Columns & Opinion

Today’s lead story and the mugshots inside are going to make some readers angry. We are simply providing information that is public and, to the best of our knowledge, legitimate. I can only presume — but have no way confirming — that some or all of the illegals arrested in this region already were being incarcerated in various facilities. If […]

Focus on the law, not an office Dear Sir: So the puppet mayor suddenly wants an office — and Councilman Page is suggesting the armory? Why not put a desk beside the Town Manager’s or have El Presidente put an office in his Cross Thomas Center? That way, the mayor probably won’t have to leave prestigious Ward C. When is […]

When Nottoway High School held its annual Valentine Program in February 1986, Neal Jones and Kitty Foote were crowned King and Queen. Doing the honors 40 years ago were principals Hartwell Glover (left) and Wally B. Hurt.

It was early 1986 — 40 years ago — when 4th grader Sharri Rhodes (left) won Blackstone Primary School’s spelling bee. Travis Hobbs was runner-up.

Third graders at Blackstone Primary School back in Feb. 1986 treated fellow students and parents to a Valentine’s Day program called, “February Favorites.” Included was a play entitled, “A Valentine Surprise.” Cast members from left: Amanda Kreider, Franklin Yancey, Andy Parker, Sharmila Wilson, and Myca Carter. Not pictured is cast member Tonya Evans.

SWAMPED Well, we finally got their redistricting maps. They’re just as bad as we thought they’d be. Communities of common interest are gone, and Congressional tendrils snake down from Arlington and Alexandria into the rest of the Commonwealth. Gerrymandering, thy name, Virginia Democrats. This map isn’t even trying to look fair. It’s a gerrymander at the same level of Illinois […]

If you think your December light bills were high, wait until the bills for January that we’ll get in March. Our heat pump ran non-stop for the past nine days. I had the thermostat set on 65°, and the temperature in our 1962 home would climb no higher than 63°. So I finally cranked it down to 60°, but that […]

Well done, Blackstone Dear Sir: The Town of Blackstone deserves praise for its performance under extreme winter conditions. The police helped stranded motorists. Town crews efficiently cleaned streets, parking lots and sidewalks. Fire and Emergency crews were prepped and ready to answer calls. Stores and businesses were open and working hard to provide for all of us. The patience of […]

It was January 1986 — 40 years ago — when Gerard Wilson of Rt. 1, Blackstone, displayed a pair of six-pound beats that were raised in the family garden.

It was January 1986, and Blackstone was completing its first major grant project with the Virginia Dept. of Housing & Community Development (DHCD). About $167,000 of the $700,000 grant provided 21 bathrooms at residences on Falls, Luke, Sullivan, Taylor, and Carver Streets and North West Avenue. Richard Lee, who served as Town Manager from 1977-1992, is shown here beside one […]