Since his time began on the Town Council four years ago, he has revitalized several buildings in the town square and has helped bring in five new businesses, which has helped in creating new jobs. He is the co-founder of Project Glade, a non-profit organization that is helping to restore the community.

He is now a candidate for mayor of Glade Spring in the upcoming May 4 election.
Coburn was born in 1970 in Mississippi. With a father in the Air Force, Coburn’s family moved around a lot. Before he was five years old, they lived everywhere from Virginia to Shreveport, Calif. His father is now settled in Abingdon, Va. His mother currently lives in Florida, and his sister lives in New Zealand, but both are planning on moving to this area soon. Coburn predicts a family reunion of sorts within the next six months.

Majoring in electronic imagery, Coburn graduated from the Atlanta College of Art in Atlanta, Ga. He remained there for 15 years before moving to Glade Spring six years ago. He owns and runs his own ad agency, Coburn Creative, which is based in Glade Spring. With his ad agency, he serves local clients such as the Barter Theatre, and wider spread clients such as Coca-Cola and Marvel Comics.

In addition to both serving on town council and running his ad agency, is an adjunct professor at Emory & Henry College, teaching a web design class. “He’s laid back but structured and he cares about the learning environment and staying on task, even though he likes to have fun and joke around,” said senior Jonathan Schmidt. Coburn has employed two Emory graduates at his ad agency.

In 2009, Coburn was honored with the Tri-Cities Business Journal 40 under Forty award for his contributions to both Glade Spring and the surrounding community.

“When I moved here in 2004, there wasn’t a strong civic organization,” Coburn said. He strived to change that when he began serving on the Town Council. “I decided to run for mayor because no one on the council wanted to run and I wanted continuity between this administration and the next.” Current mayor Steve Rowland has endorsed Coburn in the upcoming election.

Coburn’s platform of change for Glade Spring involves a business approach. He wants to continue to fight the blight that exists in town, continue to incubate an increase in economic development, and heighten community involvement.

“As a voter, what I’m interested in is the continued revitalization and growth of the down town square,” says Emory & Henry Vice President for Institutional Advancement Greg McMillan, who is an 11-year resident of Glade Spring.

In addition to the continuation of growth in the down town area, Coburn hopes to renovate things like a depleting church and school building, as well as give a tax break to people who are restoring older buildings. Currently, Glade Spring has the lowest property tax in the county, and Coburn wants to do all he can without raising that. He wants to work with county and federal governments to get grants for the town and help get the money back in the community.

Coburn also says if he becomes mayor, he will continue bringing in places of opportunity to Glade Spring. He also wants to add parks and trails and resolve maintenance issues like garbage pickup and maintaining foliage in the town. In addition to fixing these areas, he strives to add to the police force which currently consists of two officers. Coburn says these issues can and will be fixed with time and increased income to the town, which will come about with federal grants and growth in the economic development. “We need to work together to see how it can happen,” Coburn said.

Another significant part of Coburn’s plan for the town involves getting the citizens involved. He wants to utilize a web presence for the town government in order to put out announcements and project information about public forums that are available for the community members to attend.

“We don’t have all the answers here so it’s nice to hear different points of view,” said McMillan when the issue of Coburn’s time in the area arose. “I think he’s involved himself in the issues enough to know what is going on so I would hope that any concern that was expressed about his not being a native of Glade Spring could be addressed by the fact that he has assimilated into the community by his service in town government and investing in the community.”

Elections will be held Tuesday, May 4 for mayor and three town council positions.

The films that are primarily chosen for the series are films that this area would not normally be able to show. Due to small interest and small theaters, some of the films that have limited releases in national theaters don’t make it anywhere near Southwest Virginia and Northeast Tennessee.

“The series brings people in the area the chance to see quality films that they might never have heard of and or have the opportunity to see,” says Jennings.

Many of the films have received praise from those in the film industry in addition to awards and award nominations. For example, the film shown three weeks ago, A Serious Man, was nominated for an Oscar for Best Picture. Two weeks after, Precious was shown and recently earned six Oscar nominations.

Overall, there is a very eclectic mix of films chosen for the series.

“I try to choose a mix of foreign, documentaries, and independent American films. I read reviews; other people send me tips, et cetera. I always have a “contact” on the Emory faculty who helps in the selection of films,” Jennings said. “Films are the popular art form in America, and, sadly, college students don’t know the range of wonderful films in all genres and all around the world that are available.”

The film series attempts to battle this. With a wide variety of films that both students and community members alike may not have the chance otherwise to see, the opportunity for an eye-opener is brought to the table. With such accessibility, and no charge for students or faculty of the sponsoring organizations, the film series continues to be a hit in the community.

