Atkins News

Smyth County's planning commissioners recommended Thursday the board of supervisors approve a District III Governmental Cooperative application for a special use permit for the operation of a Veterans Affairs clinic in its facility at 4451 Lee Highway, Marion.

For the second time, Smyth County supervisors have resisted recruitment by a citizens' group for a battle the board said should be fought for them by an attorney in a courtroom.

Hunters found a badly decomposed body in the woods south of Marion on Saturday. Police said no identification was found on the body but they believe it could be the remains of a fugitive who eluded capture in the area last winter.

Hunters in a forested area south of Marion Saturday found a decomposed body police are calling John Doe but believe could be the remains of a fugitive who eluded capture in the area last winter.

A law enforcement officer employed by a mental health institute in Marion, Va., has been charged with sexually assaulting a juvenile and is on leave without pay, according to the Virginia State Police and a hospital official.