03/29/2017

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Inside A2 Constitutional officers make requests to board

Powhatan, Virginia B1 Indians softball powers past Freeman

Vol. XXX No. 13

March 29, 2017

School district works to protect employees By Laura McFarland News Editor

P

OWHATAN – Powhatan County Public Schools has been in damage control for more than a week in an effort to protect its employees after it was learned that a data breach from an email phishing scam led to more than 900 W-2s being compromised. The breach happened at about 11:30 a.m. on Monday, March 20, when a payroll employee responded to an email phishing scam requesting employees’ W-2 forms for 2016, Dr. Eric Jones, superintendent, said in a phone interview hours after the incident was discovered. The employee subsequently emailed out 905 W-2s of PHOTO BY LAURA MCFARLAND any person who worked for Powhatan County Public Schools (PCPS) full-time or part-time in 2016, Jones On March 20, an email phishing scam resulted in said. These forms included information such as Social 905 employee W-2s being compromised.

Security numbers, address, wages and taxes, and gross income. “The email name was my name but it wasn’t my address. It was requesting a copy of all the employees’ W2s. The employee mistakenly sent the files to this person committing fraud,” Jones said. The superintendent said he was notified of the breach of data within the hour and administration staff immediately began the process of notifying authorities and taking steps to protect its employees. Staff filed a report with the Powhatan County Sheriff’s Office, as well as notifying the IRS, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and the school district’s attorneys, Jones said. “We have also sent a copy of the file to the IRS so that if somebody tries to file a fraudulent tax return using the information, it can be flagged. That is for any employee see BREACH, pg. 4

Route 711 widening project begins By Laura McFarland News Editor

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POWHATAN – Work was set to begin this week on a project to widen and improve Route 711 near the Route 288 interchange in Powhatan County after the contract was awarded to a Mechanicsville company. The Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) awarded an $11.7 million contract to E.J. Wade Construction LLC on Wednesday, March 15, according to Eric Thornton, construction manager with the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT). The contract was executed on Tuesday, March 21. Improvements will include increasing capacity on Route 711 from two undivided lanes to four divided lanes for a 1.14-mile stretch from the Route 288 interchange to the Powhatan/ Chesterfield county line, and replacing the bridge over Bernard’s Creek, he said. Bike lanes will be added all along the widened road and sidewalks will start at the bridge on the east side

PHOTO BY LAURA MCFARLAND

Board of supervisors and school board members and county administrator discuss the schools’ budget on March 22.

Two boards discuss budget, future years PHOTO BY LAURA MCFARLAND

Signage went up last week and work is set to begin this week on the Route 711 Widening Project.

and stretch toward Chesterfield. Although the contract being awarded is for $11.7 million, the entire cost of the project from beginning to end is expected to be about $19.5 million, Thornton said. This project is being funded with state and federal dollars. The construction company started posting signs last week along the road and was expected to begin work on the project this week, Thornton said. The work is projected to be completed in June 2019. On a road as heavily trafficked on weekdays as Route 711, one of the top priorities of the widening project will be to minimize the impact for commuters, said Lindsay LeGrand, VDOT Richmond District communications manager.

By Laura McFarland News Editor

“Any lane closures will happen between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. to help minimize the impacts,” she said. Several traffic shifts are planned as construction progresses, but most other traffic impacts are expected to be minimal, she said. The current average daily traffic on Route 711 is 15,000 vehicles going into and out of Chesterfield County, said Adam Brooks, project manager. That number is projected to increase to 20,000 vehicles on average daily by 2037. That is a very high volume of traffic to be using Route 711, or Robious Road, as it turns into in Chesterfield County, and dealing with a funnel that takes vehicles down to

POWHATAN – The Powhatan County Board of Supervisors and School Board met last week in a low-key meeting that looked at the school district’s immediate and future needs. Dr. Eric Jones, superintendent, presented the school district’s fiscal year (FY) 2018 operating budget, which is proposed at $46.6 million, and its fiveyear capital improvement plan during a joint workshop on Wednesday, March 22. All board members were present except for school board member James Kunka, who represents District 2. At a run time of about 80 minutes, the workshop ran much faster and smoother than joint budget meetings in recent years, when the large capital improvement program (CIP) expenditures of a new middle school and a joint transportation facility stirred up a great deal of discussion. Last week, Jones gave the same budget and CIP presentations to both boards that he had previously given to the school board. He talked about the school

see WIDENING, pg. 6

see FUTURE, pg. 9

Public safety forum updates citizens on local efforts By Laura McFarland News Editor

POWHATAN – The county’s highest public safety officers recently made themselves available to the community in a forum designed to inform residents about what is happening in their locality and address their questions and concerns. About 80 people were in the audience at the event on Thursday, March 16 at the Village Building that was organized by

Sheriff Brad Nunnally, who hosted a similar event in July 2016 dealing solely with law enforcement. Nunnally said he organized the event this month to let citizens know what is going on in the various offices and answer their questions. The main speakers to address the public during the twohour forum were Nunnally, Fire and EMS Chief Steven Singer, PHOTO BY LAURA MCFARLAND emergency communications di- The heads of Powhatan County’s public safety related rector Tom Nolan, Common- offices participate in a public forum on March 16. see SAFETY, pg. 8

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