At only eight years old, one little boy had already been labeled out of control, setting fires around Buchanan County and getting into serious trouble with the law.
  "His family thought he was just fine," Bill Pearsall remembers.
  In 2004, Pearsall began volunteering as a court appointed special advocate (CASA) for children, after enrolling at the Appalachian School of Law two years earlier.
  And, it was through the CASA program that he came to know the enraged child, who Pearsall quickly realized wasn't a bad kid at all.
  There was something more to his behavior, Pearsall says. In essence, he was screaming for someone to save him from a situation he couldn't escape -- a situation which turned out to be sexual abuse.
  Because of the combined efforts of Pearsall, other members of the CASA program and the Virginia Department of Social Services, that child now lives in a foster home, safe away from the terror that drove him to lose control.
  "Things straightened out and he brightened up right away," says Pearsall, describing himself as proud to have been there for the children who had no one looking out for them.

   A Ninth Congressional District Value-Added Beef Conference, “An Opportunity for Southwest Virginia’s Farming Families,” will be held on Monday, July 24 at the Hemlock Haven Conference Center in Hungry Mother Park in Marion. Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. and opening remarks from Congressman Rick Boucher will begin at 9 a.m.
    The conference is open to the public without charge and is expected to conclude at 12:30 p.m.
    “The production of locally finished, value-added beef offers a promising economic opportunity for those interested in beef farming throughout Southwest Virginia. In order to assure that our region’s agricultural community is fully aware of this opportunity, I am hosting the conference,” said Boucher.
    The conference will focus on alternative appng practiced in Southwest Virginia.
    Conference attendees will hear presentations from a series of speakers, which will focus on the genetics and forage of value-added beef.
    Steve Smith, President and CEO of Food City, will discuss marketing opportunities for locally finished beef, and David Redwine, chairman of the Scott County Hair Sheep Association, will share his insights into the association’s successful history of marketing its lamb in partnership with Food City.  
    To register for the conference, or to receive additional information, contact Boucher’s Abingdon office at (276) 628-1145.

    A Regional Pandemic Influenza Summit will be held July 20, 2006 at the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center in Abingdon.
   The summit, sponsored by Cumberland Plateau, Lenowisco and Mt. Rogers Health Districts of the Virginia Department of Health, Northeast Tennessee Regional Health Office and the Sullivan County, Tennessee, Regional Health Department will begin at 8 a.m. and conclude at 3 p.m.
   An influenza pandemic can occur on the emergence of a new influenza virus to which people have little or no immunity, which causes serious illness or death, and which spreads easily from person-to-person. It can sweep across the country and around the world very quickly. There is concern that the H5N1 strain of avian flu currently infecting birds and people on several continents may mutate to spread readily between persons, increasing the potential for a pandemic. Wherever and whenever a pandemic occurs, everyone around the world is at risk, according to health department officials.
   A severe and lengthy flu pandemic could lead to high levels of illness, death, social disorder and economic loss. Business, essential infrastructure, and many aspects of everyday life would be disrupted because so many people in so many places would become seriously ill at the same time. Allocation of resources such as hospital beds, antiviral medications and vaccine will challenge communities and health care providers, they added.
    Impacts of a pandemic can be lessened through preparedness. The Mountain Empire Regional Pandemic Flu Summit has been organized to educate community leaders about pandemic flu and preparedness. This summit will include educational presentations by state and regional experts, as well as smaller breakout/tabletop exercise sessions. Lunch and snacks will be provided.
    Register on-line at TRAIN Virginia, https://va.train.org or call (540) 857-7698 for more information prior to July 14, 2006.