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Governor details budgetproposals for educationBy Benjamin WestCapital News Service

RICHMOND - Gov. Ralph Northam outlinedhis budgetary proposals to educators Wednesday:for a 5 percent teacher pay increase, expandedbroadband internet, funding for school resourceofficers and counselors, and a major bump in thestate's rainy day fund.

"There is power in every child out there, andevery child needs the same opportunity, and thatis access to a world-class education," Northamsaid.

Seated at circular tables with their district'sname printed neatly on a card, elected membersof school boards from around the state listened tospeakers discuss the budget and policy proposalsat the 2019 Virginia School Board AssociationCapital Conference.

VSBA President R. Tyrone Foster said it'simportant for attendees "to meet with your locallegislators to make sure that we advocate for ourchildren." On Thursday, the second day of the

event, members will do just that - meeting face toface with their representatives at the Capitol.

Northam identified fields in which Virginianswill find the "jobs of the 21st century." He namedscience, technology, engineering, the arts, mathand health care and fields such as cybersecurity,biotechnology, data analysis and artificial intelli-gence.

"How do we educate our children so that theycan be on a pathway for those exciting job oppor-tunities and careers?" the governor asked.

He said Virginia's growing economy is giving

‘Beatle Guy of B’burg’ to hostevent for area‘Fab Four’ fansBy MIKE WILLIAMSThe Patriot

"The Beatle Guy of Blacksburg" - better knownto many in these parts as Pulaski native Fred Lark- has been a fan of the "Fab Four" since he was inelementary school in the 60's.

For the now 60-year-old, 1976 graduate ofPulaski County High School, his passion for theBritish rock band hasn't waned one bit, and mayhave actually grown stronger.

Next week, Lark will share his knowledge andinterest in Paul, John, George and Ringo withother like-minded Beatles fans from the area inwhat Lark is calling the "Fab Four Fan Forum."

The forum is set for Thursday, Jan. 31 from 5 to7 p.m. at the Blacksburg Public Library.

A flyer promoting the event urges other Beatlesfans and those with an interest in learning moreabout the group to "Roll up for a 'MagicalMystery Tour!'" - borrowing from the title of theband's 1967 album of the same name.

"Experience a rediscovery of everyday fab witha little help from some friends," the flyer contin-ues.

The forum will feature news, music, discussionand more about the band which got its start inLiverpool, England in 1960.

While the Beatles broke up as a band in 1970,each of the four members - Paul McCartney, John

See LARK, page A2

See NORTHAM, page A2

Pulaski native Fred Lark

Northam proposes teacher pay hike, expanded broadbandinternet, funds for schoolresource officers and counselors and bump in state’s rainy day fund.

Page A2 - The Patriot - January 25, 2019

Capital News Service photo

Gov. Northam reads his proclamation recognizing February 2019 as School Board AppreciationMonth. Also pictured: VSBA President R. Tyrone Foster.

the commonwealth funds thatcan be put toward educationalgoals. Northam said changes inthe federal tax code and a pro-posed internet sales tax willcontribute to the increase ingovernment revenues.

"The question is: What willwe do with it?" he said.

Northam highlighted theimportance of the rainy dayfund, which he said accountedfor $500 million of last year'sbudget.

"Our economy right now isdoing well, but you never knowwhat it's going to do next year,"he said.

Northam said he hopes tosave 8 percent of the budget bythe end of his administration.

For current taxpayers, thegovernor addressed his plans fora fully refundable earnedincome tax credit "for thosemaking $54,000 or less" and araise in the Virginia standard taxdeduction.

Lastly, Northam addressedthe future.

"We really are at a uniqueopportunity here to be able toinvest some of this revenue intothe future of Virginia," Northam

said.His financial proposals

include:

• $50 million per year overfive years "to make sure thateverybody across Virginia hasaccess to broadband." The gov-ernor said, "If our children areworking on a computer atschool during the day and thenhave an assignment at night,and they don't have access tobroadband, their hands are liter-ally tied."

• A 2 percent pay raise forteachers on July 1 in addition tothe 3 percent already planned."That will be the largest one-time pay raise for teachers inover 15 years," Northam said.

• $36 million per year for"hiring and supporting" schoolcounselors. "Our children areexposed to a lot of differentthings these days. They relyheavily on their counselors," hesaid.

• Several million dollars forschool resource officers. "I real-ly don't think it's a good idea forour teachers to be law enforce-ment officers," Northam said.

Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr - con-tinued on with solo careers for several years.And Beatles music lives on to this day.

Only McCartney and Starr are living today,and both are still performing. Lennon was shotand killed in December 1980 in New York Cityby Mark David Chapman. Harrison died of can-cer in November 2001.

The Beatles still hold the record for being thebest-selling band in history, with estimated salesof over 800 million records worldwide.

"For four guys who didn't read or write music,they did pretty good," Lark said, noting that the"Fab Four" still outsells 65 percent of today'scurrent artists.

He describes their music as always beingabout "peace, love and understanding with a lit-tle bit about debate in there too."

Lark said he is finding today that high schoolstudents are starting to gravitate to Beatlesmusic more than college students. With that inmind, he recently visited his high school almamater and posted some flyers promoting nextweek's forum.

Lark believes with all the promotion he'sdone, the newspaper articles and radio mentionshe's obtained a crowd next week of 300 or so ispossible.

As any super fan, Lark owns all sorts ofBeatles memorabilia including magazines,albums, "45's," posters - you name it. Lark plansto give away two or three items as door prizes

during next week's forum.A semi-retired investor, Lark also plans next

week to talk up a dream he has of McCartneyactually performing in Blacksburg - possiblyeven during his current "Freshen Up" world touras a stopover when the tour travels close to thisarea for its Raleigh and Greenville, S.C. con-certs.

According to Lark, McCartney - or more offi-cially Sir James Paul McCartney HC MBE -also performs what Lark describes as "ambient,alternative, mostly instrumental" music underthe name of "The Fireman." Lark has introducedlisteners of Virginia Tech's student-run WUVTradio to "The Fireman" during his many guestappearances on the station.

Lark has a vision of McCartney appearing inBlacksburg in a non-coliseum setting.McCartney, he reasons, would spend the firsthalf of the show performing some traditionalhits from his Beatles days as well as from histime with the band, Wings. Lark said the secondhalf would feature selections from "TheFireman."

Lark has tried several times to pitch his con-cert idea to McCartney's "people," but so farwith no luck. But he's still holding out hope hisvision of a concert in Blacksburg can somedaybecome a reality.

For more on Lark's dream of Sir Paul comingto Hokieland and more on the Beatles, don'tmiss next Thursday's forum.

NorthamContinued from page A1

LarkContinued from page A1

"We pay them to teach, not to belaw enforcement."

• $80 million for school reno-vations and new construction.

According to press secretary

Alena Yarmosky, the budgetaryproposals were based on recom-mendations from the Children'sCabinet, "a diverse group ofstakeholders focused on

enhancing school safety andensuring the well-being ofVirginia's students," establishedby executive order last year.

The Patriot - Friday, January 25, 2019 - Page A3

Tuggle joins InsuranceCenter of Dublin as agent

Mike Williams photo

Brad Alley, owner of Insurance Center of Dublin is flanked byagents Lynn White and Karen Tuggle.

Brad Alley, owner of theInsurance Center of Dublin hasannounced the addition of vet-eran insurance agent KarenTuggle to the agency.

Tuggle has a strong insurancebackground, and will mark 40years in the business in June.

Many will remember herfrom her work with BuggsTickle for 21 years at StateFarm in Pulaski. She lateropened her own agency inDublin, which she operated forseven years.

After that she moved toGreensboro where she workedat Nationwide Insurance.

In December she moved backto the area to be near her chil-

dren and grandchildren.Karen is married to Gerald

Tuggle and the couple resides inDublin. They have three chil-dren together, ChristopherLewis, Kayla Hartley andAmanda Tuggle, and threegrandchildren, Eli, Gianna andGage.

"We are delighted to haveKaren join our team," saidAlley. "She brings anotherdimension professionally to ouragency. She has tons of experi-ence and we're happy to have

her aboard."

Tuggle joins Brad Alley andLynn White at the InsuranceCenter of Dublin, which is in itsthird year of operation at 611 E.Main Street in Dublin. Theagency represents major insur-ance companies such as Erie,Safeco, Loudoun Mutual andAssurity Life.

You can reach them at 540-674-4678 or visit them online atwww.insurancecenterofdublin.com

Warming Station in Pulaskiagain in search of volunteersBy LINDA WILLIAMSThe Patriot

The Warming Station inPulaski is in immediate need ofvolunteers. Volunteers willingto stay overnight at theWarming Station to provide forthe needs of overnight guests.

Volunteers are requiredbetween the hours of 6:30 p.m. -7 a.m.

"Women and men sleep inseparate apartments. We are inparticular need of women vol-unteers. Duties include provid-ing general care for overnight

guests, including serving mealsprovided by area churches andvolunteers, providing clothingfrom the onsite clothing bankand light housekeeping," saidPastor Charles Barbettini ofTaking It To the StreetsMinistry.

Volunteer applicants mustalso agree to a backgroundcheck. "We are sure everyoneunderstands why we must askinterested volunteers to agreewith us on this point," saidBarbettini.

"This a great opportunity toserve God whether it is as a cou-

ple/single or sisters and brothersin Christ teaming up together tovolunteer, or families," saidBarbettini.

According to Barbettini,sleeping quarters are availablefor volunteers or if volunteerswould feel more comfortablethey are invited to sit in the tel-evision room and read whilevolunteering throughout thenight.

If anyone is interested, pleasecontact Barbettini at 276-620-4293.

Giles early educators recognizedFrom Bethany Mott Alliance for BetterChildcare Strategies

On Thursday, January 24, nineearly educators in Giles Countywill be rewarded with cashstipends that recognize their pro-fessional development and dedica-tion.

The launch of this rewards pro-gram, known as G.I.F.T. (GilesIncentives for Teachers), providesbonuses to incentivize and rewardearly educators for attaining pro-fessional credentials. G.I.F.T. rec-ognizes that the most effectiveway of supporting our young chil-dren is to support our early educa-tors.

On Thursday, January 24, threeteachers at Kids & Co. and sixteachers at Imagination Stationwill receive their first stipends thatrecur every six months. Thesetwice-a-year cash awards recog-nizing credentials and professionaldevelopment range from $500 forteachers achieving a C.D.A., $900for teachers with an A.A. to $1200for teachers with a B.A. Theawards celebrations will take placeat Imagination Station at 1:30 p.m.and 2:15 at Kids & Co., both inPearisburg.

Funding for G.I.F.T. came froman anonymous donor associatedwith G.E.E.P. (Giles EarlyEducation Project). The Alliancefor Better Childcare Strategieshelped to create the program andmanages the tracking of profes-sional credentials and payments.As a part of the G.I.F.T. program,research is being conductedthrough classroom assessmentsand observations on the effective-ness of the stipend program inincreasing higher-quality educa-tion in the classroom.

G.I.F.T provides a significantfinancial incentive for early educa-tion teachers to develop profes-sionally and remain in the field.This pilot project is a potentialmodel for use statewide, as sever-al states have similar incentive ortax credit systems.

The G.I.F.T. incentive programhas also served as an inspirationalmodel for other New River Valleyregions. Pulaski is currentlyfundraising for a program,P.E.R.C. (Pulaski Early EducatorRewards for Credentials) to sup-port and sustain high-quality earlyeducation in Pulaski County.P.E.R.C. will also supplement thecritically low earnings of earlyeducators (generally $8 - $10.50per hour without benefits). As wellas providing a twice-yearly finan-

cial reward and incentive for pro-fessional development and reten-tion, both G.I.F.T. and P.E.R.C.reinforce early educators' profes-sional status and help shape andsupport career paths for our mostvaluable teachers.

The Alliance for BetterChildcare Strategies is a local501(c)3 non-profit whose missionin the N.R.V. is to

" Build the capacity of high-quality childcare and early educa-tion throughout the region

" Support quality improvementof all childcare and early educa-tion programs

" Create affordable options andsupports for economically

deprived families. ABCs was cre-ated to foster high-quality fulltimechildcare, an essential infrastruc-ture for a healthy community.Quality childcare infrastructurebenefits two generations. It sup-ports working families and canend multi-generational poverty. Atthe same time, research shows thatyoung children who can accessquality childcare arrive at kinder-garten ready to succeed both inschool and in life.

For more about G.I.F.T.,P.E.R.C. or the Alliance for BetterChildcare Strategies, contactBethany Mott, Executive Director,ABCs at bethanymott@abcsnrv.org

or 540-494-7175.

4-H Teens in Action seeking members

Interested in hanging out withyour teen friends while havingsome 4-H fun?

Then join Pulaski County 4-HTeens In Action! (TIA!), a lead-ership and service learning clubwhere teens and tweens planactivities and service projects toundertake in their towns, cities,communities and take action!.

4-H TIA! is a club for thosethat want to make a difference intheir community and show the

world what they are made of!Our goal is to reach out into ourcommunity and make things hap-pen, to show the adults and lead-ers how much we care about ourcities and communities. We evenenjoy fundraising to pay for mostof our activities and events likeeating out at restaurants, playinglaser tag, going to the movies andattending weekend leadershipretreats. Of course we also learn

See 4-H, page A9

Page A4 - The Patriot - Friday, January 25, 2019

DOROTHY JOAN(STURGILL) MCNALLYDorothy Joan (Sturgill)

McNally passed away Tuesday,January 22, 2019 atCommonwealth Assisted Livingin Fairlawn, Va. She was twodays shy of reaching her 88thbirthday. She was born January

24th, 1931 inK i m b a l l ,W e s tVirginia, tothe lateWalter andC l e m m i eSturgill. Sheg r a d u a t e dfrom BristolV i r g i n i a

High School in 1947 andRadford College in 1951, andtaught elementary school inRichmond and Pulaski for over25 years. She was preceded indeath by her sister, Jane George.Surviving family membersinclude brother Byron Sturgill;husband of 68 years RobertMcNally; son Stephen anddaughter-in-law Debra BrunsonMcNally; daughter Valerie andson-in-law Jabe Monroe; grand-daughter Amanda Monroe; twogreat grandchildren (Julian andChloe), as well as several niecesand nephews.

