Hot Springs & Monterey, VA

Trout get triple threat Numbers could go down before state's biggest hatchery gets total overhaul; disease still watched BY CHARLES GARRATT • STAFF WRITER       WARM SPRINGS - The state's largest producer of catchable size trout is little more than a series of crumbling ditches dug in a field parallel to the Cowpasture River a half-century ago. Coursey Springs Fish Cultural Station near Williamsville produces onethird of the trout stocked in all Virgini... More ...       Highland County Fire Queens warm things up with their smiles in their regal procession down Spruce Street during the annual parade Wednesday to open the county fair. See more photos pages 15-17. More ... One last time for old Millboro school BY CHARLES GARRATT • STAFF WRITER       MILLBORO - A two-hour public hearing held last Thursday to discuss the fate of the old Millboro school buildings ended with only one decision: To schedule another public hearing Sept. 11. More ... 'Mama' raises $10,000 for pool       MONTEREY - Highland Recreation Commission fund-raiser, the Mountain Mama Bike Challenge, garnered more than $10,000 for the new swimming pool from this year's ride, reported race director Kirk Billingsley at Monday's recrecation commission meeting. More ... 'Rock snot' invasive algae threatens Jackson River BY CHARLES GARRATT • STAFF WRITER       GATHRIGHT DAM - State fisheries biologists are concerned about the impact the invasive algae known as "didymo" or "rock snot" discovered in the tail waters of the Jackson River below Gathright Dam three years ago may have on the trout population in the river. More ... Tim Duff: Seeking first term BY ANNE ADAMS • STAFF WRITER       MONTEREY - He's confident Highland County is ready for a change in law enforcement. He's equally confident he's the man to provide it, but he's not interested in more than one or two terms. Tim Duff, 46, is the next in a series of challengers over the last two decades to face incumbent sheriff H... More ... Herb Lightner: Seeks 6th term BY ANNE ADAMS • STAFF WRITER       MONTEREY - After being elected the youngest sheriff in Virginia nearly 20 years ago at the age of 27, incumbent Highland County Sheriff Herb Lightner will seek his sixth consecutive four-year term as top law enforcement officer in the state's most rural community. More ... Backyard bears unwelcome BY JAMES JACENICH • STAFF WRITER       MONTEREY - "The bears are hungry," says Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries district wildlife biologist Al Bourgeois. It hasn't been a good year for blackberries, blueberries, sassafras and other foods bears are accustomed to, he says. The problem isn't limited to Virginia; hungry ... More ... Don't feed the bears BY JAMES JACENICH • STAFF WRITER       MONTEREY - Feeding bears is against the law on both public and private land. Two Virginia Administrative Code sections apply. More ... Just the bear facts . . .       The following information is from the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries Web site www.dgif.va.us. Black bears are described as shy, gentle, usually solitary animals that are very rarely known to be aggressive. Bears most often attempt to avoid humans and stay away from homes. More ... Planners recommend rejecting 1, approving 2 BY CHARLES GARRATT • STAFF WRITER       WARM SPRINGS - The Bath County Planning Commission Monday voted to recommend approving a conditional use permit for BARC and rezoning a Mitchelltown property but recommended rejecting a rezoning request for an acre on Klondike Hill. More ... Mennonite school opens in McDowell BY JAMES JACENICH • STAFF WRITER       MONTEREY - Highland Christian School opened Monday in the Stonewall Ruritan Building in McDowell with one teacher and seven students. The one-room school is sponsored by the Mennonite Church of McDowell and is primarily intended for the children of church members, said school board chairman Glen... More ... Native trout can be taking a bad turn BY CHARLES GARRATT • STAFF WRITER       WARM SPRINGS - An invasive parasite that attacks young trout and has seriously impacted trout streams and rivers in other parts of the country has been found in a Virginia hatchery, but at this point, it's not considered a high risk for Virginia waters by Department of Game and Inland Fisheries o... More ... Photos      Members of the Highland Historical Society officiated at a ribbon-cutting ceremony last Friday for the opening of the Family History Research Library at the Highland County Museum and Heritage Center. Pictured (l-r) are historical society board members Larry Held and Chris Scott, president Clay Hami... More ... Old meets new at the county fair      Ray Probst, at the wheel of his 1977 Kenworth, shows that sometimes old is better and big is beautiful, especially when it comes to trucks. (Recorder photo by James Jacenich) More ...       Sean Staunton (left) and Jared Heavner installed more than 2,350 bricks in the walk of the Veterans Memorial this week. That's not counting the bricks standing along the edge. More ... Residents compete in national 4-H Invitational       The 4-H team placed ninth WESTON, W.Va - Virginia was among the 17 states that participated in the 28th annual National 4-H Forestry Invitational July 22- 26. The event was held at West Virginia University's Jackson's Mill State 4-H Camp and Conference Center near Weston. More ...       