Volume 2, Issue 9 · Early May, 2007 FREE County Reportwarrencountyreport.com/2007may1.pdf ·...

WarrenCounty Report

Volume 2, Issue 9 · Early May, 2007

Builders cool to Brooks’olive branch

Page 3

Marshall insanity case awaits verdict

Page 7

Chuck Ritenour getting California radio airplay!

Page 6

FREE#1 Newspaper in Front Royal & Warren County!

The coyotesof Virginia

* Special pull-out learning section

Page � • Warren County Report • Early May, �007

From the publisher

122 W 14th StreetBox 20

Front Royal, VA 22630(540) 636-1014

(540) 636-1042 faxwarrencountyreport.com

Published in a secret location in the greater metropolitan area of Limeton.

Publisher and Editor-in-Chief:

Daniel P. [email protected]

Managing Editor and Reporter:Roger Bianchini(540) 635-4835

[email protected]

Advertising Sales Representative:Paula Conrow

(540) [email protected]

Advertising Sales Representative:Holly Spindle

636-8272 [email protected]

Assistant to the Publisher:Leslie Bennett(540) 636-1014

[email protected]

Contributors:Cassidy Custis, Entertainment Writer Tony Elar, Cartoonist Extraordinaire

Kevin S. Engle, WriterLeslie Fiddler, WriterJim Smithlin, Writer

Mary Ellen South, Writer

Transcriptionist:Roya Milotte

[email protected]

Circulation:Leslie Bennett and Donnie Lawson

If you are interested in contributing to our paper, please call Dan or mention

something to Roger. If it is local, interesting, and you’re giving it to us

free you’re hired! We also like pictures with the stories. Some more letters to

the editor would be nice too!

Coyotes

In this issue we feature our first pull-out section. (I call it that to seem fancy for the tour-ists but really I just used the four center pages which techni-cally can be pulled out.) The section is the latest in our series on interesting wild-life found in Warren County. (The last (and first) one was on vultures. My animal-enthusiast friend Cassie Whittington told me she was really happy I didn’t call them buzzards.) I first got on a coyote kick when I was reading somewhere that anyone could kill them since they are a nuisance. Of course, being Virginia, you can’t shoot them on Sundays. This got me wondering why they were considered a pest worthy of being gunned down on sight. Farmers and anyone else who owns animals outside will tell you that the coyote is no friend to their livestock. In fact, there are cash bounties paid to any-one who drags a bloody coyote carcus to the sheriff ’s depart-ment, although it doesn’t hap-pen too often. (I recommend you call first.) I was working on my first coyote story last year and so I called the Sheriff and asked him about the situation in War-ren County. He said there was a growing presense in the area but it wasn’t anything like the deer situation or some other examples of hugely abundant wildlife. “But I can hear them at night,” he said. My first thought was, “Wow. Danny must really live in the sticks.” Then I started hearing them a couple of weeks ago at my place. I discovered that it is mating season for coyotes. Apparently they get a little frisky in the spring. So I thought it would be a good time to learn about them.

As you read you will discover that coyotes are about two feet tall, they are not native to the state, and you would have to kill 80% of them each year to impact the population growth. So get used to them. Also, I learned that appar-ently only one person has ever been killed by a coyote. That said, after the Steve Ir-win incident where he was only the fifth or sixth person killed by the docile stingray, I’m not taking any chances. So forgive me if I rush into my house a little quicker when they are howling at each other late at night near my humble Limeton abode.

Our e-mail

Roger Bianchini has moved and his new e-mail address is listed in the box to the right. We’re all excited here at the pa-per with the news that he might actually get a cell phone! My Ipowerweb.com e-mail service is still horrid and I am still trying to get it fixed. So in my continuing series trashing Ipower’s terrible ser-vice, I thought you would enjoy this recent exchange by one of their international customer support experts:

Chat InformationPlease wait for a site operator to respond.

Chat InformationYou are now chatting with ‘Max T.’

Max T.: Thank you for contact-ing IPOWER Live Chat. How can I help you?

dan: hi, i am getting reports of bouncebacks from my [email protected] e-mail address and i am noticing that i am getting several of the same messages there. are you having a problem with your mail servers?

Max T.: Hi Dan

(pause)

dan: Hi Max, are you still there?

Max T.: I’ll be happy to assist you.

Max T.: So as i understand you have problem in receiving mails at [email protected] domain

dan: yes

Max T.: are you receiving any specific error?

dan: i am getting reports of bouncebacks from my [email protected] e-mail address and i am noticing that i am getting several of the same messages there. are you having a problem with your mail servers?

Max T.: I have checked sending test mail to your account at [email protected], and it has received it without any problem

Max T.: please check and con-firm, also I have changed the account password to ----

dan: some go through fine. and i received that test okay. but i have had several people say they are getting bounceback messages when trying to e-mail me there. also, some are not forwarded correctly. i have all of them forwarded to [email protected]

dan: but i often see messages on your webmail program that weren’t forwarded

dan: if you log into that web-mail account, you will see many copies of messages

Max T.: I have checked the server issue with the admins, and they have informed me there isn’t any on the server

dan: the same one over and over

dan: something is obviously not functioning correctly

Max T.: If you could give me the exact error message people are receiving as bounce back mail, I could assist you better

dan: I’m not sure, here is a sam-ple of what i am getting: “How are you these days? I tried to email you and it bounced!”

Max T.: Well this error mes-sage explains nothing about the bounce back

dan: checking

Max T.: okay

dan: i called a friend and she confirmed that the bounceback was from the [email protected] account. she will e-mail me the msg if she has it but she thinks she may have deleted it. I am trying but can’t duplicate the error right now.

dan: why am i getting so many copies of messages?

Max T.: Okay Dan , no problem if she gives you the bounce back message, we will look in to it

Max T.: As such there is no is-sue with the server

dan: why do i have 6 copies of each message?

dan: if you log into the account you’ll see many copies of most messages

Max T.: Okay Dan, I have for-warded your issue of receiving more than one copies of each mail to the system adminsMax T.: here is the incidence id of your issue 070426-000964Max T.: please save it with you for future reference

WarrenCounty Report

Early May, �007 • Warren County Report • Page �

Brooks meets builders

Builders cool to Brooks’ olive branchCouncilman’s response to building issues, policies termed evasiveBy Roger BianchiniWarren County Report

Stan Brooks came, he spoke, he didn’t conquer. That seemed to be the consen-sus of members of the Warren County Builders’ Association following the Front Royal Town Councilman’s departure after an increasingly testy exchange of well over an hour with the builder’s group. Brooks was the

featured speaker at the group’s April 25 meeting following a request by the councilman to address builder concerns. High among those concerns as expressed to Brooks that night was a perceived affront over the group’s political intentions fol-lowing a March 5 town council work session, as well as Brooks’ perceived leadership role in increasingly restrictive town building standards.

While Brooks was greeted with appreciation for his will-ingness to speak to the group, his appearance got off to a rocky start as he jousted with builders’ association President George Cline over who would get their opening remarks in first. Cline prevailed and told Brooks, “I don’t know if it was your or council’s ignorance” in alleging that the builders’ group was trying to exert undue politi-

cal influence over town policy decisions by asking for increased communications with the town government prior to the formu-lation of legislation impacting the building industry.

Lobbying or understanding?

However, Brooks stood fast in his assertion that for council to mandate its staff to speak to the builders’ group in an official capacity would open a Pandora’s Box of complications, including appearances of impropriety in allowing undue influence to be exerted on town decisions, as well as the obligation to allow other groups to approach the town government in a similar fashion. Brooks suggested that rather than as a group, builders ap-proach him, other councilmen or the town’s planning chief Nimet Soliman individually as necessary. Brooks asserted that the town’s doors were open, just not to groups attempting to lobby for favorable legislation. Several builders reiterated a

point they made to council on March 5 – that their intention in improving professional com-munications with town staff prior to legislative initiatives was to establish technical and professional exchanges and understanding, rather than lob-bying. “You guys hire firms to come in and help you determine poli-cies, what would be wrong with getting an opinion from experi-enced people, people that have been through it?” Cline asked Brooks. “It’s about five members sitting here and five members sitting there, working as one. It would be so much easier as a group if you could sit and explain to us – not once a month, maybe once every couple of months – it would help us understand [town policies],” Cline said. The builders again told Brooks, as their officers had at the March 5 work session, that a professional exchange on building issues with the county had improved relations there on a number of fronts. Prominent among those, Builders’ Associa-

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Front Royal Town Councilman Stan Brooks pleads his case to a skeptical group of Warren County builders.

Page 11 • Warren County Report • Early April, 2007

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Brooks meets builders

tion Chairman Larry Andrews later said, was a standardiza-tion of inspection criteria that had been on ongoing sore point between builders and the county for some time. “I’m not sure of your relation-ship to the county,” Brooks told the Warren builders. “It’s a working relationship, what we would like to have with you,” Teddy Stout replied. “You insinuate we are trying to control government and that we have the county in our hip pocket; and personally you in-sulted me and I have been biting my tongue,” Art Saffelle, one of the five builders at the March 5 work session, told Brooks. Brooks apologized if he either misunderstood or mischarac-terized the builders’ request but again refused to back down from his stance on disapproving staff meetings with builders’ representatives.

Political burnout

“So, is it better if 50 of us show up at a town council meeting and each of us get up and say what is permissible to say in regards to every issue coming down the pike?” Andrews asked, adding, “When the public hear-ing comes up we’re going to try and influence [decisions] and when the election comes up we’re going to try and influence it – and we won’t make no bones about it.” Brooks acknowledged the builder’s strength as a lobby group, noting they may have helped decide past elections and could decide future elections. “Heck, I might be one of those you want to get rid of,” Brook observed. “We’re considering it,” An-drews replied, drawing laugh-ter. But Brooks told the builders they might not have to consider campaigning against him in the next election. He said he didn’t know if he would run for reelec-

tion, citing political burnout. “The last three years have been pure torture,” Brooks told the builders. “Everything is being done in a hurry to make decisions . . . These decisions are here now – Brookfield’s coming up in the next few weeks . . . We were ready for none of it, much less a Centex,” he said of the na-tional builder who presented a

since withdrawn 2,400-residen-tial unit proposal to the county; and a 300-unit proposal, since reduced to 99 by-right units with the loss of between $2.5 million and $4.8 million in prof-fers, to the town. “I’m trying to manage that growth as it comes,” Brooks said. “We’re the target, there’s no doubt about it,” he added of growth moving west beyond Fairfax, Prince William and Lou-doun Counties. “And if you look at who’s financed those [politi-cal] campaigns in Loudoun and Prince William you’ll get a pretty good idea who’s behind it . . . You look at the PR, everybody’s play-ing to the crowd. If you can get good press coverage, in depth, that’s huge. But if you just get blurbs . . . if they just say you lost $10 million in proffers but you needed $80 million” what do people think?

‘We can all do better’

“I wish I’d seen these things coming when I was mayor 10 years ago but I didn’t, nobody did,” Brooks said of large-scale

growth pressures from the east. “I’m not here to brag, we can all do better.” During his opening remarks Brooks recalled his entry into the local political scene over a decade ago after being appalled at the arrogance he perceived on the town council of the early to mid-1990s (Brooks won a write-in campaign for mayor in

1994). If he had appeared arrogant or impolite to the builders previ-ously, Brooks explained, “I am passionate about growth and sometimes I become short when I am passionate.”

In this corner . . .

North River District Supervi-sor Ron Llewellyn confronted Brooks over council tactics on building issues. Llewellyn’s de-velopment partner Brookfield Homes has had the 300-unit Swan Farm residential proposal between Happy Creek Road and John Marshall Highway before the town for two years – a year longer than state law mandates decisions, Llewellyn has pointed out. Brookfield and Llewellyn’s 150-unit Catlett Mountain pro-posal before the county is cur-rently poised to be the first test of the town’s new water and boundary adjustment policy. Llewellyn said items high on the council’s priority list appeared to pass rapidly with minimal community input, while other things “tend to sit,

sit, sit.” “I disagree,” Brooks replied, adding, “I’m not going to start this. I can say the same things about the board of supervi-sors.” When Llewellyn attempted to ask a follow-up question, Brooks cut him off sharply, saying, “I’m not interested.” As Andrews intervened to allow Brooks to move past the seeming impasse with Llewellyn, the supervisor asked a final question – “Are you not answering this because of who I am or because you don’t want to answer the question?” “I can answer your question,” Brooks replied sternly before moving on to other question-ers.

Leadership or evasion?

But despite his tack to star-board, the sailing didn’t get much smoother for the council-man. Paul Barnhart told Brooks it appeared council was intent on stopping all growth. “It can’t be about personal preferences, it’s not about you and Ron going back and forth – what are you going to do?” Barnhart asked of town intentions on building. Brooks replied that that to his knowledge the town had never turned down a by-right residen-tial building proposal. “Obviously you can’t say no to by right. But you can’t just build on five and 10 acre lots – this isn’t new stuff . . . you can’t just say no,” Barnhart countered. Other builders then pointed out that the town’s new slope ordinance, prohibiting residen-tial building on lots with more than a 15 percent slope, down 10 to 25 percent from the pre-vious standard – was a defacto downzoning of existing by-right development inside the town limits. While Brooks portrayed ac-tions like the slope ordinance and water policy as protections

against outside developers, An-drews observed local builders were among the first impacted by such ordinance restrictions. Brooks replied that council had to make hard decisions for the good of the entire community, rather than any single special interest group. “You appear to be the mayor of this town,” Frank O’Reilly then told Brooks. Brooks replied that he might be looked to by other council members for leadership due to his past political experi-ence. Experienced or not, O’Reilly continued his criticism of Brooks’ role in what he described as an increasingly “secretive” town legislative process. “There seems to be a clique on town council dictating what they think is best for Front Royal and who are not interested in any other stakeholders opinion . . . When people are locked out they have a reason to be upset,” O’Reilly said. “Agendas are be-ing pushed very secretively by people who [think they] ‘know better than us’ what should go on.” O’Reilly told Brooks that the town government’s attitude made him feel as a county resi-dent, “like I should be carrying a green card.” “I thought he was very evasive in the way he answered ques-tions,” Barnhart later observed. “And like I said in there awhile ago, I think he stopped short of just accusing everyone else of not doing anything right, that everything everybody else is do-ing is wrong and that they (town council) are the only ones in the whole situation that know what they are doing.” Following the meeting, An-drews added tactfully, “You’ve got to be careful what you say because of ramifications.” Andrews declined to elaborate on that comment.Contacted later, Brooks said he would let his exchange with the builders speak for itself.

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Town Councilman Stan Brooks pleaded his case to a skeptical group of Warren County builders.


Budget & taxes

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By Roger BianchiniWarren County Report

At a special meeting on April 24, the Warren County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved an $84,040,226 budget for fiscal year 2008. Of that num-ber, $43,231,557 will be covered by local revenues. The total budget is a 10.9 percent increase, $8.26 million, while the increase in local rev-enue marks a 12.09 percent in-crease over the current budget. Last year’s local revenue number was $38.56 million compared to $43.23 million in the coming fiscal year. How that local revenue is gathered was the target of criti-cism of eight of 10 speakers at a budget Public Hearing on April

17. With reassessments averaging a 93-percent increase in real estate values, the existing real estate tax rate of 82 cents per $100 of assessed value had to be lowered to 42 cents to adjust the county revenue stream to its previous level. County staff sug-gested and the board approved a 3-cent increase to 45 cents per $100 of assessed value to help balance this year’s budget. The nature of governmental operations and the generation of revenue to support those opera-tions was the focus of a number of the April 17 Public Hearing speakers. The only directly pro-budget comments came from Warren County School Board Chairman Jim Wells. Wells acknowledged

the cost of opening two new public high schools and thanked the supervisors for committing to the improvement of public school facilities for the com-munity’s youth. The $86-million bond issue price tag for the new schools and other community capital improvement projects will eventually raise the county’s annual bond payment expendi-tures to around $5 million per year. The coming year’s bond payment rose to $2.6 million from nearly $2 million in the current fiscal year. The supervisors had anticipat-ed a 10 percent increase in pub-lic school funding tied largely to the capital improvement project. However, that number increased to 13 percent, or $2.13 million. The school board reported that $1.57 million of that $2.13 mil-lion was directly tied to staffing and operational costs at the two new high schools.

