JENAY TATEEDITOR AND PUBLISHER

More than heavy rainis headed Wise Countyway this weekend.

Runners in two distinct events— the High Knob Hellbenderand the Cloudsplitter 100 —willbe braving both bad weatherand the physical course chal-lenges that each race poses.

Both get underway, rain or norain, on Saturday. The secondannual Hellbender steps off indowntown Norton and is a 10K footrace to the High Knob summit.The 100-mile Cloudsplitter, also inits second year, originates inElkhorn City, Ky., and follows thePine Mountain Scenic Trail to thePound area and back. Shorter cours-es also are offered.

“The Hellbender andCloudsplitter are definitely dif-ferent races that likely draw dif-ferent running crowds, but Ithink both of them share one com-monality and that is a desire to showcase tolocal residents and visitors alike the beauty ofthe Southwest Virginia and Eastern Kentuckymountains,” Hellbender race co-director Katie Dunn,also a reporter for this newspaper, said in an emailabout the event. “I also think that, with time, both racescan have a regional economic impact from a tourism

perspective.”Dunn reports a greater

response to and interest inthe Hellbender after itsinaugural year in 2014.

“Some people are hesitant at firstabout committing to the run, espe-

cially given the steep climb, but Ithink the challenge is whatmakes this race unique,” Dunnsaid. “When you reach the sum-mit after more than 2,000 feet of

climbing, it’s a great feeling.You’re simultaneously thankingGod, the hills are finally overand doing a celebratory jiginside your head.”

Nearly half of the field so farlooks like returning runners, shesaid, with the rest being new

entrants. Runners will be comingfrom throughout Wise County,Norton and Southwest Virginia and

the Tri-Cities area as well asfrom Ohio, Texas andMichigan.

Dunn expects to have closeto 40 runners registered by race

time.The Cloudsplitter has 150 signed up but

may see as many as 200 runners arriving fromall across the United States for the two-day ultra-marathon. Pound volunteers met Wednesday at the

Running, rain or shine

NASA audit questions local programJEFF LESTERNEWS EDITOR

An audit of Wise County’s rolein a National Aeronautics andSpace Administration programhas raised questions about thou-sands of dollars spent fromNASA funds.

NASA’s Office of InspectorGeneral recommended in Junethat the agency withdraw mil-lions of dollars in DEVELOPresearch project funds providedto Wise County.

But NASA rejected severalaudit findings and recommenda-tions — most notably the idea oftaking back all the remainingfunds — and largely character-ized the irregularities as minorcompared to the program’s bene-fits.

Meanwhile, county officialssay several perceived irregulari-ties can be justified, and theyhave already corrected or arecorrecting other items that the

county agrees were mistakes onits end (See story, page 5).

AUDIT FINDINGSNASA in mid-July released

the Office of Inspector General’saudit report, including responsesfrom NASA administration andfrom the county.

The mid-June draft auditreport explains that in 2008 and2014, NASA awarded $8.08 mil-lion in cooperative agreements tothe Wise County circuit courtclerk’s office to support the localcomponent of DEVELOP.

DEVELOP addresses environ-mental management and publicpolicy issues through researchprojects that apply NASA earthobservations to community con-cerns around the globe.

NASA previously awarded aninitial $2.6 million agreement infiscal 2003 based on the county’sunsolicited proposal.

Projects conducted by theWise-based DEVELOP programhave included a study ofSouthwest Virginia weather, anaerosol climatology project and amission to help North African

water managers measuregroundwater storage.

Along with funding researchparticipants, the 2008 awardincluded two program personneland the 2014 award includedthree personnel in the DEVEL-OP national program office whomanaged all projects.

During the five years of the2008 award, 466 participantscompleted 120 research projects.So far in the 2014 award period,48 participants have completed11 projects. “DEVELOP officialsinformed us they were satisfiedwith all of these projects,” audi-tors noted.

Wise County satisfied theoverall performance goals andobjectives, they wrote, but theaudit identified “substantial defi-ciencies” in the county’s man-agement of award funds “thatcaused us to question the totalamount of the awards.”

AUDIT, PAGE 5

PROGRESS

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FRIDAYOctober 2, 2015

Vol. 104 • No. 79

18 Pages

NORTON, VA 24273 USPS 120-120 $1.00

A Progressive Newspaper Serving Our Mountain Area Since 1911

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JENAY TATEEDITOR AND PUBLISHER

A man from Wise wasarraigned Thursday oncharges of animal crueltyand inadequate animalcare in connection tosome of his Walker foxhounds and a litter ofpups that he kept fencedon a remote, secludedproperty far from hishome.

After visiting the loca-tion on Sept. 21, WiseCounty authorities gaveSteve Rakes, of 5617Eagle Road, writtenwarning to have four ofhis nine adult fox hounds

under a veterinarian'scare within 24 hours.

When the animalwarden returned, thosefour, along with a motherdog and pups, were stillat the dog lot in a remotesection of the DuncanGap and Dotson Creekarea, at 8777 Boggs HillRoad, Wise. Four ofRakes' dogs — ones thathad not been health con-cerns on the first visit —were no longer there,Animal Warden GlenArwood wrote in the

County, citygraduationrates improveKATIE DUNNSTAFF WRITER

State graduation ratesreleased this weekrevealed a slight bump inoverall on-time highschool graduation num-bers for Wise County andmore than a six percent-age points gain in Nortoncity schools for the 2014-15 academic year.

The VirginiaDepartment of Educationon Tuesday released datadetailing schools’ on-timegraduation rates for themost recent academicsession.

Overall statewide, 90.5percent of the 93,064 stu-dents who entered ninthgrade in 2011 earned aVirginia Board ofEducat ion-approveddiploma. This rate repre-sents a 0.6-percentincrease from last year.

In Wise County, almost

91.6 percent of the divi-sion’s students graduatedon time based onstatewide criteria. InNorton, the on-time grad-uation rate was 96.6 per-cent.

There were a total of439 students included inthe county’s 2014-15cohort. County Directorof Elementary andMiddle School EducationMarcia Shortt wrote viaemail Tuesday that thedivision’s graduation ratefor all students rose by

Foot races set for Saturday

At a meeting Wednesday at the Pound Gap Marathon station to discuss logistics of thisweekend’s Cloudsplitter 100, the greeting banner from the town of Pound was displayedby, from left, Pound Police Chief Tony Baker, Pound Gap aid station manager GeorgeLeaf, race director Susan Howell, Pound Mayor George Dean, Pound Action Committeemember Sherron Dean, PAC member Chris Evans and the Rev. Hogg from StatelineApostolic Church at Pound Gap.

MARGARET STURGILL PHOTO

Deputies

arrested Steve

Rakes Friday,

Sept. 25.

Almost 91.6

percent of Wise

County students

and 96.6 percent

of Norton students

graduated on time.

Cruelty arrestMan’s fox houndsalleged mistreated

DOGS, PAGE 2

INSIDE:• Fall Fling has eye on new apple events.• Gap teenager shot accidentally.• More Gap movie celebration events.

GRADS, PAGE 2

The audit identified ‘substantial deficiencies’in the county’s management

of award funds ‘that caused us to questionthe total amount of the awards.’

PAGE 5: NASA, Wise County disagree withseveral audit findings, acknowledge some.

Hellbender bad weather tips, Page 3.

RACES, PAGE 3

criminal complaint.No food or water for the remaining

animals could be found on the proper-ty, Arwood wrote. He said he was con-cerned over their body condition andtheir poor health, noting the motherdog looked dehydrated and severaldogs had callouses on their hocks.

He tried to reach Rakes, could notand seized the five adult animals andfive puppies because Rakes had notcomplied with the written warning,according to the warrant. They weretransported to Wise County AnimalHospital for immediate treatment "dueto their condition," Arwood wrote.

Wise County deputies arrestedRakes Friday, Sept. 25.

He was arraigned Thursday in WiseCounty General District Court on thetwo charges, both misdemeanors. Thecruelty charge is a Class 1 misde-meanor with conviction carrying apenalty of up to a year in jail and a$2,500 fine, according toCommonwealth Attorney Mike Abbott.A hearing on both charges is set forOct. 20. Charles Bledsoe was appointedas Rakes' lawyer.

Abbott said some of the houndsremain under veterinary care andsome have been transferred to thecounty animal shelter. He said the ani-mal warden would be checking into the

status of the dogs that had beenremoved from the property.

Abbott said his office deals dailywith complaints involving animals butmost involve civil matters regardingvicious or dangerous dogs, with two tothree cases per month headed to court.Seldom do they file criminal cruelty oradequate care charges, he said, eventhough wardens routinely investigatesuch claims.

When it comes to cruelty or the ade-quate care of animals, Abbott said,"unfortunately, everyone's opinion isnot the same . . . In this office, we dealin the law."

The "big three" considerations, hesaid, involve water, food and shelter.

The Rakes case included all three, hesaid.

Abbott acknowledged that WiseCounty is routinely criticized by ani-mal activists for its handling of animalwelfare cases, saying complaints comefrom all over the state and countrythrough advocates who are well net-worked. But he defended the good jobsdone by animal control, adding that heworks with wardens on a daily basis "tocome up with the best solution for ani-mals, owners and organizations." Youcan't satisfy everyone, he said.

