Bands, Parade, More Part of Haysi Fest Resource Office at Ridgeview, a Cam- Pus That Includes Middle, High and the Russell Fork Autumn P.M
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■ WEATHER PAGE 3 ■ OBITUARIES Page 4 ■ OPINION Page 6 ■ SPORTS Page 7 ■ IN TOUCH Page 11 ■ CLASSIFIEDS Page 14 $1.00 The WEDNESDAY ■ SEPTEMBER 28, 2016 CLINTWOOD, VA. VOL. 34, NO. 39 USPS 684-350 Mickens gets prison time for misusing town funds BY PAULA TATE ly $6,180 in restitution. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Patton, at ★ EDITOR Mickens was elected in 2012 and the time she began office, Mickens gained resigned as mayor in June 2014 after access to and possession of the town’s Former Clinchco mayor Peggy Sue months of controversy between her and banking instrument, credit cards, invoices Stanley Mickens will serve six months in town council, and her and community res- and banking statements. federal prison for using town funds to idents. In 2013, Clinchco received approxi- make improvements and repairs to her Council passed a resolution of no con- mately $20,000 from the Department of own home while in office. fidence in the mayor and asked her to step Housing and Urban Development through Mickens, 50, pleaded guilty in early down in September 2013. Mickens was a community development block grant to May to one count of theft concerning pro- ordered by a judge a month later to appear rehabilitate homes and/or construct new grams receiving federal funds, one count in circuit court to show cause why she homes in the town. of mail fraud and one count of wire fraud, shouldn’t be removed from office. That Mickens, without procurement formal- according to a press release from the order followed a petition submitted to the ities or approval, hired a contractor to office of U.S. Attorney John P. Fishwick court and signed by nearly 40 registered remodel her home and paid for it from the Jr. voters in Clinchco asking for her removal. town’s BB&T bank account via checks Mickens was sentenced in an Tuesday’s press release states that she signed herself. She did so without Abingdon federal court Thursday. In addi- according to evidence presented at previ- other town officials’ consent or knowl- tion to the prison term, Mickens was ous hearings by Russell County ordered to pay the town of Clinchco near- Commonwealth’s Attorney and Special PLEASE SEE MICKENS, PAGE 3 Peggy Mickens School threat taken seriously, but deemed not credible BY PAULA TATE ★ EDITOR CLINTWOOD — When some stu- dents at Ridgeview High School overheard a worrisome conversation at lunch last Tuesday, they did exact- ly what they should have and report- ed it to school officials. That conversation, between two male students, involved mention of a gun being brought to school. An investigation by the sheriff’s department and a school threat assessment team ultimately deter- mined there was no immediate dan- FILE PHOTO ger. The threat was deemed not credi- ble and an extremely bad joke. The student who made the alleged threat Clousplitter 100 claimed he was just kidding. But it was taken seriously, said schools Superintendent Haydee Though the views will be breathtaking, those trying to run 100 miles across Pine Mountain this Friday Robinson. and Saturday may not have a lot of time to stop and take them in. The Cloudsplitter 100 returns for its “The safety of our students and our third year Oct. 1-2. Ultra-marathon runners will attempt to run from Elkhorn City, Kentucky to Pound and staff is our main priority. We are not back. More than 200 people are registered for the event, which draws runners from across the country going to compromise that. Any time a perceived threat is made, whether it’s and internationally and offers four options: 100-mile, 100k, 50k and 10k. by a student who may be threatening to harm his or herself or others, we take that very seriously,” Robinson said earlier this week. The incident happened Tuesday, Sept. 20. About 12:15 p.m., a school Bands, parade, more part of Haysi fest resource office at Ridgeview, a cam- pus that includes middle, high and The Russell Fork Autumn p.m. Friday. Scheduled to per- cake breakfast. The event will tary veterans. technical schools, was informed Fest will begin Friday evening form are Sammy Yates, 5-6 start at 7:30 a.m. at the town A rubber duck race, hosted about the overheard conversation. with live bluegrass music from p.m.; and Shades of Blue, 6- gazebo. For $6, you can enjoy by Haysi-Clinchco Lions The officer contacted school local bands and continue 6:45 p.m. and again from an all-you-can-eat meal. Club, will begin at 3 p.m. administration and other officers. through Sunday with more 7:30-8:15 p.m. A jam session On Saturday, vendor Bluegrass music is sched- Deputies then “launched a thorough music, a parade and plenty