REGIONAL VIEW southwest virginia


Partnership brings computer education to Bristol, Wise


students by Leah Small


A


new partnership is preparing Southwest Virginia middle and high school students for


tomorrow’s tech jobs. As part of the United Way of South-


west Virginia’s Ignite Technology Talent Development program funded through GO Virginia Region 1, middle and high school students in Bristol and Wise County will learn about careers in com- puter science this academic year. Some participants will intern for companies in the region and take dual-enrollment classes at community colleges. The United Way has teamed with


FOR THE RECORD


Bristol Virginia City Council in mid-July approved adding a referendum to the Nov. 3 general election ballot allowing local voters to decide whether to allow the proposed Hard Rock Casino Bristol at the vacant Bristol Mall. The General Assembly has approved the operation of five casinos in economically challenged cities, including Bristol, dependent on local approval. Local businessmen Jim McGlothlin and Clyde Stacy are partnering with Hard Rock on the planned $400 million casino, hotel and convention center. The project is projected to generate $130 million in revenue annually and create more than 1,000 direct jobs. (Bristol Herald Courier)


Bristol, Virginia, will provide $50,000 to Discover Bristol (the convention and visitors bureau) during the current fiscal 2020-21 year — down from $125,000 last year. Funding will come from an unspecified percentage of lodging tax revenue, Bristol Virginia City Council announced in mid- August. The amount Discover Bristol has received has been decreasing each year since fiscal 2016 through 2017. This has caused funding to be a hot-button issue with disagreement between the two Bristol councils — as Bristol, Virginia’s contributions have diminished amid wrestling with its own finances and massive debt. (Bristol Herald Courier)


United Way of Southwest Virginia President and CEO Travis Staton


Richmond-based nonprofit CodeVA on the initiative. CodeVA has provided free profes- sional development for approximately 3,500 teachers in coding and other computer skills, part of an existing collaboration with the state Department of Education to train teach- ers in the discipline. Virginia was the first state to mandate that students in kindergarten through eighth grade receive computer science instruction. Computer science opportunities for students are particularly important in coal


country, which is economically impacted by population decline and the decline of the mining industry, says Travis Staton, president and CEO of the United Way of Southwest Virginia. “We have our challenges. We are a rural community with lots of poverty and dependence on an energy sector that allows people to have minimal education and high-paying jobs,” Staton says. “But that sector is closing. So how do you prepare a workforce for the future? You start early in the education system.” Beginning this fall, we want students to “make informed choices about career fields


they might pursue,” says Chris Dovi, executive director of CodeVA. “We are giving students exposure and meaningful experience in those subject areas and encouraging them to choose those careers.” The coronavirus pandemic has created challenges in offering the program, but the plan is to go forward with in-person and online instruction, depending on the school systems’ policies. This summer, CodeVA delivered free instruction to more than 1,000 Virginia teachers, including some who attended programs administered by the Abingdon-based Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center, which will also be involved with Ignite Tech Talent. With more than 1,300 information technology jobs projected to be created in


Southwest Virginia over the next 10 years, the Ignite program is likely to have a sig- nificant reach, Staton says. “This is only going to get bigger and better.”


14 | SEPTEMBER 2020


Wythe County-based Musser Lumber Co. Inc. will invest $2.4 million to expand its operations and create 12 jobs — which, during the next three years, will lead to more than $8.5 million in forest product purchases, Gov. Ralph Northam announced in mid-August. Established in 1968 and founded by Mike Musser and his two sons, Musser Lumber Co. specializes in drying, surfacing and planing of hardwood lumber for flooring and paneling. The company’s investment will allow Musser Lumber Co. to grow its sawdust, shavings and wood chip sales to decking manufacturers, plastic extrusion companies and wood pellet producers. (VirginiaBusiness.com)


Local school districts in Southwest Virginia — which plan to offer both in-school and virtual school programs this fall amid the COVID-19 pandemic — are working to provide internet access for all students. All 14 Smyth County schools are now internet hot spots, which are areas where computers can connect wirelessly, the county announced in mid-August. The district is also trying to determine how to expand the program into higher population density areas. The United Way of Southwest Virginia is also offering mini grants to localities to help establish hot spot areas. (SWVAToday.com)


The Nature Conservancy and the University of Virginia’s College at Wise announced in early August they have partnered to create a grant program to support nature-based economic and community development in seven Southwest Virginia counties. With funding from the conservancy’s Cumberland Forest Project, they will design a local grant program, which is expected to take six to nine months. U.Va. Wise will then solicit local project proposals from businesses, nonprofits and communities in the coalfield region. Funded projects will contribute to local economic development while promoting the region’s natural resources. (The Coalfield Progress)


A Wise County and city of Norton Circuit Court judge in late July held that Virginia Uranium Inc. cannot mine the nation’s largest known uranium deposit, located in Pittsylvania County. The court upheld the constitutionality of Virginia’s 38-year-old uranium mining moratorium on the grounds that while the ban does deprive its owners of property rights, the state has a compelling interest to do so, based on the risks the mining would pose to human health and safety and the environment. (Virginia Mercury)


Photo courtesy United Way of Southwest Virginia


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72