Dogwood

08/12/2023

Pine-ing for holiday fun? These 12 Virginia tree farms and light shows will make your heart feel light.

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Pine-ing for holiday fun? These 12 Virginia tree farms and light shows will make your heart feel light.

07/12/2023

Happy first night of Hanukkah! Hoping this holiday season is filled with a latke love.

07/12/2023

Virginia’s 2024 legislative session kicks off in just over a month, and the Democrats who will be in charge of both the House of Delegates and state Senate have made clear their priorities for the coming year.

In addition to kicking off the multi-year process to establish a fundamental right to reproductive freedom in the state constitution, Virginia Democrats are also starting work on an amendment that will automatically restore the voting rights of Virginians convicted of felonies upon completion of their sentences.

Democrats are also proposing measures to improve Virginians’ fiscal security and physical safety.

Virginia’s 2024 legislative session kicks off in just over a month, and the Democrats who will be in charge of both the House of Delegates and state Senate have made clear their priorities for the coming year. In addition to kicking off the multi-year process to establish a fundamental right to re...

07/12/2023

Did your grandparents tell you stories about wintertime in Virginia like they told us? The ponds froze solid, and they skated right across. The snow came up to their knees, but they still walked to church.

Stories of snowstorms in Virginia are nothing new. In fact, both George Washington and Thomas Jefferson wrote in their journals about a massive snowfall in 1772. Both future presidents jotted down that three feet of snow fell on January 28.

Have you ever wondered what a president’s house looked like in the snow? These pictures from the Mount Vernon estate were taken in the 1900s. While it might not have been three feet, it certainly gives the idea of what George might’ve seen on a snowy day at home.

Be sure to share your Virginia snow photos with us this season!

📸:Theodor Horydczak, photographer/Library of Congress

07/12/2023

If you haven’t signed up for Medicare yet, there’s still time! Today is the last day of the open enrollment period. With Medicare, enrollees have access to helpful medical perks like a $35 monthly insulin cap and zero-cost vaccines (including the shingles vaccine).

To check your eligibility and find a plan that’s right for you, check out our link in bio.

Link: https://www.medicare.gov/

07/12/2023

Have you noticed it’s getting harder to find local news? Here at Dogwood, Virginia’s our specialty! If it doesn’t impact Virginians, you’re not going to see it on our site.
We enjoy sharing accurate, local news across the commonwealth without a paywall—and that’s possible, thanks to you and your support. Peek at our link to donate: https://bit.ly/3Z6ywfo

06/12/2023

Get into the holiday spirit with events happening all over Virginia. We’ve rounded up a few for you to save and share with family and friends, but click the link for the full list: https://bit.ly/3Rt83q6

For all your fun, be sure to follow us .

06/12/2023

Support local news and empower community voices!

Support free, fact-based journalism by donating to Dogwood now! Link here: https://bit.ly/3Z6ywfo

05/12/2023

You can only pick one! GO.

05/12/2023

The proposed rule will ensure clean drinking water for Virginians.

The proposed rule would require utility companies to locate and dig up roughly 188,000 lead pipes statewide within 10 years to ensure clean drinking water for Virginians and to protect children’s health.

04/12/2023

We’re kicking off our holiday supporter drive!

To continue providing you with high-quality news, we’re kindly asking for donations to support our journalism! No donation is too small 😉

Thank you for being a part of our journey!

Click the link to show your support for the Dogwood: https://bit.ly/3Z6ywfo

04/12/2023

Many companies have made record profits over the past few years, while jacking up prices on American families. While inflation has cooled in recent months, costs still remain higher than they were two years ago, prompting President Joe Biden to deliver a message to corporations last week: quit price gouging.

04/12/2023

Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney will run for Virginia governor in 2025.

In a campaign video announcement, Stoney said he wants all Virginians to have a fair shot at success. Stoney touts his efforts to enhance residents' lives by bettering the city's finances, improving roads, building new schools, and reducing poverty.

In the Democratic primary, Stoney will face Rep. Abigail Spanberger, who announced her bid for governor last month.

