Charles Goolsby's Glade Spring- Street View
Charles Goolsby's Glade Spring- Street View
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U.S. Sen. Warner visits Marion, holding discussion about Blue Ridge Job Corps
Marion Mayor Avery Cornett addresses U.S. Sen. Mark Warner and the panel addressing the importance of Blue Ridge Job Corps to the community.
U.S. Sen. Mark Warner leads a panel discussion in Marion Friday talking about the challenges facing Blue Ridge Job Corps and filling healthcare positions.
U.S. Sen. Mark Warner came to Marion Friday morning to talk about the still imperiled Job Corps program, which includes the community’s Blue Ridge Job Corps.
Warner met with students, administrators, and community leaders about the training program that has been a fixture in Marion for about 60 years.
Job Corps is a national program that offers a variety of training opportunities. Marion’s is primarily focused on healthcare, but, earlier this year, officials spoke of branching out by adding new programs such as cybersecurity through Wytheville Community College.
Job Corps is the nation’s largest career program that serves students who are 16-24 years old. The age restrictions can be waived for students with a disability.
Geared toward helping individuals who are low-income or otherwise at-risk, the program is free for participants.
On May 30, 2025, the U.S. Department of Labor informed the 117 Job Corps centers across the country that they had to shut down in four days initially, then extending the deadline by a matter of days. While Marion’s BRJC didn’t make students leave, many chose to, dropping enrollment.
Heather Goodpasture of BRJC told the Smyth County Board of Supervisors that 92 students were enrolled prior to the announcement.
The Job Corps program is still operating because a federal court judge issued an injunction, halting the closure, after the National Job Corps Association and other plaintiffs filed a lawsuit, arguing that the Labor Department does not have the power to shut down a program established and funded by Congress.
The uncertainty of the program’s long-term status is making it hard for Job Corps centers to recruit new students.
“We’ve been in limbo ever since,” Goodpasture told the supervisors in January.
Goodpasture said the Labor Department and the national association want to see greater numbers of students. That growth, she said, needed to be seen by mid-March and amounted to doubling their enrollment in six weeks. She and other BRJC staffers were on the road and working locally to try to bolster the institution’s population.
Warner heard about the stumbling blocks to growing enrollment Friday.
He also heard from representatives of the Mel Leaman Free Clinic and other professionals about how much BRJC helps fill local health care positions that would often go unfilled due to the ongoing worker shortage.
During a Friday roundtable, BRJC students shared how the program has changed their lives. They noted how the center doesn’t just teach curriculum but works with students one-on-one to help them work through prior trauma and other life challenges.
Mayor Avery Cornett addressed the gathering. In June, the Marion Town Council adopted a resolution that said the center contributes “nearly $6 million directly into our local economy.”
Students and health care leaders also discussed the broader challenges that rural communities face accessing affordable care, including workforce shortages and the strain on small clinics and hospitals across Southwest Virginia.
Warner said the conversation underscored how important programs like Job Corps are for both students and the region’s health care system.
“Programs like the Blue Ridge Job Corps give young people a real pathway into good careers while helping communities meet critical needs like training health care workers,” Warner said. “When there’s uncertainty about whether those programs will continue, it makes it harder for students to enroll and harder for communities like Marion to plan for the future. I believe we should be strengthening programs that expand opportunity and help rural communities access the care they need.”
Thursday evening, Warner formally kicked off his self-described final re-election campaign at a rally in Abingdon. The senator is 71 years old. A former Virginia governor, Warner has served in the U.S. Senate since 2009.
Zeus can be a goofball who loves to play.
Zeus can be a goofball who loves to play.
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Smyth's Democratic Party finds new life
Smyth County’s Democratic Party is more active than it’s been in years.
Last year, the party reorganized, and much to longtime member Susie Jennings’ delight, younger individuals are getting involved.
According to member Bev Haddock, the party was another casualty of COVID’s restrictions. The gatherings stopped and never recovered, she said.
However, Haddock said, “Just after the inauguration of President Trump in January 2025, many people in the county became concerned about the quick and severe implementation of Project 2025 initiatives – and the overreach of power with which they were being (lawless and unconstitutional ways) were being enacted.”
At that time, Haddock said, several individuals began working with longtime chairman David Boehm to explore how “severe budget cuts, destruction of federal agencies… were negatively impacting the residents of Smyth County, and to get the party revived so people would feel like they have an option.”
In April 2025, Haddock said she started a newsletter to interested Democrats, “updating them on… the new administration’s actions and available local resistance activities.” She also said that the party aligned with Take Action SWVA, a local organization based in Abingdon, and an offshoot of the national organization indivisible.org.
