Our Community Heroes: Wise County Grassroots Organizers
Our community heroes for January are local members of Southwest Virginia Nuclear Watch. The members organized voters to consider an electric authority referendum that appeared on the November 2025 ballot. This referendum would have allowed the county to create an electric authority that would work with commercial and industrial customers that require lots of power. Opponents feared it could be used to bypass public input for major new energy projects. Photo: A power station in Exeter, Va. Photo by Ben Bolling.
Resilience hubs confirmed for Dungannon and Duffield
Appalachian Voices is helping to establish two resilience hubs in Scott County this year, establishing reliable locations that will supply power during emergencies. The funding for these hubs — located at the Dungannon Depot and at Appalachian Sustainable Development’s Appalachian Harvest building in Duffield — comes from Google through the Sharing the Power Foundation and Invest Appalachia.
Virginia Tech scientists receive funding to preserve the Eastern hellbender
After Hurricane Helene worsened conditions in the Clinch and Holston watersheds for Eastern hellbenders, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation funds were awarded to Virginia Tech scientists to raise hellbender salamanders in captivity while improving streambanks and land management practices.
Students at the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center can now be paired with businesses for paid, hands-on learning experiences, thanks to a new apprenticeship program funded by the Wellspring Foundation and Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission.
Three years after the disastrous flood in Eastern Kentucky, Appalshop’s Chad Hunter offers advice to nonprofits on preparing for floods and climate disasters.
Chesterfield firefighters receive awards for Hurricane Helene response
Eight Chesterfield County firefighters who responded to emergencies during Hurricane Helene's devastating flooding received Valor Awards at a ceremony in December.
The 2026 Virginia General Assembly will be in session from Jan. 14 to March 16, and Appalachian Voices is working to pass several bills relevant to Southwest Virginia.
It’s more fun to make these calls together, so join us for our Southwest Virginia Holler from the Hollers series to contact your legislators!
Once we’ve completed our calls, we’ll debrief and compare notes. There will be an in-person and a zoom option for each event. Register at the link below!