✍️: AP
📸: Bryan Woolston / AP

04/12/2023

Since 2012, World Wildlife Conservation Day has been celebrated every year on Dec. 4 to bring awareness to efforts to help protect wildlife across the globe. More than 41,000 animal, plant, and fungus species are at risk for extinction, in part due to wildlife trafficking.

Sharing this post helps draw attention to the ongoing issue. You can also help by picking up trash in your area, making donations to your local wildlife rescue organization, or planting native species in your own backyard.

04/12/2023

Congratulations are for Tazewell resident Mack Payne, who recently won the 2023 Virginia Veteran Small Business of the Year award. The Vietnam veteran owns a handful of businesses in Southwest Virginia, including Payne Motors, Real Estate, Rental, Construction, Cumberland Plaza, and Payne Real Estate and Investments.

Each year, the Virginia Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network searches for the “businesses that have contributed significantly to the state’s economy and community.” To be nominated, a business must excel at four main criteria: Business economic impact, industry advocacy, previous awards, and community service.

“After returning from Vietnam in 1971, I worked in the coal mines before joining a car dealership. I started a used car lot five years later, eventually taking full ownership. Over 47 years, I have established and managed various businesses,” Payne said in a media release announcing the award. “Educationally, I earned degrees from Southwest Community College and Bluefield University, supported by the GI Bill. My community involvement includes support for the Tazewell County Sheriff’s Department, the Town of Tazewell Police Department, the Tazewell Chamber of Commerce, and various civic organizations.”
Congratulations, Mr. Payne!

📸: Southwest Virginia Community College

04/12/2023

In the Old Dominion, hotel bars are the go-to spot for trendy extravagance, budding friendship opportunities, and quiet dates with your partner.

Virginia's hotel bars will help you forget all about lonely lobby bars in chain hotels. In the Old Dominion, hotel bars are the go-to spot for trendy extravagance, budding friendship opportunities, and quiet dates with your partner.

03/12/2023

Merriam-Webster recently announced that its 2023 Word of the Year is “authentic.”

The number of searches related to the word “authentic” increased substantially in 2023, the folks behind “America’s Most Trusted Dictionary” wrote on their website, driven largely by conversations around AI, celebrities like Taylor Swift, and, of course, social media.

Other notable mentions included “rizz,” “coronation,” “deepfake,” and “dystopian,” just to name a few.

Do you agree with Merriam-Webster’s choice for the 2023 Word of the Year? What word would you have picked? Let us know in the comments down below!

03/12/2023

One in every five women across the world is likely to experience disability in her life, according to the United Nations. Often, those disabilities are invisible to people outside of her family and friends.

Dec. 3 is International Day of Persons with Disabilities, when folks around the world are encouraged to celebrate the diversity of our communities and support all people, regardless of their abilities.

What can you do? Listen to the stories and experiences of people living with disabilities, speak up about disability rights, and look for ways to make your community a more inclusive space for everyone. 💪

02/12/2023

This might be the cutest fluffy face to come across your screen today—and she needs your help. The Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center of Roanoke recently took in this baby bobcat kitten after she was (likely) hit by a car. The young critter suffered a concussion, severe face trauma, anemia, and several broken teeth, the nonprofit said.

Staff quickly intervened, providing the kitten with fluid therapy, oxygen treatment, and life-saving medications. While there’s a long road to recovery, the center hopes she’ll be released in the spring alongside two other bobcat kittens currently receiving care.

The center noted that the bobcats are heading in the right direction, but their overwintering expenses will be costly. Estimates for veterinary care, food, enclosure maintenance, and more exceed $25,000. To donate to the cause, click here: https://swvawildlifecenter.org/make-a-donation/

02/12/2023

Last week, it was announced that VSU has been selected to host a presidential debate next year, making it the first HBCU in the US to ever do so. The debate will be held on Oct. 1, 2024, in the VSU Multipurpose Center.

