Front Porch: Giles, Bland, Monroe, Mercer County

31/01/2025

Come for the outdoor recreation, friendly towns, and unforgettable experiences. Say because it’s Virginia’s Mountain Playground™. Giles County is home to 37 miles of the New River and New River Water Trail™, over 50 miles of the Appalachian Trail and the Great Eastern Trail.

28/10/2024

Our hearts are saddened and overjoyed as another goes home...

SUSAN AMANDA SADLER, 61, of Pearisburg, VA, passed away Saturday morning, October 26, 2024, at Carilion New River Valley Medical Center. Susan was born November 21, 1962 in Leon, FL. She began her journey as the daughter of the late Mary Woodyard, and was raised by her grandmother, Janie Woodyard

26/10/2024

Trump will hold a rally at the Salem Civic Center...

Sign up for a ticket TODAY!

17/10/2024

ATLANTA -The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced today the addition of more counties to the Virginia Presidential disaster declaration resulting from Tropical Storm Helene, giving more businesses and residents eligibility to apply for SBA’s low-interest disaster loan program.

On October 15, 2024, it was announced that funds for the Disaster Loan Program have been fully expended. While no new loans can be issued until Congress appropriates additional funding, we remain committed to supporting disaster survivors. Applications will continue to be accepted and processed to ensure individuals and businesses are prepared to receive assistance once funding becomes available. Applicants are encouraged to submit their loan applications promptly for review in anticipation of future funding.

With this addition, the disaster declaration covers Bedford, Bland, Carroll, the Independent City of Galax, Giles, Grayson, Montgomery, Pittsylvania, Pulaski, the Independent City of Radford, Russell, Scott, Smyth, Tazewell, Washington, Wise, and Wythe in Virginia which are eligible for both Physical and Economic Injury Disaster Loans from the SBA. Small businesses and most private nonprofit organizations in the following adjacent counties are eligible to apply only for SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs): Amherst, the Independent City of Bristol, Buchanan, Botetourt, Campbell, Craig, the Independent City of Danville, Dickenson, Floyd, Franklin, Halifax, Henry, Lee, the Independent City of Lynchburg, Patrick, Rockbridge and Roanoke in Virginia; Harlan, Letcher and Pike in Kentucky; Alleghany, Ashe, Caswell, Rockingham, and Surry in North Carolina; Hancock, Hawkins, Johnson and Sullivan in Tennessee; and McDowell, Mercer, Monroe, and Summers in West Virginia.

SBA’s Customer Service Representatives are available at the Centers to assist business owners complete their disaster loan application, accept documents, and provide updates on an application’s status. Walk-ins are accepted, but you can schedule an in-person appointment at an SBA Business Recovery Center in advance. The Centers will operate as indicated below.

Business Recovery Center (BRC)
Independent City of Galax County
Crossroads Institute
1117 E Stuart Drive
Galax, VA
Hours: Monday – Saturday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Closed: Sunday

Business Recovery Center (BRC)
Washington County
Virginia Highlands Small Business Incubator Center
851 French Moore Jr Boulevard
Abington, VA 24210
Hours: Monday – Saturday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Closed: Sunday

Do not wait to settle with your insurance company before applying for an SBA disaster loan. If you do not know how much of your loss will be covered by insurance or other sources, SBA can make a low-interest disaster loan for the total loss up to its loan limits, provided you agree to use insurance proceeds to reduce or repay the loan.

With the changes to FEMA’s Sequence of Delivery, survivors are now encouraged to simultaneously apply for FEMA grants and the SBA low-interest disaster loan assistance to fully recover. FEMA grants are intended to cover necessary expenses and serious needs not paid by insurance or other sources. The SBA disaster loan program is designed for your long-term recovery, to make you whole and get you back to your pre-disaster condition. Do not wait on the decision for a FEMA grant; apply online and receive additional disaster assistance information at sba.gov/disaster.

Applicants may also call the SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or send an email to [email protected] for more information on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

The filing deadline to return applications for physical property damage is Dec. 2, 2024. The deadline to return economic injury applications is July 1, 2025.

17/10/2024

Glen Lyn happens to have a great fire department as a neighbor in the Rich Creek Fire Department. What the residents will certainly be up against is ambulance and rescue squad coverage which also effects Rich Creek. Perhaps, as a safety net, Giles County would seek an agreement with Peterstown Volunteer Fire Dept. and Rescue Squad for help with coverage. I do not pretend to know what that would entail, but it seems logical to seek the closet source. I am sure Narrows will also be trying to lend a helping hand. As Farewell states, time is of the essence in an emergency situation. You never know how much you need these services until you lose them.

A small town in Giles County is grappling with division after its town council voted to dissolve the Glen Lyn Volunteer Fire Department.

15/10/2024

If you believe there are unsung heros out there that need to be recognized in some way for their efforts during the flood, let me know who they are. There will be an attempt in the not too distant future to tell others about them. I need your candidates and a little about what they did...

15/10/2024

Might want to make sure you don't have any of these items...

The USDA is warning people about additional ready-to-eat meat and poultry products that have been recalled due to a possible listeria contamination.

