Retired criminal defense attorney Jay Steele reflects on his 44 years of practice in Southwest Virginia, representing those facing both federal and state charges.

The big question people always want to know: how can you defend people who may be guilty of serious crimes? And why, in Steele's case, is it more challenging to defend someone you believe to be innocent?

What cases stand out? What concerns does he have for the court system?

Join us for This Conversation with Jay Steele.

Los Angeles Pro Wrestler CEREAL MAN graduated from Emory & Henry College in 2008. Hear the story of Derek Smith's journey from College to the Pro Wrestling Circuit.

You can find his costume and prop creations on Etsy at the Sweat Monster Shop.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/SweatMonsterShop

Marika Katanuma is a Japanese journalist, working on both the English and Japanese branches of Bloomberg news in Tokyo.

She quickly rose through the ranks at Bloomberg to hold responsibility for news stories, websites, and making major news judgments. One of her investigative projects explored the gender gap in pay between women and men in Japan.

Hear how she chose Emory & Henry College for her college degree and the single requirement she had in choosing her school. Listen for the one comment that changed her path and led to her career as a journalist. Her story of finding her voice and her power is an amazing one.

This week's interview delves into the pros and cons of the proposed Virginia Constitutional Amendment that will appear on ballots for the November 2024 Election Ballot.

The Amendment intends to expand a current tax exemption on homes owned by spouses of members of the military who die "in the line of duty." Previously, the exemption was only extended to spouses of those who were "killed in action."

Julianne Miles, a resident of Abingdon and military veteran from service in the Gulf War and other locations, discusses different viewpoints on the proposed Amendment. She also answers questions about her time in the military and her view about public service.

Democratic Congressional Candidate for the 9th District in Virginia addresses her positions and answers questions about major issues in the Tuesday, November 5, 2024 election.

Incumbent Congressman Republican Morgan Griffith declined to be interviewed for This Conversation unless another host would conduct the interview, believing that I cannot conduct an impartial interview. His staff reports that the decision is not a reflection on the University or on WEHC.

Washington County Virginia Democrat Party Chair Susan Stancil talks about the party platform that makes her feel connected: An economy that lifts up the middle class and doesn't cater to the wealthy; the right for a woman to determine her own reproductive health and not leave abortion decisions to the government; support for the 2nd Amendment; support for public education; a mission to protect Democracy, and more.

This interview follows the previous program's discussion of Republican fundamental values.

In the first of a two-part series, we hear from Republican Mark Matney about why he finds Republican values align with his personal beliefs.

He cites small government and low taxes as a top priority and credits former President Donald Trump with improvement in jobs. He sees support for his religious beliefs of anti-abortion and sinfulness of homosexuality and people who seek transgender care.

Matney is owner of Mountain Patriots, a business devoted to a variety of merchandise including Trump memorabilia, personal safety tasers, and switchblades. The store also hosts weekly prayer meetings, and assists with voter registration.

Next week, we'll talk with the Chair of the Washington County Virginia Democratic Party.

Washington County Virginia Voter Registrar Derek Lyall addresses accusations that voting results cannot be trusted.

You will find much additional info about your candidates and information about where you vote at Vote411.

https://www.vote411.org/

Here is a link to Cardinal News' coverage of the 2024 election with information about Virginia candidates and the intent of the proposed Constitutional Amendment.

https://cardinalnews.org/2024/04/25/voter-guide-southwest-southside-virginia/