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■ WEATHER PAGE 3 ■ OBITUARIES Page 4 ■ OPINION Page 6 ■ SPORTS Page 1B ■ IN TOUCH Page 4B ■ CLASSIFIEDS Page 7B
WEDNESDAY ★ FEBRUARY 13, 2013
USPS 684-350
The
CLINTWOOD, VA. VOL. 31, NO. 7
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Clinching the BDD title
Honaker beat Haysitwice in three days toclaim the BDD regularseason championship,taking the crown witha 66-61 at a jam-packed A.P. BaldwinGymnasium on Friday.
PAGE 1B
FCCS aimingfor growth
Family Crisis SupportServices on Jan. 1welcomed a newexecutive director,who has already setseveral ambitiousgoals for growth.
PAGE 2
Barter Playersin Clintwood
The Barter Players willperform “Miss Nelsonis Missing” at theJettie Baker Center,Clintwood, on Feb. 24at 3 p.m. Tickets are $5. For more information, call 276-926-8550.
PAGE 5B
Job searchworkshop
Clinch ValleyCommunity Action’sWIA program will host afree resume writing andjob search workshopon Friday, Feb. 22 from10 a.m.-2 p.m. atDickenson Center forEducation andResearch, Clintwood.The event will guideparticipants in registering on VirginiaWorkforce website,preparing resumes andjob applications,searching for local jobopenings, and more.Contact Melissa Mullinsat 276-926-4865 formore information.
Last chanceto vote
Your final chance tovote for your best ofthe best in DickensonCounty is drawingnear. The final 2013ballot appears intoday’s edition. Thedeadline to submitballots is Tuesday,Feb. 19 at 5 p.m.
Malicious assault charge follows shootingBY TERESA MULLINS★ STAFF WRITER
A Clintwood man is chargedwith malicious assault that hasleft another man without the useof his right arm.
Michael Harvey Mullins, 48,of 783 Bise Ridge, Clintwood,faces felony charges of mali-cious assault and use of afirearm in the commission of afelony.
Mullins has been arraigned inDickenson County Juvenile andDomestic Relations Court and apreliminary hearing is scheduledfor March 6 at 9 a.m. AttorneyJeremy O’Quinn has beenappointed to represent Mullins,who is currently being held with-out bond at Haysi Regional Jail.
Dickenson County Sheriff’sInvestigator Mike Stidham tookwarrants for Mullins’ arrest fol-lowing a Jan. 17 incident.
Mullins was arrested Feb. 1.According to a criminal
complaint filed with the war-rants, Stidham responded to acall at Mullins’ residence.Mullins allegedly told Stidhamthat the victim, ChristopherKing, had shot himself. Kinghad suffered a single gunshotwound to the throat.
Police say King told a different
County’s oldest residentcelebrates 108th birthday
BY TERESA MULLINS★ STAFF WRITER
The slender, petite womanwith bright blue eyes and short,white hair sat comfortably in achair in her living room as asteady stream of well-wisherscame to present her with flow-ers, candy, a card or a hug.
Thursday, Feb. 7 was a spe-cial day for Clintwood residentRose Rush. It was the day shecelebrated her 108th birthday.
This was the second yearRush’s neighbor and closefriend Mary Hylton hadplanned a party to honor thecentenarian. Although Hyltonasked Rush several times in thepast, Rush denied her request.She just doesn’t think she’sdone anything special todeserve recognition, Hylton
said of Rush’s modesty.Hylton begs to differ, how-
ever. She thinks Rush’s story isexceptional. She was born inthe large, Victorian style houseshe still occupies in Clintwood.Rush was the youngest daugh-ter of 10 children. She graduat-ed from Honaker High Schooland attended college tobecome a teacher. She thentaught in various areas, includ-ing Martinsville, HanoverCounty and Alexandria.
But when her father died,she returned home to care forher mother. Hylton said Rushalso provided care to one of herbrothers.
After returning to the area,Rush continued to teach, retir-ing at age 65 with more than 40years of teaching under herbelt. A year after she retired,she returned to the classroomas a substitute teacher, teachingan additional 10 years.
Last year Rush receivedaround 150 birthday cards, andthis year the number topped300. Hylton, Doris and DonnieRife, and Kaye Buchanan gotthe word out that Rush wouldbe celebrating her 108th birth-day, and the cards came pour-ing in. Rush’s favorite part of
Alpha eliminates nearly 80 Virginia mining jobs
BY JEFF LESTER★ STAFF WRITER
Alpha Natural Resourceshas shut down two WiseCounty mines, made changesat other operations and elimi-nated nearly 80 Virginia jobs.
Company spokesman TedPile confirmed Monday thatAlpha has closed the RedOnion strip mine near Poundand the Bluff Spur under-ground mine near Appalachia.
The Red Onion mine wasclose to mining out its coalreserves, according to Pile.
Three people lost their jobsat Bluff Spur, which is part ofAlpha’s subsidiary Mill
Branch Coal Corp., while otheremployees were moved toother Virginia operations,according to Pile.
Along with idling the RedOnion mine, Paramont Coalchanged production schedulesat several strip mines. Overall,74 jobs were eliminated atParamont while some workerswere moved to other opera-tions, Pile said.
Also, Alpha’s MaxximRebuild branch is closing itsmass transport office inStollings, W.Va., causing theelimination of three jobs andthe reassignment of a dozenworkers.
Laid-off workers will get
two months of pay and bene-fits, Pile said. “Cutting jobsis the last thing we want todo, but with business condi-tions as they are, it becamenecessary.”
Alpha continues to operatemore than 20 mines and prepa-ration plants in Virginia,according to Pile.
In September 2012, Alphaannounced a restructuring planthat would eliminate about1,200 jobs company-wide byearly 2013. About 40 percentwere to come from steam coaloperations in the eastern U.S.as the company increasesfocus on metallurgical coal forsteel production.
Trial set for local man
accused of threatening police officersBY TERESA MULLINS★ STAFF WRITER
A Clinchco man chargedwith solicitation to commitmurder of police officersand obstruction of justice isscheduled to be tried inDickenson County CircuitCourt March 14.
Joseph Dooley, 38, of228 Shifty Lane, Clinchco,faces two felony charges inconnection with a June 26,2012 incident in which bothhe and his brother, JamesDooley, were charged.
Joseph Dooley appearedin court last week, but hiscase was continued untilMarch 14 by agreement ofCommonwealth’s AttorneyJosh Newberry andDooley’s defense attorneys,Richard Kennedy and GregGilliam. Newberry said
Willis waives
preliminaryhearing
BY TERESA MULLINS★ STAFF WRITER
A Clintwood mancharged with threatening toshoot county courthousestaff waived his right to apreliminary hearing inDickenson County GeneralDistrict Court yesterday.
Sonny Bruce Willis, 24,is charged with committing,conspiring or aiding andabetting an act of terrorism,which is punishable by atleast 20 years in prison. Heis also charged withobstruction of justice forallegedly threatening to killhis mother if she reportedhis threat against court-house employees to police.
C o m m o n w e a l t h ’ sAttorney Josh Newberry saidthe case will be presentedbefore the next grand jury,which will meet next month.
According to a criminal
TERESA MULLINS PHOTO
Rose Rush celebrated her 108th birthday Feb. 7 at home with family and friends.She received more than 300 birthday cards in honor of her special day.
PLEASE SEE WILLIS, PAGE 5
PLEASE SEE DOOLEY, PAGE 5
PLEASE SEE MULLINS, PAGE 5
Michael HarveyMullins
Joseph Dooley
PLEASE SEE RUSH, PAGE 3
This was the second year Rush’sneighbor and closefriend Mary Hylton
had planned aparty to honor the
centenarian.
PAGE 2 ■ WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2013 ■ THE DICKENSON STAR
Domestic crisis agency aiming for growthBY KATIE DUNN★ STAFF WRITER
Rumors abounded in December thatFamily Crisis Support Services had shutdown.
The Norton-based agency aids victims ofdomestic violence, sexual assault and home-lessness in a seven-county region thatincludes Wise, Dickenson, Scott, Lee,Buchanan, Russell and Tazewell counties,and Norton.
Joni Perry, a sexual assault advocate withthe agency, explained last Friday that beforeChristmas she noticed someone had postedon Facebook about how the homeless shel-ter in Norton had shut down and those stay-ing there were now living on the street.
Perry said the confusion might have beenabout the Hope House’s closure. Locatedacross from Norton Park on VirginiaAvenue, the home provided safe shelter fordomestic violence victims.
