Inside
A2 Ellie donates birthday gifts to Christmas Mother program
Powhatan, Virginia
B1 Taylor, defense lead Indians in comeback win
Vol. XXXI No. 18
November 1, 2017
Powhatan High School student named to U.S. Army All-American Marching Band By Laura McFarland News Editor
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OWHATAN – Powhatan High School senior J oshua Sheppard has been officially selected to be one of only 125 students nationwide performing in the 2018 U .S. Army All-American Marching Band, which will play during halftime at the 2018 U .S. Army All-American Bowl. Sheppard, who will play bass drum with the special marching band, was honored during a special ceremony on Tuesday, Oct. 24 in the high school auditorium in front of a large group of students, U .S. Army representatives, family members and the band teachers who helped him become the musician he is today. “ This is such a special honor and it means so much to me,” Sheppard said.
PHOTOS BY LAURA MCFARLAND
Powhatan High School senior Joshua Sheppard has been officially selected to be part of the 2018 U.S. Army All-American Marching Band. He is shown left with his parents, Jon and Candi Sheppard, and right with members of the U.S. Army who presented him with his official jacket on Oct. 24 at the high school.
The young musician said he is excited to represent Powhatan at the game on Saturday, J an. 6, 2018, in San Antonio, Texas. The game will be televised live on NBC, but the halftime show will only be broadcast online. The U .S. Army All-American Marching Band recogniz es the top 125 high school senior marching musicians and color guard members from across the country. The All-American Bowl consistently draws an annual crowd upwards of 40,000 to the Alamodome and is the most-watched high school sporting event of each year, with 5.1-million viewers tuning in to last year’ s broadcast. The bowl will be nationally televised, live on NBC at noon CST on J an. 6, 2018. Band members will fly to Texas on J an. 1, 2018, for four days of intensive practice to learn the song and march see SHEPPARD, pg. 8 }
Powhatan Company 1 jumps into Halloween Board approves tax exemption to help families of fallen first responders By Laura McFarland News Editor
PHOTO BY ANJIE KAY
DELIVER TO: Postal Patron Powhatan, VA 23139
Prsrt. Standard U.S. POSTAGE PAID Powhatan, VA Permit No.19
Powhatan Volunteer Fire Department Company 1, held an open house on Oct. 28 with Fire and EMS apparatus on display. Fire suppression and extrication tool demonstrations were held in the rear of the fire station. There was also a Safety smoke house demo, various large vehicle displays, a child safety station offered by local law enforcement, a bounce house, free beverages, snacks and door prizes. Shown here, some of the children who attended enjoy the bounce house. Photos on page 5.
VDOT holds meeting on two bridge replacements By Laura McFarland News Editor
POWHATAN – The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) met with the community last week for an information meeting focused on two upcoming bridge replacement proj ects in Powhatan County. The meeting held on Wednesday, Oct. 25 had representatives from VDOT there to discuss replacing both the Old Buckingham Road (Route 13) bridge over Sallee Creek and the Cartersville Road (Route 684) bridge over Deep Creek. The roughly $ 2 million proj ect to replace the bridge over Sallee Creek, which is 97 years old, is expected to last about four months and take place in 2019, according to Winston Phillips, proj ect manager with VDOT. He pointed out that VDOT will be replacing the bridge with a box culvert, which is a concrete rectangular box that will have the road run over it and still allow the creek to flow through it. The Deep Creek Bridge, which is 79 years old, will be replaced with another bridge, but that proj ect is not expected to take place until 2020, said Adam Brooks, proj ect manager. However, that proj ect is expected to take about eight to nine months.
PHOTO BY LAURA MCFARLAND
Shirley and Earnest Goins discuss a planned replacement of Deep Creek Bridge in 2020 with Adam Brooks, VDOT project manager.
In both cases, the roads will be temporarily closed at the bridge construction sites and detours will be in place for the duration of the proj ects.
Sallee Creek Bridge Built in 1920, the bridge over Sallee Creek has deteriorated over time and needs to be replaced, Phillips said. The foundation is eroding, there are cracks in the abutment, and it has substandard shoulders. The bridge will be replaced with a box culvert, with the opening that will be under the roadway calculated at a siz e that allows for roughly the same flow of water to pass through as
before the proj ect, he said. “ From the roadway and the general public, you won’ t notice a difference. The maj or difference you will see is wider shoulders on the bridge,” Phillips said. “ You won’ t know the difference between a box and a bridge when you travel over it. You won’ t be able to tell at all.” The estimated $ 2 million price tag on the proj ect includes the design, purchase of rights of way and construction, he said. VDOT will be contacting about five nearby landowners to purchase rights of way to do the proj ect. The actual construction is expected to begin in sumsee VDOT, pg. 5 }
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OWHATAN – The Powhatan County Board of Supervisors last week unanimously agreed to extend certain property tax exemptions to the surviving spouses of first responders killed in the line of duty. A public hearing was held at the board’ s meeting on Monday, Oct. 23, in which the supervisors were presented with an amendment to the county’ s ordinance regarding taxation. The change to the ordinance has an effective date of J an. 1, 2017, so it includes any covered personnel killed earlier in the year. The Code of Virginia enables a county to exempt from taxation real property of a surviving spouse of any covered person who occupies the real property as his/ her principal place of residence. J amie Timberlake, commissioner of the revenue, presented the proposed amendment to the board and pointed out that it is an optional tax exemption localities can make; it is not mandatory. “ Voting to do this is a step toward recogniz ing the service of persons killed in action,” he said. The resolution references the Code of Virginia’ s Line of Duty Act, which covers an extensive list of personnel, including a law enforcement officer of the Commonwealth or any of its political subdivisions; a correctional officer; a j ail officer; a regional j ail or j ail farm superintendent; a sheriff or deputy sheriff; a police chaplain; a member of recogniz ed fire or E MS companies; a member of any fire company providing fire protection services for facilities of the Virginia National G uard or the Virginia Air National G uard; a member of the Virginia National G uard or the Virginia Defense Force serving on official state or federal duty; any special agent of the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Board; a regular or special conservation police officer; any Department of E mergency Management haz ardous materials officer; any other employee of the Department of E mergency Management who is performing official duties of the agency, when see BOARD pg. 4 }