“The brightest narrative artists are working on the great American screenplay these days, not the great American novel,” said Jennings.

Arts Array films are shown every Monday and Tuesday at 4:30 and 7:00 at the Abingdon Cinemall. Admission is free for students as long as you present your school ID and general admission is $7.50. For more information or a complete list of films being shown, contact Ben Jennings at bjennings@vhcc.edu or head to the Virginia Highlands Community College website and look for the events box.

The Washington County Board of Supervisors holds a public meeting every second and fourth Tuesday of each month beginning at 7:00 p.m. These meetings are intended to conduct business while including the citizens of Washington County. The supervisors discuss current issues of importance and give the public an opportunity to respond.

On Tuesday, Feb. 23, the meeting had two main items on the agenda.

First, a new ordinance controlling dog barking was brought to the floor. This issue had been getting plenty of coverage since the session to discuss the ordinance had been postponed last month. As a result, an entire room full of people turned up to discuss the issue compared to the normal handful of attendees.

The new ordinance would pass into law a regulation on the nuisance of barking dogs. It would present the pet owner with a fine under two conditions: two neighbors from different households had to file a formal complaint and proof of the dogs barking continuously for 15 minutes had to be shown. In order to obtain that proof, neighbors could call either animal control officers or a police officer to the scene.

After initial public commentary, a separate speaking session was held in response to this ordinance. Citizens from all over the county took to the podium to address the seven board members. Paul Price, former member of the Board of Supervisors, spoke first in favor of the ordinance. It was because of his proposals that the ordinance had come about.

Few people spoke in favor of passing the ordinance into law because of their experiences within their own neighborhood, but the greater majority of the room had turned out to oppose the passing of the ordinance. Some mentioned that they had livestock protection or hunting dogs and they could not without harmful force stop their dogs from barking.

At the close of public commentary, Sheriff Fred Newman took to the podium to express his views. Taking from police reports and complaints within the last year, Newman said he could not support the ordinance. According to record, only 17 complaints had come into the Washington County Sheriff’s Office in regards to dog barking issues, but over 100 had been made about dogs roaming free in neighborhoods. Newman said the real problem lay within leash laws.

The board voted not to pass the ordinance into law.

The second issue of hot discussion at this meeting was the buying of a $7.5 million dollar building for county official use. The building currently houses Alpha Natural Resources. This comes shortly after an announcement of a cut in budget of the county schools by $5.8 million.

In order to pay for the new building, property taxes within the county will be increased starting possibly as early as 2012. Many members spoke in protest of the purchase of the new building, citing the current economic situation as a reason to postpone the purchase. Tax payers have already faced increases, and the increase to purchase this building would be laid on top of the existing taxes within the county. No official decision has been made in regards to the purchase of this building.

To find out when the meetings take place, where, and more about the supervisor for your district of the county, visit the Washington County Board of Supervisors website at www.washcova.com.

Hooking an audience from middle-school aged girls all the way to grandmothers in their seventies, it is obvious that the series has to have some kind of an appeal. However, that appeal varies from person to person. Some people enjoy the romance, some people enjoy the twist on classic monsters, and some people just love looking at Robert Pattinson. On the contrary, just like with any other societal craze, there are the people who cannot stand the phenomenon.

Students may not realize it, but there are two classes offered here at Emory and Henry that list Stephenie Meyers’ Twilight as required reading. Kathleen Chamberlain teaches the book in both Introduction to Women’s Studies (WMST 200) and Women in Literature (ENGL 345), but her take on the popular novel might surprise some.

In the Women’s Studies course, the book is taught from the perspective of problems with gender definitions. Those who have read the book realize that there are some severe gender differences in place from the very beginning of the series. Bella Swan, the damsel in distress of this saga, is instantly dependent on the dangerous vampire that she falls in love with, Edward Cullen. In New Moon, Edward leaves, and Bella is left with a hole in her life that she seems unable to fill for months. As soon as she begins hanging out with werewolf pal, Jacob Black, this hole is filled with yet another male. When the work is examined from this angle, Bella is the stereotypical helpless female who needs a male in her life to survive and be happy.

In the Women in Literature course, the book is taught in regards to those gender elements in addition to literary issues. Writing style, structure, and language are all taught with the book in this English course.
Professor Chamberlain first read Twilight in preparation for the Women’s Studies course. She hasn’t read the other three books, but thinks that she will in the future to balance out her views on the series. To Chamberlain, the appeal of the book is very different from the accurately named “Twihard” fans.

So what is most fascinating to her about Twilight? “The fact that it is such a huge cultural phenomenon. Any time something takes the culture by storm in this way, it’s worth analyzing. I want to know why our culture seems, at the moment, to need ethical vampire stories and why this particular ethical vampire story meets our needs so well,” Chamberlain said.