Why us?

Three speakers with ties to the local home-schooling com-munity, including Seton Home School owner Mary Kay Clark, spoke against the increases and government expenditures, par-ticularly for things like public education, which the home schooling community has cho-sen not to participate in. Several of the home school-ing contingent noted they had relocated to this community for a variety of reasons including low costs and the availability of quality home-schooling services and networking. Whether they should be exposed to the costs to improve community services they do not avail themselves of was a recurring question asked. Chris Manion called much governmental expenditure friv-olous and said such increases were not inevitable as govern-

$84 million county budget approved3-cent real estate tax increase helps cover +$4.75 million in local $


ment seemed to believe. Man-ion called the proposed tax increases “unjustified.”

Caught in the middle

Two people with political backgrounds from the fiscally conservative South River Dis-trict, Linda Glavis and Bill Bar-nett, questioned the level at which the county’s budget was increasing. Barnett, a former member of the Economic Development Authority, questioned annual increases over the past decade in the county’s operating expenses versus actual departmental and service growth. He asked the board to scrutinize its budget more closely in seeking ways to cut costs passed on to taxpay-ers. Glavis noted that her family’s real estate reassessment had been 184 percent and said long-time county residents, many on fixed incomes, were being forced out of property owner-ship by economic trends driven by Northern Virginia migra-tion patterns and expense ac-counts. Once such long-time county resident, Roger Blood, described his plight. Blood said he was now on a social security-based fixed income. He described his purchase of 10 acres without frontage several decades ago for $9,200; construction of a house for $46,000 and a garage for $1,500. He said that recent real estate reassessments were driving up community old timers property values at rates of 200 to 300 per-cent, while recent transplants from Northern Virginia were seeing reassessments increase their tax liability by only about 30 percent, “Because they paid $400,000 to $500,000 in the first place. “Now it takes two months of my pension just to pay my taxes,” he told the supervisors. “I guess I can either sell or live on

$40 a week for other things.”

Other

Herb Dunkill suggested the county explore additional high-tech security options for its public schools in the wake of the Virginia Tech shooting the previous day. Dunkill did not comment on the overall budget package. Board Chairman Richard Traczyk explained that the na-ture of the Public Hearing did not include give and take be-tween speakers and the board, but that the board would take all comments under consideration prior to its vote the following week. In a power point presentation on the budget and how it was arrived at County Administra-tor Doug Stanley pointed out that staff and the board had been working on the budget for nearly six months, beginning in

November. Stanley also said state rev-enues had climbed from $33.3 million to $36.4 million; that the budget would include a minimum 2 percent COLA and 2.5 percent Step increase; a 15-percent increase in Health Insurance rates ($169,548); also included in the budget was an 11.7 increase ($45,000) for Sam-uels Public Library operations; a 22.9 percent increase ($40,000) to Northwestern Community Services; an 8.3-percent increase ($18,705) in Health Depart-ment funding; and the addition of three patrol deputies for the Sheriff ’s Office ($68,429); the addition of one firefighter/EMT and two firefighter para-medics beginning Jan. 1, 2008 ($71,458). Stanley also pointed out that despite the 13-percent increase in school funding this year, the average annual increase in the public school budget was 5.5

percent or $822,934.

Budget & taxes

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Early May, �007 • Warren County Report •

Marshall trial

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Marshall insanity case awaits verdictMay 11 set for court ruling in triple attempted capital murder shootingBy Roger BianchiniWarren County Report

“An evil that occasionally comes out,” defense attorney Gilbert K. Davis said in arguing that his client, Harold Vincent Marshall Jr., fits the legal defini-tion of insanity. Davis pointed to a 29-year history of behavioral and men-tal aberrations of his client that

have led to repeated diagnoses of bipolar or manic-depressive disorder, including periods of psychotic breaks from reality that would render his client un-able to distinguish between right and wrong due to hallucinations and paranoid delusions. In contrast, Assistant Com-monwealth’s Attorney Nick Manthos cited prosecution evi-dence that Marshall’s psychol-

ogy fit a lesser aberrant category of anti-social personality disor-der, compounded by occasional drug and alcohol use that simply unleashed a basically unpleasant personality upon others. “That is who Mr. Marshall is,” prosecution psychological expert Dr. Stanton E. Samenow theorized of Marshall’s occa-sionally violent and aggressive behavior. Defense experts and Mar-shall’s family disagreed, calling the defendant’s non-manic personality extremely likable. Those two dueling psychi-atric perspectives were the focus of four days of testimony culminating with closing argu-ments on April 24 in the triple attempted capital murder case against Marshall stemming from an April 26, 2005 shooting along Durham Drive n a remote section of western Warren County. Earlier testimony indicated that after helping bury his father the previous day in Buckingham County, Marshall returned home, shot up his own house throughout the evening before firing shotguns and/or rifles into the homes of his two closest neighbors early the next morn-ing. Marshall then engaged in a four to seven minute gun battle with responding units of the Warren County Sheriff ’s Office

before surrendering after being shot in the foot. Eight people, including four children under the age of seven, in the two homes shot into by Marshall escaped injury. Sher-iff ’s Deputy Alan “Junior” Darr,

first responder on the scene, was grazed on the left cheek during the exchange of gunfire with Marshall. Noting that he had taken over 300 pages of notes over a total of six days of testimony, including the prosecution’s presentation of two days of evidence in late February, Warren County Cir-cuit Court Judge Dennis L. Hupp said he would need “at least a week” to make a ruling on the defense plea of innocence due to insanity.

Anyone who sat through the trial would not begrudge the judge a week or more of consideration of a case called “more complicated” in its psy-chological intricacies than that of teenage sniper Lee Boyd Malvo. That statement came from the prosecution’s expert witness, Dr. Stanton Samenow. Samenow, who has a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, testified that despite the fact he spent 34 hours interviewing Malvo com-pared to 14 hours with Harold Vincent Marshall Jr., he found the Warren County defendant’s psychological and behavioral history the tougher nut to crack, professionally speaking, of the two. Defense attorney Davis point-ed out in his closing remarks that in eight insanity cases Sa-menow has testified in, the prosecution expert has never ruled a defendant insane by legal standards. Davis added that even the defense experts testifying in the Marshall case generally found against insanity rulings in criminal cases. That may not be surprising in light of a statistic mentioned during the trial – that of approximately 70,000 insanity defense pleas in the Commonwealth’s legal his-tory, only 38 had been upheld by courts. However, in his closing re-marks Davis pointed out that several defense experts called his client one of, if not the most blatant example of a severely psychotic and legally insane defendant they had ever en-countered. “If [Mr. Marshall] wasn’t in-sane at the time of these acts then there is probably no stan-dard for a judgment of insan-ity,” Davis said of the defense perspective.

Harold Vincent Marshall Jr.


Marshall trial

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‘And we love him dearly’

The defense relied heavily on not only expert testimony from four psychological professionals, but also from Marshall’s family in establishing its insanity case. Marshall’s four sisters, along with his estranged wife, an uncle and nephew sat through most of the testimony as allowed following their release as wit-nesses. Asked why the family was standing by Marshall, his sister Sherrie Faber, said on April 23, “Because he is sick, he is not a criminal . . .” “And we love him dearly and we want him to get help,” sis-ters Martha Harner and Nancy Miller added. “And we love him dearly and when he is on his medication he is a wonderful, terrific human being; and because we want him to get help. He just needs help; he doesn’t need to be incarcer-ated. We’d just like to see him

hospitalized,” Faber said. And that is the bottom line of this trial – not whether Harold Vincent Marshall Jr. will be incarcerated, but what kind of incarceration, prison or a mental facility, he will be sentenced or committed to. “He committed serious crimes, so we think he deserves to be sentenced to prison,” Common-wealth’s Attorney Brian Madden explained of the prosecution’s perspective. Madden also point-ed out that while commitment to a state mental facility would be under the supervision of the court were Marshall to be judged insane, that changing judicial circumstances could make the length of such a commitment less assured than a very lengthy prison sentence. Marshall faces three potential life sentences on the three attempted capital mur-der charges involving the three deputies he exchanged gunfire with and a total of 25 charges stemming from the incidents of

that day. Both Brenda and Jennifer Cameron, who huddled with four young children in the sec-ond home Marshall fired on, have observed much of the tes-timony during the defense case. Responding to a question, Jen-nifer commented that she would not be opposed to Marshall’s commitment to a mental facility if she and her family could be assured their former neighbor would never be released. “That’s the thing that concerns us, that he never be allowed out wher-ever he goes,” Cameron said. “We’re so sorry to the Cam-erons and the Carters, ” Sherrie Faber said of the families her brother terrorized during the April 26, 2005, shooting inci-dent. The Marshall family stood by the defendant despite repeated courtroom testimony of hostile, violent and frightening behav-iors they experienced during what the defense contends were

manic, psychotic episodes Vin-cent Marshall had over the past three decades. The trial has been an emotion-ally draining one on both fami-lies, as well as the defendant. Vincent Marshall wept silently during testimony from his fam-ily, the Camerons and Carters and during playing of the 911 tapes from the Cameron and Carter homes as the shooting progressed. Prosecution expert Same-now described the anti-social personality type he diagnosed Marshall as, as characteristically unremorseful for their actions. Davis asked Samenow during cross-examination if Marshall’s courtroom tears “which flowed as if by the bucketful” didn’t indicate remorse? “It sure sounds like it,” Same-now admitted.

Dueling criteria

One ongoing theme of the four days of testimony of defense and prosecution experts was the tenuous connection between

the legal definition of “insanity” and clinical definitions of mental illness. In psychology and psy-chiatry the term “insanity” does not exist. Insanity is a legal term defined by the “McNaughton Rule,” which requires that a defen-dant either not understand the nature, character and conse-quences of their actions – gen-erally defined as understanding right from wrong – or have an irresistible impulse to act that they cannot control. The dilemma of trying to mix psychiatric and legal parameters of mental illness was apparent again and again during the Mar-shall defense case. While the two prongs of the McNaughton Rule, understanding versus irresistible impulse, are legally considered mutually exclusive – you can-not both not understand your actions and have an irresistible impulse toward them – defense expert Dr. Eileen Ryan thought Marshall fit both criteria from a psychological perspective. “He was so impaired, so psy-chotic that from the cognitive

Harold Vincent Marshall Jr. and attorney Gilbert Davis view WCSO Deputy “Junior” Darr’s bullet-riddled vehicle during prosecution phase of trial.

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Marshall trial

criteria I don’t think he recog-nized the nature, character and consequences of his actions and he couldn’t resist the impulse to act either,” Ryan testified. “When I get manic it’s like everything is sending you a message . . . I feel almost super-human,” Marshall was quoted as telling therapists during one in-stitutional commitment. Among the messages Marshall’s case histories indicate he got over the years were that God was send-

ing him messages; that he was Jesus Christ; that he was to run for president or become a U.S. Marshall to help defeat a vast conspiracy of Communists and Germans, of which his father may have been a part, that was targeting the world and him; that sheriff’s offices were conducting blood feasts; and that his family was controlled by goblins and were out to kill him through the prescribed medications he was taking for his mental illness.

Dueling perspectives

In cross examination of de-fense experts, Manthos continu-ally raised the issue of Marshall’s ability to follow instructions after being shot and surrender-ing, as well as attempts to deflect blame toward his neighbors in statements to police after being taken into custody. “Did he understand the nature and character of his actions then?” Manthos asked defense

expert Dr. David Rawls. “I suppose he did . . . all I know is he did what he was told. Peo-ple who are psychotic can fol-low a lot of instructions,” Rawls replied. “ . . . When confronted by a lot of force a psychotic can back down – that doesn’t mean they have a rational understand-ing of what they are doing at the time.” Asked later about the dichot-omy of perspectives between the law and clinical psychology, Rawls commented, “Lawyers are often looking at the details be-cause it seems to me to be – and I’m not a lawyer – but it seems to be the stock in trade of law-yers to point at details to raise doubts; and we are more likely to look at the general clinical picture that we see and apply it to the [behavioral] standards. “So, in that context we sit there and we get frustrated by the details and the lawyers get frustrated by the clinical ap-proach that we take. Fortunately you have judges who have to sit through the testimony and make decisions . . . because it is still a legal decision. And this is just one of those interfaces between mental health and law and it’s not always a comfort-able interface but because of the way the law is, it is a necessary interface.” In his closing remarks, Davis made a religious analogy about his client’s mental condition. He cited “the Great Healer,” the Christ his client occasionally claimed to be, casting out the evil that lived within a number

of people described as “pos-sessed by an evil inside” in Bibli-cal terms. “That intervention made them permanently sane,” Davis told the court. “We can’t do that to-day but when this man is on the edge, prescribed drugs can re-store him. The question is where is he going to be – in a prison or in a place where caregivers can help him and the court can over-see the standard of his care?” The prosecution argued that rather than possessed by an evil inside, Harold Vincent Marshall Jr. simply was a fundamentally evil person, who occasionally lost control of his inhibitions, of-ten when fueled by alcohol and illegal drugs; and that on April 26, 2005, Marshall was aware of his actions, when propelled by beer, a ‘few lines’ of cocaine taken the previous day, a lack of sleep and general stress fol-lowing his father’s funeral, went out to settle some old territorial, neighborhood disputes with people he just did not like. On May 11, Judge Dennis L. Hupp will reach a conclusion on those dueling perspectives and the uncomfortable interface between psychology and the law in the case of Harold Vin-cent Marshall Jr., a man loved by his family despite years of mental and behavioral issues that have caused them much fear and loathing; and a man just feared by his neighbors after an outburst of potentially lethal violence directed their way.

[email protected]

• Warren County Report • Early May, �007

Scouting

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Serving Fauquier, Frederick, and Warren County

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If I can be of any help, please contact me at (540) 635-7917, in Richmond at: (804) 698-1018, by E-Mail at: [email protected], or by mail at: PO Box 406, Room 510 Richmond, VA 23218

By Kris StafiraLocal contributor

The Webelos I dens of Cub Scout Pack 112 have been working through the winter on benches for the Appalachian Trail. Assistant Den Leader Greg Stafira came up with the idea after seeing so many hikers sit-ting on the ground at the side of Rt. 522. “I thought they needed a nice place to take a rest,” says Stafira, “and the Cubs could help them out.” After contacting officials with the AT, everyone decided to place the benches at the Mosby Camp Site, near Linden. Now, when the hikers decide to stop

for the night, they will find newly constructed benches, a freshly cleared campsite, and even a stack of firewood to use. The Cub Scouts constructed the benches over a few den meetings, giving all of the boys a chance to learn about power tools, workshop safety and basic construction techniques. The boys earned credit toward their Citizen and Craftsman badges by working on this project. On Saturday morning they drove as close to the campsite as they could, but then had to carry the benches the last ¼ mile. “The worst part was carrying the bench through the water! I got muddy boots!” exclaimed Erik Stafira, 9-year-old Cub Scout.

Besides the mud, the Scouts are proud of their accomplish-ment. Lloyd Parriott and Tom Johnson from the Potomac Ap-palachian Trail Club were on hand to congratulate the boys. Johnson said that the hikers would appreciate a place to sit down. He also talked to the Scouts about using the trail and taking care of it. “Many a weary hiker will now have a nice bench to rest on, courtesy of the Web I Scouts of Pack 112”, says Greg Stafira. Pack 112 hopes to have an ongoing relationship with the PATC, helping to maintain this valuable resource in our area.

Cub Scouts Complete Service Project

Johnny Connolly, Erik Stafira and Lou Moore show off the power tools, and the newly made bench-es.