She explained that it wasn’t in the budg-et to continue paying a monthly rent for thehome, so the agency returned the house toits owner, the Catholic Diocese ofRichmond.
Now, homeless clients and domestic vio-lence victims are housed under the sameroof at the agency’s primary facility onKentucky Avenue. The location now servesas a homeless shelter, domestic violenceshelter and sexual assault crisis center. Perrysaid there is enough room to accommodate21 women and children and 12 men.
She stressed that services providedthrough the Hope House program are stillbeing offered, just at a different location.
“Everybody in the community knew thatwas the Hope House, and I think it’s beenstrange to people in the community for it tobe shut down,” she said.
And though the well-known safe havenhas been shuttered, Family Crisis SupportServices isn’t planning to decrease its serv-ices. Instead, it is focused on expanding itsreach while weathering a challenging eco-nomic climate.
CHANGESThe agency’s 18-person staff on Jan. 1
welcomed a new executive director,Marybeth Adkins, who has already set sev-eral ambitious goals. Former Director SusanMullins left late last summer to take a job asdirector of Dickenson County’s departmentof social services.
Adkins explained last Friday that she hasa prior connection to Family Crisis SupportServices. She served on a fundraising com-mittee 15 years ago for the agency and hasalso made donations throughout the years.
In addition, her husband Marty Adkins, aNorton attorney, provided legal services probono to the agency when it first began oper-ations.
Marybeth Adkins most recently organ-
ized domestic, international and foster careadoptions at Commonwealth CatholicCharities. Originally from Sandusky, Ohio,she graduated from the University ofVirginia’s College at Wise and earned amaster’s degree in human services fromLiberty University. She has two children,Caitlin, a freshman at the University ofVirginia, and Alex, a freshman at CentralHigh School.
Adkins explained last week that she’s“dreaming big” when it comes to planningthe agency’s future.
She wants to improve and expand serv-ices offered and find a more family-friendlyfacility for those it helps. She explained thatshe wants to reopen the Hope House atanother location in the Norton area. Wherethis location might be and when this goalmight be met is not yet concrete.
“I drive around, I look at larger houses inthe community that are for sale,” she said.“It’s realistic in my opinion (to find a newplace); it’s just the availability and cost.”
Perry noted that it would be nice to havea place where tenants can have separaterooms. The current facility has a more com-munal layout, with an open floor plan anddividers separating guests.
GROWING NEEDFamily Crisis Support Services opened
its doors in 1982, and Perry and co-workerMelissa Bowman said it’s grown by leapsand bounds since then. Perry has worked forthe agency for seven years and Bowman for12 and a half years.
Bowman explained that the agency firstbegan serving domestic violence victimsthrough the Hope House. In 1999, a sexual
assault program was added, and in 2000, thehomeless shelter opened.
The number of people sheltered during1982 was not available, but Adkins said in2006, the agency sheltered 101 people. Sofar this fiscal year, which began last July, ithas sheltered 213 people. This doesn’tinclude services provided to those not stay-ing at the shelter. Adkins said the shelter hasbeen operating at maximum capacity forawhile. When there is no available space,Perry said the agency can contact other areahomeless shelters or set up cots at its facili-ty.
Perry said much of the need the agencyis seeing now stems from a lack of income.This might mean someone can’t find a job.Or, it might involve a woman who hasescaped a domestic violence situation whereshe was fully dependent on her boyfriend orhusband for income and must now findanother way to get that income.
SERVICE LEVELSWhen asked whether the economic
slump has impacted current service levels,Perry said the agency is trying to maintaincurrent levels while also working to expandthem.
Adkins added that the agency’s employ-ees truly love what they do, and whilemoney might not be available sometimesfor certain services, those services are stillbeing provided. “They do it for personal andprofessional (reasons),” she said. “Helpingpeople, it’s who they are.”
A majority of the agency’s fundingcomes from grants, primarily from theVirginia departments of Social Services,Criminal Justice Services and Housing and
Community Development. One percentcomes from local governments — theagency receives funding from the town ofWise, Wise County and Dickenson County— and 3 percent from donations. Additionalfunds are generated from three thrift storesthe agency operates in Norton, Pound andClintwood.
Perry noted that the agency recentlyreceived a $15,000 grant from the depart-ment of housing and community develop-ment to help children arriving at the sheltermake an easier transition to living there. Anew support group for victims of domesticand sexual violence is also being formedand will meet once a week. The group willbe open to those in the Wise County andNorton area, and people can call the agencyfor more information.
COMMUNITY HELPThe agency is always seeking more grant
funds, but Perry said she also hopes toincrease community donations. These dona-tions help with costs such as paying thepower bill each month.
“This community here, they’re huge sup-porters,” added Adkins. “While we rely a loton them, sometimes I don’t think they real-ize for as much as they do, how we benefitfrom it. They’re shopping at our thriftstores, they’re donating clothes to be sold atthrift stores.”
Anyone can shop at the thrift stores, andthe agency also provides vouchers for peo-ple in need — someone who just got out ofprison, lost everything in a fire or who hasarrived at or is leaving the shelter — to getclothes and other household supplies.
But Adkins also wants to see the com-munity shop more at the stores, especiallythe Norton location. She said thrift stores arepopular right now among high school andcollege students, but she doesn’t think a lotof people know about Norton’s TreasureChest, which is also located on KentuckyAvenue. She said she is now looking to bet-ter publicize the store and is also searchingfor a larger facility.
“We have everything down there fromOld Navy to Louis Vuitton,” she said.“That’s the thing behind thrifty treasure, youdon’t know what kind of treasure you’regoing to find down there.”
Bowman added that every cent fromthrift store sales goes toward shelter opera-tions.
Other ways the community can helpinclude donating household items, likedetergent, food, and furniture. Adkins is alsolooking for more organizations to bring orcome cook meals for shelter residents. Shesaid some churches are already doing this.Volunteers are also always needed at theshelter and thrift stores.
For more information, about the agencyor to help, call 276/679-7240 or visithttp://www.family-crisis.com.
KATIE DUNN PHOTO
Family Crisis Support Services’ new executive director, MarybethAdkins, second from left, poses with other agency employees.They include, from left, Joni Perry, Melissa Bowman, AdamThompson and Annetta Gibson.
Clintwood library to host Valentine’s event today
BY TERESA MULLINS★ STAFF WRITER
Does your favorite sweet treat involvechocolate?
If so, you’re sure to enjoy a “Taste ofChocolate” at the Jonnie B. Deel MemorialLibrary, Clintwood, today, Feb. 14, at noon.
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, the eventwill feature several different chocolate treatsfor patrons to sample.
Sponsored by Friends of the Library, theevent has been held the past two years.Members of the organization and library staffall bring chocolate goodies to the event,which has been popular in the past.
Library manager Sheila Phipps said anoth-
er popular event, “Taste of Soup,” is held inJanuary.
Another popular feature the library hasrecently added is a holiday tree that stays upyear round and is decorated according to thetime of year. In January, the tree was decorat-ed in snowmen. This month, a Valentinetheme adorns the tree. Next month, a St.Patrick’s Day theme is planned.
Library personnel work hard to hostevents that will bring people into the library,noted Phipps. “We want them to see thelibrary and what we have to offer. It’s not justa place to come and get a book. There are somany things you can do here,” she noted,adding that the library has programs foryoung children and teenagers too.
Buchanan Countymine lays off 90JEWELL RIDGE (AP) — SunCoke
Energy Inc. is idling a BuchananCounty coal mine and laying off 90workers.
Media outlets report employees atsubsidiary Dominion Coal’s No. 36mine were told of the company’s deci-sion Friday.
SunCoke Energy vice president ofcoal operations James M. Mullins saysthe mine has been hit by a “significantdownturn” in the coal market. He saysthe layoffs include 51 miners and 39underground contractors.
Four other Dominion Coal minesremain in operation.
SunCoke Energy is based in Lisle, Ill.
Booktree
The Jonnie B. DeelMemorial Library in
Clintwood invites folksto visit and view its
holiday ‘book tree.’ Thetree, consisting ofmany rows of old
bound periodicals, wasdecorated forChristmas in
December, snowmen inJanuary (right) and now
for Valentine’s Day(left). Thanks to staff
member Kim Rose whohas ‘dressed’ the tree,the library has receivedglowing reviews aboutit. Visit the library eachmonth and see how it
changes.
receiving the cards was themany personal notes fromformer students and others.
Hylton placed each ofRush’s birthday cards fromlast year in a binder so thatshe could enjoy reading thecards all year long, and hasalready purchased the mate-rials to do that again thisyear for her friend.