This point is definitely one worth considering. With hoards of memorabilia for sale, fights breaking out over which ‘team’ a person belongs to, and all the attention the three stars who play the main characters receive, it’s obvious that the world can’t get enough of this series.

Deviating from the stereotypical vampire that we’ve seen throughout the ages, the vampires in Twilight feed off of animals, sparkle in the sunlight, and have no sharp pointy teeth. Even though several times throughout the series (books and movies) Edward makes it blatantly clear to Bella that he is designed to kill humans and could indeed eat her, she insists that she doesn’t care. Of course, he never ends up hurting her, but the point still remains that he could. The fact that his family doesn’t feed off humans has made it socially acceptable to have a particular affinity for vampires. No other vampire tale in history has stuck like this one has.

“I don’t like the book at all; I think it’s poorly-written and offers potentially-dangerous, regressive messages about gender and sex. But I have no problem if my students like it! Two of my ten students last year were great fans. I don’t want to ‘bash’ the book, just try to understand it. And I can definitely see why the books are so popular, why they appeal so strongly to readers.”

Chamberlain is right, the books are nothing short of a whirlwind phenomenon that has captivated young and old, male and female alike. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly why this has happened. Perhaps it is the lightheartedness of the reading that offers consumers fast entertainment. Perhaps it is the visual effects that the movies offer up as vampires fly through the air and werewolves transform into larger-than-life creatures in the blink of an eye. Or perhaps it is merely the intense love triangle that is created among Bella, Edward and Jacob which has ignited the sale of t-shirts proudly displaying which “team” you are on. Chamberlain bats for the werewolf.

“To the extent that I’m a team player at all, I’d have to go with Jacob. He’s at least interesting and has a modicum of complexity; Edward, on the other hand, I find silly,” she says.

The books, as entertaining as they may be, are not masterpieces that will go down in history for their literary genius. The films (so far) aren’t Oscar worthy, though they are earning millions upon millions of dollars, and aren’t showing any signs of stopping yet (the next installment, Eclipse, is slated for a June 2010 release). Yet despite these factors, the whole world is intently watching while the love triangle between a human girl, an extravagant vampire, and a friendly werewolf unfolds on the big screen.

There are a few things that are a part of our society and our very culture that every American over the age of five can recognize. Michael Jackson’s Thriller is one of those staples of American society. Whether it’s the album (which remains the world’s bestselling album of all time), the song, the video, the dance, or all of the above, most people can recognize it for what it is. A genius album, a key song for any Halloween night, and one of the best videos ever made. As a child, I would watch the video and become entranced by the dance and all of the zombies. Since the first time I watched the video, I’ve wanted to learn the infamous dance. When I found out that the Abingdon Cinemall was hosting a Thrill the World event this year, I knew it would finally happen.

Thrill the World is an event organized to pay tribute to Michael Jackson and to attempt to set a Guinness World Record for the most people dancing to “Thriller” simultaneously world-wide. It was first started in 2006, and has expanded since. To follow along with Michael Jackson’s charitable nature, event organizers are asked to choose a charity to support along with the dance. This year, the Abingdon Cinemall supported the Southwest Virginia Second Harvest Food Bank as a donation of three cans was required for all of the dancers.

It was no easy feat learning the dance, either. While Thrill the World’s official website offers instructional videos, naturally one doesn’t grasp the entire concept until they are put with a group of others dancing to the same thing. My mother and I spent seven and a half hours learning the dance and by the end, I had a whole new respect for Michael Jackson. I’ve never been much of a dancer, so this was a definite eye opener.

In all at the Abingdon Cinemall this year, there were twenty-six dancers, young and old alike. Worldwide, in thirty-two countries, 22,923 people danced at the exact same time, setting a new world record. They also raised an estimated $85,000 for eighty different charities. In 2008, there were only 4, 179 people to participate. That makes a little more than five times the number of people from last year’s and this year’s events.

If you’re interested in participating in the 2010 event, keep an eye out at the Abingdon Cinemall. Heather Savedge hopes to begin coordinating next year’s event within the month of November. Dance classes will be offered for those who feel more comfortable learning with a group than by themselves over YouTube.

Last week, Friday September 25, the Homecoming Court was selected by a week long excursion of student voting. The ladies up for Homecoming Queen are Samantha Alley, Megan Evans, Tiffany Hawley, Libby Hurley, Mary Caitlin Kelley, Leanne Mahoy, Catie Neal, Abby Shrader, Eliza Snyder-Hewitt and Erika Wright.

The student body will vote on who they want to award the supreme title starting on October 5 and ending October 9. She will be recognized during halftime of the football game on October 10.