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Volume 39, Number 34
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YMCA’s Bright Beginnings helps kids start school year right Richard Leggitt The King George YMCA held its annual Bright Beginnings event last week to help dozens of deserving kids get their school year off to a good start. The King George Y teamed volunteers, including officers from the King George Sheriff ’s Office, with school children and provided them with a back-to-school shopping excursion to the Walmart in Dahlgren. “This program is an example of how the community of King George County comes together to impact the lives of those that live in the county,” said Elizabeth Taylor, executive director of the Y. Taylor expressed her appreciation to NSWC Federal Credit Union, Foote Title Group, the Walmart Foundation, Wendy Moore Dentistry, Birchwood Power Plant and Spotswood Baptist Church, all of which sponsored this year’s Bright Beginnings program. The 80 children participating were provided backpacks by the sponsors and other businesses and citizens. Walmart assisted with the shopping, and the Subway at Walmart provided dinner for all the children. Taylor said there were more than 100 volunteers for this year’s program, including the King George
Sheriff ’s Office, Rotary Club, Dr. Cottrell’s staff, Gateway Community Church Youth Group, NSWC Federal Credit Union staff, the King George Board of Supervisors, King George High School cheerleaders and many volunteers from the Y. “This program provides not just school clothes and backpacks but something much deeper,” Taylor said. “Magic happens when a caring adult spends time with a child. The smile on the child’s face as they come off the bus to meet their shopping buddy is magical. All of the children in the YMCA Bright Beginnings are ready for school and excited for that first day. “Now they all have new shoes that will run faster and jump higher. When the teacher asks to pull out that red crayon, the child will reach in their desk and pull it out with pride.” The King George YMCA is a branch of the Rappahannock Area YMCA. The King George Y opened in 2008 and has a gym, pool, wellness/ fitness center, aerobics/group fitness, spinning, youth classrooms, kidz zone area, playground/pavilion, and locker rooms. “Each day at the YMCA we have the opportunity to impact others. Each of us, staff, volunteers, and members alike can make a difference in our own life or someone else’s,” Taylor said.
Photos by Kecia Wharton
Volunteers with the King George YMCA’s Bright Beginnings took local school children shopping for school supplies at Walmart last week. Eighty deserving childen were helped to buy backpacks, crayons, pens, pencils, notebooks and other items needed to help them walk into class ready to learn on the first day of the 2015 school year, which begins Aug. 24.
Signs of progress sprouting on borders of King George County Phyllis Cook
Photo by Phyllis Cook
New signs welcoming visitors to King George County and the Northern Neck Heritage Area are popping up on the roadways entering the county. The signs are replacing worn predecessors on State Route 3 (Kings Highway) and along U.S. 301 (James Madison Highway). The King George board of supervisors approved money for the county signs, while the Northern Neck Planning Commission is funding the signs designating the Northern Neck Heritage Area. King George Director of Economic Development Linwood Thomas said the signs will help promote the county to potential business recruits.
King George is getting new welcome. signs at each of its borders. Linwood Thomas, the county’s director of economic development, said all four signs are expected to be installed in September. All five supervisors were in agreement on Aug. 4 with a vote on the final design. The new signs will replace the existing ones, now showing signs of wear. “The King George County Welcome Signs have been in place for almost 20 years,” Thomas said. “It was time for a facelift. I believe the new signs will add a nice touch for visitors, residents and prospective businesses entering King George County.” The new signs will replace the old ones along either end of the county on Route 3 (Kings Highway) and along U.S. 301 (James Madison Parkway) near each of the two bridges, north and south. The signs will be deep blue with gold lettering, saying “King George County Welcomes You,” with “Est. in 1720” below. They will be topped by the county’s seal containing a multicolored shield within a field of white. Earlier this year, supervisors had appropriated funding toward the
cost of the four signs from the tourism budget. “It doesn’t hurt that the project came in well under budget,” Thomas said. “We are getting them for significantly less than the $9,000 appropriated.” Westview Companies of Oilville, VA, was awarded the sign contract, coming in with the lowest price of $5,840 with three bids received. Northern Neck Heritage Area Signs Residents might also notice some other new signs recently erected inside the county’s borders. ‘Welcome to the Northern Neck Heritage Area’ signs have finally been installed as part of a project of the Northern Neck Planning District Commission/Northern Neck Tourism Commission begun more than three years ago. Lisa Hull, Economic Development and Tourism Coordinator for the Northern Neck Planning District Commission provided some background on the project. “Five gateway signs are being installed at entry points to the Northern Neck as part of the branding of the Northern Neck as a heritage area,” she said.
