Local journalism is still a good bet

JIM RIDOLPHI

Contributing Columnist

It’s hard not to cringe when you hear continuing details emerge regarding George Santos, newly elected House of Representative member from New York.

Now, Long Island is a long way from Richmond, but the implications of poorly vetted candidates has the potential to affect every election held in the United States.

Like many, I am astounded at the extent of deception uncovered regarding Santos’ biography and finances, but I was also surprised that some media commentators attributed that failure to reveal those potentially damaging details on local newspapers and news outlets.

While thorough research is essential to effective and accurate journalism, truth be known, few local outlets have the staff, time or money to conduct extensive background searches on local candidates. Even with those limitations, in Santos’ case, some local news outlets did question some of his claims.

Perhaps, media should have screamed louder when Santos’ story didn’t seem viable, and details didn’t seem to add up.

But, what about New York GOP officials who also didn’t catch the red flags and continued to support what some knew was a

Letter To The Editor

Board that doesn’t seek public input isn’t representing

Dear Editor, Powhatan needs candidates for school board who are willing to actually listen to and act on behalf of citizens. The board scheduled a workshop on policy IIA for Monday, January 30 at 10 a.m. This meeting was scheduled at a time inconvenient for most citizens to attend and wasn’t even initially posted on the Powhatan County Public Schools’ website calendar. I previously had emailed my flawed candidate? Nor did a detached Democratic local organization who assumed the race would not be close, refusing to supply funds for opponent research, and ignoring warnings of Santos’ fraudulent claims.

While some may point to the failure of local media to expose Santos, I welcome the apparent realization that local media is vital to transparency in government, and local reporters play a vital role in monitoring proceedings that are too often ignored by public eyes.

It’s not a new concept, witnessed by our founding fathers’ desire to include protections for a fourth estate, established as a watchdog to the first three.

According to Northwestern University, more than a fourth of newspapers have ceased operations since 2005, and 7% of counties in America have no local news outlet.

Studies have confirmed and common sense reaffirms that communities with strong local media presence enjoy an increased citizen involvement in all aspects of local government. Conversely, communities who are underserved by local news often incorporate less inclusive government and limited citizen participation in their processes.

Dedicated media coverage and an informed citizenry en- board representative in order to find out the time and place of the workshop. Despite this inconvenient time and lack of notice, members of the public were present and prepared to comment. Ms. Vicki Hurt from District 1, proposed an amendment to the agenda, to add a public comment time. The other 4 representatives opposed her amendment and the workshop proceeded without any input from the citizens these members are supposed to represent. It was quite disappointing to discover that Ms. Smith, Ms. Ayers, Dr. Taylor, and Ms. Hymel are not interested in the public’s opinion sures the system in which we place our trust daily operates in full sunlight and voters have all the information to make well reasoned choices. on policy IIA. The time they took defending their decision took longer than allowing the citizens to speak would have taken. Board members who vote against citizens having a chance to speak publicly about important issues deserve to be replaced. This fall, Powhatan will elect a new school board and board of supervisors. I hope to see changes to both boards. The status quo is not good for Powhatan. I encourage citizens to consider running for these offices to improve the management of our county.

As the Santos saga continues, it’s hard to imagine how this candidate cleared the lowest of moral hurdles to gain his party’s endorsement, and I , for one, think many knew of these impending problems long before the press broke the story after his election.

Some of those party officials claim they simply believed that Santos was telling the truth when he claimed his mother had died in the Sept. 11 attacks in New York, or his 3.9 GPA at schools he never attended.

Newly elected Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy likened Santos’ claims to the usual embellishments often found in the resumes of political candidates. I hope not.

If that’s the case, the mission of local journalism continues as demands on its services increase and resources continue to dwindle; and good local reporting is still the best oversight to ensure transparent and responsible government.

Is the work important? I suggest that answer may best be found in an angry group of Long Island voters who when polled recently voiced a decided majority to remove Santos from office.

Sincerely,

Jacqueline Anderson Powhatan

rooms, those victims were evacuated.

Other actors played victims with wounds of varying degrees.

