It’s called raw milk. And the product is exactly as it sounds — pure, untreated milk straight from the cow. No pasteurization. No grocery store refrigerator. No white carton. Though it might not be something to cross the radar of many people, this particular dairy product has caught the attention of a few state legislators.

“This has been the worst six months of our lives,” Leigh Ann Stevenson said as she watched her 8- and 3-year-old daughters play. At the end of September, doctors at Duke University Hospital diagnosed Brynlee, the 3-year-old daughter, with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a blood and bone marrow cancer.

Saturday’s rally in Charlottesville has prompted many cities across the nation to remove Confederate monuments, or begin discussing the value of keeping those monuments in public spaces in their communities. Both great-great-grandfathers of Pittsylvania Historical Society President Larry Aaron fought in the war for the Confederate army.

A new accolade has been granted to Chatham Hall by an online travel magazine — most beautiful school in Virginia. The rolling hills and brick cathedral of the all-girl’s school received the accolade in a May 3 story by Insider that lists the most eye-catching school of every state. “We’re thrilled with our program and our historic campus,” school spokeswoman Maisie Deely said.

Self-help books have become increasingly abundant. Some helpful, some full of ridiculous advice. I’ve found five self-help books that won’t have you rolling your eyes on every page. Humanity’s curse is that we’re always trying to improve ourselves to be more popular, more healthy, more everything.

Both of their families had been affected by suicide, and they wanted to help make a difference. Through their work, they learned 22 veterans die by suicide every day cross the nation. It’s one reason that led them to start Stars, Stripes and Paws — a nonprofit rescue group serving Danville and Pittsylvania County that pairs companion animals with veterans.

You had me from there. That the series really focuses on the two women was an added bonus. Grace and Frankie does a lot of things really well, but there is one thing about the show’s execution that feels lackluster to me — the complete lack of discussion about Sol being bi or pansexual, or bi or panromantic.

Nearly 10 years after the original pollution study was completed, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality is now working on a plan to clean up the E. coli bacteria that makes swimming in the Birch Creek and Dan River watersheds a bad idea. It was in 2005 that the Environmental Protection Agency and the State Water Control Board completed and approved its study for Birch Creek, which covers parts of Pittsylvania and Halifax counties near Sutherlin.

AXTON — Last August, the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research unveiled a new grant-funded drone called the “AgBot,” designed to put an eye in the sky over fields to help local farmers get more data on their farms. The AgBot is a quadcopter drone with a full-spectrum camera powerful enough to tell if there’s disease on a single leaf on a plant and a thermal camera powerful enough to tell if someone in a room full of people is running a fever, said Dr. Scott Lowman, a senior scientist at the Institute. Since its debut, the AgBot has flown over hundreds of acres, snapping pictures and collecting information on the plants in the fields belonging to dozens of different farmers.

Law enforcement was notified of the escape, and dispatchers used the reverse-911 system to call everyone in Chatham to inform them about the situation. There were several other sightings throughout town that officers either could not confirm or their K-9s could not find a trail. Police arrived at the school around 7 a.m., and scoured the grounds until roughly 3 p.m. under a baking sun that swelled temperatures to 93 degrees.

Lieutenant governor and democratic gubernatorial candidate Ralph Northam released a statement Wednesday stating his support for the removal of Confederate memorials. “I support City of Charlottesville’s decision to remove the Robert E. Lee statue. I believe these statues should be taken down and moved into museums.

The Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors may be voting for a tax increase in 2018 in order to bring county employee salaries up to par with the rest of the area. John Anzivino, senior vice president of public sector advisor Springsted, presented the classification and compensation study Wednesday the board requested in last August.

A policy on how to best handle feral cats will be put to the test when the new Pittsylvania Pet Center opens this month. The issue of feral cats has long created a divide in the animal activist community. This divide now extends to the Dan River Region after Pittsylvania County’s decision to lease its new animal shelter to the Lynchburg Humane Society, a no-kill facility that practices trap-neuter-return for outdoor cats.

Work has officially begun on a rural internet project in Pittsylvania County after a groundbreaking ceremony Friday morning at the base of White Oak Mountain. Pittsylvania County Economic Development Director Matt Rowe hosted the groundbreaking next to Bojangles on U.S. 29 in Blairs. “Rural internet availability is a priority for Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors,” Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors Chairman Bob Warren said.

One Danville woman’s plea for her lost quilt was heard around the state, and finally, her beloved heirloom has been returned. The quilt was started by Rachel Bowen’s grandmother more than 20 years ago, then passed to Bowen’s mother to complete, but she was never able. Two of Bowen’s close friends decided to surprise her with getting the quilt finished for Christmas, which she described as overwhelming.

Gary Thomas, a candidate for the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors, has been asked in writing by the county administrator to stop portraying himself as working on behalf of the county “until your membership on the Board of Supervisors is established by election.”. “The County has been made aware that you have been speaking with several companies about locating in Pittsylvania County,” stated a March 14 letter to Thomas from county administrator David Smitherman, obtained by the Register & Bee through a Freedom of Information Act request.