The organization’s membership and community engagement stalled years ago; a handful of members are working to change that.
Culture
Cardinal News covers culture and all the stories that are shaping Southwest and Southside Virginia.
Posted inCulture
Convicted killer Soering takes step toward possible exoneration
The Court of Appeals, which dismisses most requests for a writ of actual innocence, has asked Attorney General Jay Jones to respond to Jens Soering’s case. This signals that the court is taking seriously Soering’s contention that he didn’t kill two people in Bedford County in 1985.
Posted inCulture
British news site publishes account of plot to move the baby giraffes from Natural Bridge Zoo
The Independent published what it said is a sealed affidavit from a special agent for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The giraffes have since been recovered.
Posted inCulture
Asha, the former Natural Bridge Zoo elephant, is now at a sanctuary; animal rights groups cheer
No information was released on what prompted the move from a Florida zoo to a well-known elephant sanctuary in Tennessee.
Posted inSouthwest Area
The ‘Woodstock of Bluegrass’ brought thousands of ‘Yankee hippies’ to Carroll County. The memories (some fuzzy) linger a half-century later.
Fifty years ago this week, 100,000 revelers arrived for Stompin 76. It was a logistical nightmare, but it created a lasting impact on other music festivals and drew a whole new demographic to Southwest Virginia.
Posted inCulture
The first of three trials related to Natural Bridge Zoo will begin in February
The case has spawned three separate trials; the other two are set for March.
Posted inDanville area
Danville’s Black history center is ‘without walls’ for now, but it will soon welcome visitors and researchers
The Danville Research Center for African American History, which will house historic artifacts and genealogical research, will open in a historic home on Holbrook Street.
Posted inCulture
He survived the Bataan Death March, only to be killed by mistake near war’s end. Now he’s coming home to Pittsylvania County.
Claude Dewberry was on two Japanese ships that were sunk by American bombers, not realizing they were carrying POWs. He survived the first, but not the second. It’s taken eight decades for his remains to be found and identified. His funeral is Saturday.
Posted inCulture
Growing gardens of happiness at FloydFest
Danielle Ward manages landscaping at the annual music festival, a job that includes mitigating rain’s effects on the site’s wetlands, keeping pollinators happy — and using goats to get rid of poison ivy.
Posted inCulture
Tedeschi Trucks Band cancels FloydFest appearance, citing singer’s illness
The group was atop the bill for the 2026 festival in Floyd County and was scheduled for a two-hour main stage set on Friday.