Regarding allegations, Abbott said,"You can put anything out there. Wecan't fight Facebook . . . All we can do isto try to do our jobs."

Just prior to the ribbon cutting ceremony on Sept.16, the Coeburn-Norton-Wise regional wastewatertreatment plant was officially designated a 6.5 mil-lion gallons per day facility.

As a large open house crowd looked on, VirginiaDepartment of Environmental Quality RegionalDirector Allen Newman presented a certificate tooperate the newly renovated and enlarged regionalwastewater plant to C-N-W Executive Director MarkS. Hollyfield.

Newman praised the regional sewer authority andthe communities that came together to build theplant and to solve common challenges. He assertedthat many underestimate the critical function of C-N-W in the daily lives of everyone and said that notmany localities have plants as advanced as the facil-ity just finished by C-N-W.

The C-N-W Regional Waste Water TreatmentAuthority was chartered in 1987. Discharging intothe Guest River, the plant began operations in 1991with a design capacity of 4 million gallons per day,serving Coeburn, Norton, Wise and several areas ofWise County.

With English Construction Co. Inc. of Lynchburgas the general contractor, plant expansion workbegan in 2012 at a cost of more than $14.96 million.

Many people have contributed to the success of C-N-W, Hollyfield said. “Two of the most notable in theformation of C-N-W are former Wise Town ManagerSim Ewing, here with us tonight, and the late CharlesR. Brown, then the Norton city manager.”

Ewing recalled the intense legal and regulatorypressure confronting community leaders to find asolution to the inadequate sewage treatment facili-ties during the 1980s. Economic development was inlimbo due to severe court-ordered restrictions onsewer connections, Ewing explained. He detailedhow the original discussions between Wise andNorton expanded to include Coeburn. Later, WiseCounty expressed interest and secured capacity inthe new plant. A regional approach proved to be thebest solution to the sewage treatment dilemma then,is now, and will be into the future, Ewing believes.

As he reflected on his participation in the earlyconcept of the regional wastewater authoritythrough this most recent project, Bobby Lane saidthe C-N-W Regional Wastewater Treatment Plantalways stands out in his forty-five years as a profes-sional engineer. Lane’s firm provided engineering,design, construction management, and inspectionservices for the renovation and enlargement in con-junction with CHA and Thompson+Litton.

“They said it was impossible to bring everybodytogether to create the authority. Then they said itwas impossible to get a 4 million gallon-per-day dis-charge permit on the Guest River. After that, it wasgoing to be impossible to build the plant on this site.We accomplished all of those and now we have man-aged to build another project here with even morecapacity,” Lane noted.

The Virginia State Water Control Board author-ized two loans, one at zero percent interest, for theC-N-W project that are being administered by theVirginia Department of Environmental Quality andthe Virginia Resources Authority.

Accompanied by representatives of C-N-W, partic-ipants, staff, and citizens, board Chairman CaynorSmith cut the ribbon for the new facility. During

tours that followed, visitors learned of the manycomplicated steps of treatment that improve waterquality in the Guest River and protect the health ofhumans and aquatic life.

Reflecting later on the decade of effort that led tothe open house, Smith said that the C-N-W plant is afacility that people in Southwest Virginia should beproud of. “Our leaders should utilize this to promotedevelopment. It should open a lot economic doors forus.” He described the plant as a state-of-the-artfacility that will provide critical service in the com-ing decades. Smith praised the hard work of DEQ,the C-N-W director and staff, and all who con-tributed to the success of the project.

— Provided by C-N-W.

PAGE 2 Friday, October 2, 2015 The Coalfield Progress Norton, Virginia 24273

Officials of the Coeburn-Norton-Wise Regional Waste Water Authority, the city ofNorton, the towns of Coeburn and Wise, Wise County and others celebrate the completionof the treatment plant’s major expansion.

HUNTER WILSON/LANE GROUP PHOTO

Regional wastewater plant expansion complete

r DogsFROM PAGE 1

0.3 percent. The division’s graduation

rates have increased each yearsince 2010 — 2011-12 being anexception — when its overallgraduation rate hovered at 86percent.

In Norton, at J.I. Burton HighSchool, there were a total of 58students included in the divi-sion's 2014-15 cohort, with 26receiving an advanced studiesdiploma and 29 earning a stan-dard diploma. The 96.6 percentgraduation rate compares to90.5 percent last year.

The school's small numbersmean that performance in somesub-categories — by race and byspecial needs, for example —were not reported for privacyreasons, Superintendent KeithPerrigan noted.

Graduation rates for Burton'seconomically disadvantagedcohort included 31 students anda 93.5 percent graduation rate,compared to 90.3 statewide. Thedropout rate was 3.2 percent.

The graduation rate for WiseCounty’s economically disad-vantaged cohort totaled 89.4percent and was based on 235students. If separated by gen-der, 91.7 percent of the county’sfemale students graduated ontime compared to 91.4 percentof males. The female cohorttotaled 218 students and themale cohort 221.

While percentage gains were

notched for the overall graduat-ing student body, Shortt wrotethat a slight decrease — lessthan a tenth of a percentagepoint — was recorded for stu-dents with disabilities. Sixty-one students were part of the2014-15 cohort, and their on-time graduation rate totaled83.6 percent. “We must targetat-risk students at the ninthgrade level and follow throughregularly to keep a very closeeye on grades, attendance, andoverall standing of each of thesestudents,” she wrote. “We havehad many discussions concern-ing this issue and plan to contin-ue those discussions at our nextprincipal’s meeting.”

The targeted graduation rateis 85 percent to receive full stateaccreditation. This rate is deter-mined using a point system. Onehundred points are awarded forstudents who receive a stateboard of education-recognizeddiploma; 75 points for a GED; 70points for remaining in school;25 points for a completion cer-tificate; and zero points for stu-dent dropouts. Shortt wrote thatthe division has met all“requirements in all our schoolsas well as at the division level”for state accreditation purposes.

A primary focus for WiseCounty going forward will be tocontinue work to improve grad-uation rates among studentswith disabilities and economi-cally disadvantaged students,she added. Region 7 Curriculum

Director Matt Hurt is compilinga report that will list county stu-dents who did not graduate lastyear and provide an explanationfor why, she added. “We hope touse those results to help us withthe future.”

A breakdown of the county’son-time state graduation ratesfor the 2014-15 academic year:

CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL• All students: 94.2 percent.

Represents a 1 percent increasefrom the previous academicyear.

• Students with disabilities:82.6 percent.

• Economically disadvan-taged: 94.4 percent.

• Female: 93.3 percent.• Male: 95 percent.

EASTSIDE HIGH SCHOOL• All students: 91.8 percent.

Represents a 3 percent increasefrom last year.

• Students with disabilities:75 percent.

• Economically disadvan-taged: 89.7 percent.

• Female: 93.2 percent.• Male: 90.7 percent.

UNION HIGH SCHOOL• All students: 88.8 percent.

Represents a 2 percentdecrease from last year.

• Students with disabilities:90.9 percent.

• Economically disadvan-taged: 84 percent.

• Female: 89.3 percent.

• Male: 88.4 percent.

FEDERAL GRADUATIONRATES

Unlike state graduation ratesthat study data from the mostrecent academic year foraccreditation purposes, federalgraduation determinants lag ayear behind, wrote Shortt. Thatmeans this year’s federalaccreditation for Wise Countywill assess 2013-14 graduationrates. Shortt noted that “federalaccreditation ratings/rankingshave not been released yet,”however.

When applying federal crite-ria, Wise County’s overall grad-uation rate totals 86.1 percent.That percentage drops to 45.2percent for students with dis-abilities; 80.4 percent for eco-nomically disadvantaged; and78.7 percent for Gap Group 1students — includes studentswith disabilities, English lan-guage learners and economical-ly disadvantaged students,regardless of race and ethnicity.Federal graduation require-ments are determined by takinga cohort of ninth graders andassessing how many of thesestudents graduate within fouryears. The targeted federalgraduation rate is 80 percent,and Shortt said in an interviewlast September that studentsmust receive a regular oradvanced diploma to be includ-ed in this percentage.

Overall, the county’s three

high schools saw an almost 2percent collective decrease foron-time graduation when com-paring the 2013-14 and 2014-15academic years. Eastside Highwas the only school that record-ed a slight increase. A break-down of the county’s graduationrates based on federal criteria:

CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL• All students: 88.3 percent.

Represents a 3.1 percentdecrease from the 2013-14 aca-demic year.

• Students with disabilities:39.1 percent.

• Economically disadvan-taged: 85.2 percent.

• Gap Group 1: 81 percent.

EASTSIDE HIGH SCHOOL• All students: 88.8 percent.

Represents a 3.3 percent gain.• Students with disabilities:

56.3 percent.• Economically disadvan-

taged: 84.5 percent.• Gap Group 1: 82.5 percent.

UNION HIGH SCHOOL• All students: 82.5 percent.

Represents a 3.9 percentdecrease.

• Students with disabilities:43.5 percent.

