Southwest Virginia Population decline 2010-2018.

Another 100 Jobs Lost in Bristol Virginia with College Closure

May 8, 2014 Bristol, Virginia: Virginia Intermont College fired its last 100 employees and shuts the doors. They received over $2 million in Tobacco Commission funding under the guise of creating a tourism degree program to boost tourism. (Yeah, right.) There is no evidence they even tried to do this and refused my requests for three years to provide proof. The program was never listed in their catalog.

This was about an attempt to bailout a poorly run institution whose former president left without notice and there was a problem with embezzlement charges a few years ago. It was a political favor.

Two million in economic development dollars equals -100 jobs. They also owed $13,000 in back property taxes. See $2 Million TOC Funding Virginia Intermont College

The defunct college watched as enrollment dropped from over 1100 in 2004 to 378 in 2013.

More problems have arisen for Virginia Intermont College. This failed liberal arts college has been hit with stiff liens by the IRS. The liens total a whopping $830,000.

This was after the Virginia Tobacco Commission illegally gave the institution almost $2 million in economic development grants in an attempted bailout. Under the Virginia Constitution it's illegal to give state tax dollars to charities and nonprofits - a law that is routinely ignored by corrupt Virginia politicians. Ref. BHC July 26, 2014.

History of Local Poverty

Ralph Stanley Museum.

"The most corrupt region is Southwest Virginia...more indictments for political and public office corruption have happened in this region than all other parts of the state combined." Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia's Center for Governmental Studies.

"It's a little-known fact that roughly 20 percent of the children in Southwest Virginia live below the poverty line and go hungry every night." Kevin Crutchfield, President Alpha Natural Resources, January 15, 2009

Quick navigation of my homepage: