Spreading holiday cheer to U.S. soldiers overseas, Potomac Field Gear in Council has brought together various sources to bring them their very own Christmas surprises.
  "We didn't do it for the publicity," said Bob Bonin, of Potomac Field Gear. "We just wanted to do it because it was the right thing to do."
  The creators of fire resistant, moisture wicking, anti-odor, anti-microbial and anti-static tactical protection clothing, Potomac Field Gear has had extended dealings with the United States Armed Forces.
  So as the hustle and bustle of the holidays began this year, Bonin says he started thinking of soldiers overseas, who will not enjoy Christmas dinner with their families and presents neatly wrapped with their names on them.
  That's when he decided to combine the efforts of local businesses and organizations to prepare Christmas shoe boxes for soldiers.
  According to Bonin, he approached the U.S. Marine Corp. and the U.S. Army with his plans and agreed to supply shoe boxes to one unit each. His only requirements were that the units had to be stationed abroad and experiencing hardships this holiday season.
  Embedded tactical trainers in Herat, Afghanistan, some 200 soldiers in the U.S. Army were chosen to receive shoe boxes while they teach the Afghan armies to defend themselves.
  Another 200 forward-based marines were chosen and members of the 1st Battalion 320th Regiment out of Abingdon, which are serving in varying locations, such as Iraq and Kosovo were selected.
  "During this holiday season we want you to know how much you are appreciated by your fellow Americans," a note inside each shoe box reads. "The individual sacrifice you are making on behalf of us makes us all proud."
  Along with the note, which also reminds soldiers they will not be forgotten this holiday season, the shoe boxes contain free Potomac Field Gear clothing, socks, notebooks, food, personal hygiene items and Christmas cards from various local volunteer groups.
  "Like the Army, this gift box is a true team project and not the result of any one person or company," the note reads.
  Those contributing to the shoe boxes included the following:  Food City; Noble Fiber Technologies, of Scranton, Pa.;  Discount Food Co, of Abingdon; Ecumenical Faith in Action, of Abingdon; Rite in the Rain, of Tacoma, Wash.; Black's Fort Chapter - DAR, of Abingdon; the Procurement Technical Assistance Center at Southwest Virginia Community College; and Linda Sparrow, of Abingdon.
  Bonin recognized  Lovis Ball, Claude Bostic, Glenda Calver, Jim Bonin, the Ecumenical Faith in Action and members of the Sinking Spring Presbyterian Church for preparing the boxes in festive packaging to be sent to the soldiers.
  "I can't wait to hear back from them," Bonin said.
  The shoe boxes were sent out on time and should arrive before Christmas, he added, so long as the postal service doesn't mind playing Santa.

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by Cathy St. Clair
News Editor 
  Two lawsuits filed in Buchanan Circuit Court against the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy have been non-suited by the companies filing them.
  Levisa Coal Company and Yukon Pocahontas Coal Company originally filed suit against DMME Director George Willis, alleging that the state agency had allowed Consolidation Coal Company to what Attorney Ben Street referred to as "secretly carve out" a section of its discharge permit application as it related to a plan to pump water into the VP3 mine.
  A non-suit is a legal term which basically means the suit is dropped, or not pursued, but cases which are non-suited can be initiated again at some point in the future if the parties decide to re-file.
  Street said in the initial suit, the companies objected to Consolidation flooding the VP-3 mines with billions of gallons of what he called "contaminated water,"  believing that remaining coal reserves in and around the mine would never be mined given the tremendous expense and time required to remove and treat the water.
  It's something he said would have consequence not just for Levisa, but also for  area residents and coal miners who might otherwise be hired at some point in the future to mine those coal reserves.
  Street noted Levisa objected to the VP-3 water discharge at the DMME informal conference held at Riverview in May 2006, however, he said, without disclosure to Levisa, Consolidation had already applied for a separate permit revision on April 13, 2006 to pump water to VP3. That permit was granted the following day -- April 14, 2006 and he said neither Levisa nor the general public were made aware of what he called the "secret permit revision."
  Initially the VP-3 water storage was listed in public notices, Street said, as a part of the main discharge application.
  He said the granting of the permit revision was first publicized in DMME's response to those who objected to the discharge permit being granted. In those responses, he said, the VP-3 carve-out was first mentioned.
  The permit revision has been discussed in other proceedings and DMME officials and attorneys have indicated the permit revision was seen by the department as "insignificant" and requiring no public notification process. The revision they have previously argued was the same as revisions previously granted allowing Consolidation to pump water into Beatrice, or to VP-1, and since neither of those approvals had drawn public dissension, DMME officials said previously the department viewed the revision allowing the pumping of water from Buchanan No. 1 to VP-3 as an insignificant change.
  Street said the decision to non-suit the case by his client was in order to allow the formal hearing process now underway regarding the Levisa River discharge permit to go forward with that portion of the application in place.
  "Levisa believes that DMME permission to pump water into VP3 should be considered in the context of the Levisa River Discharge Permit, as originally indicated by the DMME," Street said.
  He noted the hearing officer in charge of conducting the formal hearing, Thomas McCarthy, has been asked to consider the permit revision hand-in-hand with the Levisa discharge permit.
  "If the hearing officer agrees to do this, it would make sense for Levisa to argue its case at the formal hearing on the Levisa Discharge Permit which it believed it would be allowed to do at the outset," Street said. "Because of this, Levisa has elected to take a non-suit in the Circuit Court case, without prejudice to refile, in the hope that the Hearing Officer will agree to consider the secret permit revision for the VP-3 mine discharge when he considers the Levisa River Discharge permit."
  Street said if the hearings officer does not agree to consider that facet during the formal hearing, Levisa will have to consider refiling the suit against DMME and proceed in Buchanan Circuit Court.

by Cathy St. Clair
News Editor  
  A resolution which lists proposed spending of revenue sharing funds of up to $2.5 million on area roads was approved last Monday during a meeting of the Buchanan County Board of Supervisors.
  The resolution notes $1.5 million would be in local funds through the Virginia Department of Transportation's 2006-07 revenue sharing plan.
  Roads identified as part of that plan and the requested state match in the detailed application for funds submitted include Rt. 604, Sunset Hollow, $1.2 million, including local unmatched funds of $500,000; Rt. 83/8, Stateline Ridge, $462,000; Rt. 625, Stinson Ridge, $50,000; Rt. 615, Hoot Owl Branch, $100,000; Rt. 612, left fork of Leemaster, $100,000; Rt. 706, Lick Branch,  $136,000; Rt., 80, Helen Henderson Highway, $70,000; and Rt. 645, Rocklick Creek, $382,000.
  Hurricane Supervisor William P. Harris asked about the Rt. 80 funds and was told they would be used for a preliminary study on taking off a rockwall curve on that route. The funds would also be used to develop a set of plans for the project.
  The motion to approve the resolution was made by North Grundy Supervisor Carroll Branham and was seconded by Garden Supervisor Buddy Fuller. The vote was 6-0. Knox Supervisor Pat Justus, who did come later in the meeting, was not in attendance at the time the vote was taken.

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