OUR COMMUNITIES
Getting Wild in Southern Maryland
New national wildlife refuge dedicated in Charles County March 2025 by Gregg MacDonald, Staff Writer If you’re a northern long-eared bat or a dwarf wedgemussel residing in Southern Maryland, your life may have just improved. On Dec. 13, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife...
Filling the Gap with History
Wise County coal museum tells the story of a community September 2024 BIG STONE GAP, TUCKED BETWEEN POWELL MOUNTAIN AND LITTLE STONE MOUNTAIN along the Appalachian Straight in Wise County, Va., is probably best known for a series of books written about it by New York...
In the Black
Celebrating diversity in business August 2024 by Gregg MacDonald, Staff Writer August is National Black Business Month, a recognition that began in 2004 when civil engineer, businessman, activist, veteran and author Fredrick E. Jordan, working with John William...
Who You Gonna Call? Rock Busters!
When retired pharmacist Chester Hill needed an electrical line installed for a newly constructed garage on his Big Stone Gap farm, he knew exactly who to call.
Gaff-n-Go Returns in a Big Way
A two-year hiatus is not a problem, if you’re on top of your game. That was one of the lessons of the 2022 Gaff-n-Go Lineworker Rodeo, which attracted a record number of competitors and crowds after the pandemic sidelined it in 2020 and 2021.
More Than a Place to Pay Bills
As coordinator of vegetation management at Shenandoah Valley Electric Cooperative, Scott Sorrels is protective of environmental concerns throughout the co-op’s territory. But what about closer to home? What about in SVEC’s front yard?
VICE is a Good Thing for Cooperatives
Thirty-two students, many of them involved in 4-H and FFA, participated in the two-day Virginia Institute on Cooperative Education.
Going Solar
Net metering continues to offer cooperative members an alternative option for renewable energy at their homes or farms. Net metering is a billing practice that enables you to receive a credit for the excess generation your renewable fuel generator produces in the month.
Ditch Digging Done Right, Co-op Style
Ditch Digging Done Right DONNA WEST WAS ON HER HANDS AND KNEES, PEELING BACK CLOTS OF DEBRIS AND WET LEAVES at a children’s playground in Murfreesboro, Tenn., when she made a discovery. “It’s a drain,” she said. “I wonder if anyone knew it was here.” Answer: Probably...