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,s BY TOM MILLER
d PressNet Reporter
[ARLESTON -- The 1999
I Virginia Legislature con-
its 60-day regular session
: Lt midnight Saturday with
~z ~inute action on a bill to al-
0in drop video lottery ma-
s at the state s four race-
$i.
)i his will bring in about $9 mil-
s i year in additional lottery
~Ue," Senate Finance Chair-
0shel Craigo, D-Putnam,
b is Senate colleagues.
Vmakers also gave final ap-
~or~ to a bill on mountaintop
'in~ining permits that returns
n~its to 250 acres for mines
a;~ assessments for stream
v~l~tion are required. A law
~d a year ago had extended
|lilimits.
a~lier in the final day, the two
[a~ gave final approval to a bill
s l~ould let Greenbrier County
~-5~ decide if they want a gam-
|casino at The Greenbrier
~ The bill now goes to Gov.
~nderwood who has already
~intends to sign the bill.
~lawmakers were unable to
most of the key points in
to re-write the state's
law statutes, prompting
Arley Johnson, D-Cabell,
Senate Majority Leader
Chafin, D-Mingo, of kill-
"/~s legislation.
0 ' '
]~1 n t hke this, I don't like
~sald Johnson. These bills
~ecause of one man who is not
~Overnor, who is not an
it: ~, d king and who is not a
~l servant. Johnson was
~an of the House Judiciary
~ittee that worked on the
/law bills this session.
~Y fool can criticize and usu-
said later. "No-
a bill more than I do
~thers of West Virginia who
Dee their children.'
~ef Justice Larry Starcher of
~t Virginia Supreme Court
~!)eals said the issue still
~to be addressed.
~[hink it may have to be taken
,1~ specml sessmn, stud Jus-
/ .ptarcher. "The current terms
(~0ily law masters run out
1999."
}~ing the final hours, the
ture also passed a resolu-
'i~ authorize the sale of an-
~$110 million in road bonds
L ~a 1996 constitutional amend-
~'tthat authorizes the sale of
~illion over a five-year pe-
|the 1997 Legislature did not
any bonds but last year, a
of $220 million was autho-
Underwood received the
workers' compensation re-
Thursday and had al-
ISigned it into !aw before the
egislative day s activity be-
Egislation to give many
~and appointed state offi-
well as circuit judges a pay
/ ~Se did not pass in the final
(1I along with a bill that would
/4~iven state policemen an ad-
~al salary boost over and
b ~the $756 per year raise due
~ ]~ate workers in the second-
~/'~f a three-year pay hike plan
"k]~ed a year ago.
k ~t Secretary Joan Ohl of the
:ealth and Human
did convince lawmak-
~pprove her pay equity plan
5,200 people in her
of which 60 percent now
$20,000 or less per year.
new budget called for her
$5 million in Medicaid ex-
to come up with the
for these special raises and
,done that," Ohl told
Saturday.
'Legislature will continue
session this week for
the budget bill after Gov.
extended it for up to
Speaker
James K. Ruland, president of the Jefferson County Com-
mission, was the speaker for the recent general membership
meeting of the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce. Com-
missioner Ruland, shown above talking with Chamber Vice
President Peggy Smith prior to the meeting, gave a report on
the county's efforts to deal with various problems and fiscal
constraints in the community.
Ruland announced a new plan to provide round-the-clock
ambulance service to county residents and formulated and
proposed by the county's Ambulance Authority. The plan,
which calls for daytime paid emergency medical staff mem-
bers, also incorporates volunteers into the evening hours. The
plan was well received by the County Commission, which is
exploring possible funding for the plan.
Following Ruland's talk, a lively question and answer ses-
sion was conducted.
