Opinion
Festivals
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Trump just too much for some trusted, seasoned Republicans Page 4
See more coverage and photos of fall festivals
Police and fire department news from around the region
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Colonial Beach • Westmoreland
Volume 40, Number 41
Wednesday, October 12, 2016 50 Cents
helping you relate to your community
Local folks brave rain, wind for fall festivals Weather puts a chill on Colonial Beach’s 3rd Bikefest
Fifty-eighth King George Fall Festival goes on despite weather Richard Leggitt
Richard Leggitt Wet, windy and chilly weather put a damper on the Third Annual Colonial Beach Bikefest last weekend. Organizers of the four-day event courageously attempted to recover Sunday when skies cleared and the sun came out, but unfortunately many bikers, visitors and vendors had departed by that time. Randy Goodyear, a vendor from Newport News, huddled under his tented booth Saturday afternoon, his merchandise covered to protect it from the rain. "This is getting old," Goodyear said. "This is the second time in three years we have had rain during this event." The culprit this year was Hurricane Matthew, which sent bands of rain and wind to Virginia from its landfall in the Carolinas. During the Saturday performance of popular band Foghat, on the large stage Photo by Richard Leggitt set up near the Riverboat Restaurant The Colonial Beach Boardwalk was virtually abandoned Saturday afternoon and off track betting facility, a dwinas Bikefest vendors battled wind and rain generated by Hurricane Matthew. See Bikefest, page 2 Sunday saw better weather and the return of some of the Bikefest crowds.
King George held its 58th annual Fall Festival last weekend, and like much of Virginia had to battle the weather. The wet and windy storm kicked up by Hurricane Mat-
thew made for difficult conditions for the event's parade, drenching participants and spectators. But the damp, cold conditions may have actually helped drive attendance at the fall festival's indoor activities at King George High School. Crowds were large and joyful as they visited the food and craft vendors at the high school and booths for local the Democratic and ReSee Festival, page 2
Photo by Bonnie Gouvisis
Fall Festival Pageant winners Braelyn Boone (Wee Baby Division), Kennedy Byrd (Pre-Teen Division) and NAtalee Crevelina (Young Miss Division) had smiles despite the rain during the parade.
Spotsylvania shooting fracas Beach Chamber, ends in arrest of KG resident Foundation set Local man held for shooting Spotsylvania police dog Richard Leggitt A King George man is being held without bond today in the Rappahannock Regional Jail after allegedly shooting at two Spotsylvania sheriff 's deputies and wounding a police dog last week. The suspect, Joseph E. Conway, 34, was arrested at an an airport motel in Richmond two days after the shootings. Conway is charged with two counts of attempted capital murder and possessing a firearm as a felon. Spotsylvania Sheriff 's Capt. Jeff Pearce said more charges are pending.
The shootings occurred Oct. 4 near a Sheetz on Lafayette Boulevard in Spotsylvania after officers stopped a car for a minor traffic infraction. The driver of the vehicle was taken into custody after it was learned he was wanted by Fredericksburg authorities. While the driver was being arrested, a passenger in the vehicle whom officers identified as Conway, got into an argument with officers at the scene and then began fleeing. A police dog named Dux, a 2-year-old German shepherd, began pursuit of the suspect but was allegedly shot by the fleeing fugitive. Officers allege that Conway also opened fire on See Shooting, page 2
candidate forums
Photo courtesy of Spotsylvania Sheriff’s Office
Dux had surgery, but is recovering.
The Colonial Beach Foundation and Colonial Beach Chamber of Commerce will host two candidate forums later in October. On Oct. 18, the groups will host a question and answer forum between Colonial Beach residents and the candidates for Colonial Beach Town Council. It will be held at the “Pete” Bone meeting room of Town Center, 22 Washington Avenue, Colonial Beach. The Forum will begin at 7 p.m. and finish at 9 p.m. Submit written questions for the candidates by Oct. 16
to cbvafoundation@aol.com or contact Peter Fahrney at 804-224-6007 or Cary Geddes at 804-224-8145. On Oct. 20, the groups will present a forum between residents of Colonial Beach and mayoral candidates. The meeting will be held at the “Pete” Bone Meeting Room of Town Center, 22 Washington Avenue. The Forum will begin at 7 p.m. and finish at 8:30 p.m. Submit questions for the candidates by Oct. 18 to: cbvafoundation@aol.com or contact Peter Fahrney at 804-224-6007 or Cary Geddes 804-224-8145.
School counselors act as advocates for students as key part of staff Patty Kelly Long
Westmoreland County Public Schools There are many characteristics of a strong school counselor; patient, good listener, compassionate, nonjudgmental, research-oriented, empathetic, discrete, encouraging, self-aware, and authentic. You have to be a special person to be a good counselor and Westmoreland County Public Schools is very fortunate to have five of the finest serving the students of WMLCPS. Patricia Wright, Cople Elementary counselor, has worked as the Cople counselor for 22 years. She sees her role as working “as a team member with the students, school staff, parents and the community to help create a caring climate and atmosphere.” Her counterpart at Washington District Elementary, Matt Freno, is our newest counselor. Matt came to WMLCPS from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, in April, 2015. He, too, sees his primary role as “ensuring that students have everything they need to be successful, happy, healthy students. I spend a lot of time building relationships with my students. I want them to know that they can come to me not only when they are struggling, but also to share their successes. I do whatever is needed to help
Eddings
Crisco
Wright
Freno
Cornwell
my students, from counseling, to talking with parents and teachers, to putting on Band-Aids. My goal is to be the person that students can come to with any problem. If I can’t help, I can find someone who can.” They all share common goals. When asked “what is one thing they wish for their students,” Patricia Wright, Cople Elementary School stated, “I hope that they will always be excited about learning, at any age. “ Washington & Lee High School counselor, Carmen Crisco, echoed that statement saying that “students find out who they are
and where they want to be for the rest of their lives.” Washington & Lee High School counselor, Patricia Eddings also noted, “Just to know that each and every student would leave Washington & Lee High School at the end of a day and then go home to a parent who could provide adequately for them and show them the love and support they need to be successful.” Matt Feno, Washington District Elementary, summed it up by saying, “I wish the absolute best for my students. I know that every single one of them has the potential to be successful, wonderful people. It is our job to
support them and give them the tools they need to learn and grow. They depend on us to not only teach them, but to be role models. Students depend on us to guide them on the path to success.” Montross Middle School counselor, Erika Cornwell, echoed that sentiment. In her sixth year, Erika stated,” I wish every student realizes how great they are and are successful in life.” The many hats a counselor wears, especially in a small school, can be daunting. All the counselors bemoan the fact that paperwork takes up an inordinate amount of their time. Mr. Freno notes,
“A big part of keeping a school running smoothly is keeping things organized and making sure that the paperwork is done. As the registrar for my building, I am responsible for registering students and maintaining records. While I enjoy that aspect of my job, I like working directly with students more.” Carmen Crisco, who is entering her 15th year as counselor at W&L said, “The testing responsibilities have quadrupled and the accountability through analyzing and interpreting data has become a large part of the job. We spend more time with administrative work than
students. So much so, that we have behavioral specialists who work with students, college advisers to guide students through the post-secondary options, and a scholarship adviser who helps students with scholarships. We are left with testing and data.” While all
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See Counselors, page 2