Kris

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Kevin S. Engle


Pictured with their finished Service Project: Asst. Webelos Leader Greg Stafira, Bryan Biggs, Webe-los Leader Shannon McMackin, PATC representa-tives Lloyd Parriott and Tom Johnson. In the front row, Cub Scouts: Calvin Miller, Brendan McMack-in, Devon Biggs, Erik Stafira, Connor McMackin, Josh Ortiz, Lou Moore III.

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By Kevin S. EngleWarren County Report

Life is about experiencing new things. New worlds to conquer, new places to see. Sounds good doesn’t it? I’m not so sure. When Sears delivered our lawn tractor, I didn’t know what to do with it. The only machine I’d ever driven before was an auto-mobile, and not always that well. Now, I was supposed to drive a tractor AND cut the grass. At the same time. I had my doubts. I’m not the best at multi-task-ing. Do you know people who should never talk on their cell phone while driving? I’m one of them. I have a hard enough time staying between the white lines when I have both hands on the wheel. And of course, I’d never

learned how to drive a standard transmission either. I could see disaster in my lawn mowing future. And if that wasn’t bad enough, both my wife and dad thought this was all quite amus-ing. To tell you the truth, so did I. As long as I didn’t hurt myself. Now was the time for a pep talk. I could do this. I would do w hat ever it took. I’d watch. I’d study. I’d cry. Judy drew the short straw and was assigned the task of teaching me how to safely operate our new purchase. She had grown up using one. Surely she could show me. Lesson one brought back memories of being 16 again and getting my learner’s permit. Two months after our first lesson, when she and I were both comfortable that I wouldn’t

inflict injury upon myself, and more importantly, damage the tractor, I was ready for the next step. No more Sunday drives around the yard. It was time to do what lawn tractors were de-signed to do. Yes, I would learn how to raise and lower the blade, how to avoid unseen boulders

in the yard, and how to accomplish all

of this on

only one tank of gaso- line. Yeah, right. My first efforts were satis-factory. Going slower than a pregnant land turtle up an icy hill in winter, I completed the task. Of course, I relied upon Judy to do all of the “skilled” cutting, around trees and close to the house. After only five or six more times, I was doing it all by myself. Ok, I admit, she was still keeping a watchful eye over me. But that’s a good thing. It shows she loves me. And that she didn’t want to buy a new tractor. Now I’m a pro. I even cut the grass when she’s not home. Talk about self confidence. Of course, she makes me call her on the cell phone and wear it around my neck so she can call 911 if necessary. As I was cutting grass the other day, I came to an impor-tant realization. Now that I’ve conquered the tractor, I need a new challenge. What I need now is a gas powered weed whacker to add to my arsenal. I can’t wait to tell Judy. She’ll be thrilled. Kevin is currently running for President of the American Lawn Tractor Association. If you’d like to show your support, contact him at [email protected].

Now What?

� • Warren County Report • Early May, �007

Must select 1 entrée and may select up to 2 sides and 1 milk

Elementary Schools

May 11. Chicken Fryz2. Lasagna3. Chicken Salad Sandwich4. Chicken Caesar Salad5. Peanut Butter & Jelly Sand-wich

May 21. Beefy Nachos2. Pizza Pocket3. Ham, Turkey & Cheese Sub4. Garden Salad5. Peanut Butter & Jelly Sand-wich

May 31. Hamburger2. Chicken Patty Sandwich3. Italian Sub4. Chef Salad5. Peanut Butter & Jelly Sand-wich

May 41. Trout Treasures2. Macaroni & Cheese3. Turkey & Cheese Sub4. Peppi Pizza Salad5. Peanut Butter & Jelly Sand-wich

May 71. Chicken Tenders2. Ham & Cheese Sub3. Minnie Mouse Salad4. Peanut Butter & Jelly Sand-wich

May 81. French Toast Sticksw/wo Sausage2. Pizza Pocket3. Chicken Salad Sandwich4. Chicken Caesar Salad5. Peanut Butter & Jelly Sand-wich

May 91. Mini Corndogs2. Chicken Patty Sandwich

3. Pretzel w/ Yogurt4. Garden Salad5. Peanut Butter & Jelly Sand-wich

May 101. Breadsticks w/ Marinara Sauce2. Quesadilla3. Bologna & Cheese Sandwich4. Chef Salad5. Peanut Butter & Jelly Sand-wich

May 111. Macaroni & Cheese2. Chicken Nuggets3. Turkey & Cheese Sub4. Peppi Pizza Salad5. Peanut Butter & Jelly Sand-wich

May 141. Pizza Bagel2. Chicken Patty Sandwich3. Ham & Cheese Sub4. Minnie Mouse Salad5. Peanut Butter & Jelly Sand-wich

May 151. Chicken Fryz2. Cheeseburger3. Chicken Salad Sandwich4. Chicken Caesar Salad5. Peanut Butter & Jelly Sand-wich

May 161. Soft Shell Beef Tacos2. Hot Ham & Cheese Sand-wich3. Ham, Turkey & Cheese Sub4. Garden Salad5. Peanut Butter & Jelly Sand-wich

Middle and Jr. High Schools

May 1MINI CORNDOGSCHICKEN PARMESANTURKEY & CHEESE SUBCHEF SALAD

May 2

SPAGHETTI & MEAT SAUCE W/WO ROLLSTEAK & CHEESE SUBHAM & CHEESE SUBCHICKEN CEASAR SALAD

May 3CHICKEN FAJITACHICKEN CLUBBOLOGNA, HAM & CHEESE SUBPEPPI PIZZA SALAD

May 4PIZZA POCKETBACON CHEESEBURGERTURKEY, HAM & CHEESE SUBGARDEN SALAD

May 7CHICKEN TENDERSPIZZA BURGERITALIAN SUBANTIPASTA SALAD

May 8PIZZA BAGELFISH SANDWICHTURKEY & CHEESE SUBCHEF SALAD

May 9BUFFALO CHICKEN WRAPSTEAK & CHEESE SUBHAM & CHEESE SUBCHICKEN CEASAR SALAD

May 10SOFT SHELL BEEF TACOSCHICKEN CLUBBOLOGNA, HAM & CHEESE SUBPEPPI PIZZA SALAD

May 11HOT DOG ON BUNBACON CHEESEBURGERTURKEY, HAM & CHEESE SUBGARDEN SALAD

May 14CHICKEN NUGGETSPIZZA BURGERITALIAN SUBANTIPASTA SALAD

May 15

HARD SHELL BEEF TACOSCHICKEN PARMESANTURKEY & CHEESE SUBCHEF SALAD

May 16CHEESE LASAGNASTEAK & CHEESE SUBHAM & CHEESE SUBCHICKEN CEASAR SALAD

High School

May 1CHILI DOGSTEAK & CHEESE SUB

May 2SOFT SHELL BEEF TACOSRIB-B-QUE SANDWICH

May 3MEATBALL SUBCHICKEN CLUBMay 4BUFFALO CHICKEN WRAPBACON CHEESEBURGER

May 7CHICKEN NUGGETS

CHICKEN PARMESAN

May 8HOT DOG ON BUNSTEAK & CHEESE SUB

May 9LASAGNARIB-B-QUE SANDWICH

May 10BBQ ON BUNCHICKEN CLUB

May 11BURRITOBACON CHEESEBURGER

May 14CHICKEN STICKSCHICKEN PARMESAN

May 15MINI CORNDOGSSTEAK & CHEESE SUB

May 16CHEESE QUESADILLARIB-B-QUE SANDWICH

Lunch Menus

Schools

WARREN COUNTY PARKS AND REC DEPARTMENT

Events & activities

BUS TRIP

Warren County Parks and Recreation Department will sponsor a bus trip to see the Baltimore Orioles vs. New York Yankees on Saturday, July 28th at Camden Yards in Baltimore MD. Bus will leave from Bing Crosby Stadium at 3:45pm; game time is 7:05pm. Cost is $55.00 per reservation, limit 6 tickets per household, and 38 reservations are available. Tickets are located in Section 82. For more information call 540-635-7750. Tickets go on sale May 1st.

SWIMMING LESSONS

The Warren County Parks and Recreation Department will be sponsoring Swimming Lessons for those ages 5 years and up, Monday through Thursday, June 18th through June 28th at the Claude A. Stokes Jr. Community Swimming Pool. Level 1 through 6, with class times varying; all levels will be offered during the morning time slots, Levels 4, 5 and 6 will also be offered during the evening. Cost is $50.00, with a class limit of 10 per level and time. Registration will begin May 1st. For more information contact the Parks and Recreation office, Monday through Friday 8:00am – 5:00pm at 540-635-7750. Registration will be taken till June 15th or class limit is reached.

Early May, �007 • Warren County Report • Page 1�


The Top of Virginia Regional Chamber of Commerce spon-sored its annual recognition of student leadership at a luncheon banquet on April 27 at the Win-chester Travelodge. Sixty-five students from Win-chester City, Frederic and Clarke County Public Schools, as well as five area private schools (R-

MA, Wakefield Country Day, Shenandoah Valley and Moun-tain Valley Christian Academies and Timber Ridge School) were lauded individually for their scholastic achievements and personal leadership qualities by chamber business sponsors. Warren County’s Randolph-Macon Academy’s Color Guard opened the event with a presen-tation of the federal and state colors and R-MA senior Cadet Kyle McDaniel was chosen to deliver the keynote speech for the honored students. Tops Chamber Board Chair-man Gary Nichols said it is important for the business community to continue to ac-knowledge students who have shown the qualities necessary to pick up the leadership torch for the coming generation.

“We are so fortunate to have such talented kids in our area

that the chamber feels like it’s a great idea to recognize these

kids for all the work that they’ve done. And we get great support from the business community in order to do this.” In his address, McDaniel told his fellow students to stay true to themselves, their peers, their beliefs and never be afraid to stand up for themselves and those around them. He also said that leadership cannot be profiled, pointing out that Winston Churchill, who led Britain as the last European bastion against fascism during World War II, was considered an alcoholic; that one of the great minds of the 20th Century, Albert Einstein, was once judged mentally deficient; while the leader of European fascism dur-ing World War II, Adolph Hitler, was a decorated war hero and strong supporter of his family. “No matter who you are,” Mc-Daniel told his fellow students, stay focused, directed and fair “and you can assume a leader-ship role. People don’t have to like you, but if they know you are fair they will respect you as a leader.” McDaniel, from Fairfax, said it was a privilege to address his peers and community leaders. “Not being a part of this com-munity, because I go to a board-ing school, it’s a great honor for me that the people of this community have recognized me and said we want you to speak And just the fact that I’m not from around here and that the people are here to honor local students [and] that I have the opportunity to come and speak to these local students, that’s a really big honor for me.” R-MA President, Major Gen-eral Henry Hobgood, USAF Ret. echoed McDaniel’s gratitude on being included by Tops officials in the regional program. “As you know, we have stu-dents from all over the country and all over the world,” Hob-

good pointed out. “And to have these students come in to our community and do well is a treat for us. And of course they take back to their communities a lot of the Shenandoah Valley. “To come into the community and be involved in events like this today, and to see the warmth of a great community like this, is very reassuring to our students . . . But more importantly, it’s very reassuring to their parents who send them away to board-ing school. So, we feel blessed to have our school in this commu-nity and our students to be part of a really terrific community,” Hobgood concluded.

Schools


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R-MA featured prominently at Tops Leadership Awards

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R-MA senior Cadet Kyle McDaniel address the Tops Regional Cham-ber of Commerce and 62 of his 64 fellow stu-dents recognized by the group for their leader-ship qualities.

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The R-MA Color Guard opens the annual Youth Leadership Recognition Luncheon on April 27, at the Winchester Trav-elodge.

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Carnival5/2/2007 - 5/12/2007

Enjoy the annual Fraternal Order of Police Carnival tonight through May 12 at the Carnvial lot located on 8th Street near the Bing Crosby Stadium (Car-nival is closed on Sunday May 6). For more information please call (540)636-6166.

National Day of Prayer Event

5/3/2007 - 6:30pm

The public is invited to this Community Prayer Service at the Gazebo located at Chester/Main Streets. The rain location will be E. Wilson Morrison El-ementary School.

Auto Exhibit5/10/2007 - 5/13/2007

You are invited to the Hud-son-Essex-Terraplane Club An-tique Auto Exhibit & Hudson

Parts Flea Market to be held today through May 13 at the Front Royal Fire Department located on Commerce Avenue. More information is available at (703)392-6870.

Bluegrass Party5/11/2007 - 7:00pm - 10:00pm

You are invited to the Brown-town Bluegrass Pickin’ Party to-night at the Browntown Com-munity Center. Listen to gospel and old time music. Admission is FREE. All levels of musicians are welcome. Acoustic instru-ments only. Food/drink are available for purchase. All pro-ceeds benefit the Browntown Community Center. For more information please contact (540)778-4777 or (540)636-3588.

Rabies Clinic5/12/2007 - 11:00am - 3:00pm

The Humane Society of War-

ren County will be holding a Rabies/Distemper/Microchip Clinic today. For more informa-tion call (540)634-4734.

Redskins/Cowboys Golf Challenge

5/17/2007

Join us for the 1st Annual Redskins/Cowboys Golf Chal-lenge to benefit a new barn be-ing built at the Warren County Fairgrounds for the Warren County 4-H and 10% will go the March of Dimes. The Chal-lenge will be held at Blue Ridge Shadows Golf Club. Contact for sponsorship is (540)635-0404.

Wine & Craft Festival5/19/2007 - 10:00am - 6:00pm

You won’t want to this An-nual event held on Chester and Main Streets in the heart of Downtown Front Royal.

Bluegrass Party

5/25/2007 - 7:00pm - 10:00pm

Tonight you are invited to a community jam session at the Warren County Senior Cen-ter located on 12th Street. All level of musicians are welcome. Acoustic Intstruments only. There will be coffee and food items available for purchase. Admission is free; however, a hat will be passed around. All proceeds benefit the Warren County Senior Center.

Flea Market5/25/2007 - 5/26/2007

8:00am - 2:00pm

The Browntown Community Center Association is sponsor-ing a Flea Market at the Brown-town Community Center to-day. Hunt for bargains among itmes generously donated by our members. Lunch is avail-able for puchase.

MEMORIAL DAY - Town

Holiday5/28/2007

MEMORIAL DAY - The Town of Front Royal business offices will be closed today. Trash, Yard Waste and Recy-cling pick-up for this day will be Wednesday, May 30.

Relay for Life6/8/2007 - 6:00pm - 6:00am

Celebrating 10 Years of Hope, Love and Relay! Relay for Life of Front Royal/Warren County begins with an Opening Cer-emony at 6:00pm at Warren County Middle School. Survi-vors Walk will immediately fol-low. Sponsored by The Ameri-can Cancer Society. For more information call (540)636-9579 or (540)635-7886 or visit www.acevents.org/relay/frontroyal to register your team.

Courtesy of the Front Royal Visitor’s Center.

Activities & events

The News at Noon & The Valley TodayThe award winning “News at Noon” • �0 minutes of LOCAL news • Weekdays at 1�:0� pm

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· local leaders

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Early May, �007 • Warren County Report • Page 1�

Virginia Ilene Ault

Virginia Ilene Ault, 87, of Winchester, formerly of Front Royal, died Tuesday, April 24, 2007, at Westminster Canter-bury in Winchester. A memorial service was held in The Abbey at Westmin-ster Canterbury in Winchester. Burial was private in Culpeper National Cemetery. Mrs. Ault was born March 3, 1920, in Ottawa, Kansas, daughter of Clarence Jefferson and Cora Mae Jones Jasper. She was a member of the Opequon Presbyterian Church and past member of the Front Royal Presbyterian Church. With her husband, Brig. Gen. Richard L. Ault., Sr., she resided in Nan-king, China, Naples, Italy, and Tachikawa, Japan. She attended Long Beach State College in Long Beach, CA. Surviving are her husband Brig. Gen. Richard L. Ault., Sr. (USAF, Ret.); two sons Richard L. Ault, Jr. of Winchester and James B. Ault of North Caro-lina; a daughter Ann Elizabeth Ault of Burbank, CA; three grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. Memorial contributions may

be made to Blue Ridge Hospice, 333 W. Cork St., Winchester, VA 22601 or to the Shenandoah Valley Westminster Canterbury (SVWC) Chapel Fund, 300 Westminster Canterbury Dr., Winchester, VA 22603. Arrangements were handled by Maddox Funeral Home.

