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Volume 39, Number 13
Virginia Viewpoints
Spring gobblers
Will Jim webb give democrats a choice? Page 2
Prepping for tom.
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King George
Wednesday, March 25, 2015 50 Cents
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Arrival of ospreys signals arrival of spring Richard Leggitt The thousands of ospreys that flew into the Northern Neck and the Chesapeake Bay last week were perhaps less than thrilled by the cold, wet weather that marked the March 20 arrival of spring. After all, the mighty raptors were migrating north for the spring and summer following a winter sojourn as far away as Brazil. But if the skies were overcast, the appearance of the ospreys was a welcome sight for area residents. “It’s wonderful,” said Peggy Musick of Colonial Beach. “The arrival of the ospreys is a sure sign of spring, which brings hope and enthusiasm again. It is fun to watch them carrying sticks to build their nests.” Residents of King George and Westmoreland counties have been seeing the signs of spring for weeks: the appearance of skunks and redbreasted robins and the blooming of crocuses. But the appearance of the ospreys each year is the final sign that spring has officially arrived. Many residents of the area welcome the ospreys’ return by building platforms for osprey nests. Ospreys nest on those platforms, as well as on telephone poles and channel markers. The ospreys breed while they are in the area, usually hatching two or three eggs in early summer. Their return migration to South America, with their youngsters, begins in November. The ospreys’ annual winter migration, and their long flight to and from the Southern Hemisphere, has been tracked by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation for several years in an effort to help the public better understand the traveling raptors. The CBF places tracking devices on ospreys in the Chesapeake Bay region so it can monitor their migration patterns. The devices are donated by Microwave Telemetry
and are installed by professional ornithologists. “Not only can we track their migration, but we can also monitor the daily activities of these birds both here and in South America,” said Don Baugh, the foundation’s director of education. The Chesapeake Bay region has the largest concentration of ospreys in the world, although the magnificent birds can be found as far away as Australia, Siberia and the Red Sea. Ospreys can be found on all continents except Antarctica. Fish make up 99 percent of the ospreys’ diet, so they are very effective fishers. They hunt by diving to the water from as high as 100 feet. Their talons allow them to pluck a fish from the water and then rotate it in flight to reduce wind resistance. They are the only bird with this unique capability. Their only competitor for food in the Chesapeake Bay and the Northern Neck region is the bald eagle. Eagles will swoop down on an osprey in flight and force it to drop a fish that it has caught. The eagle will then steal the fish in midair. The osprey, also known as a sea hawk or fish hawk in some regions, has plumage that is dark brown and white. Ospreys only weigh about four pounds, but they have a six-foot wingspan. They can be seen daily along the waterfront areas of King George and Westmoreland counties to the delight of area residents, who enjoy watching them catch fish or build their stick nests. In the 1950s, ospreys were endangered like eagles and other birds of prey by the use of DDT in farming operations. Since the chemical was banned, however, the ospreys have made a strong comeback and today are widely seen and welcomed in the Northern Neck not only as a final sign of the arrival of spring but as a symbol of a flourishing environment.
King George County secured another court date in the ongoing breach of contract dispute with Project Faith, Inc., over getting back a 5.53-acre parcel of donated land. The court hearing will take place April 21 in Spotsylvania to enable the current judge to continue hearing the case. The official venue for the case remains the King George Circuit Court. In a round of filings begun late last month, Project Faith is seeking a
protective order against King George’s request for documents related to the non-profit’s $300,000 claim against the county government. Project Faith officials are seeking payment before returning the property to the county. The nonprofit’s latest filing includes 2013 invoices from an architecture firm for services rendered. King George’s filing for the April court date reiterates its desire for a partial summary judgment to return the land to the county. The county government is also
Seven people have been arrested as part of an ongoing investigation of illegal drug distribution in King George and Westmoreland counties. A joint taskforce composed of federal, state and county law enforcement authorities made the arrests in connection with a pair of recent raids, according to Kecia Wharton of the King George Sheriff ’s Office. Four people were arrested as a result of a March 11 raid at a private residence in Index in King George. Three others were taken into custody on March 19 after officers executed warrants at three different residences in Colonial Beach, Dahlgren and on Tetotum Road in King George. “We take drug related crime very seriously,” said King George Sheriff Steve Dempsey. “The men and women who are part of the taskforce worked tirelessly on these investigations, devoting long hours away from their families. They deserve much credit for their hard work.” Officers from the King George Sheriff ’s Office, the Virginia State Police, the FBI and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service made up the taskforce. Arrested and charged in the March 11 raid in Index were Harold Edward Foster Jr., 66, of King George; Duane Ira Lynn Jr., 47, of Colonial Beach; and Richard Fred Pickens III, 32, of Woodford. Cocaine, heroin and other drug evidence were recovered at the scene. Jessica Herrink
Crocus, peepers and Osprey - sure signs that spring is finally here, even if it is still chilly.