Rather than go for full makeup of fake wounds, cards attached to each victim described their wound and its level of severity. When triaging patients in real life, their wounds would be categorized by color: red (immediate), yellow (delayed), green (minor) and grey (deceased).

After clearing the rooms and centralizing the victims, the firefighter/EMTs were allowed to come in and begin working on taking care of patients and transporting them. They put them on rolling gurneys or carried them out in Reeves stretchers to waiting ambulances, where they went all the way through the exercise of loading them to be taken to a hospital. Some of the deputies helped, carrying patients to safety.

Even if I were a trained first responder capable of offering real insight on how this training exercise played out, I wouldn’t use this column to point out any issues or problems I saw. Were there issues? Yes. How do I know? They said so.

Calendar

From A4 vt.edu for details about the 4-h opportunities listed, and/or information on starting new 4-h clubs or programs.

After the scenario was complete, the entire group met in the cafeteria to debrief. They went through step by step to talk about everything from setting up a mobile command to eliminating the threat to communication among the agencies to triaging the patients to evacuating the patients. They even brought over 911 dispatchers who were taking part in the scenario by fielding emergency calls and dispatching aid.

They talked about what worked well and where they saw issues. They gave feedback in the discussion and in forms they filled out, and all of that information plus the observations of controllers in the exercise will go toward creating an after action report that will hopefully help the local agencies know where to focus some of their attention and efforts.

They did the work and made the mistakes now so that if the worst ever happened, they would do it better when it really mattered. How on earth could I criticize that level of dedication?

Laura McFarland may be reached at Lmcfarland@powhatantoday.com.

ONGOING agricultural lands in Goochland and Powhatan counties continue to be eligible for conservation assistance funds from Monacan soil and water Conservation district (swCd) for stream exclusion fencing, establishing rotational grazing fields, developing water resources, wells, springs and stream access points, reforestation of critical areas and establishing or enlarging buffer areas along waterways. Funds are also available for nutrient management plan development and implementation, cover crops and numerous other conservation practices. Monacan encourages producers to explore options now since program options have recently been revised and significantly improved for the producer. the district has highly skilled employees who are well trained in both the technical aspects of conservation management and program delivery. staff members assist producers in developing conservation plans that work for their operation and navigating program opportunities. not all programs are created equal and staff members assist applicants in understanding the options and choosing the program that suits their farm’s needs. anyone interested in exploring the many benefits of conservation planning can contact district conservation specialists betty McCracken at (804)5560935 or Colton sullivan at (804)556-0143. the Coalition of Powhatan Churches has available resources to help people who would like assistance in learning to manage their finances. If you know of anyone who needs or would like to have this service, or to get more information, call robin Cupka at 804-801-9851. backpacks of Love, a nonprofit committed to eliminating hunger in school-age children by providing nourishing food for their weekend, needs help. bPoL is looking for delivery drivers that would be available to deliver on thursdays. they are in immediate need of a driver to deliver to Cumberland County and or amelia County. these are great jobs for students looking for community hours. always accepting food donations of single serve raviolis, spaghettios, apple sauce, cereal, cookies, crackers and more. Contact Kevin hardy at 804-350-1127 for more information. young people in the 4-h community learn leadership, citizenship, and a vast array of life skills that benefit them for the rest of their lives. through school-based, after-school, and community clubs as well as camp settings, 4-h members pledge to build a better community, country, and world. the new 4-h year starts oct. 1 and runs through sept. 30, 2022, so this is a great time to join a 4-h club! In Powhatan County, 4-h sPIn and project clubs include the following designed for youth ages 9-18: Livestock, archery, equine, dairy Judging, and shooting education (waiting list).

For our younger youth, ages 5-8 years old, we’re seeking new club leaders interested in starting a second Cloverbud 4-h Club in Powhatan. 4-h school enrichment programs are also available for homeschool groups. reach out to Cathy howland, Powhatan 4-h extension agent, at 804-598-5640 or chowland@

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Powhatan Food Pantry is currently seeking volunteer drivers who can pick up food from the local Food Lions on different days between 8:30 and 10 a.m. and transport them to the nonprofit at 2500 batterson road. Contact the pantry at 804-372-9526 or powhatanvafoodpantry@gmail.com.

