Category: Local

Now, where’s Caroline at?

From the City of Fredericksburg:

Beginning this year, the City of Fredericksburg will no longer require city-issued decals to be placed on the windshields of residents’ vehicles.

“We estimate the City will save approximately $10,000 per year in postage alone by not having to mail the annual decals,” Treasurer G. M. Haney said. “The $20 ‘registration fee’ will still be part of the personal property tax bill, but you will no longer be required to have the decal.”

A decal will still be available to residents who wish to have the city identification on their cars. City residents desiring to use the city-only VRE parking lot MUST display the City decal, and others may wish to keep the decal in order to regularly use the Belman Road recycling center.

Decals are available now and may be purchased from the City Treasurer’s Office for $2.

If it saves Fredericksburg $10,000 just in postage it would save Caroline County even more: Fredericksburg has an estimated population of 22,410 while Caroline’s population is 27,282 (probably more cars per person as well).

Also consider the overtime pay that the employees of the Treasurer’s Office received: The Treasurer’s Office stayed open an additional 11 hours over the past week with their employees presumably working overtime to handle the people getting decals. There were five employees (plus Ms. Curran) working when I was in there around 5:00 p.m. on Monday evening.

University of Mary Washington does “The Death Camp of Tolerance” routinue.

Reference to South Park there folks.

The Free Lance–Star:

Andrew Allingham felt like a spoiled white guy.

He’d just toured the University of Mary Washington’s “Tunnel of Oppression,” an event at Combs Hall that touched on courtroom discrimination, stereotypes, women’s rights, white privilege, gender identity, labor rights and animal rights.

Over the weekend, about 60 people visited nine classrooms with different themes–some interactive, some introspective. UMW students have been looking for ways to talk about race on the mostly white campus, said senior Kate LeBoeuf, chairwoman of the Academic Affairs Council, which hosted the event.

Weekly News Media Briefs – Week Ending March 29, 2008

From the Caroline County Sheriff’s Office: Weekly News Media Briefs – Week Ending March 29, 2008:

On March 23, 2008, Deputy J. K. Miller stopped a vehicle for a traffic infraction.  After investigating, Travis S. Carter, 27, of Ruther Glen charged with driving on a suspended license – 3rd offense.  He was ordered held under a $1,000 bond and an arraignment date of March 26, 2008 was set.

On March 23, 2008, Deputy W. D. Lipscomb responded to a domestic.  After investigating, Maricha L. Jordan-Anderton, 42, of Milford was charged with domestic assault.  She was released on her own recognizance and an arraignment date of March 25, 2008 was set.

On March 24, 2008, Deputy W. M. Jones encountered a subject in Ladysmith.  After investigating, Ishmail Rios, 33, of Midlothian was charged with being drunk in public.  He was released on his own recognizance and a court date of March 18, 2008 was set.

On March 24, 2008, Deputy C. M. Polliard stopped a vehicle for a traffic infraction.  After investigating, Fred C. Miller, 49, of Burlington, NC was charged with being a fugitive from Maryland.  He was ordered held without bond pending his extradition to Maryland.

On March 28, 2008, Deputy K. D. DiGravio-Ferguson responded to a domestic violence call which took place in Bowling Green.  After investigating, Timothy Tolson, 39, of Bowling Green was charged with two counts of domestic assault and one count of brandishing a firearm.  An emergency protective order was issued and an April 1, 2008 trial has been set.

On March 29, 2008, Deputy B. N. Doucet responded to the Howard Johnson’s in Ruther Glen in reference to a domestic violence call.  After investigation, Terrance Shawn Mosley, 43, of Ruther Glen, was charged with domestic assault and held without bond pending an April 1, 2008 trial date.

On March 29, 2008, Deputy F. L. Brennan stopped a vehicle on Rt. 639, driven by Debra D. Weinstein, 53, of Ruther Glen who was subsequently arrested for driving under the influence.  An April 4, 2008 trial date has been set.

On March 29, 2008, Deputy C. S. Wooldridge responded to an address on Cedon Road in Woodford on a reported incident involving an adult with a juvenile who appeared to be intoxicated.  After investigating, Russell M. Bowles, III, 24, of Woodford was charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor (17 years of age).

Caroline County Sheriff’s Office Wrap Up

According to Sheriff Tony Lippa, Caroline Deputies made 4 drug arrests, 1 driving under the influence arrest, 7 domestic violence arrests, and 40 other criminal arrests during the past week.  The deputies served 160 civil papers, issued 312 traffic summonses, handled 2 motor vehicle crashes, responded to 35 alarm calls, and dealt with 4 juvenile offenders.  The Sheriff’s Office Communications Center dispatched 414 calls for service and handled 1,682 telephone inquiries.  The CCSO also logged 31 calls assisting outside agencies and had 169 self initiated calls.

