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Powhatan, Virginia
The hometown paper of W.R. Richardson
Vol. XXIV No. 47
County will need to lobby for road funds Doling out of VDOT’s $1.45 billion will likely be ‘business as usual’ says one county supervisor
November 24, 2010
Sheriff’s Office seeks help identifying purse snatcher By Michael Copley Staff Writer
Powhatan County investigators are asking the public for help identifying a man they believe is responsible for a purse snatching at the
Food Lion on Academy Road in October. While a woman loaded groceries into her car Oct. 18, a male suspect grabbed her purse and ran off with it, according to Det. Jason
COURTESY PHOTO
Officials released this photo of the suspected
see Robbery page 4A thief last week.
REIMAGINING HISTORY
By Michael Copley Staff Writer
If Powhatan County hopes to get a share of the Commonwealth’s $1.45 billion in leftover highway money – above what might trickle down through normal maintenance projects – it’s leaders are Tucker going to have to lobby the Virginia Department of Transportation during a public hearing process, according to one VDOT official. Thomas A. Hawthorne, VDOT’s see VDOT page 3A
School audit sheds light on possible theft of funds Superintendant says activity at all schools are now closely watched By Michael Copley Staff Writer
Safeguards designed to prevent fraud were disregarded at Pocahontas Elementary School, allowing the former bookkeeper to allegedly steal thousands of dollars from the school’s activities fund, an audit has found. “Internal controls were in place, but were not followed and fraudulent activities went undetected until June 2010,” according to information provided to the School Board Nov. 9. Virginia State Police continue to investigate the school’s former bookkeeper, whose name is being withheld pending criminal charges. Based on initial reports, Timothy L. Gresham, chairman of the School Board, said as much as $36,000 might have been stolen. Superintendent Dr. Margaret S. Meara said she expects the criminal investigation to take between 12 and 18 months. Money in the schools’ activities see Audit page 3A
If the Pilgrims ran
Powhatan omorrow, as we gather around our holiday tables, we will surely spend at least a moment or two thinking about the brave, pioneering settlers who first set foot on American soil in 1620. These people, known colloquially as the Pilgrims but more accurately as the Puritans, had fled religious persecution in England and braved a treacherous sea voyage to make a new life in the New World. But what if they hadn’t? What if they’d landed in Powhatan, some 390 years later, and what if they found themselves facing the kinds of issues Powhatan residents face today? The following scenarios are purely speculative and—let’s be honest here—more than a tad ridiculous. But, with the help of University of Richmond History Professor Dr. Robert Galgano, we decided to take a guess at what life would be like if the Puritans ran Powhatan.
T
Scenario 1: A Big Box wants to set up shop in Powhatan
Soon after arriving in Massachusetts, several Puritans secured a royal charter from the King of England, and established a joint-stock company called the Massachusetts Bay Company. “Walmart would never have been able to establish a store,” explains Galgano, “because the Massachusetts Bay Company had a monopoly on trade Think the recent debate over Walmart was long — or, at the least, they would have had to negotiand arduous? Apparently, the retailer can count ate a trade deal with the Company.” itself lucky—doing business in the here and now is Would they have been successful? We can only decidedly easier than negotiating would have been guess. But the retail giant’s prices on doublets (the in the early 1600s, in part because federal antitrust vest-like garment worn over a man’s blouse) and legislation would not be passed until over 200 woolen breeches would surely have been tough to years later. beat. see Puritans page 4A
Inside
Sports
Index
A7 Shooting stars Powhatan’s 4-H shooting team put up big numbers at recent state meet.
B1 Catching up with... Former PHS soccer standout Tristan Luxner is making an impact at the college level.
Calendar A6 Classified B9-11 Crime Report A2 Crossword A11 Extra Points B1 Horoscope A11
Letters Obituaries Opinion Quotes Real Estate TV Listings
A10 A5 A10 A2 B10 B6-7