VA News Reader

June 20, 2023

Photo by Peter Cihelka for The Free Lance-Star

John J. Wright students get exposure to career opportunities through new program

By Adele Uphaus for The Free Lance-Star

In a classroom at the John J. Wright Center, teacher Travis Richardson and assistant principal Marlena Galimore talked with a small group of students about proper interview attire.

“You want to make sure you’re presentable and your clothes are clean,” Galimore said.

“But what if you’re poor?” asked one of the students, who all attend Spotsylvania County Public Schools’ alternative education program at the Wright Center.

Read the full article at The Free Lance-Star.


Photo by Carolyn R. Wilson, special to the Bristol Herald Courier

Stam takes filmmaking to next level

By Carolyn R. Wilson, special to the Bristol Herald Courier

When Joseph Stam was a child, he sat in the audience at Barter Theatre, enamored by everything he saw and heard on stage – the dialogue, the costumes and the storytelling.

“I just knew it was something I wanted to do one day,” said Stam, 20, who has been following his dreams since he was a teen, acting with the Barter Youth Academy and later winning awards at national and international film festivals for acting, screenwriting and directing.

With an eye for the camera and a heart for storytelling, the small town youth is doing big things. Starting in July, he will begin shooting his fourth film to primarily take place on a location in Saltville, Virginia, as well as sites in Abingdon and Bristol.

The locally made film, “Searching for the Elephant,” represents the first time the Abingdon resident will act and direct in a work that he also helped to write.

Read the full article at Bristol Herald Courier. 


Photo by Graham Moomaw for Virginia Mercury

Buckingham Electoral Board fires Republican registrar after less than a month in the job

By Graham Moomaw for Virginia Mercury

The Republican-appointed head of Buckingham County’s election office was fired in dramatic fashion Tuesday morning, one day after several residents showed up at a public meeting to say the turmoil and dysfunction surrounding the office were a growing embarrassment for their community.

Read the full article at the Virginia Mercury.


Blue crab population rebounds but remains below targets

By Katrina Dix for The Virginian-Pilot

The Chesapeake Bay blue crab population has shown signs of improvement after last year’s historic lows, but there’s still cause for concern, according to the 2023 Blue Crab Winter Dredge Survey published Thursday.

The overall population rebounded to 323 million this year, a 42% increase, which means more juveniles survived the winter, said Chris Moore, a senior regional ecosystem scientist with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

Read the full article at The Virginian-Pilot.


Photo by Eva Russo for The Richmond Times-Dispatch

Ukrop’s crumb cake picked up by Kroger nationwide

By Colleen Curran for The Richmond Times-Dispatch

At the Ukrop’s bakery just off West Broad Street, the smell of cinnamon and sugar fills the air.

From rainbow cookies to chocolate layer cakes and chess pies, the Ukrop’s bakery has been creating some of Richmond’s favorites sweets for decades.

Now, one of Ukrop’s bakery items — the cinnamon crumb cake — has been picked up by Kroger and will be carried in Kroger stores nationwide.

Read the full article at The Richmond Times-Dispatch.

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