West Virginia's Open Meet- Senator Snyder then went to
ing Laws, also known as the work to forge a substitute for the
"Sunshine Laws," have been re- House Bill that was acceptable to
written by the Legislature. all those showing opposition to the
The 22-year-old law that has original House bill. After three
been the object of much public days of open and free discussion,
and media criticism has also the substitute bill ~ ~omplete
been the object of many court with support from a!l parties in~
suits by citizens and the press, volved.
The House Bill to reform the The rewrite of the Open Meet-
open meetings laws was rein- ings Bill went to the full Senate
troduced this year after it died where it was passed out with a
with little consideration from unanimous vote of the Senate.
the Senate for the past three The House likewise approved of
years, the new bill with an unanimous
Senator Herb Snyder (D-Jeffer- vote. Indeed, the efforts of Sena-
son) was the driving force in the tor Snyder paid off.
Senate this year in terms of this
legislation. He initiated the ef- The bill sets forth 12 very spe-
forts to rewrite the House bill in cific and detailed exceptions for
order to gain bipartisan support state and local governments to fol-
from both Houses of the Legisla- low for going into executive ses-
ture. sion. The old law was short and
The House bill came up for con- vague, opening large loopholes.
sideration in Senate Government
Organizations Committee (in The new bill also gives the
which no member showed interest state and county development of-
in the bill to bring it to a commit- rices the ability to conduct their
tee vote). Senator Snyder re- negotiations with a private corn-
quested that his fellow senate pany in private while in competi-
committee members move the bill tion for a specific project. After
onto Senate Judiciary without rec- the negotiations have concluded,
ommendation. Snyder is vice- the facts pertaining to the nego-
chairman of Senate Judiciary. tiations are completely open to the
That motion passed the Senate public.
Government Organizations com-
mittee.
UNITED WAY OPEN
FOR APPLICATIONS
The United Way of Jefferson
County Budget and Admissions
Committee is now accepting appli-
cations from non-profit agencies
wishing to be considered for mem-
bership in the United Way of
Jefferson County.
According to Betty A. Braxton,
president, those interested in ap-
plying should call immediately for
an application, which must be filed
by April 23.
To be considered for member-
ship in the United Way, an agency
must offer a real tangible service
considered to be of a health, wel-
fare or educational service; qualify
as nonprofit and voluntary and be
tax-exempt under 502 (c)(3) of the
IRS Code; and have a substantial
presence in Jefferson County.
Copies of the agency application
forms may be obtained by calling
(304) 725-4483. Completed appli-
cations must be submitted to:
United Way of Jefferson County,
P.O. Box 894, Charles Town, WV
25414.
Paving Ordinance Approved
new ordinance that will provide funding to finance a street pav-
was approved by Charles Town's City Council this past
The program calls for $1.25 million in street resurfacing,
will be borrowed, then repaid through a $4 per month fee on
and businesses in the city. That fee will be included with
'water bills.
hearing was conducted by the city on the proposed ordi-
~, but not one person appeared to speak on the subject.
~Complete street resurfacing program has not been accomplished
~wn in nearly 30 years.
Snow and Ice
Make Driving
Hazardous
Five single-vehicle accidents,
many of them occurring on snow-
covered highways, were among the
traffic mishaps investigated this
past week by the Jefferson County
Sheriffs Department.
Last Saturday on State Route
51 at the entrance to Altona Farm,
a vehicle operated by Scott William
Chamblin, 29, of Route 1,
Kearneysville, was headed east
when it crested a hill and met a
hay truck in its path. The driver
applied his brakes, but the vehicle
went out of control, left the high-
way, hit a utility pole and turned
over on its side.
There were no injuries and
deputies said that Chamblin did
not maintain control of his vehicle.
Sunday at 1:35 p.m. on Country
Club Road, a 1995 vehicle operated
by Christopher Shane Jones, 21, of
Harpers Ferry, was westbound
when it went out of control after
cresting a hill, then left the road
and hit a utility pole. The road was
snow covered at the time of the ac-
cident. A passenger in the Jones
vehicle, Edward Metdors, of
Shenandoah Junction, was taken
to the local hospital by Medic 4-1
for treatment of injuries.