RIP

Richmond Times-Dispatch: Vehicle accident fatal to Henrico firefighter:

A Henrico County firefighter died early yesterday after he became pinned between a tree and a vehicle at his home in what authorities described as an accident.

Joseph J. Ritzenthaler, 30, of New Kent County also was a paramedic in the Army Reserve who served in Iraq in 2003.

“He was engaged to be married in August,” Henrico fire Capt. Douglas Reynolds said last night.

Rescue workers responding to a 5:45 a.m. call in the 8900 block of Piney Branch Lane in Providence Forge found Ritzenthaler trapped. They pulled him out, provided medical care and took him to VCU Medical Center, where he later was pronounced dead, according to the New Kent Sheriff’s Office.

Ritzenthaler may have been trying to start the vehicle to go to work, authorities said. The vehicle lurched forward, trapping him against the tree.

The firefighter and paramedic would have completed his sixth year with Henrico Division of Fire this summer. He also worked part-time at the VCU Medical Center emergency room, Reynolds said.

Ritzenthaler enlisted in the Army Reserve at age 19 and was still active, Reynolds said. He was a paramedic sergeant with the military police.

Before coming to Henrico, he worked for Richmond Ambulance Authority and was a volunteer firefighter in his hometown of Williamsburg, Reynolds said.

“He was a well-liked person within the division [Henrico],” the fire captain said. “He’s certainly going to be missed by the people who worked with him.”

April 1st BOS meeting: I think Charity Hill can kiss their permit goodbye.

From Percy Ashcraft’s April Message from the County Administrator:

In addition, a worksession on the 2008-09 Budget will be held Tuesday, April 1 at 6 p.m. at the Community Services Center. Also included on the worksession agenda is a public hearing at 7:30 p.m. to receive comments regarding the revocation of a special use permit for the Charity Hill Shooting Range.

From the board’s public hearing notice:

The Caroline County Board of Supervisors will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, April 1, 2008, in the Community Services Center, Auditorium, located at 17202 Richmond Turnpike, Milford, Virginia, at 7:30 p.m., to consider the Revocation of the following Special Exception Permit based on the permittee’s failure to comply with the terms and conditions of the permit:

SPEX-04-2005 – FLOYD S. & CYNTHIA C. SMITH III, OWNER; FLOYD S. SMITH III, APPLICANT: This property is located on Route 601 (9482 Golansville Road), approximately ¾ of a mile east of Route 633 (Bull Church Road), tax on a portion of 68-A-103 consisting of 100 acres, Mattaponi Voting District. Revocation of Private Hunt Club Permit. The 2006 – 2026 Comprehensive Plan identifies this area as rural preservation with a density of one dwelling unit per ten acres of land.

Any persons desiring to be heard in favor of or in opposition to the above is hereby invited to be present at the Public Hearing. Copies of the above are on file in the Department of Planning and Community Development, 233 West Broaddus Avenue, Bowling Green, Virginia 22427.

Percy C. Ashcraft
County Administrator

The budget work session will include the budgets for the Sheriff’s Office, Commonwealth’s Attorney, volunteer fire/rescue departments, and the Clerk of the Court according to the agenda.

Oh, NOW they are going to do something about it.

The Caroline Progress:

Renowned county historian Herb Collins announced Thursday he is giving his trove of Caroline historical records, hundred’s of rare books, genealogies, cemetery records, family Bibles, plats, files on every aspect of the county, antique photographs and 40 Sidney King paintings to the Central Rappahannock Heritage Center in Fredericksburg.

Frustrated in his years of attempts to give his collection to the County, the former Smithsonian curator and life-long county resident told The Caroline Progress on Thursday, “I cried when I made the decision. I started the collection in order to one day give it to Caroline.”

Collins said he had wanted a site for his collection either in Bowling Green or Port Royal.

County Administrator Percy Ashcraft said the county wants the collection but does not presently have space. “I can’t make something happen that’s not available at this time,” he said.

[…]

Collins pointed out that the neighboring counties of Essex, King William and King George have museums, but Caroline does not. “All we have is a cubbyhole in the back of the library,” said Collins. “It’s embarrassing.”

And now from Percy Ashcraft’s April Message from the County Administrator:

  • Consideration by the Board of Supervisors to receive a large donation of books and periodicals from local historian Herb Collins will be held at the April 8 meeting. The challenge before the Board is adequate County space to house the donation.

Thank you Stafford County Sheriff’s Office.

