Category: Caroline County

*Cough**Cough* There’s too much smog in this county!

Well, that’s according to the EPA.

Richmond Times-Dispatch: Tougher pollution limits mean Richmond area, other state regions, are in violation:

Richmond and several other Virginia regions violate a tougher air-pollution limit that federal officials announced this evening, state officials say.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a new limit for the amount of ozone allowed in the air. Ozone is the main pollutant in smog.

[…]

Some parts of Virginia that met the previous limit also violate the new one, state officials say. They include Hampton Roads, the Roanoke area and Caroline and Stafford counties. (Smoggy Northern Virginia has violated federal ozone limits for nearly 20 years.)

Complete list from the AP: Counties Not Meeting EPA Smog Standards:

Virginia: Alexandria City, Arlington, Caroline, Charles City, Chesterfield, Fairfax, Hampton City, Hanover, Henrico, Loudoun, Madison, Prince William, Stafford, Suffolk City.

Um, yeah, sure, Caroline and Stafford Counties are on that list but Spotsylvania County and Fredericksburg are not? That makes sense to me!

The city of Alexandria has 9,011.45 people per square mile. Arlington County has 7,683.89 people per square mile. The city of Hampton has 2,646.3 people per square mile. Meanwhile, Caroline County only has 50.15 people per square mile.

As if anyone needed any addition proof that the EPA is completely useless…

03/13/2008 Donna Blanton retrial news roundup.

Didn’t get a chance to post some of this yesterday:

The Free Lance–Star: Blanton’s friends had to investigate his death

The Free Lance–Star: BLANTON GETS LIFE SENTENCE

From WTVR: Blanton Convicted of Murdering Her Husband:

[googlevideo=http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4719471262293594643]

And, finally, WTVR: Donna Blanton The Talk Of The Town:

[googlevideo=http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-9185339349808422380]

Setting the record straight…

The Caroline Progress: Complaint against Popowicz unfounded:

A recent media report about Supervisor Bobby Popowicz and his employment as the Assistant General Manager have hit Caroline like a bombshell. The story contained unfair allegations said Bobby Popowicz who represents the Port Royal District on the Caroline County Board of Supervisors.

The article told of a Lake of the Woods committee meeting of homeowners seeking to determine “who and what was responsible for nearly $320,000 in cost overruns” of a building project for a pro shop originally slated for $1.5 million.

[…]

Lake of the Woods General Manager John Bailey placed the blame for the overruns on Assistant Manager Popowicz who, as project manager, had signed off on change orders that drove the cost up.

But it was Bailey who ordered the change orders and had Popowicz sign for them, said the Caroline Supervisor in an interview March 6.

“I’m being scape-goated. I wasn’t there to defend myself. He’s trying to blame it on me and save his job. I don’t think they’re going to renew his contract when it comes up in May,” said Popowicz who was not asked for his comments for the March 2 story in The Free Lance-Star.

With the deadline for opening the building less than two months away, change orders became necessary for fire suppression, hardy-plank, industrial dishwashers, fiber optic cable, and curb and sidewalk forms.

Yeah, nothing like spending $18,000 for two dishwashers, eh, Bailey?

“We were under the gun to get it open,” said Popowicz who wanted more time to do cost analysis but was over-ruled by Bailey. Instead, work was done on an unpredictable “time and materials” basis and when the bills came rolling in over a week’s time it was a shock.

“In my 20 years as a project manager I’ve never had cost overruns,” said Popowicz who added that Bailey had ordered similar changes on a previous project.

“It was a mess. He was gone a lot of the time for personal reasons. I decided to look for other work,” said Popowicz who now works for Flagstar Bank in Arlington.

Popowicz told of a shouting match with Bailey who ordered concrete form work for sidewalks and roadways torn out and redone “because it wasn’t symmetrical.” The revamped site work incurred about $50,000 in additional charges.

“He had the plans for months,” said Popowicz.

Asked to comment, General Manager John Bailey said he was not making statements to the press. Later phone calls were not returned.

[…]

Lake of the Woods Association President Eldon Rucker said, “There were a number of people involved in this project and it is unfair to use one person to blame.”

Lewis and Clark Elementary School scheduled to open April 8th.

The Free Lance–Star: Caroline sets date for new school other details:

April 8 appears to be the new target date for Caroline County school officials to open the new Lewis and Clark Elementary School.

[…]

If the building is ready by March 31, Jones said teachers would be taught how to use the new facility and school officials would send letters home to parents about an open house on April 7.

If all goes according to plan, Jones said 180 fifth-graders from Ladysmith Elementary would start at the new facility on April 8.

The story also has information on the School Board’s proposed budget so give it a read.

03/11/2008 Donna Blanton retrial news roundup — Jury recommends life.