• Economically disadvan-taged: 73 percent.

• Gap Group 1: 74 percent.

Editor and Publisher JenayTate provided some informationfor this story.

r GradsFROM PAGE 1

The High Knob Hellbender has someweather advisories of its own as rain blowsin with the race.

“Rain definitely can be a challenge forboth runners and race organizers,” race co-director Katie Dunn reports. “We are askingthat Hellbender runners dress appropriatelyfor cold and wet weather and that they wearbright colors. Even if it’s forecast to bewarmer in Norton, temperatures atop HighKnob will be much colder.”

That, combined with the rain, Dunn said,could “lead to the threat of hypothermia iffolks don’t dress appropriately.” There isalso a good possibility that clouds and fogwill be a factor, so wearing bright clothingmeans runners will be as visible as possibleto any vehicular traffic.

Organizers also are encouraging runnersto bring a change of clothes for the finish lineand will shuttle those bags to the top of themountain.

• Online registration for the Hellbenderwill stay open until 11:59 p.m. Friday, Oct. 2,a thttps://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=33019.

• Race day registration will begin at 7:30a.m.

Questions about the race? Message oremail highknobhellbender@gmail.com.

Pound Gap Marathon aidstation with race directorSusan Howell ofKentucky, unveiling a newbanner to welcome run-ners to Pound and gettingbriefed on logistics.

Chief of Police TonyBaker, who’s leading localvolunteer efforts, com-mended Mayor GeorgeDean, who personallypaid for the banner as away to promote the townto the long-distance run-ners. Don’s Auto Parts inPound produced the ban-ner.

Baker encouraged citi-zens to contact him at

Pound Town Hall if theycan help man the aid sta-tion to greet runners andoffer water, snacks andany other assistance theymay require.

Hours for volunteers ataid stations — at theMarathon and at AdenaSprings near Rumley Gapoff South Fork — are fromabout 12:30 p.m. Saturdayuntil about 7:30 a.m. Oct.4.

Volunteers already aresigning up, he said, “butwe can always use more.”

Hellbender volunteersare in place but Dunn saidshe would love to see citi-zens turn out to cheer onrunners as they make

their steep journey to thetop of the knob.

Dunn extended appre-ciation to the city ofNorton, race partner TheClinch Coalition, espe-cially director and raceco-director DeidreDonahue, and all otherswho have made the eventa success.

“This is a truly com-munity effort, and that’swhat I love most aboutorganizing theHellbender,” Dunn said.

Despite the rainy fore-cast, she added, “we’restill hoping for a goodturnout to celebrate thesecond annual climb.We’re excited!”

Norton, Virginia 24273 The Coalfield Progress Friday, October 2, 2015 PAGE 3

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© 2015, American HometownPublishing, Inc. The Coalfield Progress ispublished twice weekly on Tuesday andFriday at 725 Park Ave., Norton, Va. Allrights reserved. Contents may not bereproduced without permission of thepublisher. Subscription Rates By Mail: InNorton and Wise County — 1 year, $52.Market area (excluding Norton and WiseCounty) with ZIP codes starting with 242,415, 416, 417 or 418 — 1 year, $67. Allother locations — 1 year, $84. POSTMAS-TER: Send address corrections to TheCoalfield Progress, P.O. Box 380, Norton,Va. 24273. Fax: 276/679-5922.

37th Annual WISE COUNTY

FAMOUS FALL FLING“ S h i n e O n ! ”

OCTOBER 10-11, 2015

CONTESTS5K Race ........................ (Steve) 276-439-1452Golf Tournament .. rdotson@wise.k12.va.usAnything Apples ................ pomfrey@vt.eduArt ............................................. 276-328-7007Essay ........................................ 276-328-2520Pet ............................................ 276-870-5357Photography ............................ 276-328-8184Senior Day ............................... 276-926-6600

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Famous Fall Fling is next weekendKATIE DUNNSTAFF WRITER

WISE — Maneuveringthrough stacks of T-shirts,brochures and vendor applica-tions inside The ClapboardHouse on Monday, Bonnie Akerjoked that the store had beentransformed into Wise CountyFamous Fall Fling headquarters.

Aker, Wise BusinessAssociation treasurer and festi-val chairwoman, said finaltouches for the 37th annual eventare now being applied. Set forOct. 10 and 11 in downtownWise, this year’s festivities willshowcase an array of arts andcrafts, music, demonstrationsand food. Aker said Monday that150 vendors and demonstratorswill attend.

Several new activities are ontap, including a couple of eventscelebrating the Inn at Wise’sreopening. This is the first yearthe Inn has been open for the FallFling. Aker said Monday thatguided tours of the Inn will begiven and live music performedfrom the Inn’s balcony onSaturday and Sunday. Featuredmusicians and performersinclude Donna and MajorGriffey, Thistle Dew, CountryCabin Line Dancers, RainbowGymnastics, a performance ofJack tales, “Way Up The Holler,”

by Appalachian Children’sTheatre, Katie Caudill &Moonshine District and KathyHughes & Country Gold.

Entertainment will also bestaged again this year at BigGlades Community Square.Featured musicians and per-formances include: Center StageCloggers, Bluegrass Circle, WolfCreek Grass, AppalachianHighlands Pipes and Drums,White Top Mountain Band,Thistle Dew, Roan MountainMoonshiners, Benny Jones andCMT Country, an UpperTennessee River Roundtableskit, Appalachian ChildrenTheatre’s Jack Tales, SouthMountain Boys, Dennis CoveBand, Country Cabin LineDancers, Appalachian Strings,and Cody Norris and WataugaMountain Boys.

Also new this year will be a

corn hole tournament and“Anything Apples” baking con-test. Emily Wells, Wise CountyVirginia Cooperative ExtensionOffice’s family and consumersciences extension agent, saidWednesday that people are invit-ed to bake and enter their tradi-tional or nontraditional applepies or apple butter in the festi-val’s inaugural “AnythingApples” event. Baked goodsmust be brought to the court-house lawn between 9:30 and 11a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 10, to bejudged. The lawn is locatedbetween the Wise County court-house and Inn at Wise. No pre-registration is required.Traditional apple pies are eligi-ble for a $65 first place prize; $30second place prize; and $20 thirdplace prize. Non-traditional piesare eligible for a $40 first placeprize; $30 second place prize;and $20 third place prize. Applebutter entries are eligible for a$50 first place prize; $30 secondplace prize; and $15 third placeprize. Wells said a local appleproducer is also scheduled tocome sell apples and providesamples. For more informationabout the contest, call Wells,276/328-6194. VirginiaCooperative Extension and theUniversity of Virginia’s Collegeat Wise are sponsoring the event.

Several returning events will

accompany these new activities,too, including a pet contest andphoto, art, youth art, and essaycontests. Aker said photographsand art this year will be dis-played at the Masonic Halldowntown. The NortonCommunity Hospital Heart OneCardiac Rehab 5K run and OneMile Fitness Walk will also beheld again Saturday morning,and Aker said if folks haven’twitnessed the annual run, “it’s areally good sight to see.” The runusually draws 100 participants,and Aker said the State ofFranklin Track Club has certi-fied the course.

Events will also be held theweek leading up to the festival. Abusiness decoration contest willbe held Monday, Oct. 5, SeniorCitizens Day at Big Glades and aCommunity Yard Sale onWednesday, Oct. 7, as well as aPaint-A-Can at Wise Primary,Fall Fling Fashion Show at theInn, and photography/art recep-tion at the Masonic Hall onThursday, Oct. 8. The Fall FlingGolf Tournament at Raven RockGolf Course and First Bank &Trust Customer Appreciationluncheon will also be heldFriday, Oct. 9.

Visit www.wisefallfling.comor call 276/328-8184 for detailedinformation about contest dead-lines and festival activities.

Several new activi-

ties are on tap,

including guided

tours of the Inn at

Wise and live music

performed from the

Inn’s balcony.

Accidental shootinginjures Gap teen

An accidental shootingin the Big Stone Gap areaTuesday night left a 14-year-old in critical condi-tion.

Lt. Tim Wagner of theWise County Sheriff ’sOffice said the juvenilewas in stable conditionafter he accidentally dis-charged a shotgun.

Wagner said the youthwas transported toLonesome Pine Hospital

and then transferred toHolston Valley MedicalCenter for surgery.

Wagner said nocharges are anticipated atthis point. “Everythingjust appears to be an acci-dent,” he said. The sher-iff’s office continued itsinvestigation Wednesday.

The youngster wasplaying in an outbuildingat 2517 Orr St., Wagnersaid.

Corrections & clarificationsThe Coalfield Progress believes in setting the record

straight. We print corrections that come to our attentionand clarifications that make the news more understand-able. Direct questions to Jeff Lester, news editor,jlester@coalfield.com, or phone 679-1101, extension 235.

Due to a source’s error, a photo appearing in theSept. 29 edition depicting a wilderness survival pres-entation at the Clinch Coalition’s Naturalist Rallymisidentified presenter Jerry A. “Tony” Sayre’s name.We regret the error.

r RacesFROM PAGE 1

Race note: dress appropriately

State tree seedlingsstore set to open

Virginia’s tree seedling store opensMonday, Oct. 5, at 10 a.m.

