Hot Springs & Monterey, VA

Accident claims life of 14-year-old BY JAMES JACENICH • STAFF WRITER       MONTEREY - The whir of the helicopter blades Friday night about 10:30 alerted Monterey residents that something serious had happened. The flashing blue and red lights near Highland High School indicating fire, rescue and sheriff's officepersonnel were preparing a makeshift landing zone confirmedi... More ... Burning the best prescription for healthy mountain top By Cynthia B. Coleman • Staff Writer       WARM SPRINGS - We have grown up learning about Smokey Bear and his stern message, "Only you can prevent forest fires." While wildfiresare dangerous to people and wildlife - a prescribed burn by professionals with a clear purpose, however, is necessary to prevent them. The new slogan today is "OU... More ... Pool site to remain in public use BY JAME S JACENI CH • STAF WRITER       MONTEREY - The Highland County Board of Supervisors held a public hearing Tuesday to gather opinions on dedicating the pool area open to the public, for outdoor public use, as required by the Land Water Conservation Fund Act. More ... $1 million in budget cuts handed back to school staff to figure out By Cynthia B. Coleman • Staff writer       HOT SPRINGS - The Bath school board met Monday, May 4 to ponder the question of how to cut more than $1 million from the $10.8 million budget they originally proposed for next year. Because the supervisors have not yet decided which health insurance plan they will accept, the school board could n... More ... Craven Fire ruled accidental       ASHWOOD - The early morning firelast Tuesday at the Craven home on Ashwood Drive has been ruled accidental. Bath Sheriff Larry Norfleetsaid this week that arson investigators, who combed the site after the April 29 blaze, have determined the firewas started by an oil lamp left unattended in the ... More ... Bath teen injured in explosion By Margo Oxendine • Staff Writer       HOT SPRINGS - A 15-year-old Bath County boy was seriously injured last week in an explosion he ineptly created in his bedroom. Special Agent Allen Brown, with the Virginia State Police, told The Recorder he received a call about 2 a.m. Tuesday, April 29, to visit the site on Airport Mountain, ne... More ... Wind project seeking investors, securing permits BY ANE ADAM S • STAF WRITER       MONTEREY - Highland New Wind Development is stepping up its search for investors, with plans to attend some regional conferences and meetings with potential backers in the next couple of months. HNWD will need financial support for its proposed 39-megawatt wind energy utility, expected to cost u... More ... Town council, mayor returned to office By Anne Adams • Staff Writer       MONTEREY - Longtime incumbent Janice Warner retained her seat as Monterey mayor following town elections Tuesday. Warner won with 32 votes. Rich Holman received the next highest number, 5, followed by two for councilmen Sam Shell and Don Dowdy, and one vote each for Kelly Botkin, councilman Fran... More ... In Brief . . . Bath County School Board       n Teacher Appreciation Week was good news in Bath County schools Tuesday, with 14 teachers and staff members recognized for their years of service. Also recognized, for School Nurse Appreciation Day, were school nurses Angie Plecker and Jackie Baughan. More ... Puffenbargers starting process of rebuilding sugar camp      Following a firethat destroyed his maple sugar operation a week before Maple Festival in March, Ivan Puffenbarger (left) and his wife, Sis, are rebuilding his Blue Grass Valley camp. The Puffenbargers are one of only a handful of maple syrup producers in Highland County. (Photos courtesy Doug and Te... More ... Bath considers business licenses tax By Cynthia B. Coleman • Staff Writer       WARM SPRINGS - Mike Collins, Bath County attorney, presented the supervisors April 29 with some findings on a proposed business license tax. Bath County had a business tax license placed into its ordinance in 1997, but since it did not "mirror" the state regulations, it was repealed because of l... More ... County hears health insurance options       WARM SPRINGS - George Weikel presented Bath supervisors Tuesday with four options of how to distribute the increase in county employee insurance coverage. If the county were to leave the insurance plan, which includes health and dental, in its current state, the 18. More ... In Brief . . . Highland County Supervisors       n Supervisors held a closed meeting April 21 for personnel issues related to salaries and duties of a county employee and to receive a legal briefing by staff on potential litigation related to installation of a surveillance system More ... Family camp retreat at Camp Accovac       MILLBORO - Camp Accovac will host a family camp retreat May 16-18. The theme will be "Facing the Giants." Guest speaker will be Dr. Sam Warren of Charlotte, N.C. Warren is the director of Nuture for the Advent Christian denomination. More ... 