As millions of monarchs – all that live east of the Rockies -- are making their journey to Mexico for the winter, multiple individuals and groups have launched locally raised monarchs on their way.

Chilhowie Elementary got attention at last week’s school board meeting. The attention wasn’t for anything negative, but for the number of students being educated there.

Smyth County was awarded two significant grants for its proposed school construction projects at Chilhowie and Marion Senior high schools. The awards total nearly $9.4 million.

$221+ million is the estimated cost of repairs and renovations needed at Smyth County’s schools over the next few years, according to a just completed facilities study.

In its nearly eight years of operation, Wytheville’s Open Door Café has been visited by its share of politicians. However, none had donned disposable gloves and gotten behind the serving counter to care for customers. That changed Monday.