While residing in Pulaski, Joanparticipated in various gardenclubs and bridge clubs. Joan andhusband Bob were active mem-bers of First United MethodistChurch. Upon retirement, Joanand Bob moved to Mt. Dora,Florida in 1991. After movingback to Roanoke in 2001, theyjoined and were very active withWindsor Hills United MethodistChurch.

Joan loved recreational activi-ties such as gardening and golf,but she was also passionate aboutteaching young students and par-ticipating in church ministries.She always put family andfriends above her own wishes.She was the embodiment of self-lessness, kindness and an eternal-ly positive spirit.

Funeral services will be heldSunday January 27 at 2:00 PM atthe First United MethodistChurch of Pulaski, Va. Family

will receive friends from 1:00until 2:00 prior to services at thechurch. In lieu of flowers,memorial contribution can bemade to the Alzheimer'sAssociation (www.alz.org).

Arrangements are by StevensFuneral Home, Pulaski, Va.

LYLE THOMAS COMERLyle Thomas Comer, 79, of

Pulaski, passed away onMonday, January 21, 2019 inPulaski, VA.

Lyle Thomas Comer was bornin Rockbridge County to CharlesEdward Comer Jr. and MattieBell St. John on May 20, 1939.He graduated from Pulaski HighSchool. He served in the AirForce playing in the UnitedStates Air Force Band from1959-1963. He graduated fromKing's College. He worked as anammunitions inspector for theUS Government until his retire-ment. He was a Shriner, wherehe served as a volunteer driver toGreenville Shriners Children'sHospital and circus, a Mason forover 50 years, a past Commanderof the American Legion in 1997with over 50 years membership,a life member of the DisabledAmerican Vets Association.

Lyle is preceded in death byhis father and mother, formerChief of Police Charles E. ComerJr. and Mattie Bell Comer, sister,Jean Comer and son, Ed Comer.

Lyle is survived by his daugh-ter, L.E. Burchett, son-in-law,Mike Burchett, granddaughter,Hannah Burchett, and grandson,Heath Burchett

Visitation will be 6-8 pmFriday January, 25, 2019 atStevens Funeral Home.

Funeral services will be 2 pmSaturday January 26, 2019 atTrinity Baptist Church inRobinson Tract with theReverend Johnny Howlett, offici-ating. Arrangements are byStevens Funeral Home.

Memorials may be given toDisabled American VetsAssociation at www.dav.org orShriners Hospital for ChildrenGreenville, S.C. athttps://donate.lovetotherescue.org/give/119312/?utm_source=shc

main#!/donation/checkout

JAMES "JIMMY" WILLIAMQUESENBERRY

James "Jimmy" WilliamQuesenberry, 71, of Draper, VApassed away peacefully at homeon Sunday, January 20, 2019,after a long battle with cancer.

He was born on October 25,1947 to the late Clyde andNannie Quesenberry. He was inthe Army and was a veteran ofthe Vietnam War. He worked atXaloy for 40 years.

Jimmy is survived by his wifeof 49 years, Bonnie LewisQuesenberry, and daughterSusan, son-in-law Joe, andgrandson Hunter Shrewsbury,along with a special granddaugh-ter Hope Lewis.

He is also survived by sisters:Betty and her husband the lateCharlie Akers; Ruby and her hus-band the late Earl Hughes;Juanita and husband VirgileHughes; Janet and husbandJames Copenhaver; and Gail andhusband Perry Kipps. Jimmywas also survived by brother,Buddy and wife Pat Quesenberry.

Jimmy was proceeded in deathby one bother-in-law Charles(Wanda) Lewis. Jimmy was alsosurvived by brother-in-laws:John and wife Dottie Lewis;Reverend Bobby and wife IreneLewis; Lee and wife Jan Lewis;Reverend Kent and wife DianahLewis; Larry and wife TammyLewis; Reverend Hal and wifeLisa Lewis; Randy and wifeWendy Lewis; and DwightLewis. He was also survived bysister-in-law Robin Lewis.

Family received friendsThursday, January 24, 2019 atStevens Funeral Home. PastorSteve Willis presided over theservice immediately following.Graveside will be Friday, January25 at 11 AM at Dublin VeteransCemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the familyrequests donations be made toNew Dublin PresbyterianChurch.

SHIRLEY RAY KEMP

Shirley Ray Kemp, 76, passedaway at his home on Sunday,January 20, 2019. He was bornon January 22, 1942 in CarrollCo. and was preceded in death byhis father, Glenn Pierce Kempand mother, Virginia Mae Kemp.He was a member of FarrisMines Christian Church inAllisonia, a place he loved. Heworked as a supervisor for 29years at Burlington Industriesand later at Renfro in Pulaski,where he made so many close

friends.Surviving are:His wife and caregiver, Martha

(Marty) Beckner Kemp.Daughter, Ashley Comerford andgrandsons, Collin and Cole andtheir father Dr. MatthewComerford of St. Augustine, FL.Daughter, Leslie Steger and hus-band William Steger of Allisoniaand Granddaughter, CandaceLinville and husband, JonLinville and great-grand-daugh-ter, Rachel Elizabeth ofHiwassee. His brother andfriend, Lonnie Kemp and wife,Shirley, Pulaski. Sister-in-law,Brenda Viars and husbandMickey, Brothers-in-law, JerryBeckner and wife, Janie andLewis Beckner. Several niecesand nephews. He was a lovingand caring father and grandfatherand will be missed by all whoknew him.

We would like to thank thestaff and nurses of CarilionClinic Hospice for their supportand care.

Funeral services were atStevens Funeral Home in PulaskiWednesday, January 23rd withPastor Dennis Trail officiating.Burial followed the service at theFarris Mines Christian Church inAllisonia.

Arrangements by StevensFuneral Home, Pulaski, VA.

REV. JAMES WILLIAMALLEY

Rev. James William Alley, age74 of Pulaski, died Friday morn-ing, January 18, 2019, at his res-idence.

He wasborn inPulaski onN o v e m b e r12, 1944,and was theson of HazelB o w m a nAlley andthe lateJames Henry

Alley. In addition to his parents, he

was preceded in death by 3brothers and 3 sisters. He is sur-vived by his wife, Elaine AlbertAlley: his only son; JamesAnthony Alley (Stephanie) ofFairlawn; brother Everett"Sonny" Alley (Jolene) ofFairlawn; two grandsons; BryceJerrad Alley and Reese AnthonyAlley. Funeral services were heldJanuary 22, 2019, at Jordan'sChapel United MethodistChurch. Interment followed atThornspring Cemetery. Onlinecondolences may be sent to thefamily by visiting www.seaglefu-neralhome.com Arrangements by

Seagle Funeral Home, Pulaski.

STEVEN DALE MEEK IISteven Dale Meek II, age 2 of

Christiansburg passed awaySunday, January 13, 2019 at theRoanoke Memorial Hospital.

Born July 14, 2016 inMontgomery County he was the

son ofSteven DaleMeek &K a y l aN i c o l eThomas.

He is sur-vived by his

Father &Step-Mother

S t e v e nDale Meek

& Michelle MeekMotherKayla Nicole ThomasPaternal GrandparentsJohn & Elaine DigiovanniMaternal GrandparentsRonnie ThomasC.J. & Melinda ChrisleyNumerous aunts, uncles,

nieces, nephew and cousinsMemorial services were held

January 19, 2019 at the BowerFuneral Home-Chapel, Pulaskiwith Pastor Jason Vaughn offici-ating.

To sign the online guestbook,please visit www.bowerfuneral-home.com

Bower Funeral Homes, Pulaskiis handling the arrangements forthe family.

MeekMcNally

Alley

PCHS tohold courseselectionmeeting

The scheduling process for2019/2020 school year willbegin with a parent meeting toprovide registration informationto parents and assist with studentcourse selections.

An evening meeting for allparents and their eighth gradestudent will be held Monday,February 11, from 6:00 p.m.until 8:00 p.m. at Pulaski CountyHigh School in the LittleTheatre.

The snow date for this meetingis set for February 18, 2019.

The purpose of this meetingwill be to discuss the high schoolcurriculum and potential 9thgrade courseselections.Additional discussionitems include graduationrequirements, CTE options andSOL verified credits. Highschool administrators, CareerCounselors and SchoolCounselors will be available toanswer parent/student questions.Following the presentation, allparents and students will havethe opportunity to tour the cam-pus of Pulaski County HighSchool if interested.

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OPINION The Patriot - January 25, 2019 - Page A5www.pcpatriot.com

PartialGovernmentShutdown

I have heard questions from constituents regarding theoperations of the Federal Government that will continueoperating during the partial government shutdown. Whilesome departments remain unfunded, some were coveredby appropriations bills that have been signed into law.

For example, the Department of Defense has been fund-ed, meaning servicemen and -women in the Armed Forceswill continue to receive their paychecks. Similarly,President Trump signed into law spending for theDepartment of Veterans Affairs, so VA facilities remainopen to treat our country's heroes.

Americans dependent on Social Security will continueto get their checks, because the Social SecurityAdministration was funded.

Other functions ofthe government arenot funded, but theT r u m pAdministration hascommitted to mini-mizing the paininflicted by the par-tial shutdown.National parksremain accessible,

and the National Park Service has used fees to provideupkeep. The National Flood Insurance Program continuesto sell new policies and renew expiring ones.

Such actions represent a break from the past adminis-tration, which seemed to want Americans to feel govern-ment shutdowns as much as possible. Still, shutdownscannot help but disrupt the lives of the employees goingwithout paychecks, such as those at United States PrisonLee and the National Weather Service in Blacksburg.

So while the Trump Administration is trying to reducethe harm of the current partial shutdown, it has also soughtin good faith to make a deal that would end it.

Just this past week, some Democrat Members ofCongress, including Virginia's Abigail Spanberger, joinedthe President at the White House to talk about a compro-mise. Although no deal was reached, they should be com-mended for showing up and for respecting the importanceof the office of the Presidency.

The same cannot be said for House Speaker NancyPelosi. While the President has offered concessions to theDemocrats to address the pressing need for security on thesouthern border, Speaker Pelosi mockingly offered to givehim one dollar.

These actions will do nothing to reopen the govern-ment, never mind make progress in ending the humanitar-ian and security crisis on the southern border. A compro-mise means both sides have to give some, but theDemocrat leadership appears to view compromise as themgiving nothing and the other side surrendering.Republicans stand ready to accept a reasonable compro-mise.

In my last column, I urged Nancy Pelosi to come to thetable to negotiate and reach a compromise. I am sorry toreport that she has not, but I would again urge her to do soimmediately. Too much is at stake for the American peo-ple.

Committee AssignmentsCommittees are where much of the business of the

House is conducted. They are where Members ofCongress hold hearings on topics and consider legislation,providing a venue for some of the most substantive workwe do.

Throughout my time in Congress, I have served on theEnergy and Commerce Committee, most recently on itsSubcommittees on Health, Energy, and Oversight andInvestigations.

Energy and Commerce has a broad portfolio coveringmany issues that affect Americans in their everyday lives,especially in the Ninth District. Some of these issues areamong the most controversial in politics today, but othersprovide the basis for significant bipartisan cooperation. Asa result, it is highly productive.

In the 115th Congress, which met from 2017-18, 57E&C bills were signed into law. One hundred forty-eightpassed the House, 93% of which received bipartisanvotes. We also held 180 hearings and 36 markups for leg-islation.

Because of the new Democrat majority in the House,the number of Republican members on E&C subcommit-tees was reduced by over 30%. However, I am pleased tohave been reappointed to the Subcommittees on Health,Energy, and Oversight and Investigations for the 116thCongress.

Congressman Greg Walden (R-OR), the RepublicanLeader of E&C, said, "Morgan Griffith has proven to beone of the most diligent, hard-working members of theEnergy and Commerce Committee, and with his reap-pointment, he will continue to be an asset to our commit-tee and for his Virginia constituents."

I am thankful for the trust Congressman Walden and theRepublican leaders placed in me by returning me to theseSubcommittees. And I am ready to get back to work onthem for the people of the Ninth District.

If you have questions, concerns, or comments, feel freeto contact my office. You can call my Christiansburgoffice at 540-381-5671.

Morgan

Griffith

9th DistrictRepresentative

The FBI took it upon itself to deter-mine whether the president of theUnited States is a threat to nationalsecurity.

No one had ever before thoughtthat this was an appropriate role forthe FBI, a subordinate agency in theexecutive branch, but Donald Trumpisn't the only one in Washington tram-pling norms.

The New York Times reported theastonishing news:"Counterintelligence investigatorshad to consider whether the presi-dent's own actions constituted a pos-sible threat to national security." U.S.presidents over the decades havemade many foolhardy decisions thathave undermined our security; neverbefore have they been deemed a fitsubject for an FBI investigation.

The proximate cause for the probeinto Trump was his firing of FBIDirector James Comey, which theFBI considered both a potential crimeand a national security matter becauseit might shut down the investigationinto Russian efforts to influence the2016 election.

Even if they were shocked by thetreatment of Comey, top FBI officialsshould have been able to quicklyascertain that the Russia investigationcontinued unimpeded -- indeed, it isstill ongoing today.

If the Times reporting is correct,the FBI grew more suspicious ofTrump's conduct based on comments

that have been widely misunderstood.Among the bill of particulars:

-- During the campaign, he urgedthe Russians to hack Hillary Clinton'semail. Trump clearly meant this linesardonically, though.

