Richlands now offers electric vehicles a place to recharge. The station officially opened April 7 in the town's park on Front Street near the post office.
Richlands now offers electric vehicles a place to recharge. The station officially opened April 7 in the town's park on Front Street near the post office.
April is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and Clinch Valley Community Action is hosting events across the county. The Clothesline featuring shirts with victim's stories was displayed at the Tazewell library.
April is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and Clinch Valley Community Action is hosting events across the county. The Clothesline featuring shirts with victim's stories was displayed at the Tazewell library.
The Southwest Virginia Angus Association will be sponsoring the “SWVAA Double Header Angus Sale” on April 25 at noon at the Washington County Fairgrounds in Abingdon. We have 20 consignors from Southwest Virginia, North Carolina and East Tennessee that will be participating in this sale. There will be 52 head registered Angus females consisting of bred heifers, open heifers, bred cows, spring calving pairs and fall calving pairs that will be offered.
The SWVAA 28th Annual Performance Tested Fall Bull Sale will follow the female sale. 40 bulls were chosen to sell they are an Outstanding group of bulls, they averaged 205 day adjusted weight of 656 lbs., gain on test-3.95 lbs., 365 day adjusted weight of 1,198 lbs., frame-6.1, scrotal- 36.1 cm., ribeye-13.5, %IMF-4.27, $W+78, $B +161 $C+263. They were all fed as a group at G&E Farm in Gretna, Virginia. They were weighed off test on March 6 and were evaluated by a VDACS state grader.
This is a top-notch set of Performance bulls; many calving ease bulls will sell. For your free reference catalog contact the Sale Coordinator George T. Johnstone Jr. at 276-620-4901 or the Auctioneer Smith Reasor at 276-620-3123. Also you can look at the catalog and access moreinformation on the bulls at the association web site swvaangus.org
The videos of the bulls can be seen on the SWVAA Facebook page.
Legacy Hospice and Palliative Care will not pay property taxes, the Board of Supervisors unanimously decided following a public hearing at its Apr. 7 meeting. Several citizens spoke in support of the move, which will save the organization about $7,094 annually.
“Freeing up these funds through a tax exemption will allow us to pour that money right back into our community,” said volunteer Sandy Tatum. “These funds will allow us to provide 24/7 nursing care and compassionately support community members when they need it, when they’re must vulnerable.”
A nonprofit serving the counties of Tazewell, Bland, Dickenson, Buchanan, and Russell, Legacy was granted a tax exemption for its recently acquired property in Cedar Bluff on the basis of providing a “benevolent service” to Tazewell County. Previously, Legacy had rented a building.
At the meeting, citizens provided personal testimonies of their experiences with Legacy. No one spoke against the proposed tax exemption. Melissa Honaker said without Legacy’s “invaluable services,” caring for her parents “would have been an impossible situation for the primary caregiver holding down a full-time job.” Honaker also noted that many uninsured or underinsured families would not have access to hospice or palliative care without Legacy, which accepts patients regardless of their ability to pay.
Legacy’s commitment to never turning away patients resonated with Supervisor Kyle Cruey.
“Unfortunately, in this area we have a lot of people that don’t have that ability to pay,” Cruey said. “So, an organization that’s going to step in there, not only for the person but for the family as well, is something that we should support.”
Tatum said Legacy sought tax exemption not to increase profits but to enable them to better care for the community.
“Some examples of how we use these funds would be paying an electric bill to avoid electricity being cut off when someone may be using oxygen, purchasing a window AC unit for someone who has trouble breathing, (and) buying groceries when families have just used up all of their money on lengthy healthcare,” Tatum explained.
While hospice care focuses on alleviating symptoms for terminally ill patients as well as supporting patients and families emotionally, palliative care prioritizes pain, symptoms, and stress management during serious illnesses.
Angie Martin, who spoke about her experience using Legacy’s services for a close friend, noted Legacy’s quick response time and comprehensive care. When the friend arrived home from the hospital, Legacy was ready and waiting.
“They made sure that he had all the general medical equipment that he needed,” Martin said. “They made sure that his medications were in order. Anything that would provide him comfort in his last days, anything that was related to his admitting diagnosis, they made sure he had that.”
Kris Blankenship said she “always had that confidence that I could count 100 percent” on Legacy as they cared for two family members.
“I don’t know what I would have done without them,” Blankenship said.
Several citizens who could not attend the meeting sent letters urging the board to grant Legacy a tax exemption, including Rocky Smith.
“For the remaining three months of my mother’s life, she was cared for by the most skilled, compassionate, and caring staff of wonderful people that we could have asked for,” Smith said. “Every need was thoroughly addressed.”
Under Virginia law, a local government may exempt nonprofits from taxes on property used for “religious, charitable, patriotic, historical, benevolent, cultural, or public park and playground purposes.” A nonprofit must meet the qualifications as designated in the code, which include providing services for the common good of the public.
To maintain its tax exemption, Legacy will have to submit an annual statement verifying that no substantial changes have occurred in the services it provides. They will also be subject to audits as the county administrator deems appropriate.
Bethany Estoll is student at Bluefield University