Orders may be placed online atwww.buyvirginiatrees.com or by call-ing Augusta Forestry Center at540/363-7000 or Garland Gray ForestryCenter at 804/834-2855.

The top loblolly pine varietiesoffered this season include ControlPollinated (CP) priced at $135 per1,000 tree seedlings and are limited to25,000 seedlings per customer.Virginia’s Best are selling at $105 per1,000 and Elite at $85 per 1,000seedlings; both will be limited to 50,000per customer.

These prices include pesticide treat-ment for Pales weevils.

In addition to pine seedlings,Virginia Department of Forestry nurs-eries offer 45 other species of treeseedlings for sale.

They include dogwood, apple, baldcypress, maples and nine species ofoaks.

Two specialty seedling packs havebeen added this season — a quail habi-tat pack and a riparian buffer seedlingpack for landowners desiring thesetypes of plantings.

Payment must be made at the timeof purchase.

If placing an order by phone oronline, credit card is the only acceptedmethod of payment.

Marriage licenses certified recent-ly in Wise County include:

• Michael Wayne Hale, 54,and Virginia Kathrine Laws, 51,

St. Paul, Aug. 1.• Marissa Leann Jones,

36, Norton, and Garey GeneMullins II, 44, Big Stone Gap,

Sept. 15.• Nicholas Montana Ledford, 20, and

Cassandra Marie Palmer, 22, Wise, Sept. 18.• Allison Gabrielle Justice, 24, and Thomas Heath

Mullins, 25, Pound, Sept. 26.• Cynthia Marie Morgan, 70, Coeburn, and Teddie

Ray Smith Sr., 80, Moneta, Sept. 26.• Rex Woodrow Strong Jr., 66, Coeburn, and

Kathleeen Thevenot, 62, Louisville, Ky., Sept. 28.

BEVERLY SUE BOGGS FOX

Mrs. Beverly Sue Boggs Fox, of San Antonio, Texas,passed away Saturday, Sept. 12, 2015, after an extend-ed illness.

Beverly had made her home in San Antonio for morethan 40 years. She was a 1965 graduate of Pound HighSchool and worked as an LPN at several military bases.She was a true military wife, having traveled the worldand lived in many places. But she never forgot whereshe came from, and loved to come home and visit withfamily and friends. She also like to Facebook so shecould keep up with family and friends.

Beverly was preceded in death by her parents, Ivanand Marie Faulkner Boggs; grandparents, Hoppy LeviBoggs, Goldie Berry Goins an Clay and Apsie Faulkner;and a brother Dennis “Bud” Boggs.

Survivors include her husband of nearly 46 years,Joseph Fox; her son Ivan Fox and wife Lisa of SanAntonio her daughter, Sarah Howeth and husbandShanon of Livingston, Texas; her only grandchild,Megan Fox who loved her dearly; sisters Ann Pobolsky,Elaine Boggs and Iva Dean Stidham and husbandRoyce, all of Pound and Kaye Cantrell and husbandGary of Mooresburg, Tenn.; brothers Jamie Boggs andwife Denita, Ebbie Boggs and wife Kay all ofMooresburg; several nieces, nephews and cousins tomourn her loss and cherish her memory.

Memorial services will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday,Oct. 6 at the Glady Fork Freewill Baptist Church withPastor Mark Stallard officiating. The family willreceive friends from 12:30 p.m. until time of service.

A private family burial will be held at a later date.Information courtesy of Baker Funeral Home,

Pound.

MRS. MATTIE MAE HAMLER

Mrs. Mattie Mae Hamler passed away Sunday, Sept.27, 2015, at home.

She was a member of the East Tennessee andVirginia Conference of the Mid-Atlantic II AfricanMethodist Episcopal Zion Church serving as a faithfulmember of Williams Chapel A.M.E. Zion Church in BigStone Gap. During her active years, Mattie served forover 40 years as Sunday School Superintendent, amember of the Board of Trustees, the culinary com-mittee, the Women’s Home and Overseas Missionary

Society and conference dele-gate.

She was preceded in deathby her husband, Willie LeeHamler, her biological moth-er, Mattie Jones and herfather Muff Jones and wifeNancy who raised her intoadulthood.

Mattie is survived by hersons; Barry Hamler (wifePatti) of Big Stone Gap and Willie Hamler also of BigStone Gap; her sisters, Flora Patterson (husbandJohnny) of Big Stone Gap, and Virginia Pinkard ofFlorida; her sister-in-law, Crystal Jones of Big StoneGap; God-daughter, Juanita Chaney (husband Donald)of Cleveland, Ohio; special daughters, ElizabethCollins, Rev. Sandra L. Jones, Nancy (Kevin) Giles andValinsa Keys all of Big Stone Gap. Mattie is also sur-vived by ten grandchildren, two special grandchildren,six great-grandchildren and lifelong devoted friends,Anna Mae Earl, Leona (June) Moss, Louella Carson,T.D. Lassiter Jr., Liz Stuart, Reba Brooks, BessieParker and her A.M.E. Zion Church Family, as well asnumerous nieces and nephews.

The family would like to give special thanks to Dr.Michael B. Ford (wife, Una Fay) and her caregivers.

The family will receive friends on Friday, Oct. 2,from 6 to 8 p.m. at Gilliam Funeral Home, 618 WoodAvenue West, Big Stone Gap. Funeral services will beheld on Saturday at Trinity United Methodist Churchon 203 East 1st Street, off of Wyandotte Avenue in BigStone Gap, at 1 p.m. with the Rev. Sandra L. Jones offi-ciating. Following the funeral services, burial will be inOak View Cemetery, Big Stone Gap.

In conjunction with her longevity and her compas-sion for her Sunday School, the family asks that dona-tions be made to Williams Chapel Sunday School, c/oRev. Saundra Jones, 606 3rd Ave. E., Big Stone Gap, VA24219, in lieu of flowers.

Gilliam Funeral Home, Big Stone Gap, VA is hon-ored to serve the Hamler Family. You may go online toview the obituary at www.gilliamfuneralhome.com.

VERNA JUNE PETERS

Verna June Peters, 76, of Coeburn, passed awayThursday, Oct. 1, 2015 at the Lonesome Pine HospitalBig Stone Gap.

Her parents, William Howery and Edith AbsherHall and her husband, Donald Peters Retired US Navy,preceded her in death. She loved to fish, travel in herRV, Crafts and Gardening and was of the ChristianFaith.

Surviving are her son, Chris (Diann) Peters ofCoeburn; two daughters, Donna June Johnson andBelinda (Lee) Wheatley both of Coeburn; six grand-children, Matthew Johnson, Amy Bowman, JarredPeters, Josh Peters, Michael Wheatley and MeganWheatley; a special dog, Rocky. Special thank you tothe Southwest Regional Cancer Center.

The family will receive friends Saturday, Oct. 3,from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Sturgill Funeral, Coeburn.Funeral services will follow at 7 p.m. with the Rev. R.L.Crawford officiating. Graveside services will be con-ducted 2 p.m. Sunday, at the Greenwood AcresCemetery in Coeburn. The family and friends will meetat 1:15 p.m. at the funeral home to go in procession tothe cemetery. Please visit www.sturgillfuneral.com tosign guest register book on line.

Sturgill Funeral, Coeburn, is in charge of arrange-ments.

MRS. PHYLLIS CHRISTINE YEARY

Mrs. Phyllis Christine Yeary, 66, a resident ofGreensboro, N.C. passed away on Sunday, Sept. 27,2015 at the Hospice Home at High Point, N.C.

Phyllis was born Dec. 22, 1948 in Coeburn, thedaughter of Earl and Lona Carico Ringley. She hadworked in retail sales in the Greensboro area andattended Prospect Hill Primitive Baptist Church.

Her parents, one sister, Alice Ratliff and two broth-ers, Harold and E. David Ringley, preceded Phyllis indeath.

On October 12, 1968 she was married to Danny RayYeary who survives in their home. She is also survivedby her sons, Phillip Yeary and wife Jill of Greensboro,Aaron Yeary and wife Jana-Marie of High Point; threesisters, Patsy Moody and husband Jim of Butler, Tenn.,Roberta Meade and husband Charles of Blountville,Tenn., Tammy Collins and husband Mike of Kingsport,Tenn.; three brothers, Greg Ringley and wife Chryl ofCoeburn, Mark Ringley and wife Tammy of Coeburn,Boyce Ringley and wife Denise of Hagerstown, Md.and three grandchildren, Noah, Julian and Troy Yeary.

A Celebration of Life service for Phyllis will be heldat 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 2 at the Hanes-Lineberry FuneralHome Sedgefield Chapel conducted by Elder RalphDale. The family will receive friends at the funeralhome on Friday from 6 p.m. until service time.

A graveside service will be held at 10 a.m. Saturdayat Guilford Memorial Park.

