Charles William “Bill” Carrico (R-Grayson) was born in Marion, Virginia, in 1961 to Charles and Alda Carrico in the same county that he has represented in the General Assembly for more than a decade. But politics was far removed from the little corner of Smyth County where he was born and raised. Carrico spent most […]
Politics
Delegate Israel O’Quinn Hits the Ground Running in Richmond
It is obvious when talking to Southwest Virginia’s newest delegate, Israel O’Quinn, that he loves Southwest Virginia. He says there’s no place like it. Born in Hayter’s Gap in western Washington County, O’Quinn grew up playing baseball in the backyard with his brother, Morgan. But the O’Quinn boys knew they wouldn’t get to play […]
Delegate Will Morefield: Young but Not Outgunned
Being the youngest member of the Virginia General Assembly since colonial days, especially coming from a rural region six hours from the state?s capitol, has been an exhilarating experience for Delegate Will Morefield, the state representative from the Third Legislative District that serves all of Buchanan County, most of Tazewell County, and the Honaker area […]
Is Smoking Around Children a Form of Child Abuse?
Cigarette smoking is a form of child abuse, says one of the nation?s leading child abuse experts, and it?s high time we recognize it as such.
?More young children are killed by parental smoking than by all unintentional injuries combined,? says James Garbarino, an internationally recognized expert on child protection and the director of Cornell University?s Family Life Development Center. These deaths include almost 3,000 annually due to low birth weight, 2,000 due to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, and another 1,300 attributed to respiratory infection, asthma, and burns, according to researchers in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.
A Final Word: Thanks a Lot, Governor Sanford
Far be it from us men to kick another male when he is down for the count, but South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford needs a collective boot from his brothers. Not only did he break the code of silence about secret relationships, but he actually bragged about it and wrote sappy e-mails to his soul […]
Congressman William C. Wampler, Sr.: The Bald Eagle of the Cumberlands
A neighbor predicted the future of former Congressman of the Ninth District, William Creed Wampler, Sr., when he was just a wee lad in knickers. The year was 1931, and five-year-old “Billy” Wampler was visiting his grandparents in Big Stone Gap, VA, when he decided to cut the neighbor?s weeds with his little pen knife.