James Vaus, a Highland High School freshman from Monterey, spent three weeks this summer participating in a marine science course about oysters with the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth in Baltimore, Md. More ...       Employees from the Virginia Welcome Center in Covington were given a tour of Bath County by the Bath County Chamber of Commerce office staff on Thursday, Aug. 23. More ... Garden club tours arboretum       HOT SPRINGS - On Aug. 13 the Hot Springs Garden Club took walking tour of the Edith J.Carrier Arboretum at James Madison University in Harrisonburg. The group left with an enhanced appreciation for nature and a greater understanding of precious natural resources. More ... What's blooming in Bath, Highland BY CHARLES GARRATT • STAFF WRITER       WARM SPRINGS - Late summer fields filled with tall purple blooms of ironweed bring a welcome wash of color to the browning grasses. Ironweed, Vernonia sp., is a native wildflower known for its tall stems that can persist through winter. The stems are so tough and light they have been used to m... More ...       Several Highland and Bath musicians performed in the American premiere of Paran (Son of My Life), a tango by Italian composer Pierino Codevilla, as part of the Aug. More ... Bluegrass pickin', food, fun: Part of Millbilly history BY GINA HAMILTON • CONTRIBUTING WRITER       MILLBORO - "We play a feast of musical flavors, but we love the old country songs the most," say musicians Ralph Knippa and Walter Baxter of the two-man band Plain and Simple. And musical flavors it will be at the annual Millbilly Bluegrass Festival on Saturday, Sept. 15, in the industrial park o... More ... On the agenda       Highland County Board of Supervisors Highland Modular Conference Center Tuesday, Sept. 4 - 7:30 p.m. James White, Jr., Verona residency administrator, reports on county roads and projects; rock wall along U.S. More ... Births       Sarah Beth Donaldson MONTEREY - Jon and Patricia Donaldson announce the birth of their second child, Sarah Beth, on July 27 at Augusta Medical Center in Fishersville. She weighed five pounds, 11 ounces and was 18 and one-half inches long. More ... Electric guitars at historic Herter Hall? Doggone right BY MARGO OXENDINE • CONTRIBUTING WRITER       WARM SPRINGS - What's the most fun you can have just once a year? The British Invasion. Boomers take note: If you want to feel like you're 16 again, with no worries other than finding the perfect go-go boots, experience the British Invasion next Saturday. More ... VISTA position available at center       MONTEREY - AmeriCorps Volunteers in Service to America is a federal program that recruits individuals to provide a full year of community service to non-profit organizations, and The Highland Center, which often uses these volunteers, offers another spot for those interested int he program. More ... Bowers, Hevener attend 2007 National FFA SPC       WASHINGTON, D.C. - Allen Bowers, president, and Thomas Hevener, secretary of the Virginia FFA Association, were two of more than 100 state FFA officers who gathered in Washington, D.C. July 24-27 for the National FFA Organization's State Presidents' Conference. More ... Farm fatalities highlight need to use caution this fall       RICHMOND - A new report from the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that nationwide, 14 percent fewer farmers involved in crop production died in 2006 than in 2005. In Virginia, farm fatalities have spiked. More ...       At its annual founders day picnic on Aug. 17, Nielsen announced the employee award winners which are given each year to outstanding employees. The Safety Excellence Award was given to Kevin Fry, superintendent. More ... Photos      Caroline Smith of Monterey was the door prize winner at the Highland Farmers' Market Aug. 24. She was presented with a loaf of banana nut bread by vendor Bruce Folks. Farmers' market vendors and customers have enjoyed being under the new pavilion on The Highland Center's lawn this summer. (Photo cou... More ... Ancient art good for home, office BY GINA HAMILTON • CONTRIBUTING WRITER       MONTEREY - In some homes, people find they argue in a certain room or just feel uncomfortable there, but they don't know why. More ... How sweet it is: Summer corn BY MARGO OXENDINE • CONTRIBUTING WRITER       MITCHELLTOWN - What could be sweeter? There's much to gripe about when summer rolls around - heat, humidity, mosquitoes, weeding. Then again, there's the produce. Peaches, tomatoes, green beans, yellow squash, cucumbers. And the corn! Sweet, succulent corn, fresh off the cob, makes summer som... More ... Shamrock & Stephenson Realty, Inc. increase sales       KANSAS CITY, MO. - Despite news of a down market in the real estate industry, United Country - Shamrock & Stephenson Realty, Inc. of Monterey, Va., has recorded a sales volume increase of 20 percent over second quarter 2006 data. More ... Call for cooks, crafters, beauties       MARLINTON, W.Va - The event that occurs in the little village of Marlinton which made national news for two previous years is making plans to return. Officials of the Autumn Harvest Festival have announced registrations for the West Virginia RoadKill Cookoff are already coming in. More ... Reunion Rexrode family       STAUNTON- The descendants of the late Cameron, Charles, and Fleet Rexrode held their annual reunion on Aug. 19 at Gypsy Hill Park. Mary Frances Rexrode welcomed the group and expressed concern for those unable to attend due to illness. Mike Lambert gave the blessing for the meal. More ...