James R. (J.R) Green Jr.

James R. (J.R) Green Jr., 36, of Norfolk, VA, formerly of Front Royal, VA, died in Norfolk at his home. A funeral service was con-ducted at the Turner-Robert-shaw Funeral Home in Front Royal, VA. by Rev. Charles Jack-son. Burial followed in Good Hope Cemetery.

Mr. Green was born on Febru-ary 10, 1971, in Front Royal, son of Bernice Bowden and the late James R. Green Sr. James was a graduate of Warren County High School, where he was President of his Class and a member of the following clubs: S.G.A., Key Club, National Honor Society, Boys’ State, The Varsity Club, and the Student Loan Associa-tion. James was also a member of the Football team. Following his graduation from Warren County High School, James attended Hampton University where he received his Bachelors’ Degree in Electrical Engineer-ing. After graduating from Hamp-ton University, James decided to stay in the Tidewater Area. He attended Calvary Revival Church. For the greater part of his stay in that area, he was employed as a Manager at Ken-tucky Fried Chicken. More re-cently he was employed by Cox Communications. James was a very special and intelligent young man. He would do anything for anyone.

Those who knew him know that he was a passionate fan of the Washington Redskins and wouldn’t be caught wearing a pair of tennis shoes other than ADIDAS or FILA. James en-joyed children and had a special love for his niece, Janiyah. Surviving with his mother are, one sister, Arveda Bowden of Stephens City, VA; one brother, Damien Green of Chesapeake, VA; one niece, Janiyah Wilkins of Stephens City, VA; step-mother, Sarelda James-Green of Chesapeake, VA; step-father, Lamont Bowden of Winchester, VA; four aunts, Viola Green, Doretha Downing, Francine Jackson, and Janet Poles, all of Front Royal, VA; three uncles, Russell Green, Charles Green, and Aaron Lee Jackson, all of Front Royal, VA; along with his special cousins and a host of other relatives and friends.

George Wesley Herring, Jr.

George Wesley Herring, Jr., 85, of Front Royal, died Saturday, April 28, 2007 at his home.

A funeral service was held at Maddox Funeral Home in Front Royal conducted by Rev. James Beasley. Burial will be held at Mt. Carmel Cemetery in Tall-mansville, WV. Mr. Herring was born De-cember 24, 1921 in Nokesville, VA son of the late George W. Herring, Sr. and Ella Burnette Bowman Herring. He was lead putty maker for DAP, Inc. and was a member of the Church of God in Alexandria. Surviving are his wife of 58 years Freda Eskew Herring of Front Royal; four daughters Ressie Mae McClary of Ches-ter Gap, Linda Lou Griffith of Alexandria, Judy Kay Allen of Chester Gap, and Lois Sue Her-ring of Front Royal; two brothers Lynn Hastings Herring of Fair-fax and Leon Douglas Herring of Berkeley Springs, WV; eight grandchildren; and ten great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by a daughter Georgia Ann Pounds. Memorial contributions may be made to Blue Ridge Hospice, 333 West Cork St., Winchester, VA 22601.

Trenna Michele Shipe

Trenna Michele Shipe died on April 16, 2007 in Winchester Medical Center. A graveside service was held at Prospect Hill Cemetery in Front Royal. Trenna was born April 16, 2007 in Winchester, daughter of Jacob and Pamela Henry Shipe of Front Royal. She was preceded in death by her grand-father Edward “Tucker” Henry. Surviving with her parents are maternal grandparent Loretta Henry, and paternal grandpar-ents Kim and Sheila Shipe Arrangements were handled by Maddox Funeral Home in Front Royal.

Obituaries

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Relay For Life of Front Royal/Warren County

Warren County Middle School June �-�, �007

Opening Ceremony �:00 PMSurvivors Walk immediately following:

For More Information Call:Connie at ��-��7� or Tara at ��-7��

Register your team on our website:www.acsevents.org/relay/frontroyal


Bunky Woods


We were lucky enough to have U.S. Army Sgt. Arthur “Bunky” Woods IV and family share some photos of a recent trip to Fort Camp-bell, Kentucky, where Bunky was an honored and popular recipient of an Order St. Barba-ra’s Medal. From left, Capt. Jesser hams it up with his favorite platoon Sergeant; Capt. Jesser’s wife, Tasha, plants one on the Bunkster; medics from the Forward Operations base aid station where Bunky’s life was saved stop to say hello; and Bunky participates in a toast to the Order of St. Barbara’s, the patron saint of artillery men; and Bunky with friends. Bunky’s dad reports, “It was just like the bachelor auction with the soldiers, like his other family. Six hundred people cheered when he got there and he got three standing ovations that brought a tear even to his eye, I was so proud of him. Quite a few people told us that they came to the ball because they knew Sgt. Woods would be there. Ennis told us about the day he was wounded and how he pulled Bunky into the Hummvee to take him to the aid station and we met one of the medics that worked on him and saved his life. They told us that Bunky was fearless in the face of enemy fire and had saved their life a few times prior.”

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General Assembly

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Va-Tech tragedy on legislators’ minds the day afterRemarks on shooting preface Athey and Obenshain’s legislative review


Twenty-Sixth District State Senator Mark D. Obenshain and 18th District State Representa-tive Clay Athey summarized their perspectives on the past Legislative session in remarks before Front Royal and Warren County officials at a Chamber of Commerce hosted event at the Warren County Government Center on April 17. However, both Athey and Obenshain prefaced their re-marks with emotional acknowl-edgements about the shooting rampage on the Virginia Tech campus the previous day. Oben-shain spoke about two targeted students from his district. He said a Harrisonburg female stu-dent, whose family he knew, was shot in the back but survived. He added that a Rappahannock County girl attending Tech hadn’t been as fortunate, dying in the incident. He called the murdered Rappahannock girl “the apple of her family’s eye” and asked for prayers for those directly impacted by the mass murder that took 32 innocent

lives in Blacksburg before stu-dent assailant Cho Seung-Hui took his own life. Returning to thoughts of Richmond and the past Assem-bly session, Obenshain lightened the mood by poking fun at wordy legislation, the potential impact of combining election and tax day and some irreverent, yet astute political observations from near and far. Those latter observations included not-so-inscrutable Oriental wisdom – “You do not use a hatchet to remove a fly from a friend’s forehead,” to Rolling Stone political ana-lyst P.J. O’Rourke’s observation that, “Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys.” In a related comment, Oben-shain noted that “Tax Freedom Day” continued to go deeper into the calendar year. Obens-hain explained that Tax Free-dom Day is the figurative calen-dar day the average American worker/taxpayer stops sending his earnings to the government and begins being able to apply them to the needs of his family.

That day falls on April 30 this year, or after 120 days of wage earning for the government. Obenshain mused as to whether that Tax Freedom Day trend might reverse itself if Elec-tion Day and tax deadline day were combined in the future.

Eminent Domain

Returning to reality – or as close to it as politics may allow – Obenshain then called Virgin-ia’s move away from federally sanctioned Eminent Domain property seizures for municipal and private economic gain “a Bill for the Ages.” “I’m very proud what the General Assembly did this year on it – Eminent Domain. We have effectively closed the “Kelo” loophole preventing the kind of economic development condemnation option that al-lows government to take your property and mine simply to sell it to a developer for their own gain or for increasing tax revenues – that’s flat wrong – it’s united liberals and con-servatives, Republicans and Democrats,” Obenshain said. Athey agreed that the legisla-ture had acted in a constructive and bipartisan manner to pro-tect Virginians from federally legalized abuses of the tradi-tional intent of Eminent Domain property seizures “for the public good.”

Transportation, growth

Of controversial transporta-tion legislation, Obenshain said, “It was a huge issue. I’m glad there was a solution of sorts. I’m concerned about some aspects of it, like everybody, but I’m glad we have found a way to commit some significant funds to our

transportation needs. One of my biggest concerns is the impact this proposal is going to have the continuation of urban and suburban sprawl. And I think we need to be very careful what we do to promote that.” Athey agreed that the legisla-tive compromise on transporta-tion leaves holes needing to be closed. “The Bill that we finished with was not a perfect Bill. It didn’t go as far as I probably would have liked to have gone,” the delegate said. But Athey said he believed the Transpor-tation Bill did include positives on future controls of the type of sprawl Obenshain remains

concerned about. “It is probably the biggest change in land use planning and tying land use planning to transportation since the advent of zoning back in the 1970s,” Athey said. “What the Bill does in 74 counties across Virginia, including a number of counties in the Shenandoah Valley, [is to direct] local board of supervi-sors and town councils to make decisions about where they want growth to be. They will also have

to decide and provide for the kind of growth and the kind of densities that puts less stress on the transportation system. “In addition to that they will be provided tools through im-pact fees, which are something local governments have been asking for, for years and years and years. For the first time now, if you have an urban de-velopment area you will get an impact fee for transportation, meaning that more of the costs of development will be shifted to the development community, which is only fair sine there is an impact with every new house that comes on board.” In conclusion Athey called this, “the most successful leg-islative session since I’ve been involved.”

Voting machines

“There’s been a lot of confu-sion about the effect of that Bill,” Obenshain said of voting ma-chine legislation approved over the objection of appointed state electoral officials statewide. Gov. Tim Kaine suggested a one-year delay in any state ac-tion pending a federal vote on the issue. In an about face, the Senate agreed with the gover-nor’s lead. However, the House failed to change its original stance, allowing the July 1 ban on future purchases of Direct Read Electronic voting equip-ment in Virginia to go into effect as originally proposed. “There’s been some concern it’s going to force localities to go out and buy expensive new vot-ing equipment – it’s not going to,” Obenshain said. “It simply prevents localities from going out and buying equipment that may very well be prohibited by future federal law. It’s not going

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18th District State Representative Clay Athey

Twenty-Sixth District State Senator Mark D. Obenshain


Mary Ellen South

to require anybody to replace anything. It simply says that at the end of their useful life, the computer terminal voting machines can be replaced by an-other such machine. My guess is by the time those machines start to expire, we’re going to have great clarity [on this issue].” Despite his vote to proceed with the legislation this year, Obenshain agreed with Athey that legislating machinery does not necessarily solve the prob-lem of electoral fraud. “If we’re looking for a perfectly secure voting system we’re not going to find it. We’re simply try-ing to develop the best possible system that we can.” Athey changed his original stance in reaction to unanimous bipartisan opposition from elec-toral officials across the state. In explaining his change of per-spective, Athey said he believed that safeguards involving human observation of the electoral process from start to finish by all involved Parties, regardless of the type of machines used to tabulate votes is a more rational approach to voting reform than legislating machinery. American electoral history like all electoral history, Athey pointed out, is full of docu-mented voter fraud from the paper ballot days throughout

technological changes in how votes are tabulated.

Utilities regulation

Obenshain also addressed Virginia’s reintroduction of utility regulation. He called the effort to lower consumer prices through deregulation a blatant failure for a variety of com-plicated reasons. Obenshain’s critical remarks about the utility industry came in front of rep-resentatives of regional power supplier Allegheny Power, one of the co-sponsors of the local legislative review hosted by the Front Royal-Warren County Chamber of Commerce. Allegheny is currently in-volved with Dominion Power in efforts to run a controver-sial above-ground 500-kilovolt super power line 240 miles through the Northern Shenan-doah Valley to meet projected electrical consumption needs throughout the Eastern and Northeastern Corridor by the year 2011. Local opponents have pointed out the source of the energy Dominion and Al-legheny want to run through the area comes from highly polluting coal-fired plants in the Ohio Valley that have been heavy contributors to pollution in the Northern Shenandoah

Valley for years. As Obenshain addressed utility industry methods and the unintended creation of multi-tiered monopolies during

the deregulation experiment, a hastily taped up Allegheny Power banner behind the po-dium began falling to the floor in sections, drawing some laughter

– though Allegheny officials ap-peared less than amused at the unexpected photo op for one pocket, digital-camera toting reporter.

Allegheny Power officials seem unamused by the slow collapse of their sponsor sign during Sen. Mark Obenshain’s remarks about utility industry regulation and failed deregulation efforts.

Allegheny Power sign was intact as Del. Clay Athey began his review of recent General As-sembly session in Rich-mond.

Moderator Patrick Nolan, WMH, seeks help on Al-legheny sign tape job.

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By Mary Ellen SouthWomen’s Resource Center

April 13, 2007

I tried my best to not become one of them. I swore I would never have that “thing” coming out of my ear, especially when I was driving. But I have relented. I have given into the sweeping phenomenon that is attacking people all over the world. I have become connected. I own a cell phone. Whatever happened to the days when we called someone for a spe-cial reason. When we connected because it was important to. We placed a call to a loved one because it was important to communicate to them. Now I pass young people in the store pushing the grocery cart- on the phone, unable to make a deci-sion about what jam to buy, what pasta works best, what frozen des-sert will satisfy the family.

Whatever happened to decision making on our own. We are creat-ing a new generation of people who are so connected that they haven’t a clue about making a decision about anything. Cell phones are great in an emergency and thank goodness our society has come so far in the com-munication field to provide a means of saving lives, saving marriages, and saving whatever. But does it really count to have to decide via that communication if the pasta is spaghetti or linqiini? When I grew up we make deci-sions on our own. We decided about things and lived with our decisions. As did our parents, other family members, and friends. If they didn’t agree, we talked about the decision. We argued in person. We fought about decisions, we communicated about them, but we made them alone and felt good about it. We are creating a society of non decision makers who will undoubt-

edly fail somewhere along the way when they can’t make a decision and the cell phone is not available or the computer can’t find the an-swer. Let’s unconnect for a set time once a day, once a week, once a month or at sometime. Let’s give some time to ourselves to not be tracked down, faced with communication from others. Let’s unconnect. For the sake of our own self es-teems. Let’s let go of communication and see what happens when we reconnect with ourselves. When we face a challenge and decide on our own what should trasnspire between us and the world. I fear if we don’t we are doomed to create a society of people who live in fear, forget who they are and forget to connect when it’s really important.

Postscript - April 17, 2007

As I send this to Dan, the VA TECH massacre has just occurred- this is an example of how being connected at the right time is very important. Thank goodness students had their cell phones and could connect.

Unconnect

Special pull-out sectionWarrenCounty Report

The coyotesof Virginia

warrencountyreport.com

The following information is provided by the Virginia De-partment of Game and Inland Fisheries

HISTORY OF THE COYOTE IN VIRGINIA

The coyote is not a native species of Virginia, and was first observed in the very western regions of the Commonwealth in the early 1950s.

DESCRIPTION

Coyotes are about the size and weight of a mediumsized dog. They generally have longer and thicker hair or fur than a dog. Their long black tipped tail is usually bushy and is pointed

downward rather than outward or upward. The fur of the coyote in Virginia can vary from blond, light reddish-brown or tan, grayish black, or black with a small white blaze in the center of the chest. The coyote ears are pointed and erect, and the snout is relatively long and slender. The coyote in the eastern United States is typically larger than coyotes in the western United States. Female coyotes weigh on average 30 – 40 pounds, and male coyotes weigh on average 35 – 45 pounds. Coyotes can weigh as much as 60 pounds.

