Pop star Sheena Easton is bringing her songs to the Millwald stage.
Pop star Sheena Easton is bringing her songs to the Millwald stage.
ONE MORE RUN
Warner makes kickoff stop in Wytheville
U.S. Sen. Mark Warner stopped by Wytheville for a Main Street walk during a campaign kickoff visit to Southwest Virginia.
While in Wytheville, Warner talked with local business owners and community leaders, making stops at Oracle Books, the Millwald Theatre, The Grind and at Skeeter’s.
“I always enjoy walking down Main Street and hearing directly from the people who keep these communities running,” Warner said. “Places like Wytheville show what’s possible when local leaders, small businesses, and communities work together to invest in their downtown and create opportunity. My focus has always been on making sure communities like this have the tools they need to grow their local economies and support the small businesses that make Virginia’s towns special.”
Wytheville was recently recognized nationally for its successful Main Street revitalization, which has included millions of dollars in public improvements and private investment.
On Monday, after the Thursday and Friday trip to the region, Warner filed the paperwork required to secure a place on the ballot for the 2026 Senate election.
“After five days on the road across the Commonwealth, I’ve heard the same message from Virginians everywhere: lower costs, get things done, and make sure our economy is ready for the changes ahead,” said Warner. “My focus has always been on delivering real results for Virginia – lowering costs, creating good-paying jobs, and making sure our workers and businesses are ready to lead as technologies like artificial intelligence transform the economy. That’s the work I’ve been focused on in the Senate, and it’s the work I’ll keep fighting to deliver.”
Prior to the Friday stop in Wytheville, Warner was in Marion, talking about leaders there about the still-imperiled Job Corps program. 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. 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.
Warner said the conversation on Friday 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, who is 71 years old and a former Virginia governor, has served in the U.S. Senate since 2009. He told the Abingdon crowd that this past year in Washington has been “really, really hard.” He criticized President Donald Trump’s “impulsive and reckless” approach to foreign policy and the current conflict, saying there was “no imminent threat from Iran.”
He predicted the administration won’t be able to secure regime change and securing Iran’s enriched uranium would require putting U.S. troops on the ground, which he opposes, during remarks to a crowd of about 150 supporters at the Southwest Virginia Cultural Center and Marketplace.
Warner said he is ready to return to work on issues like establishing universal health care.
“When I come to Southwest Virginia, it reminds me why I got into politics,” he said. “Good people that work hard, take care of their own, that are proud to live in a community,” he said.
Warner “thinks it is still possible” for lawmakers from both parties to work together.
“If I didn’t believe that was still possible, I wouldn’t be asking folks to rehire me,” he said. “I’ve got lots of energy for this job…I’ve lived the American dream. If I’m not willing to stay in the fight, then I’ve got no right.
“I think, frankly, that a lot of my Republican friends have been scared of President Trump,” Warner said. “It wasn’t all that long ago, three years ago, we were doing the infrastructure bill that provided the broadband money; when we were doing the bill for providing semi-conductor chips, it was bi-partisan.”
During his remarks, Warner referenced his previous campaigns. All of them began with events in Southwest Virginia, including his failed “Mark not John” 1996 race against former U.S. Sen. John Warner and his successful 2001 bid for governor.
“We need people in Washington that aren’t at each other’s throat all the time,” he said. “That we get stuff done. I hope folks in Southwest Virginia will remember. I also hope for those young folks, who don’t remember my time as governor, that they’ll at least give me a fair look. I’ll earn their vote.”
dmcgee@bristolnews.com | Twitter: @DMcGeeBHC
Sen. Mark Warner talks about is campaign during an event on Thursday in Abingdon, Virginia.
Sen. Mark Warner talks about is campaign during an event on Thursday in Abingdon, Virginia.
Fort Chiswell's Owen Jackson (2) drives with the ball defended by Luray’s Matthew Owens (10) during the Class 1 VHSL State Championship game at the Siegel Center in Richmond, Va., Friday, March 13, 2026.
Fort Chiswell's Owen Jackson (2) drives with the ball defended by Luray’s Matthew Owens (10) during the Class 1 VHSL State Championship game at the Siegel Center in Richmond, Va., Friday, March 13, 2026.
Pirates releasing album
An album from an independent folk-jazz band out of Indiana drops on March 20. What a Friend, its title, lends itself to one of the tracks on the album. “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” features piano by prominent Bland County native musician Albert Newberry. Newberry performs an instrumental improvisational solo on the title track and is featured on a number of the other selections from the album.
The nine-piece band brings its Dixieland jazz elements to virtually every genre imaginable, including gospel, folk, rock, and country. Newberry spoke about the upcoming album during a January phone interview. He explained that he met this vast group of multi-instrumentalists, ranging in age from their twenties to their seventies, while he was pursuing his master’s degree at Indiana University.