The family request memorials be made in Phyllis’smemory to the Hospice Home at High Point, 1801Westchester Dr., High Point, NC 27262

Online condolences can be made at www.hanes-lineberryfuneralhomes.com

PAGE 4 Friday, October 2, 2015 The Coalfield Progress Norton, Virginia 24273

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Sturgill Funeral HomesWISE, VA • 276-328-5751 COEBURN, VA • 276-395-3263

Only$700 Each

Includes theobituary & poemlaminated into a

3 1/4” x 9” bookmark.

Several Poemsto choose from.

CallBill Endean679-1101

Absentee voting period begins Absentee voting is underway for

the Nov. 3 general election.Qualified Virginia voters may voteabsentee by mail or in person.

Registered voters must meet oneof the 19 eligibility requirementslisted on the Virginia absentee ballotapplication to vote absentee.Qualifying reasons are located onthe last page of the absentee appli-cation. You can find the ballot on theState Board of Elections website,http://elections.virginia.gov.

Requests for an absentee ballotby mail must be submitted to thevoter’s local registration office by 5p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 27.Applications must be received by

this deadline in order to receive aballot in the mail. Absentee ballotapplications may be hand-delivered,mailed, faxed, or emailed to theirlocal voter registration office. Votershave until Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. to returntheir completed absentee ballot.The full list of local voter registra-tion office addresses can be found athttp://elections.virginia.gov.

Virginia voters also have untilOct. 31 to vote an in-person absenteeballot at their local voter registra-tion office. Local offices will have in-person absentee voting availableeach business day through Saturday,Oct. 31. Registration offices will alsobe open the last two Saturdays

before election day. Voter registra-tion offices vary on their openingand closing times; therefore votersare encouraged to check with theirlocal office before going to vote dur-ing this period.

Virginia law requires voters topresent an acceptable photo IDwhen voting in person. For a list ofacceptable forms of photo identifi-cation, or to find out how to obtain afree Virginia voter photo ID card,visit http://elections.virginia.gov.Voters can also find informationabout the upcoming election andcheck their registration status on thesite. The Department of Elections’toll free number is 1-800/552-9745. Congressman’s

staff to visitMembers of Ninth

District U.S. Rep.Morgan Griffith’s staffwill visit the region dur-ing October to addresscitizens’ questions andthoughts about federalgovernment.

Local dates, timesand places include:

• Oct. 6: 2-4 p.m.,Grundy Town Hall, 1185Plaza Drive.

• Oct. 8: 10 a.m.-noon,Southwest VirginiaT e c h n o l o g yDevelopment Center,141 Highland Dr.,

Lebanon.• Oct. 13: 10 a.m.-

noon, Dickenson Centerfor Education &Research, 818 HappyValley Dr., Clintwood; 2-4 p.m., Big Stone Gapfederal courthouse,Room 303.

• Oct. 15: 2-4 p.m.,Big Stone Gap federalcourthouse, Room 303.

Please contact theChristiansburg office at540/381-5671 or theAbingdon office at276/525-1405 with anyquestions.

City taxesdue Oct. 15

Norton 2015 personal property taxes and the secondhalf of 2015 real estate taxes are due by 5 p.m. Thursday,Oct. 15.

If not paid on Oct. 15, a penalty will be assessed onOct. 16, and interest charges will begin Nov. 1.

Taxes can be paid at the treasurer’s office at themunicipal building on Virginia Avenue, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.weekdays. Payments can be mailed to P.O. Box 618,Norton, Va. 24273 or made by credit card throughOfficial Payments by going to www.officialpayments.comor calling 1-800/272-9829 and using jurisdiction code6223. Official Payments charges a fee to use this service.

For address changes and questions about the assess-ment, contact the commissioner of revenue’s office at679-0031.

MMOONNDDAAYY,, OOCCTT.. 55NNoorrttoonn IInndduussttrriiaallDDeevveellooppmmeenntt AAuutthhoorriittyy (FredL. Ramey Jr. 679-1160) meetsat 7 p.m. in council chambersin the municipal building.TToowwnn ooff WWiissee PPllaannnniinnggCCoommmmiissssiioonn (Laura Mullins328-6013, voice and TDD) at6 p.m. in council chambersat the Wise Municipal build-ing.LLeennoowwiissccoo PPllaannnniinngg DDiissttrriiccttCCoommmmiissssiioonn (Jimmy Adkins276/431-2206) meets at 5:30p.m. in the LenowiscoConference Room inDuffield.

TTUUEESSDDAAYY,, OOCCTT.. 66NNoorrttoonn CCiittyy CCoouunncciill (Fred L.Ramey Jr., 679-1160) meets at6 p.m. in council chambersin the municipal building.

TTHHUURRSSDDAAYY,, OOCCTT.. 88NNoorrttoonn CCiittyy PPllaannnniinnggCCoommmmiissssiioonn (Winfred Collins

679-1160) meets at 7:30 p.m.in Council chambers in theMunicipal building in Norton.WWiissee CCoouunnttyy BBooaarrdd ooffSSuuppeerrvviissoorrss AnnetteUnderwood 328-2321) meetsat 6 p.m. in the county schoolboard Education Center onLake Street, Wise.

MMOONNDDAAYY,, OOCCTT.. 1122CCooeebbuurrnn TToowwnn CCoouunncciill (395-3323) meets at 6:30 p.m. atthe Coeburn Depot.WWiissee CCoouunnttyy PPllaannnniinnggCCoommmmiissssiioonn (AnnetteUnderwood 328-2321) meetsat 6 p.m. in the board roomof the courthouse in Wise.NNoorrttoonn SScchhooooll BBooaarrdd(Andrea Fultz 679-2330)meets at 5:30 p.m. in councilchambers at the municipalbuilding.PPoouunndd EEccoonnoommiiccDDeevveellooppmmeenntt AAuutthhoorriittyymeets at 6:30 p.m. at townhall.

• Former congressman and Ninth District

Republican Chairman William Wampler criticized

Virginia Democrats for alleged poor handling of public

school finances during a speech in Wise.

• Democratic candidate for governor Mills Godwin

Jr. told an Abingdon audience that he supported mak-

ing the two-year Clinch Valley College a four-year

school.

• The State Highway Commission was considering

whether to build a four-lane U.S. 23 bypass around the

town of Pound.

This Week in

Years Ago. . .5500

SEPT. 30, 1965

Local History

C O A L F I E L D

CALENDARO F P U B L I C M E E T I N G S

Norton, Virginia 24273 The Coalfield Progress Friday, October 2, 2015 PAGE 5

In the 2008 agreement, the county’saccounting records improperly com-bined DEVELOP revenues and expen-ditures with those relating to othercounty business, the audit states. Thoseincluded payments on behalf of theclerk’s office program to convert countycourt paper records into electronic doc-uments; payment for dining services;and payment for a county computerserver. The county’s accounting systemcould not identify transactions byaward, impairing the audit trailrequired to ensure that funds werespent appropriately.

The county said it maintained a “sub-sidiary ledger” that appropriately iden-tified award-related transactions, butauditors found the ledger wasn’t part ofthe county’s accounting system. It wasan Excel spreadsheet they allege alsoincluded incomplete transaction details.

Further, they wrote, the county failedto disclose unexpended funds inrequired reports, and used them to payfor activities carried out as part of sub-sequent agreements with NASA.

At least $80,068 recorded in the gen-eral ledger for the 2008 award was actu-ally spent between December 2013 andJuly 2014, rather than being recorded inthe general ledger for the 2014 award.The county said it was recorded thatway because it was unspent money car-ried over from the 2003 award.

The county used at least $80,697from the 2003 award to pay costs asso-ciated with the 2008 award.

According to federal Office ofManagement and Budget guidance, anyfunds not spent during an award period

should have been reported by the coun-ty and returned to NASA, auditorsnoted, adding that a county official saidthey didn’t know unspent funds couldnot be used on the next award.

NASA DEVELOP officials said theyknew the unspent 2008 funds were car-ried over to cover the first three monthsof costs in the 2014 award. But they did-n’t formally approve the carryover andcould not provide documentation. Theauditors note, however, that accordingto the DEVELOP technical officer, thecounty provided DEVELOP withmonthly expense reports.

NASA officials should have requiredthe county to refund the unspent awarddollars or formally request to use themin the next award, auditors said.

Auditors tested more than $182,800of transactions, or 5 percent of the totalamount NASA paid in the 2008 and 2014awards. They identified what they char-acterized as more than $65,400 in “unal-locable, unallowable, or unsupported

expenses.”Specific spending included charges

for flowers, $291; training courses unre-lated to the program, such as introduc-tion to painting, and associated costs,$21,247; payments to the American BarAssociation, $613; bonuses, $1,900;extermination fees, $1,305; nine bookswith titles such as “American Torture:From the Cold War to Abu Ghraib andBeyond” and “China’s First Emperor”,$189; dues to the Virginia Coalition forOpen Government, $55; “rentalfees/purchasing of bunk beds,” $3,616;“rental prepayments not reimbursed,”$3,007; and “unsupported/inadequatelysupported transactions,” $33,223.

Rent prepayments were made tohouse primarily international partici-pants. Wise County identified $3,007 inpayments for which participants did notreimburse the county.

A county official subsequentlyinformed auditors that the participantsdid reimburse the county, but auditorscould not identify supporting documen-tation.

The county advised it had ceasedrent prepayments.

