Clinch Valley Times

03/15/2025

DO YOU SHOW YOUR TRUE COLORS? Yesterday, I was showing my true colors at the Clinch Valley Times :-)

03/14/2025

SINCE 2011 I have been writing local history articles for the Clinch Valley Times. When I write these articles I do my best to obtain all available FACTS and not just a hodgepodge of "oral histories" which tend to be self-serving. I have never "commercialized" history, twisting it to advertise any person, place, or thing. That would be BS. And if you regularly read what we publish, then you know that we remain true to our motto: "BS NOT SPOKEN HERE."

Others feel this way, too. Click this link to read about it: https://clinchvalleytimes.net/2025/03/14/leading-history-organizations-condemn-federal-censorship-of-american-history/

03/13/2025

COMING UP FROM PRO-ART AT UVA WISE - - - Some fine entertainment is heading our way. Click this link to read all about it: https://clinchvalleytimes.net/2025/03/13/dave-eggar-and-tetraquark-quartet-at-uva-wise-03-23-2025/

03/12/2025

WINTER IS STILL HERE and many of us would do just about anything to find some warm weather. Enter the cruise scam. Many of these trips to nowhere literally pop up online as a “free” incentive or a can’t-miss deal. What they really are is an attempt to steal your information or your money.

Here are three tips avoiding a cruise scam when shopping for your spring getaway:

***Beware of starting with a search engine: Scammers buy ads and use fake websites to appear at the top of results. Consider starting your search on trusted cruise line websites instead.

***Check the source: If you receive unsolicited cruise offers, investigate the company to verify its legitimacy, ask questions and study the fine print before booking.

***Pay with a credit card: If you’ve done your homework and are ready to make the investment, credit cards offer the strongest and most immediate fraud protection.

Be a fraud fighter! If you can spot a scam, you can stop a scam.

Report scams to local law enforcement. For help from AARP, call 1-877-908-3360 or visit the AARP Fraud Watch Network at www.aarp.org/fraudwatchnetwork.

With about 1 million members in Virginia, AARP is the largest organization working on behalf of people age 50-plus and their families in the Commonwealth. To learn more about how AARP Virginia is working in your community, like us on Facebook at AARP Virginia and follow on X at www.X.com/aarpva.

03/11/2025

For me, the first indication of spring is when the daffodils begin to bloom on the site of the long-gone house on Third Ave. between Russell St. and Broad St.

The last occupants of that house were Mrs. Charlean Salyers and her family. Though the house itself was destroyed by fire many years ago, the daffodils stubbornly remain :-)

Send a message to learn more

03/10/2025

AN ANNOUNCEMENT FROM HOLSTON MEDICAL GROUP

According to Virginia Magazine, Flu cases in Virginia doubled from 2,500 to 5,000 in February. To support the community during this time, HMG Primary Care at Norton extended hours to help patients get the care they need.

HMG Primary Care at Norton Expands Hours

HMG Primary Care at Norton expanded its hours to give established HMG patients affordable, flexible options for non-emergency care on nights and weekends. Hours are now:

Monday through Friday, 8 am - 8 pm
Saturday and Sunday, 8 am - 4 pm

For more information on HMG Primary Care at Norton or to establish your care with HMG and schedule an appointment, call 276-437-3000 or schedule online at https://www.holstonmedicalgroup.com/online-scheduling

03/09/2025

MUDCATS DISPLAY TEAM SPIRIT

The Mudcats 7th grade boys basketball team had a very successful year. They had a record 20-6 on the season beating many older teams and only lost 2 games against teams of their own age.

Team members are Aiden Kiser, Ben Chafin, Bentley Mullins, Daylan Phillips, Easton Phelps, Hank Summers, Kingston Holley, Michael Hale, Odin Terry and Raymond Buracker.

The team is coached by Ben Hale, Brian Summers, and Scott Chafin (who shared this information with the Clinch Valley Times).

CONGRATULATIONS, Mudcats! And thank you, Coaches for taking part in this program.

03/05/2025

It’s National Consumer Protection Week—and while AARP is focused on protecting consumers year-round—this is a good time to highlight some key consumer protection tips.

Make certain to use strong and unique passwords on all online accounts – look into password managers as an easier way to tackle this challenge. Where offered, use multi-factor authentication, where you receive a code by text, phone, or installed app, to add a layer of protection beyond your username and password. Rather than clicking links from texts and emails from your bank or from businesses you have accounts with, go to your app if you have one, or to a web browser and type the address in yourself—that way you know you are going to the legitimate site. Also, freeze your credit with the three main credit reporting agencies – TransUnion, Experian and Equifax – to block attempts to use any of your sensitive personal information that may have been exposed to open accounts in your name. Learn how at annualcreditreport.com/securityFreezeBasics.action.