-- The GOP platform allegedly wassoftened toward Russia. Never mindthat, as Byron York of theWashington Examiner has demon-strated, this didn't actually happen.

-- And in his Lester Holt interviewafter the Comey firing, Trump saidthat "this Russia thing with Trumpand Russia is a made-up story." Thepresident added, it's worth noting,that he knew firing Comey probablyextended the investigation rather thanshortened it.

More legitimately, agents were dis-turbed by Trump's continual praisefor Vladimir Putin. These commentswere blameworthy, but not a federaloffense.

As part of the executive branch, theFBI should brush up on the powers of

the chief executive. The presidentgets to fire subordinate executivebranch officials. He gets to meet withand talk to foreign leaders. He gets tomake policy toward foreign nations.Especially important to the currentinvestigation, he gets to say foolish,ill-informed and destructive things.

If the president wants to tilt towardRussia (not that Trump really has,except in his words), he can. If hewants to butter up China's dictatorialpresident during high-stakes tradenegotiations, he can. If he wants toannounce a precipitous withdrawalfrom Syria and make it slightly lessprecipitous in a fog of confusion, hecan.

And the FBI should have nothingto say about it.

The Times story is another sign thatwe have forgotten the role of ourrespective branches of government. Itis Congress that exists to check andinvestigate the president, not the FBI.

Perhaps the Times report is exag-gerated, or the FBI has serious evi-dence of a criminally corrupt quid proquo between Trump and Moscow thatthere's no public indication of yet.Otherwise, the Times story is a damn-ing account of an offense against ourpolitical order, and not by DonaldTrump.

Rich Lowry is editor of theNational Review.

FBI Tramples Our Political Order

Busy First Full Week Of SenateThe first full week of the 2019

General Assembly Session has comeand gone. Long committee meetingsinto the evening hours, full debatesover legislation on the Senate floor,and many meetings with constituentswere all part of this past week.

Highlighting one of my bills, mySenate Bill 1495, which recentlypassed its first committee meeting,will create the first information tech-nology apprenticeship program inSouthwest Virginia. Higher educationand workforce development are keyfactors to growing our economy andcreating new jobs. We have some ofthe finest higher education institu-tions in Virginia and the nation here inSouthwest Virginia. We need to uti-lize these economic engines to attractnew jobs and train the next generationof the workforce. The program willbe housed at the Higher EducationCenter and will partner with areacommunity colleges to ensure all ofthe regions has the chance to partici-pate.

The newly formed RuralInformation TechnologyApprenticeship Program will helpsmall technology companies inSouthwest Virginia and will directlylead to new jobs. After eighteenmonths of working with a small tech-nology firm gaining on-the-job expe-

rience with a mentor, the companythen commits to hiring the apprentice.

This public-private partnership willgive residents and the youth ofSouthwest Virginia new opportunitiesto gain job experience while continu-ing to work in Southwest Virginia. Itis my expectation that the new pro-gram will help slow down the rate inwhich the youth of SouthwestVirginia are exiting for other opportu-nities by directly providing technolo-gy workforce development that isguaranteed to lead to a job.

Working with my GeneralAssembly colleagues in SouthwestVirginia, I have partnered withDelegate Kilgore and Senator Carricoon measures supporting UVA-Wise.One of our several approaches togrowing the economy and creatingnew jobs in the region is expandingour higher education institutions byconnecting new programs to work-force development and increasing

enrollment. I am a co-patron on legislation with

Delegate Kilgore and Senator Carricothat will expand access to the lowerin-state tuition rate to all residents ofthe federally defined area ofAppalachia. This innovative measurewill increase enrollment, thus bring-ing more students to the region to alsowork and live in the region after col-lege.

On a different note, of all the issuesbefore the General Assembly thisSession, I have received more calls,emails, and other communicationfrom constituents about fightingGovernor Northam and theDemocrat's gun control agenda thanany other issue. During the lastCourts of Justice Committee meeting,on which I serve, Republicans wereable to defeat the vast majority of thelegislation before us that was aimingto restrict your gun rights.

Whether it be banning minors pos-sessing a weapon effectively endinghunting before the age of 18, limitinghow many weapons a law abiding cit-izen can purchase during a month, orbanning many common rifles andhandguns that can hold ten rounds ina magazine, I will continue to fightthese measures and stand up for our

Ben

Chaffin

38th DistrictState Senator

See CHAFFIN, page A8

Church DirectoryWorship Each Week In The Church Of Your Choice

Page A6 - The Patriot - Friday, January 25, 2019

Live To Please GodMalachi was the last of the

Old Testament Prophets. Hisbook is the last book in the OldTestament. The Book of Malachiwas written to correct the negli-gent, careless religious andsocial behavior of the Jews -particularly the Priests - in post-exilic Jerusalem.

While God demanded that ani-mals sacrificed to Him were tobe "without blemish," thePriests, were offering blind,lame and sick animals for sacri-fice evidently thinking that noone would notice.

But even when no one elseseems to notice when somethingwrong is going on, rest assured,God notices. He notices it whenwe fail to pay our whole tithes.He notices it when we fail toattend Church for frivolous rea-sons. He notices it when wecompromise with the world. Thebible says, "Be sure your sinswill find you out." As the songsays, "There's an all seeing eyewatching you, there's an all see-ing eye watching you; Everystep that you take, this great eyeis awake. There's an eye watch-ing' you." (J.M. Henson)

A man told a little boy, youshow me where God is, and I'llgive you a dime. The little boysaid back to him, Mister, youshow me where God aint, andI'll give you a dollar. Now thatwas a smart kid.

Malachi criticized his audi-

ence for questioning God's jus-tice. He reminded them that GodIS just, and exhorted them to befaithful. Malachi pointed outthat the people of that day hadnot been faithful to God. Theyhad failed to fear God. The peo-ple had not been giving God allthat God deserved and required.Just as the Priests had neglectedto offer up acceptable sacrifices,so the people had been neglect-ing bring the whole tithe (10%)into the storehouse of God. Theresult of these shortcomings waspoverty and failing crops.

Because of these hardships,the people came to claim that nogood comes out of serving God.

But the truth is that no goodcomes from not serving God.God is good, all the time. And ifwe serve God faithfully, we willbe blessed by God. He opens upthe windows of heaven andpours us out blessings that are soabundant, we won't even haveroom to hold them all. So muchgood comes from serving God.

Malachi 2:3. "And now, O yePriests, this commandment is for

you. If ye will not hear, and ifyou will not lay it to heart, togive glory to My Name, saiththe Lord of Hosts, I will send acurse upon you, and I will curseyour blessings: yea, I havecursed them already, because yedo not lay it to heart."

The Priests were responsiblefor directing the spiritual life ofthe people. God said to thePriests and the people, if youwill not listen. If you will nottake my commandments intoyour hearts. If you do not honorMy Name; you will bring acurse down on yourselves. Godsaid, I'm going to turn yourblessings into curses. Even thatwhich ye have already shall notprofit you.

These Priests had stirred upthe wrath of God against themand against the people that theywere supposed to lead spiritual-ly. The people were spirituallybankrupt.

God said to the Priests, I willnot accept your sacrifices andwill throw them back into yourfaces. I will drive you awayfrom My presence. Since youhave despised Me, I will despiseyou. And ye shall know that Ihave sent this commandmentunto you, that my covenantmight be with Levi, saith theLORD of hosts.

Levi was the third son of

Teach MeYour WordO Lord

TerryMcCraw

See MCCRAW, page A7

From The Writings of Billy Graham

Trust in God beforeit’s too late

Q: During the Christmasseason my family visited theCreation Museum. It was fas-cinating. The children learnedmore truth about creationthan they will ever learn inschool. The question remains,why did Noah find grace inthe eyes of the Lord? -- C.E.

A: This is an epic story -- onethat fascinates everyone. Godtold Noah to "build an ark."Noah was perhaps the mostunlikely seaman. He knewnothing about sailing the highseas, and he certainly was at aloss as to how to build a boat.But he believed God.

Noah chopped down trees tobuild an enormous ark on dryland -- far from any ocean --because God was going to senda great flood. Destruction wascoming to a godless society.People laughed and mockedNoah, but through his obedi-ence and faith in God, he wasthe first person in the Bible tobe called righteous.

Centuries after Noah livedJesus spoke of him. The Biblesays that in the days of Noahthe world was filled with vio-lence. People loved sin -- theyidolized sin; they were

immersed in sin. The flood wasnot a natural catastrophe but amoral tsunami. God broughtjudgment on people who disbe-lieved Him. Noah's buildingproject took 100 years as peo-ple heard Noah declare God'swarning, but only Noah and hisfamily climbed aboard the greatboat with the animals. It hadnever rained upon the earth.People scoffed, but Noahbelieved God and survived thegreatest catastrophe the worldhas ever known.

This is a call to those who donot know that Christ wants tosave those from drowning insin. He wants to lift them upout of the turbulent waters andset them on higher ground.Don't delay in accepting Hissalvation.

(This column is based on thewords and writings of the lateRev. Billy Graham.)

My

Answer

BillyGraham

Valley Harvest Ministries1 Harvest PlaceP.O. Box 458

Dublin, VA 24084Senior Pastor Steve Willis

Associate Pastors: Perry Slaughter, Elaine Wood, Derick Burton

Sunday Worship: 10 a.m.Wednesday School 7 p.m.

www.vhmdublin.org540-674-4729

The Patriot - Friday, January 25, 2019 - Page A7

Church DirectoryWorship Each Week In The Church Of Your Choice

Jacob and Leah, and the founder ofthe Israelite Tribe of Levi (theLevites) and the grandfather ofAaron and Moses. All Israelite reli-gious and political functions werereserved for the Levites.

The Levitical Covenant was acovenant agreement based on theirobedience whereupon, God wouldmake them His "special treasure", a"kingdom of priests" and a "holynation". With their consent to thecovenant, they were given His lawswhich they were to obey. (Exodus19:7-8).

These wicked, slothful Priests ofthat day had failed to make sure the

laws of God were followed. Theyhad, in fact, departed from the lawthemselves and caused others tostumble.

Now it's bad enough when we sinagainst God ourselves, but evenworse when and if we should causeothers to sin against God. Theremust be a deeper place in theregions of Hell, for those who causeothers to sin against God. Anyplace in Hell is going to be beyondmiserable. No one in their rightmind should want to end up there.No one would even want to visit theregions of Hell for a moment if theyknew anything about the horrors ofHell. Hell is a forlorn place of sty-gian darkness. Where the screamsand cries of forgotten men andwomen will forever reverberate off

of its charred walls.God said, Return unto Me and I

will return unto you. If a persongrieves the Holy Ghost by sinning,the Holy Ghost will leave them,because He will not dwell in anunclean Temple. If we are saved,our bodies are the Temple of theHoly Ghost.

Bottem Line! If we live our livesin accordance with the word of God,it will please God, we will prosper,and we will make Heaven our eter-nal home. If we don't we won't.

McCrawContinued from page A6

808-3949

Page A8 - The Patriot - Friday, January 25, 2019

Pulaski Police Department photo

Police Department Gives Local Schools Clothes

Police officers know how important protecting the community is, but they also know how important it isto take care of the community. The Town of Pulaski's Police Department brought boxes of clothing to sev-eral of our local schools today, for children who are in need. Now, if a child needs a pair of socks or some-thing goes wrong while they're at school, they will have this stockpile of emergency clothing to help themout. Police Chief Gary Roche and Officer Megan Jennings hand delivered the clothes, much to the joy ofthe school officials who met with them to receive them. Pictured with Chief Roche and Officer Jenningsis Critzer Elementary School Principal Amy Williams.

Panel Takes StepToward LegalizingCasino GamblingBy Alexandra ZernikCapital News Service

RICHMOND -- The SenateGeneral Laws and TechnologyCommittee approved legislationthis week to allow casino gam-bling in five cities in Virginia.Next stop: the Senate FinanceCommittee.

The General Laws Committeemodified SB 1126 to allow thepossible establishment of a casi-no not just in Bristol,Portsmouth and Danville butalso in Richmond and Norfolk.The panel then voted 9-3 infavor of the measure, whichsupporters say would increasejobs and tax revenues in eco-nomically distressed areas.

But the bill won't go immedi-ately to the full Senate for con-sideration. Instead, the GeneralLaws Committee sent the legis-lation to the Finance Committeefor a look at its fiscal impact.

Under SB 1126, a city couldhave a casino if it meets certaincriteria of economic need, suchas high unemployment andpoverty levels. Bristol,Portsmouth and Danville meetthose criteria.

The General Laws andTechnology Committee incor-porated into SB 1126 aspects oftwo other bills -- SB 1503 andSB 1706. SB 1706 said citieswith more than 200,000 resi-dents also could have a casino ifit is operated by a federally rec-ognized Indian tribe. TheVirginia Pamunkey tribe hasexpressed interest in establish-ing a casino and could considerPortsmouth, Norfolk orRichmond under the bill.

"The one thing I've pushedfor the most is that it puts theultimate decision in the handsof the people in the jurisdictiondirectly impacted, includingthose associated to thePamunkeys," said Sen. CharlesCarrico Sr., R-Grayson.

Under the bill, local voterswould have to approve a casinogaming establishment in a refer-endum before it could get alicense from the VirginiaLottery Board. The measure

that emerged from the GeneralLaws and TechnologyCommittee also specifies thatonly one license can be issuedper city.

Gov. Ralph Northam previ-ously called for a study on casi-no gambling. The committee'ssubstitute bill adopted that ideaand said a "review of casinogaming laws in other states"would be conducted concurrent-ly with local efforts toward pos-sible referendums. No casinolicense could be issued untilJuly 1, 2020, according to thelegislation.

"It doesn't look like it's astudy to me. It looks like it's justa first step in a few-year processto making it happen," said Sen.David Suetterlein, R-RoanokeCounty, a member of theGeneral Laws and TechnologyCommittee. "This is a gamblingbill that has a small provisionfor a study in it, so that's why Iwill be against advancing thebill at this time."