“These are the most eclectic group of gentlemen I have ever met, and they have expanded my knowledge of music and my musical ability more than I could ever imagine,” he stated. “I am so lucky to have met up with this group and formed this one-of-a-kind band.”
American Pirates take listeners on a tour of the American twentieth century with their 19 tracks, blending their Dixieland-style jazz with their ability for Appalachian storytelling. The album includes self-composed songs like “Little Orphan Annie,” as well as modern takes on classic songs such as the original German translation of “Mack the Knife” and the Carter Family staple “Sweet Fern.”
Missouri-born Aaron Jones serves as lead singer for the group and wrote many of the tracks on the album. He gives credit to his parents for the musicality that inspired his own.
“My mother was always making up songs, which inspired me to always be making up songs,” he said during a phone interview in early March. “I am so grateful to my parents for imparting their musical knowledge and ability to me.”
The 46-year-old singer-songwriter sounds half his age, whether he is delivering a vocal performance or offering playful narration.
“There are some places on the album that are intended to be very serious,” he explained. “Others are playful. Sometimes we wanted to do both.”
Jones also expressed great mutual respect for his Southwest Virginia colleague.
“It is an honor to have a pianist of Albert’s caliber interpreting your songs in such a beautiful and capable way,” Jones said of Newberry. “He has a way of improvising during his playing that is unlike any other piano player I’ve ever heard.”
Jones added that that spirit of improvisation was a resonating theme throughout the entire recording process.
“I’m a very improvisational person, and I’m very fortunate to be in a band that allows me to go with the flow in the creative process,” he said. “The other guys in the band have a wonderful feel for that spontaneous spirit as well.”
Co-written with his good friend Adam DeWeber, Eli Sparks wrote and performed the song “Slow It Down,” which echoes the vibes of 1970s horn-driven bands such as Blood, Sweat & Tears, The Ides of March, and Spiral Starecase. Playing everything from guitar to tuba, the Bloomington, Indiana, native said he wanted to write a song to remind people to appreciate the little things in life.
“The horn parts were written by our banjo, trombone, and guitar player, Joshua Joy,” he stated. “I played the tuba on the bridge section of that song.”
Sparks was also very complimentary of his Bland County bandmate.
“Albert is one of the most incredible musicians I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with,” he said. “He is so creative and expressive through his music, but he is also one of the kindest people in the world.”
“This album is so expressive of what our live shows have been,” said multi-instrumentalist Judah Allen, who wrote and performed the song “As It Is” for the What a Friend album in addition to playing a myriad of instruments throughout the record. “This album has allowed us to play older songs that give due respect to tradition without playing the same thing over and over again.”
Though he was not present for the sessions when his bandmate Albert Newberry recorded his parts—his contributions were recorded earlier, prior to the remainder of the album sessions—Allen also spoke of his Bland County bandmate in glowing terms.
“He plays so tastefully and beautifully without overtaking the spotlight of the song,” he said. “He is just an incredible musician.”
“As It Is” provides a more traditional folk vibe reminiscent of Bob Dylan and remains a favorite among many of the members of American Pirates.
What a Friend by American Pirates will be available March 20 on all digital music platforms.
Town updated on industrial developments
Joint Industrial Development Authority Executive Director David Manley on March 9 updated Town Council on developments in the town and county.
Among the growth highlighted, Manley talked about an expansion at Duchess Dairy that would double production capacity and add a butter line.
He also pointed to 50 jobs being created by transformer manufacturer JST Power Equipment building its first U.S. facility on a little more than five acres in Wytheville. The company says its Wytheville campus would increase capacity from 100 units in 2025 to 1,000 units this year.
Manley also talked about work at Progress Park, where a $7.1 million grant-funded project would get Lot 10 shovel ready for an industrial client by early next year.
The director also touched on the 99-acre project in Progress Park that is home to Solis Arx, a much-questioned data center that is projected to add $10 million in tax revenue annually to the county’s coffers.
During public comment, Robin Fasano questioned the lack of transparency on developments. She said public concern about the data center has been in large part due to how it appears to have been decided behind closed doors.
“Keeping secrets don’t work,” Fasano said.
Fasano also questioned the town about fiscal management by council members, pointing to a $300,000 phone service upgrade that she said could have been paid for by wise money management rather than debt.
In other news, council members honored former interim Town Manager and Town Clerk Sherry Corvin for her 33 years of service. Corvin started in 1992 as secretary of the Chamber and moved through various positions with the town until her retirement on Jan. 1.
Council also approved street closures for the Fourth of July celebration, Christmas parade and October’s Mayhem on Main Street, along with closures for the annual trunk-or-treat event.
