Inside A3 Company 1 holds Brunswick stew sale
Powhatan, Virginia B1 Weimer prepares to represent Indians track
Vol. XXXV No.. 34
February 23, 2022
K-9 program seeks to give back, move forward By Laura McFarland Managing Editor
POWHATAN – The Powhatan County Sheriff’s Office will soon be saying farewell to a dedicated officer, but in doing so, they know it’s what is best for both him and the agency moving forward. Argie, a 3 ½-year-old Belgian Malinois, has been with the sheriff’s office since December 2019 and has done an admirable job as a K-9 officer in the community, said his partner Sgt. Kaitlyn Crane. But the writing has been on the wall for Argie’s career in Powhatan and the state as a whole since legislators made the decision in 2021 to legalize up to 1 ounce of marijuana for personal use, effective July 1, 2021. The problem comes with a narcotics dogs like Argie, who is trained to alert his handler to five different odors, one of which is marijuana. Since the dogs can only scent the presence of marijuana, not the amount, and they don’t differentiate between the narcotics they were trained
PHOTO BY LAURA McFARLAND
District 4 resident Joshua Stanley checks in with election officials Gail Newton, back, and Gwen Boykin to vote in the Feb. 15 special election for the new school board member.
PHOTO BY LAURA McFARLAND
Sgt. Kaitlyn Crane stands with her partner of more than two years, Argie. The narcotics dog’s career in Virginia was impacted by the legalization of marijuana.
on, law enforcement agencies across Virginia have been phasing out dogs trained see K-9, pg. 5
Scholarship to honor fallen U.S. Coast Guard member By Laura McFarland Managing Editor
DELIVER TO: Postal Patron Powhatan, VA 23139
Prsrt. Standard U.S. POSTAGE PAID Powhatan, VA Permit No.19
CAROLINE SCHOLLAERT
POWHATAN – The family and friends of the late Caroline Schollaert, a Powhatan native and eight-year U.S. Coast Guard member, are honoring her memory by doing something that came naturally to her during her life – helping others. The Caroline Joy Schollaert Memorial Scholarship was recently established in her honor to offer an annual $1,000 for a Powhatan High School senior to recognize those who model exemplary leadership skills, academic excellence and outstanding citizenship both in and out of the classroom. Schollaert was part of the PHS Class of 2013. Schollaert, 26, was stationed in Jacksonville, Florida and assigned to do heavy maintenance for the Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron (HITRON). In August 2021, she was killed outside her home in Jacksonville while trying to stop a car burglary. At the time, friends of hers in Jacksonville created a Go Fund Me account to offer a reward for the capture of the person responsible for her death. When the man law enforcement suspected of shooting her turned himself in, the reward went unclaimed and was given to the family. Pat Schollaert of Powhatan said the money has been sitting in a bank account untouched until he and his wife Maggie could figure out how to use it to best honor their daughter. The idea for the scholarship made them proud because it personifies the way she lived her life wanting to help others. The scholarship will go toward tuition or see SCHOLARSHIP, pg. 4
Taylor selected in school board special election By Laura McFarland Managing Editor
POWHATAN – With 11.9% of District 4 registered voters casting a ballot, James Taylor III was elected to fill the unexpired term on the Powhatan County School Board in a special election held last week. Taylor, who was one of three candidates, received 247 votes, or 42.59% of the 580 District 4 voters who cast ballots on Tuesday, Feb. 15. Taylor ran against Connie Thompson, who received 211 votes, and Jennifer Cabaniss, who
JAMES TAYLOR III
received 121 votes. Taylor said he was sitting at his see ELECTION, pg. 5
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Tom and Betty Ashmore stand in front of a mural that was painted in Tom’s honor to be displayed at Hunter Holmes McGuire Hospital.
Local veteran recognized with mural at VA Hospital By Laura McFarland Managing Editor
POWHATAN – As Vietnam veteran and Powhatan resident Tom Ashmore stood in front of the mural bearing his likeness, words escaped him.
The overwhelming feeling he experienced wasn’t vanity or the belief that having a permanent mural honoring him at Hunter Holmes McGuire Hospital made him more special than other veterans. Nor was it only nostalgia at seeing see MURAL, pg. 6
Kiosk offers free hearing tests at library Contributed Report The onset of COVID-19 required innovative programming across the nation. When Community Matters Senior Resource Program coordinator Jayne Lloyd learned of a new approach in hearinghealth advocacy, it caught her attention. Lloyd reached out to Lisa Mottesheard, CaptionCall manager and Hearing Loss Association of America Richmond outreach chair, who offered a wealth of information about a new hearing loss awareness initiative. CaptionCall is a federally funded Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) resource that provides phones optimized for individuals with hearing loss. Kiosks are being rolled out by CaptionCall, and Powhatan County was the
first on board to host one of them as a free resource offered to the local community. The kiosk, which is located in Powhatan County Public Library, offers a way for people of any age to screen their own hearing privately and is completely self-serve. The user-friendly interface guides participants through a simple hearing test, and they can do whatever they wish with the results they receive. see HEARING, pg. 3 CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Lynne LaPierre, a Community Matters volunteer, uses a new hearing test kiosk at Powhatan County Public Library. It is free and available to the public during library hours.