Voter Registration Deadline Is on Tuesday, October 10

by Scotty Wampler
Staff Reporter
   The deadline for registering to vote in November's Federal General Election is rapidly approaching.
   To cast a ballot November 7, Buchanan County residents must be registered with the county Registrar's Office by 5 p.m. Tuesday, October 10.
   For those wishing to cast an absentee vote, those ballots are now available. Voters may vote absentee if they are a student, will be absent on business, be traveling on personal business or vacation, working for 11 or more hours between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m., disabled, sick or elderly, a caregiver for someone disabled, confined, an election official, have religious obligations, involved in U.S. Uniformed Service or employed outside the U.S.
   Voters wishing to vote absentee by mail may call the registrar's office for an application.
    Any voter wishing to vote in person may stop by the office located on the third floor of the county courthouse in room 303. Office hours are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
   The voter registration office will also be open on Saturday, October 28 and November 4 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for absentee voting.
   The deadline to mail an absentee ballot is Tuesday, October 31 and the last day to vote absentee in person is November 4.
    Locally, the North Grundy District Board of Supervisors seat is up for grabs as incumbent Democrat Carroll Branham is challenged by Republican Bobby Horn. Branham was appointed to the seat following the tragic death of North Grundy Supervisor Joe Keene earlier this year.
   At the state level, Ninth District Congressman and incumbent Rick Boucher (D) will seek re-election against C.W. "Bill" Carrico (R). Boucher, an Abingdon native, has served 12 consecutive terms in Congress.
   Battling for a seat on the United States Senate, incumbent George Allen (R) will face challengers James H. "Jim" Webb, Jr. (D) and Glenda Gail Parker (I). Allen, former governor of Virginia, has served in the Senate since 2000.
   Three proposed Virginia Constitutional Amendments will also be decided on by voters in November.

For more of the story, see the print edition of the Mountaineer, on sale at newsstands now.  To subscribe to the Mountaineer, call 276-935-2123 today.

Whitewater Releases Start Saturday on Russell Fork River

by Scotty Wampler
Staff Reporter
   Whitewater rafters are expected to be out in full force this weekend as the whitewater rafting season gets underway on the Russell Fork River.
    Annual whitewater releases into the Russell Fork are set to begin Saturday and will provide rapids ranging from class one to class six from the Flannagan Dam release point to Elkhorn City, Ky.
    Increased outflow of water will begin at the dam at around 8 a.m., according to Park Ranger Audrea Edwards.
    The rate of flow will reach 800 cubic feet per second during the first three weeks of the releases, Breaks Interstate Park Manager Carl Mullins confirmed. In the final week of releases, water flow is expected to reach 1,000 cubic feet per second.
    Beginning kayakers and rafters looking for an easier or more family friendly route are encouraged to try the "Fun Run," beginning at the Flannagan Dam release site and continuing to Garden Hole at the Breaks.
   Rafters and kayakers on that stretch of water will experience class one through class four rapids.
   Those seeking a more challenging experience may enter the water at Garden Hole, near the start of class five-plus rapids, and travel through the Breaks gorge, Edwards said.
    The water returns to a calmer pace past the gorge and remains so to Elkhorn City, Ky.
    Events coinciding with the whitewater release this year at the Breaks include the fourth annual 5K Run, sponsored by the Kiwanis Clubs of Clintwood and Grundy. The event is open to all ages and trophies will be awarded. Scheduled for Saturday, the event will begin at 10 a.m.
   Also in October, the park will hold Homemaking in the Mountains on October 21. This annual event will be held at the Rhododendron Lodge Conference Center. Authentic heritage skill demonstrations and seasonal mountain foods will be featured, starting at 10 a.m. and ending at 3 p.m.

For more of the story, see the print edition of the Mountaineer, on sale at newsstands now.  To subscribe to the Mountaineer, call 276-935-2123 today.

Fourth Annual Remote Area Medical Set Oct. 14-15

by Cathy St. Clair
News Editor
   More than 600 volunteers are expected to converge on Buchanan County October 14-15 as the fourth annual Remote Area Medical (RAM) Expedition gets underway.
   The bottom line?
    "The doctor is free."
    Free medical check-ups will be offered to the uninsured, underinsured, unemployed and those unable to afford health care and will provide adults and children with free dental cleanings, fillings and extractions; eye exams and prescription eye glasses; and hearing exams.
   Physicals, cancer screenings, immunizations for children, blood work and pulmonary functions will also be performed. Those with diabetes, or who are in need of medical aid will be assisted.
   Mammograms, pap smears and breast and pelvic exams will be offered, as well.
    Registration will begin at 6 a.m. daily.
   Services will be rendered on a first come, first serve basis.
    Services will be provided by volunteer doctors, nurses, dentists, ophthalmologists, optometrists, dental hygienists, nurse practitioners and other trained health care professionals.
    The Lions Club Mobile Screening units will be on hand to assist with eye exams.
    "Last year we had 463 volunteers and this year, with area schools increasing their numbers, we expect to have over 600 volunteers," said Frannie Minton, one of the organizers of the Buchanan County event.
    "We still need volunteers and anything anybody can donate . . . from a box of Nabs to six-packs of coke," said Sandy Stiltner, another RAM organizer.
     Volunteers are expected to be local and regional, as well as those from throughout the United States. It is the volunteers, both Stiltner and Minton said, who make the RAM event possible.
     "The people coming don't have to come and volunteer, but they give their time to serve the people," Minton said.
     Stiltner noted that residents thinking about volunteering need to remember that if they can't volunteer all day on one of the two days the event is being held, whatever amount of time they give will be appreciated.
     "Give us one hour . . . give us 10 hours; it's all very greatly appreciated," Stiltner said.
     Last year, the RAM program provided more than $237,000 in free medical and dental care to some 1,224 area residents.

For more of the story, see the print edition of the Mountaineer, on sale at newsstands now.  To subscribe to the Mountaineer, call 276-935-2123 today.