Rush hasn’t let age slowher down much. Until shebroke her wrist last fall, shestill drove, and plans toresume driving once herwrist completely heals. Sheis an avid reader, enjoyskeeping up with currentevents, and still takes careof her own bills, house-keeping and cooking.
She has also beenblessed with exceptionalhealth. She doesn’t wearglasses, has no significanthealth problems and hasnever been hospitalized.
Rush, who looks muchyounger than her years,says she doesn’t have asecret for her longevityand believes she has just
been lucky. Hylton, however, has a
theory. “She’s never beenmarried or had children.That’s why she looks soyoung and has lived solong,” Hylton noted with alaugh.
Arctic blast to hit region this weekend
BY WAYNE BROWNING★ NATIONAL WEATHER OBSERVER
A more active weather pattern thisweek will feature a mid week rain-snowsystem that is followed by a blast of arc-tic air for the weekend.
Strong winds and a mild start to thisweek is a radical change from the cold,snowy opening to February. These wildweather swings will continue throughthe foreseeable future, with a transitionfrom early week mildness to colder aircomplicating precipitation types for thesystem expected to impact the areatoday.
As of this Monday writing, forecastmodels were still struggling with thetrack of this relatively weak Wednesdaysystem. A small shift south would pro-duce more snow, while a shift northwould mean more rain. The best callwas for a rain to snow transition duringWednesday afternoon into the evening,with a change to snow first at highestelevations.
Accumulations could range from lit-tle to none in some lower elevationswhich have mostly rain to several inch-es of snow at the highest elevations.However, as noted, track will prove crit-ical to what eventually falls on the area.
A major blast of arc-tic air is a much easierforecast for this week-end, with dropping tem-peratures Friday givingway to bitter air byS a t u r d a y - S u n d a y.Accumulating snowwill be likely as somemoisture transport fromthe Great Lakes lookslikely, with at leastenough to make travelhazardous along the upslope side of the mountains in coun-ties straddling the Virginia-Kentucky, Virginia-WestVirginia, and Tennessee-North Carolina borders.
The pattern remains active next week as a coupleupstream storms moving across the Pacific Ocean ride jetstream winds into the USA. This will continue the up anddown temperature pattern observed most of this winter,and once again bring windy, much heavier precipitation tothe region.
Long Ridge of Sandy Ridge: 8.27
Clintwood NWS: 7.46Norton Water Plant: 10.26
Big Cherry Dam: N/A
YEAR-TO-DATE PRECIPITATION (IN INCHES)
Wednesday:Rain & snow
likely.High near 41.
WednesdayNight: Rain
& snow showers
likely. Lowaround 29.Thursday:
Mostly sunny. High
near 47.Thursday
Night:Partly
cloudy.Low
around 28.
Friday:Partly
sunny.High
near 46.
CLINTWOOD ■ ELEVATION 1560 FT.NWS OBSERVER WAYNE BROWNING
LONG RIDGE ■ ELEVATION 2650 FT.OBSERVERS WAYNE AND GENEVIE RINER
Tue Wed Thur Fri Sat Sun MonPrec .00 .00 .00 .00 .13 00 .20High 42 49 50 58 48 46 60Low 32 28 28 37 27 24 41
Tue Wed Thur Fri Sat Sun MonPrec. .00 .00 00 .T .03 00 .15High 37 41 48 51 45 44 54Low 33 31 30 37 22 37 38
THE DICKENSON STAR ■ WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2013 ■ PAGE 3
Highway projectscontracts awarded
The VirginiaDepartment ofTransportation recentlyawarded four contractsvalued at approximately$2.4 million for the BristolDistrict.
The Bristol Districtconsists of 12 counties insouthwestern Virginia:Washington, Smyth, Lee,Scott, Russell, Buchanan,Tazewell, Bland, Wise,Dickenson, Grayson, andWythe.
Two contracts wereawarded to Slurry Pavers,Inc., Glen Allen:
■ A $909,752 contractto apply slurry seal to var-ious routes in Lee,Dickenson, Russell andWise counties. This tech-nique is used to extend thelife of the pavement.
■ A $460,176 contractfor latex paving on various
routes in Lee County.Cleco Corporation,
Rosedale, received a$542,880 contract toimprove a section of Route747 in Tazewell County,from 0.34 mile west ofRoute 734 to Route 734.
Lastly, a $488,108 con-tract was awarded to W-LConstruction & Paving,Inc., Chilhowie, toimprove about a mile ofRoute 616 in BuchananCounty, from 2.5 mileseast of Route 719 to 3.4miles east of Route 719.The work includes grad-ing, making drainageimprovements and pavingthe 0.90 mile section ofRoute 719.
For more informationon the meeting and otherCTB actions, visithttp://www.ctb.virginia.gov/meetings.asp.
DickensonCounty
marriagesThe following mar-
riages were certified inDickenson County inJanuary:
■ Adam DouglasVanover and CourtneyGail Nowlin, both ofClintwood, on Jan. 9;
■ Benjamin MatthewLong and Kathryn RoseWoody, both of Dante, onJan. 12;
■ Bill Mack Mullinsand Martha TommieMullins, both ofClintwood, on Jan. 12.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Rush
Cinema CityStadium Theatres
FEB 15 ~ FEB 21 • 2013
Located in Downtown Norton, VAnortoncinema.com
Movie Hotline 276-679-4252
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
HANSEL AND GRETEL:WITCH HUNTERS 3D R
DAILY: 4:30 • 7:30 • 9:45 PMSAT-SUN: 12:30 • 2:30 • 4:30
7:30 • 9:45 PM
ESCAPE FROM PLANET EARTH 3D PG
DAILY: 7:00 PMSAT-SUN: 12:30 • 2:30 • 7:00 PM
SIDE EFFECTS R
DAILY: 4:30 • 7:00 • 9:45 PMSAT-SUN: 12:00 • 2:15 • 4:30
7:00 • 9:45 PM
MAMA PG-13
DAILY: 4:45 • 7:00 • 9:30 PMSAT-SUN: 12:15 • 2:30 • 4:45
7:00 • 9:30 PM
WARM BODIES PG-13
DAILY: 5:00 • 7:15 • 9:45 PMSAT-SUN: 12:15 • 2:30 • 5:00
7:15 • 9:45 PM
SAFE HAVEN PG-13
WED: 10:00 PMDAILY: 4:30 • 7:15 • 9:45 PM
SAT-SUN: 12:30 • 4:307:15 • 9:45 PM
IDENTITY THIEF R
DAILY: 4:30 • 7:15 • 9:30 PMSAT-SUN: 12:00 • 4:30
7:15 • 9:30 PM
A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD R
WED: 10:00 PMDAILY: 4:45 • 7:30 • 10:00 PMSAT-SUN: 12:00 • 2:15 • 4:45
7:30 • 10:00 PM
ESCAPE FROM PLANET EARTH PG
DAILY: 5:00 • 9:00 PM
BEAUTIFUL CREATURESPG-13
WED: 10:00 PMDAILY: 4:45 • 7:30 • 10:00 PM
SAT-SUN: 12:15 • 4:457:30 • 10:00 PM
West EndPharmacy
2 7 6 - 9 2 6 - 6 8 9 0
CONVENIENT DRIVE THRU
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Happy Valentine’s from all of us!
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
E a s i l y t r a n s f e r p r e s c r i p t i o n s , e v e n i f o n a u t o r e f i l l !
Corrections, clarifications
We publish corrections of fact that come to our attention andclarifications that make the news more understandable. ContactEditor Paula Tate at 276-926-8816 or e-mail [email protected].
A Feb. 7 article listed the incorrect starting date for theDickenson County Commissioner of Revenue's Office to begindoing tax returns. The office will begin doing returns for countyresidents on Feb. 19.