The same day at 9:10 p.m. on
Leetown Pike, a 1987 truck oper-
ated by Owen M. Boggs, 19, of
Route 2, Harpers Ferry, was
headed north when it went out of
control, left the highway and hit a
utility pole. Boggs and a passenger
were not injured but deputies said
the driver was exceeding a safe
speed limit.
Sunday at 3:37 p.m. on Darke
Lane, a 1996 sport utility vehicle
driven by Mable J. Jackson, 58, of
Tuscawilla Hills, was southbound
when it slid on snow and ice, went
out of control, left the road and hit
a roadside fence.
There were no injuries to the
driver or a passenger, and author~:
ties said that the driver failed to
maintain control of her vehicle.
Also on Sunday, at 2:25 p.m. on
Secondary Route 13, a 1997 truck
operated by Kambiz Banafshe, 28,
of Herndon, Va was westbound
and slid off the roadway when the
driver applied brakes while ap-
proaching a curve. He was cited for
failure to maintain control of his
vehicle.
A two-vehicle mishap was re-
ported Sunday at 4:30 p.m. on
Route 51 near Middleway.
Involved were a truck operated
by Timothy Johnson, 38, of
Kearneysville, and a car driven by
Nancy Eakin, 50, of Route 1,
Kearneysville.
Authorities say the Eakin ve-
hicle slid across the center line and
the two vehicles sideswiped. Depu-
ties say Eakin did not maintain
control of her vehicle.
Last Friday at 5:15 p.m. on
Summit Point Road, vehicles oper-
ated by Roger Lee Walls, 61, of
Continued on Page 2
Winner Visits VA
Frank Buckles, 98, left, who recently was presented with the
Legion of Honor medal from the President of France for his
service in that country during World War I, meets with George
M. Moore, Jr director of the VA Medical Center near
Martinsburg. Buckles received the award during a ceremony
at the French Embassy in Washington last month.
Buckles entered the U.S. Army in July, 1917 at the age of 16
and was transported to England with the First Fort Riley Ca-
sualty Detachment on the H.M.S. Carpathia. That was the ship
that a few years earlier had rescued survivors of the Titanic.
During World War II, Buckles, a businessman at the time,
was captured by the Japanese and was held in the Los Banes
Prisoner of War Camp in the Philippines for three years and
two months. He was rescued by the U.S. 11th Airborne Division
on February 23, 1945.
Buckles, a resident of Charles Town for 40 years, resides at
Gap View Farm.
Basketball Team Honored
The Jefferson County Board of 1999-2000 school year.
Education approved a proposal to The Charles Town Junior High
centralize food services during a School Girls' Varsity Basketball
regular meeting. Team was recognized for its win-
Currently, each of the cafeteria ning season. The team enjoyed a
managers working in the system's 19-0 season becoming the first un-
13 schools take care of ordering defeated varsity girls' team at the
food, paying food bills, and collect- school in 20 years. The team com-
ing money for breakfast and pleted its season by winning the
lunch. Under the centralized sys- Panther Classic Tournament at
tern, ordering, paying bills and Charles Town Junior High. Coach
sending out bills for meals would Tucker Wells introduced the team
be handled through the Food Ser- to the board. Team members pre-
vices Office at the county level, sented the coach with a plaque.
The board approved hiring a Ellen Goodwin with Education
full time IUcomputer operator to Alliance spoke briefly. She pre-
work with the Food Services Su-sented Encarta software for each
pervisor Carolyn Barnett. A half- school as a donation from the Alli-
time secretary may also be hired ance.
at a later date for the program. The board reviewed the Energy
Finance Officer Robert Smith Express Program, held each sum-
said centralizing the billing and mer at Ranson Elementary
payment system into one area School.
would save money, remove the re- Energy Express provides a
sponsibility of handling money summer reading enrichment and
from the individual school levels, nutrition program for 48 of the
to give more time to cafeteria neediest students at Ranson in
managers to assist in the prepara- grades 1 through 4. The program
tion and serving of meals, is funded in part by the board.
