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...
Issue Number 1
Are Young Smokers More Likely to Litter and Use Illegal Drugs?
If you have ever wondered if youth, smoking, illegal drug use, and littering have anything in common, wonder no more. The following findings should cause even the most radical smokers’ rights fanatic to shiver: “Results of this study deliver a strong cautionary message that those who smoked cigarettes before...
Judge Finds That Major Tobacco Companies Lied to and Defrauded Consumers and Marketed Directly to Children
U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler issued a final opinion in the U.S. government's landmark lawsuit against the major tobacco companies that found the companies have violated civil racketeering laws and defrauded the American people by lying for decades about the health risks of smoking and their marketing to children.
Miniature Cattle: More Beef for the Buck?
For the past fifty years or so, the American rancher took pride in breeding the largest cattle that could stand up on their own four legs. Super breeds emerged, some so big that many times cows died giving birth, and super-sized calves had to be strapped upright until their...
Native Americans of Far Southwest Virginia
If you were born and raised in far Southwest Virginia, you are very familiar with numerous people who claim that their grandmother or great-grandmother was a "full-blooded Cherokee." I cannot speak about this rural legend in the rest of Central Appalachia, but I suspect the fable of this prolific...
Higher Education in the Mountains: UVa-Wise, The Appalachian School of Law, and The Appalachian College of Pharmacy as Economic Engines and Keepers of the Region’s Best and Brightest Students
by Dr. Lu Ellsworth This is Part 1, covering local history and the impact of UVa-Wise on our region. Look for Parts 2 and 3, discussing the Appalachian School of Law and the Appalachian College of Pharmacy in Buchanan County, Virginia, in future editions of Mountain Peeks. Living off the land, whether farming or harvesting abundant timber,...
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...
St. Paul’s Sugar Hill: A Story of Biological Diversity, Pioneer History, Murder, and Nature Trails
As travelers pass by the small town of St. Paul, Virginia, on Alternate Route 58, they may notice a fairly large blue and white sign announcing “Hiking/Biking.” I drove by this sign at least a hundred times before I bothered to stop, assuming that the wayside was a small...
Heath Miller Speaks to Our Youth
Heath Miller, member of two Super Bowl winning teams and tight end for the Pittsburgh Steelers, is afraid of heights. "He has always been afraid of heights," said his mother, Denise Miller, of Swords Creek, Virginia.
A Note from the Publisher
Thank you for reading our first issue of Mountain Peeks. This new magazine is about the various people, places, and things that make far Southwest Virginia interesting and one of the best places to live anywhere. We will “peek” into our region’s history, issues, plans, projects, promises, and future...