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Vol. 36, No. 22 | Richmond Suburban News | October 16, 2019
Bowles to make sure Schools’ transgender policy, Christmas is for all or lack of, topic of discussion By Jim Ridolphi for The Mechanicsville Local
D
OSWELL — Sometimes, the best way to judge the success of a charitable program is by the number of smiles displayed on the faces of those receiving the services. For the past 31 years, the Doswell Ruritan Club has put smiles on the faces of thousands of Hanover County children by providing
Christmas for kids who might otherwise not enjoy the joys of the season through their Christmas Mother program. In what has become the county’s first sign that Christmas is around the corner, a group of previous honorees and program supporters gathered at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Flippo in Doswell last Wednesday to name this year’s Christmas Mother. Carolyn Bowles, a lifelong Old Church resident, was selected to head this year’s project at the holiday-themed event that has become a Hanover tradition. “I am truly honored to be chosen by the Cold Harbor Ruritan Club in which my husband, Joe Bowles, is a member, to
CAROLYN BOWLES 2019 Hanover Christmas Mother
see CHRISTMAS, pg. 14
Prsrt. Standard U.S. POSTAGE PAID Mechanicsville, VA Permit No.141
One speaker to HCSB: ‘Something must be done’
By Jim Ridolphi for The Mechanicsville Local
By Jim Ridolphi for The Mechanicsville Local ASHLAND — There is no policy regarding transgender students in the Hanover County Public Schools Code of Conduct. In such cases, the system follows state guidelines regarding access to bathroom and locker rooms, a policy that allows students to use bathrooms based on their sexual designation noted on a birth certificate. A group of parents is urging Hanover County School Board members to change or amend the policy in an effort to disallow transgender students from accessing locker rooms or changing areas not associated with their anatomic gender. Several of those parents took advantage of a public comment period at the Oct. 8 school board meeting to voice their concerns. “I would like to speak on the subject of forcing middle school girls to change clothes in the presence of a biological male,” said Kathy Rector. “I am confident
FEMA grant: firefighters will hit streets sooner
Jim Ridolphi for The Mechanicsville Local
Kathy Rector also spoke against allowing a transgender student to use a female locker room at the Oct. 8 meeting.
that the people who are advocating this arrangement believe they are doing so in an effort to help one young person ...” she continued. “Any sense of fairness would lead reasonable people to believe that you don’t try to help one person by damaging dozens of others,” Rector said. “Policies like this will continue to drive many students out of the public school system.” Another parent said he endorsed the
HANOVER -- Thanks to a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grant, Hanover Fire-EMS will be able to place a dozen new firefighters in badlyneeded service areas ahead of schedule. The Hanover County Board of Supervisors approved a five-year plan to hire the additional fire personnel, but the funds from the Fed allows Chief Jethro Piland to hire those employees early and provide additional service for county residents. The Mechanicsville Station is the busiest fire station in the county with the largest amount of calls last year. Piland said the division’s goal of responding within nine minutes to 80 percent of the calls received will be more attainable with the new employees. The federal grant provides 75 percent of the salaries and benefits for the first two years, and 35 percent the final year of the grant. The grant totals about $1.37 million during the three-year period beginning in
see TRANSGENDER, pg. 13
see FEMA, pg. 13
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