Opinion
Festival time
Reflections on the Pope’s Visit
celebration
Port Royal Charter Days festival
See inside for information on the Montross Fall Festival
Page 2
page 8
pages 4-5
T he
Volume 39, Number 40
POSTAL CUSTOMER
King George
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Wednesday, September 30, 2015 50 Cents
Indseth and Tolliver unopposed in quest for King George School Board seats Phyllis Cook Three of the local offices up for election in King George this Nov. 3 are for the county school board. The seats up for election are those in the James Madison, Dahlgren and At-Large districts, with new terms beginning on Jan. 1, 2016. Two of the seats have single candidates running unopposed, with Tammy Indseth for At-Large and Kristin Tolliver for James Madison district. The King George School Board is a fivemember board with staggered terms of four years for each member. Legal requirements for running for local elective positions are minimal. Candidates must be registered to vote, must have resided in Virginia for at least a year preceding the election, must reside in the election district to be represented; and must be a United States citizen.
The School Board positions are part-time, with professional administrators hired for implementing policies set by each of the two boards. The part-time nature of the position is reflected in the compensation. In King George, school board members are provided nominal stipends of $3,600 annually, with $500 additional for the chairman. At-Large School Board - Tammy D. Norman Indseth Indseth, 42, grew up in the Oak Grove section of Westmoreland County and is a 1992 graduate of Washington & Lee High School, moving to King George in 2009. She furthered her education by earning an Associate’s degree in arts and science from Rappahannock Community College in 1994, followed by a Bachelor’s of Science from Virginia Tech in 1997, where she majored in environmental science and minored in chemistry.
She has been employed as an environmental scientist and photographer at the Dahlgren Naval base since 2012. Earlier, from 19972000, she also worked at the Dahlgren Naval base as an environmental scientist. In between, she served the King George County School division as a substitute teacher and had a commercial Indseth photographybusiness from 2001-2014. “I believe that investing in education is the key to our children’s success as well as the county, state and country’s future success,” Indseth said. Indseth is a member of the King George Elementary and King George High School
PTAs, coached King George Parks and Recreation youth basketball, from 20102013, coached King George Youth Athletic Association cheerleading in 2012, led a Girl Scout troop from 2012-14, served on the Eden Estates Swim Team board 2013-15, and is a current member of the King George Historical Society. Another accomplishment was establishing the King George Education Foundation as a legal non-profit entity in 2014, which she serves as president. “Initially my investment in education was in the form of volunteering in the schools and creating the King George Education Foundation in 2014. I know that I can invest even more in education by serving on the School Board,” Indseth said. “As the At-Large member of the board I plan to advocate for continuous improvement in teaching excellence, student achievement, fiscal responsibility, and community involvement
by establishing an effective relationship with the citizens, school administration, and Board of Supervisors.” James Madison School Board Kristin Tolliver Tolliver, 55, is finishing up her first term on the School Board, having been elected in 2011. “I have been honored to serve our school division and look forward to continued service,” Tolliver said. She has lived in King George since 1985. She earned a Tolliver See CANDIDATES, page 8
SENTEL celebrates 25 years of supporting the U.S. military in King George George Whitehurst In a solid, often-overlooked brick building on U.S. 301 operates an engineering firm that provides cutting-edge services to meet America’s national security needs. For 20 more than years, the team in the King George office of SENTEL has devised solutions for security challenges for spots ranging from that last Cold War holdout, the Korean Peninsula, to the multiple fronts of the global War on Terror. SENTEL held a Sept. 25 open house to celebrate its achievements and to re-introduce itself to the community. Visitors streamed into the office during the four-hour event to get a glimpse of projects ranging from an independently operating robotic rover to a system of sophisticated instruments that can detect biological and chemical hazards. Kelly Zeh, manager of the SENTEL’s work on the Project Jupitr program, showed off the a series of sensors used to detect biological and
chemical weapons hazards along the border between North Korea and South Korea. Assisting her was Daniel Parker, a software engineer, who ran a simulation of a biological hazard “incident” near the 38th Parallel of the Korean Peninsula. Peter Maxwell and Rob McGuire demonstrated an Autonomous Remote Platform, which can be used to map buildings and other areas of combat zones in order to lessen the risk to American soldiers preparing to advance. Joe Landries, a software engineers, demonstrated the RDR Web Sensor Platform. The system allows military and law enforcement personnel and to use handheld sensors to detect a variety of threats. The system was used in Rio De Janeiro to monitor crowds and search for threats during the World Cup soccer tournament. Gen. William “Kip” Ward, USA (Ret.), SENTEL’s president, mingled with the staff - shaking hands and sharing some laughs. He gave a short pep talk praising the group for its
teamwork and reminding them that the men and women of the United States armed forces are relying on people like the SENTEL team. “It’s really an honor... to recognize this team for what you do,” he declared. Ward urged the staff to keep striving for higher levels as a means of “improving the foxhole.” “When we do that, we are all elevated, and the team is elevated,” he said. “That’s how SENTEL will continue to forge ahead.” Founded in 1987 as an engineering company, SENTEL initially focused primarily on electromagnetic capabilities and sensor integration. The company’s array of services has grown to include integreated logistics, IT, intelligence and engineering. Headquartered in Alexanria, VA, SENTEL has offices located in Bowie, MD: Richmond, San Diego, and Vicksburg, MS. The company generated nearly $100 million in revenue in Fiscal Year 2014. Black Enterprise magazine recently ranked SENTEL 37th on its list of top Industrial/Services companies.