★ WEDNESDAY, FEB. 13Dickenson CountyLonesome Pine Soil andWater ConservationDistrict Board, 10 a.m. atthe Coalfield AgriculturalCenter, Route 83, RedOnion Mountain.(Administrative SecretaryBobbi Rasnick, 926-6621)
★ WEDNESDAY, FEB. 20Dickenson County Boardof Public Welfare, 5 p.m. inthe Department of SocialServices building, BrushCreek Road, Clintwood.(Director Susan Mullins,926-1661)
★ THURSDAY, FEB. 21Clinchco Town Council, 7 p.m. at town hall.(835-1160)
★ TUESDAY, FEB. 26Dickenson CountyTourism Committee, 5p.m. at various locationsthroughout the county. Callfor this month’s site. (Rita
Surratt, 276-926-6074)Dickenson County Boardof Supervisors, 6 p.m. inthe Circuit Courtroom, second floor of the countycourthouse, Clintwood.(Clerk Teresa Lyall, 926-1676)
★ WEDNESDAY, FEB. 27Dickenson County SchoolBoard, 5 p.m. at the schoolboard office, 309 VolunteerSt., Clintwood. (Clerk RebaMcCowan, 926-4643)
★ TUESDAY, MARCH 5Haysi Town Council, 7p.m. in the first floor meet-ing room of town hall, MainStreet. (Clerk MonaDuncan, 865-5187)
★ WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6Dickenson CountyIndustrial DevelopmentAuthority, 6 p.m. at itsoffice at 1019 Happy ValleyDrive, Clintwood. (ExecutiveDirector Charlotte Mullins,926-1699)
PATSY SUE COLEMANHAYSI
Patsy Sue Coleman, age 66, of Duck Tail Road, passedaway Friday, Feb. 8, 2013 atPikeville Medical Center.
Born in Buchanan County, shewas a daughter of the late Brady andVirginia Coleman Thomas. She wasa homemaker and of the Baptistfaith.
In addition to her parents, she waspreceded in death by a son, DavidRay Coleman, and several brothers
and sisters.Survivors include her husband, Gurvis Coleman; two
daughters, Tamula Jean Stiltner of Haysi and Jodie Lynn(Michael) Cochran of Oakwood; two sons, Ricky KeithColeman of Haysi and Donald Wayne (Karen) Colemanof Haysi; 11 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren;and several brothers and sisters.
Funeral services were conducted at 11 a.m. Monday,Feb. 11, 2013 at Haysi Funeral Home with elders FrankNewsome, Eddie Newsome, and David O’quinn officiat-ing. Burial followed in the Coleman Family Cemetery,Haysi. Family and friends served as pallbearers.
The family received friends Sunday evening, Feb. 10 atthe funeral home, where a song service was held at 7 p.m.
Online condolences may be sent to www.haysifuner-al.com.
BETTY CAROL KELLY CROUSEMILFORD, OHIO
Mrs. Betty Carol Kelly Crouse, age 71, passed awayFeb. 1, 2013 at Clermont Nursing and ConvalescentHome in Milford, Ohio.
Born Jan. 19, 1942 in Dickenson County, she was thedaughter of the late Calvin and Myrtle Stanley Kelly.Mrs. Crouse was a devoted Christian and a loving home-maker.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death byone sister, Virginia Kelly, and one brother, John DaneKelly.
Survivors include her husband, David C. Crouse ofMilford, Ohio; step-children, James Michael Crouse andwife Sharon, Ronald David Crouse and wife Angela,Kimberly Kay Mathis and husband John and Tammy RoseCantrell and husband Bill; four sisters, Juanita Seal ofHayes, Va., Dolly Webb, Ruby Phipps and husband J.C.and Barbara Childress and husband Richard, all ofClintwood; two brothers, Eugene Kelly and Jimmy Kellyand wife Henrietta, both of Clintwood; one uncle, ElderStanley of Clintwood; one aunt, Lena Mullins of Bristol,Va; nine grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; andseveral nieces and nephews.
Graveside services were conducted at 11 a.m., Feb. 4 inthe Ketron Memorial Gardens Mausoleum in Lebanonwith Rev. Claude Rose officiating.
The family has requested that in lieu of flowers, mon-etary contributions be made to Shriners Children’sHospital of Cincinnati, 3229 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati,Ohio 45229-3095.
CARTER DEELHAYSI
Carter Deel, age 65, passed away Friday, Feb. 8, 2013at his home.
Born in Buchanan County, he was ason of the late Robert and Nancy J.Deel. He was last employed as a minerand was a member of GreenbriarBaptist Church.
In addition to his parents, he waspreceded in death by an infant brother,Carl Ray Deel; maternal grandparents,James W. and Pricey J. Deel; and pater-
nal grandparents, Wash and Lydia Deel.Survivors include a son, Carter Lee Deel of Ohio; four
grandchildren, Carter Lee II, Brooklynn, Chelsea andZachary; four sisters, Jerrel and the late Lath Coleman,Katie (Alvin) Blankenship, Alma and the late PatO’Brien, and Patty Owens; a brother, Curtis (Gail) Deel;and many friends, relatives and his loving church family,Greenbriar Baptist Church.
Funeral services were conducted at 11 a.m. Tuesday,Feb. 12 at Haysi Funeral Home with Gary Viers officiat-ing. Burial followed in the Wash Deel Cemetery,Greenbriar. Family and friends served as pallbearers.
The family received friends Monday evening, Feb. 11at the funeral home prior to a 7 p.m. service.
Online condolences may be sent to www.haysifuner-al.com.
JERRY DEAN JOHNSONFAYETTEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA
Jerry Dean Johnson, 68, of Fayetteville, N.C., diedTuesday, Jan. 29 at his home.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Rev. Joe andBeulah Silcox Johnson; three brothers, Bobby, Jimmy andBuddy Joe Johnson; and a sister, Linda Johnson.
He is survived by his wife, Vivian (Fleming) Johnsonof Fayetteville; son Dennis Stanley and daughter MargieAnn Stanley of Fayetteville; grandchildren KatrinaStanley and Mary Migala of Fayetteville; great-grand-daughter Emma Migala of Fayetteville; five brothers,Archie Johnson of Ashland, Ohio, Ronnie Johnson ofAbingdon, Jack Johnson of Coeburn, Gary Johnson ofAlea, Hawaii, and Dennie (Fod) Johnson of McClure;three sisters, Louise Cannon of Texarkana, Arkansas,Reba and Betty of Coeburn; and numerous nieces,nephews and cousins. He is also survived by his motherin-law, Maude Fleming of Clintwood.
A memorial service was held Saturday, Feb. 2 atHaymont Freewill Baptist Church in Fayetteville, N.C.
Jerry retired from the United States Army after serving20 years, serving two years in Vietnam. He received fullmiltary honors.
Arrangments were made by Sullivans HighlandFuneral Service and Crematory of Fayetteville, N.C.
— Courtesy of Mullins Funeral Home
GERALD G. LARGEPINEY FLATS, TENN.
Gerald G. Large, age 79, passed away Monday, Feb.11, 2013 at the Christian Care Center of Johnson City inTennessee.
Mr. Large was a lifelong resident of DickensonCounty, a retired coal miner and a member of the LickFork Freewill Baptist Church.
Mr. Large was preceded in death by his wife, BettyRatliff Large; parents, William and Priscilla Yates Large;two sisters, Madeline Keith and Ida Faye Sadler; onebrother, Clarence Large and one brother-in-law, KermitRakes.
He is survived by three sisters, Jewell Rakes of PineyFlats, Tenn.; Joan Kiser and husband Landon of Sandusky,Ohio, and Ada Jean Shepard and husband Bill of CrystalRiver, Fla.; several nieces and nephews and other relativesand friends.
Funeral services will be Thursday, Feb. 14, 7 p.m. inthe Clintwood Funeral Home Chapel withnephew/Brother Wayne Keith and Pastor Allen Viers offi-ciating.
A graveside service will be at 11 a.m. Friday at theRose Family Cemetery, Caney Ridge. Family and friendswill serve as pallbearers. Anyone wishing to follow theprocession to the cemetery should be at the funeral homeby 10:30 a.m.
The family will receive friends beginning at 5 p.m.Thursday.
Online condolences may be sent to the family atwww.clintwoodfuneralhome.com.
CLAUDY MULLINSCOOKEVILLE
Funeral services with military honors for Mr. ClaudyLewis Mullins, 84, of Algood, will beheld at 11 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 14, atthe Cookeville Chapel of HooperHuddleston and Horner Funeral Home.Rev. Gary Farris and Rev. CharlesCook, Jr. will officiate.
The family will receive friendsWednesday from 5-8 p.m. and againThursday from 10 a.m. until servicetime at the funeral home.
Mr. Mullins died Feb. 10, 2013 in Algood at his home.He was born April 12, 1928 in Clintwood, Va., to the
late Ernest and Orpha Yates Mullins.Mr. Mullins enlisted in the U.S. Navy at age 15. He
served in the South Pacific during World War II.He was a member of Cookeville Freewill Baptist
Church.Mr. Mullins was retired from GM in Detroit, Mich.,
with over 30 years of service. He also was employed atBelmont Industries in Detroit.
