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Powhatan, Virginia
The hometown paper of Cleveland Humphrey III
Vol. XXVIII No. 2
January 14, 2015
Bill Melton elected chairman By Laura McFarland News Editor
B
ill Melton was elected chairman of the Powhatan County Board of Supervisors in a splitdecision vote at its meeting on Monday, Jan. 5. Melton, who represents District 4, was approved three-two for the position with outgoing chairman Carson Tucker voted in as his vice chairman in the same split vote. Jason Moore, District 2, Carson Tucker, District 5, and Melton voted in favor of both elections. David Williams, District 1, and Barry Hodge, District 3, voted against them. The elections were held at the beginning of the meeting, starting with the chairman. Hodge immediately suggested postponing the election until the supervisors’ meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 17 to allow the winner of a special election on Tuesday, Feb. 10 for the soon-to-be vacant District 2 seat to have a say in who is chairman. The chairman and vice chairman can set the agenda, run meetings and organize things, he said, so they are very important positions. Once those positions are decided, there won’t be an opportu-
nity to change it, he added. “That is why I think it is important also that the citizens get a chance to participate fully by having that elected representative present on the board,” Hodge said. “Who knows how that vote may go with the newly elected representative there?”
MELTON
Hodge made a motion to defer the election to the February meeting and he was seconded by Williams. Giving the new supervisor a chance to be included in this decision makes sense, Williams said. “I’m putting myself in the position of that new person coming in. I would appreciate the opportunity if it was me to have the ability to participate in the election of the leadership for the remaining 10 months,” he said.
Moore didn’t comment on Hodge’s motion but made one of his own, to nominate Melton as the chairman. Melton said he agreed with Hodge that leadership is important but also feels that newly elected supervisors go through a learning process. “I think the people who sit on this board have worked together three years and I think we are more qualified to decide who is going to be the chairman than somebody who gets newly elected,” Melton said. The board first voted on whether to defer the election and the motion was defeated three-two, with only Hodge and Williams supporting it. The board then voted Melton into office on a three-two vote with Hodge and Williams voting no. Melton immediately took over as chairman and introduced the election for vice chairman. Moore nominated Tucker, who has passed with the same three-two split vote.
New officers Melton is entering his fourth year on the board of supervisors. He was vice chairman in the group’s first year in office.
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Volunteers with Powhatan County Fire and Rescue put out a fire that resulted in a fatality.
House fire fatality By Laura McFarland News Editor
T
he Powhatan County Fire and Rescue Department responded to a fire in the early hours of Tuesday, Jan. 6 that resulted in a fatality and an injured firefighter. Units responded to to the 1300 block of Stavemill Road, where they received a call of a fire at about 5:30 a.m. The firefighters arrived to find fire
see MELTON page 2A
see FIRE page 9A
Protecting four-legged friends By Laura McFarland News Editor
T
he most important duty Sgt. Christine Boczar has in her job is to care. In her role as the sergeant for the Powhatan Sheriff’s Office Division of Animal Control, Boczar sees animals in all kinds of condition. As she sees it, animal control’s purpose is to keep the public safe from animals, but it is also to protect the animals from some people. “It goes both ways. We have a lot of animal cruelty cases,” she said. With the right set of circumstances, even the animals in the worst condition can be given a new chance at life, but it takes work. Fortunately, Boczar said she has the staff and community support to make it happen most much of the time. “I think in the animal control world, the growing trend is to euthanize less and work harder to get the animals out and to a rescue,” she said. “The easy path is to kill everything that comes through your doors. It takes more work to keep them alive and try to get them into homes or rescue groups.” In 2013, the county’s animal control took in 95
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Members of the youth choir practice for the upcoming fourth annual MLK Youth Day Community Breakfast on Jan. 19.
County to celebrate MLK’s legacy By Laura McFarland News Editor
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PHOTO BY LAURA MCFARLAND
Master Deputy Ashley O’Reilly, left, and Sgt. Christine Boczar hold Brenda, a dog that was up for adoption in December from the Powhatan Sheriff’s Office Division of Animal Control.
cats and 316 dogs. Of those, nine cats and eight dogs had to be euthanized at a vet’s office to end their suffering. The division is staffed by Boczar, a control assistant and two master deputies. No volunteers are allowed, but that doesn’t mean they don’t welcome the community’s help. Donations of money,
food, blankets, cat litter, towels and toys are critical in helping animal control keep costs down, Boczar said. Rawhide treats distract the dogs and keep them busy in their cages. Even animal clothes can be an asset as the building can sometimes be cold for certain breeds, she said.
he memory and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. will be honored with two events next week in Powhatan County. A new open forum relating how far the nation and the county have come in race relations will join the annual youth breakfast, both aimed at engaging and informing the community. The new “50 Plus Years of Forgiveness: A Tribute to Martin Luther King Jr.” will be held at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 18 at Mount Zion Baptist Church, 2591 Ridge Road. Inclement weather date is Jan. 25. The event is free and open to the public. The fourth annual MLK Youth Day Community Breakfast will be held at 8 a. m. on Monday, Jan. 19 at Powhatan United Methodist Church, 2253 Rosson Road. The cost is $10 for adults and $8 for children 11 and under. Reservations requested.
‘50 Plus Years of Forgiveness’ Powhatan County has come a long way in race relations, and the time of year when the nation honors the struggles of the Civil Rights Movement, and specifically King’s contributions, was a good time to highlight that fact, said Dale Goodman, who organized “50 Plus Years of Forgiveness: A Tribute to Martin Luther King Jr.” Having been one of the first black students in the county to integrate into a white school, the subject is close to Goodman’s heart. In 1963, the then third-grader left the all-black Pocahontas School to attend Powhatan Elementary School. Goodman has spoken of her experiences in the past and in 2014 shared her memories of that time at Powhatan High School along with Rick Cole, chair of the Powhatan County School Board. With the upcoming forum, she again wanted to take a look at that history but also broaden the discussion to include see MLK page 6A
see FRIENDS page 3A
Inside
Sports
A8 Letter to the Editor Christmas Mother 2014 offers thanks for a wonderful year.
B1 Morris and Johnson achieve career milestone in same game
Index
Calendar A9 Classified B6-7 Crime Report A6 Crossword A9 Horoscope A9 Letters A8 Obituaries A4 Opinion A8 TV Listings B8-9