Wakely Boyd has been playing well for Richlands.
Wakely Boyd has been playing well for Richlands.
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Tazewell welcomes Mountain Laurel Mercantile
Tazewell Va. – Tazewell’s newest business offers a wide range of products and services.
Mountain Laurel Mercantile and Hardware, located in the former NAPA building at 1676 Fincastle Turnpike opened its doors Nov. 21, 2025. Owners Darren and Renee Adair offer hardware, books, gifts and many other products. Renee Adair said the store was made with Tazewell in mind so people wouldn’t have to leave town to get good quality products at reasonable prices. They also want it to have the feel of an old-fashioned mercantile with a wide range of items
They have a book club that meets monthly and 17 people have already indicated they will take part in the next meeting. They hope to have benches in front of the store by spring. Adair said her husband dreamed of having a hardware store and her daughter wanted a bookstore and she wanted a place where you can pick up a nice gift for a special occasion.
The mercantile features all of that and more under one roof. It has an old-fashioned glass counter with items and family memorabilia displayed. There’s a hand cranked cash register that could be used in a pinch.
The store is open from 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
Richlands captured the 2025-26 Southwest District Scholastic Bowl title.
Richlands captured the 2025-26 Southwest District Scholastic Bowl title.
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Richlands seeking solutions to truck traffic in residential areas
Richlands Va. – Large trucks in residential areas continues to be an issue for the Richlands Town Council.
Karen Patton came before council for a third time asking for a code change to prevent 18 wheelers on Fourth and nearby streets. Patton first came before council in October 2025.
She presented a petition to council asking them to adopt Virginia code section 46.2-1304. That section allows local governing bodies to regulate use of trucks and buses through ordinances. It allows governing bodies to prohibit the use of trucks on designated streets for purposes other than making or receiving deliveries. It also allows localities to designate specific routes for trucks passing through their town.
The petition had 70 names of residents of Fourth Street and the streets adjoining it. Patton said 18 wheelers come into the area and tear up the asphalt and create noise that disturbs homeowners. She said they also present a safety hazard to children and people walking.
At its November meeting council asked Police Chief Ron Holt to increase patrols in the area to make sure traffic laws are followed. The owner of a business in the area told council at the Jan. 13 meeting that he leases his property to contractors who work for VDOT.
He said they were there for five weeks while doing work for the state but are not there as much anymore.
Council member Jordan Bales said an 18-wheeler can’t come down the hill and make the turn on the route Patton wants them to use. Council Member Seth White asked about reducing the speed limit to help alleviate concerns.
At the request of Mayor Rod Cury, Town Attorney Michael Thomas reviewed the code and said council can adopt an ordinance to be in line with the code. He said the code section has been around since at least 1950 and was last updated in 2007. Holt had previously offered three options to help with the problem. Those were asking truckers to use an alternate route, reduce speed to 15 miles per hour, or do nothing.
White asked if reducing the speed would be a good compromise? I see no negative impact of reducing speed in neighborhoods,’ he said Bales said reducing the speed to 15 or slower and increasing patrols might be the best route to go. It was the consensus of the council to have the interim town manager look at the area and see of he could offer any solutions.
In other action council:
*Heard from Charity Hurst, who thanked council for the town’s help with several races and Rock the Clinch.
*Rescheduled interview for clerk candidate.
*Adopted the food truck ordinance into the town code.
*Approved the meeting dates for the year.
*Heard from McGill and Associates that bids would be opened Jan. 26 for the work on upgrading the wastewater treatment plant.
*Heard from Fire Chief Rhudy Keith Jr. about the need for a new truck. Keith presented information about a truck that will fit in the town’s fire station. He said the truck could be delivered in 24 to 30 months. It would cost $570,072. He said the town could finance the full amount or pay $100,000 down and finance $470,072. He said the balance would be financed over 10 years.
*Approved a resolution supporting an increase in the state funding for rural fire departments from the aid to localities program.
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County Funds Medical Clinic, Substance Recovery Program
The Board of Supervisors presented Tazewell Community Foundation with a $100,000 check at its Jan. 13 meeting in support of a new medical clinic opening near Food Lion.
“This will be a plus for our community, economically and medically,” said Tazewell Community Foundation Vice President Don Buchanan, who accepted the check on behalf of the foundation.
The new facility will be managed by Carilion Clinic and is designed to deliver primary healthcare to the community. Two doctors, a physician’s assistant, and nurse practitioners are already on board to serve at the clinic.
“Health in rural areas is a major crisis in our country,” said County Administrator C. Eric Young, “and this clinic goes a long way towards solving that problem for us locally, because now, hopefully, we have somewhere for doctors, MDs, to practice medicine in our county.”
The grand opening is expected to be held the first week of March.
At that meeting, the Board of Supervisors also pledged $25,000 to the Reengagement Opportunities and Pathways to Employment Success (R.O.P.E.S.) program, which “helps individuals that are in substance use recovery transition back into the workforce,” said Rachel Patton, executive director of the Southwest Virginia workforce development board. The money will be used to help participants obtain transportation back and forth from work.
“We also work with them to help them obtain training and to help them stabilize their situation as far as getting their drivers’ license back, obtaining transportation, housing, all of the things that they need to be ready to go back to work,” Patton explained.
Participants in the R.O.P.E.S. program must have at least six months sobriety and be ninety days post incarceration with no pending charges. There are currently 35 participants in Tazewell County.
“We want folks that are ready to go back to work,” Patton said.
She added that the R.O.P.E.S. program has helped over 300 people in the region obtain and keep jobs. Most of their participants are referrals from probation, parole, and other programs.
“I think one of the barriers for people when they’re trying to recover is transportation. It’s hard to get a job if you can’t get back and forth to work,” Young said.
Although the R.O.P.E.S. program is funded by a Department of Labor work grant and congressional funding, those funds will run out this year. Noting a “huge demand” for the program, Patton asked the board to join six other counties in contributing funds and endorsing the program’s application for an $800,000 state grant. The pledged $25,000 will come from the Opioid Abatement Fund and will “go straight to Tazewell County participants,” Patton said.
Young noted that “These funds are settlement funds from opioid producers, and they’re required to be used for programs similar to this, so it’s not like we’re taking it from some other service.”
County Leases Ambulance to Career Exploration Center
