National Performance Band practices at Virginia High School

John Newcomb practices on the Vibraphone during rehersal day for the Legends Drum & Bugle Corps  using Virginia High School as a practice location on Monday as they prepare for a performance in the Knoxville, Tennessee area later this week.  Newcomb is 19 and from Dayton, Ohio.

Photos Earl Neikirk/Bristol Herald Courier/HeraldCourier.com

http://www.heraldcourier.com/news/michigan-drum-corps-stops-at-virginia-high-to-prepare-for/article_fce0d23c-5e7c-5cf9-8122-77a06e217e16.html

Bears visiting Abingdon property and damaging autos

Frances Goodson points on where a bear broke the window to her car and took her groceries out and ate them leaving packaging on the ground.  The bear also has taken all the door handles off the car and several of her cats are also missing.

Photos Earl Neikirk/Bristol Herald Courier/HeraldCourier.com

http://www.heraldcourier.com/news/washington-county-woman-dealing-with-bears-on-property/article_60c3c088-5de3-5591-aeb5-5421bdb00b42.html

YWCA Prom Dress Sale

Rachael Locke reacts as she tries on a prom dress during the YWCA Prom Dress Sale on Thursday.  Locke found several dresses that she said "YES" to during the sale.  Locke is from Virginia High School.

Photo Earl Neikirk/Bristol Herald Courier/HeraldCourier.com

http://www.heraldcourier.com/news/ywca-bristol-holds-ninth-annual-prom-dress-sale/article_ea23cd93-338a-5499-8507-dc2e3a144274.html

Stone work on Builders First Source in Bristol

Hugo Morales was placing Manufactured stone of the face of the Builders First Source on West State Street in Bristol, Virginia.  The front of the store will also have stone columns to match.  The stone product from Stonehouse Solutions, Inc. is sold by the store and by working the front of the store you have a finished product to see.  Morales and his team will be working for the next couple of days to finish.

Photo Earl Neikirk/Bristol Herald Courier/HeraldCourier.com

Bristol Getting ready for first Snow!!

VDOT employee Jerry Townsend mixes up the salt on hand with a front loader at the North Bristol Area VDOT depot just off Reedy Creek Road in Bristol, Virginia.  The location over the past day has turned over all the trucks for the upcoming winter weather with plows and salt spreaders.



Photos Earl Neikirk/Bristol Herald Courier/HeraldCourier.com

www.heraldcourier.com/news/local/vdot-preparing-for-first...

Southwest Virginia Health Authority

The Southwest Virginia Health Authority listens to CEO Mountain States Health Alliance Alan Levine and CEO Wellmont Health Systems Bart Hove answer questions on Friday.  The Authority deemed the merger application of two area health systems as complete.

Photo Earl Neikirk/Bristol Herald Courier/HeraldCourier.com

www.heraldcourier.com/news/local/southwest-virginia-healt...

Remote Area Medical comes to Wise Fairgrounds

Jerry Hughes from Coeburn, Virginia gets digital xrays taken of his mouth by VCU Dental student Ashley Conners during the Remote Area Medical clinic at the Wise County Fairgrounds in Wise, Virginia.  Missions of Mercy organizes the Dental area with Virginia Dental Association.



Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, left, Stan Brock, Remote Area Medical, listens to Teresa Gardner, Executive Director Health Wagon, talk about the current RAM Clinic at the Wise County Fairgrounds on Friday, July 22, 2016.



Dr. Graham Gardner, Orthodontist, left, listens as his daughter, Ava, talks about her first experience at the Remote Area Medical Clinic on Friday in Wise, Virginia.  Dr. Gardner has been working the clinic for over 10 years and brought his daughter to see first hand what the Missions of Mercy does and how there is a dental need right here in Virginia.



Dr. Elizabeth Reynolds, DDS., Richmond, Virginia, looks into the mouth of 21 year old Miriam-Brooke Upchurch from Big Stone Gap, Virginia.  Upchurch was getting teeth pulled at the Missions of Mercy Dental area of the Remote Area Medical at the Wise Fairground in Wise, Virginia.  Dr. Reynolds brought her daughter Anne Randall Berkeyheiser, center, to the clinic to help out this weekend.

Photo Earl Neikirk/Bristol Herald Courier/HeraldCourier.com

http://www.heraldcourier.com/news/volunteers-to-help-thousands-receive-free-care-at-th-ram/article_2f5ebdda-e019-5b20-ba4a-85bb280aa2a5.html

Abingdon Students grow veggies with ASD

Michelle Logan Vestal, Abingdon High School, cuts lettuce from the greenhouse that the students and Appalachian Sustainable Develpment have been working for 3 years.  The program called Grow Your Own helps the community set up and maintain gardens.  The students have been growing lettuce, peppers, spinach, garlic, tomatoes, kale and aspargus from seed to the garden.  Picked produce has been shared with Faith in Action of Abingdon and the students also cook for the class at the High School.

Photo Earl Neikirk/ Bristol Herald Courier/HeraldCourier.com

Award Winning Photography 2015

1st. place Feature photograph, National Press Photographer Assoc. October Clips 2015

Tank the tortoise starts to move around as Father Kevin Segerblom begins the blessing of pets and animals ceremony under the "Corpus of Christ" statue next to St. Anne Catholic Church.  The Blessing is part of the feast of St. Francis of Assisi.