'Tol'Able David' to be shown May 17       MONTEREY - The silent film, "Tol'Able David," will be presented May 17 at 7 p.m. at The Highland Center. Following the film, a discussion will be held with Dr. Walter Coppedge, filmhistorian. The event is being held to benefit the Highland County Museum and Heritage Center. More ... On the agenda       County School Board Millboro Elementary School Library Thursday, May 8 - 6:30 p.m. Called meeting ¦ Budget work session More ... King certified as personal trainer at BCR&W       HOT SPRINGS - Bath Community Rehab & Wellness has announced Suzee King's recent certificationas a personal trainer from the American College of Sports Medicine. A native of Mountain Grove, Suzee graduated from Bath County High School in 2003 and has worked as a certified fitness instructor at BCR... More ... Millboro community rallies around Tammy Vess By Gina Hamilton • Contributing Writer       MILLBORO - The diagnosis of cancer was gut-wrenching enough last year for resident Tammy Vess; she did not expect having to deal with leukemia this year. And when (hopefully) a donor can be found, she faces a bone marrow transplant in a few months. More ... Family retreat at Camp Accovac       MILLBORO - Camp Accovac will host a family camp retreat May 16-18. The theme will be "Facing the Giants." Guest speaker will be Dr. Sam Warren of Charlotte, N.C. Warren is the director of Nuture for the Advent Christian denomination. More ...      The Hot Springs firehouse is filled with flowers this weekend. The Healing Springs Baptist Church Mission Action Circle holds its 25th annual Mother's Day Flower Sale Thursday and Friday from 9 until 6, and Saturday from 9 until 1 p.m. Pictured from left are "flower children" and early shoppers, Smo... More ... Older Americans Fair to be held at Mountain Crest Retirement Home       HOT SPRINGS - The United States is nearing the start of a tremendous shift in population. Beginning soon, 78 million baby boomers (people born between 1946 and 1964) will start retirement, kicking off an expansion in the number of elderly people that will continue for decades. According to the U.... More ... MES students display Science Fair Quest projects       MILLBORO - For the 18th year in a row, Millboro Elementary School students in fifth, sixth and seventh grades did an amazing job on our version of a Science Fair. Projects were displayed the week of April 28 in the cafeteria of the school and were highlighted along with the annual physical educat... More ... New Millboro-area farmers' market to open in June By Gina Hamilton • Contributing Writer       MILLBORO SPRINGS - Organizers seeking to establish a farmers' market announced on Tuesday they have found a location for the new Bath County Farmers' Market - the covered porch at Lickety Splits restaurant at the intersection of Route 39 West and Route 42. They tentatively plan to open in June, ... More ... Millboro Happenings By Gina Hamilton       n Benefit bingo will be held Friday, May 9, at 7 p.m., at the Burnsville Community Center. Proceeds from the event will assist the family of Harley Woodson Sr. Besides bingo games, there will be raffles,prizes and food. n Just in time for Mother's Day, a bake sale will be held this Saturday, May ... More ...      A dedication ceremony for this attractive new marker on Route 39 at the entrance to Bath County from Goshen will be held on Friday at 11 a.m., when details of this project will be announced. (Recorder photo by Gina Hamilton) More ...      Mary Hille McCoy, left, president of the Highland Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, donated "The Official Military Atlas of the Civil War" by Major George B. Davis to Highland County Public Library in memory of past UDC member the late Mary A. Byrd. Librarian Tomi Herold accepted t... More ... Historical society announces 'Everybody Loves Patsy'       HOT SPRINGS - On Sunday, May 18, at Bath County High School, the Bath County Historical Society will sponsor a multimedia presentation about the life and times of Patsy Cline. "Everyone Loves Patsy" will begin at 2 p.m. with remarks by historical society president Richard Armstrong. More ...      Left, David Blanchard demonstrates woodworking techniques at last Thursday's meeting at The Highland Center of the Allegheny Highlands Woodworkers' Guild. (Photo courtesy Jim Lindsay) More ...      Tuesday, the Bath County Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon cutting to welcome "Seasons," a new Homestead shop, to the Bath County business community. The shop is filled with beautiful home decor items including kitchen wares, candles and linens. Seasons is located in The Homestead's main retail co... More ... Open meeting on ag center project set       MONTEREY - Members of the Ag Center Steering Committee will be on hand for an information sharing, question and answer session on Wednesday, May 14 at 7:30 p.m. in the meeting room of The Highland Center. More ... Millboro Fire Association has reason to celebrate       MILLBORO - It took more than a year of work, but the firestation has been expanded with a 30-by-80-foot building addition. An officialribbon cutting was held last Saturday, May 3, with county officials, local volunteer firefighters, family members and friends. More ...      