DISTRIBUTION AND ABUN-DANCE

The coyote is distributed

throughout the Commonwealth and prefers semi-forested or open farm and pasture lands. Coyote populations in more forested landscapes are gener-ally less abundant and typically exhibit different foraging and social behaviors depending

on forest prey species size and abundance. Surveys of hunter harvest of coyotes as well as surveys of hunter observations of coyotes while hunting big game indicate that the coyote population is more abundant in counties west

of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

HABITS

Coyotes are elusive and nor-mally avoid humans. They can be active at anytime of day or night, but are more typically

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Page �0 • Warren County Report • Early May, �007

observed at dawn and dusk. The coyote communicates by bark-ing, yelping, and howling. Male and female coyotes form a pair bond and establish and defend a territory were they raise 3-12 pups that are born anytime between late March and May. The pups are fed by both the male and female, and sometimes by one or two offspring from a previous litter. The pups may disperse and leave the parents territory anytime after August. However, the parents may tol-erate the pups occupying their territory as late February if prey resources are plentiful and large in size (e.g. deer). They remain active and do not hibernate in dens regardless of winter se-verity. Coyotes will develop a “search image” for a prey type that is more easily scavenged or killed. A coyote’s “search im-age” includes visual, auditory, and olfactory senses. When the abundance of a specific prey decreases to the point that a coyote is opportunistically find-ing and consuming more of a different prey resource than it is actually hunting for, the search image of the coyote will change to reflect the more abundant or most easily accessible food resource available in it’s home range. The habitat and space that the coyote hunts in may also change depending on the type of habitat that the predator is more likely to fill its belly. In situations where wild game is stocked to reestablish popula-tions for hunting, or situations where livestock are raised and maintained throughout the year, coyotes may artificially retain a search image for the artificially abundant game or livestock that also tend to be more vulnerable to predation.

FOOD

The coyote is an opportunistic forager that will consume any-thing of nutritional value. They do not specialize in hunting and killing only one type of prey, and they will not turn down an easy meal if they happen to stumble onto other prey that they were not hunting for. Consequently, coyotes will prey and scavenge on anything including vegetable

matter and fruits, insects, and the meat of wildlife killed or scavenged. Although coyotes generally prey on small rodents, rabbits, birds, snakes and frogs, they will kill larger animals such as big game and livestock during periods when the larger prey are more vulnerable to predation (e.g., turkey on nests; deer fawns in the spring and summer; lambs, kid goats, and newborn calves). The coyote will not pass up a free meal to feed its belly with artificial food resources. They will scavenge exposed garbage or other refuse, and may even kill and consume house cats.

LEGAL STATUS

The coyote is legally classified as a nuisance species and may be killed at anytime, except coyotes may not be killed with a gun, firearm, or other weapon on Sunday.

ECOLOGY

The coyote, a medium sized canid predator, occupies an ecological niche that has been void since the extirpation of wolves from Virginia around the beginning of the 20th century. In

addition to inflicting mortality on small as well as large prey species such as beaver, turkey and deer, coyotes tend to kill or exclude red fox from their territories in red fox habitat and may subsequently limit red fox population abundance. The coyote may also indirectly benefit groundnesting bird spe-cies, such as Bobwhite quail, by killing or excluding ground-nest predators such as raccoon, opos-sum and skunks.

MANAGEMENT

Coyote populations, not un-like all wildlife populations, will

continue to grow until their numbers are limited by food availability or space. Unlike most wildlife populations, the repro-ductive potential of coyotes is such that harvesting coyotes for recreation or fur pelts or other economic incentive will not generally have any impact on limiting or even reducing the abundance of the coyote popu-lation. In general, increasing coyote mortality through hunt-ing and trapping will tend to only change the age distribution of the population rather than change pre-whelping population density. When populations of

game species decline, hunters and some game resource manag-ers may sensibly conclude that coyote predation on game is reducing or limiting game popu-lations. Under certain condi-tions coyote predation has been shown to limit the abundance of big game populations. However, under normal conditions – that is when there is an abundance of game habitat available and the game population has not been decimated by disease or by another catastrophic mortality factor – predation will rarely limit the population abundance of a game species. In fact, it is more often the case that overall

prey abundance and diversity will dictate the total number of coyotes that can thrive in a given area. If you feel coyotes are reducing big game popula-tions in your area, please obtain a copy of “Coyote Management Strategies to Enhance Big Game Survival” for information on determining if it is necessary and feasible to manage coyote predation in your area.

INTERACTION WITH PETS

Coyotes are medium sized carnivores that are very territo-rial in nature, and generally will

not tolerate other coyotes or dogs trespassing in their territo-ries. This behavior is even more pronounced when coyotes are caring for their young anytime between March and August. For this reason, coyotes have been known to show aggression and attack or even kill free-roaming small domestic dogs and cats that live within a coyote family’s territory. Attacks have also been known to occur in the yard or on the porch of houses.

INTERACTION WITH HU-MANS

There are very few recorded

instances of coyotes attacking humans in the United States. Coyotes that have contracted rabies, as is the case with any domestic animal or wildlife that contracts rabies, may attack humans without warning. How-ever, there are very few recorded instances of non-rabid coyotes actually attacking humans un-provoked. In most cases where coyotes act aggressively towards humans, a coyote is responding to the presence of a dog with the human and the aggression oc-curs within a few hundred yards of a den with pups. In those instances where coyotes have ac-

Early May, �007 • Warren County Report • Page �1

Page �� • Warren County Report • Early May, �007

PEOPLE

Approaching any wildlife may provoke an encounter if the animal feels cornered or restricted in movement. This is particularly true of animals that have become accustomed to the presence of humans and their activities as a consequence of being fed, or because of access to a readily available food source such as pet food or refuse in a garbage can or compost pile. Be aware that coyotes in other eastern states have attacked and severely injured small toddlers when left unattended for even a

short period of time. Although the likelihood of such an attack is very remote, never leave small children unattended in areas frequented by coyotes. Consider removing habitat that provides protective cover for coyotes and their prey such as small rodents. Modifying such habitat around residential areas will dissuade coyotes from using the space as a part of a territory or home range and will reduce the likelihood of conflicts.

PETS

The territorial nature of pred-

atory coyotes poses a real risk to small, free-roaming dogs and cats. Keep small dogs restrained on a leash when walking them outdoors and avoid walking in areas where coyotes are raising their pups from March – Au-gust. Be aware that there have been a few recorded instances of coyotes attacking small dogs on a leash. Small dogs and cats are also vulnerable to attacks by coyotes when tethered outside of your house or even on your porch. Small dogs and cats should be kept in an enclosure when kept outdoors in order to prevent

coyotes from attacking and kill-ing a pet animal. Even though a fence may dissuade coyotes from attacking your pet, be aware that coyotes can jump over fences less than 7-feet high and can climb over taller fencing that does not have an outward slant-ing overhang.

LIVESTOCK

Contact the Virginia Depart-ment of Agriculture and Con-sumer Services - USDA Wildlife Services Virginia Cooperative Coyote Damage Control Pro-gram at 540-381-7387 to obtain

information and assistance on preventing and alleviating coy-ote damage to livestock or other agricultural products.

For more information, contact:

THE COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIAVIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF GAME AND INLAND FISH-ERIESP.O. BOX 11104, 4010 WEST BROAD STREETR I C H M O N D, V I R G I N I A 23230-1104(804) 367-1000 http://www.dgif.virginia.gov

Early May, �007 • Warren County Report • Page ��

Development

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Town will nix Catlett Mountain Boundary adjustmentWater-sewer extension still on the table after April 30 work session


It didn’t take long – about 15 minutes of meaningful discus-sion at an April 30 work session – for the Front Royal Town Council to decide that a bound-ary adjustment as a condition of water and sewer extension to the proposed 150-unit Catlett Mountain subdivision in War-ren County didn’t make much

sense. “I see absolutely no logical reason to boundary adjust,” Councilman Eileen Grady said following some staff analysis and discussion with Brookfield attorneys about the parameters of their project – 150 units clustered on roughly half-acre lots on an approximately 200-acre parcel with proffered green and public use spaces and road right of ways, including for a

potential western bypass.Among the negative issues pointed to by Grady for bring-ing the project into the town limits were the logistics of ex-tending town services like trash collection and police protection across the river to a non-contig-uous parcel of land with ques-tionable road access and the necessity of including a num-ber of already existing housing developments in the bound-ary adjustment to connect the Catlett Mountain development to the rest of the town. However, despite a seeming council consensus on Grady’s observations, the extension of water and sewer to the de-velopment partner of county Supervisor Ron Llewellyn was still on the table following the work session – though waste-water connection seemed to be sliding off that table. For while Town Public Utili-

ties Director Joe Waltz pre-sented figures indicating the addition of Catlett Mountain’s units to the town‘s utilities was not likely to create any capacity issues as far as water extension, a prediction on wastewater was less certain. “It looks like we can handle Catlett Mountain but it’s a fine line, it’s very close,” Waltz said of sewer service. That fine line could be created because the town is already ap-proaching to within five percent of its wastewater treatment capacity. With the town’s new wastewater treatment facility only on the drawing board, any addition of a major water con-suming industry to the town system, like an industrial laun-dry in the north corridor, could stretch wastewater capacities in 2010-11, Waltz said. Brookfield attorney Merle Fallon countered that the $3 million in water and sewer tap fees the developer would pay for hookups to the town system could help the town increase its existing capacities by as much as a million gallons a day through technological upgrades. “The smartest thing the town could do is use that tap fee mon-ey to solve its ‘I and I’ problem,” Fallon later said, reiterating a point he made to council. Fal-lon later explained that rather than a Rastafarian reference, I and I referred to Inflow and Infiltration. Fallon said Front Royal’s, like other older sys-tems, deals with the problem of non-sewage groundwater leak-ing into its wastewater system due to failures such as cracking underground lines. “It’s real simple,” Fallon as-serted, “[if the system fails at points] it can increase the water flowing into the treat-

ment system by thousands and thousand of gallons a day. It’s groundwater but it gets treated like sewage.” Stan Brooks asked Fallon and fellow Brookfield attorney Bri-an Grzelak if Brookfield would be willing either to accept only water service from the town or wait until 2011 after the new wastewater treatment system is built to begin its development. Grzelak indicated a four-year wait was not an option, though Fallon told council if approved the project wasn’t likely to be-gin building before 2008. But the Brookfield attorneys said they would consider building their own sewer package plant if the town extended water only. Asked if they had approached the county about the approval of such options, Fallon told council, “No, we have put our eggs in your basket – we prefer to work with you first.” However, Fallon also urged council to reach a decision as quickly as possible so the de-veloper could begin pursuing other options, including build-ing both its own central water and sewer systems. Grady replied to Fallon that it was not so much the town deciding not to extend ser-vices but whether they could be extended without exerting a financial burden on the town and its citizens. “This is the first test of this [water policy] and we want to get it right,” Grady observed. Council suggested placing a public hearing on a Catlett Mountain boundary adjust-ment on it upcoming meeting agenda and scheduling more work sessions on the water and sewer issue.

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Sheriff’s report Report from Warren County Sheriff Daniel T. McEathron. Prepared by Becky Whited, Administrative Assistant to Patrol.

Sheriff’s monthly activity reportWarren County Sheriff’s Department JAN FEB MARFELONY CASES INITIATED 25 11 17MISDEMEANOR CASES INITIATED 0 0 0OTHER CASES INITIATED 4 3 2NUMBER OF PROPERTY CRIMES 22 4 9TOTAL CASES INITIATED THIS MONTH 29 14 19FELONY WARRANTS ISSUED 0 0 17MISD. WARRANTS ISSUED 0 0 0INDICTMENTS ISSUED 0 0 0FELONY PETITIONS ISSUED 0 0 3MISD. PETITIONS ISSUED 0 0 0TOTAL WARRANT/INDT/PETI ISSUED 0 0 20CLOSED BY ARREST/PROSECUTION 2 9 2CLOSED UNSOLVED(inactive) 0 44 19CLOSED/PROSECUTION DECLINED 3 1 2CLOSED BY EXCEPTION 2 9 3TOTAL CASES CLOSED THIS MONTH 7 63 26INTERVIEWS-VICTIMS/WITNESSES 150 112 137INTERVIEWS-SUSPECTS 11 11 11INTERROGATIONS 2 0 0LABORATORY/FAIRFAX 2 1 2AUTOPSY/FAIRFAX 2 1 1SEARCH WARRANTS 3 2 8CONSENT SEARCH 4 0 0MISC. ASSIST(PD,VSP,S.O.,DTF) 2 0 5Phase I Background 11 0 0Phase II Background 0 0 0HOMICIDE 0 0 0SUICIDE 2 1 0ACCIDENTAL DEATH 0 0 0DROWNING 1 0 0DOA 0 1 2IN CUSTODY DEATH 0 0 0MALICIOUS WOUNDING 0 0 0FELONIOUS ASSAULT 0 0 0ASSAULT AND BATTERY 0 0 0GRAND LARCENY 14 3 4PETIT LARCENY 0 0 0VEHICLE GRAND LARCENY 0 0 03 &4 WHEELER LARCENY 0 0 0Motorcycle Larceny 0 0 0Moped Larceny 0 0 0Boat Larceny 0 0 0Attempted B&E 0 0 0Unlawful Entry 0 0 0B&E/GRAND LARCENY 3 4 1B&E/PETIT LARCENY 0 0 0B&E/Destruction of Property 1 1 0B&E/with intent to commit another crime 0 0 0Property Damage/Vandalism-Felony 1 1 1Property Damage/Vandalism-Misdemeanor 0 0 0RAPE 0 0 0SEXUAL ASSAULT ADULT 0 0 1SEXUAL ASSAULT CHILD 2 0 3ABDUCTION 0 0 0CHILD ABUSE 0 0 0Eldery Abuse 0 0 0False Pretense 0 0 0Forgery 0 0 1Fraud/Checks or Credit Card 2 0 4Fraud/Construction 0 1 1Uttering 0 0 0Embezzlement 1 0 0 Identity Theft 0 0 0Telephone Scams 0 0 0Paving Scams 0 0 0Sealing Scams 0 0 0Mail Scams 0 0 1Robbery 1 0 0Strong Arm Robbery 0 0 0ARSON 0 0 0SUSPICIOUS FIRE 1 0 0ACCIDENTAL FIRE 0 1 0BOMB THREAT 0 0 0

Warren County Sheriff’s Department JAN FEB MARVEHICLE HIT AND RUN 0 0 0VEHICLE RECOVERY 0 0 0SHOOT INOT OCCUPIED VEHICLE 0 0 0SHOOT INOT OCCUPIED DWELLING 0 0 0Drugs/Narcotics 0 0 0ESCAPE 0 0 0Search Warrants 0 0 0Consent Search 0 0 0Misc. Assist (PD,FD,VSP,SO, DTF) 0 0 0

Animal Control JAN FEB MARComplaints - Town Residents 76 69 69Complaints - County Residents 144 157 159County After Hours Calls 2 1 1Town After Hours Calls 0 5 3County Animal Warnings 0 10 9Town Animal Warnings 0 7 3County Animal Summons 5 1 18Town Animal Summons 4 3 2County Animals to Shelter 19 35 31Town Animals to Shelter 13 13 12County Door to Door Checks 0 0 45Town Door to Door Checks 0 0 0Animals Taken to Veterinarian 3 5 1County Animal Attack Reports 0 5 4Town Animal Attack Reports 0 2 5Traffic Stops (T38) 10 4 39VA Uniform Summons 0 1 23(Speeding, Reckless, Poss Marj. Self Initiated Arrests: M 0 5 8(DIP, A&B, Etc.) F 0 2 2Arrests From Traffic Stop 10-29 0 0 0Notice of Suspension Issued 0 1 1Accidents Investigated 3 1 0Property Checks 152 218 265Warrants Served 6 2 4Warrants Attempted to Serve 2 3 0Self Initiated Arrests: M 6 0 0(DUI, Driving Susp., Etc .) F 0 0 0Other Papers Served 0 0 3Narcotic K-9 Requests 0 0 -Patrol K-9 Requests 0 0 -Follow - Up (T82) 32 16 53Court Hours: Gen. District 6 14 5.25 Circuit 0 8 0 J & D 0 6 0Public Assists 4 8 13Other Agency Assists 2 23 19

Summary JAN FEB MAR# Complaints Answered 621 502 496# Complaints Assisted 292 219 252# Complaints Followed Up On 149 95 154# Public Assists 512 305 358# Other Agency Assists 416 188 79# Traffic Stops 332 180 276# VA Uniform Summons 83 39 119(Speeding, Reckless, Poss Marj) # Arrests from Traffic Stop: M 14 18 14(DUI, Driving Susp., Etc.) F 2 5 2# Arrest from Traffic Stop 10-29 0 1 2# Notice of Suspension Issued 15 18 15# Accidents Investigated 23 15 7# Property Checks 9059 5695 5465# Warrants Served 73 47 53# Warrants Attempted to Serve 151 74 82# Self Initiated Arrests: M 9 15 58(DIP, A&B, Etc.) F 1 2 4# Other Papers Served 111 77 122Court Hours: Gen. District 40.5 34 32 Circuit 15 3 10 J & D 18.5 30.5 14

FRONT ROYALPOLICE DEPARTMENT

From a release:

The Front Royal Police Department has announced the graduation of one of its officers from the 69th session of the Commonwealth of Virginia Forensic Science Academy in Richmond, Virginia. According to Front Royal Police Chief Ronald A. Williamson, Corporal Steve Mauck graduated from the nine week program on April 13, 2007. The Forensic Science Academy, spon-sored by the Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Forensic Science, is a rig-orous nine week program, offering com-prehensive instruction in the use of the most advanced crime scene technology. During the program, Corporal Mauck received training in crime scene search, photography and sketching, blood spat-ter interpretation, fingerprinting using a variety of methods, evidence preserva-tion, as well as proper techniques in col-lecting, processing and packaging items for submittal to the state crime lab for analysis. Corporal Mauck is the first Front Royal Officer in more than twenty years to attend the Academy, which only trains approximately 36 law enforcement of-ficers every year. Pictured (from left) are: Steven Sigel, Deputy Director of the Department of Forensic Science, Corporal Steve Mauck and Front Royal Police Chief Ronald A. Williamson.