is scheduled from 7:30-8:15 booths will open at 10 a.m. uled to start Saturday after- investigation into the allegations,” the more. p.m. Line-up for the autumn fest noon at 2:30 p.m. at the gaze- Dickenson County Sheriff’s The town of Haysi tradi- A haunted house will open parade will begin at noon at bo. Scheduled to play are Department reported on its Facebook tionally hosts the annual event at 9 p.m. in the house beside Haysi Funeral Home, with the Bluegrass Circle, 2:30-3:15 page Sept. 23. the first weekend in October. Haysi Drug Center and run parade to begin at 1 p.m. The p.m. and 4-4:45 p.m.; Fox Robinson said Ridgeview’s threat This year’s festival is from throughout the festival. parade route will go from the Run, 3:15-4 p.m. and 4:45- assessment team also investigated the Friday, Sept. 30 to Sunday, Folks are urged to come to funeral home down through 5:30 p.m.; Cross Country report. The team is made up of five to Oct. 2. town early Saturday morning Main Street. Bluegrass, 5:30-7 p.m.; and eight people and includes officers, Folks can begin listening to to get their fill at Haysi This year’s parade will fea- music at the town gazebo at 5 Kiwanis Club’s annual pan- ture a special tribute to mili- PLEASE SEE FESTIVAL, PAGE 3 PLEASE SEE THREAT, PAGE 3 SUBSCRIBER INFORMATION HERE SUBSCRIBER INFORMATION Tourism destinations get funding boost BY JENAY TATE College and Southwest Virginia contingent on ultimate approval Industrial Park, the Lonesome ★ EXECUTIVE EDITOR Community College, to create a and award of federal POWER Pine Technology Park and UVa- AND PUBLISHER cybersecurity workforce and jobs. funds. The commission’s Wise, with stops at OptaFuel, Tobacco commission staff recom- Southwest Economic Micronic Technologies and the WISE — The Virginia Tobacco mended full funding of $258,790 Development Committee had put Prior Center. Commission last week pumped contingent on the approval of priority funding consideration on money into an array of project POWER funds. projects leveraged with those dol- DESTINATIONS requests, including one with par- “With the federal leveraging . lars, money that is now in limbo The second highest scoring ticular potential for Dickenson . the focus on national certifica- as part of debate over the presi- proposal among Southwest County. tions and increasing job growth dent’s clean power plan. Virginia projects was the outdoor One commission award was from newly-recruited companies,” The Sept. 20 session was the recreation destinations project toward an Appalachian Spring according to the staff recommen- Tobacco Region Revitalization from Friends of Southwest project that includes building a dation, the request “aligns well Commission’s first in Wise Virginia and its Appalachian multi-use trail connecting Haysi with commission objectives for County, meeting at The Inn at Spring endeavor. The commission and Breaks Interstate Park, as well both the education program and Wise, where dozens of funding approved the full request of as a High Knob destination center economic development (serving applicants crowded the ballroom $500,000. in Norton and an Appalachian the employees training needs of for a string of commission com- This destinations project seeks Trail destination center in existing companies and mittee meetings that ran from 8 “to take the next step in the devel- Damascus. prospects).” a.m. that morning until the full opment and enhancement” of out- The top ranked among Commission funds are request- commission convened at 2 p.m. door assets, according to the Southwest Virginia projects was ed for equipment to establish The Southside Economic application for funding. “Each of the Cybersecurity Initiative, a col- cybersecurity labs at each college Development Committee had con- these projects will move their laborative effort of the University and for student certification vened the previous afternoon, localities and the overall region of Virginia’s College at Wise, exams. with the commission then taking a Mountain Empire Community These and other awards are bus tour of the Esserville PLEASE SEE TOURISM, PAGE 5 PAGE 2 ■ WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2016 ■ THE DICKENSON STAR Dirt always manages to find little ones somehow SUBMITTED BY EDITH a little. My younger brother was FAYE REDDEN in the first grade and he was a lit- ★ DICKENSON COUNTY tle more adventuresome than HISTORICAL SOCIETY most. He would run from one PRESIDENT side of the road to the other, run- ning at me as if he were going to Each and every person has a knock me into the mud. I would story to tell of the life he or she squeal and threaten to “tell” if he has lived. Some people feel that didn’t quit. During one of these the story of their lives is not inter- kamikaze runs, he ran off into the esting enough to document.