01/21/2015

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Powhatan, Virginia

The hometown paper of Kevin D. Thompson

Vol. XXVIII No. 3

January 21, 2015

MLK events urge unity, forgiveness By Laura McFarland

MLK Breakfast

News Editor

T

he vision of unity and forgiveness envisioned by Martin Luther King Jr. was embraced by Powhatan County community members on Sunday, Jan. 18 at the new tribute program, “50 Plus Years of Forgiveness.” Dozens of people gathered in Mount Zion Baptist PHOTO BY LAURA MCFARLAND Church to hear a series of speakers talk about not only The speakers for the Martin Luther King Jr. tribute, “50 Plus Years of Forgiveness,” were Carson Tucker, left, Rick Cole, Dale Goodman,

see MLK page 7A Tammie Woodson, Lee Ware and Eric Jones.

PHOTO BY LAURA MCFARLAND

Kayden Ross (front) and Janay Beechaum dance at the fourth annual MLK Youth Day Community Breakfast on Monday, Jan. 19.

Kunka named school board chairman By Laura McFarland News Editor

J

ames Kunka was named the new chairman of the Powhatan County School Board in a unanimous vote at the meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 13. Kunka, who represents District 2, stepped into

the shoes filled by Rick Cole, District 1, for the past two years. Sammy Frame, District 4, was elected as the school board’s vice chairman in another unanimous vote. The board reorganizes every January for the upcoming year. While the actual votes passed with no com-

KUNKA

FRAME

ments, a few board members referenced them in the final minutes of the meeting. Valarie Ayers, District 3, thanked Cole for his two years as chairman saying he has done a wonderful job and that she appreciates him as a board member and as a chair.

She also thanked Kunka for stepping up to the position, which is a “big responsibility.” “You can handle it though. You’ll do a great job. I am very happy about that,” she said. Cole also expressed gratitude to Kunka and see KUNKA page 5A

Deer hunting experiences a big drop By Laura McFarland News Editor

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he Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries is projecting deer hunting season numbers for 2014 could be down as much as 30 percent in Powhatan County. While the department will not have final numbers until sometime in February, with about 80 percent of the reporting already in, Powhatan’s numbers will likely be down 30 percent if not more from 2013, Matt Knox, one of two deer project coordinators for the state, said.

About 80 percent of deer kills statewide are reported by phone or telephone, with the rest handed in manually, he said. Statewide, the number of deer kills is expected to be down about 20 percent, he said. But with such wide diversity in the reporting counties’ deer populations, that number is not as significant as the fact that at least 12 counties in eastern Virginia will have significantly lower numbers. “Not surprisingly, we are getting a lot of calls and comments from deer hunters and also (Deer Management Assistance Program) cooperators, ‘Where are the deer?’ There are several possible explanations for this deer kill decline, and the truth

is, it is probably a combination of these factors,” Knox said. While the numbers were definitely down, people need to remember that this is only one year’s results, Knox cautioned. In the last decade, the department’s objective has been to stabilize the deer herd in the county, which it has accomplished, Knox said. “Any given year the deer kills go up and down. You have to look at it over time. Over the last decade we consider it to have been high and stable,” he said. In a 2013 private land deer population see DEER page 4A

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF GAME AND INLAND FISHERIES

White-tailed deer numbers in Powhatan County were down in 2014.

Local leaders get in-depth look at ‘sludge’ By Jodi Deal Richmond Suburban News

M

embers of the Richmond Regional Planning District Commission (RRPDC) got an earful during a Thursday, Jan. 8, meeting on a local hot topic: sludge. As it pertains to the local discussion, “sludge” is slang for two substances – biosolids, or treated leftovers from the sewage treatment process, and industrial residuals, similarly treated leftovers from industrial operations like meat-packing plants and paper mills. The latter of the two has caused a regional stir, thanks to a permit approved in December that will allow Synagro Technologies, a Maryland-based firm, to spread industrial residuals on about 16,000 acres of farm and forest land in

Goochland, King and Queen, King William, New Kent, Prince George and Surry counties. Although the State Water Control Board signed off on the controversial proposal, the discussion isn’t over. Several members of the Virginia General Assembly, including Delegates Chris Peace, R-97, Lee Ware, R-65, and Hyland “Buddy” Fowler, R-55, are patroning or co-patroning pieces of legislation that would place an emergency moratorium on use of industrial residuals, call for further study of the substances, set up new systems of monitoring and require people selling land to disclose whether such materials have been used on that land to poPHOTO BY JODI DEAL tential buyers. Powhatan County supervisor David Williams, second from right, was RRPDC commissioner Carson Tuck- among the local leaders who attended a Thursday, Jan. 8 presentation er, who also represents Powhatan County at the Richmond Regional Planning District Commission on biosolids and

Inside A4 Program aims to combat bullying

industrial residuals. He is flanked by Daniel A. Gecker of Chesterfield,

see SLUDGE page 2A right, and Ken Peterson of Goochland.

Sports B1 Powhatan High School wrestler Leo Chinappi’s unprecedented recovery from a rare and dangerous collarbone injury.

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


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