asking for dismissal of a separate legal action by Project Faith that seeks the $300,000 payment. The latest action by Project Faith appears to duplicate a counterclaim it filed in response to the county’s original suit filed more than a year ago. In October 2013 the county sued Project Faith for breach of contract citing the organization’s failure to start construction of a facility to house local and state agencies that provide social service programs. The facility was to be built on land donated to Project Faith by the King
IRS grants non-profit status to King George Education Foundation Phyllis Cook The Internal Revenue Service has officially recognized the King George Education Foundation as a 501(c)3 non-profit, retroactive to its April 21, 2014 incorporation with the State Corporation Commission. Tammy Indseth began efforts in January 2014 to establish the foundation and received early support from school division Superintendent Rob Benson and a formal endorsement by the King George County School Board. The foundation seeks to build partnerships, attract private funding and support innovative programs and projects for students and employees of King George County
Public Schools. Indseth serves as president and Becky Kraisser is treasurer. The foundation is seeking a secretary. Its meetings, held at 7 p.m. the second Thursday of each month at the Smoot Library, are open to the public. The foundation supports efforts to enhance the quality of education in the county’s public schools through innovation and creativity. It seeks ideas for achieving the division’s curricular goals, enhancing students’ personal development, and/or encouraging links with the community. In January the foundation awarded its first Innovation Grant to Annie Cupka, a paraprofessional
Joint task force drug investigation results in seven arrests Richard Leggitt
April hearing date set for court hearing between county, Project Faith Phyllis Cook
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at Potomac Elementary School and a sponsor of the school’s garden club. Cupka won for creating the courtyard learning garden at Potomac. The grant of just over $400 will purchase gardening tools to help transform the school courtyard into an edible garden. The King George Dahlgren Rotary Club supplied the funding. The foundation’s six partners in education include the King George Youth Athletic Association, King George Family YMCA, National Society of Black Engineers-Potomac River Professionals, Dance Box, See KGEA, page 8
George government. Three court hearings on the matter have taken place. After filing its counterclaim in 2013, Project Faith asked the court for permission to amend the complaint. The non-profit sought to withdraw its counterclaim. The court granted both requests. At the April 21 hearing, the court will hear King George’s request for dismissal of the $300,000 counterclaim. Project Faith’s legal filing cites lack of funds and an inability
to obtain loans for its failure to meet construction deadlines. The developer’s document describes “circumstances beyond its control,” including the county’s refusal to provide tenant lease agreements in advance of construction. The latest filing also criticizes the Virginia Department of Transportation, The Journal and a member of the county’s social services board. Both sides have consistently declined to comment on the lawsuit since its filing in October 2013.
Board to review fracking ordinance draft in April Phyllis Cook The King George Board of Supervisors has agreed to review next month a proposed ordinance amendments under consideration for oil and natural gas extraction. The method under consideration is called fracking. It is an industrial drilling process to create fractures in rock formations thousands of feet underground by injecting chemicals into cracks in the ancient shale to allow extraction of the gas. The state is in the process of revising regs for drilling in the Taylorsville Basin. It is the geologic formation that
underlies this area of the eastern portion of the state, including a large section of the Chesapeake Bay. It is considered environmentally sensitive. In the meantime, the county board tasked staff and the Planning Commission to revise county regs because it wants to discourage fracking in the county. The supervisors want to be prepared for an application should one be submitted for a special exception permit. Shore Exploration Production Corporation holds drilling leases on some 86,000 acres in the Taylorsville Basin, including areas See Fracking, page 8
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See bust, page 8
NJ man convicted of embezzlement Richard Leggitt King George Circuit Court Judge Herbert Hewitt has convicted a New Jersey man of embezzling $9,000. Judge Hewitt requested a pre-sentence report and set the sentencing date for Michael Roy, 35, of Middletown, NJ at the conclusion of a bench trial last week. The sentencing is set for June 4. Roy was charged with embezzling the money on June 28, 2013 from United Paving Co. The firm was paving driveways in King George at the time of the incident, and Roy, who had only been working for the firm for four days, was accused of pocketing the payment for a paving job at a residence on Lakeview Drive. According to the testimony during the trial, Roy requested and received a cash payment of $8,500 from Judith Whitt of King George after telling her she could keep $500 if she paid him for the work done at her home. Roy was not authorized by the company to accept payment, nor to offer a $500 discount to Mrs. Whitt. See Jersey, page 8