Unsupported or inadequately sup-ported transactions apparently includedmore than $6,600 in credit card pay-ments for purchases such as rental carsand hotel bills; a $2,500 payment to thecounty for “auto and observatory time”;and a $700 cash payment to a DEVEL-OP participant that has no supportingdocumentation.

“We are concerned that additional,questionable costs may exist in theremaining universe of award transac-tions,” auditors wrote.

Also, the county reprogrammed

$540,000 of the 2014 award budget forprogram support purposes, reducingfunds for actual research, the auditnotes. NASA acknowledged it receivedthe revised budget, but a DEVELOPnational office program official incor-rectly told the county that formalapproval of the adjustment was notrequired.

Finally, auditors chastised NASA forawarding project agreements to thecounty without soliciting the work to thepublic.

RECOMMENDATIONSAuditors made seven recommenda-

tions to NASA that involve ensuring thecounty strengthens financial controls;fixing unallocable, unallowable orunsupported expenses and carryoverfunds; and ensuring cooperative agree-ments are competitively awarded.

These recommendations included to“remedy the $3.7 million in unsupport-ed expenditures charged to the 2008and 2014 awards due to the insufficientaccounting of funds in the county’saccounting system.”

Also, auditors said NASA shouldwork with the county to make sureproper controls are established forthe 2014 award, and if deficienciesare not promptly corrected, “cancelthe remaining $4.4 million on theaward.”

Auditors reported that NASA con-curred or partially concurred with therecommendations “and proposed cor-rective actions that are generallyresponsive. The recommendations aretherefore resolved and will be closedupon verification of the completedactions.”

r AuditFROM PAGE 1

NASA, county dispute, explain audit findingsJEFF LESTERNEWS EDITOR

While the NationalAeronautics and SpaceAdministration agrees withsome findings and recommen-dations from an internal auditof Wise County’s DEVELOPprogram, both NASA and thecounty reject some findings.

NASA and county CircuitCourt Clerk Jack Kennedy alsoagree that the multi-milliondollar investment has producedvalue far beyond the scope ofaccounting mistakes that theaudit examines.

RESPONSESNASA administrators and

county officials filed separatedetailed responses that areincluded in the final auditreport.

In its July 10 response,NASA disagreed with the audi-tors’ decision to question theappropriateness of all fundingin the 2008 and 2014 DEVEL-OP agreements with WiseCounty after finding someproblems.

NASA agreed that the coun-ty comingled non-NASA spend-ing with NASA agreementtransactions in its accountingsystem, and charged someunallowable or unallocableexpenses to the 2008 agree-ment. But the total value of theexpenses identified as unallow-able or unallocable “is less than2 percent of the total amount”on the 2008 and 2014 agree-ments, it noted.

Because the audit confirmsthe county satisfied overall pro-gram goals and objectives, it is

unreasonable to conclude thatthe entire $3.7 million award isunsupported or that theremaining $4.4 million of avail-able funding should be put to adifferent use, NASA said.

Further, NASA noted, audi-tors relied on county records toidentify more than $165,000 ofquestioned costs related tospending outside of approvedbudget periods, but they reject-ed county records that “tend tosupport the assertion that sub-stantial value was provided”under the agreements.

NASA concluded that theuse of inappropriately carried-over funds did not harm thegovernment, and seeking toremedy the carryover “willserve no purpose to NASA orthe taxpayer.”

As for noncompetitive proj-ect awards, NASA explainedthat each of the three awards isfor new, unique, innovativeresearch, meaning they meetthe agency’s requirement forunsolicited proposals.

NASA noted that WiseCounty has requested an auditof the questioned spending, andNASA will assess its results toensure that costs are proper orremedy any remaining ques-tioned costs.

COUNTY’S RESPONSE In his June 22 response,

Kennedy noted that the countyhas already strengthened inter-nal financial controls and itprovided an accurate account-ing of its awards to the audi-tors. In December 2013, thecounty created an account forrevenues and expenses of the2014 award, and a “subsidiary

ledger” is maintained for bothawards, he wrote.

Further, the county hashired a Tri-Cities accountingfirm to conduct an independentaudit of questioned expenses,he noted.

Regarding the $165,000-plusin funds that were carried overfrom one agreement to another,Kennedy wrote that the countywas not informed of any NASApolicy against doing so.

Out of all the questionedexpenses, Kennedy wrote, thecounty agrees that $1,148should have been paid from dif-ferent sources. Those includedflowers, American BarAssociation payments, bookpurchases and VirginiaCoalition for Open Governmentdues. “Accounting transactionshave been made to correct theexpenditures.”

In a Thursday emailresponding to a reporter’squestions, Kennedy explainedthat the county knows it mis-coded some payable orders for

the clerk’s office and mistaken-ly included them with DEVEL-OP payable orders. Those werecharged back to appropriateaccounts “months ago” andadditional controls were put inplace to prevent futuremishaps, he wrote, adding thatthe NASA award enabled hir-ing someone to assist with pro-gram financial management.

Flowers were for a formercounty supervisor’s funeraland to celebrate childbirth by aDEVELOP volunteer associat-ed with the clerk’s office. Partor all of the ABA costs couldhave been web-based sciencelaw courses, but the countydefaults to them being part ofcourt clerk’s office continuinglegal education requirements,according to Kennedy. TheABA and VCOG member dueshave been in the clerk’s budgetfor years, he wrote.

As for the prepaid housingcosts, Kennedy’s June responsenotes that NASA attorneys con-cluded it was allowable. Thecounty disagrees that $3,007 inunreimbursed rent prepay-ments and $4,921 in costs asso-ciated with housing were inap-propriate.

Further, he wrote, the coun-ty disagrees with auditorsabout $21,247 in questionedtraining, textbooks and fees.“These costs were associatedas part of training and work-force development.”

“However, in order to reme-dy this recommendation,” alocal accounting firm will per-form an audit of $32,223 inunallowable or unallocableexpenses the federal auditorsidentified, he explained.

In his Thursday email,Kennedy wrote that the intro-ductory painting course relatedto a University of Virginia’sCollege at Wise degree require-ment as part of workforcedevelopment. If NASA deems itinappropriate, the county willcorrect the error, possibly get-ting a refund from the studentfor that course.

Other courses have includedwriting for research projectsand a Spanish course for stu-dents working with Mexicanofficials on a project, heexplained.

County FinancialAdministrator David Coxresponded separately in June,stating simply that at that point,he was comfortable that projectincome and costs are segregat-ed from other county incomeand costs and are readily iden-tifiable.

Kennedy’s Thursday emailexpressed gratitude for NASA’sexpression of support and faithin the local program.

DEVELOP enables localyoung people to have uniqueprofessional experiences theymight not otherwise get, andstudents have given numerousearth science presentations inlocal public schools, to civicgroups, regional policy boardsand others, he wrote.

Further, DEVELOP enabledthe county to develop its geo-graphic information system forland records, saving local tax-payers a huge expense,Kennedy noted.

The program also hasbrought high-level internation-al visitors to Wise County, hewrote.

NASA noted the

total value of the

expenses identified

as unallowable or

unallocable ‘is less

than 2 percent of

the total amount’

awarded to Wise

County in 2008

and 2014.

Gap movie celebration events updatedGLENN GANNAWAYPOST NEWS EDITOR

Plans for next weekend’scelebration of the “Big StoneGap” movie’s release continueto evolve.

Beginning on Thursday, Oct.8, fans will get an opportunity towin a variety of props that wereused in the film and donated tothe non-profit Family CrisisSupport Services, which man-ages the Hope House, offeringlocal domestic violence andhomelessness services.

Items will be displayed atthe Norton Cinema City thatday from 4 p.m.-midnight; Oct.9, 1 p.m.-midnight, Oct. 10,noon-midnight, Oct. 11, noon-9p.m.

Items include pieces fromMutual Pharmacy, other props,some antiques and signedposters and books.

Proceeds from the drawingbenefit Hope House.

UPDATED INFORMATION

Updated information on theOct. 10 celebration in BigStone Gap includes the follow-ing:

• Freddy Poff is organizingthe classic cars for the paradeand the afternoon events.Anyone with classic cars from1978 and earlier should con-tact Poff at 276/393-4616 byFriday, Oct. 2.

Classic car owners whodon’t plan to be in the paradeare welcome to participate inthe afternoon staging down-town.

Cars must be registeredwith Poff to participate

• At least 200 people havepurchased tickets for the“meet and greet the stars”event at the John Fox Jr.House.

• Children’s inflatables willbe stationed beside the postoffice.

• The pancake breakfastwill be held at Trinity UnitedMethodist Church from 7-10a.m.; call the church office at523-0789 for more informa-tion. Tickets are $6 for adultsand $4 for children 12 andunder.

• Registration for the JackMac/Patrick Wilson 5K Runwith the Stars starts at 7:30a.m., with the race leavingTrinity United MethodistChurch at 8:30 a.m.

Movie lead Wilson, who hasrun the New York Marathon,will participate. The finishline will also be at Trinity. Theentry fee of $25 includes thepancake breakfast and a T-shirt; there is no pre-registra-tion.

