12/10/2014

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Powhatan, Virginia

The hometown paper of John Bair

Vol. XXVII No. 49

December 10, 2014

New fire, EMS chief sworn into office By Laura McFarland News Editor

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owhatan County’s new fire and EMS chief finished his first day on the job on Monday, Dec. 1 by being sworn into office at the Powhatan County Board of Supervisors’ meeting. Steven A. Singer was sworn into the position by Teresa Dobbins, Clerk of the Powhatan County Circuit Court, at the meeting.

In the newly created position, he will be in charge of fire, rescue, emergency medical services and emergency management functions, Pat Weiler, county administrator, said. Singer introduced his wife and two children and said he was looking forward to working with the board of supervisors and Powhatan residents to bring the system along. When introducing Singer, Weiler recognized

the county’s volunteer chiefs and presidents for working with staff to create a job description for the new position. “I want to thank all of the chiefs and the staff. They all came together when we were working to put this position together,” she said. She recognized Chief Allen Beach for representing the Powhatan Volunteer Rescue Squad and

SUBMITTED PHOTO

Steven A. Singer, Powhatan County’s new fire and EMS chief, is sworn into

see CHIEF page 4A office by Teresa Dobbins, clerk of the Circuit Court.

Anti-Litter group works to keep Powhatan clean By Laura McFarland

PHOTO BY LAURA MCFARLAND

News Editor

Some of the members of the Powhatan County Anti-Litter Council are, front row, from left, Johnny Melis, Gay Bartlett, Karen Ylimaki and Angie Cabell, and back row, Carson Tucker, Cathy Howland, Fran McCreight, Betty Handy, Mary Anne Woodel, Carl Evans and Roscoe Evans.

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itter is never an attractive sight in a community, and a small group of concerned citizens are working to reduce the possibilities of seeing it in Powhatan County. Members of the Powhatan County Anti-Litter Council have been looking for ways to raise awaresee CLEAN page 2A

Christmas Parade to bring cheer to Powhatan Dec. 13 By Laura McFarland News Editor

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hristmas cheer will abound on Saturday when the 22nd Powhatan Christmas Parade makes it way slowly through the Vil-

lage area. Two new co-sponsors for the event at 2 p.m. on Dec. 13 have lined up about 70 parade entries and 30 vendors to make sure families coming out have plenty to see and do to get them in the holiday spirit, organizers say. “This will make it the largest parade that anybody can remember, which is pretty cool,” said Kate Chavez, who is co-coordinating the event with Chris Shust. The parade entries will line up on Mann Road and travel down Old Buckingham Road into the Village area. Spectators are encouraged to bring chairs and blankets and sit along the pa-

rade route to enjoy the show. This summer, Blessed Sacrament Huguenot Catholic School and May Memorial Baptist Church took on the project of being first-time co-sponsors for the 2014 parade, which will once again act as a fundraiser for the Powhatan Christmas Mother program. Putting together the annual Powhatan tradition has been a big project, but it also is providing a great way to become acquainted with more of the community, Chavez, director of development at Blessed Sacrament, said. “It has been something very different than what I normally do but I like it a lot because I have gotten to meet so many people in the community,” she said. Chavez and Shust, a deacon at May Memorial, both said co-sponsoring the 2012 FILE PHOTO parade is an opportunity to raise awareThe last Powhatan Christmas Parade was held in 2012. Organizers said ness of their respective organizations the annual tradition showcases what the county is about and gets people

see PARADE page 2A in the Christmas mood.

S C H O O L TA K E S L E A R N I N G TO O PE N A I R C L A S S RO O M By Laura McFarland News Editor

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tep out into one of two outdoor courtyards at Pocahontas Elementary School and the sight is basically the same – four brick walls and some concrete, benches and bushes. But a group of teachers, parents and volunteers plan to make the courtyards more than just a place to walk through or step outside for a breath of fresh air. They are working to transform the spaces into outdoor classrooms that foster learning, PHOTO BY LAURA MCFARLAND a sense of responsibility and fun for students in a way that adds to what they already are Members of the Pocahontas Elementary School Outdoor Classroom experiencing in their classrooms, Deborah Project include, from left, Cathy Howland, Daniel Hymel, Lisa Stancil, Putney, third grade STEM (Science, Tech- Selena Turley, Kim Hymel, Ella Helms and Deborah Putney.

Inside

Sports

A4 Supervisors honor two long-serving individuals

B1 Blessed Sacrament boys and girls basketball sweep Veritas School in home opener

nology, Engineering and Mathematics) teacher, said. “We have been trying for 15 years to get this project off the ground,” she said. “Our point was we had this beautiful courtyard out here with usable space but plants that weren’t usable.” The courtyards have been kept up and are a great space, but they have never been really accessible to children or used for teaching purposes before, Ella Helms, assistant principal, said. “I thought it would be a great space to actually use for a classroom,” she said. The Outdoor Classroom Project committee isn’t limiting the project to a few flower beds, Dan Hymel, project manager, said. see SCHOOL page 4A

Index Calendar A7 Classified B6-7 Crime Report A2 Crossword A7 Horoscope A7 Opinion A6 TV Listings B4-5


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