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Virginia Voices: Lieutenant Governor gets to know Wytheville
Open Door Cafe's Mike Pugh, right, talks with Lieutenant Governor Ghazala Hashmi, her staff, and volunteers during lunchtime on Monday.
An Open Door Cafe volunteer talks with Lieutenant Governor Ghazala Hashmi, center, as a member of her staff waited on customers.
Wytheville Tourism's Shane Terry talks with Lieutenant Governor Ghazala Hashmi about plans to grow the downtown's offerings and its already-completed revitalization.
Lieutenant Governor Ghazala Hashmi learned about the history of Main Street's big pencil and Wytheville Office Supply.
Lieutenant Governor Ghazala Hashmi picks out a walking stick to buy at a downtown Wytheville business.
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.
Virginia’s Lieutenant Governor Ghazala Hashmi visited the region’s first donation-based community eatery as part of her Virginia’s Voices initiative. Through the program, Hashmi is striving to learn about the people, institutions, and businesses that shape the Commonwealth. She also wanted to learn about the successes and challenges facing the people of Southwest Virginia.
As part of her visit to Open Door Café, Mike Pugh shared stories of the people impacted by the eatery. He took Hashmi aside to show her the amount of food needed to fill one week’s Hope Packs, which help students in 14 schools avoid hunger over weekends.
Pugh, who oversees the Café’s food operations, told her about the community volunteers who fill the Packs and about the children who receive them. He told her about a little boy who was sick and missed school one Friday when the packs are distributed. The child later said he never wanted to be absent on a Friday again because he was hungry all weekend.
“We hear stories like that all the time,” Pugh shared.
Hashmi lauded the work that helps keep students focused on learning. Education opportunities are transformative from one generation to the next, she said.
Dave Charles and his wife were visiting Wytheville on Monday for a medical appointment. They came to the café not expecting to meet the Lieutenant Governor and her staff. However, Charles called her presence fantastic. “It’s nice to see that support,” he said.
Later, the couple got a one-on-one conversation with Hashmi.
Pugh expressed much the same thought, saying it was good that Hashmi was showing interest in the café’s work and spending time with its staff, volunteers, and visitors.
If Hashmi understands what the café does and the need for it, Pugh hoped she will pass that knowledge forward.
Earlier in the day, Hashmi spent time learning about Wytheville’s downtown businesses and opportunities.
After a gathering at the Bolling Wilson Hotel, Hashmi visited Petals Wine Bar, checked out the big pencil on Main Street and learned about Wytheville Office Supply’s history.
With a truck loaded with cabbage passing by, Shane Terry with Wytheville Tourism told Hashmi about this area’s unique pursuit of “roadkill cabbage”. Many people love to collect cabbage heads from the roadside when they fall off trucks.
Next, Hashmi and her team visited the mural at the Heritage Walk that shares First Lady Edith Bolling Wilson’s story. Farron Smith, a Wytheville businessowner and advocate, told the Lieutenant Governor that the museum dedicated to Wilson wanted to share her story from childhood to the White House with everyone who takes the walk.
Terry noted that the walk connects the town’s two parks and that plans exist for also connecting the path to Reed Creek and establishing a blueway.
Talking about the revitalization undertaken downtown in recent years, Hashmi said, “I love the vision.”
She then learned the vision of the Eclectic Pearl’s owners, who went from booth and pop-up sales to their store, which now hosts 35 sellers, many of whom are artists.
Next, Hashmi and her team visited the 512-seat Millwald Theatre first opened in 1928.
Donnie Bales, executive director, shared the story of the theatre’s 2006 closure and the $6.5 million restoration that brought it back to life.
Monday, Bales announced that the Millwald is now the first Southwest Virginia affiliate of the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts.
Wolf Trap’s education work is renowned for its reach and helping youngsters engage in the arts.
Bales said the program will help put teaching artists in schools to provide arts-based training.
Hashmi offered her congratulations and celebrated the Millwald’s work to attract national performers while also giving local artists the opportunity to take the stage.
As a Virginia senator and as lieutenant governor, Hashmi has been an advocate for education and reading.
Holding a Ph.D. in American Literature from Emory University, Hashmi was also bringing that passion to this tour.
At Wytheville Community College on Tuesday, then Radford University, and Roanoke College, Hashmi was continuing her statewide Literature & Government lecture series, which strives to connect literature, civic life, and public leadership.
At WCC, Hashi’s lecture was expected to focus on labor and working through the writings of Louis "Studs" Terkel, who often penned material about ordinary Americans. At Radford University, her address was scheduled to reflect on Sharyn McCrumb’s The Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter and She Walks These Hills. At Roanoke College, her lecture was going to explore Barbara Kingsolver’s Demon Copperhead alongside Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield at Roanoke College.
At WCC, if weather permitted, Hashmi also planned to tour the Powerline Training Pole Yard.
Man facing sex-related charges in county
A man is behind bars, awaiting a Nov. 10 preliminary hearing after the Wythe County Sheriff’s Office says he arranged to meeting with a juvenile for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity.
Matthew Aaron Autrey is facing two charges: Proposing a sex act by a communication system to a victim younger than 15 and older than 7; and display of obscene material, child pornography or grooming video to a child. If convicted, the first charge would carry a mandatory minimum of five years in prison.
Sheriff Anthony Cline said investigators discovered communication with a juvenile online, adding that Autrey knew the juvenile’s age and arranged a meeting for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity. He said the investigation also uncovered that Autrey had sent explicit images to the juvenile.
The Wythe County Sheriff's Office reminds parents and guardians to talk with their children about online safety and the dangers of communicating with unknown individuals. Anyone with information related to this investigation is encouraged to contact the Wythe County Sheriff's Office.
Patrick Henry's Jeb Stewart eludes a George Wythe defender.
Patrick Henry's Jeb Stewart eludes a George Wythe defender.
Supervisors authorize purchase of outlet property
Wythe County has agreed to purchase approximately 55 acres at the site of the former Fort Chiswell Outlet Mall, opening the door to redevelopment at the long-vacant property.
The 55.29-acre property, located on Factory Outlet Drive in Max Meadows, was once a prominent, thriving shopping magnet recognized throughout the region. It has sat vacant and underutilized since the mall closed Following a fire at the property, the remaining buildings were removed.
The property’s location, size and interstate access offer potential for future commercial, residential, recreational, or mixed-use development. The county’s acquisition provides an opportunity to return the property to productive use and encourage new investment in the Fort Chiswell area.
“Purchasing the site gives the county flexibility to develop or market the site in a manner that supports the needs of the community instead of potentially being sold for undesirable development” said County Administrator Stephen D. Bear.
“This property has unrealized potential, and its redevelopment could create new opportunities for the Fort Chiswell community and Wythe County as a whole,” said James D. Smith, chairman of the Wythe County Board of Supervisors and Fort Chiswell District supervisor. “Like many people in our community, we have watched this property sit largely unused for years and wondered what it could become. Acquiring the site gives the county an opportunity to help shape its future and position it for development that benefits our residents and local economy.”
Situated at the eastern intersection of Interstates 77 and 81, the property benefits from convenient access to two major transportation routes and proximity to existing commercial activity. More than 60,000 vehicles pass the area each day. County water and wastewater utilities are available, and a state-maintained road provides access to the property.
No specific development has been approved for the property. The county plans to work with developers and other potential partners to determine the best future use for the site, with the goal of bringing activity and investment back to a property that has been dormant for years.