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By Leslie FiddlerWarren County Report

With the blush of spring comes the chance to eat some of the fresh leafy greens bursting forth in one’s lawn. This raises the question - when is it safe to eat one’s lawn? Checking organic certification requirements we learn that “prohibited substances (syn-thetic fertilizers and pesticides, etc.) must not have been used on the land for three full years preceding harvest of the first organic crop.” Otherwise one’s lawn could be considered “in transition.” Is “organic” the same as “natu-ral”? No. Natural and organic are not interchangeable terms.

So can you eat your natural lawn? I don’t know. Use your judgement. But for those who have con-fidence in the organic quality of their lawn (perhaps judged by the volume of weeds) there are yummy foods available. I refer to dandelions, chick-weed and violet flowers. In early spring I sometimes wonder if my neighbors notice that I appear to be grazing the yard. In truth I’m not eating ev-erything in sight but am search-ing for the tender dandelion greens at hand. The younger the greens the more tender and delicious but the larger greens are good too. They have a fresh bitter taste that my body loves, chasing away the last traces of

winter in my system. I like to add them to salads but keep them on the table as a salad condiment as only one of our two sons likes them. Dandelion leaves are higher in beta-carotene than carrots. They have more iron than spinach and calcium too plus vitamins B-1, B-2, B-5, B-6, B-12, C, E, P, and D, biotin, inositol, potas-sium, phosphorus, magnesium, and zinc. According to herbal-ist Susan Weed dandelion is supremely nourishing to the liver and regular use of any part of the plant can ease digestive distress, help prevent diabetes and ease hot flashes. She also recommends calcium and min-eral rich dandelion vinegar for bone health. Chick weed is another early spring green. Chickweed flour-ishes is found all over the conti-nent most abundantly in the ear-

ly spring and the late fall when it i s n o t compet-ing for sun with l e a f y trees. It is a good source of vitamin C, iron, p h o s -phorus, and trace m i n -e r a l s . C h i c k -weed goes very well with dan-delion greens in early spring salads and, like dandelions can be cooked. The third edible weed in my yard is the violet. The leaves

contain vitamins A and C and the flowers are edible too, giving nice color to a salad. Early set-tlers made a jelly from the flow-ers and a tea to treat headaches and sore throats. We have so many violets in our lawn that the local deer herd can’t eat them all. While writing this piece I used Virginia Tech’s online weed guide. Also New York City naturalist and author Steve Brill has an amusing website with information about common renewable, edible and medicinal wild plants and good for sale. Susan Weed is an esteemed self-taught internationally respected American herbalist. So. Eat local. Buy local. Sup-port our bioregion and our home grown businesses. And please, if you order any-thing, do it through a local merchant.

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Opinion

Hidden danger that can kill your child

Editor:

Bumps, scrapes and bruises are all part of childhood and a visible sign of growing up. Parents delight as their children play out-of-doors and explore the wonders of nature. But your own backyard can pose a danger that few parents know about. In Warren County, and espe-cially Front Royal, we are talking about threats to property, health and safety posed by free-roam-ing cats. The problem is particu-larly severe in town where a state law requiring rabies inoculation for cats is ignored with impu-nity. The result is that your child can be playing in his or her back yard, be scratched or bitten by a cat that wanders onto your property, and you won’t even know about it. Rabies is an acute viral in-fection of the nervous system. It is a deadly disease with an incubation period that can be up to several months. But once the symptoms have appeared, it may be too late. Only a very small number of people with established rabies survive. That is why it is critical to know of cat bites and to test for rabies, and why the main emphasis must be on preventing the disease. But parents can’t take life-saving precautionary measures if they don’t know that a free-roaming cat has bitten your child in your own backyard. According to public health of-ficials, there are more reported cases of rabies from cats than from dogs in Virginia. Some-thing needs to be done for cats, and it is for dogs. Currently, all dog owners are required to obtain a license and show proof of rabies inoculation. State law enables local governments to license both dogs and cats. Should be simple. But don’t ask our politicians. The Town

says animal control is with the County. The County says the Town must ask them to take ac-tion. So here We The People are treated like a Ping-Pong ball. I know the problem from first hand experience. For the better part of a year, I had writ-ten and contacted local officials on numerous occasions about the problem of attacking cats coming on to my property but no one seemed to want to do anything. I was bounced back and forth between the Town and the County. Then on March 10th, I was bitten by my neighbor’s cat while I was in my yard. It was a seri-ous bite that required medical attention, a tetanus shot and a week-long regimen of antibiot-ics. Then I got the worse news: the neighbor’s cat did not have its rabies shot. Turns out none of her three cats did! The danger to public health remains clear and present. The cats still do not have their rabies shots and still are allowed to run wild over my property. This situ-ation is intolerable. There is a solution, if only the politicians will act. First the Warren County Board of Supervisors needs to amend the existing animal li-censing law to require that any person who owns or cares for a cat register that cat and provide proof of current rabies vaccina-tion. Licensing and proof of rabies inoculation is required for dogs. It should also be for cats. And it should be done im-mediately as the warm weather and outdoor activities begin. To fully protect the children of Front Royal, we also need emergency legislation to make it unlawful for anyone to allow their cat(s) to go onto anyone else’s property without the per-mission of the property owner. A fundamental feature of effec-tive property rights is the legally recognized right to exclude. As

the U. S. Supreme Court ex-plained, “The right to exclude” is “one of the most essential sticks in the bundle of rights that are commonly character-ized as property” (Kaiser Aetna v. United States 1979, 164). Liberal Montgomery County in Maryland has a cat nuisance law whereby a cat owner who allows their cat to roam on an-other person’s property without that person’s permission may be fined $100 for the first offense and up to $500 for subsequent offenses. If a jurisdiction like Montgomery County can rec-ognize property rights, what is holding up Warren County? Emergency legislation will at least address the health and safety crisis posed by roaming cats. The politicians can later consider more comprehensive legislation to address private conservation and quality of life issues. For now, though, let’s protect the children.

Pat CallahanFront Royal Email: [email protected]

Visitor’s Center

Editor:

As a citizen of Front Royal, from time to time I have been very critical of the actions taken by the Town Council. However, their recent directional edict concerning tourism and the future of our community is the most outrageous action taken thus far. Council ordered the EDA, Visitors Center Management, Warren County, DBA, Front Royal-Warren County Cham-ber of Commerce, and others to do things their way without any prior notification or discus-sion. If successful this ill-conceived plan will transfer approximately $250,000 in expenses to oth-

ers, while increasing the town’s income from the lodging taxes for their own use. This unreasonable proposal contradicts a resolution passed by Town Council on May 24, 1999.

Calvin D. McCrackenFront Royal

Virginia Tech

Rep. Frank Wolf (R-10th) made the following statement on the floor of the House in support of a resolution of condolence on the tragedy at Virginia Tech: “Madam Speaker, it is with a heavy heart that I rise today in support of this resolution offering the condolences of the House to the victims and their families of the horrific violence at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia, on Monday morning and to the students, faculty, ad-ministration and staff and their families who have forever been changed by this tragedy. “My heart is heavy for the entire grieving Virginia Tech community, but especially so for some families in the 10th District of Virginia who are mourning today because the young, promising lives of their children have ended. As of this morning with the news we have

received, there could be at least five victims who called the 10th District home. “There are really no words that can adequately express the sorrow we are feeling today, but with this resolution, it is my hope that those families in my district and the families and loved ones of all the victims will know that this district, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and indeed the entire nation are with them in spirit - offering their heartfelt sympathy and prayers. “With my colleagues in the Virginia congressional delega-tion, I attended the very mov-ing and emotional convocation yesterday in Blacksburg . I was so impressed with the Tech community - the students and staff and administration. It was truly a feeling of family coming together to offer love and sup-port to each other in their time of grief and loss. ‘There is still a numbness and incredulity about what hap-pened on the Virginia Tech cam-pus just two days ago. It is said that time heals all wounds. The wounds in Blacksburg are deep, but with the unity of spirit and the deep faith I felt yesterday on the Tech campus, it is my hope that as the tomorrows come, this outstanding institution and all those who are associated with it will find hope and peace.”

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Opinion


By Jim SmithlinWarren County Report

Joe Edward Swiger was born on July 7, 1940. He was named after the comedian Joe Edward Brown who was known for his ear to ear smile. Joe was born in Harrison County West Virginia. He was one of 12 siblings--the seventh son of a seven son. He started work in the coal mines at 12, was a blacksmith at 14, and pitched big time baseball at 15. Joe also farmed during his public school years and enlisted in the Navy at 17 Friday the 13th right after High School. His baseball number was also 13. He was promoted in the Navy six times in three years. At 18 he was the Master at Arms on a Destroyer warship and practiced the lonely art of hunting and killing sub-marines. Smiling he said “ I must have been born with dogs ears and sharp vision”. “ Like Sergeant York”. Joe’s resume is nine pages long. When he works on a proj-ect get out of his way! His wife Wilma says the song with the lines “ He’s a maniac” is about Joe. His resume can talk to

that. Joe is presently an electrical consultant. Before that he was the Front Royal Director of the Electric Department. He has held numerous prestigous positions. Three quarters of a page take up his past and pres-ent memberships. One half of a page take up his numerous awards including Who’s Who in American Politics. Joe has for 40 years raised a huge garden along the river. For that same 40 years he has given away all of the produce. He loves gardening. In the Spring he measures the time to plant carefully so the yield comes in when he wants it. Joe seems to know the origin and evolution of every plant and vegetable. He says plants have feelings and must be treated with love and attention. Later in life Joe has developed a love for cats. He presently has taken in 15 and doesn’t object to the veternarian bills and other expenses. Joe’s faithful dog Gypsy, named after Gypsy Rose Lee, loves to run and run while not going very far from her master’s voice.

Joe came to Front Royal at 23 and started organizing the Re-publican Party when there were four people in the county who would admit being a Republi-can. No Republican had even been on the ballot in Warren County for 132 years. Joe has campaigned for 93 different Vir-ginians and is proud to state his political batting average is over .700. He was a mentor of John Warner, Andy Guest and many others who made their mark on

the pages of Virginia history. Joe was also a Little League baseball coach and loves base-ball. Joe can tell you how the great pitchers even gripped the ball for their famous deliveries. Joe has been a political journalist,a teacher of electron-ics and electrical theory, the organizer of the largest canoe race (he admits he can’t swim and has never been in a canoe), speechwriter, mentor etc. He has accomplished alot in 67 years. Joe admits he can’t golf worth a hoot, but grows the best corn in the Shenandoah Valley. Oh yes, he could once throw a heck

of a knuckle ball! If you have someone you would like to have recognized please e-mail me at [email protected]

Jim Smithlin

Jim

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Exceptional individuals:Meet Joe Swiger of Front Royal


VIRGINIAWINE & CRAFT FESTIVAL

The Wine & Craft Festival is Saturday, May 19th from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Plans are already under way for this exciting event. Save this date on your calendar! Advance tickets are available now. Admission for wine tasting is $12 in advance and $18 at the gate. General ad-mission is $2.00. The commit-tee is looking for volunteers for that day. If you are able to give some time or would like to pur-chase tickets in advance, please contact Pam at 635-3185 ext. 2 or [email protected].

BROWN BAG LUNCHSERIES CONTINUES

Join us Tuesday, May 22nd, at noon, at the Chamber office for Small Business Acct. Basics “What You Financial State-ments are Really Telling You?” presented by Mike Noble, Noble & Noble Financial Associates. Join us for a fun hour of learn-ing and networking. RSVP by responding to this email or call-ing 635-3185.

MAY BUSINESS AFTER HOURS

Join us for some great net-working and fun at the May Business After Hours, hosted by Lynn Care Center, May 9th, 5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Don’t for-get your business cards! RSVP to 635-3185 or [email protected].

MEMBER NEWS Jim Strathearn of Corvette-

Forum.com and the Shenan-doah Valley Corvette Club announces the 2007 Hogs Me-morial Skyline Drive Corvette Cruise scheduled for Saturday, May 12th. The beneficiary of this year’s cruise proceeds will be Blue Ridge Hospice. The starting point for this cruise is Jack Evans Chevrolet & Ca-dillac used car lot located on Commerce Avenue in Front Royal, Virginia. Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m., and will be $10 per car. Pre-registration will be $8 per car and must be received by April 28. Pre-reg-istration check or money order should be made out to Blue Ridge Hospice, and mailed to: Jim Strathearn, PO Box 332 , Shrewsbury , PA 17361 . For further information, please visit http://www.svcorvette-club.org or http://forums.cor-vetteforum.com/showthread.php?t=1624902

Enjoy a walk through history, plus tastings of fine beers, ales, and food at Belle Grove Plan-tation’s 12th annual “Of Ale & History” Beer Festival. To be held Saturday, May 12, from noon until 6 p.m., this popu-lar benefit event features more than thirty microbrewed and imported beers, fine food and excellent bands! Belle Grove Plantation is located on Route 11, one mile south of Middle-town , VA , near the intersec-tion of Interstates 66 and 81. For more information, and to receive an “Of Ale and History” Festival brochure, please call Belle Grove at (540) 869-2028 or e-mail [email protected]. Be sure to visit our web site: www.bellegrove.org.

The Foundation of the State Arboretum of Virginia an-nounces that the Arboretum’s 18th Annual Garden Fair is set for May 12-13, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day. The Mother’s Day Weekend tradi-tion will feature more than 70 vendors offering perennials, an-nuals, small trees, berry bush-es, and an astounding array of garden-related merchandise, including gardening tools, gar-den art, container plants, and much more. The annual sale is the Arboretum’s largest annual fund raiser and proceeds ben-efit programs at the Arboretum throughout the year. For more information contact 540-837-1758.

Lord Fairfax Small Business Development Center will offer the following seminars: May 3, 6 – 8:30 PM – Taxes and Licenses with Brian Davet, SBDC Office in Middletown fee $40; May 8, 9 – 4 PM — Quick-Books I and II (second day is May 10) with Angela Rudolph, $190 if paid by April 30, $225 after — brown bag lunches wel-come Please call 540-868-7093 for information and to register, or email [email protected].

North Warren Volunteer Fire Department is now accepting applications for Honorary Fire Chief Beauty & Photogenic Pageant to be held May 12th & 13th. For more informa-tion contact Sharon Talbott, 635-5781 or Melissa Mills, 635-4674.

