Some of you may have read about a large lawsuit being brought against the manufacturers of opioid prescription drugs by many localities throughout the country. In our neck of the woods, Smyth, Wythe, and Russell counties have joined and their lawyers have attempted to add Pulaski County to their client list. I’ll attempt to explain […]
In 1980, Virginia set the minimum amount (or threshold) for a felony larceny charge at $200. Since then, as inflation has risen 3% every year (on average) and virtually every state in the nation has raised the amount to at least $500 (in Texas it’s $1500 and North Carolina its $1000), Virginia has done nothing. […]
Tonight the Pulaski County Board of Supervisors and the Pulaski County School Board will meet to discuss a host of important issues around both the new middle school as well other school related expenses. (Find the Agenda here.) I should note that the meeting will be at the IT Training Room at 89 Commerce Street S.W. (Maple […]
Today I read Andy McCready’s long opinion piece in the Pulaski Patriot. While Mr. McCready uses many true facts, I could write 10,000 words about how they are presented without sufficient context. However, I’ll focus on a few key points organized around his topic headings. Pulaski County Spending: While Pulaski County has increased its contribution […]
Schools Cannot be Fixed for only $9 million Recently, I noticed that Andy McCready gave an interview to WSLS in which he stated that the “Plan B” for the middle schools if the referendum fails is to enact a $9.3 million dollar plan. The Plan, seen in its entirety here, can best be described as […]
After the departure of Optima insurance, large portions of the 9th District will be the “the only places in the U.S. without at least one insurer” who provides coverage under the ACA. This will affect over 70,000 individuals in this area, including thousands in Pulaski County. This issue, according to the insurers is the uncertainty […]
This morning the Roanoke Times published an editorial regarding a report issued by the GO Virginia Regional One Council titled “Growth and Diversification Plan.” While Pulaski County technically lies outside the borders of the region described in the Report, it nonetheless highlights important issues facing all rural communities. As we’ve noted in other posts, rising healthcare […]
After attending the Board of Supervisors meeting on June 26, and the work sessions on June 30, July 12, and July 20, I wanted to share some observations about their discussions. Two clarifications First, the School Board’s proposal for the consolidated middle school has a budget of about $46 million. The Pulaski County High School […]
If your news feed looks anything like ours right now, it is probably full of stories about Russia, the proposed new Pulaski County Middle School, and the Senate’s health care plan, in that order. We’re not going to touch the Russia story at this point, but we do want to take a look at how […]
Last night I spoke at the Board of Supervisors meeting, in order to make sure that both they and the public were aware of the options available to them in response to the consolidated middle school resolution passed from the School Board. Their options are as follows: Do nothing- The Board of Supervisors is not […]