Former Crimean Man Becomes a Naturalized Citizen
From Crimea to Nickelsville, one college athlete and new business owner has had an interesting and long journey to citizenship. Oleg Kopychenko was born in Crimea, the only child of Oleg and Alexandra Kopychenko. After 10 years of living in Southwest Virginia, he officially became a United States citizen during a nationalization ceremony held Aug. 11 in Roanoke. The Republic […]
Date Set for 2023 Santa Train Run
The sponsors of the Santa Train – CSX, Appalachian Power, Food City, Kingsport Chamber and Soles4Souls – have announced the 81st running of the train will take place Saturday, Nov. 18. Traditionally, the Santa Train travels through Appalachia the Saturday before Thanksgiving, delivering more than 15 tons of toys, gifts and winter accessories to hundreds of families, and spreading Christmas […]
DMV Enhances Customer Experience with New Website
The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has unveiled a new and enhanced <dmv.virginia. gov> that helps customers easily find important information online, enabling them to expedite their visit or avoid a visit altogether. “This launch is an integral part of an ongoing effort to better serve Virginians, no matter where they interact with DMV,” said DMV Commissioner Gerald Lackey. […]
SCTC Receives $25 Million to Expand Broadband in Lee, Wise Counties
Thousands of Southwest Virginia residents, farmers and business owners will benefit from an announcement officially released Aug. 21 of nearly $700 million in U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) grants and loans to bring reliable, affordable broadband coverage to rural communities in 22 states and the Marshall Islands. The investments are part of the fourth funding round of the ReConnect Program, […]
Stallard Has Busy Week Filled With Food, Friends, Music
It’s almost mind boggling how time flies. It seems like yesterday I wrote a column. The days have passed swiftly and it’s time to see what I can come up with for this week’s edition of Thru the Gap. Someone once wrote, “Don’t let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish something stand in the way of […]
Cabin Creek Boys
An old-time “Hillbilly” group performs Saturday, Aug. 26 at 7:30 p.m. at the Carter Family Fold in Hiltons. Led by multi-instrumentalist husband and wife duo Chris and Erika Testerman of Lansing, N.C., the Cabin Creek Boys also includes Trish Kilby Fore of Galax on the clawhammer banjo and Jerry Steinberg of Salem on the upright bass. The Cabin Creek Boys […]