In the woods near Hidden Valley, this strange "flower" was spotted. It is not a flower, but a hickory sapling's bud scale curled back as the spring leaves emerge. The hickory tree's bud scales and large leaves are "blooming" up the mountains in both Bath and Highland Counties. The hickory is a valua... More ... Celebration       STAUNTON - Lydia Grace Rexrode celebrated her seventh birthday Sunday with a surprise dinner at her home. More ... On the agenda       Highland County School Board Highland High School Library Monday, May 12 - 7 p.m. Business meeting ¦ Informational items: HCEA - Update; Randy Hooke; Teresa Blum; school board members; meeting dates. More ... Library invites residents to travel to Africa       MONTERERY - The Highland County Public Library invites visitors to travel to Africa through the storytelling of Dr. Mwizenge S. Tembo on Tuesday, May 13 at 7 p.m. in the Mountain View Room at the library. Tembo was born in 1954 in Chipata in the Eastern province of his native country of Zambia i... More ... 4H Camp registration has been extended       BATH/HIGHLAND - Junior 4-H Camp will be held from June 30-July 4 at the W.E. Skelton 4-H Educational Center at Smith Mountain Lake 4-H Center near Roanoke. The deadline to register had been extended until Wednesday, May 14. More ... Hillside Landscaping open for business BY JAMES JACENICH • STAFF WRITER Gardening       MONTEREY - For some, enjoying nature means a hike through the woods or climbing a mountain. For others, relaxing in the backyard sipping iced tea is all the outdoor recreation they need. What many people commonly refer to as the yard is an outdoor living area to Jachin Hill. More ... Efficient landscape practices conserve water       • Fertilize properly - Too much fertilizer leads to excessive top growth and unnecessary water use. A pre-measured fertilizer spike ensures plants receive the proper amount of nutrients. More ... Home sellers can weed out competition       Looking to sell your house? Then you need something that will lure buyers into it. Realtors say that curb appeal is one of the most important things for a house to have in this tough real estate market. "It is definitely a buyer's market," says Stacy Hedden, a Realtor in the Southeast United Stat... More ... Mother's Day, May 11 Did You Know?       n President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the first officialMother's Day on May 9, 1914. n This proclamation was particularly meaningful to Ana Jarvis, who several years prior had started a campaign to establish a national Mother's Day holiday to remember her own mother who had recently died. Jarvis... More ... What's blooming in your backyard? By Cynthia B. Coleman • Staff Writer       Editor's note: Due to a production error last week, the following article was incomplete as published, and is being re-printed here in its entirety. Hot Springs - Lowly little weed, the dandelion. Most people hack, dig, spray to rid their yards of the bright, yellow blight, the blaring ... More ... D.C. museums provide wonderland of history Museum Hopping By Margo Oxendine       WASHINGTON, D.C. - It's the pinnacle, the acme, the best of the best. It's a wonderland of fascinating facts, fun, and aweinspiring treasures. If you're a "museum bug," you simply must indulge yourself in a trip to our nation's capital. In fact, you will need to plan many, many trips to Washingt... More ... Home & Property      The VDOT Verona bridge crew is replacing the bridge south of Blue Grass on Blue Grass Valley Road. Construction is expected to be completed by the end of May. Meanwhile, a temporary bridge is in place. (Recorder photos by James Jacenich) More ...      Fourth grade at Valley Elementary has just completed a special activity. The program, "Keep a Clear Mind - Choose Not to Use," is a substance abuse prevention program for children and their parents. In order to successfully complete the program, students must read and discuss alcohol, tobacco, and ... More ...      Perlista Henry, an ALS transport provider with Bath County Community, proudly stands beside the new ambulance the hospital received through a grant from Central Shenandoah EMS. While all hospital ambulances are ALS vehicles, the new one is equipped with a 12 lead EKG monitor, which can look at the h... More ...      This lone bear cub found its way into the yard of Shelby Smith near Dixon Hill last Wednesday. State Fish and Game personnel removed him from a tree after more than seven hours. (Photo courtesy Shelby Smith) More ... Photos      These participants raised $1,699.50 for the St. Jude's Bike-a-thon held recently at Millboro Elementary School. Pictured are (l-r) front row: Samantha Stinespring, Beth McAllister, Emma Marshall, Aislinn Ryder, Hunter Grimm, Will Reagan, and Justin Smiley; back row: Noah Hyler, Grace Hewitt, John He... More ...