Probably the most interesting thing about Martinsville reverting to a town is the reluctance of the people doing it to talk openly about it. It’s as if it’s some secret business deal that will blow up if the public finds out what they’re up to. They would argue they have to keep quiet because of…
Category: Newspaper
Catholic bishop suspends priest and issues a trespass order over blog about clergy sex abuse
A story I broke and have written nine subsequent articles is covered by the Washington Post today. They used one of my pictures with credit – so I guess I landed on the worldwide stage as a photographer, not a writer. All kidding aside, I remember when I began covering the story of Father Mark…
They want his death to bring light
I covered a city council meeting in Feb. when a lady came up to the podium to address council. It was during the time when matters from the floor are allowed. She was nervous, but she gathered her thoughts and made an impassioned plea for council to put up a stoplight at the intersection where…
One place in Martinsville has plenty of hand sanitizer – but does it work?
I was sent out to uncover the story of the expired hand sanitizer last week. This turned out to be fun and very unexpected. Manufacturers Liquidation Center at the Patrick Henry Mall is selling bottles by the six-pack for $9, and they are flying off the shelves. There is only one problem — the stock…
Two men indicted on charges that one urinated on food product at plant in Martinsville while the other shot video.
The title says it all, but here’s the first sentence of the story… Two men have been indicted on charges that one of them urinated on food product at Monogram Foods in Martinsville while the other made a video that was used in an attempt to extort money from the company. This took a bit…
Martinsville City Council’s closed reversion meeting apparently violated state law
There was a period of time, prior to me being hired full time, when the Bulletin was down to one news reporter, a sports reporter and an editor. As a result, some meetings were missed. City Hall may have sent out the notice that they were having a closed door meeting, but they denied the…
Fire destroys house on Askin Street in Martinsville
Neighbors from across the street were visiting when the occupants of a house at 1027 Askin St. in Martinsville smelled smoke around 8 p.m. Tuesday. Martinsville Fire Department and EMS responded to a 911 call, but fire spread quickly through the roof and totally destroyed what was home to seven people. “There were no injuries,…
Coach’s restaurant plans to open this week in Martinsville
“Maybe Wednesday we’ll open, but they won’t have an ABC license until the 28th or 29th of October,” Martinsville City Council member Danny Turner said. Sports bar opens, but no beer. I didn’t get by to see how it went. In fact, I just ate at this restaurant for the first time about two weeks…
Appalachian Power to make big replacement of power line, poles near Ridgeway and Fieldale
This story involved a number of sources. I interviewed several county officials and the AEP spokesman about a plan to upgrade 15 miles of power line in Henry County. County officials were mostly supportive of the idea, but there was an underlying concern of property owners not getting a fair price for right-of-ways and whether…
Fire breaks out at home in Collinsville
As mentioned, I don’t intend to post a link to every fire or wreck I cover. This one I’m including for two reasons… it was the first one I covered for the Bulletin and the photo was the story. They teach you to keep your finger off the zoom – which is wrong. Learn how…