12/10/2024

Biden-Harris Department of Justice

RICHMOND, VA— Governor Glenn Youngkin, after being notified this afternoon that the Biden-Harris Department of Justice was filing a lawsuit against the Commonwealth of Virginia, released the following statement:

"With less than 30 days until the election, the Biden-Harris Department of Justice is filing an unprecedented lawsuit against me and the Commonwealth of Virginia, for appropriately enforcing a 2006 law signed by Democrat Tim Kaine that requires Virginia to remove noncitizens from the voter rolls - a process that starts with someone declaring themselves a non-citizen and then registering to vote. Virginians - and Americans - will see this for exactly what it is: a desperate attempt to attack the legitimacy of the elections in the Commonwealth, the very crucible of American Democracy. With the support of our Attorney General, we will defend these commonsense steps, that we are legally required to take, with every resource available to us. Virginia’s election will be secure and fair, and I will not stand idly by as this politically motivated action tries to interfere in our elections, period."

11/10/2024

October 25 is the new date for the auction of the Greenbrier Hotel...
I owe, I owe, it's off to public office I go...

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS W.Va. (WVDN) – After narrowly avoiding auction in August, the Greenbrier Hotel is once again scheduled to be sold on Oct. 25, according to a legal notice submitted to The West Virginia Daily News. The document states that the debt causing this auction attempt is with J.P. Mor...

10/10/2024

Portions of New River Trail State Park reopen after Hurricane Helene

MAX MEADOWS, Va. – Roughly 25 miles of New River Trail State Park have reopened to the public after Hurricane Helene caused significant damage to the trail.

Visitors can now enjoy hiking, biking and horseback riding along the following sections:

Roughly 9 miles from the Galax park entrance to the Gambetta park entrance. This portion of the trail includes Chestnut Creek Falls.
Roughly 3 miles from mile marker 33 through mile marker 29. This portion of the trail includes the Ivanhoe park entrance, Ivanhoe River Bridge and Austinville park entrance.
Roughly 12 miles from the Shot Tower park entrance to mile marker 13. This portion of the trail includes Foster Falls.
Roughly 8 miles from mile marker 10 to the Dora Junction park entrance. This portion of the trail includes the Dalton Bridge, Sloan Creek Trestle, Draper park entrance, McAdams Trestle and Peak Creek Trestle.
To access these sections of the trail, guests can park at the following entrances: Galax, Cliffview, Chestnut Yard, Gambetta, Austinville, Shot Tower, Foster Falls, Draper and Dora Junction.

Before navigating the trail, guests are encouraged to download the geo-referenced park map from Avenza Maps. This free app is available on both iOS and Android. Learn more at virginiastateparks.gov/park-trail-maps.

Although significant progress has been made, roughly 17 miles of the trail remain closed for ongoing repair, including:

From the Fries park entrance to the Trestle Rd. boat ramp (mile marker 33). This closure includes Fries Junction, Byllesby Dam and Buck Dam.
From the Gambetta park entrance to Fries Junction (mile marker 40). This closure includes Gambetta Tunnel.
From the Austinville park entrance through Indian Branch Bridge (mile marker 28.5). This closure includes the Austinville Tunnel and Indian Branch Bridge.
From mile marker 13 to mile marker 10. This closure includes the Allisonia park entrance, Hoover Mountain Bike Area, the Hiwassee park entrance and Hiwassee River Bridge.
These areas are expected to reopen once they are deemed safe for public use. For guest safety and the safety of park rangers and emergency response workers, visitors should not attempt to access portions of the trail that are closed.

In addition to trail closures, the Hoover Mountain Biking Area is closed until further notice, and all park campgrounds are closed through Feb. 28, 2025.

For updates on trail closures, please go to virginiastateparks.gov/new-river-trail.

10/10/2024

Benefit Spaghetti Dinner for Caleb Canode
October 19th at 5:00 pm.
At Pleasant Hill UMC rt. 100 Bane VA
Caleb is a 13 year old with Osteosarcoma
Donations accepted.

10/10/2024

RICHMOND, VA - Governor Glenn Youngkin today announced that the National Park Service will reopen the Blue Ridge Parkway on Friday, October 11, 2024. This follows a previous announcement that the Blue Ridge Parkway would be closed indefinitely to clear debris caused by Hurricane Helene. Visitors are invited to come experience fall in Virginia.

“Virginia is excited to announce that the Blue Ridge Parkway, the nation’s most-visited park, is once again open for business. This is fantastic news for our communities, especially for the small businesses that rely on parkway travelers for their livelihoods. The prolonged closure due to Hurricane Helene has had a significant impact during fall foliage season, and this reopening will provide a much-needed boost to our local economy,” said Governor Glenn Youngkin. “I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to everyone involved, particularly the National Park Service, who have worked tirelessly during this challenging time to make this opening a reality. As we continue to recover from Hurricane Helene, we look forward to once again welcoming visitors from all 50 states and around the world, and I encourage all visitors to support our local businesses that celebrate and highlight the beauty of Virginia’s Blue Ridge so we can help them rebuild and thrive once again.”

The Blue Ridge Parkway is open for business in Virginia. Visitors should take note of the following:

The Blue Ridge Parkway will open in phases according to the following schedule:

Milepost 1 to milepost 198 soft opening on Thursday, Oct. 10, formal reopening on Friday, Oct. 11.

Milepost 198 to milepost 217 at North Carolina state line to reopen the following week – exact date to be announced.

National Park Service campgrounds will operate on a first-come, first-served basis until October 14, at which time existing reservations will be honored.

Use Virginia 511 for road conditions throughout the state.

Visitors should be aware that trail assessments have not been completed in all areas and caution should be exercised when hiking.

Visitors may encounter reduced services due to staffing shortages, as many employees are assisting with operations in North Carolina, where the impacts of the storm were far more severe.

Blue Ridge Parkway areas previously closed for construction will remain closed.

Visit Virginia.org for the latest travel updates.