SB 1126 would require thatcounseling and other servicesbe made available for problemgamblers. It would also create a"voluntary exclusion program"in which people could sign upfor a list to be barred from casi-nos.

As outlined in the bill,Virginia would collect a casinotax of 10 percent -- a lower taxrate than in every state butNevada and New Jersey,according to Sen. ScottSurovell, D-Fairfax. That's anissue the Finance Committeewill discuss.

"MGM has been sucking hun-dreds of millions of dollars outof this state up in Maryland,right across the river from myhouse, for four or five yearsnow," Surovell said. "I've beensaying for four years, since I'vegotten to the Senate, supportingmy colleague from Portsmouth,that we need to do somethingabout it."

The Patriot808-3949

Senate kills bill to raise minimumwage in Virginia party-line voteBy Maryum Elnasseh, Capital News Service

RICHMOND -- A Senate billthat would have raised Virginia'sminimum wage is dead -- muchto the dismay of more than twodozen advocates who braved thecold to rally for the bill Mondaymorning.

Introduced by Sen. RosalynDance, D-Petersburg, SB 1200would have increased the mini-mum wage to $10 on July 1 andeventually to $15 in July 2021. Itwas defeated Monday afternoonin a 19-21 party-line vote.

"It's been 10 years sinceVirginia workers received anincrease in wages," Dance said."Meanwhile, the price of every-day goods continues to go up. In2009, the average price for a gal-lon of gas in America was $1.78-- today, it's $2.41."

There are 30 states with a min-imum wage higher thanVirginia's $7.25 -- which is thefederal minimum wage.

Speaking in opposition of thebill, Sens. Mark Obenshain, R-Rockingham, and ThomasNorment, R-James City, arguedthat SB 1200 would hurt busi-nesses and working Virginians.

Norment voted last week in theCommittee on Commerce andLabor to advance the bill, but

voted against it Monday. He saidthat raising the minimum wage to$12 would cost Virginia 24,000jobs.

"If we raise the minimumwage in the manner described inthis bill, those jobs, opportunitiesand learning experiences aregonna disappear," Obenshainsaid. "And we're not gonna beable to provide that to the kidsgraduating from high school,people entering the workforce.We're gonna hurt an awful lot ofbusinesses that depend on pro-viding those opportunities tothose just entering the work-force."

Countering Obenshain's view,Sen. Jeremy McPike, D-PrinceWilliam, said there is a miscon-ception that the majority ofworkers who earn less than $15an hour are teenagers workingpart-time jobs.

"In fact, many of these workersare adults working full time, try-ing to earn enough to supporttheir families and their futures,"McPike said. "Without theopportunity to earn a livingwage, these workers have towork two and three jobs to makeends meet. That means timeaway from their kids."

According to the EconomicPolicy Institute, the average ageof workers who would be affect-ed by a minimum wage increase

is 35 years old.McPike was one of 10

Democratic senators who spokein favor of the bill, sharing sto-ries of their constituents who areunable to meet their needs, aswell as research conducted onstates with higher minimumwages.

Sen. Richard Saslaw, D-Fairfax, said that a recent studyshows that Arizona raised itsminimum wage but did not loseany jobs.

Before the Senate convenedMonday afternoon to vote on thebill, constituents rallied outsidethe Capitol in support of HB1200. Organized by the laborunion SEIU Virginia 512 and theorganization New VirginiaMajority, the rally drew morethan two dozen people.

"You can't survive on 7.25,"the group chanted, as senators

Constitutional Rights.This week, many of my pieces

of legislation have been sched-uled for their first committeehearings. I will make sure tokeep you up to date about mybills and other important issuesbefore the General Assembly.

Thank you for your continuedsupport. It is an honor to repre-sent Southwest Virginia in theGeneral Assembly. Please do nothesitate to reach out to me withyour questions and commentsduring session. You can contactmy office by phone at 276-889-1044 or by email at dis-trict38@senate.virginia.gov. Beon the lookout for my weeklyGeneral Assembly Sessionupdate in your local paper and onmy Facebook page. If you wouldlike to schedule a visit toRichmond, please let me know.My office can assist with toursand setting up meetings.

The 38th Senatorial Districtincludes all of Bland, Buchanan,Dickenson, Pulaski, Russell, andTazewell Counties, the Cities ofNorton and Radford, and por-tions of Montgomery, Smyth,and Wise Counties.

ChaffinContinued from page A5

See WAGE, page A10

The Patriot - Friday, January 25, 2019 - Page A9

Virginia.org photo

The LOVEworks sign in Spotsylvania, Virginia.

Public involvement continueson Pu-LOVE-ski initiative

The Town of Pulaski andPulaski On Main, the VirginiaMain Street affiliate, once againinvite town residents to offerideas and inspirations to con-struct Pulaski's own LOVEwork.The LOVEwork campaign oper-ates through the Virginia is forLovers tagline, which is support-ed by the Virginia TourismCorporation (VTC). The secondof three public engagements forthe sculpture will take place onceagain at the historic PulaskiTheatre, 14 W. Main Street, thistime on Jan. 31 from 6:30 - 7:30p.m. The program will involveviewing examples from acrossthe Commonwealth and then dis-cussing various concepts for a

LOVEwork in downtownPulaski.

"This second of two publicinformation meetings offers resi-dents the opportunity to becomeinvolved," offers Catherine VanNoy, Interim Director for Pulaskion Main. "Attendance at our firstmeeting in November was ham-pered by a pending ice storm.Here's hoping the Jan. 31 weath-er will be favorable for folks tocome out to our historic down-town theatre, which is, in itself, acommunity treasure."

The meeting will enlist citizensinterested in working on thePulaski LOVEwork, a four-month volunteer effort involvingapproximately five to six hours

of personal time spread over thisperiod.

According to the VTC, theLOVEworks program is a state-wide branding initiative designedto promote travel in Virginia andstrengthen awareness of the"Virginia is for Lovers" message.In 2019, the VTC is celebrating50 years of LOVE.

Domestic travel expendituresacross Virginia increased 4.4% to$24.8 billion in 2017, directlysupporting 232,200 jobs, accord-ing to a study conducted by theResearch Department of the U.S.Travel Association for theVirginia Tourism Corporation.

From Christiansburg Police Department

Man charged with felony mur-der in 2-year-old boy's death;Boy's mother also faces charges

On Friday, Jan. 11, at about9:15 p.m., Christiansburg Policeand Christiansburg Rescueresponded to call in reference tochild who had fallen and wasunresponsive at a residence at430 Zinc Lane.

Upon arrival, ChristiansburgPolice Officer Aaron Lusk found25-year-old male McKenzieKyle Hellman seated on the liv-ing room floor next to an unre-sponsive child, later identified astwo-year-old Steven Dale MeekII. At the time of the incident,Hellman resided at the residenceon Zinc Lane with Steven andSteven's mother, Kayla Thomas,25. Hellman is Thomas'boyfriend, and is not related toher son, Steven. Thomas was atwork at the time of the call.

Shortly after Officer Lusk'sarrival, members ofChristiansburg Rescue arrived,and, along with Officer Lusk,

b e g a nto per-f o r mc a r -diopul-monaryresusci-

tation (CPR) on the child. CPRwas performed for about 25 min-utes before a pulse was detected.Steven was transported by ambu-lance to LewisGale HospitalMontgomery and later airlifted toCarilion Roanoke MemorialHospital.

While treating Steven, medicalpersonnel, including a forensicnurse, discovered bruising andinjuries that did not appear to beconsistent with the preliminaryinformation that the child hadfallen from a toddler bed or crib.A criminal investigation beganand ultimately revealed evidenceindicating that Steven had beenthe victim of physical abuse. As aresult, on Sunday, Jan. 13,McKenzie Hellman was arrestedand charged with one count offelony child abuse.

Medical evaluation atRoanoke Memorial revealedminimal brain activity, andSteven was placed on life sup-port in the Pediatric IntensiveCare Unit. At about 7:40 p.m. onSunday, Jan. 13, Steven Meek II,died.

Preliminary forensic evidenceindicates Steven died fromextreme blunt force trauma to thehead, but the medical examiner'sofficial report has not yet beenreturned. Christiansburg Policedetectives discovered evidenceindicating Steven was not onlythe victim of physical abuse thatresulted in his injuries on Jan. 11,but also the victim of sexualabuse at the hands of bothMcKenzie Hellman and hismother, Kayla Thomas.

As a result of the evidence dis-covered in the investigation, onThursday, Jan. 17, McKenzieHellman was charged with thefollowing felonies:

•18.2-33 - Felony murder(Felony murder is when the vic-tim accidentally dies during the

commission of another felony.The other felony in this case ischild abuse. With regards to thischarge, the investigation is con-tinuing, and it is likely thischarge will be upgraded as theinvestigation progresses.)

•18.2-67.3 - Aggravated sexualbattery of a child less than 13years of age (2 counts). (The sec-ond charge is for the battery ofanother victim whose name isnot being released at this time.)

•18.2-374.3 - Solicitation of aminor less than 15 years of agefor sexual purposes

•18.2-67.2/18.2-18 -Accessory to inanimate objectsexual penetration of a personless than 13 years of age

•18.2-67.1/18.2-18 -Accessory to forcible sodomy byengaging in fellatio with a childless than 13 years of age

•18.2-374.1:1 - Possession ofchild pornography

•18.2-374.1:1/18.2-18 -Accessory before the fact to dis-tribution of child pornography

•18.2-374.1:1/18.2-18 -Accessory before the fact to pro-duction of child pornography

•18.2-371.1 - Child abuse(*charged on Jan. 13)

Kayla Thomas was charged onWednesday, Jan. 16, with the fol-lowing felonies:

•18.2-67.1 - Forcible sodomyby engaging in fellatio againstthe victim's will by force, threator intimidation

•18.2-67.2 - Inanimate objectpenetration of a person less than13 years of age

•18.2-374.1 - Production ofchild pornography involving achild less than 15 years of age

•18.2-374.1:1 - Possession anddistribution of child pornography

•18.2-371.1 - Being a parent orguardian, committing a willfulact so gross and wanton as toshow a reckless disregard forhuman life - Child neglect

Both Hellman and Thomas arebeing held without bond atWestern Virginia Regional Jail.

"We are fortunate to live in acommunity where violent crimeis rare," Christiansburg PoliceChief Mark Sisson said."However, that same good for-tune makes it all the more shock-ing when things like this happenin our community. We can onlyimagine the pain felt by the lovedones of Steven Meek II, and ourthoughts are with them duringthis difficult time."

Man charged inmurder of 2-year-old boy

McKenzie Kyle Hellman

This Story First Appeared

On Our Website At

www.pcpatriot.com

The Patriot - 808-3949

news@pcpatriot.comwww.pcpatriot.com

4-HContinued from page A3

how to "Make Our Best Better" bywriting resume's, cover letters,preparing for an interview as wellas balancing our 4-H Teens InAction! checkbook.

4-H TIA! is a club created byand made up of teens and tweens -they thought it up, they get togeth-er, they run meetings, and best ofall, they have all the fun!

Who can be a teen member?Any 4-H'er who is soon to be 11years of age and in the 6th grade.

4-H TIA! meets the 2ndMonday of the month, 6-8pm, atthe Extension Office.

For more information, contactus at the Extension Office at 540-980-7761 or pulaskicounty4-h@vt.edu.

MEMBER OF THE

VIRGINIA PRESSASSOCIATION

Page A10 - The Patriot - Friday, January 25, 2019

State Police photo

A Virginia 2020 inspection sticker with tear-off safety message.

State re-designsinspection stickers

RICHMOND - The VirginiaState Police Safety Division isrolling out a newly-designedvehicle safety approval inspec-tion sticker that now includes atraffic safety message. EffectiveJan. 1, 2019, all certified Virginiainspection stations began issuingthe sticker which has beenreduced from 2.75 inches inheight to 2 inches and from 4inches in length to 3 inches. Theyear of expiration is now perma-nently affixed to the right side ofthe sticker, with the only insertbeing the month of expiration.Even though the overall size hasbeen reduced, the month hasbeen enlarged to provide bettervisibility.

"The change in size is inresponse to the feedback StatePolice received from Virginiansfollowing the sticker's relocationto the bottom left corner of thewindshield in 2018," saidCaptain R.C. Maxey Jr., VirginiaState Police Safety DivisionCommander. "We heard from anumber of motorists who had dif-ficulty seeing around the sticker,so we worked to reduce its size toslightly smaller than the averagecredit card."

The sticker's security featureshave also been enhanced in orderto discourage and prevent unau-thorized removal, tampering andcounterfeit practices. Thechanges in size and design do notapply to motorcycle or trailersafety inspection stickers.Vehicle rejection stickers also

remain unchanged.

Another new feature of theinspection sticker enables StatePolice to reach an estimated 8.2million motorists annually with areminder about Virginia's "MoveOver" law. This portion of thesticker is not for display on thefront windshield. Instead, it isdetached by the inspector andprovided to the customer.Virginia's "Move Over" lawrequires motorists to move over alane when approaching an emer-gency vehicle stopped alongsidethe road. If unable to move over,then drivers are required to cau-tiously pass the emergency vehi-cle. The law applies to all vehi-cles equipped with red, blue andamber lights.

The placement of the stickerwas changed in 2018 from thecenter of the windshield to thebottom, left corner due to safetyconcerns related to automotiveinnovations in recent years. Thecenter placement of the stickercould prevent a vehicle's crashavoidance system from operatingproperly.

808-3949news@pcpatriot.com

New redistricting maps forVirginia favor DemocratsBy Daniel BertiCapital News Service

RICHMOND — Democratscould have a better shot pickingup seats in this year’s legislativeelections under a redistrictingmap that a U.S. District Courthas selected for the VirginiaHouse of Delegates.