Check out our Fraud Resource Center at aarp.org/frc for more insights and tips to stay safe from scams and fraud.

Be a fraud fighter! If you can spot a scam, you can stop a scam.

Report scams to local law enforcement. For help from AARP, call 1-877-908-3360 or visit the AARP Fraud Watch Network at www.aarp.org/fraudwatchnetwork.

03/04/2025

COMING UP ON MARCH 10, 2025, another fine live theater performance, brought to you by Pro-Art. Click the link on our CVT website [clinchvalleytimes.net] to read all about it:

https://clinchvalleytimes.net/2025/03/04/cahoots-theatre-company-presents-the-vanishing-elephant-a-mesmerizing-stage-spectacle/

03/04/2025

Send a message to learn more

03/03/2025

CLICK THIS LINK to read an announcement from Russell Co. Public Schools regarding Pre-K & Kindergarten registration for the 2025-2026 school year.

https://clinchvalleytimes.net/2025/03/03/pre-k-kindergarten-registration-dates-for-the-2025-2026-school-year/

03/03/2025

A MESSAGE FROM GOV. YOUNKIN'S OFFICE - - - Read the full article on our CVT webpage [clinchvalleytimes.net] by clicking this link:
https://clinchvalleytimes.net/2025/03/03/governor-glenn-youngkin-on-the-commutation-of-sentence-for-sergeant-wesley-shifflett/

Send a message to learn more

03/03/2025

ASH WEDNESDAY SERVICE - - - There will be an Ash Wednesday Service at St. Therese Catholic Church on Wise St. in St. Paul on Wednesday March 5, 2025, at 8:30 a.m. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, a time of fasting, prayer, and reflection leading up to Easter.

Everyone is welcome to attend this service.

03/02/2025

THEY'RE HERE - - - Yesterday afternoon, the folks from St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia arrived in St. Paul. They are participants in the college's Appalachian Experience (APEX) program and will be here for one week. The purpose of APEX is to give participants the opportunity to meet and interact with people whose life experiences and heritage are different from their own. It is not a "Help those poor Appalachians" program and I can personally attest to what it has brought to this community since it first came here in 2012.

While here, APEX PARTICIPANTS will be housed at the Oxbow Center's "bunkhouse." Their meals will be provided by local churches and organizations. They will also be assigned various work projects.

On hand to greet the APEX participants at the Oxbow Center upon their arrival yesterday were Jamie Rose of the Oxbow Center; Chad Monday, St. Paul Town Manager; Teresa Vencil of the Vencil Learning Center; Jim Stallard, who assists Teresa in her efforts; and me (Jerry Couch), of the Clinch Valley Times.

P.S. - I will be hosting a dinner for the APEX group on Monday March 3, 2025 at 6:00 p.m. at the Clinch Valley Times office in St. Paul. If you'd like to meet these fine young people, please stop by and join us :-)

03/02/2025

Yes, the Clinch Valley Times has readers in Eastern Kentucky. Many of us have friends and family members who live there. Today's announcement from Kentucky Emergency Management will be of interest to them:

FRANKFORT, Ky March 2, 2025 – Disaster Recovery Centers will open in Knott and Floyd counties today, March 2, in areas affected by the February floods. Disaster Recovery Centers, operated by the Ke…

02/28/2025

A tragic loss of life.

02/28/2025

"Fast" is a relative term. But rail travel was the fastest way to get from point A to point B in 1921 when this N & W Railway ad appeared in the Big Stone Gap Post. Railroads opened Southwest Virginia to the world.

02/27/2025

GETTING HELP AFTER A SCAM

Dealing with fraud in the aftermath can be fraught – not knowing where or if you should report (you should – it’s a crime), feelings of shame (even though it’s not your fault – blame the perpetrator), and an often-overwhelming emotional toll – let alone the financial impact.

One resource is the AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline. Every weekday from 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. EST, trained AARP volunteer fraud fighters are helping victims and their families understand what happened, report the crime, and plan next steps to put their lives back together. That number is 1-877-908-3360.

AARP also offers an online small group victim support program to help address the emotional harm fraud victimization causes. These conversations are completely confidential and are a wonderful way to receive support from others. Sign up for a session today at aarp.org/fraudsupport.

Experiencing a scam can be devastating, but it doesn't have to define you. If you or someone you know has been the victim of fraud, make sure to file a report with local police; among other things, this may be useful in the event restitution becomes possible down the line.

Be a fraud fighter! If you can spot a scam, you can stop a scam.

Report scams to local law enforcement. For help from AARP, call 1-877-908-3360 or visit the AARP Fraud Watch Network at www.aarp.org/fraudwatchnetwork.