King George man sentenced to 21 years for Dahlgren shooting Richard Leggitt A 26-year-old King George man received a sentence of 21 years and three months in King George County Circuit Court Thursday for a shooting last year in Dahlgren. The shooting occurred when Carlos Bell, a convicted drug dealer, opened fire on Darrell Johnson, whom Bell believed was a confidential informant for the King George Sheriff ’s office. Circuit Court Judge Joseph Ellis also sentenced Bell to 75 years in prison for distributing a controlled substance and selling drugs
with 1,000 feet of a school, but Ellis suspended all 75 years and instead imposed the 21 years and three months sentence for attempted murder, aggravated wounding and use of a firearm. The actual sentence imposed by Ellis was less than the sentence recommended by the jury that convicted Bell and less than the sentence that was sought by prosecutors. Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Jennifer Pollard urged Judge Ellis to sentence Bell to prison for life. “He is a repeated, long term crack cocaine dealer,” Pollard told the court. “The community will not be
safe unless he is behind bars. A life sentence would be appropriate.” Ellis, although calling the case “very, very serious,” said he would not impose a life sentence because Bell was a young man. “I am not going to put you in jail for life,” the judge told Bell. “I believe everyone needs hope.” Bell has been held in the Rappahannock County Jail since his arrest last year moments after the shooting at the Heritage Court townhouse complex. Sheriff ’s officers were on the scene immediately after the shooting took place and not only captured Bell, but also helped
save the life of the victim, Darrell Johnson. Johnson, who lived three doors from Bell in the townhouse complex, received multiple gunshot wounds to his upper body. He survived the shooting after being rushed by air to Mary Washington Hospital in Fredericksburg. Officers at the scene of the shooting recovered the handgun Bell allegedly used in the shooting. Bell entered pleas of guilty to the 15 charges of distributing crack cocaine and selling drugs near a school, but pleaded not guilty to the attempted murder, assault and
weapons charged and requested a jury trial. “Carlos Bell chose to have a jury determine his guilt or innocence on the attempted murder case. The jury found Bell guilty of attempted murder, aggravated malicious wounding and using a firearm to commit those crimes,” said King George Commonwealth’s Attorney Keri Gusmann. “Convicting a drug dealer of shooting another person was a total team effort. Both my office and the King George Sheriff ’s office worked tirelessly on this case with the help of the Virginia State Police.”
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She said three are going up in King George, with one placed on Route 3 coming in from Stafford County and two on U.S. 301, north and south. The other two appear in both Richmond County and Lancaster County. “The five counties in the Northern Neck passed resolutions in 2012 declaring the region as a Virginia ‘heritage area’ in concert with the Northern Neck’s ongoing pursuit of congressional designation as a ‘National Heritage Area’,” Hull said. Two of the three welcome signs in King George can be spotted on Route 3 east and U.S. 301 south. Hull said the other sign to go on U.S. 301 will have to repositioned and the new location approved by the Virginia Department of Transportation prior to its final installation. The governing bodies of each of the participating localities had approved resolutions more than three years ago in February 2012. The other two counties included in the Northern Neck are Westmoreland and Northumberland. The Northern Neck commissions continue to work as the coordinating entities for federal designation of this area with eventual Congressional designation expected to take place at some time in the future.
Correction The Aug. 12 edition of The Journal incorrectly identified the organization for which “Sadie Spade” serves as mascot. Sadie serves as mascot for King George Animal Control. The Journal always strives for accuracy and regrets this error.