If enacted, the new map wouldplace at least five Republicandelegates in districts where amajority of voters choseDemocrat Barack Obama in the2012 presidential election —including the 66th House Districtrepresented by RepublicanSpeaker of the House Kirk Cox.

Democratic districts affectedby the maps appear less likely tochange hands based on thoseelection results.

In a statement issued shortlyafter the court’s decision, Coxsaid that the maps chosen by thecourt aimed to give Democratsan advantage.

“The [maps] selected by theCourt target senior Republicans,myself included, without a sub-stantive basis in the law,” Coxsaid.

In 2012, 37 percent of voters inCox’s district voted for Obama.Under the new map, that numberis much higher — 53 percent.

The new maps would affect atotal of 25 districts primarily inthe eastern part of the statebetween Richmond and HamptonRoads and could present favor-able conditions for Democrats togain control of the House in2019.

Currently, Republicans hold aslim majority in the House, 51-48. All 100 seats are on the ballotin this year’s election.

Democrats have not had amajority in the House since 1998.

Under the new map, the 94thHouse District, a majority-bluedistrict represented by Del.David Yancey, R-Newport News,would become even moreDemocratic. The 2017 electionbetween Yancey and DemocratShelly Simonds ended in a tie,and Yancy was awarded the seatafter his name was drawn from abowl.

Del. Chris Jones, R-Suffolk,chairman of the HouseAppropriations Committee,would also see his districtbecome more Democratic. In2012, 44 percent of the voters inJones’ 76th House District votedfor Obama. That number is 58percent under the proposed redis-

tricting map.The U.S. District Court’s deci-

sion is the latest in a years-longredistricting case that reached theU.S. Supreme Court in 2017. Thehigh court ruled that 11 districtsin Virginia had been racially ger-rymandered by the 2011 GeneralAssembly to dilute the votingpower of African-American vot-ers.

The court has asked the “spe-cial master” appointed to overseethe redistricting process to inte-grate the new districts into thestatewide map and to submit thefinal plan by next Tuesday.

Republicans have appealed theU.S. Supreme Court ruling andasked the court to delay theredrawing until it hears theirappeal later this spring. TheSupreme Court denied thatrequest, giving the U.S. DistrictCourt the green light to completethe redistricting process before

this year’s election.On Wednesday, the Virginia

NAACP issued a statement insupport of the maps selected bythe court.

“While we think the courtcould have done more to fullyremedy the effects of the 2011unconstitutional racial gerryman-ders, we are overall pleased thatvoters will have fairer mapswhen they vote later this year,”NAACP spokesman JesseFrierson said.

“We are pleased that the courtsees the need to incorporateanother district where voters ofcolor will be able to elect a can-didate of their choice.”

The District Court’s map selec-tion will impact only the 2019election. District lines will beredrawn statewide after the U.S.Census Bureau releases newdemographic data in 2020.

WageContinued from page A8

passed by to enter the Capitol.There are several other bills

this session that would alsoincrease the minimum wage:

•HB 1850 would raise the min-imum wage to $9 on July 1 andeventually to $15 in 2023.

•HB 2157 would raise the min-imum wage to $10.10 in 2020.

•SB 1017 would raise the min-imum wage to $8 on July 1 andeventually to $11.25 in 22.

How They VotedHere is how the Senate voted

Monday on SB 1200 (Minimumwage; increase to $10 per hour

effective July 1, 2019):01/21/19 - Senate: Defeated by

Senate (19-Y 21-N)YEAS - Barker, Boysko,

Dance, Deeds, Ebbin, Edwards,Favola, Howell, Lewis, Locke,Lucas, Marsden, Mason,McClellan, McPike, Petersen,Saslaw, Spruill, Surovell - 19.

NAYS - Black, Carrico,Chafin, Chase, Cosgrove,DeSteph, Dunnavant, Hanger,McDougle, Newman, Norment,Obenshain, Peake, Reeves, Ruff,Stanley, Stuart, Sturtevant,Suetterlein, Vogel, Wagner - 21.

SPORTS The Patriot - January 25, 2019 - Page B1www.pcpatriot.com

There will be no changes in VHSL practicesA motion that would have

eliminated out-of-season prac-tices by VHSL member schoolswas soundly defeated by anexecutive committee vote of 29-3-1 Wednesday, but VHSL offi-cials have decided to develop acommittee to monitor the effectof out-of-season practices andsee if maybe there can be somemiddle ground that would besatisfying to all.

Make no mistake, this rule,any new ones, and any old ones,are about football. For yearsother sports could pretty muchdo whatever they wanted when-ever they wanted to do it, andeven if it was in violation ofVHSL rules, seldom did any-

thing take place. It was justaccepted. But if two guys werespotted passing a football in theparking lot outside the bandroom, you just might have got-ten turned in for illegal out-of-season practice. Do not laugh.That happened to PulaskiCounty High School.

The issue is more about theavailability of coaches, the over-all quality of coaches, and thefact there is no compensation foradditional time for coaches.There will be an effort to findsome middle ground.

Currently there are dead peri-ods during the calendar that pro-hibit out-of-season practicesaround July 4. For instance this

coming summer Pulaski Countywill take a 10-day break fromJune 28 until July 8th. But main-taining a year-round program isvery time consuming, and thereis pressure. If you do not have aserious off season weight train-ing and physical conditioningprogram in high school footballyou will not be successful. It

should also be mentioned thatPCHS coaches are understand-ing when it comes to familyvacations.

So you must do the work. Butif there was another down periodand everybody adhered to it, thatwould take off some of the pres-sure and demand. This is thetype thing that the VHSL willexplore. However, one of theprimary reasons out-of-seasonpractice was adopted in 2011 forall schools was because some ofthem were not going by thesame rules and it's virtuallyimpossible to discover all theviolators.

But this also effects othersports as well. You will still be

able to have an open gym duringfootball season and basketballplayers can shoot around andwork on various skills if theydesire. In the fall if the weatheris nice, the baseball team can hitthe batting cage and workout. Itis an equal opportunity rule, andit was put in place in 2011 pri-marily because football was notreceiving an equal opportunity.

There are legitimate concernsat smaller schools about havingenough qualified coaches andenough players to fill all theirprograms. That is certainlyunderstandable and somethingthat should be considered. But it

Locker

Room

DanCallahan

Elks photos

Christopher Gallimore, Jeremiah Turner and Logan Fleenor are seen with Gold First PlaceTrophies. Lodge officers are James Chitwood and Leslie Turpin.

County youth bring home gold,silver in SW Va. Elks Hoop Shoot

Pulaski Elks Lodge #1067brought home the gold and silveras Pulaski County students par-ticipated in the SouthwestVirginia District Hoop Shoot thispast Saturday.

Flu, high fever, and colds tooka heavy toll on the contestants ofthe Elks District Hoop Shoot inBedford.

Of the Pulaski Lodge's threeinvited girls one did not make thecall and was under strict doctors'orders to stay in bed.

Taylor Goble finished silver ina very tight match for her group.Reese Nolan was tied with hercompetitor at the end of 25 shots,requiring further shots to decidethe contest of being an alternate.Reese missed the slot for her agegroup by 2 points.

The three boy contestantswere running somewhat of afever too, a basket hitting fever!Logan Fleenor, Jeremiah Turner,Christopher Gallimore shot hotand accurate and winning as dis-trict champions. These guys are

invited to shoot off with otherVirginia District champs to seewho the top Elks Hoop Shooterin the State of Virginia will be inearly February at Charlottesville.

Please go to check out virgini-

aelks.org for details of hoopshoot and other Elks youth pro-grams.

Follow the Pulaski Lodge onFacebook, for details on the com-petition.

Taylor Goble, alternate to compete in State Hoop Shoot, shownwith Lynn Rutherford Snow State Hoop Shoot Chairman andScott Craig District Chair at the new Liberty Middle SchoolGym.

See CALLAHAN, page B2

Pulaski Yankeesannounce 2019coaching staffFrom Pulaski Yankees

The Pulaski Yankees todayannounced the coaching staff forthe 2019 season, as assigned bythe New York Yankees. LuisDorante, Pulaski's manager in2017, returns to Calfee Park afterspending the 2018 season withthe Trenton Thunder.

He is joined by pitching coachGerardo Casadiego, hitting coachScott Seabol, defensive coachTeuris Oliveres, athletic trainerManny Ozoa, and strength andconditioning coach LarryAdegoke, all of whom haveserved on the coaching staff inPulaski in past seasons.

Dorante enters his eighth sea-son in the Yankees' organizationand second at the helm of thePulaski Yankees. He was named2017 Appalachian LeagueManager of the Year during hisfirst stint in Pulaski. He spent the2018 season as the bullpen coachfor the Trenton Thunder(Double-A), where he previouslyserved as pitching coach for the2012 and 2013 seasons, helpingthe Thunder to an Eastern LeagueChampionship in 2013. Dorantewas manager of the CharlestonRiverDogs (Single-A) from2014-2016. Signed as a non-

drafted free agent in 1986 byBoston, Dorante played sixminor league seasons in the RedSox organization.

Pitching coach GerardoCasadiego returns to Pulaski forhis third consecutive season andhis seventh overall in theYankees organization. Casadiegoserved in the same role for theDSL Yankees 1 from in 2014 and2015 and with the DSL Yankees2 in 2016. Casadiego played over10 minor league seasons with theExpos, Yankees, Rockies, andOrioles organizations.

After spending 2018 with theRiverDogs, hitting coach ScottSeabol returns to Pulaski, wherehe began his professional coach-ing career in 2017. Seabol wasselected by the Yankees in the

See YANKEES, page B2

Page B2 - The Patriot - Friday, January 25, 2019

is the age of specialization inathletics, and just because youprohibit one program from prac-ticing during the off season doesnot necessarily mean they willplay another sport.

There are plenty of outlets forathletes to train, be it on theirschool campus or elsewhere.However, the feeling here is thatit's something that should belooked at. How about allowing aschool so many hours in thesummer and use those hourshowever you want? How aboutthinking about having a footballcamp for maybe a two or three-week period of time? Therecould be viable options, but theworld of sport has changed inhow it trains its athletes and it'snot going to turn back.

Saints Still Could HaveWon:

I'm about to upset some Saintsfans who are certainly still madtheir team will not be playing inthe Super Bowl. First, bad callscome throughout a footballgame. Some of them get fixed,some of them don't. You remem-ber the last one because it wasthe last one. And yes, it waspass interference and yes, theofficial, who had apparently fall-en to the ground missed it. Itwas a call that should have beenmade, but it was not reviewable.I find it hard to believe some-thing isn't reviewable thesedays. One of these days theywill video how players squat inthe huddle, those of them thatstill do. The thought of taking

legal action against the NFLbelongs in the bars on BourbonStreet.

So yes, I agree. A badlymissed call. Now for some morereality. The Saints still kicked afield goal to take a three-pointlead. Now all you have to do iskickoff, hold the Rams and youwin. The Saints could not do it.The Rams tie and it's off toovertime. The Saints get the ballfirst. Drive and score a touch-down and you win. The Saintscould not do it. In fact, theythrew a pick! But the ball is stillon the Rams' side of the 50.Hold them and you can still winthe game. The Saints could notdo it.

So the argument that themissed call simply ended allchances the Saints had to winthe game is simply not true.Overcome! Great teams over-come! The Saints could not, andhad numerous opportunities stillto win the game. When the chipsare down and you need to makea stop. Make a stop. The Saintscouldn't, and on the most impor-tant possession of the game,they threw a pass interceptionand then the defense didn't holdagain. Yes, bad call, unfortunateno doubt. But to say the Saintsdidn't have a chance to win thegame because of the bad call issimply not true.

And now the legal action?The people have gone nuts.Hopefully it will be thrown outof court if it gets there, andhopefully the NFL will not makeany more stupid replay rules thatstop the games even more thanthey are already being interferedwith. I don't care what teamyou're a fan of, or for what rea-son, and just like in life when

this society for some reasonwants to keep adding rules andregulations. Let our own govern-ment be an example. There areramifications to everything. Justread the item below if you needproof. And the next time it hap-pens, and the same type playgets "reviewed'' it just might beto the benefit of the opponentthe Saints happen to be playingthat day.

The frustration continued withAndy Reid and Kansas City. Hewas upset because a Chief wascalled for being off sides againstthe Patriots. He said you don'tmake that kind of call in a play-off game. Why not? The guywas horribly off sides, nottricked, didn't jump, lined up afull yard off sides! That's dumb.Trying to get a jump on a quar-terback sack. Same thing. ThePatriots had the ball and had todrive 80 yards to score in regu-lation. KC couldn't stop them.The Patriots won the toss inovertime, took the ball anddrove 80 again to win. Don'tcomplain about one of yourguys getting called for lining upoff sides, make a stop! Moral ofthe story. KC fired its defensivecoordinator this week and whenthe score is tied and Tom Bradyhas the ball, you're in a bit oftrouble.

Here We Go Round inCircles:

College football is even put-ting soap operas to shame thesedays. Nobody could have envi-sioned what the world of thecollege quarterback was goingto turn into. College has its ownfree agent system it seems, andyou wonder why all these edu-cated people with "great'' minds

just sit back and let things hap-pen. Recruiting used to be forthe most part college coachescoming to high school stadiumsaround the country and findingtalent. It was great to see thecoaches come around. Great vis-its. I remember the Friday after-noon that three West Virginiacoaches came to a PulaskiCounty football game in DobsonStadium. They got there early,and stayed long after the gamehad ended. They wanted KingHarvey to play football for theMountaineers and he did, andmay his kind and wonderful soulrest in peace.

