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T he
King George
Volume 40, Number 30
Sidewalks upgraded near courts Phyllis Cook Sidewalk ramps were recently retrofitted at 11 locations in the King George courthouse area on Route 3 (Kings Highway), with work completed on July 13. The sidewalk upgrades were part of routine scheduled paving work being undertaken throughout the state to systematically update the “curb cuts” or handicapped ramps to install truncated dome material just prior to repaving the roadway. That’s according to a Virginia Department of Transportation spokesperson for the Fredericksburg District. Kelly Hannon, communications manager, provided more information about the recent sidewalk work. “The Federal Americans with Disabilities Act standards for sidewalk ramps call for “truncated dome” material, also known as warning surfaces, to be installed on the ramps. These are tiles containing raised domes and are the uniform standard for ADA compliance,” Hannon said. “The tiles help visually impaired pedestrians identify the boundary between the sidewalk and street and
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Manslaughter charged in drug overdose case Woman accused of selling opioid that killed user in KG Richard Leggitt
Photo by Phyllis Cook
Contractors worked July 11 to 13 on revamping sidewalks in King George. generally to orient themselves to the direction of travel.” The average cost to retrofit each ramp is $1,616.
Hannon said they have an on-call contractor performing this work and moving from location to location. Since spring 2015, the contractor has
upgraded 340 ADA ramps at a total cost of $549,537 in the Fredericksburg area, the Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula.
The King George Sheriff 's Office last week arrested a King George woman and charged her with involuntary manslaughter in connection with a drug death that occurred in the county last year. Mary Evelyn Trainum, 53, had been indicted by a King George County grand jury in connection with the death of a 26-year-old man who died of a fatal drug overdose. Sheriff 's officers said they found her hiding in a shed in Westmoreland County. In addition to involuntary manslaughter, Trainum was charged with illegally distributing drugs. Law en-
forcement officers said Trainum was released on bond after being held briefly at the Rappahannock Regional Jail. Sheriff 's officers said Trainum allegedly supplied the drugs that resulted in the death of a King George man on Oct. 30 of last year. At the request of his family, authorities have not made public the identification of the victim, who was found dead at his residence as a result of an overdose of oxymorphone, the chemical designation for brand names Opana, Numorphan and Numorphone. Sheriff 's officers said the victim was connected to Trainum, who officers said has several past arrests for illegal drug offenses, by cellphone records. Trainum was convicted and sentenced to five years in prison in 2008, but all but seven months were suspended, according to authorities.
‘Amazing’ event raises $1,600 for Belle Grove Foundation Phyllis Cook
Seven teams participating in Historic Belle Grove’s Amazing Race spent the day travelling around the region to earn points on July 16 and raise funds for the James Madison Belle Grove Foundation, with a total of nine teams, including participation for points and donations prior to Race Day. All told, fundraising associated with this year’s event raised over $1,650 for the nonprofit foundation dedicated to preserve, restore, improve, maintain and educate others about Belle Grove and about its history. Team members said they had a fun day following challenges and clues posed by Michelle Darnell and travelling to challenge points in King George, Westmoreland, Colonial Beach and Caroline counties for points and donations. The winning team was The Incredibles, repeating last year’s victory for the most points accrued, with Carolyn Inscoe, Krista Kyte and Jerrod Phillips. Second place point winners were The Gut Crushers, who also snagged trophies for Best Dressed, a repeat of their stylish top spot also won last year. Gut Crushers also won the trophy for Most Fundraising by the team of Kelly Gutridge, Holly Gutridge, Heather Gutridge and Joana Duran. Third place winners were Sassy Supergals with Angie Sklute, Adrienne Fowler and Nicole Crisp. Other Teams were Frenemies with Leatah England, Robert England, Tiffany Johnson and Linwood Johnson;
Madison's Minions with Shannon Reinhardt, Barbara Jane Gaborow, Rachel Durrette and Cameron Peters; Team of Hoffs with Lee Hoffman and Gina Hoffman; Team Oliver with Lisa Oliver and Molly Oliver; Prissy Princesses - Catharine Porter, Elizabeth Stroud and Dapphanie Davis; and Sheetz Super Peepz with Jamie Scott, Janine King, Sandy Greer and Jeanie Shelton. Darnell and her spouse, Brett, operate Darnell Hospitality LLC at the historic house where the fourth president, James Madison was born in 1751. Their hospitality includes offering four luxury guest suites as Belle Grove Plantation Bed and Breakfast, along with private outdoor catered events for weddings and other special events. At the end of the race day, the pair hosted a cookout and awards presentation after tallying points and counting donations at the historic plantation mansion on the Rappahannock River in King George. Darnell was pleased and grateful. “Brett and I would like to thank everyone who participated in our Amazing Race 2016. From those who made up teams, donated money and baked goods, those who allowed us to place our donation jars and those who took the time from their busy day to do challenges with our teams,” Darnell said. “Each of you are a very important part of what made this year's event such a great success. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts and hope you will consider
Photo by Phyllis Cook
See race, page 8
Amazing Race winners pose for a photo in their costumes after the event at Belle Grove.
James settles in to new KG schools post Double the fun with Dunkin’-Baskin combo Phyllis Cook
Photo by Phyllis Cook
Sharon James is settling into her new job as communications coordinator for King George school.
Sharon James is settling into the new position of coordinator of communication for King George County Schools, which was established with the new fiscal year, which began on July 1. It’s a central office position reporting directly to division Superintendent Rob Benson. Benson had been asking to create a similar new position since early 2013. The position description appears to have been tweaked in the last couple of years to combine several functions into one, which made it into the adopted 2016-17 budget. Benson discussed the position and his recommendation of James for it in a recent interview. “Sharon James brings a wealth of talent and dedication to our team as our coordinator of communication. Her primary role will be to support our schools and departments in pro-
viding timely and relevant outbound communication with our school families and the King George community in general,” Benson said. “Another of Ms. James' responsibilities will be to help us recognize the myriad accomplishments of our students and schools to promote community pride and enthusiasm for our school division.” But that’s not all. “She will also help us seek and pursue grants or in-kind resources that are aligned with the needs and curricular pursuits of our schools or school division,” Benson said. James has been employed by the division as the lead instructional technology liaison since September 2005 and was a classroom teacher in the division prior to that. She earned a master’s of education from George Mason University in 2006 with a focus on instructional
See james, page 8
New store to open soon in Dahlgren Phyllis Cook King George will be getting a Dunkin’ Donuts in Dahlgren on the vacant parcel next to McDonald’s on U.S. 301. County officials are pleased, with Ruby Brabo encapsulating the sentiment. “The addition of a Dunkin’ Donuts to our community will be well received,” Brabo said. She’s chairwoman of the King George Board of Supervisors. The popular franchise offers hot and cold coffee and other beverages, along with sandwiches, doughnuts and other bakery products. It’s expected to be a hit with resi-
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dents, as well as with employees of the Naval Support Facility Dahlgren and its contractors outside the gate. But that’s not all. In addition to Dunkin’ Donuts, the restaurant will also contain a Baskin-Robbins shop, with ice cream cones, milkshakes, treats, cakes and pies. Baskin-Robbins is the world's largest chain of ice cream specialty shops. That’s according to Shawn Palivoda, who with his father, See Store, page 8