He enjoyed spending time with his family and was anavid outdoorsman.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death bythree brothers, Clarence Ronald Willbanks, Jim Mullins,and Everitt Mullins; six sisters, Edith Branham, LoyceMullins, Sue Rose, Ernestine Vandell, Becky Vandell, andIvey Mullins.
He is survived by his wife of 22 years, Betty RiggsDaniel Mullins of Algood (whom he married April 28,1990 in Troy, Mich.); two sons and daughters-in-law, Danand Kathy Daniel of Romeo, Mich., Ken and Vila Danielof Caledonia, Mich.; three daughters and sons-in-law,
Barbara and Dick Tarpinian of Phoenix, Ariz., Betty andPete Taucher of Troy, Mich., Carolyn and BuddyLemaster of Nashville, Tenn.; five brothers and sisters-in-law, Danny and Bonnie Mullins of Crossville, Tenn., Billyand Trula Mullins of Clintwood, Bobby and ShirleyMullins of Belleville, Mich., Scott and Shannon Mullinsof Belleville, Mich., Steve and Ann Mullins of Belleville,Mich.; numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Pallbearers will be Mr. Mullins’ grandsons, Jeff Daniel,Joshua Daniel, Jonathan Daniel and Steve Hasty.Honorary Pallbearers will be members of the Joy SundaySchool class of Cookeville Free Will Baptist Church.
Memorial contributions can be made to Free WillBaptist International Missions Steve Riggs Acct. P.O. Box5002 Antioch, TN 37011.
You may share your thoughts and memories atwww.hhhfunerals.com.
LARRY ‘L. D.’ DANNY RICHARDSONCASTLEWOOD
Larry “L. D.” Danny Richardson, 61, went to be withthe Lord peacefully at his home inCastlewood on Wednesday morning,Feb. 6, 2013. The angels came andtook him home as he was surround-ed by his wife and two daughters.
He was born in Coeburn. He waspreceded in death by his father,Kermit Dewit Richardson. He was aretired locomotive engineer withCSX with 42 years of service. Of
those 42 years, he cherished the friendships and bonds hemade during his career with his fellow co-workers. Healso enjoyed playing golf with all his friends at LakeBonaventure Country Club, and cherished those memo-ries close to his heart.
He is survived by his mother, Lois Richardson ofAbingdon; his loving wife of 42 years, PhyllisRichardson; two daughters, Nancie Fox of Castlewoodand Jody Smith and husband Master Sergeant (USAF)Timothy Scott Smith of Springsboro, Ohio; three grand-children, Dillon Johnson, Victoria Smith and Brooke Fox;two brothers, Kenneth Richardson and wife Ardna ofCoeburn and Alvin Richardson of St. Paul; several niecesand nephews.
Funeral Services for Larry “L. D.” Danny Richardsonwere conducted at 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 9, 2013 inCastlewood Funeral Home Chapel, Castlewood, with Rev.Ted Phillips, Rev. Johnny Thompson, and Brother DonMcCamey officiating.
Committal services and entombment were conductedat 12:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 10, 2013 in Valley ViewMausoleum, Temple Hill Memorial Park, Castlewood.Pallbearers were Bobby Holmes, Clay Evans, Tom Allen,Ronnie Kiser, Vick Hess and John Hess. Honorary pall-bearers were Bill Stewart, Danny Laney, Tim “Beaver”Fields, Leon Selfe, CSX Dante Yard Office co-workersand Lake Bonaventure Country Club Members.
The family received friends from 6-8 p.m. Feb. 9, 2013in Castlewood Funeral Home, Castlewood.
The family would like to recognize and thank the fol-lowing people for their kindness and support during thesemost trying times: Dr. Paul Phillips and C-Health staff inSt. Paul; Hope Hall, RN with Wellmont Hospital HospiceUnit with Bristol Regional Medical Center; and Rev. TedPhillips.
Online condolences may be sent to the Richardsonfamily and a video tribute may be viewed at www.castle-woodfuneralhome.com.
PAGE 4 ■ WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2013 ■ THE DICKENSON STAR
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TOLLIE EUGENEROBINSONCLINTWOOD
Tollie EugeneRobinson, born Feb. 22,1932, and born again inChrist in April 1950, wentto be with the Lord on Feb.6, 2013.
Tollie was preceded indeath by his parents, Johnand Clercie Robinson, andhis brother, JackRobinson.
Tollie was a member ofLick Fork Freewill BaptistChurch, where he served asdeacon for 43 years and onthe Board of Trustees. Hewas an employee ofClinchfield Coal Companyfor 43 years.
His hobbies wereweedeating, always insearch of the perfectweedeater, and gardening,with the exception of pick-ing beans. Tollie sang tenorwith several gospel groupsand in the church choir formany years. His favoritequote from the Bible wasRevelation 22:1: “And heshewed me a pure river ofwater of life, clear as crys-tal, proceeding out of thethrone of God and of theLamb.”
Survivors include hiswife of 62 years, NormaRobinson; daughter,Brenda (Terry) Price; son,Daniel (Karen) Robinson;grandsons Eric (Angie)Price and Marcus (Mandi)Robinson; sister, Fontilla(Eugene) Hill; sister-in-law, Johnnie Robinson;
grea t -granddaughters ,Alyssa Price and AshleyPrice; niece, PaulaEnglish; nephew, JohnRobinson; and a host of rel-atives and friends.
A graveside service wasSaturday, Feb. 9 at PhippsMemorial Cemetery at 12p.m. Entombment fol-lowed at Phipps MemorialCemetery.
Pallbearers were EricPrice, Marcus Robinson,John Robinson, ElmerMullins, Roderick Mullinsand Donnie Mullins.Honorary pallbearers willbe Roscoe Mullins, EugeneHill, and deacons of LickFork Freewill BaptistChurch.
The family receivedfriends on Friday, Feb. 8 at5:30 p.m. at MullinsFuneral Home Chapel withfuneral services at 7 p.m.with clergymen Terry Priceand Allen Viersofficiating.
Memorial donations bemade to the Lick ForkFreewill Baptist ChurchBuilding Fund or to thecharity of your choice.
Online condolencesmay be made at [email protected].
CARD OF THANKS
We, the family of DebraAnn Hammons, would liketo thank our family, friendsand neighbors for all theirlove, kindness and supportshown to us during Debra’sfuneral. A special thanks toall the singers and the oneswho brought food, gavecards and flowers. A spe-cial thanks to all who gaveat the benefit singing andhelped in any way. A spe-cial thanks to SheriffBobby Hammons andClinas Phillips and all thekind people at ClintwoodColley Funeral Home.Your kindness and lovewill always be appreciated.
Clay and OcieHammons, Terri andKayla and all family
CARD OF THANKS
The sad loss of ourloved one, Michael N.Tate, leaves us with grate-ful hearts and deep appre-ciation for each act of kind-ness and sympathy shownto us during this difficulttime. We thank everyonewho sent flowers or food,called, visited and helped
in so many ways. The out-pouring of support fromrelatives, friends, neigh-bors and the communitywill always be remem-bered. We offer specialthanks to Dr. GeorgeAichel, who officiatedMichael’s service; ScottMullins and Mike Mullinsfor their beautiful singingand music; ShannonArmistead for his touchingremarks during the service;and Hagy & FawbushFuneral Home.
The family ofMichael N. Tate
THE DICKENSON STAR ■ WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2013 ■ PAGE 5
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4
Obituaries
Monday the case was continued inorder to comply with discovery,which is the process of turning overevidence.
According to a criminal compliantfiled by Dickenson County Sheriff’sSgt. Chris Yates, he and auxiliary
deputy Wes Rose responded to a dis-turbance at New Camp Street inClincho the night of June 26, 2012.
According to the complaint, thedefendant’s brother, James, fled thescene to a river. While policesearched for James Dooley in theriver, Joseph Dooley allegedly stoodon the riverbank and verbally threat-
ened the officers. He is reported tohave said, “I’m going to kill all you(expletive)” and “I’m going to blowyour (expletive) brains out.”
The threats interfered with deputies’attempts to locate and arrest theaccused’s brother, the complaint states.
James Dooley also faces chargesin the incident.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Dooley
story, however, claiming that Mullinshad shot him. King was transported toDickenson Community Hospital andthen to Holston Valley Hospital inKingsport, Tenn. According to the com-plaint, King suffered injury to an arterythat caused extensive damage to somenerves, thus causing loss of use of hisright arm.
