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Vol. 34, No. 20 | Richmond Suburban News | September 20, 2017
Rail status: least objectionable but not preferred By Jim Ridolphi for The Mechanicsville Local SHLAND — The silence was almost deafening when Department of Public and Rail Transportation director Jennifer Mitchell asked for comments following a short meeting of its Community Advisory Committee on Monday, Sept. 11, at Randolph-Macon College. This was the final in a series of meetings that tasked the committee with identifying alterna-
A
tive routes for a proposed high speed rail project from Washington, D.C., to Richmond. One committee member described the final session as anti-climactic as only two members of the community panel spoke when it came time for recommendations. With a scheduled Commonwealth Transportation Board meeting less than a week away, the final meeting of the CAC was billed as the final step in the local decision-making process, but the final step left some scratching
their heads. At the last meeting, committee members eliminated some of the studied alternatives, but did not reach final conclusions. The paths of the proposed Ashland section of the DC2RVA project have splintered a community, pitting town residents against those who own property in the path of a proposed western bypass option. “I know this has been an emotional, difficult topic for a lot of people because we do realize
how much it affects all of the communities,� Mitchell said. “We are here, most importantly, to keep moving forward and talking about the least objectionable alternatives that are still out there regarding the eastern bypass and western bypass alternatives and to talk about what our next steps will be.� At the conclusion of the August meeting, the committee reached a consensus on the least objectionable options for above grade and below see RAIL, pg. 8
All county schools Hanover citizens stop to remember 9-11 are fully accredited By Jim Ridolphi for The Mechanicsville Local
By Jim Ridolphi for The Mechanicsville Local ASHLAND — A final review of student achievement data for 2016-2017 reveals that Hanover County Public Schools students are performing above state averages in all areas.
Director of Accreditation and Accountability Nancy Disharoon delivered an annual update to school board members last week. Earlier figures revealed that all Hanover schools are accredited, but delving deeper in the see SCHOOLS, pg. 4
HANOVER — Sixteen years later, the memories of September 11, 2001, are still fresh in the minds of many Americans, and, last week, a group of Hanover County citizens gathered to reflect and remember the terrible tragedies of that day, and the heroes who emerged in those desperate hours. In an annual ceremony held at the courthouse, Hanover County Board of Supervisors chair Angela Kelly-Wiecek told the assembled group that ceremonies like the one
Jim Ridolphi for The Local
Among dignitaries attending the ceremony that memorialized the events of September 11, 2001, were, from left, Canova Peterson, Wayne Hazzard, Aubrey “Bucky� Stanley, Scott Wyatt and Angela Kelly-Wiecek, Hanover County Board of Supervisors, and Greg Sager, director, Hanover County Parks and Recreation.
in Hanover are taking place across a grateful nation “to remember the tragic loss of life and the bravery of first responders and ordinary citizens alike.� She pointed to a positive result of the national tragedy, the sense of unity that prevailed after the attacks. “I want us all to recommit ourselves to the sense of unity and togetherness experienced in the days and weeks that followed,� KellyWiecek said. That spirit was alive and well when recent disaster hit the country see REMEMBER, pg. 5
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