Now it's different. Recruitingis national and it comes at fourlevels, not just high school. Firstyou get the youngster out of theneighborhood school or morefrequently with each passingyear from a private school pro-gram. That's phase one. Nextyou can get a player from juniorcollege. Usually a kid that didn'tmake the grades, but wentJUCO and got himself eligible.Phase three. There is the trans-fer. A player transfers from onecollege to another after one,two, or three years, sits out aseason and becomes eligible toplay two years later.

And now we have the dreadedfourth level of recruiting. The"Grad Transfer.'' If a player hasenough credits to graduate hecan leave a school for anotherand become immediately eligi-ble. So now you have threeways to recruit undergraduatesas well as the graduate. Is it safeto assume the "grad transfer''doesn't apply himself a greatdeal academically his first andonly season with his newschool? I think so. So now you

recruit kids for three and evenfour years. Even after players goto other colleges, you still keeprecruiting them. What a wonder-ful world.

And what does all this mean?See if you can keep up with justwhat it means at the quarterbackposition. 1- Justin Fields trans-fers from Georgia to Ohio State.2- Jalen Hurts transfers fromAlabama to Oklahoma. 3- TateMartell transfers from OhioState to Miami. 4- AustinKendall transfers fromOklahoma to West Virginia. 5-Kelly Bryant moves fromClemson to Missouri. 6-Brandon Wimbush transfersfrom Notre Dame to UCF. 7-Cam Rising leaves Texas forUtah. 8- Ben Hicks leaves SMUfor Arkansas. 9- ShawnRobinson transfers from TCU toMissouri. The Tigers cash intwice. 10- Alex Dalton leavesTCU, they are heading out fastin Fort Worth, and will now playfor Kansas State. That's enough.There will probably be more,and this is just the quarterbackposition. There will be a total ofover 200 transfers before it'sover. Hope you can keep upwith who's on your team.Remember the old complaintabout professional teams? "Thenames on my team keep chang-ing every year.'' How about that.

Whataburger?It wasn't a good evening

Monday for former DallasCowboy running back DarrenMcFadden. He was arrested forDWI. The police picked him upafter he fell asleep in the fastfood drive thru lane atWhataburger! How's that for alegacy.

CallahanContinued from page B1

Hokiesports.com

Hokie sophomore guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 19 for Tech.

Tar Heels’ first half runtoo much for the HokiesHokiesports.com

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -Despite scoring 80-plus points inconsecutive league games, theNo. 10/8 Virginia Tech men'sbasketball team fell on the roadto No. 11/12 North Carolina 103-82 Monday night at the DeanSmith Center.

The Hokies (15-3, 4-2 ACC)were led by four players in dou-ble figures, but the Tar Heels (15-4, 5-1) had five of their own with10-plus points, including CobyWhite's game-high 27 points.

Kerry Blackshear Jr. led the

way on the offensive end forTech, pulling down a career-high17 rebounds, including 10 offen-sive, and pouring in 19 points.Ahmed Hill recorded a team-high 20 points, NickeilAlexander-Walker owned 19points and Justin Robinson post-ed 17 points.

Tech got off to a fast start,scoring 19 points in the firstseven minutes of play, with 15 ofthose 19 points coming fromdowntown to gain an eight-pointlead at 19-11. After the flurriesfrom beyond the arc, Alexander-Walker earned his second foul

with 10 minutes left andRobinson picked up his third foulwith nine minutes remaining inthe first half.

The guards would head to thebench in foul trouble, and the TarHeels would proceed to go on a27-9 run to take a 45-31 lead intohalftime.

Tech would cut the deficit to14 points after Blackshear sanktwo free throws at 16:16, but thatwould be as close as the Hokiesgot it after intermission.

NOTES- Blackshear topped his previ-

ous best rebound performance bytwo boards when he had 15against The Citadel on Nov. 12,2017. The 17 rebounds againstthe Tar Heels was the third-mostby an ACC player this season andit marked his third double-doubleof the season.

- Alexander-Walker was feel-ing it early on before his twofouls, knocking down three 3-pointers the first seven minutesof the game. He went on to finishwith five triples, marking acareer high.

- Hill's 20 points marked hisfourth 20-point game of the sea-son and his first in conferenceaction. The graduate student hasnow had five games this winterof four or more 3-pointers, hit-

See HOKIES, page B3

The Patriot - 808-3949news@pcpatriot.comwww.pcpatriot.com

YankeesContinued from page B1

88th round of the 1996 First-YearPlayer Draft and appeared in 60Major League games with theYankees (2001) and Cardinals(2005). He played 12 minorleague seasons with the Yankees,Brewers, Cardinals, and Marlins.

Olivares begins his ninth sea-son in the Yankees organization,returning to Pulaski in the samerole he held during the 2018 cam-paign. He served as defensivecoach for the Staten IslandYankees in 2016 and 2017 aftercoaching five seasons in theDSL. Olivares was signed by theYankees as a non-drafted freeagent in 1995 and played nineseasons in the Yankees farm sys-tem before playing six seasons inthe independent Atlantic League.

Strength and conditioningcoach Larry Adegoke and athlet-ic trainer Manny Ozoa return toPulaski for their second andfourth seasons, respectively.Adegoke earned his B.S. in exer-cise science from KennesawState University and his M.S. inexercise and nutrition from theUniversity of Tampa. Prior tojoining the Yankees organizationfull-time, he served as the team'sperformance science assistant inthe spring of 2017.

Ozoa earned his bachelor's

degree in athletic training fromIllinois State University and hismaster's degree in medical sci-ences with a concentration in ath-letic training and adolescent ath-letics from the University ofSouth Florida. He spends his off-seasons as a seasonal athletictrainer for the Tampa Bay

Buccaneers.

Tom Kackley will be thePulaski Yankees clubhouse man-ager in 2019 after serving in thesame role with the TrentonThunder. The Yankees' 2019video manager is still to be deter-mined.

The Patriot - Friday, January 25, 2019 - Page B3

Austin vs. Montgomery: The ‘Great” DebateMy last column on the charac-

ter, Isaac (Hogtoe) Austin followstoday. It is a debate he andLawrence Montgomery had atCamp Whippoorwill owed byS.B. Steger of Pulaski at theAlum Spring on Little WalkerCreek. Hope you enjoy.

ISAAC AUSTIN, A LEGEND

Isaac had a vocabulary almostall his own. Why his "by word"was "I Hogtoe," I have no I idea,but he scarcely related a sentencewithout using it. Sometimes hewould substitute with "bookenthing." A good example would beas follows: "My ole hound dog,named Soop-em-babe jumped ahog-toed rabbit, chased it and justscooped up the booken thing." Hewas a great mimmicker, andcould demonstrate with his armsand legs haw his dog "put the fanen" and overtook the rabbit. Isaacowned one blue mare namedMabel, but no cows because hedid not like milk.

Isaac was the san of Jim andMary Austin. Be met his wife,Fannie Brown, over acrossWalker's Big Mountain. She wasa house worker for Mr. TeebFrancis, a prominent farmer inGiles County. They were parentsof several girls and one son,Percy Lee Austin.

Other words .of his vocabularywere: Flour or meal to him was"bread stuff." A doctor was a "pillpeddler." Of course Dr. P.C.Carbon was pronounced "Dr.Carbon." He was an expert gamehunter. Using his 12-gauge shot-gun and 22-rifle, grouse andground hogs were easily slain.Isaac was absolutely honest. Hewas a good steward of the church

and took pride in using his felthat to "take up collection" forwhoever the' speaker happened tobe.

Besides farming, bee hunting,and game hunting, his greatestthrill was his ability to publiclydebate various subjects with hisneighbors. These debates will beelaborated on in a special chapter.His brand of chewing tobaccowas "Brown's Mule." He said heliked something with a little kickto it! Usually the rural mail carri-er from Long Spur to Poplar Hillwould deliver Isaac's and manyothers their chewing."

LAWRENCE MONTGOMERY

Lawrence Montgomery and hiswife Josephine lived in a loghouse located on land that joinedIsaac Austin. They were parentsof a large family of girls andboys.

Of course, Lawrence was theson of Larkin Montgomery andthe father of James T. "Bunts"Montgomery. Lawrence, ahumorous man, worked manyyears for N. F White to drive the1928 truck.

He and his son "Bunts" andothers later worked at BemkdomMines walking the "Crow Path"across Little Walker Mountaindaily. After this mining operationby D. Gray Langhorne closed,Lawrence and sons obtained jobsin West Virginia mines returninghome on weekends.

This man, with all his splendidjoking remarks, was certainly themost jovial man I ever knew. Hislove of life, family and friendsbrightened the lives of all who

knew him.

THE "GREAT" DEBATEDuring the years of the "Great

Depression" 1929-39, the finest:entertainment for both black andwhite in the community was adebate. Most were conducted ona warm summer evening, at theblack people church. Isaac Austinwas always the captain of histeam and Lawrence Montgomerywas captain of the opposing team.Each captain having two col-leagues making a total of sixspeakers. I remember two of thesubjects that were debated, hav-ing been present for both occa-sions.

1. "Resolved--that nature ismore attractive to the eye of manthan art."

2. "Resolved--that man willventure further for the love ofwoman than for the love ofmoney."

My vivid recollection of thelast debate held under the largebeech trees at Alum Spring isclear and exciting. You see, Mr.S.B. Steger, Jr. of Pulaski hadbuilt a summer home named"Camp Whipporwill” near thespring. His good wife had invitedher First Pulaski Methodistwomen over for entertainment.Mr. Sid Steger, using newly sawnboards from my father's sawmill

erected a long picnic counter anda smallspeaker's platform for thedebators. This event taking placeone mile east of my birthplace, Iwaited until the eating was overand then walked down to hear thedebate, as did several other peo-ple. Isaac Austin and LawrenceMontgomery were there gettingsome final whispers from Mr. SidSteger. You see, he wanted thedebators to mention certain peo-ple's names in the audience. IsaacAustin was walking the speaker'splatform as he had only one sup-porting speaker to show up. Isaacwas always the affirmative cap-tain in every debate and hadalways won.

Since the picnic was over andall were seated in lawn chairs andwooden benches, Isaac Austinbegan to speak. "Mr. Chairman,Honorable Judges, my worthopponents, Ladies andGentlemen, the subject to be dis-cussed is: Resolved: That ManWill Venture Further For theLove of Woman Than for theLove of Money. I find myself onthe affirmative side which isgoing to be the winning side."After reminding the people thatMr. J. Frank Wysor, with all ofhis money and wealth, employedpretty ladies as secretaries, clerks,and book-keepers, he made avery strong presentation.

Hogtoe's strong point at theclose of his l5-minute openingstatement was well delivered.Saying that if you situated all thewomen on top of Big Mountainand placed all the men andmoney on top of Little Mountainand filled the valley with water,men would die like flies in butter-milk,' leaving their money trying

to reach the women.Then it was Lawrence

Montgomery's time to speak forthe money side. Standing straightand tall, not moving or shiftingabout, his adam's apple bouncingup and down as he humorouslyspoke and laughed. Lawrencemade a strong argument for thenegative side. He related how hehad worked mining coal atBimkton Mines owned by D.Gray Langhourne lying flat on hisback in 24" seams of coal, all formoney for a livelihood. ButLawrence brought the housedown, so to speak, with his clos-ing words, reminding us that thelove of money dominated peopleof all walks of life-- doctors,lawyers, politicians and evenministers. Then he said preacherstoday will buy a new Dodge, pullup to the front door of the church,go inside and preach a big ser-mon and then say--as we take theoffering, "Give me your moneyand the Lord your troubles, "Lawrence won the debate, IsaacAustin left for home early andthere was never another debate. Aminister was present who has justpurchased a new car.

CONCLUSIONIn conclusion I feel that people

could fellowship and enjoy lifeway be fore television of today.Also, people, white and black, gotalong much better than today. Mr.Austin was a good steward of thiscommunity and church. The goodLord would like all of you read-ing this to be good stewards ofyour community and church.

"But be ye doers of the word,and not hearers only…" James1:22.

Woods,

Water &

Wildlife

W.A. “Doc”Davis

HokiesContinued from page B2

ting exactly four tonight.

- Tech has been shooting lightsout at the charity stripe as of late,making 47 of 55 (85.5 percent)from the free-throw line its lastthree games. Tonight, it owned a15-of-16 clip (93.8 percent).

WHAT IS NEXT

- The Hokies will head back toBlacksburg for a Saturday nightmatchup with Syracuse (13-5, 4-1) at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN atCarilion Clinic Court at CasselColiseum.

PCHS Sports ScheduleTuesday 01/29/19Boys Basketball: Pulaski Co. @ Cave Spring JV @ 5:30, Varsity to Follow (@Cave SpringMiddle School)Girls Basketball: Cave Spring @ Pulaski Co. JV @ 5:30, Varsity to FollowSwim: @ Christiansburg Aquatic Center 6:30

Wednesday 01/30/19Wrestling: Pulaski Co. @ William Fleming 5:30

Thursday 01/31/19Boys Basketball: Pulaski Co. @ Salem JV @ 5:30, Varsity to FollowGirls Basketball: Salem @ Pulaski Co. JV @ 5:30, Varsity to Follow

Saturday 02/02/19Boys Basketball: Pulaski Co v. William Byrd (Adam Ward Classic @ Salem HS) 11:45 amIndoor Track: @ Blacksburg HS 10 am

Page B4 - The Patriot - Friday, January 25, 2019

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The National VeteransWheelchair Games for 2019 willbe held in Louisville, Kentucky.These games are the largest in theworld for disabled veterans, andthey will be co-hosted by theDepartment of Veterans Affairsand Paralyzed Veterans ofAmerica.

There are 19 games in all,ranging from soccer, swimmingand table tennis to weightlifting,bowling, archery and more.

Signups will run through April15. Seewww.wheelchairgames.org.

But that's just some of what'sgoing on this year. For moreinformation on all veterans

games, go online towww.blogs.va.gov/nvspse.