The Free Lance–Star: Stafford deputies arrest fugitive:

Two broken windows in southern Stafford late Thursday led to the arrest of a man wanted for a slaying that occurred nearly four years ago and 3,000 miles away.

Dmarcus Dewitt George, 24, was among a group of young men at the Deacon Road 7-Eleven when Stafford 1st Sgt. J.D. Pittman pulled in.

Sheriff’s spokesman Bill Kennedy said Pittman was one of several deputies responding to a vandalism call on Grafton Street when he spotted two vehicles that matched the descriptions of those reportedly seen leaving the scene.

[…]

The slaying George is accused of occurred on June 21, 2004, according to a police report provided by the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office.

[…]

An arrest warrant for George in Washington was issued on Jan. 10, 2005. According to court records, 22-year-old Isaiah Clark was shot four times at a Shell gas station in Parkland, Wash.

[…]

Witnesses told police that George, who was in the back seat, shot Clark and the victim fell to the ground. Police said Clark was shot three more times after he had fallen. George is on Pierce County’s 10 Most Wanted list.

Weekly News Media Briefs – Week Ending March 22, 2008

From the Caroline County Sheriff’s Office: Weekly News Media Briefs – Week Ending March 22, 2008:

On March 18, 2008, Deputy C. A. Heywood stopped a vehicle for a reckless driving speed violation.  During the stop, Deputy Heywood detected an odor associated with marijuana coming from the vehicle, upon investigating further, Scott Anthony, 26, of Fredericksburg, was charged with reckless driving and possession of marijuana.  A court date is set on May 14, 2008.

On March 18, 2008, Lieutenant J. H. Crowder responded to a vehicle in the ditch near 994 Swann Lane, Ruther Glen.  Upon investigating, Bernard McCargo, 46, of Beltsville, MD, was arrested for driving under the influence and refusal to submit to a breath test.  He was held under a $2000 bond and an arraignment date of March 19, 2008 was set.

On March 19, 2008, Deputy M. J. O’Connor responded to a Ruther Glen address for a domestic assault call.  After investigating, Cantrell Green, 19, of Ruther Glen was charged with domestic assault.  He was released on a personal recognizance pending a March 25, 2008 court date.

On March 19, 2008, Deputy G. J. Hamilton responded to a Ruther Glen address for a disturbance call.  After investigation, Lloyd V. Ferguson, 49, Ruther Glen was arrested for being drunk in public and was later found in possession of a metal smoking device containing residue of cocaine.  Ferguson was held on a $1000 secure bond, and a trial date of May 28, 2008 was set.

On March 19, 2008, Deputy C. M. Polliard stopped a vehicle for a traffic infraction.  After investigating, Robert P. McMullen, 37, of Mechanicsville, MD was charged with driving under the influence, open container of an alcoholic beverage and speeding.  He was held on a $1500 secure bond and a court date of March 26, 2008 was set.

Caroline County Sheriff’s Office Wrap Up

According to Sheriff Tony Lippa, Caroline Deputies made 10 drug arrests, 1 DUI arrest, 9 domestic violence arrests, and 45 other criminal arrests during the past week.  The deputies served 200 civil papers, issued 139 traffic summonses, handled 4 motor vehicle crashes, responded to 29 alarm calls, and dealt with 12 juvenile offenders.  The Sheriff’s Office Communications Center dispatched 363 calls for service and handled 1,012 telephone inquiries.  The CCSO also logged 25 calls assisting outside agencies and had 199 self initiated calls.

Crack ****ing journalism from The Free Lance–Star.

From The Free Lance–Star: Overruns still raising concerns at LOW:

“I believe the audit report was clear in noting there was lots of blame to go around,” wrote LOW Association President Eldon Rucker in an e-mail last week. “The board of directors plans to deal with the recommendations and make changes in our processes where appropriate.”

The ad hoc committee’s report was released on March 1 and was reported in The Free Lance-Star the next day. Headlines on the story mistakenly attributed the $320,000 cost overruns to Caroline County Supervisor Bob Popowicz, who was the project manager through most of the construction.

Yeah, and for three months you have been maligning him.

You let someone state he had a relationship that was “too close” with the contractor and now all you can say is “Opps, my bad”?

“Mr. Popowicz was not singled out by the committee and many of us can, and do, share the responsibility for the overrun,” Director Neil Buttimer wrote in an e-mail last week. “We recognize that we experienced some budgetary problems that we are addressing, but no single individual was responsible.”

Popowicz left his job as assistant general manager at Lake of the Woods in early October 2007. Four of the six change orders were approved after he left.

There is general agreement that some of the change orders were necessitated by lapses in design and planning, such as a $96,000 additional cost for a fire-sprinkler system the contractor neglected to get flow and pressure data for, and $54,000 for additional kitchen equipment.

