Inside A5 Anti-Litter Council promotion to launch in 2022
Powhatan, Virginia
B1 Indians dominate Battle in the Bird Cage
Vol. XXXV No.. 26
December 29, 2021
TOP 10 STORIES 2021 1
Broadband project Two elected to bring service to officials resign, entire county one retires
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Broadband tops 2021 stories By Laura McFarland
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Powhatan PCPS returns to full-time in-person launches new 911 LMR system instruction
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Racism, CRT Comprehensive heighten plan update community tension approved
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Managing Editor
P
OWHATAN – The announcement of a public/private partnership and large grant funding that should see county residents fully served with broadband internet within the next three years is the top story of 2021. One of the countless revelations that came about as a result of 2020 being dominated by COVID-19 was the greater realization at the state and federal levels that reliable broadband internet was more of a necessity than they wanted to admit or fund. Schools suddenly having to educate virtually and people’s livelihood threatened if they couldn’t work remotely took the often overlooked problem in rural localities such as Powhatan and made it a recognized nationwide crisis. So while Powhatan leadership had
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Powhatan honors fallen servicewoman
Supervisors lower tax rate to 79 cents
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County holds vaccine clinics to get ball rolling
County grieves loss of two former supervisors
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been trying for years to get more movement on the issue and mostly finding little recourse, 2021 saw massive movement on this front. The Powhatan County Board of Supervisors already made some progress at the end of 2020 when members agreed to a county-led broadband project that saw fiber laid in parts of Districts 2, 3 and 5 with concentrated areas of homes using a portion of the county’s CARES Act funding. In 2021, the county set its sights higher, wanting to achieve connectivity for all residents in a reasonable amount of time. On Aug. 23, the board of supervisors unanimously approved a partnership with Firefly Fiber Broadband and Dominion Energy to provide broadband to the county’s unserved areas. The decision came with a commitment to put at least $3 million in American Rescue Plan funds toward the project and an authorization to increase see TOP 10, pg. 3
Village dining scene flourishes Board split on PHOTO BY LAURA McFARLAND
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Chase Seymour, director of operations for Village Hospitality Group, is shown behind the bar at 1933 Public House, which opens today in the Village, one of three recent dining additions to the area.
By Laura McFarland Managing Editor
POWHATAN – The Village dining scene has seen big changes recently that will provide more options for people looking for food and drinks while out and about. Two new eating establishments and a distillery that expanded its offerings to include food mean that people will have more options at any time of the day in the Village. The most recent addition, 1933 Public House, was scheduled to open today, Dec. 29, joining other newcomers Rise and Grind, which opened earlier this month, and The Table at Three Crosses, which opened in September. The trio brings the total dining options in the historic portion of the Village to five, joining established offerings Four Seasons Restaurant and
official censure of supervisor By Laura McFarland Managing Editor
The offerings on the list don’t get any newer than 1933 Public House, which is set to open at 5 p.m. today at 3844 Old Buckingham Road, with reservations already fully booked. Named for the year the building was constructed, the new American cuisine restaurant will pay homage to its history in its décor
POWHATAN – A situation that began as a discussion about a Christmas tree a few months ago concluded last week with a member of the Powhatan County Board of Supervisors officially being censured for “verbal misconduct unbecoming of a supervisor.” The contentious decision to censure Bill Cox, who represents District 4, passed in a split 3-2 vote at the meeting on Monday, Dec. 20 that saw board members hashing out the timeline that had led them to that point and whether the supervisor’s conduct warranted BILL COX such a serious action. Chair Karin Carmack, District 5, authored the resolution calling for Cox’s censure and was supported in the vote by Steve McClung, District 2, and Mike Byerly, District 3. David Williams, District 1, and Cox voted against the resolution. By adopting the resolution to censure Cox, the supervisors did not try to remove him from the board. However, their action removes him from all board of supervisor appointed commissions, boards and committees. Cox currently serves on the PlanRVA Commission, Audit Committee, Agricultural and Forestal District Advisory Committee (AFDAC), and as the alternative for the Central Virginia Transportation Authority (CVTA). The issue of the censure took up over a third of the more than three-hour meeting between the comments
see DINING, pg. 6
see CENSURE, pg. 4
County Seay Restaurant and Gathering Place. Michael Potter, who was the developer on the two new builds and the expansion project, said it was a huge relief to have all of them done. He thinks they all turned out beautifully and will help make the Village more of a destination for dining out. 1933 Public House
Ride Assist Services seeks volunteers to aid seniors By Laura McFarland Managing Editor
POWHATAN – Losing the ability to drive is never something one expects to experience, even as a senior. But Powhatan County has a program for seniors that keeps compassion in action as its operating principle. Ride Assist Services is a local program that sees volunteer drivers offering rides to seniors ages 60 and older who are unable to drive for basic needs - medical, dental, grocery, pharmacy, banking, community organizations and
more, said Jayne Lloyd, the program’s coordinator. This is one of several programs in the community aimed at helping people age in place and maintain their independence as long as possible. Ride Assist is made up of Lloyd and her team of volunteer drivers. Riders request rides through Lloyd from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. She regularly provides updated ride request information to the fully vetted team of drivers. When volunteer drivers see RIDE, pg. 5
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Volunteer driver Tony Hackenberg recently gave a ride to Geneva Henderson as part of Ride Assist Services.