The Summer Sports Clinicruns from Sept. 15-20 and offersactivities in sailing, cycling,track and field and more forthose who were recently injured.If you're still in rehab, this clinicwill give you an idea of the pos-sibilities in recreation.Registration runs through May 1.

The National Veterans GoldenAge Games will be held inAnchorage, Alaska, this yearfrom June 5-10 for veterans age55 and older who get medicalcare from the VA. You'll findcompetitions in air rifles, golf,nine ball, swimming, track &field and more. Registration isfrom Feb. 25 to March 8.

The TEE Tournament is inIowa City, Iowa, this year fromSept. 8-13. TEE (Train, Expose,Experience) teaches adaptivegolf to veterans with visual orother disabilities. Other activitiesinclude fishing, bowling andmore. Registration runs throughMay 1.

Grants are available to organi-zations to create and manageadaptive sports programs, and itcan be worth the effort for anorganization to get involved.Visit the site to learn specificsand requirements.

Check the list of grant recipi-ents. Last year, grants to organi-zations ranged from $50,000 forblind athletes in skiing and row-ing all the way to a half milliondollars for the whole range ofathletics, including, snowboard-ing, wheelchair, tennis andcycling.

Wheelchair games and more in ‘19

The Patriot - January 25, 2019 - Page B5

New River CommunityCollege will offer several one-day workshops on MicrosoftOffice computer programs inFebruary.

"Word: Part 1" familiarizesthe student to the Word environ-ment and continues with format-ting text, inserting graphics,managing lists, working withtables, adjusting page layout andpreparing a document for pub-lishing. This workshop is sched-uled Friday, February 8, from 9a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (class ID#12925).

"Excel: Part 2" will coverfunctions such as ranges, logical,date and text, sort/filter, subto-tals, tables, charts andPivotTables. PivotTables areused to analyze and comparelarge amounts of data. Thisworkshop will be held Friday,February 22, from 9 a.m. to 4:30p.m. (class #12923).

All courses will be held atNRCC's NRV Mall site inChristiansburg, room 143.Tuition is $115 per workshop,which will prepare individualsfor Microsoft Office Specialistcertification.

For online, registration, visitwww.nr.edu/workforce, Classes& Programs, Non Credit CourseOfferings and then search for theclass ID number. For more infor-mation, call (540) 674-3613.

NRCC to offercomputerworkshops

DULUTH, MN -- CynthiaKolb, of Hiwassee, VA, graduat-ed from The College of St.Scholastica with a Doctor ofPhysical Therapy .

St. Scholastica held its Fall2018 Commencement ceremonyon Saturday, Dec. 15 in the ReifGymnasium on campus.

The College of St. Scholasticais nationally recognized for qual-ity. Rankings by U.S. News &World Report classify it as one of

the Midwest's top regional uni-versities. Learn more at css.edu.

Cynthia Kolb graduates fromThe College of St. Scholastica

Va. Senate panel votes to legalize guns in churchesBy Jayla Marie McNeillCapital News Service

RICHMOND -- Republicansvoted Monday to advance a billthat would legalize concealedweapons in places of worship inVirginia.

The Senate Courts of Justicecommittee voted 7-6 along partylines to advance SB 1024. Thebill would repeal a Virginia lawthat makes it a Class 4 misde-meanor to carry or conceal "anygun, pistol, bowie knife, daggeror other dangerous weapon with-out sufficient reason, to a place

of worship."Introduced by Sen. Robert

Black, R-Loudoun, the bill isdesigned to address the "ambigu-ous" Virginia laws on the use ofguns in places of worship, Blackpreviously told the Loudoun-Times Mirror.

"I believe Virginians have theright to protect themselves,"Black stated on his website. "Isupport the right of competent,law abiding citizens to own armsto defend themselves and theirfamilies."

The bill recalls PresidentDonald Trump's assertion inOctober that armed guards would

have prevented the mass shoot-ing at the Tree of Life synagoguein Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

"If there was an armed guardinside the temple, they wouldhave been able to stop him,"Trump said to reporters.

Eleven were killed during theattack, which was called the"most deadly anti-Semitic hatecrime in American history" bythe Anti-Defamation League.

Last year, an identical bill wasendorsed by Sen. A BentonChafin Jr., R-Russell. Chafin'sbill successfully passed theSenate, but died in the House.

Some congregations nationally

already allow concealedweapons, including The River atTampa Bay Church in Florida.The church's decision came inresponse to the 2017 shooting atFirst Baptist Church inSutherland Springs, Texas, whichleft 26 dead.

As a means of "warning" indi-viduals, the congregation put upa sign stating that the property is"heavily armed."

"Yes we are a church," the sign

reads, "and we will protect ourpeople."

Supporters argue that allowingconcealed weapons in places ofreligious worship is a necessaryform of preparation againstpotential threats. Critics maintainthat stricter gun laws would bet-ter prevent attacks.

SB 1024 awaits a vote from thefull Senate before moving to theHouse.

School Board Meeting Schedule

By Saffeya AhmedCapital News Service

RICHMOND - A legislativesubcommittee voted 6-4 Tuesdayin favor of a bill that would makefood stamps available to peopleconvicted of drug-relatedfelonies.

The panel recommended thatthe full House Health, Welfareand Institutions Committeeapprove House Bill 1891, whichwould expand eligibility forSupplemental NutritionAssistance Program benefits, orfood stamps, to any drug offend-er.

"We are a nation of secondchances," said Del. MatthewJames, D-Portsmouth, who spon-sored the bill. "This is an issuewe need to think about … repeal-ing the lifetime ban on foodstamps."

Under current law, only peoplewho are convicted of drug pos-session felonies can be eligiblefor food stamps and temporaryassistance, if they comply withthe court and complete a sub-stance abuse treatment program.

James said the legislationserves as a "safety net for felonswho have done their time, paid

their prices."In 2018, more than 4,000

SNAP applicants were deniedfood stamps because of drug-related charges, according to thebill's impact statement. If passed,HB 1891 would provide SNAP tomore than 600 new Virginianswho do not reside in SNAPhomes and are not currently eli-gible for SNAP because of drug-related crimes.

Eighteen states have droppedthe restrictions prohibiting drugoffenders from receiving SNAP,and 26 states - including Virginia- have reduced prohibitions byoffering benefits if specificrequirements are met. Virginiarequires compliance with crimi-nal court and Department ofSocial Services obligations, andthe completion or active engage-ment in a substance abuse treat-ment program. Only three statesimplement a full lifetime ban onSNAP for drug offenders, Jamessaid.

"I could have a felony as seri-ous as homicide and be eligiblefor SNAP benefits," said PamelaLittle-Hill, director of socialservices for the city ofPortsmouth. "There is something

incredibly wrong with that."

James' proposal would modifyVirginia law to include any drug-related felonies, not just thoserelated to possession. It alsosought to remove the additionalrequirements for drug offendersto meet - court compliance anddrug rehabilitation - in order tobe eligible. But the subcommitteeamended the bill to keep therequirements.

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Page B6 - The Patriot - Friday, January 25, 2019 PULSE www.pcpatriot.com

January 26

NRV Modular Railroad to beon displayThe New River Valley ModularRailroad will be on display inTall Oaks Hall at Warm HearthVillage Center, 2387 WarmHearth Drive, Blacksburg onSaturday, January 26 from 10a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday,January 27 from 12 Noon to 4p.m.. This fully functional rail-road train display delights chil-dren of all ages. Free and open tothe public. For more information,contact Gary Eifried at 540-980-0710 (H), 540-797-2631(C) orgeifried63@gmail.com.

January 29

Draper UMC to hold winterevening Bible studyThe Draper Circuit UnitedMethodist Churches is holdingits winter Evening Bible studyeach Tuesday beginning onJanuary 29th in the fellowshiphall of the Draper UnitedMethodist Church located at3080 Greenbriar Road. The studywill be at 7:00 p.m. each Tuesdayunless Pulaski or Wythe Co.schools are closed. The initialfocus of the winter study will bea survey of the Book of Acts andis being taught by the ReverendRuthAnne Henley. This study isopen to anyone wishing to attend.

February 3

First Baptist Church Pastor'sAid Ministry to have fundrais-erOn Sunday, February 3, thePastor's Aid Ministry of FirstBaptist Church on Magazine St.,Pulaski invites you to come andenjoy homemade chili beans. Themeal will consist of chili beans,cornbread, crackers, dessert anddrink at a cost of $5. You maypurchase your food between thehours of 1 p.m. - 3 p.m. You caneat in the fellowship hall of takeit out. This is the first of severalevents to be held leading up toour pastor's anniversary whichwill be celebrated on April 28.The Pastor's Aid Ministry mem-bers look forward to seeing you.

February 4

Count Pulaski ChapterNSDAR to meetThe Count Pulaski Chapter,NSDAR will meet on Monday,February 4, 2019 at ThornspringGolf Club, Lee High Way,Pulaski, Virginia at 5:30 p.m.The program will be presented

by The Boy Scouts.Hostess forthe meeting are Annie LaurieJames and Peggy Hemmings. Itis very important that they benotified of your attendance at themeeting.RSVP by Feb. 1, 2019.

February 5

Country Line Dance Lessons tobe heldCass Long, Instructor has beenteaching Line Dancing in theNew River Valley for over twen-ty-five years. She teaches allages and a variety of line danc-ing. Come join the fun. PulaskiClass begins February 5, 2019Tuesdays 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.at Memorial Baptist Churchlocated at 995 Peppers FerryRoad Pulaski, Va. Cost $7.00each class

On-going communitybased activities andneeds:

WOTM (Women of the Moose)host monthly quarter BINGOMonthly WOTM Bingo is heldthe second Saturday of everymonth at the Pulaski MooseLodge, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Thereare awesome door prizes, FREEcoffee, WOTM donationupdates, pull tabs, raffles andmuch more. Come out and playsome quarter Bingo with yourWomen of the Moose. $10 Buy-in: You play unlimited amount ofcards.

Volunteers needed at theRatcliffeRatcliffe Transportation Museumis in need of volunteers Pleasecall Ernie or Ron at 540-980-2307 for more information,please leave a message if no oneanswers.

Group sets aside day eachmonth to pray for CountyA group of citizens of PulaskiCounty has set aside the 15th ofeach month to fast and pray forthe county. The group asks thatcitizens who are of a like mindplease join them in their effort.

Feeding AmericaDistribution of fresh produce andbaked goods at New Life Churchof the Nazarene each Saturdayfrom 2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. (nocharge) on a first-come-first-served basis. The church is locat-ed 45 S. Jefferson Ave., Pulaski.

Adult Day Care and FallPrevention Center hostsmonthly BINGOAdult Day Service and Fall

Prevention Center hosts BINGOon the 4th Saturday of eachmonth from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. atthe Ruritan building on 4th andJefferson St in Pulaski. Thebuilding is located near SeaglesFuneral Home. Everyone wel-come!

Pulaski Old Time JamboreeA Bluegrass Jam session forplayers of all ages is held everyThursday evening 6 p.m. - 8 p.m.at the Pulaski Senior Center. Jointhe jam by playing an instrumentor singing or just come by andenjoy the music. Call Dee Deanat 540-392-3555 for more infor-mation. The center is locatedacross the street from the postoffice.

Cowboy Church ministryoffers food bags to the elderlyand shut-inOn the third and fourth week ofeach month Cowboy Churchoffers food bags to the elderlyand shut -in. On these weeks,interested participants may comeby the church at 12 noon for pickup if able. Delivery is available ifnecessary. Call Mike and PatThompson at 540-577-4923.Cowboy Church is located at 520E. Main St., Pulaski (across fromDowntown Exxon).

Pulaski Daily Bread in need ofvolunteersDaily Bread is in need of serverson several different days, so ifyou can spare a few hours a weekyou may contact Debbi Harrell(Director) at 980-2131 betweenthe hours of 8:30 a.m. - 12:30p.m. Monday through Friday.

Celebrate Recovery Supportgroup at VHMValley Harvest Ministries inDublin is now sponsoring a sup-port group for people who areworking through hurts, habitsand hang- ups. The group meetseach Thursday at 6:30 p.m.Food will be served at 6:30 p.m.followed at 7 p.m. with a largegroup meeting and then everyonewill divide into smaller groups at8 p.m. The church is located at 1Harvest Place in Dublin.

Narcotics Anonymous The NA group HOW meets eachSunday 6 p.m. at the ChristEpiscopal Church located at 144Washington Ave., in Pulaski. Themeeting is open to everyone.

N.A. Principles beforePersonalities N.A. Principles beforePersonalities meets Thursday at 7

p.m.; Friday and Saturday at 6p.m. at the First PresbyterianChurch Annex located at 4th andJefferson St., Pulaski, Va. Formore information, go towww.newrivervalleyna.org

AAAlcoholics Anonymous meetMonday at 8 p.m.(closed meet-ing); Wednesday (noon); andThursday at 8 p.m. (open meet-ings) at Pulaski Presbyterian

Church of America located at975 Memorial Drive. Contactnumber 540-980-5233.

Al-Anon - PulaskiPulaski Al-Anon Family Group(a support group for friends andfamilies of alcoholics) meetevery Monday night at 8 p.m. atthe Pulaski Presbyterian Churchof America located at 975Memorial Drive. Contact number540-980-5233

Take nine yearsoff your brain age

Want to boost your mentalacuity? Get moving and eat yourvegetables.

Here's yet another study thatsays we can increase our mentalsharpness by walking or riding astationary bike three times aweek for six months and goingon the DASH (DietaryApproaches to StopHypertension) diet. This DukeUniversity study has an interest-ing result, however: It concludedthat we can shave nine years offour brain age.

The study looked at seniorswho had mild cognitive impair-ment and assigned them one offour combinations of activities:the walking/bike exercise, aDASH diet or both. A fourthchoice was health educationalone. The first three monthswere spent doing exercise underthe supervision of the researchfacility. Later the participantswere released to exercise on theirown.