The Lord Fairfax Small Busi-ness Development Center and the U.S. Small Business Ad-ministration will be sponsoring

the “Entrepreneur Express - Small Business Workshop” on May 8th, Noon - 2 p.m. at the Front Royal-Warren County Chamber of Commerce. High-lights of the workshop include: access to capital, counseling and training, and federal pro-curement. For more informa-tion or to register for this free workshop email to [email protected] or call 804-771-2400 ext. 125.

The Humane Society of War-ren County will be holding a Rabies/Distemper/Microchip Clinic on May 12th, 11:00 - 3:00 p.m. For more information call 540-635-4734.

The 1st Annual Redskins Cowboys Golf Challenge will be held May 16th & 17th to benefit the Warren County 4H for the new barn being built at the Warren County Fair-grounds, 4H in the Northern Shenandoah Valley and 10% to the March of Dimes. For more information contact Raymond Heflin, Cedar Creek Mortgage at 540-635-0404.

The Lord Fairfax Community College Workforce Solutions and Continuing Education the following classes: May 3, Em-ployee Recruitment & Inter-viewing - $99, 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.; May 3 & 4, Excel 1- $119, 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.; May 5, Basic Contractor Licensing, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., $199; May 8-24, Spanish for Construction, 7-9 p.m., $169; May 8, But My Hat Says I’m the Manager, 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., $175; May 9 -11, SHRM Learning System - Intensive 3 Day Course, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., $899; May 10, Perfor-

mance Management , 1 p.m. - 5 p.m., $99; May 10, Problem Solving for Technicians, 12:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.; $99; May 12 Electrical Safety in the Work-place, 9 a.m. - 2 p.m., $109. For more information on these classes or more call 540--868-7021.

TOWN OF FRONT ROYAL COUNCIL MEETINGS

Monday, May 14th, 7 p.m. at the Warren County Govern-ment Center Tuesday, May 29th, 7 p.m. at the Warren County Govern-ment Center WARREN COUNTY BOARD

OF SUPERVISORS Tuesday, May 1st, 9 a.m. at the Warren County Govern-ment Center Tuesday, May 22nd, 7 p.m. at the Warren County Govern-ment Center

UPCOMING EVENTS

May 1Trade Fest Committee, 8 a.m. at the Chamber office

May 2Wine & Craft Festival Commit-tee, 8:15 a.m. at the Chamber office

May 2Valley Business Today on Old-ies 95.3 FM

May 8Business After Hours, Lynn Care Center, 5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

May 19Virginia Wine & Craft Festival

Front Royal Warren County Chamber of CommerceCall (540) 635-3185 for more information.

Reach more Warren County residents of all ages by advertising. Call (540) 636-1014.


By Charles Cooper

ARIES (March 21 to April 19) You tap into your serious side this week. Still, that doesn’t mean you can’t be a bit playful with friends. Just be sure this occurs in your off-time and not at work. TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) Beware of some social mine-fields you might encounter this week. While you’re one to speak your mind, sometimes, discretion is the better part of valor. Be careful! GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) You’re daydreaming about im-possible things. That’s not nec-essarily a bad thing. However, while you’re imagining how to spend those lottery winnings, it might be wise to stay grounded in reality. CANCER (June 21 to July 22) You know the expression about “the best-laid plans.” Well, this week proves that old saw. De-spite meticulous planning, you’re thrown a curve, so be flexible.

LEO (July 23 to August 22) You put the finishing touches on something you started a while back. That’s fine since it’s nothing that was related to work. Surprise a special some-one with this. VIRGO (August 23 to Sep-tember 22) You’re looking for ways to increase your nest egg. That’s fine. Just be wary of some unscrupulous types who might take advantage of you. LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) The beginning of the week is favored for career gains. Later, however, every-thing comes to a standstill. Just ride this out as it soon passes. SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) You’re the cen-ter of attention this week. Feel free to enjoy this moment in the spotlight. However, make sure you maintain some sensi-tivity for others’ feelings at the same time. SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) You’re go-ing to have to put a lid on your temper this week. It seems ev-

By Linda Mason

Continuing to tell the story of “Saturday Night Live,” NBC presents a new installment of the compelling behind-the-scenes documentary series chronicling the highs and lows of the iconic comedy show - “Saturday Night Live in the ‘90s: Pop Culture Nation” - on Sunday, May 6, 9:00 - 11:00 p.m., ET. The stories take the show all over the map - from the early ‘90s with one of its strongest (and largest) casts in history and the phenomenal success of “Wayne’s World” on the big screen to bitter clashes with the network culminating in the firing of the anchor of “Week-end Update.” It also deals with the loss of two of the show’s brightest stars and ultimately, the show’s return to form later

eryone and everything will be testing it. If you can do that, you’ll have a productive week. CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) It’s best this week to stick to your own coun-sel. While you’re tempted to ask for advice, you won’t get any-thing worth following. Later in the week, local travel is educa-tional. AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) It’s fine to be proud of your accomplish-ments. However, exaggerating them doesn’t exactly endear you to others. Tone it down! PISCES (February 19 to March 20) A project presented to you this week isn’t the cinch you perceive it to be. Study this carefully before plunging in. Over the weekend, some family time is fun and relaxing. CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS: Kirsten Dunst, April 30; Tim McGraw, May 1; Christine Ba-ranski, May 2; Frankie Valli, May 3; Randy Travis, May 4; Lance Henriksen, May 5; George Clooney, May 6.

in the decade with an entirely new cast. This is the decade that has produced the leading

comedy stars working today, including Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Mike Myers, Chris Rock and Adam Sandler.

Among the new and candid in-terviews are creator and execu-tive producer Lorne Michaels, many of the stars of the show including: Dana Carvey, Jimmy Fallon, Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Ana Gasteyer, Darrell Ham-mond, Chris Kattan, Norm Macdonald, Mark McKinney, Tim Meadows, Tracy Morgan, Mike Myers, Kevin Nealon, Cheri Oteri, Colin Quinn, Chris Rock, Molly Shannon, David Spade, Julia Sweeney and two cast members who became comedy stars after their time at “SNL:” David Koechner and Sarah Silverman. In addition, two of the most prolific hosts in SNL history - Alec Baldwin and John Goodman also offer insights.

(c) 2007 DBR Media, Inc.

TOP SINGLES1. “Beautiful Liar” Beyonce and Shakira (Columbia) Last Week: No. 12. “Don’t Matter” Akon (Konvict/Upfront/SRC) N. 2

3. “Girlfriend” Avril Lavigne4. “The Sweet Escape” Gwen Stefani Featuring Akon N. 65. “Glamorous” Fergie Fea-turing Ludacris No. 46. “U + UR Hand” Pink (La-Face) No. 77. “Cupid’s Chokehold” Gym Class Heroes Featuring Pat-rick Stump (Decaydance/Fueled By Ramen) No. 58. “Last Night” Diddy Fea-turing Keyshia Cole No. 109. “It’s Not Over” Daughtry (RCA) No. 9

10. “This Is Why I’m Hot” Mims (Capitol) No. 8TOP COUNTRY SINGLES1. “Last Dollar (Fly Away)” Tim McGraw (Curb) Last Week: No. 32. “Wasted” Carrie Underwood (Arista) No. 23. “Stand” Rascal Flatts (Lyric Street) No. 44. “Beer in Mexico” Kenny Chesney (BNA) No. 15. “Settlin’” Sugarland (Mercury) No. 66. “Anyway” Martina McBride (RCA) No. 57. “High Maintenance Woman” Toby Keith (Show Dog Nashville) No. 78. “I’ll Wait for You” Joe Nichols (Universal South) No. 89. “Long Trip Alone” Dierks Bentley (Capitol Nashville) No. 1010. “Good Directions” Billy Currington (Mercury) No. 16TOP DANCE/CLUB PLAY1. “Rise” Samantha James (OM/Promo) Last Week: No. 12. “Discotech” Young Love (Island/Promo) No. 33. “U Spin Me” Inaya Day (Silver Label/Promo) No. 24. “U + UR Hand” Pink (LaFace) No. 45. “You Are Why” Dawn Tallman (Slaag) No. 56. “It’s My Life” S Blush (CJ/Promo) New Entry7. “Automatic” Ultra Nate (Silver Label/Promo) No. 98. “Embrace Me” Leana (Swedish Diva/Promo) No. 89. “Some Girls” Henri (Dauman) No. 1710. “Angelicus” Delerium Featuring Isable Baryakdarian (Nettwerk) N. 6TOP VIDEO RENTALS1. The Pursuit of Happyness starring Will Smith (Sony) Rated: PG-132. Blood Diamond Leonardo DiCaprio (Warner) R3. Happy Feet featuring the voice of Robin Williams (Warner) PG4. Charlotte’s Web Dakota Fanning (Paramount) G5. Eragon Edward Speeleers (Fox) PG6. Casino Royale Daniel Craig (Sony) PG-137. Rocky Balboa Sylvester Stallone (MGM) PG8. Borat Sacha Baron Cohen (Fox) R9. The Departed Jack Nicholson (Warner) R10. The Holiday Jack Black (Columbia) PG-13TOP DVD SALES1. The Pursuit of Happyness starring Will Smith (Sony) Rated: PG-132. Happy Feet featuring the voice of Robin Williams (Warner) PG3. Charlotte’s Web Dakota Fanning (Paramount) G4. Blood Diamond Leonardo DiCaprio (Warner) R5. Borat Sacha Baron Cohen (Fox) R6. Casino Royale Daniel Craig (Sony) PG-137. Eragon Edward Speeleers (Fox) PG8. The Holiday Cameron Diaz (Columbia) PG-139. The Departed Jack Nicholson (Warner) R10. Rocky Balboa Sylvester Stallone (MGM) PG

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Financial focus

By Edward Jones Investments

Investment clubs are quite popular these days. In fact, even if you aren’t in a club yourself, the chances are pretty good that you know someone who is. Should you consider joining such a club? There’s no one “right” an-

swer for everyone, of course. But if you do join an investment club, you will find that there are both “pros” and “cons” involved. Let’s take a quick look at a few of these.

The “pros”

• Investment clubs can be fun.

You can learn about invest-ments in countless books, mag-azines and web sites — but you may enjoy the learning process more by joining an investment club. After all, most of us are “social creatures” by nature, so we like being with other people. By discussing investments as part of a group, you can gain a

lot of knowledge in a pleasant environment. And some clubs even invite guest speakers who are experts at a particular as-pect of investing.

• Clubs provide an affordable way to invest. There’s no “stan-dard” contribution for invest-ment clubs. Some clubs ask for

$50 a month from its members, some clubs ask for $100, and some may ask for even more. Find out what the required amount is for the club you’re considering. And ask other questions, too: Can you skip a month’s contribution and still stay in good standing? Can you contribute more or less than

“Pros” and “Cons” of Investment Clubs


Financial focus

the designated amount?

• Membership encourages in-vestment discipline. Many people lack discipline when investing. If, for example, they own a stock that is temporarily down, they may quickly sell it, even though the company still has good prospects. But invest-ment clubs, by their very na-ture, tend to have a long-term focus. Members are interested in following investments over

time, not buying and selling at a frantic pace. And the most suc-cessful investors are the ones who hold quality investments for many years.

The “cons”

• Clubs are limited in scope. Even the most active club can only look at a tiny fraction of the many investment oppor-tunities available. To build a portfolio that can help meet all

your important financial goals, you have to consider the en-tire spectrum of investments. Consequently, you cannot rely on your investment club exclu-sively for your investment solu-tions.

• Recommendations are not personalized. Make sure that you’re comfortable with a club’s investment philosophy and its risk tolerance. For example, one club might be willing to accept a

higher level of risk in exchange for potentially greater returns. On the other hand, another club may be more conservative in nature. It’s essential that you choose a club with which you’re comfortable. But even when you find a club whose approach to investing is compatible with yours, keep in mind that group decisions can never take the place of recommendations tai-lored to your individual needs — and you can only get that

type of guidance from a quali-fied, experienced financial ad-visor. Your membership in an in-vestment club can be enjoy-able and educational. So, if you decide to join a club, make the most of it — but keep its ben-efits in perspective.

- EJ$


TheUnion Hall

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Victoria’s Restaurant231 Chester Street

Front Royal, VA

COMING SOON:The

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As we remove the layers of warm protec-tive garments, we often lighten up our appetites as well. Beef main dish salads are a crisp and refreshing way to add a variety of naturally nutrient-rich foods to meals at home. Lean beef choices are perfect for salads. There are 19 cuts that meet government guidelines for lean, such as these favorite steaks: top loin, top sirloin, tenderloin,

T-Bone and top round. Beef also provides es-sential nutrients includ-ing zinc, iron, protein, niacin and vitamins B6 and B12. Be inventive! Exact recipes aren’t a require-ment for culinary cre-ativity! A beef salad can be as easy as starting with packaged ready-to-eat salad greens, tossing with fresh cut-up veggies, toasted nuts, dried fruits and grated cheeses. Top

with strips of “leftover” steak or lean deli roast beef and drizzle with a favorite prepared salad dressing. Delicious, satisfying and fast! Today’s recipe, Greek Beef Salad, will give you a great jumping off point to create your own recipes. Also, while the recipe calls for broiling the steak, you can certainly grill it on your barbecue. It works just as well.

Good eatingToday’s recipe, Greek Beef Salad, will give you a great jumping off point to create your own recipes.

Springtime eats!Creative cook

1 pound beef top round steak, cut 1 inch thick 6 cups torn romaine lettuce 1 medium cucumber, thinly sliced1/2 small red onion, cut into thin wedges 2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese 8 Greek or ripe olives (optional) 2 pita breads, toasted, cut into wedgesMarinade:2/3 cup fresh lemon juice1/3 cup olive oil

2 teaspoons dried oregano1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper

Whisk marinade ingredients in small bowl. Place beef steak and 1/2 of mari-nade in food-safe plastic bag; turn to coat. Close bag securely and marinate in refrigerator 6 hours or as long as overnight, turning occasionally. Reserve remaining marinade. Remove steak; discard marinade. Place steak on rack in broiler pan so surface of beef is 2 to 3 inches from heat. Broil 17 to 18 minutes for medium rare doneness, turning once. Remove; let stand 10 minutes. Carve into thin slices. Combine beef, lettuce, cucumber and onion in large bowl. Add reserved marinade; toss. Sprinkle with cheese and olives. Serve with pita wedges.

Makes 4 servings.


Greek Beef SaladReach thousandsof Warren County


by advertisingin


newspaper.



Diversions Some fun things that make you think. The solutions to the puzzles are on page 39. NO PEEKING!!!