Feel the love from Powhatan County Parks and rec and check out the February schedule of programs. special needs basketball (18+), Monday 10 — 11 a.m. Pickleball (18+), tuesday, thursday 9 — 11:30 a.m. and wednesday 12-2:30 p.m.| Community Matters (55+), tuesday, wednesday, thursday 10 a.m.- 12p.m. Movers & Pacers Indoor walking Group (55+), Fridays 9 — 10 a.m. — Preschool Playtime (ages 2-5), Fridays 10 — 11:30 a.m. — Fast Feet schools out (grades K-8), Friday, Feb. 20 6 a.m. — 6 p.m. — open Gym basketball, Friday, Feb. 3 (youth under 18) 4 — 6 p.m. and (16+) 6 — 8 p.m. — Cupid’s arrows: Couples archery Lesson (8+), Friday, Feb. 17 6 — 8 p.m. ($10 per person) — open Gym basketball, Friday, Feb. 24 (all ages) 4 — 6 p.m. holiday Closure: Monday, Feb. 20. unless noted, activities are free for residents and county employees/ $10 non-residents. Minors under 14 must be accompanied by an adult. Pocahontas Landmark Center Gym is located at 4290 anderson highway. For more information, call the rec Center at 804-598-5275. Follow us on Facebook @ Powhatan County Parks & recreation. the Friends of Powhatan County Public Library’s bookshop is open during library hours and accepting donations again. the bookshop accepts books, movies, audiobooks, Cds, and magazines. Materials can be given to a library staff member or placed in the book shop corner (tuck them by the file cabinet in the back), which is at the end of the passageway once you come in the front door. Proceeds from the book sale are used for additional library programming. the Powhatan County Cooperative extension Master Gardener help desk is here for yet another growing season. although office hours are reduced because of CoVId-19 restrictions, the help desk is still ready and available. email questions and detailed photos of your stricken plants to gpmastergardener@gmail.com and volunteers will try and find a solution for you. you can also directly call the Powhatan County extension at 804-598-5640 and leave a message. the help desk will be in touch. If a real-life diagnosis or determination is needed, large plant samples including root, stem and leaves can be dropped off at the Powhatan County extension’s office after consulting with Master Gardener volunteer. If you have plants/shrubs/trees needing identification in your yard, or are new to the Powhatan or Goochland area, we also offer free one to two-hour site visits. available now emergency housing relief funds to assist with rent, mortgage or other housing concerns. Powhatan Community action agency has received funding for housing relief for families in Powhatan County who have been affected by CoVId-19. Contact renee Van natter at valerie.vannatter@ dss.virginia.gov or via cell at 804 814-5332.

Sports Editor Robby Fletcher rfletcher@powhatantoday.com

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Powhatan today welcomes your Letters to the editor on topics of concern to you and the community. Letters, which should be no longer than 400 words, must include the name, address and telephone number of the author. the deadline is noon the thursday before publication, but letters may be held until the following week upon the editor’s discretion. the publisher or editor of Powhatan today reserves the right to edit or withhold from publication any letter for any reason whatsoever. once received, all letters become the possession of Powhatan today. Letters reflect the opinion of the author, not necessarily that of Powhatan today or its staff.

Indians and Hawks meet before region championship

ROBBY FLETCHER Sports Editor

Powhatan and Hanover shared the pool at Burkwood Swim & Racket Club in Mechanicsville on Feb. 3 for a late-season dual meet as they prepared for postseason play and a shot at a region title.

The Hawks were in fine form on Friday, finishing with 239 team points to the Indians’ 91. Of those, 121 came from the girls team, who were consistently first to touch the wall in a majority of the meet’s races.

Powhatan wasn’t without its highlights despite the loss, including a victory in the 100-meter backstroke from senior Cole Malkerson (1:09.24). Malkerson is primed to be a standout yet again at the regional championship meet after a 56.88-second run placed him fifth last season and made him the first Powhatan swimmer to qualify for states since 2016.