“This is a historic moment for our university and for HBCUs nationwide. Our university mantra is Greater Happens Here,” and we look forward to welcoming the candidates, the Commission on Presidential Debates, and the entire nation to the GREATER at VSU," said VSU President Dr. Makola M. Abdullah in a press release.

01/12/2023

The countdown til Christmas starts NOW!

Finding the perfect tree to showcase for all your family and friends just got a lot easier. SAVE and SHARE this post to support a local tree farm in your community. If you feel your tree is by far the greatest in the land, tag us, and we might feature YOUR tree and all of its trimmings on our page!

Happy Christmas tree hunting, everyone. 🎄

01/12/2023

Virginia is for Lovers 💕

Did you know in 1957, Rosa Parks moved alone to Virginia's Hampton Institute to work as a hostess at the Holly Tree Inn? She was saving up to get an apartment in Holly Tree Annex so that her husband, Raymond, and daughter, Leona, could accompany her. Like any lover plagued by distance, Parks wrote Raymond a two-page letter to inform him of her time in Hampton, finding work for him when he would arrive, and how much she missed him. Unfortunately, her husband and daughter could not move to Virginia, so Parks returned to Detroit to be with them.

She also mentions the arrest of Fred Gray, a friend and lawyer of Park's, during the Montgomery bus boycott.

Rosa Parks is most notably known for not giving up her seat to a white person on a Montgomery bus, which resulted in her arrest, thus igniting her fight in the Civil Rights Movement.

📸: / Manuscript Division

01/12/2023

Indulge in bliss with some of Virginia's finest spas 🧖

Visit one of these top-rated Virginia spas to show yourself a little love any time throughout the year.

01/12/2023

Does the winter season give you cabin fever? Then bundle up and head over to Chesapeake for an outdoor adventure! The Virginia city was recently named #1 for green space by Artificial Grass Pros.

The company studied the nation’s 100 most populated cities and calculated the available parkland space per person. The commonwealth came out on top—ahead of second-place winner Scottsdale, Arizona, and third-place, Fremont, California—thanks to the coastal city’s “balance between an array of human interaction and vast green space for exploration and activity.”

“The Virginia city of over 250,000 has close to 60,000 acres of parkland in its vicinity,” Artificial Grass Pros said in a media release. “This equates to 2,300 acres per 10,000 residents. This is as much as 427% more than the average acreage per 10,000 of the country’s most populous 100 cities, with 27% of its land area constituting of parkland.”

Chesapeake wasn’t the only Virginia city to make the top 10. Virginia Beach came in eighth place, with 17% of its area containing parkland. Learn more: https://grasspros.com/

30/11/2023

What if we told you two cities in Virginia just made the list of US localities where millennials moved last year?!

Yeah, that's right, millennials are relocating to Arlington and Alexandria at a significant pace. About 11.5% of Arlington’s residents are millennials, according to SmartAsset.

Most of the cities that ranked higher than Arlington and Alexandria were tech-oriented. In a world where millennials make up 72 million of the US population, according to Statista, this comes as no surprise.

30/11/2023

What's your favorite spot to grab a fresh batch of cookies in Virginia? 🍪

30/11/2023

When you think of George Washington, what's the first thing that comes to mind? His leadership as president? His vast estate at Mount Vernon? His role in the Continental Army? The Virginian had many defining characteristics, but did you know he also had another claim to fame?

The founding father was also one of the country's largest whiskey producers. After his second presidential term ended in 1797, Washington built a distillery. According to George Washington's Mount Vernon, he used local materials like large river rocks from the Falls of the Potomac and sandstone blocks from his quarry. By 1799, the former president produced nearly 11,000 gallons of whiskey, using the following recipe: 60% rye, 35% corn, and 5% malted barley.

The distillery burned in 1814 and was reconstructed in the early 2000s. Now, guests can enjoy—and taste—what Washington's visitors experienced more than 200 years ago.

📸 : The Library of Congress /C.M. Bell, photographer. Miscellaneous George Washington, ca. 1916.

30/11/2023

Are you one of the roughly 1 million Virginians who get health insurance through the Affordable Care Act’s marketplace and Medicaid expansion program? Or are you among the tens of millions of Americans with preexisting conditions?