On May 6, 1626, Peter Minuit bought Manhattan for the Dutch West India Co., from the Man-a-hat-a Indians for goods valued at $24; he named the is-land New Amsterdam ... May 2, 1776, France and Spain each agreed to provide arms to the American colonists rebelling against England ... May 4, 1886, rioting broke out in the Hay-market section of Chicago, fol-lowing bitter labor battles for an eight-hour workday; seven po-licemen and four workers died ... May 5, 1891, New York City’s Carnegie Hall opened ... April 30, 1894, Jacob S. Coxey led an army of unemployed men from the Midwest, reaching Wash-ington, D.C., on this date; he was arrested for trespassing on Capitol grounds the following day, and his army was disband-

ed ... May 7, 1916, the British ship Lu-sitania was sunk by a German subma-rine; 128American passengers were lost ... May 6, 1936,

• A bird sees everything at once in total focus. Whereas the hu-man eye is globular and must adjust to varying distances, the bird’s eye is flat and can take in everything at once in a single glance. • Vellum, a fine-quality writing parchment, is prepared from animal skin: lambs, kids, and very young calves. Coarser, tougher types are made from the skins of male goats and older calves. Vellum replaced papyrus and was superseded by paper. • Michelangelo’s cook was illit-erate, so he drew her a shopping list which today is priceless. • On August 16, 1264, at pre-cisely nine o’clock in the morn-ing, Inetta de Balsham was

hanged. The king’s messenger arrived a few seconds later with a reprieve. The hangman ran up the stairs and cut the rope with a sword. The victim’s face had already turned blue, but she survived. • The first dry cleaning was done in 1849 by Monsieur Jolly-Bellin of France, who dis-covered the process by mistake when he upset a lamp over a newly-laundered table cloth and found that the part that was covered with alcohol from the lamp was cleaner than the rest.• By the time tea was intro-duced in Europe, it had already drunk in China for nearly 4,600 years.(c) DBR Media

the Works Progress Adminis-tration (WPA) was instituted ... May 6, 1937, the Hinden-burg exploded while landing in Lakehurst, N.J. ... May 6, 1942, American troops took Corregi-dor ... April 30, 1948, the Or-ganization of American states was founded ...May 5, 1961, Commander Alan Shepard was rocketed from Cape Ca-naveral, Fla., 116.5 miles above the earth in a Mercury capsule, the first U.S.-crewed suborbital space flight ... May 1, 1966, U.S. forces began firing into Cam-bodia ... April 30, 1970, U.S. and South Vietnamese forces crossed Cambodian borders to get at enemy bases ... May 4, 1970, four students were killed at Kent State University in Ohio by National Guardsmen dur-ing a protest against the war in Vietnam ... May 4, 1989, for-mer National Security Council staff member Oliver North was convicted on charges related to Iran-Contra; the conviction was later thrown out on appeal ... May 2, 2005, Pakistani forces

1. Blades of Glory starring Will Ferrell Rated: PG-132. Perfect Stranger Halle Berry R3. Disturbia David Morse PG4. Meet the Robinsons featuring the voice of Angela Bassett G5. The Reaping Hilary Swank R6. Are We Done Yet? Ice Cube PG7. Grindhouse Rose McGowan R8. Wild Hogs John Travolta PG-139. 300 Gerard Butler R10. Firehouse Dog Josh Hutch-erson PG

History

Movies

You don’t say!captured the man believed to be the third-ranking leader in the al-Qaeda terrorist network, Abu Faraj al-Libbi, thought to have played a leading role in two attempts to assassinate Pres. Pervez Musharraf.

(c) DBR Media


ACROSS 1 Barge 5 Steffi of tennis 9 Hamster or hound12 Stringed instrument16 “__ boy!”17 Bird of prey19 Dramatic villain20 One of five (or six, for some)21 Anagrams24 Commonplace25 3rd set of teeth26 Realtor’s delights27 Dog owner28 Items easily broken29 More dreadful30 Halo31 Deep gulch34 “By the Time __ to Phoenix”35 Biblical book36 Terrible report card39 Homonyms43 Dispense a beverage44 Money market rates: abbr.

45 In poor health46 College in Iowa47 Club member48 Eisenhower and Turner49 Antonyms54 Leb.’s neighbor55 Slender56 White-haired57 Goes up58 Neat as __59 Beau __60 Dismounted61 Rearward64 Nostalgic melody65 Celtic language66 Small amount69 Rhymes72 Top73 Castle, for one74 Stadium shout75 See 81 Down76 Skin mark77 Not so much78 Synonyms84 Cowboys’ goals, for short

85 Jack in Germany86 Old Testament man87 Rooftop item88 Juice alternative89 Damages90 Late Bombeck91 Not dense94 Means of transportation95 Dancing Salome’s mom99 Dialect100 Palindromes102 Like a chimney103 Baltic feeder104 Sail extension105 Future atty.’s exam106 Unsightly ones107 2.69 + 7.31108 Dagger109 Endings for some ordinal numbers

DOWN 1 Like Yul 2 American Indian 3 Abbr. on a business

envelope 4 Bland 5 British king from 1714 to 1727 6 Levels: var. 7 Reps. 8 Ponce de Leon’s discovery: abbr. 9 Less rosy10 Senses of self-esteem11 Tricycle rider12 Vice __13 F or D or R, for the 32nd Pres.14 Bone: pref.15 Sly glance18 Naval officer19 Small pieces of land20 Names in lights22 Snow vehicles23 Challenged27 One with no pedigree29 Old TV features30 Was sore31 Early 3rd-century year32 Squeals like a sow33 Say35 Great distress36 __ the bill; pays37 Signal flare38 Dryer and others40 Connect verbally41 Actor Jack __42 “See if __!”43 Set in place47 Irving Berlin hit49 Toss50 __ Bara51 Rose-colored dye52 Old

53 Insincere55 Celiac __; digestive ailment58 Long periods59 Feel malicious self-satisfaction60 Caribbean island61 Lopsided62 Fragment63 Lock64 “Waiting for Lefty” playwright65 Writer/activist Wiesel66 702, to Nero67 Refrigerator name68 Gem70 Rushing71 Sanctify72 On a horse78 Narrow way79 Less plump80 Sign up81 With 75 Across, NOW cause82 Tell83 Wicked one85 Speedy88 Runs89 Refuge90 Start of a child’s rhyme91 Accessory92 Cousin of 94 Across93 Very excited94 Give up95 Car feature96 Suffix for wind or sand97 Oriental nurse98 Establishes100 Fortune101 Harvest deity

PuzzlesThis issue’s crossword puzzle theme is “Word for Word.” The solutions to the crossword and the Sudoku puzzle are on page 39. NO PEEKING!!!

SUDOKUSudoku requires no arithmetic skills. · The object of the game: fill out all the blank squares with the correct numbers. · Each row of 9 numbers must include all digits 1 through 9 in any order. · Each column of 9 numbers must include all digits 1 through 9 in any order. · Each 3 by 3 subsection of 9 numbers must include all digits 1 through 9.


and offers mainstream America the opportunity to look at and consider different insights into contemporary society. I was thrilled to find the train on location in Palatka, Florida. To my surprise, not know-ing about this art train, I was impressed and pleased. It was world class art at its best! Thank you, Artrain USA, for being a real part of America. Until next time, visit our national website at www.travelstorymagazine,com or e-mail me with your travel thoughts to [email protected].


“Tis the Silly Season” - Lisa Mahoney is a single mother of two children. Clay Slater, the

NASCAR Busch Series race car driver, comes to her with a

medicine. Suddenly, Glover, a government operative, shows up uninvited at Wahlberg’s mountain retreat. Something’s happening, Glover says, that only Wahlberg can solve. The president’s in danger, and to as-sure his safety, he needs the for-mer sniper’s help to secure the territory. Though initially skep-tical, Glover knows his mark. Once a man has patriotism in his blood, it can’t be removed. To save the president, Wahl-berg assents. Here moviegoers should note the strong bond between Wahlberg and his dog. Later, it’ll become meaningful. Wahlberg, like many former military men, is a walking en-cyclopedia of weapons, ambush points and probabilities. He

misses one: that he’s being set up to take the fall not for shoot-ing the president but a visiting dignitary. Shot, in pain, he still manages to escape and quickly realizes revenge rather than justice is all that lies in a dis-mal future. Desperate, he then seeks out ... but wait, further detail would spoil the show! “Shooter’s” sweeping panora-mas are best seen on the silver screen. It’s rated “R” and takes 120 worthwhile minutes to view. As usual, watch the trailer at www.shootermovie.com/intl/es/. It’s non-stop action, and both conspiracy theorists and military buffs will love it! [email protected] (c) 2007 DBR Media, Inc.

Books, movies and travel

By Sarah Linwood

The intrigues that by nature all governments generate have, arguably, reached a new high since 9/11. The world changed just after 9 a.m. that day, tragi-cally in a way that will forever negatively impact the globe. Because of this, “Shooter,” star-ring Mark Wahlberg, doesn’t fall entirely outside possibility’s realm. A thriller from the open-ing scene to the final curtain, it’s an action flick you shouldn’t miss! Based on the book, “Point of Impact” by Stephen Hunter, “Shooter” was screen-adapt-ed by Jonathan Lemkin. This genre’s no stranger to Lemkin, who also gets screen credit for “Lethal Weapon 4.” Danny Glover, a villain in “Shooter,” is a also a “Lethal Weapon” veter-an, and director Antoine Fuqua (“Tears of the Sun,” “Train-ing Day”) help give this con-spiracy flick credentials in the non-stop, “chase-movie” genre. Fuqua seems to have a natural instinct for who should com-mand the screen and when. Just as importantly, he knows when a part should be underplayed. Observe how Michael Pena (“World Trade Center,” TV’s “The Shield”) seldom seems to be at the center of the action despite a large role. This is the essence of directing - knowing whom to spotlight and when to focus attention elsewhere - and it’s a skill Fuqua’s mastered. The story begins with Wahl-berg, a sniper, on a covert mis-sion in the Horn of Africa. As oftimes happens during high-risk assignments, things go awry, the death of his partner and a whirlwind of destruc-tion following quickly on its heels. The scene quickly shifts to Wyoming, where Wahlberg has sequestered himself from the world and life. Horror and death have stolen his drive, solitude and nature’s beauty being his chosen restorative

Flicks

ShooterBy Joy Michael

This is a new series by Harle-quin and seems to be a big hit with the women. “Ladies, Start Your Engines” - This book contains three dif-ferent stories. In the first story, Savannah Calloway wants to prove to everyone she knows almost everything about en-gines. She works for her father at their race car headquarters. Her father puts her younger brother as next year’s head racer, and Savannah is really hurt. She quits and goes to the competition, telling the racer, Mackenzie Briggs, that she is going to help him make his car the fastest. Her father finds out eventually and is upset. Will Sa-vannah prove to her dad she is a very capable mechanic after all?

A NASCAR Holiday: Kimberly Raye, Roxanne St. Claire, Debra Webb

proposition. She and her chil-dren are to move into his house just for a week to prove to this new sponsor that he is a re-sponsible person. This is a cute story and the kids really make the story work out. The spon-sor, needless to say, is very im-pressed with the “family.” “Unbreakable” - In this story, Dr. Maxine Gray agrees to do a story about race car drivers. Driver Rush Jackson is the per-son she chooses to interview. Maxine follows Rush around every day to see how the drivers keep themselves in shape. He starts out at 5:00 in the morn-ing by running and going to the gym. Maxine is very impressed because it’s like training for the Olympics. As time goes on, her respect grows, and romance deepens. (c) 2007 DBR Media, Inc.

America’s Hometown Art Museum

By Glenn Arnette, III

Have you ever heard of the Ar-train? It is also known as Amer-ica’s Hometown Art Museum, and it really travels by train all over the United States and Eu-rope. To prove its value, it was voted the National Award for Museum Service in 2006. This award is the highest award giv-en to museums in the country. It was presented by Mrs. Laura Bush in 2006 to Artrain USA. Housed in vintage rail cars, the mission is to enrich lives and build communities through the arts. Founded in 1971, Artrain USA encourages the develop-ment of local cultural programs and organizations across the nation. Numerous communi-ties have found that bringing

Artrain USA to their town often serves as a catalyst for exciting, valuable and long-term collab-orations between schools, busi-nesses, local governments and arts organizations. Artrain USA owns five reno-vated 1940s passenger cars. Three of these contain Artrain USA’s galleries; one is the Art-ist’s Studio and gift shop car. The fifth will soon replace Ar-train USA’s caboose. This year (2007) onboard, you will find a contemporary Native American Art Collec-tion. It will be addressing the modern indigenous cultures. It displays 71 contemporary artworks by 54 Native Ameri-can artists. The artwork depicts individual creativity as well as continuity with the cultural past of Native America. The exhibition explores the ways Native American artists are influenced by popular culture

Book lover’s review

On the road again


More diversionsMore time-wasters from your friends at Warren County Report. Don’t worry, we won’t tell your boss!

“The major obstacle to a religious renewal is the intellectual classes, who are highly influential and tend to view religion as primitive superstition. They believe that science has left atheism as the only respectable intellectual stance.” - Robert Bork

“If we are to achieve a richer culture, rich in contrasting values, we must recognize the whole gamut of human potentialities, and so weave a less arbitrary social fabric, one in which each diverse gift will find a fitting place.” - Margaret Mead

“To cherish what remains of the Earth and to foster its renewal is our only legitimate hope of survival.” - Wendell Berry

“The first problem for all of us, men and women, is not to learn, but to unlearn.” - Gloria Steinem

“ Remember no one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” - Eleanor Roosevelt

“I really think that’s the key, part of the spiritual renewal that America needs to have, the notion that we really can have confidence in a better tomorrow.” - Carol Moseley Braun

“Don’t wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challeng-es, obstacles and less than perfect conditions. So what? Get started now. With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self confident and more and more successful.” - Mark Victor Hansen

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” - Eleanor Roosevelt

1. How many times a year do adult cats shed their coats? 2. What is the only mammal that can fly? 3. What was the first and only X-rated film to win the Oscar for Best Picture? 4. Who was the only bachelor president? 5. What is the official dinosaur of Texas? 6. How many times has Susan Lucci’s character, Erica Kane, been married on “All My Children?” 7. What is the longest-running cartoon series? 8. What is the oldest written material in the Library of Congress? 9. What is celebrated on April 22nd? 10. Who sent the first e-mail and when?Trivia Time Answers 1. Three - spring, summer, autumn; 2. The bat; 3. “Midnight Cowboy” in 1969; 4. James Buchanan; 5. The Pleurocoelus; 6. 10; 7. “Popeye;” 8. A cuneiform tablet dat-ing from 2,040 BC; 9. National Jelly Bean Day; 10. Ray Tomlinson in 1972, who also was the first to use the @ sign to separate the name of the user from the name of the computer


Quotes

Trivia Time


Cars and trucks What’s the verdict on the new Jeep? If you’ve a need for a heavy-duty off-road-er, you can hardly do better than the new Wrangler!

By Zane Binder

When Julius Caesar quar-reled with his bosses in Rome 2,000 years ago, he defied them by leading his army across the Rubicon River. There was no turning back, hence the phrase, “crossing the Rubicon.” Now DaimlerChrysler has applied the famous river’s name to its latest Jeep Wrangler, signify-ing it’s tough enough to take on North America’s most rugged off-road trails. The all-new-for-’07 Wrangler is slightly larger, boasts more horsepower, fea-tures a stiffer frame and in-creased ground clearance. Outside, it’s apparent the

‘07 Jeep Wrangler RubiconWrangler’s truck-based, its traditional body on frame con-struction designed for maxi-mum rigidity. Inside, the front cloth buckets recline, and the driver’s side adjusts for height. In back, the bench is just for kids. The spare is full-sized and mounts on the rear door. Un-derneath the vehicle are skid plates that protect the engine, fuel tank and transfer case. The new Jeep’s relative-ly plush, as it should be for $27,300 base. A tilt steering column connected to a power-equipped variable ratio gearbox shows much thought was put into both the driving position and vehicle control. The analog

instrument panel offers a full set of gauges, nook and cranny storage is abundant, and the glovebox locks. Air condition-ing, cruise control, a compass, power points and cupholders are standard too. Safety has been given high priority. Front air bags, Vehicle Stability and Traction Control, antilock 4-wheel disc brakes, Electronic Roll Mitigation and a fully padded Sport Bar are standard. Underhood is a 3.8 liter V6 producing 205 HP. Low-end torque is abundant, and even at highway speeds, it’s a vast im-provement over the previous generation. The Jeep’s 0-60 time was observed at 9.7 seconds; fuel efficiency on unleaded reg-ular was 14 city and 17 highway (EPA 16/19). The 4,104-pound tester utilized a 4-speed auto-matic transmission, $825, that

shifted flawlessly. Towing ca-pacity is 2,000 pounds. As you’d expect from a Jeep, the Hi/Lo transfer case was built for heavy duty use. The differentials lock and the 4.10 gear ratio complements its 10.2 inches of ground clearance. Turning to ride, you’ll find it much improved over the previ-ous model. Though still not for the family, it’s tolerable even on

long trips. Handling is surpris-ingly good for a vehicle with 32” wheels. The 4-wheel inde-pendent suspension does its job well, and the 35 foot turning circle is stellar. What’s the verdict on the new Jeep? If you’ve a need for a heavy-duty off-roader, you can hardly do better than the new Wrangler! [email protected]

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