The following day, Stidham againinterviewed Mullins, who stated the vic-tim grabbed the barrel of the gun andattempted to kill himself. Mullinsalleged that he grabbed the butt of thegun to slap it away from King, but thegun went off.
When King was again interviewedJan. 23, he told the investigator thatMullins grabbed the gun and Kinggrabbed the barrel. When he released thebarrel, the gun discharged, King claimed.
Stidham said in the report that physi-cal evidence at the scene collaboratesKing’s version of the events.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Mullins
complaint filed by county investigatorScott Stanley in General District CourtOct. 4, 2012, Willis allegedly told hismother, LeeAnn Campbell, he planned tocarry out shootings at the courthouse.
Willis has been held without bond atHaysi Regional Jail since his arrest.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Willis
Looking back
This 1956 photo was taken in front of the ‘little red store’ that once stood on Baker Ridge. Thegroup of children are waiting on the school bus. The photo was submitted by Sharon LockhartJustice and taken by Betty Rasnick. Lockhart has tried to identify some of the children, but doesnot know all of them. Front row, from left: unidentified, Susie Taylor, Judy Barrett, unidentified, SueLockhart and unidentified. Middle row, from left: Niles ‘Shorty’ Taylor, unidentified, SharonLockhart, Freda Lockhart, unidentified and unidentified. Back row, from left: Bobby Taylor, uniden-tified, unidentified, unidentified, unidentified, Don ‘Doe Peck’ Lockhart, Jimmy Taylor, Ellen Hardingand unidentified. The young man standing behind everyone is Bob Orr. The young man standingby himself on the left of the picture is unidentified. Those who recognize anyone in the photo areinvited to mail the information to The Dickenson Star, PO Box 707, Clintwood, VA 24228 or [email protected].
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Letters • Commentary • Personal Observations
PAGE 6
WEDNESDAY ■ FEBRUARY 13, 2013
TheDickenson Star
The Dickenson StarPUBLISHED WEEKLY, EVERY WEDNESDAY BY AMERICAN HOMETOWN PUBLISHING, P.O. BOX 707, CLINTWOOD, VA. 24228 276-926-8816
★ Editor: Paula Tate★ Staff Writer: Teresa Mullins
★ Sports Editor: : Kevin Mays★ Advertising Representative: Candacee Sutherland
★ Bookkeeper: Georgette Hamilton
Jetsons would be impressed by sky car plansBY GLENN GANNAWAY★ STAFF WRITER
Remember the cartoon “The Jetsons,”which premiered in 1962 and was a stapleof Saturday mornings for decades?
The cartoon was set in the year 2062and featured George Jetson and his fami-ly. In the ultra-mechanized world of 2062,labor-saving devices are so prevalent thatGeorge has to go to work only one hour aday, two days a week.
George Jetson made his occasionalcommutes to work in a flying car thatfaintly resembled a flattened-out tea ket-tle with a glass dome. When we werekids, the idea of a flying car seemed likesomething that would only be realized inthe far, distant future — if ever.
We may be on the verge of realizingthat particular bit of futuristic daydream-ing, although the rosey utopian world the
flying car was part of is no closer nowthan it was 40 or 50 years ago.
A joint venture plans to begin produc-ing sky cars in both the United States andChina in . . . 2014. Hello! That’ll wakeyou up from Saturday mornings with abowl of cereal and cartoons on the tube.
According to a blog by Jack Kennedy,the clerk of court for Wise County andNorton and also a member of the VirginiaCommercial Space Flight Authority boardof directors, the joint venture is investing$80 million to get the project off theground (sorry). Financial backing is byanother California firm, AthenaTechnologies, a consortium of severalU.S. private equity funds and credit guar-
antee companies that focus on U.S.-Chinatrade relations and e-business networks.Total investment is $480 million.
That’s a lot of corn flakes. That kind ofmoney means somebody’s really seriousabout something.
Designed by Dr. Paul Moller, theSkycar is a vertical take-off and landing(VTOL) vehicle. Top speeds will be morethan 300 miles per hour at altitudes ashigh as 36,000 feet.
There will be several models: theSkycar 200 LS, the Skycar 400, theSkycar 600 and the Neura. Now, I don’tknow the features and standard equip-ment of these vehicles, but the names arereminiscent of an earthbound car manu-facturer’s lineup of models aimed at peo-ple with different purchasing power. Somaybe we’ll be calling the 200 LS theCadillac of flying cars and the Neura thePacer of flying cars.
Do you remember the Pacer?Produced by AMC (the American MotorsCorp.) in the late 1970s, the Pacer actual-ly resembled . . . George Jetson’s flyingcar. The subcompact had a rounded topand plenty of glass: it looked like itsdesigner had a fixation on bubble-gummachines.
Not much of a car, really. I speak fromexperience: my family actually ownedone of the things. The Pacer made theMaverick look like a Corvette (and withmy friend Rick behind the wheel of hisMaverick, you felt like you were riding inthe Dukes’ General Lee). And rollingdown the road in a Pacer was a little likeputting a glass bowl over one’s head andriding a skateboard.
All jokes, including Pacers, aside, thereality of a flying car could be one of
Gannaway
Dear Editor:Teresa Mullins’ Jan 30 article “Back taxes worry
board” is a great topic for discussion. I was glad tosee someone on the Board of Supervisors is con-cerned about tackling this problem.
My wife and I both addressed members of theBoard of Supervisors last year on this very issuewhen the new property assessments came in higherand our real estate taxes increased. What was disturb-ing about this article is that it appears most of ourcounty leadership appears to be pointing the finger ortrying to avoid the issue. I personally would like toknow the magnitude of the problem, what actions areavailable to correct it, and who in the county isresponsible for taking these actions.
Supervisor David Yates indicated the five-yearaccumulation of delinquent real estate taxes is around$650,000. Ms. Shelbie Willis seems to think there area lot of delinquent machinery and tools taxes, butTreasurer Danny Edwards tells us there are not manybusinesses overdue on these. It seems SupervisorDonnie Rife is only interested in collecting taxes onpeople who are out of state, though I’m not sure if thecounty will have better luck collecting these if theycannot hold their residents accountable.
How much overdue revenue is owed the county onreal estate? As a taxpayer, I would like to see theoverdue taxes collected before we initiate any actionsto raise more taxes. In fact, when I inquired about thestatus of unpaid real estate taxes last year, I was toldthere are over $2 million in delinquent real estatetaxes in the county, so what is the true assessment ofthe situation in the county?
It is clear in your article, many of the Board ofSupervisors believe it is the treasurer’s job to remedythis situation, and they are pointing the finger towardTreasurer Danny Edwards. I do not know what toolsand resources Mr. Edwards has to accomplish thismission, but if he is restricted to only assessing morefinancial penalties and interest, we all know this willfail. Many of these accounts I suspect have not beenpaid for years, so adding more charges only meansthe overdue revenue accounts will grow.
The article also indicated “Mr. Edwards pointedout that some of the delinquent accounts were alreadypast due when he took office in 2008.” Be careful,Mr. Edwards, for this statement may reflect blame onyour predecessor, but someone could also say youhave had four years to correct it and failed.
We need to understand the scope of the problemand what remedies the county plans to implement andfix it.
A taxpayer’s perspective
on back taxes
L e t t e r s
PLEASE SEE GANNAWAY, PAGE 7
★ Publisher/Executive Editor: Jenay Tate
PLEASE SEE LETTERS, PAGE 7 SEE JOHNSON, PAGE 7
Johnson
Hecticsessionpassesmidway
BY DEL. JOSEPHJOHNSON
The fifth week was themost hectic week yet. Itwas “crossover week,”which means that if a billpasses the House ofDelegates, it is sent to theSenate where it follows asimilar process. If it passesboth houses, it goes to thegovernor who may sign itinto law, or amend or vetothe bill and return it forapproval by both houses.The House and Senatemay override the veto by a2/3 vote. If he takes noaction, the bill becomeslaw on July 1.
Both the House ofDelegates as well as theSenate passed several edu-cation reform bills. Onecalled for schools to begraded on an A-F scalesimilar to the way studentsare graded. The other billallows a state board to takeover failing schools. Bothbills drew a good deal ofDemocratic opposition,but were passed by amajority vote.
Both houses passedbills that now allow policeto stop drivers who aretexting. This differs fromthe present law in that thedrivers had to be stoppedfor some other offensebefore a charge of textingcould be made.
