by Richard Kretz Richard Kretz is a regionally-acclaimed naturalist and photographer whose digital images capture the vibrant beauty and diversity of nature. His life project is to photographically document as much of the flora and fauna as possible in far Southwest Virginia. He resides at the foot of Clinch...
Issue Number 3
Appalachian College of Pharmacy: Tackling Economic and Health Care Challenges
by Dr. Lu Ellsworth This is Part 3, covering the impact of The Appalachian College of Pharmacy on our region. You can also read parts 1 and 2, discussingUVA-Wise and the Appalachian School of Law. As the Appalachian School of Law began to recover from the wrenching shooting tragedy on its campus on January 16, 2002,...
Gallery Focus on Local Outdoor Photographers
High Knob Sunset
Keokee Lake
White Rocks, Lee County, Virginia
Behind Little Brumley Falls
Capturing the Light
Devil’s Falls
Devil’s Fork
Bark Camp Lake
Moon over Hidden Valley Lake
Cumberland Gap
Bark Camp Falls
Wildcat Room
Little Stoney Falls in February
Sand Cave
The Yellow Queen
Little Brumley Falls
Are You Depressed, Moody, and Blue? Your Body Might Just Be Craving Vitamin D.
by Dr. Leah Holland Are You Vitamin D Deficient? Despite living in the sunny south, you may actually be Vitamin D deficient. Research finds that the majority of those living above the 35th parallel are deficient in Vitamin D(1). This means if you are living in most of North...
From Veteran House Member to Freshman Senator, Bill Carrico Stays Focused
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...
Head to Heartwood for a Taste of What’s New!
Heartwood Chef Barry Boothe forages the farms and farmers’ markets of Southwest Virginia for his new Rooted in Appalachia menu. Heirloom vegetables, grass-fed beef, and most anything else that’s in season makes its way into everything from daily lunch specials and soups to the ever-bountiful Farm Fresh Sunday Gospel...
Scottish Roots
Like many Appalachian descendants, especially those from Southwest Virginia several generations back, we can generally find that at least a portion of our lineage came directly or indirectly through Scotland. Obviously there are many exceptions, particularly the Mediterranean and Eastern European immigrants that emigrated to the coalfields in droves...
Funny Stories from the Mountains
At Mountain Peeks we hear many humorous stories from readers about bizarre or funny things that have happened to them or members of their family; things that are so odd they have to be true because no one could make them up. Here is the first one we received. Send your...
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...
New Court of Appeals Judge Teresa Chafin Joins Ranks of Women Appellate Jurists from Southwest Virginia
The crowd was big, around three hundred, and the number of judges unprecedented, over thirty, as Lebanon native Teresa Chafin became the newest member of the Court of Appeals of Virginia. The Court hears appeals from circuit courts regarding criminal, domestic relations, and administrative decisions. Although the Court of...