Roundup: The Free Lance–Star: Jury finds Blanton guilty

and: The Free Lance–Star: Jury recommends life sentence for Blanton:

A jury here recommended this morning that Donna Blanton serve life in prison in the death of her husband Taylor.

[…]

“He’ll never know my grandchildren. He’ll never be at my wedding,” said Katy Blanton, 20. “He was stolen from me.”

Joel Blanton was 14 when his dad was killed.

“The chance to have a man-to-man conversation with my father was ripped away from me,” said Joel, now 18. “The last memory I have is just standing over his lifeless body, and it’s horrible.”

[…]

Defense attorney Mark Murphy asked the jurors to “consider this entire picture.”

I have a feeling that Mark Murphy wishes he had the previous jury this week…

Donna Blanton guilty.

Yeah, I know, big surprise.

The Free Lance–Star: Jury convicts Blanton in husband’s death:

Donna Blanton was convicted this evening of first-degree murder in the death of her state trooper husband in Caroline. She was also convicted of use of a firearm in commission of a felony.

Sentencing proceedings will start tomorrow. She showed no emotion as the verdict was announced.

The jury returned its decision after about two hours of deliberations.

Check tomorrow’s Free Lance-Star for the full report.

03/10/2008 Donna Blanton retrial news #2

The Free Lance–Star: Blanton verdict may come today:

The jury could reach a verdict this afternoon in the case of the Caroline County woman charged with murder in the shooting death of her state trooper husband.

[…]

Donna Blanton has said since her husband’s death that an intruder broke into the home about 6 a.m. while she was in the bathroom. She told police that intruder then grabbed the gun and shot Taylor Blanton four times, killing him, before fleeing. Blanton said she then grabbed the gun the intruder had dropped on the ground and fired shots at him as he ran away.

Spencer, though, in his closing arguments, pointed out pieces of evidence testified to by witnesses throughout last week that he thought disproved that theory: a towel, found in the bathroom, with an imprint that matched that of the murder weapon; that there was no sign of forced entry into the home; no footprints found in the dew-covered grass; and the lack of dogs barking when everyone who knew the family said dogs barked when someone came into the home.

[…]

Spencer also addressed the motive for about half of his remarks, focusing on why he thought Blanton would have felt compelled to kill her husband. He said she had surmounting financial debt and a fear that her husband would leave her poor and homeless if he found out.

Spencer throughout the trial has said that Donna Blanton had not only her own high credit payments, but also that she took out credit cards in her husband’s name as well. Blanton’s daughters testified last week that they would hide the statements for those bills at their mother’s request.

[…]

This afternoon, Spencer will give a rebuttal to Murphy’s closing remarks and the jury will begin deliberations.

Funeral Arrangements for Yvonne Reedal

The Free Lance–Star: Yvonne N. Reedal:

Yvonne Newton Reedal, 39, of Port Royal died Friday, March 7, 2008, at home after a long battle with cancer.

Yvonne was born April 18, 1968, at Mary Washington Hospital. She graduated from Caroline High School in 1992. Yvonne was a very community-minded and loving person. Since she was 15, she volunteered her time to many fire and rescue organizations and rose through the ranks in the Port Royal Volunteer Fire Department to captain and life member. She worked as a 911 dispatcher for Caroline County since 1993. She married Mike in April 1994 and had a beautiful son in January 1995.

She is survived by her husband, Mike, and son Kyle; her father, Ronnie “Nubby” Newton Sr. and his wife, Kathy, of Stafford County; her stepfather, Buck Caldwell of Port Royal; a sister, Rhonda Parrish and her husband, Scotty, and their three sons, Bradley, Christopher and Cody, of Henderson, N.C.; three brothers, Ronnie Newton Jr. and his wife, Kathy, and their two sons, Dylan and Ryan, of Ladysmith, Dana Newton, and his friend, Kaci, and Baby Collin of Stafford, and Justin Newton of Stafford; her maternal grandmother, Margie Serrett of Woodford; her paternal grandparents, George and Ruby Newton of Stafford; and three stepbrothers, Chris Caldwell of Florida, Patrick Caldwell of Kentucky and Jason Carter of Kentucky. She was preceded in death by her son Jonathon Newton and her mother, Betty S. Caldwell.

A funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, March 11, at Bowling Green Baptist Church with the Rev. Willis Dempsey officiating. Burial will follow in Greenlawn Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Monday, March 10, at Storke Funeral Home, Bowling Green.

The family requests that memorial contributions be made to a fund established for Kyle Reedal, c/o Union Bank & Trust, Box 446, Bowling Green, Va. 22427, or at any Union Bank & Trust branch.

Sign register book online at storkefuneralhome.com.