Photo by George Whitehurst
William “Kip” Ward (center), president of SENTEL Corp., gets an update on the company’s work on biohazard detectors from Kelly Zeh (left) and Daniel Parker (right) during the company’s open house at its King George office.
Colonial Beach residents, motorcycle enthusiasts gear up for annual Bike Fest Linda Farneth
Photo by Linda Farneth
Gearheads, shade tree mechanics and motorcycle enthusiasts will descend on Colonial Beach Oct. 8-11 for the town’s second annual Bike Fest. For four days, participants will enjoy a variety of motorcyle-related activities, including a poker walk, a scavenger hunt and the Blessing of the Bikes. Live music will fill the air, and a variety of foods and beverages will be available. The weekend is sponsored by All American Harley Davidson and will be judged by Boston Nichols Bike & Rider Productions.
Don’t miss the 2nd Annual Colonial Beach Bike Fest, which will take place Oct. 8-11. This event will feature a variety of activities throughout that weekend including vendors, bike demos and much more. Carey Geddes, Director of the Colonial Beach Chamber of Commerce, and Bryan and Vickie Coffman, owners of High Tides Restaurant, have teamed up again with Steven “Smurf ” Keene, General Manager of All American HarleyDavidson of Hughesville, MD, to put on the second annual Colonial Beach Bike Fest. This four-day event is filled with activities sure to delight bikers and spectators alike. Come down and get a look at the latest bikes, show off your own machine and join in the fun. Last year’s event was a big success, despite rain during the concert according to Geddes. In 2014, bikers from DC, Maryland and Virginia gathered for the first Bike Fest. Chuck Powers came from as far south as Daytona Beach to enjoy the event. “Came up from Daytona, great time!” he said. “Hopefully no rain next year. We will be back. Great job Colonial Beach!” The Virginia State Police estimated
more than 10,000 people showed up during the three-day weekend. Visitors of all ages enjoyed the music despite a constant drizzle on Saturday. The aroma of hot dogs, funnel cake, BBQ and other delights added to the many festive atmosphere. This year’s will include Lickity Splitz at Dockside Restaurant & Tiki Bar, and Bob Noble at High Tides on the Potomac. Highlights of this year’s events include: the Harley-Davidson Demo Fleet, a poker walk, a scavenger hunt, and the Blessing of the Bikes. High Tides on the Potomac & Tiki Bar, located at 205 Taylor St., will have games every hour, a 911 Wing Challenge and bands throughout the event. Dockside Restaurant & Tiki Bar, located at 1787 Castlewood Dr., will feature the Ultimate Beer Gut Contest and bands throughout the event. Bike Fest also includes concerts featuring Swamp Da Wamp on Friday beginning at 3 p.m., Kashmir and many other great bands. The Marshall Tucker Band and the Artimus Pyle Band will appear on Saturday. Both concerts are free however there will be a V.I.P. seating area offered for both concerts. Tickets are $35 apiece per concert. This includes seating at the front of the stage, as
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well as access to the V.I.P. area bar. The tradition of bike fests began years ago at Daytona Beach, with Bruce Rusmyer of the HarleyDavidson Dealership, who decided to have a little get-together for the weekend. Now bike fests are hosted all over the country. The second annual Colonial Beach Bikefest Bike Show is sponsored by All American Harley Davidson and will be professionally judged by Boston Nichols Bike & Rider Productions. The show contest will take place on Sunday Oct. 11 at the Colonial Beach American Legion Paved Parking Lot between noon and 4 p.m. Admission is free to riders and spectators, however, each event does charge an entrance fee for the participants. Proceeds will fund the prizes and be donated to local charities, as is customary with these happenings. For the list of events, times and location go to www. colonialbeachbikefest.com/events But the best part of the weekend is the ability for good old fashion bragging rights as bikers from all