Specifically, the seniors wereasked to ride a stationary bike orwalk for 35 minutes three times aweek following a 10-minutewarm up. The DASH diet, forthose who were assigned, pro-motes healthy grains, low sodi-um, reduced dairy and meat --

the standard healthy diet forthose with high blood pressure.(See MayoClinic.org for moreinformation.) There was no pushto intensify the rate of exercise(participants were told to aim for70 percent maximum heart rate),but the exercise intensified overtime as participants became morefit.

The results: Those with thebest improvements had beenassigned the walking/bike exer-cise as well as the DASH diet.They benefited by being moreorganized, achieving goals andregulating behavior. Even thosewho only exercised saw signifi-cant improvement. Researchersbelieve this was because ofincreased oxygen to the brain.

If you want to go on the sameprogram, talk to your doctor andget advice, especially about theintensity rate of exercise. Ifyou're concerned about your bal-ance on a stationary bike, askabout the benefits of a rowingmachine instead.

Dog training 101:No more scraps

DEAR PAW'S CORNER: Mydog "Itchy" sits right next to myknee while I'm at the dinner tableand begs for scraps of food. Atfirst he's quiet, but then he'll startto whine and make little mini-barking noises. After five min-utes we can't hear ourselves talkfor all his begging. What can I doto stop this? -- Ben K., Madison,Wisconsin

DEAR BEN: That's a behaviorthat is very common among mosthouse pets. And who can blamethem? There's good food up onthat table!

That doesn't mean Itchy canbeg loudly while you're eating.While occasional scraps are OK,feeding directly from the table isnot, both because it leads to badbehavior and because you can'tcontrol what other family mem-bers or guests feed him. Itchymay eat far too much fat and

calories than is healthy, or eat aningredient that can be harmful tohim, such as onion, raisins oravocado.

The simplest solution is to notlet Itchy approach the table at allduring dinner. Train him to laydown within sight of you duringthe meal and to stay there untilyou're done. After you finish eat-ing, feed him his dinner in hisdish.

You'll be very busy for a few

See PAWS, page B7

The Patriot - Friday, January 25, 2019 - Page B7

Relationships and moneyDear Dave,My father-in-law wants to help

us with our mortgage. We've beenworking hard to pay off our homeearly, and we've reduced what weowe to around $35,000. His idea isto pay off the remainder, then letus pay him back over time. In thepast, he has loaned us much small-er amounts and everything hasworked out fine. What do youthink about this?

BrianneDear Brianne,I'm sure this seems like a win-

ning proposition all the wayaround. My concern is there's a bigspiritual and emotional issue thathas been left out of the equation.The borrower is always slave tothe lender, and nowhere is thatmore true than in a family.

I understand, too, you have asolid track record with this kind ofthing. But anytime you borrowmoney from family you're playingwith fire. When you do somethinglike this, especially with such alarge amount, the money issue islikely to be a shadow hoveringover your relationship. Family gettogethers, special events, and holi-days will feel different whenyou're there with your lenderinstead of just good old dad.

I assume your father-in-law isdoing well financially, since hecan afford to make this offer. Anddon't get me wrong, it's a very kindand generous offer. If I were in hisshoes, I might offer instead to payoff the mortgage as a gift to myson and daughter-in-law for work-ing so hard to attain a goal. But itwould be a gift. No stringsattached.

-DaveDear Dave,We recently learned that my

wife's ex-husband used her socialsecurity number to establish sever-al credit card accounts. We'vewritten and called the credit cardcompanies, and we're disputingthe charges, but is there anythingelse we can do to protect ourselves

and put an end to this?Ken

Dear Ken,You bet there is! File a police

report immediately, and if possi-ble, have this guy arrested. He hascommitted criminal fraud, and it'snot something you should takelightly. Also, put a fraud victimalert on your credit bureau reportstoday.

Don't stop with just alerting thecredit card companies about thissituation. You should be speakingwith and communicating viaemail-plus snail mail, if necessary-directly with the fraud victim divi-sion at every credit cardcompanyinvolved. Make sure they under-stand this is a denial of responsi-bility and not simply a dispute.

Let them know you're sorry thishappened, but explain that allthese charges in your names arethe result of a criminal act perpe-trated against you. You may haveto stand your ground with thecredit card companies, becausesome of them might try to get youto pay it, anyway. Don't do it!

-Dave* Dave Ramsey is CEO of Ramsey

Solutions. He has authored seven best-sell-ing books, including The Total MoneyMakeover. Follow Dave on the web at dav-eramsey.com and on Twitter at@DaveRamsey.

Dave

Says

Dave Ramsey

Sponsored Each Week By

Dublin BaptistChurch

(Across From Hardee’s)

540-674-6061 Photos courtesy of Glencoe

"Cerberus" detail--wood and acrylic work by Ben Crenshaw

Glencoe Mansion to host‘2018 In Review’ art show

Glencoe Mansion, Museum &Gallery is pleased to announce theopening of the gallery show, "2018in Review." The show features theworks of artists who showed theirworks in the Gallery during 2018.The Gallery will host a receptionon Tuesday, February 5, from 5:30to 7:30 pm.

For the "2018 in Review" Show,the Gallery will include the worksof Peggy Amonette, HarrietAnderson, Jeni Benos, SandraBeasley, Bonnie Blackburn, BenCrenshaw, Francis Carter, SandraCauthen, Jane Collins, Rose MaryCornett, Catherine Cox, LindaCoyle, David Ferrell, Matt Gentry,Linda Glidewell, Barbara Griffith,Rebecca Harris, Frank Herzog,Mack Hilton, Wendy Hodge,Ginny Jones, Kathryn Kelley,Nancy Kent, Kendall Kessler,Bucky Lawrence, Ruth Lefko,Annyce Levy, Phyllis Long, KatieMonroe, Shirley Paine, WilliamRatcliffe, Rose Rogers, ErnieRoss, Jill Sandidge, ValerieSellers, Joyce Sims, Starroot,

Francis Staples, Sharon Taylor,Susan Trulove, Linda Waggaman,Shaun C. Whiteside and LarkWojdak.

The Gallery at Glencoe is agreat community venue for localartists to exhibit their talents andfor the public to see the artistic tra-ditions of the region. The Galleryis just one component of GlencoeMansion, Museum & Gallery,

which offers a three-in-one experi-ence with House Museum, HistoryExhibits and Art Gallery. There isalways something new to see atGlencoe.

Everyone is welcome to attendthe reception. There is no admis-sion charge. "2018 in Review"will be on display through March1.

PawsContinued from page B6

days or weeks as he will com-plain and try to approach thetable. Be prepared for this.Work extra sessions daily withItchy on the "sit ... lay down ...stay" commands until heresponds well.

Be consistent: He must laydown when dinner starts andstay there without complaining.And he must get his dinnerwhen you're done. With a rou-tine in place, Itchy's behaviorshould improve.

Send your tips, comments orquestions toask@pawscorner.com

Call Us At808-3949

news@pcpatriot.comads@pcpatriot.com

I've been feeling nostalgiclately since I spent some timewith my daughters taking a walkdown memory lane. Lookingback at old photos, keepsakesand finding things from the oldbusiness reminded me of thepressures we faced in trying tofind balance between family andbusiness. We often had to dealwith crises, employment, andcustomer issues. Unlike somejobs, where at the end of the dayyou leave it behind, this fol-lowed us 24-7. The way wemanaged crisis situations was byour own moral compasses.Relying on your own moralcompass is fine for personalissues but business decisionsrequire something broader andmore detached. A business needsa mission statement.

The mission statement in a

business serves as a reminder ofwhat the business stands for toits employees and what it offersits customers. The mission state-ment serves as a guide to thebusiness during crisis. Thelongevity of the companydepends on the mission state-ment. When a business followsand stays true to its mission con-sistently, eventually the businesscan look towards the future.

When a business is luckyenough to get to the point that

the owners are looking atgrowth of the company, then thevisionaries of the company willcreate a vision statement. Thevision statement will project thefuture plans for the business anddescribe what success will looklike. The mission statement andthe vision statement are vitalplanning tools that take time andthought to create, but when theyare designed carefully, updatedregularly, and referenced consis-tently, these guides can help thecompany stay on course.

"If you can't fly then run, ifyou can't run then walk, if youcan't walk then crawl, but what-ever you do you have to keepmoving forward." MartinLuther King Jr.

Work hard, be productive, andabove all else stay positive.

Down To

Business

Peggy WhitePulaski County

Chamber ofCommerce

Mission Statements

"Never Enough Time"--photograph by Linda Waggaman

"Musical Tree"--painting byStarroot

The Patriot808-3949

Page B8 - The Patriot - Friday, January 25, 2019

The Patriot - Friday, January 25, 2019 - Page B9

Page B10 - The Patriot - Friday, January 25, 2019

Let uswarm up!

Let us warm up, I don't knowif you like cold weather, I don't!I have some simple recipes, thatyou may like!

The first one is, take threedeboned and skinned chickenbreasts, par boil chicken inwater with pinch of salt (about10 mins.), remove and cut into½ pieces. Add in frying panwith three tablespoons of butter.Add pinch of salt and pepper. Asthe chicken cooks you need 1cup of mild cheddar cheese orMonterey Jack ½ chopped cuponions, 1 green or red pepperchopped. Par cook everythingexcept chicken (which is fullycooked ). Add chicken to mix-ture and place mixture on a bedof tortilla chips, top with morecheese and raw onions, then addsalsa, sour cream or choppedtomatoes. This is an easy meal,you can use shopped beef orpork sausage in place of chick-en.

Here is an easy snack or partyfood, when you are in the housewith the children. At the super-market purchase several vari-eties of cookies, vanilla, choco-late chip, ginger snaps and acontainer of icing. You and thekids can make sandwich cookiesfor friends and family. I havealso made cookies using toast,toast and cut into triangles, iceand cover with chopped nuts (nopeanuts) or cocoa powder.

The easy one is Pea Soup youcan get two bags of dried greenpeas, put into 1 ½ quarts ofwater, bring to boil and cook for20 - 30 minutes, cut temperature

down to low boil, add twochopped onions (white or yel-low), 2 tablespoons of butter, 1/3cup instant mash potatoes flakes,if you don't have potatoes use ¼cup all purpose flour, and apinch of black pepper. Cook forabout 4 hours ( add water, whenneeded).

In you don't have dried peasuse several boxes of frozen peasit will only take two hours tomake. Add these final items, salt(kosher salt use ½ teaspoon), add½ bacon bits or fully cookedham or chipped ham cold cuts.

These are a couple of easymeal items that your family willlove. Remember that Valentine'sDay is February 14. So remem-ber your Valentine!

Good Eats! Dave

Affordable health screeningscoming Feb. 1 to Pulaski

Residents living in andaround the Pulaski, Virginia canlearn about their risk for cardio-vascular disease, osteoporosis,diabetes, and other chronic,serious conditions with afford-able screenings by Life LineScreening. First UnitedMethodist Church will host thiscommunity event on 2/1/2019.The site is located at 135 4th StNW in Pulaski.

Screenings can check for:• The level of plaque buildup

in your arteries, related to riskfor heart disease, stroke andoverall vascular health.

• HDL and LDL Cholesterollevels

• Diabetes risk• Bone density as a risk for

possible osteoporosis• Kidney and thyroid func-

tion, and moreScreenings are affordable,

convenient and accessible forwheelchairs and those withtrouble walking. Free parkingis also available.

Packages start at $149, butconsultants will work with youto create a package that is rightfor you based on your age andrisk factors. Also ask about ourWellness Gold MembershipProgram with allows customersto get all the screenings theyneed now, but pay $19.95 amonth. Call 1-877-237-1287 orvisit our website at www.lifeli-nescreening.com. Pre-registra-tion is required.

The Patriot808-3949

Kidd awarded Goodness and LightAlumni Award from Bluefield

Bluefield, VA - B l u e f i e l dCollege recently presented its 2ndAnnual Dr. Donna WatsonGoodness and Light AlumniAward - a tribute to a pillar of theTeacher Education Program andformer Dean of the School ofEducation and Social Sciences.The recipient of the 2nd annualaward is Anthony Kidd, an assis-tant principal at RiverlawnElementary School.

Created collaboratively by theBluefield College School ofEducation and Social Sciences andOffice of Alumni Relations, theGoodness and Light AlumniAward is designed to recognizegraduates who are "doing greatthings in our schools and class-rooms," according to ShellieBrown, Director of the BCTeacher Education Program. Theannual award, she added, will rec-ognize a graduate of the School ofEducation who "embodies Dr.Watson's mantra of spreadinggoodness and light within the fieldof education." The award gives usthe opportunity to recognize mem-bers of our outstanding alumnibase with an honor that bestexpresses our appreciation fortheir service to our education com-munities. Kidd, the recipient ofthis year's award, earned his bach-elor's degree with teacher licen-sure from Bluefield College and

has since entered into the role ofschool administration.

Anthony Kidd has been spread-ing good and light into the lives ofstudents since he first stepped footinto the classroom. He is passion-ate about serving children anddedicates personal time andresources into the school commu-

nity in which he serves. Anthonycontinues to follow BluefieldCollege's mission of transforma-tional servant leadership through-out his work in public education.Brandy Smith, Assistant Professorof Education stated, "We are sopleased to honor his servicethrough this prestigious award."

Mrs. Phyllis Owens was alsorecognized this year with an hon-orary Goodness and Light Awardfor her work in the Department ofTeacher Education. According toShellie Brown, "Mrs. Owens hasmade such a positive impact oncountless students as a high schoolEnglish teacher and as a professorand mentor to pre-service teachersat Bluefield College. She spreadsgoodness and light in everythingshe does."Anthony Kidd, an assistant

principal at RiverlawnElementary School inFairlawn, is the recipient of the2nd annual Dr. Donna WatsonGoodness and Light AlumniAward.