Although Popowicz served as project manager for the Woods Center construction, the Lake of the Woods’ operations manual states that the general manager is responsible for approving the purchase of all goods and services over $5,000.

In two letters to The Free Lance-Star, Popowicz took responsibility for signing four of the change orders, but he noted that they were ordered or approved first by the general manager. He also noted that change orders were often necessitated “by government and regulatory agencies” and were not anticipated by the contractors.

[…]

General Manager John Bailey also declined to comment.

PAYING FOR OVERRUNS

Now that the Woods Center is up and running, a major concern is how Lake of the Woods will pay for the cost overruns. Although the board of directors removed $144,000 from the original contract it signed with Century Construction with the idea that the work would be done in house or by separate contract it neglected to budget the money for that work.

Talk about hitting the nail on the head…

From a recent letter to The Free Lance–Star:

I recently discovered the FredTalk feature of this paper’s Web site, fredericksburg.com. I was excited to find that there was a place to discuss my views on letters to the editor.

However, I soon bailed out when these replies consisted, for the most part, of the worst epidemic of flaming I have seen anywhere on the Web.

For those who don’t know, “flaming” is the act of insulting and demeaning others online.

Fredericksburg.com seems to have become a breeding ground for flamers from every walk of life. There are the radical liberals and the radical conservatives. There are the most ridiculous conspiracy theorists I have seen anywhere, and I witnessed a post by at least one anarchist.

All these people had one thing in common: They refused to listen to any opposing views, and thus started “flame wars” that quickly engulfed the posts of the few calm, logical, respectful members on the site.

I abandoned my quest to voice my opinions and left these self-destructive bigots to their pointless arguing.

Still, it’s a pity that fredericksburg.com has become a haven for these sorts, who have quickly turned a respectable source of news into a battleground.

Don’t I know it.

And for another case in point, just check out the insults directed towards Danny Carter, a respected member of the Caroline County community:

“franne64”, 03/21/08 11:41 PM:

I was told that Danny Carter (Village Self Storage)and a few people he knows was opening Iverson’s. It has been in the making for 3-4 years. Not heard about any bar, but was told that it will be a high class (proper attire), pricey place that would require reservations.

“blulady”, 03/21/08 11:46 PM:

Chuckle… chuckle….

“hopeful47”, 03/21/08 11:58 PM:

Franne, you mean you know the mayor of Ladysmith way over on that side of the county

“blulady”, 03/22/08 12:00 AM:

I cant help but laugh…..

“franne64”, 03/22/08 12:05 AM:

From working in the field of construction for all these years, not many I do not know.
But he can be quite the character

“blulady”, 03/22/08 12:08 AM:

Quite the ladies man, huh girls ?

“franne64”, 03/22/08 12:09 AM:

Yeah right…….lol.

“hopeful47”, 03/22/08 12:10 AM:

danny – ladies man…thats putting it mildly….
about the restaurant, what I was told that the name Iversons is what Tom named it after his deceased father.
heard danny among others are investors in the restaurant.

“blulady”, 03/22/08 12:12 AM:

In his own mind, lol
Who is the old guy that tans all the time in hollywood & wears the gold?? Mayor Dan is Ladysmiths version.

“hopeful47”, 03/22/08 12:13 AM:

he really is a nice guy.
and if you don’t believe it – just ask him he will tell you the same thing lol

“franne64”, 03/22/08 12:16 AM:

Got the name of the tip of my tongue……Hamilton?
That is who Danny reminds me of.
He is a nice guy, but he does portray himself as a person he isn’t. But then again this forum has a few of those floating around here.

“blulady”, 03/22/08 12:19 AM:

I agree ,

“hopeful47”, 03/22/08 06:41 AM:

right, Hamilton — George Hamilton. Always tan and dripping in gold jewelry…..
yep lots of them floating around

Susan Sili aka “oharascarlett”, 03/22/08 06:46 AM:

yall are killing me on Danny, I am rolling, rolling rolling rolling.
Yall better hope he don’t read this cause he is one preeening peacock! None of us will get in Iversons.

Interesting way to talk about someone that volunteers his time to organize a event which is the largest source of income for Caroline County Little League.

Interesting way to talk about someone that volunteers his time on the Caroline County Strategic Planning Review Committee.

Interesting way to talk about someone that received a special invitation for his support of the fair by the Caroline County Agricultural Fair Board.

Interesting way to talk about someone that volunteers his time on the Sheriff’s Business Advisory Team.

You know, I may talk trash about people, but at least I have the fortitude to do it using my real name (and I don’t act like I’m buddies with the people either).

Classy [trashy] as ever folks.