• A presentation honoringJohn and Mary K. Wilson, par-ents of Patrick, Paul and MarkWilson, will be held at about9:15 a.m., or at the conclusionof the 5K Run.

• The parade, held in con-junction with the traditionalMcChesney Band Festivalparade, starts at 11 a.m. Floatsshould arrive by 9:30 a.m. andcars by 10 a.m.

• After the parade, streetswill be blocked and the stageset for afternoon events.

• The Dogwood GardenClub’s fall show will be heldfrom 1-2 p.m. in SouthwestVirginia Museum HistoricalState Park’s Victorian Parlor.Honorary hostess AdrianaTrigiani will unveil the recipi-ent of the award named forher mother, Ida Trigiani.Admission is free.

• The June Tolliver Houseand the outdoor drama theaterhost “meet the extras” from 1-5 p.m.

Everyone is welcome tostop by and identify and talkto people they recognize fromthe movie. Admission is free;Magnolia Kitchen will be sell-

ing food.• There will be live music

at the playhouse during theafternoon.

• The “meet and greet thestars” event will be held at theJohn Fox Jr. House from 3-5p.m. The event is sold out.

• The red carpet celebra-tion starts at 5 p.m., followedby a block party with a DJ.

• MEOC Transit shuttlebuses will run from UnionHigh School and MountainEmpire Community Collegestarting at 9 a.m.; buses willrun on demand; boardingprice will be $1 per personeach way. Dropoff will bebehind the post office.

• A fireworks show isplanned following the red car-pet/block party.

Wellmont Health Systemand Lonesome Pine Hospitalannounced Tuesday they arelead sponsors for the Oct. 10celebration.

Auditors tested more than

$182,800 of transactions,

or 5 percent of the total

amount NASA paid in the

2008 and 2014 awards.

They identified what they

characterized as more than

$65,400 in ‘unallocable,

unallowable, or unsupport-

ed expenses.’

TO THE EDITOR:

Alpha has announced more layoffsand we hear the ever present rallyingcry about the “war on coal” by theRepublican politicians.

Back in 2008 we heard about the“cap and trade” bill and how it wasgoing to destroy the area and coal indus-try, so we must vote for John McCain.McCain, however, had been a championfor “cap and trade” legislation. He hadco-sponsored cap-and-trade legislationin 2003, 2005, and 2007 (ClimateStewardship Acts).

We heard it with Morgan Griffith andhis outside groups that PresidentObama and Congressman Boucher werein cahoots to kill coal. Of course theyleft out the part where CongressmanBoucher had voted “yes” on a energybill that contained a cap and trade por-tion because of amendments he addedthat would offer coal plants free offsetsto virtually not have to abide by anyregulations at all.

Griffith also left out that the bill diedin July 2010 and had been abandonedcompletely because Democrats antici-pated losing the House.

All of these were facts you weren’tlikely to hear in 30-second ads that ranevery commercial break. What you didhear was this line repeated over andover: “So if somebody wants to build acoal power plant, they can. It’s just thatit will bankrupt them because they aregoing to be charged a huge sum for allthat greenhouse gas that’s being emit-ted.”

Obama did say that, but if werewound it beyond that 12 seconds, hesaid: “This notion of no coal, I think, isan illusion, because the fact of the mat-ter is that right now, we are getting a lotof our energy from coal, and China isbuilding a coal-fired plant once a week.So what we have to do then is we haveto figure out how can we use coal with-out emitting greenhouse gases and car-bon. And how can we sequester thatcarbon and capture it? If we can’t, thenwe’re going to still be working on alter-natives.” Not so sure terrible, is it?

Coal companies have been doingwhat they always have: taking advan-tage, making millions while we wallowin poverty, then leaving.

Alpha is a perfect example. Theywould have us believe that they justhave to lay off miners here and there,all just to stay afloat. How concernedwhere they when they were paying CEOKevin Crutchfield over $8 million inbonuses since 2011, $2 million of thatjust a few months ago? They still payformer president Paul Vining $4.5 mil-lion annually.

CONSOL recently announced theywould be going back on their promise tofund miners healthcare. They weredoing so bad that they were forced topay their CEO, Nick DeIuliis, $8.3 mil-lion last year. That was a 45 percent payincrease from 2013 according to theirSecurities and Exchange Commissionreport, yet they couldn’t pay for localminers’ health insurance they promised.They also had to contribute toRepublican Del. Will Morefield’s andSen. Ben Chafin’s campaign directly orindirectly.

Lastly, I just couldn’t ignore ArchCoal. Last year they announced layoffsof over 200 miners in Wise County andLetcher County, Ky. While this companywas struggling to survive they scrapedenough together to pay their presi-dent/CEO, John Eaves, $7.3 million.Something’s wrong here.

When we hear about this “war oncoal” it seems that it only makes sense ifwe just ignore the decades beforeObama took office. In 1984 coal employ-ment stood at 177,848 jobs. And in 2008it was 86,859. A total loss of 90,989 coalminers during those 24 years. Keep inmind that coal production has risenalmost every one of those years.

Coal employment has actually beenhigher under Obama than Bush. Obamahas averaged 88,152 mining jobs toBush’s 76,470. If there’s a war Obama iswaging, he’s doing a bad job at it.

A go-to argument from conservativeswhen it’s pointed out that the carbon-emission regulations have only beenproposed, never enacted, and were actu-ally struck down this past summer, isthat coal companies shed these jobs inanticipation of those looming regula-tions. They must have seen all of thatcoming during the last three decades, Iguess.

But, to further debunk this myth, wedon’t have to go back that far. If this wasthe case, why did Alpha spend and bor-row $7.1 billion in 2011, years intoObama’s first term, to buy Masseymines? Would a company do thatbecause they thought/knew that coalprices would fall or rise in the comingyears?

Those are all facts that just can’t bespun, though they’ll be denied by thepoliticians that pathetically play on thefears of an area that is drowning inpoverty and unemployment to winvotes. They’re fighting for us and theyhave the Friends of Coal sticker on theircars and campaign flyers to prove it.

While they’re at it they’ll also keepvoting to deny healthcare to this areavia Medicaid expansion like everyRepublican representative in SouthwestVirginia has. They’ll vote over 60 timesto repeal the Affordable Care Act thatgave this cancer survivor healthcareand also made it easier for miners andfamilies of miners to get the black lungbenefits. We all need a boogeyman.

When an area feels so helpless aboutwhat’s going on around them and hasbeen going on around them for decades,they’ll do anything to feel like they havea say. Conservatives gave us one and webought it.

Why are we still letting King Coalhold this area back? In the entire com-monwealth of Virginia, there has neverbeen more than 5,500 coal minersemployed in the last 15 years. Thosewere of course located in SouthwesternVirginia but even here that’s a tiny por-

tion of employment.Coal is done here and everywhere.

It’s not coming back. Not because of apersonal vendetta to attack usAppalachians by President Obama. It’sdone because coal companies havecome into the area and done what theyalways do. Take and leave. We’re leftholding the coal bucket that’s full ofnothing but depression, poverty, and theabsence of what little we had to beginwith.

MATT SKEENSCOEBURN

Take care withplans to name airport facilitiesTO THE EDITOR:

The naming of any current facilitiesat Lonesome Pine Airport for an indi-vidual without adequate research couldprove to be a gross embarrassmentsince the founder of the airport’s nameis not affixed anywhere on the property.

I make reference to the late GeorgeC. Wharton Sr., who passed in 1975. Thisman gave at least 20 years of his life tomake this tremendous asset possible.This included serving as airport com-mission chairman, when called uponoften, inexhaustible energy and finan-cial resources. Being a seasoned pilot heflew frequently to meetings elsewhereseeking funds and political support for

several expansions to grow the facilityto the quality it is today.

I personally witnessed Mr. Wharton’sdedication for many years when Iserved as director of the LenowiscoPlanning District Commission, wherewe were involved in funding efforts forthe airport. Such research should startin the archives of the CoalfieldProgress, commission minutes, and thefiles at Thompson & Litton.

Further, any pilot naming pursuit hasto include another Pound native, JefferyDotson, who as a fighter pilot was shotdown and killed while on a combat mis-sion in Vietnam. He was Wise Countyand Southwest Virginia’s only pilotcasualty in that war, and possibly anyother.

BRUCE ROBINETTEBRISTOL

Old school building couldhave new uses

TO THE EDITOR:

Wise County now has several formerhigh schools that can be used for eco-nomic development.

The former Pound High School is onebuilding needing a solid plan. There are

pinionO PROGRESSCoalfield

the

N O R T O N , VA , 2 4 2 7 3 Page 6Friday, October 2, 2015

U O T A B L E Q U O T E S

Q ‘First keep peace with yourself, thenyou can also bring peace to others.’

Editor and PublisherJenay TatePublished byAmerican Hometown Publishing Inc.

T H O M A S A . K E M P I S

MORGAN GRIFFITHNINTH DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVE

We experienced an historicmoment last week when PopeFrancis addressed a jointmeeting of Congress, the firstpope in our nation’s history todo so. I was in attendance tohear his remarks to the peopleof the United States.

