cross-country Champs Again
lock and load but still be safe
honoring the heroes
Kg girls’ capture yet another conference championship. Page 5
follow these tips before you go out with your muzzleloader. Page 7
local students share their own stories. Page 10
T he
POSTAL CUSTOMER
King George
Volume 38, Number 45
Wednesday, November 5, 2014 50 Cents
helping you relate to your community
County won’t pass out Thanksgiving meals Phyllis Cook Since King George Supervisor Cedell Brooks announced at an Oct. 21 board meeting that the county’s Social Services Department will be unable to sponsor its longtime Thanksgiving basket program, local groups are doing what they can to fill the void to help those in need. “Social services said they just don’t have enough staff to take care of it, so they will be having the Christmas program but will not be having the Thanksgiving program,” Brooks said. Social Services Director Dave Coman said the program had been
done by two staff members on a volunteer basis for years, adding it can’t be done on agency time. He said those staffers could not do it this year for personal reasons. “There have been two stupendous people in this office that have borne the brunt of the work for the last 20 or so years I have been here,” he said. “They have donated countless hours at home, at night and on weekends to coordinate the program.” He apologized to the community for cancelling this year’s efforts for Thanksgiving. “Next year, we are committed to resuming the program,” he said. “Our board of supervisors have
always stood behind us and given us support. Our board of supervisors and my board are committed to providing for the citizens of this county.” Coman said the Christmas program will take place and is in full swing. He also praised the King George community for stepping up. One such group is Love Thy Neighbor. It’s experienced in this arena and is planning a special Thanksgiving feast from 3-4 p.m. Nov. 16 at the county’s Citizen’s Center off Route 3. The doors will open at 1:45 pm, with an inspirational hour from
2-3 p.m., followed by the hot meal and food pantry from 4-5 p.m. The group is seeking donations of money and non-perishable food items. Those interested in volunteering are welcome to join the group, with set up beginning at 12:30 p.m.. A spokesperson for the group, Chris Buck, said the Nov. 16 meal will include a traditional dinner with smoked and fried turkeys and all the trimmings of a holiday meal. The group has been providing a monthly meal and food pantry for the last two years. Donations of seasonal, non-perishable items for the pantry is part of its current focus.
If you want to help Here are the drop-off locations for the Love Thy Neighbor food pantry: n The Journal Press n Two Rivers Baptist Church n Rocky Top Embroidery n Blue Phoenix Computer Repair n Lock-It-Up Storage n King George Citizen’s Center n King George Feed Store n King George YMCA n EXIT Realty Expertise n American Business Card n St. John’s Episcopal Church n Union First Market Bank n Dutch’s Mart
Needed items include green beans, corn, peas, lima beans, potatoes, sweet potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, dressing mixes and canned pumpkin or apples for pies. Cash jar locations n The Hitching Post n King George House of Pizza n Tims II Fairview Beach n Unique Antiques Mall n El Charro’s Mexican Restaurant n Howard’s Restaurant. Love Thy Neighbor’s website is capable of taking donations by credit card. Please go to www. lovethyneighbor-kg.org..
Art and wine lovers unite at Caledon State Park
Dangerous crossroad to get light CB man was killed at intersection of routes 218/205 Richard Leggitt
Photos by Phyllis Cook
The chilly weather and slight drizzle didn’t deter the droves of attendees at the Nov. 1 Caledon Art & Wine Festival. They enjoyed sampling wines and barbecue and other specialty foods, as well as seeing what the area’s finest artisans had to offer. Participating vineyards included Cooper Vineyards, General’s Ridge Vineyard, Ingleside Vineyards, James River Cellars Winery, Mattaponi Winery, Oak Crest Vineyard and Winery, Rogers Ford Farm Winery and Vault Field Vineyards. Food was for sale from Sho Nuff BarBQ, Anna Bakery, Peery’s Natural Cheese and Dang Sauce. Featured local artists included Daniel Christie Pottery, K. Michelle Studios, Clearview Farm and Ranch, Tidal Creek Enterprises, Nat-AURA-ly Made/Marie’s Crocheted Creations, Ruth Hornbaker, Art Cole Dynamic Digital Images, Munchy’s Unique Batik, Wood Sand Paint, Horizons Blue Jewelry, Bowls by Bowles, Temalle LTD, Raymond Bell and Robyn Ryan.
Commission to examine local fracking rules Phyllis Cook The King George Planning Commission soon will begin its review and analysis of the county’s zoning ordinance to address the potential local impacts of fracking. Fracking is an industrial drilling process creating fractures in rock formations deep underground by injecting fluid into cracks to allow natural gas to be extracted. The commission will start a review of potential changes needed to address the possible industrialization
of some agricultural land in the event a permit is filed and then approved by the state for fracking within the county. At this point, no application has been made to the state for drilling in King George or any other locality overlaying the Taylorsville Basin, an ancient geologic shale formation deep in the earth, believed to contain oil and gas. The commission is set to meet at 7 p.m. Nov. 12 in the boardroom of the Revercomb Administration building, behind the courthouse.
Supervisors have tasked planners to recommend amendments prudent or necessary to address possible impacts within the scope of the county’s planning, zoning and land use regulatory authority, provided under state law. The commission is directed to avoid matters under the authority of state and federal agencies, where the county has no authority. In Virginia, gas and oil drilling is regulated by the Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy, with environmental aspects for water and air quality also regu-
lated by the state. The scope of the review is intended to deal specifically with drilling activities and various land use ramifications in regard to drilling activities. Currently, the county’s ordinance allows drilling by special exception permit in agricultural zoning districts. The commission will consider whether drilling should continue to be allowed in both those districts. The existing zoning ordinance for special exception permits requires
site plans, ingress and egress plans, drill site plans, erosion and sediment control plans, along with an environmental impact assessment and operation plan, which first must be filed with the state. Additional standards expected to be addressed include lighting, noise, traffic and road damage, additional setbacks, hours of operation and gas flaring. Local zoning ordinances also may address dust, runoff, minimum lot size, well-pad footprints and diSee FRACKING, page 4
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The Virginia Department of Transportation has begun work to install a traffic signal at the dangerous intersection of state routes 205 and 218 near the King George and Westmoreland county line. The T-intersection, where Route 218 ends at Route 205 on a long, tree-laden curve, has been the scene of several traffic accidents the past several years, including the death of two Colonial Beach residents last year. Retired police detective and onetime stuntman Paul Lee, 76, was killed May 6, 2013 when a car he was riding in, driven by 18-year-old Jodi Graham, pulled from Route 218 in front of a truck traveling on Route 205. Graham also was killed. Kelly Hannon, a spokesman for VDOT, said crews are working to prepare the intersection for the installation of a new traffic signal, which is expected to be done in December, or early next year. Currently, traffic on Route 218 is regulated by a stop sign, but because of reduced visibility at the intersection, accidents frequently occur when vehicles from Route 218 pull into the path of vehicles on Route 205. “I wish more than anything, that light would have been there in 2013,” said Colonial Beach businesswoman Sherry Lee, Paul Lee’s daughter. Lee had campaigned for more than a year for the installation of a stoplight at the intersection, frequently contacting the state and also talking with Gov. Terry McAuliffe about the dangerous intersection. “I feel extremely relieved,” Lee said. “I’m not going to hear about any more accidents or deaths caused by the lack of a light at that intersection. “I’m so happy, I am almost speechless.” Lee said drivers won’t be inconvenienced by the new light. “The world is in a hurry,” she said. “But it shouldn’t be a problem for people to have to stop at a light and maybe think a moment about safety.”