Numerous local Democrats have taken part in local rallies, including the No Kings rallies in Abingdon, an interstate overpass rally every Tuesday at Exit 44, and a protest in front of Rep. Morgan Griffith’s Abingdon office every Friday at 4 p.m.
Jennings said that rally participation is energizing.
“Just doing nothing is not helpful,” said Jennings, who is serving as the county party’s vice chair, and, at each rally, more people are taking part. She also observed that the rallies have been peaceful with individuals gathering to try to save this country’s democracy.
Jennings said she and others want to be an example for young people to realize that they can make a difference.
In April 2025, the party held a reorganizational meeting with 60+ people attending. A steering committee was developed.
Since then, Haddock said the steering committee has been meeting once a month, and a general meeting is also being held monthly. “The Steering Committee has taken the lead on what needs to be done to become a more viable and visible group in the community,” Haddock said.
The party has developed new bylaws and created a new website -- www.smythvademocrats.org, which outlines the party’s platform, general voting information, ways to donate online and more.
The county’s Republican Party has maintained a longtime presence at community events. Last October, Haddock noted that the Democrats also set up an information booth at the Marion Chili Cookoff.
Last fall, the party set up an office downtown the month before the election, distributed signs for Democratic candidates, and volunteers gave out sample ballots at the Nov. 4 election.
In addition to Jennings, the party’s other officers are Larry Wyatt, chair, and Michelle Eller, secretary.
For this year, Jennings said, one of the party’s biggest goals is to get young people registered to vote.
“We want the Smyth County community to know we would welcome their participation to work for the good of Smyth alongside our friends and neighbors,” Haddock said.
General meetings are held on the third Wednesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. at the Chilhowie Town Hall Community Room.
This evening, Douglas Crockett, who is seeking the party’s nomination to run for the 9th District Congressional seat against Rep. Morgan Griffith, will attend to outline his platform.
Crockett, a Wythe County native, is an attorney. More information is available about him at crockettnow.com.
Crockett is the third of the Democratic candidates the party has met. Jennings believes it’s an essential responsibility for the party to get to know the candidates and get them interested in Southwest Virginia.
Law enforcement, Mount Rogers CS working to enhance care for people in crisis
Representatives of Smyth County's law enforcement and dispatch services met with Mount Rogers Community Services leaders to plan for the implementation of the Marcus Alert System.
Area law enforcement and mental health providers are working together to strategize how the Marcus Alert System is going to be implemented here. The program is designed to unite the two professions to help individuals in crisis. The concept is not new to Chilhowie Police Chief Andrew Moss, who has been working toward that goal for some time.
Within 10 days of assuming the Chilhowie chief’s post in early 2021, Moss encountered a woman in distress. He and his officers were constantly being called to incidents that involved her.
Moss asked Mount Rogers Community Services to consider her for their jail diversion program, which offers “a variety of mental health services and treatment options” and supports “individuals as they encounter the legal system.”
Since then, Moss said, the CPD hasn’t had any calls involving the woman who completed the program that’s only offered in Smyth and Wythe counties.
Moss recounted that case as he reflected on preparations that CPD officers and other agencies around the region have undergone to implement the Marcus Alert system.
The system was established after Marcus-David Peters, an unarmed, mentally ill man, was shot to death by a Richmond policeman in 2018.
It’s designed to bolster services for individuals in crisis whether it’s related to mental health, substance use, or developmental disabilities. Through the system, 911 dispatch and regional crisis call centers coordinate to get a behavioral health response. Also, the system ensures that law enforcement officers complete specialized training to handle such crisis situations.
For Mount Rogers, Moss sees complexities in trying to make the system work just considering the tremendous geographical expanse of their service territory, which includes Bland, Carroll, Grayson, Smyth, and Wythe counties, as well as the City of Galax.
However, Moss said, if it helps one person, it’s good enough.
Marion Police Chief Kevin Testerman agreed.
“Anything that gets extra help for people” is worth it, he said, adding, “It’s for the community’s betterment.”
Sandy Bryant, Mount Rogers Community Services Executive Director, also sees benefits for the communities her agency serves.
In a prepared statement, she said, "The Marcus Alert System response enhances the partnership between law enforcement and community services boards to our citizens in a behavioral health crisis. Pulling our strengths together as a team benefits all involved. I'm excited for Mount Rogers to join law enforcement teams in working together to best serve individuals and families that need our assistance. We have started the process, and we are committed on both sides to make a positive impact on meeting the behavioral health needs in our communities.”
To help launch the system, MRCS is working with local law enforcement.
In February, key MRCS staff met with counterparts in local law enforcement to start the process to implement the state-mandated Marcus Alert System, which must be in operation in 2028.
The Marcus Alert System also requires law enforcement to get special training.
Additionally, the service is expected to benefit hospitals, clinics, and other medical service providers, who are next in line to handle individuals in crisis.