Regardless of your religiousbeliefs or political leanings,Pope Francis’ words werethought-provoking. While oth-ers in the media have focusedon other comments, I appreci-ated his having emphasized theimportance of family and mar-riage, and was pleased whenhe said, “the golden rule alsoreminds us of our responsibili-ty to protect and defendhuman life at every stage ofdevelopment.”

Also, fairly early in hisremarks, Pope Francisreferred to the fight of those

aspiring to achieve theAmerican Dream, mentioning“. . . the many thousands ofmen and women who striveeach day to do an honest day’swork, to bring home their dailybread, to save money and —one step at a time — to build abetter life for their families.”On this, the pope and I agree.On how people of other nationsmight come to the UnitedStates and participate in theAmerican Dream, the pope

and I might disagree. Our lawson immigration clearly need tobe simplified, but they must befollowed.

Speaking of the AmericanDream, House Speaker JohnBoehner (R-Ohio), himself aCatholic, has sought to get thepope to the Capitol for approxi-mately 20 years. And when Ireflect now on Pope Francis’allusion to the quest for theAmerican Dream, I can’t helpbut think of the speaker, whogrew up working at his fami-ly’s modest bar in Ohio andwho worked as a janitor to helpfund his education.

In other words, SpeakerBoehner spent his whole lifechasing the American Dream.In few other nations, if any,could the son of a barkeep riseto such heights — speaker ofthe house, second in succes-sion for the presidency.

On Sept. 25, the day afterPope Francis’ remarks,Speaker Boehner announced

he would be resigning fromCongress at the end of October.While it is no secret that heand I had some disagreements,Speaker Boehner is an honor-able, decent man. I respecthim and his service, I respecthis decision, and I am trulyglad for him that, after manyyears of persistence and faith,he was able to host the pope inour nation’s capital.

Leadership — whether lead-ing a religious faith, a legisla-tive body, or a different entity— is a challenging responsibili-ty. As the House ofRepresentatives prepares tomove forward, many discus-sions will continue taking placeregarding our future leader-ship. I will work closely andactively with my colleagues tofind for the job a candidate orcandidates who will follow reg-ular order and the principles ofThomas Jefferson’s Manual ofParliamentary Practice.Currently, with the

Republicans in control of theHouse, this should mean moreconservative victories, and ifthe American people elect aDemocrat majority, more victo-ries for the left. After all, theHouse of Representatives byits design is supposed to reflectthe will of the American peo-ple across the country.

Lately, under bothDemocrat and Republicanspeakers, a handful of peoplein back rooms make all of thedecisions. I hope the nextspeaker will return to allowingthe Committee process and thefloor to work its will for thebetterment of the Americanpeople.

A DIFFERENT CHANGESpeaking of change, let’s

talk about money — from nick-els and dimes to billion-dollardeals.

Recently, with

Pope’s words to Congress thought-provoking

Why do we still letthe coal industryhold region back?

G R I F F I T H

While others in the

media have focused

on other comments,

I appreciated his

having emphasized

the importance of

family and marriage.

GRIFFITH, PAGE 7

LETTERS, PAGE 7

L E T T E R S

Coal is done here

and everywhere. It’s

not coming back.

This week, U.S. Sens.Mark Warner (D-Va.),Tim Kaine (D-Va.) andJoe Manchin (D-W.Va.)proposed reforms to thefederal program that pro-vides benefits to coal min-ers suffering from blacklung disease, according toa press release.

To help level the play-

ing field for miners, thesenators said, they intro-duced the Black LungBenefits ImprovementAct of 2015 along withSens. Bob Casey (D-Penn.) and SherrodBrown (D-Ohio).Companion legislationwas introduced in theHouse of Representatives

by U.S. Reps. Bobby Scott(D-Va.), Matt Cartwright(D-Penn.), and FredericaWilson (D-Fla.).

Kaine said the billincreases miners’ accessto medical evidence forblack lung claims. Scottexplained that it wouldgive a claimant the samelevel of access to evidence

as that of the coal compa-ny, and would give minersbetter access to legalresources.

In July, Warner, Kaineand Manchin joined theircolleagues to introducethe Miners ProtectionAct, which they saidwould ensure that thefederal government and

coal operators honor theirobligation of lifetimepensions and health ben-efits to retired minersand their families who arefacing uncertainty as aresult of the financial cri-sis and corporate bank-ruptcies.

Congresswoman DebbieDingell (D-Mich.), I led aletter to President Obamacalling for strong,enforceable protectionsagainst currency manipu-lation in the final Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)agreement. A total of 154other members ofCongress signed on to ourletter.

While I have seriousconcerns about TPP andespecially the trade pro-motion authority thatCongress granted to thepresident, I firmlybelieve that we cannotget a good trade deal withcountries if they continueto manipulate their cur-rency and leverage anunfair trade advantagewhich hurts ourAmerican economy anddecimates our businessesand jobs. Countries likeChina and Vietnam havebeen accused of doingthis in the past.

If you have questions,concerns, or comments,

feel free to contact myoffice. You can call myAbingdon office at276/525-1405 or myChristiansburg office at540/381-5671. To reachmy office via email,please visit my website at

www.morgangriffith.house.gov. Also on my websiteis the latest material frommy office, includinginformation on votesrecently taken on thefloor of the House ofRepresentatives.

r GriffithFROM PAGE 6

no magic answers. Thebuilding needs a newroof. There has beensome water damagebecause of a leak. Thiswill not help with devel-opment. It will take amajor investment to getthis building back inoperation.

The town of Pound andthe Wise CountyIndustrial DevelopmentAuthority need to form aPound/IDA partnership ifthey are serious abouteconomic development.There are no shortcuts inbusiness development.This new partnershipneeds to work together onfinding new tenants. Itmay take a private/publicinvestment plan. Findways to bring in revenue.

There are no limits onideas for this building.The whole or parts couldbe developed into condo-miniums. Many peopleare looking for invest-ment and weekend/vaca-tion property. The build-ing could also be thehome to a small publiclibrary. This would helpdevelop foot traffic. Acombination of public andprivate business can helpwith traffic and activities.

The Pound High

School building could alsomake a good home for asmall college. Adding aMountain EmpireCommunity College-North could be a good fit.An MECC-North collegecould draw students fromthe Pound/Wise commu-nities, Dickenson Countyand eastern Kentucky.There is a need here.

A UVa-Pound graduatebusiness school could filla need for business exec-utive training inSouthwest Virginia andeastern Kentucky. Tuitionfees are very high at afirst-class business grad-uate school. The collegecould have a programwhere these studentswork with our local WiseCounty IDA. This gradu-ate school could offerindividual courses to localbusiness owners/leaders.A local business graduateschool would bring manybenefits for Wise County.

A Napoleon Hill busi-ness school would alsowork in the former highschool building. Hill, anative of the Pound area,was a businessman andwriter of many books onpositive thinking. Thiscollege could offer train-ing in global business,economic theories, criti-cal analytical thinking,

ethics in management,strategic leadership,understanding accountingnumbers, personal lead-ership and innovativethinking. This schoolwould also bring in manybenefits for the communi-ty.

All these schoolswould help recruit newbusinesses. The formerschool could also be usedfor other education pur-poses. Set up the buildingwith distance learningcapability. Take classesfrom different collegesacross the United States.Online courses could betaught here.

Studying for master’sdegree programs, legalstudies, professionaltraining and medicaltraining are other educa-tion programs these oldschools could be used for.

The Pound HighSchool has a gym. Poundcould use a Boys/GirlsClub and aYMCA/YWCA. This sec-tion could be used forcommunity events.

This building couldalso make a good homefor a culinary school. Theformer cafeteria areacould be used for a cook-ing school. With tourismgrowth there will be amajor need for top

restaurants. Traininglocal citizens helps keepjobs in the community.This school could havetraining for traditionalmountain food, big cityfood and foreign countryfood. The school couldhave food cooking localworkshops, one-day cook-ing school events. Havespeaking engagementevents and catering forevents. This school couldhelp local farmers byusing their products.Teach the business sideof restaurant ownership.Help create differentbrands of food. Just findways to bring in incomefor the school.

LARRY BAKERWISE

Norton, Virginia 24273 The Coalfield Progress Friday, October 2, 2015 PAGE 7

Please be reminded:Delegate Terry and Debbie Kilgore

will be hosting the annual KilgoreBBQ at the home of John and Willie

Kilgore, located at 2050 ManvilleRoad, Gate City, VA 24251. Thisyear's event will take place onOctober 4 from 2:00 to 4:30.

Everyone is welcome so pleasespread the word.

Questions? Call 276-386-7011 - Casual Attire -

Paid for by Kilgore for Delegate

PAID FOR BY RONNIE OAKES

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SHERIFF

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GUN SHOWOctober 3-4

SAT. 9-5, SUN. 9-4

Appalachian Fairgrounds

100 Lakeview St.Gray, TN

BUY-SELL-TRADEINFO:

(563) 927-8176

r LettersFROM PAGE 6

Congress to consider black lung legislationSponsorssay it willlevel the fieldfor miners.

PAGE 8 Friday, October 2, 2015 The Coalfield Progress Norton, Virginia 24273