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Powhatan, Virginia
The hometown paper of W.O. Butler
Vol. XXVII No. 43
November 6, 2013
‘Share the Season’
Powhatan Christmas Mother and Father announced By Ben Orcutt
honor to be chosen, but why would I want to give up this much time?’ And then when you start thinking, what a blessed life we’ve led and all the opportunities you’ve had and that it’s time to share and give back.” As Christmas Mother, her primary role is to oversee the Every Day Christmas Committee’s mission of helping people in the community not only at Christmas time, but throughout the year,
News Editor
When first asked by the Christmas Every Day Committee to become Powhatan County’s Christmas Mother for 2013, Pinckey Sowers says she had to give it a little thought. “When you’re first asked, your first thought is, ‘I don’t want to do this. It’s going to be a lot of work. I don’t want this. It’s an
Pinckey Sowers and her husband Jimmy are excited about serving as the 2013 Powhatan Christmas Mother and Father.
Sowers said. The Christmas Mother is allowed to choose a theme for the year and Sowers said her theme is “Share the Season.” “The reason I chose that was because this is a community wide, community-supported program that every individual in the community can share in – whether you give monetary donations,
PHOTO BY BEN ORCUTT
see Christmas page 2A
Catherine D. Pemberton, director of the Powhatan County Department of Social Services, said employees like senior benefit programs specialist Phoebe Wright have to use multiple programs until the state completes the full implementation of its new system.
COURTESY PHOTO
Larry Adams, left, Pal Goodwyn, Ted Adams and Tommy Mann of the Highlighters will perform during Sunday’s Veterans Day event at Powhatan High School.
PHOTO BY BEN ORCUTT
HEALTH
MATTERS
Social Services director’s take on Medicaid and ACA
Powhatan High School production honors vets By Ruth Boatwright
By Ben Orcutt
Contributing Writer
News Editor
T
he implementation of the Affordable Care Act has not changed the eligibility requirements for Medicaid in Virginia, according Catherine D. Pemberton, director of the Powhatan County Department of Social Services. “Because Virginia has not currently chosen to implement expanded Medicaid, the changes here were more internal,” Pemberton said. “So we did not add 900 people to the Medicaid roll [in Powhatan], which was estimated to happen when the Affordable Care Act was first passed.” About half the states in the country chose to expand Medicaid and about half did not, Pemberton said. There are about 1,700 Medicaid recipients in Powhatan, she said. “Medicaid, it’s a very complex program and there’s dozens of program designations depending on the category you’re in,” Pemberton
FOR YOUR INFORMATION CoverVA.org – Virginians can get information regarding Medicaid, FAMIS, the Federal Health Insurance Marketplace and other community health care options from the new Cover Virginia website. CommonHelp.Virginia. gov – Virginians can apply for Medicaid or FAMIS as well as social service programs online at Virginia’s CommonHelp website. Healthcare.gov – Individuals can access the Federal Health Insurance Marketplace online at this website or by calling 1-800318-2596 to purchase private
health insurance. They can determine if they are eligible for federal tax credits or subsidies to help pay for health insurance. The Spanish version is www.CuidadoDeSalud.gov. Department of Social Services – As always, your local Department of Social Services office can help with questions and application for Medicaid, FAMIS, and other benefits. Cover Virginia Call Center – Virginians without access to a computer can apply for Medicaid or FAMIS by calling the Cover Virginia Call Center at 1-855-242-8282.
Information courtesy of the Powhatan County Department of Social Services, located at 3908 Old Buckingham Road, Suite 2. For more information, call (804) 598-5630.
see Health page 4A METRO CREATIVE
There are special days set aside to honor those who have fought for the freedoms we have today. One important day that we celebrate is Veterans Day, in which we honor those who went to war, served our country and returned home to begin a new life. They were the young men and women of the United States of America. We called them Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, Air Force, Seabees, Coast Guard, Wacs and Waves. They were all just young sons and daughters who were willing to sacrifice their lives for America’s freedom. We owe them so much. These are the times we can actually stop for a day and say “thank you”. Thank them for leaving their home and family to go to a distant land to maintain our way of life. On Sunday at 3:30 p.m. we will honor these men and women at a special musical program at Powhatan High School. As these heroes enter the auditorium, we should all shake their hands, hug them, kiss them and thank them for a way of life that would not be possible except for their sacrifices and dedication to this country. We’re inviting you to come out and enjoy the music of our talented citizens of Powhatan County. You will have memories you will recall when Gene Hatcher and Dennis Stokes sing “It’s an Honor to Serve” and tears will be shed when Sharon Samuel sings “Bring Them Home.” We are including some Christmas songs in our program since many of our GIs celebrated Christmas in far-off places. Daphne Goode will be doing “Mary’s Little Boy Child.” You will shed some tears when Sisters and Friends sing see Veterans page 2A
Inside
Sports
Index
A6 Veterans Day through the eyes of Ralph Phipps Veteran says he would gladly sign up again to serve his country
B1 Headline Summary
Calendar Classified Crossword Horoscope Obituaries
A4 B7 A7 A7 A8
Opinion Quotes Real Estate TV Listings
A6 A2 A2 B4-5