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#39 – Treasurer Bonita M. Williams: Early life, Taxes, Campaigning, Elections, Misconceptions
In this episode, Ethan and Luke interview Mrs. Bonita M. Williams, the Treasurer of Carroll County, Virginia. They discuss her early life, the collection of taxes, her experiences campaigning and the impact of politics on personal life, her strong success on the ballot, and finally they debunk some misconceptions that many have about the Treasurer’s…
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#38 – Election Recap: Clerk’s Race, Campaigns, Polls, Results, Dinners, Experiences
This episode is unique. Instead of their usual book talk or interview, Ethan and Luke discuss a recent, local event that they both had the opportunity to participate in: Election Day. To be fully transparent, The Ridge Podcast is meant to be, and always will attempt to be, a politically neutral platform, covering all aspects…
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#36 – Clerk Gerald R. Goad: Campaign, Responsibilities, Achievements, Goals, Digitization, Archives, Licenses
In this episode, Ethan and Luke interview Clerk Gerald R. Goad. This is the second time that he has been on the podcast. Last time, they discussed his personal life and journey to the Clerk’s office. This time however, they discuss his achievements thus far, his campaign, his goals for the next term, and a…
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#34 – Walter Rugaber: Journalism, New York Times, Roanoke Times, Richard Nixon, Northwestern, Georgia, Watergate, Civil Rights, Humanities
In this episode, Ethan and Luke interview Mr. Walter Rugaber. Mr. Rugaber is a former journalist, president and publisher of the Roanoke Times, New York Times correspondent, Interim President of Hollins University, and member of the Virginia Humanities board. They discuss his life growing up, his decision to go to Northwestern University for journalism, his…
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#32 – Curt Sumner: Engineering, Drafting, Hard Work, History, Schooling, Professionalism, CTE
In this episode, Ethan and Luke interview Mr. Curt Sumner. Mr. Sumner is the Engineering teacher at Carroll County High School. He has years of experience in the Drafting, Engineering, and Designs fields. They discuss his journey from working in a factory to returning to college, working as a teacher, and lessons that he has…
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#31 – B.P. “Phil” Hawks: Clerk of Circuit Court Candidate, Education, Ministry, History, America, Public Speaking, Republic Party, Family
In this episode Ethan and Luke interview B.P. Phil Hawks. Mr. Hawks is a candidate for the Clerk of Circuit Court in Carroll County, VA. He recounts his early life, his education, role models, career transition to becoming an OT and other important topics. He also briefly discusses his motivation for running for political office.…
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#29 – Tech Sergeant Nicholas McGaughey: Air Force Reserve, Boot Camp, Tech School, Electrician, Bonuses, GI Bill, College, Recruiting
In this Episode Ethan and Luke interview Technical Sergeant Nicholas McGaughey. Sergeant McGaughey is an Air Force Reserves recruiter currently stationed in Richmond, Virginia. They discuss the enlistment process, boot camp, tech school and different jobs available in the Air Force, how the Air Force can help people get through college, serving part time through…
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#28 – Aunt Jill: England, WW2, Germany, PoWs, America, Military, Appalachia, Farming, Holocaust, 9/11
In this episode Ethan and Luke interview Aunt Jill. Normally, Ethan lists out the full name of our guests in the title of the episode but Mrs. Jill has asked to remain anonymous. Mrs. Jill is Luke’s aunt. Mrs. Jill lived in England during World War II and later moved to the United States with…
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#27 – US Congressman Morgan Griffith: Law School, Politics, Family, Coal Energy, Insurance, Advice
In this episode, Ethan and Luke interview Congressman Morgan Griffith. Congressman Morgan Griffith has represented the Ninth District of Virginia in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2010. He is a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and was recently named Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.…
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#25 – Event: Fiddler’s Convention, Kazim Shriners, Moose Lodge, Gideons International, Music, History, Appalachia
In this episode, Ethan and Luke travel to the Fiddler’s Convention in Galax, Virginia. This episode features interviews with folk from the Kazim Shriners, Moose Lodge, and Gideons International discussing what they do, history, music, culture, and tradition. This is a great episode to learn more about the Fiddler’s Convention and the organizations that help…
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#24 – Mike Scott: US Navy, Submarines, Nuclear Service, Director of Veteran Services, Veteran Affairs, Recruiters, Reserves
In this episode, Ethan and Luke interview Mr. Mike Scott. Mr. Scott is a twenty year Navy veteran who served on submarines, was a recruiter, and was in the reserves for a one year stint. After retiring he started working for the Surry County Veterans Services and provides services to Veterans not only in Surry…
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#23 – Deborah Renie Gates: Democratic State Senate Candidate, Broadband, Education, Agriculture, Speech Therapy, Healthcare, Platform
In this episode, Ethan and Luke interview Deborah “Renie” Gates. Renie is the Democratic State Senate candidate for District 7. They also interviewed her mom a few weeks ago. She and her mom are running together as a mother-daughter campaign, the first mother-daughter political pair in the country’s history. They are based in Floyd, Virginia…
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#22 – Race Recap: Froggy Mountain 100 Miler, Ultramarathon, Running, Interviews, Paul Tilley, Rosie Gagnon, Zach Coggins, Andrew Harvey, Adam Small
This episode is a bit different than normal. Instead of their normal long interviews with a single person, Ethan interviewed several different people a few minutes and we Ethan and Luke also did separately recorded segments summarizing their thoughts. This episode follows and focuses on the Froggy Mountain 100 Miler, the hardest race in North…
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#21 – Mark Harmon: Sidna Allen House, Historical Society, Teaching, History, England, Museums, Carroll County
In this episode, Ethan and Luke interview Mr. Mark Harmon. Mr. Harmon is a World History teacher at Carroll County High School. He is an active volunteer for the Carroll County Historical Society and is repairing the J. Sidna Allen House in Fancy Gap, Virginia. They also discuss his career teaching, his time as a…