If so, your healthcare could be at risk in a second Trump presidency. Over the weekend, Trump—who spent his first term trying to repeal the program commonly known as “Obamacare”—attacked it once again and said he was “seriously looking at alternatives.”

If Trump wins the upcoming presidential election, repealing the law would take healthcare away from nearly 40 million Americans and once again allow insurance companies to deny care to those with preexisting conditions like cancer and diabetes.

30/11/2023

Did you know local Virginia newsrooms are seeing a slow decline?!?

Here at Dogwood, we focus on spreading local news that you can use to help make educated decisions on which schools your children attend, where to celebrate holiday events, and even national breaking news.

To continue providing you with high-quality news, we’re kindly asking for donations to support our journalism! No donation is too small 😉

Go here to show your support for the Dogwood: https://bit.ly/3Z6ywfo Thank you for being a part of our journey!

29/11/2023

🎶 Baby, it's cold outside 🎶

It's going to be a LONG winter 🥶

29/11/2023

To find out the longest-living dog breeds, Stacker examined data from a 2008 study published in the journal Genetics and breed popularity rankings from the American Kennel Club published in 2023. Read on to find out which dogs are known for their longevity, and if your favorite breed made the list.

It's long been said that dogs are a human's best friend. And for good reason: They provide company, unconditional love, safety—and most of all, make us happy. Read on to find out which dogs are known for their longevity, and if your favorite breed made the list.

29/11/2023

Last month, the Biden administration announced over $5 billion in new investments in rural communities across the country to increase prosperity in all corners of the country.

breaks down how Biden's initiative is helping our rural communities. Let us know in the comments what changes this investment has brought to a rural community near you!

29/11/2023

Donald Trump’s own former White House attorney is speaking out against the idea of a second Trump presidency.

Ty Cobb believes Trump would pose a unique threat to the country, telling the Washington Post that “his conduct and mere existence have hastened the demise of democracy and of the nation.”

“If that reelection actually happens, the consequences will extinguish what, if anything, remains of the American Dream,” Cobb added.

28/11/2023

Did you know Virginia is the last state in the South without an abortion ban? 🤯

Abortion rights are a main focal point in this upcoming presidential election and saw major wins across the country on Nov. 7.

Could Roe v. Wade be restored in 2024? has the scoop. Be sure to follow for all your news and updates.

28/11/2023

Hey Virginia! Happy Giving Tuesday 🤝

As the year is coming to an end, we can't help but acknowledge all the amazing stories we've been able to share with y'all, from national breaking news to local elections to keeping you up to date on all the great initiatives and communities from around our state.

To continue providing you with high-quality news, we kindly ask for donations to support our newsroom! No donation is too small 😉 Thank you for being a part of our journey! Click the link to show your support for the Dogwood: https://bit.ly/3Z6ywfo

28/11/2023

Not exactly festive or full of thanks.

28/11/2023

This may be the best holiday shopping season these lucky Virginians and their families have ever seen.

Bryan Vaughan from Midland won the record-setting $1,381,071 jackpot in the Virginia Lottery's Cash 5 with EZ Match game. "I want to take this slow, and I want to do the right things with it," Vaughan told lottery officials.

Robert Lane, who lives in Chesapeake, won the Precious Gems Series scratcher ticket's $500,000 top prize. Lane said he may use his winnings to buy a new vehicle.

📸: Virginia Lottery

28/11/2023

Business monopolies are ______ for Virginia

28/11/2023

These high school students turned entrepreneurs have been working hard to open “the Kennel,” an in-school cafe for teachers. Learn more here 👇

From their “big idea” to opening day, these Virginia public school students are playing an invested role in developing a real small business.

27/11/2023

Stop scrolling if you've ever driven on a Virginia road or lived in an area with terrible internet: The Commonwealth has received more than $8 billion in infrastructure funding for about 247 projects statewide. What are local governments doing with these funds?

fills us in on how Biden’s infrastructure law is making a huge impact on Virginia.