Lt. Gov. Bolling wascalled upon, for the first
Religious freedom: From Obamacare to peyote
BY MORGAN GRIFFITH★ NINTH DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVE
Over the last year or so, you may haveheard some criticism from for-profitbusinesses and not-for-profit religiousgroups like the Roman Catholic bishopsregarding the health care reform law’smandate that requires employers (includ-ing religious hospitals, colleges, chari-ties, and similar institutions) to put faithaside and provide employees with contra-ceptive services.
The administration has said it is work-ing to resolve concerns that the mandateviolates the religious freedom rights thatWe the People are guaranteed by theConstitution. However, many are notconvinced that the new proposed rulesare sufficient to protect their freedom ofreligion.
The United States Constitution pro-tects religious freedom, even when atenet of a particular faith would other-wise be in violation of the law. Peyote isan hallucinogenic drug historically usedin the Native American Church to treatvarious ailments, and also to trigger deep,spiritual insight and introspection. Use ofthis drug is normally illegal. However,the use of hallucinogenic peyote as partof “bonafide religious ceremonies” isexempt from the law because it is pro-
tected under freedom of religion.I believe that the Catholic Church and
others whose religious beliefs run count-er to Obamacare policies should beexempt from the mandate, just as theNative American Church is exempt froma specific drug law.
The Department of Health and HumanServices is still accepting feedback on therecently-proposed rules. You may wish tosubmit a comment online here:http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=CMS-2012-0031-63161.
TAXING THE MIDDLE CLASSPresident Obama frequently says he
doesn’t want to hurt the middle class. Theconsequences may be unintended, butmany of his policies seem to do just that.
In regard to Obamacare, PresidentObama has said “Families will save ontheir premiums; businesses that will seetheir costs rise if we do nothing will savemoney now and in the future.”
In reality, premiums continue increas-ing. Also, employers are eliminatingjobs, cutting employees’ hours, or leav-
Gri f f i th
PLEASE SEE GRIFFITH, PAGE 7
I also beg to differ withSupervisor Shelbie Willisand other supervisors whodon’t believe they areresponsible for collectingtaxes. Many states havetax sales to sell propertiesfor the overdue taxes. I’msure it is not a very pleas-ant process, but as statedby Supervisor DonnieRife in your article, fiveyears delinquent is morethan a little bit late.Selling the land willensure accountability byfinding an owner who willpay the taxes.
During a public hearinglast year, then CountyAttorney Bud Phillipsinformed the Board ofSupervisors it is theirresponsibility to deter-mine if and when realestate in the county will besold for delinquent taxes.This is why I asked earlierwho in the county isresponsible for takingactions. It appears ourBoard of Supervisors doeshave a role in the process,and it may be the onlyviable tool that ensurestaxpayer accountability.Yes, there may be legalfees. Can these fees bepassed on to the buyer?Worse case scenario, weget a new owner who doespay their taxes.
It is time the leadershipdid something. Waitinguntil the overdue accountapproaches the 20-yearstatute of limitations is nota responsible course of
action. I will close with a say-
ing we had in the military:“Leaders are paid the bigbucks to make the toughdecisions.” As our electedleaders, I expect you tohave the courage to dowhat is right and carry outthe responsibilities ofyour office. We have hadenough finger pointingand no action coming outof Washington; let’s notallow it here.
Ron Peters
Electric billsremain
outrageouslyhigh
Dear Editor:I had certainly hoped to
be bearer of better news,but it appears our electricbills will remain outra-geously high. In a previ-ous letter to the DickensonStar Editor, I asked you tocontact Sen. Puckett, DelJoe Johnson and the StateCorporation Commissionto intercede on the behalfof southwest Virginia resi-dents to get our powerbills lowered by AmericanElectric Power and OldDominion Electric Power.In spite of our best efforts,the bills will remainabnormally high. Not onlyhave the bills more thandoubled, in some cases,
they have quadrupled. Ourelected leaders have beennotified that people can-not afford to keep warmand eat too.
The following explainswhat southwest Virginiapoliticians have done in aneffort to get the electricbills lowered:
1) Sen. Puckett is thepatron of Senate Bill (SB)1366, which asks that AEPand Old Dominion not askfor another rate hike,which they had planned todo, in March 2013, butinstead wait till March2014 to request the ratehike.
2) Terry Kilgore is thepatron of House Bill (HB)2261, which seems identi-cal to Sen. Puckett’s bill,and asks that the rate hikerequest planned in March2013 be postponed tillMarch, 2014. Del.Kilgore’s bill is a lengthytwo-page, single-spaced,confusing piece of work. Iwas unsuccessful in ask-ing his legislative assis-tant or staff in theAttorney General’s office(I was told that AG KenCuccinelli drafted the bill)to interpret it for me.
3) Del Joe Johnson hasnot gotten back with me toinform that he has doneanything to assist resi-dents in getting their elec-tric bills lowered.
4) Del. Johnson’soffice did have an AEPspokesperson, MaryBegley, call me to explainthat we must not havetaken the proper action to
keep our kilowatt usagelower, that our housesmust not be properly insu-lated or that our heatpumps were not properlyworking. She denied thatAEP is gouging the con-sumer, and said that NO!,their CEOs and adminis-trative staff are not mak-ing huge salaries. Sheexplained that the heatpump is the number oneuser of electricity, numbertwo is the hot water heaterand third is the clothesdryer.
Senate Bill 1366 andHouse Bill 2261 havebeen voted on and passedthe Labor and CommerceCommittee last week. Thebills must do a “crossover,” which means theSenate bill goes to theHouse of Delegates andthe House bill goes to theSenate for a vote. Thatvote was expected havetaken place on Tuesday orThursday of this week.
Folks, we are up acreek! It appears we mustresort to wood burningstoves, hang our clotheson the line, and batheweekly. If we all smellbad, maybe we won’tnotice.
Inform our electedleaders that we have longmemories and that at nextelection time, we willmost definitely rememberbeing cold, broke andhungry.
Juanita Sneeuwjagt President, Committee
for Constitutional &Environmental Justice
those epoch-making devel-opments, sort of like thecoming of the railroad orthe mass success of theearthly car.
Which leaves unan-swered the question ofwhen we’ll get our onehour a day, two days a
week work schedules. Itseems that over the pasthalf century we’ve gonefrom the utopian vision ofa life made easy by ourinventions to the reality ofpeople working longerhours — or not working atall because of technologi-cal displacement and otherfactors.
time this session, to break the 20-20 tie on a Democraticamendment that delayed the voter ID changes until July2014. He voted in favor of the amendment and the bill passed21-20. The transportation proposal submitted by the gover-nor received some changes and barely survived on a vote of53-48 in the House. It is very clear that in order for the gov-ernor to get a transportation bill passed, major changes fromthe original proposal are needed.
It is my belief that most legislators favor the increase ofgas tax rather than an increase of sales tax. The increase ofsales tax will put additional taxes on those who have no vehi-cle and do not use the roads. The increase of tax on gas wouldbe on the users of the roads, which would include the pur-chase of gas by out of state vehicles.
Legislation is being considered that, if passed, will permitcitizens to get birth, death, marriage and divorce certificatesat the local Division of Motor Vehicles office. The governorsupports and has said the idea of bringing local access to vitalrecords through the local DMV offices will make govern-ment work better for the citizens.
Over the last few weeks, we have had several groups ofyoung people from our area visit me in my Richmond office.It is always a pleasure to talk with them and hear their storiesabout their lives and their successes with their education. Ithas been an honor to have several of the college students andtheir sponsors attend one of our sessions. I was able to intro-duce them to the members of the House and have them rec-ognized by Speaker Howell.
As always, I am honored to be representing you and lookforward to meeting more of you as we work together duringthis session. We have already welcomed many folks fromback home to the 2013 session. We always enjoy seeing youand hope you will visit whenever you are in Richmond.Please do not hesitate to call upon me anytime I can be ofhelp to you. We are located in room 701 of the GeneralAssembly Building. The address is: General AssemblyBuilding, P.O. Box 406, Richmond, Va. 23218. My phonenumber is 804/698-1104, my fax is 804/698-6704, and myemail address is [email protected].
Del. Joseph Johnson represents Dickenson County andparts of Wise, Russell and Washington counties.
THE DICKENSON STAR ■ WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2013 ■ PAGE 7
276 865-5560251 Main St. • Haysi
M-F: 9 to 6 • Sat: 9 to 2
Jones & Counts Pharmacy
Stop in
& Pick up
the perfect gift
for Valentine’s
Day!