The program will be imple-
mented by the beginning of the Continued on Page 2
I I I I I
Council Members Resigning
The total of incumbent Charles Town Council members who have
resigned or who will not seek reelection now totals three. Earlier,
Councilwoman Mary Via submitted her resignation to Mayor Randy
Hilton. On the heels of that action, Councilwoman Nina Vogel an-
nounced that she would not seek re-election.
This past Monday evening during the regular City Council session,
Councilman John Rendeiro announced he also would not seek re-elec-
tion. Rendeiro is taking an assignment away from Charles Town, while
incumbent Vogel wants to devote more time to her business.
Meanwhile, Councilwoman Via withdrew her resignation (which
would have been effecfiye after the city election) and then imrnedi-
a~ly ~i~~ ~m ~il: Council then reappointed Via to fill the
unexpired term until a replacement is elected at the upcoming elec-
tion. This action insures that Via's replacement will be elected and not
appointed. Her unexpired term is for two years, while all other council
vacancies are for four years.
Incumbent Councilmen Bill Jordan and Randy Breeden have indi-
cated they will seek reelection.
Proposed City Budget $869,381
The City of Charles Town Monday night tentatively approved a
budget of $869,381 for the fiscal year beginning July. The document
now goes to the state Tax Department for approval before final adop-
tion and setting of the levy rates in late April by city officials.
Next year's budget is austere in nature, showing only minor in-
creases in expenditures. Most costs are holding steady, with over half
of the budget devoted to the operation of the city's Police Department
(over $460,000).
Community Ministries Asks for Funds
Jane Bowers, director of Community Ministries, appeared before
the Jefferson County Commission last Thursday to request that the
organization be considered for funding in the next county budget.
"The response was good and there were a lot of good questions from
the commissioners about our. operation," Bowers said after the meet-
ing. "We may not get funded, but they know that the need is there in
the community on a daily basis," she noted.
This is only the second time that the organization has requested
funding from the county. No response was received several years ago
when the county was first approached.
Commission President James K. Ruland said Bowers' request
would be given due consideration and that there may be some help
forthcoming in areas other than daily operational expenses. The
county currently is receiving budget requests for the next fiscal year.
Community Ministries is a major player in helping those in need
through the Food Pantry, as well as in areas of helping families having
difficulty paying for necessary life-sustaining utilities or rents.
Marockie Leaving Schools'Post
State Superintendent of Schools Dr. Henry Marockie announced
last week that he will leave his position as the state school chief effec-
tive June 30 of next year. He has served as state schools' chief since
1989.
In announcing his resignation, Marockie said, "The status of educa-
tion in West Virginia is strong and growing, and it is time for me to
explore other opportunities."
When Marockie began in the top school post ten years ago, he inher-
ited an unenviable system. A clear emphasis on student achievement
was missing, school buildings were in desperate need of repair and
renovation, and technology was virtually nonexistent.
Over the decade, a model school system has emerged with in-
creased test scores, new and updated facilities, and a model learning
technology program that is heralded nationwide for its effectiveness in
increasing basic skills for students.
OBITUARIES Page a ~ EATHER
LETTERS TO EDITOR Page 4 The extended forecast for the
SOCIAL Page 8 area through Sunday is:
SPORTS Page 11 Warmer throughout the period
CHURCH NOTICES Page 13 with highs ranging from the low 60s to
SALES Page 15 the upper 50s by Sunday Variable
LEGAL NOTICES Page 16 cloudiness through Sunday with tows
CLASSIFIED ADS Page 18 in the mid to upper 30s. Only a slight
REAL ESTATE Page 18 chance of a passing rain shower.
. III --
