St. Clair Is Named State SBA Journalist of the Year

        Virginia Mountaineer News Editor Cathy St. Clair has been named the Virginia Small Business Administration Journalist of the Year.
       St. Clair, news editor of the Mountaineer for the past 21 years, was nominated for the statewide award by Jim Boyd, director of the Small Business Development Center at Southwest Virginia Community College.
        She joined the Mountaineer as a staff reporter in 1983 on a part-time basis, while still working full time for an area law firm. She joined the Mountaineer staff full-time as news editor in 1985.
       She will be honored during the Small Business Administration’s annual awards luncheon in Richmond May 12 at which time she will be presented with the award.
       In nominating St. Clair for the award, Boyd cited St. Clair’s work in delivering the news associated with the Grundy Flood Control project, small business development, the Coalfields Expressway, and higher education initiatives in Buchanan County, as well as her coverage of the Operation Big Coon Dog case.
         In his letter of nomination, Boyd noted that as the coal economy declined, Buchanan County had seized the opportunity to diversify and looked into establishing education initiatives, including the Appalachian School of Law, the University of Appalachia College of Pharmacy and the SVCC training and education facility at the Grundy Plaza. He credited the Mountaineer and St. Clair for helping to make those initiatives a success.
      "The Virginia Mountaineer and Cathy, through writing and community involvement, greatly influenced and contributed to making each of these educational pursuits reality," Boyd said in his letter of nomination.
        Turning to the Coon Dog story, Boyd suggested it had been one of the more challenging stories St. Clair has reported.
      "Sixteen local elected officials and prominent business persons were given severe sentences and fines for their role in misusing FEMA funds following the catastrophic flooding of Hurley," Boyd wrote. "Cathy covered the story with courage, compassion and sensitivity. With courage, she reported the seriousness of the crime, not minimizing or offering excuses for the actions. With compassion, she used language and structure that would minimize the hurt that loved ones and the community felt for those involved and her stories were sensitive to the story’s impact on the community’s image, knowing that some of the finest people in the Commonwealth lived in her community."
      "The Virginia Mountaineer and Cathy have raised the standard of reporting with their positive and upbeat articles dealing with difficult stories," Boyd concluded.
      St. Clair is a 1981 cum laude graduate of East Tennessee State University where she earned a bachelor of science degree in mass communications and political science.
        She resides at Keen Mountain with her husband, Joe; and son, Jacob.
 

Police Radio Equipment Unreliable

by Scotty Wampler
News Editor
        Radio communication for police officers in Grundy has become so unreliable that Town Council is exploring what can be done to solve the problem.
        Grundy Police Chief Barney Stiltner told Town Council members last week that some officers have lost complete contact with dispatch recently.
       “Communication’s bad,” he admitted. “There’s times that it’s really bad.”
       Stiltner and another town officer detailed to council members a recent incident where a man suspected of driving under the influence was pulled over to be questioned. Upon questioning, the suspect reached for a handgun that was concealed in his pants.
        The officer, after subduing the suspect, attempted to call for backup, with no success.
        While that particular incident didn’t result in an escalated situation, council members expressed concern that future breakdowns in communication might lead to grave circumstances.
       “This is really important,” Mayor Roger Powers said, reiterating the council’s position.
       Council members initially considered looking into the cost of brand new radio equipment for town police.
         However, after additional discussion, they opted to investigate the issue further in the hope that the problem might be more specifically pinpointed.
        “I think we need to diagnose the problem ... before we go off and spend thousands of dollars,” councilman Chris Mitchell said.
        Councilman Bill Stokes suggested probing the differences in radio frequencies to determine what would achieve the best results in Buchanan County’s mountainous terrain.
        Council members agreed to have estimates prepared on new radio equipment by Town Council’s next meeting in April.
         “I think we need to get a quote on it,” Mitchell said.

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.

Grundy Town Council to Revisit Noise Ordinance

by Scotty Wampler
Staff Reporter
        Members of Grundy Town Council agreed last week to revisit the noise ordinance that was tabled in February.
        “I think that thing needs to be reviewed,” said councilman Gary Prater. “There’s people that want us to do that.”
         The original proposed ordinance called for noise restrictions on a number of items, devices and activities, including vehicles, radios, musical instruments, fireworks and social gatherings.
         Town Council rejected the proposed ordinance last month after Mayor Roger Powers broke a 3-3 tie, calling the proposal “too restrictive.”
          In bringing the topic back to the table last week, Prater asked members of the council if they would consider looking at a revised version of the ordinance soon, which they agreed to do.
         Also at Town Council’s regular meeting last week, the local Sons of Confederate Veterans spoke before the council, requesting use of the Walnut Street Park April 27-28 for the group’s annual gathering.
        “Last year, we had over 50 visitors come by,” SCV representative Ken Smith said. “Only thing that will stop us [this year] is if it comes a rain.”
         The group plans to build a fire and cook for any visitors who wish to come by.
         While the group received the approval of Town Council, the use of the park is subject to approval by the property owner.