita Semones’ class continue reading “Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes,” a story about a girl who survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima to die later of leukemia from exposure to radiation.
Sadako knew the Japanese adage that if you make a thousand origami paper cranes, you get a wish, the teacher explained. But Sadako died after finishing only 644.

By SHAINA STOCKTON
Staff
Years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. shared his dream of racial equality with the world. Society since that time has changed drastically, making King’s dream a reality.
Decades after his death, many still find the strength in his words to pursue their own dreams, no matter how difficult they may seem.

By SHAINA STOCKTON
Staff
Groups of black silhouettes circle the air over the hospital and hover around local businesses and residences, roosting in trees and giving some people the creeps.
During the winter months, scavenger bird sightings in the Twin County area have become more common. As vultures and buzzards settle in for their long winter’s nap, the community is not feeling quite as comfortable.

HILLSVILLE — Organizers of Christian Family Fun Day have tagged their next event, bringing a famous wrestler to Carroll County High School for the “Ring of Truth.”
After wrestling with the likes of Ric Flair, Arn Anderson and Ole Anderson in the original “Four Horsemen” and winning titles as a team member and on his own, Tully Blanchard now describes himself as “a champion of Christ.”
Blanchard wrestled from 1977 to 1989 in the WCW and the WWE until his drug and alcohol usage sort of pinned him to the mat.

By SHAINA STOCKTON
Staff
After years of hard work and preparation, Alfonzo “Fonzi” Hernandes Cobos of Galax is climbing the ladder as a bodybuilder.
On Nov. 3, 2012, he took first place in the lightweight class bodybuilding competition at the Elite Muscle Classic in Greensboro, N.C. He also placed second in the overall competition.
Cobos, 23, was born in Veracruz, Mexico, and moved to the United States when he was 12 years old. He is a graduate of Galax High School.

By SHAINA STOCKTON
Staff
White House Executive Chef Cristeta Comerford prepared a selection of fine foods from every corner of America for President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama’s 24 holiday dinners and receptions this year, and cheese from Meadow Creek Dairy of Galax will be featured on the menu.