EQUAL HOUSINGOPPORTUNITY
VHDA AND DICKENSON COUNTY RENTAL ASSISTANCE OFFICE OPENINGTHE WAITING LIST TO ACCEPT HOUSING CHOICE VOUCHER APPLICATIONS
The Virginia Housing Development Authority and Dickenson County Rental Assistance Office will open the online
Housing Choice Voucher Waiting List on February 19, 2013 for Dickenson County. The program will be taking
applications from 1:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. on February 19th.
VHDA is one of 42 housing agencies across the state that administers the federal Housing Choice Voucher
Program. VHDA administers more than 9,500 vouchers in Virginia that do not have a local housing agency. VHDA
works with a network of 31 local agencies to run the day-to-day operations of the program. These agencies have
a separate waiting list for each of their waiting list areas.
Dickenson County Rental Assistance Office administers the voucher program in Dickenson County. Applications
are accepted from everyone; but all VHDA local housing agencies have a residency preference. Therefore, only
applicants that live/work in Dickenson County or have been notified to work in Dickenson County will be offered
an opportunity to be issued a voucher. Applicants who live/work outside of Dickenson County will be at the bottom
of the waiting list and will never receive a voucher.
The new online application allows applicants to apply at their convenience from any computer with internet
access during the time period that applications will be accepted. The waiting list application is not compatible
with smart phones, iPhones, BlackBerries, tablets or other personal digital assistant devices.
Applicants will be able to apply beginning at 1:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. on February 19th. The website to apply is
vhda.apply4housing.com.
Applicants submitting their application will receive a confirmation number upon completion of less than 20
questions. Anyone can apply on behalf of another applicant.
No applications will be taken by phone, mail or in person. If the applicant is a person with a disability, and they
require a specific accommodation in order to apply, please contact the Dickenson Rental Assistance Office staff.
Individuals needing help to apply due to their disability must contact the Dickenson Rental Assistance Office to
request an appointment to be scheduled during the application acceptance period.
For more information about the application process, please contact the Dickenson Rental Assistance Office at
276-926-1674 or email [email protected].
276-926-5002
Cupid’s Treat
Week!!Spend $30 or more on any Spa Service
between Mon 2/11 and Fri 2/15 and receive a special treat during your service!!
Gift Cards also Available
Cars R Us
276-796-4444CARS R US is paying top cash prices for Gold Jewelry, Scrap, Coins, Silver Coins, Scrap Silver Jewelry, Old pocket watches
and gold wrist watches.
We also buy cars and trucks running or scrap. Local Pickup Available.
We also buy scrap aluminum wheels and converters.
ATTN: Dealers give us a call before you sell.Volume prices!
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6
LettersCONTINUED FROM PAGE 6
Gannaway
ing positions vacant to save fromspending more for health care.
One of the problems is the newmedical device tax that is a 2.3 percenttax on medical devices. The tax willimpact the cost of devices such asinsulin pumps, knee and hip replace-ments, and heart valves, among othertreatments.
Who pays the cost? The answer isultimately either you or the taxpayersgenerally. If it’s not paid for from agovernment program, then it is paid byinsurance companies who pass the coston to the consumer, mostly the middleclass.
For that reason, I am cosponsoringlegislation to repeal this tax.
It’s not just health care; it’s alsoenergy. Last week in an Energy andCommerce Committee hearing, I ques-tioned Ms. Mary Hutzler, aDistinguished Senior Fellow at theInstitute of Energy Research, aboutnew regulations targeting coal-firedpower plants. These regulations willcause electric rates to go up by 10 to 20percent in most parts of the country.They also will amount to 183,000 jobslost per year as facilities work to com-ply with the burdensome regulations.
The people hurt most by theincrease in electric rates are the poorand the middle class, and those 183,000
jobs lost per year – those aren’t CEOslosing their jobs.
If we are to keep energy affordable,we need to access and use all energysources. We shouldn’t make coal afour-letter word.
In Washington, I will continue tolook for common-sense solutions to ournation’s problems and work to avoidunintended consequences that nega-tively impact the middle class.
As always, if you have questions,concerns, or comments, feel free to callmy Abingdon office at 276-525-1405or my Christiansburg office at 540-381-5671. To reach my office via email,please visit my website at www.mor-gangriffith.house.gov.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6
Griffith
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6
Johnson
PAGE 8 ■ WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2013 ■ THE DICKENSON STAR
Isaac Eli KoseAge: 2 1/2 years
Parents: Kristy Rakes & BenKose,
Pittsburgh, PAGrandparents: Chris & Angie
Rakes, Clintwood; Tom & Debbie
Rose, Columbus, OH
Austin SteeleAge: 3 years
Parents: Keddy & AndreaSteele, Coeburn
Grandparents: James &Debbie Stanley;
Rick Steele; Lana Stanley;all of Clintwood
Rhett BakerAge: 2 years
Parents: Seth & MelonieBaker
Grandparents: Lema Bakerand the late Joe Lee Baker,
Sam & Retha Stone
Serenity Faith TurnerAge: 5 1/2 months
Parents: Ritchie & MichelleTurner,
ClintwoodGrandparents: Charlie & Katy
Turner,Clinchco; Roger & Julie
Vance, Clintwood
Randall Rose & Abby Wade Ages: 1 year & 6 years
Love, Great Grandmother June Hamilton
Ryden BakerAge: 6 months
Parents: Seth & MelonieBaker
Grandparents: Lema Bakerand the late Joe Lee Baker,
Sam & Retha Stone
Grayson Jack DotsonAge: 8 months
Parents: Rick & MeganDotson, Coeburn
Grandparents: Charles &Helen Mullins,
Coeburn; Rick & KimDotson, Clinchco
Delanie Brooke PhillipsAge: 18 months
Parents: Garrett & SarahPhillips, Coeburn
Grandparents: Bud & TeresaPhillips, Coeburn;
Gary & Angela Lewis,Pennington Gap
Cynthia Mona Fleming Age: 4 years
Parent: Ricky J. FlemingGrandparents: Jewell
Fleming & Norma J. Fleming,Clintwood
Nick Lindsay Age: 3 years
Parents: Ritchie & AmyLindsay, Coeburn
Grandparents: James &Debbie Stanley, Clintwood;Judy Lindsay and the lateRichard Lindsay, Coeburn
Evan Glenn OwensAge: 4 years
Parents: Matthew & BridgetOwens, Abingdon
Grandparents: Glenn &Jerlene Owens, Haysi;Goebel & Kathy Lyall,
Clinchco
Aiden BranhamAge: 7 years
Parents: Scott & JillBranham
Grandparents: Goebel &Kathy Lyall; Johnnie& Mickey Branham;
Michael & Rose Mullins
Ashton SteeleAge: 4 1/2 years
Parents: Keddy & AndreaSteele, Coeburn
Grandparents: James &Debbie Stanley;
Rick Steele; Lana Stanley;all of Clintwood
Klaudia BranhamAge: 3 years
Parents: Scott & JillBranham
Grandparents: Goebel &Kathy Lyall; Johnnie
& Mickey Branham; Michael& Rose Mullins
A h e a r t f u l l o f l o v eA h e a r t f u l l o f l o v e
William “Mason” GarrettAge: 18 months
Parents: Grant & DeidraGarrett, Clintwood
Grandparents: Bill & LorettaGarrett, Clintwood;
Tona Mullins and the lateNoah “Butch” Mullins,
Clintwood
William “Mason” GarrettAge: 18 months
Parents: Grant & DeidraGarrett
Great Grandparents: NancyBryant; Clyde
Boyd; and the late Arthur &Faye Garrett
Brock Slade RameyAge: 10 months
Parents: Keith & MistyRamey, Richlands
Grandparents: Mack & CarolRamey;
Benny and Lynn Yates; all ofHaysi
Sayward PhippsAge: 2 years
Parents: Doug & BeckyPhipps, Clintwood
Grandparents: Dempsey &Becky Cox;
Joe & Gaynell Phipps; all ofClintwood
Michael Larkin TurnerAge: 4 months
Parents: Corey and BrittneyTurner,Haysi
Grandparents: Michael &Regina Powers, Clintwood;Melissa Stanley, Abingdon;
and the late Larkin(Kemberly)
Turner, Clintwood
Isabella Skye BartonAge: 3 years
Parents: Larry & AmberBarton, Clintwood
Noah & Malachi Turner2 years & 1 year
Parents: Donavan and Glenda TurnerGrandparents: Ronaka Mullins and
Sherry Moore; Greatgrandparent: Lucille Turner, all from Clinchco.Ethan Turner & Ella Hall
Ages: 7 years & 1 yearGrandparents: Dearl & Sharon Long,
Nora
