Bonehead Awards - Gloucester County, Virginia - Choking Local Search Engine Results

Daily Press Headline:

NN plumber, Gloucester IT department, U Va. goof: this week's 'Roses and thorns'

The Gloucester County Information Technology Department, for receiving the 2013 "Digital Counties Survey" award from the Center for Digital Government and the National Association of Counties.Gloucester was one of the top 10 counties nationally for localities with less than 150,000 residents.

Gloucester gets a rose according to the Daily Press.  Apparently no one bothered to check issues such as what was showing up on the Gloucester County website?  

Violations of the Dillon rule on Gloucester Animal Control laws and ordinances as we showed numerous times on this site.  The Daily Press article does not state why Gloucester won the awards.

http://www.dailypress.com/news/breaking/dp-edt-rosesthorns0725-editorial-20130725,0,2561710.story  Link to Daily Press story.

Now if the awards were for design and use, then the Gloucester County, IT department does in fact deserve that award.  If content was also taken into consideration, then a Bonehead award must go to the one's issuing that award for not bothering to check all the facts.  We are not taking anything away from the IT department, they worked hard and do in fact produce a great product and can not be held responsible for the content itself,  They do not write the laws or the information.  They only ensure it can be found fairly easily.

But another issue we have is the flooding of the search engines with all of the pages.  We checked search for Gloucester, VA and it's pages upon pages of county government content.  They have flooded the search engines with their content.  We are looking at the possibility of filing complaints on this.

  We have looked at other search results for plenty of other areas and we could not find any other area that is flooded the way Gloucester, VA is.  Richmond, Virginia Beach, other large cities in Virginia and other large cities outside of Virginia were checked and these issues do not exist.

  Gloucester County Government is choking local businesses off from being found in local search results.  Again, it's Gloucester County tax dollars paying for this abuse.  Even businesses are paying to be choked by the county that depends on them for revenus.  Another Bonehead award goes to Gloucester County for this.

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Gloucester Board of Supervisors Continues To Waste Your Tax Dollars

Bidding opens on new middle school

By Matt Sabo, msabo@dailypress.com | 757-247-7872

7:42 a.m. EDT, July 18, 2013


Bid documents were released on Monday by Gloucester County for construction of the new Page Middle School to be built on T.C Walker Road.

The proposed two-story school will be 117,000 square feet, according to bid documents. The total estimated cost of the school is $26 million and it's scheduled to open in September 2015.

The bid document is about 1,000 pages and there are 344 plan sheets that describe the school's construction, said Gloucester County Purchasing Manager Bill Lindsay.

http://www.dailypress.com/news/gloucester-county/dp-tsq-mid-page-bidding-0718-20130718,0,2877629.story  Link back to Daily Press article.

Not to take anything away from the Daily Press, we are adding in our own opinions on this.  It is a tremendous waste of taxpayer money building this school.  Our leaders have double talked everyone.  We have closed the one school because it is not needed and yet we have to build this other school because we need it.  Double talk.  County officials are doing nothing but building monuments to their own administrations at your expense.  It's like a Presidential library.  It's not needed and no one really wants it except the construction companies and book publishers.  Oh and the ex president.

  

Are you feeling a little held up by the Gloucester County Board of Supervisors?  

They tell you it's about education to stop you from arguing.  Who can argue against education?  This is not about education however.  It's about money and control.  It's about power.  It's waste.  It's irresponsibility.  We do not need them wasting our money.  Especially in this economy.  When is enough enough?

3 members of the board will be off the board at the end of 2013.  They are going to railroad this through whether you like it or not unless you tell them to stop.  It does mean less money in your pocket.  It means you have to struggle even harder to survive.  It means less food on your table.  It means no money for the extras.  All because some folks want to build a monument to themselves at your expense.  Be sure to thank them.

bgarton@gloucesterva.info

cborden@gloucesterva.info

ltheberg@gloucesterva.info

rorth@gloucesterva.info

achriscoe@gloucesterva.info

chutson@gloucesterva.info

jnorthstein@gloucesterva.info

ajames@gloucesterva.info

Send them all a thank you message.  Each email is live and active.

Gloucester County Board of Supervisors continues to elude Public Trust

Open Letter to the Citizens of Gloucester County Virginia

“For the Common Good. “

I had planned to return to the State Constitution today; however, reading the Gloucester-Mathews Gazette-Journal, dated July 11, 2013, and several of Mr Thompson’s stories over the weekend I must deviate from my plan.

The Gloucester County Board of Supervisors continues to violate the public trust with the total disregard of prudent stewardship of the funds entrusted to them for county funding.  Giving county employees a paid day off on 5 July, knowing that their federal employee neighbors were given multiple days off without pay, violates our trust and your duties as supervisors.  To be fair to the taxpayers you could eliminate 5 jobs to pay for this.  Where can we find 5 jobs you ask – get rid of Animal Control and replace them with one part time person to review license and rabies certificates as required by the Virginia Code.  They have not done anything since you brought part of the code into compliance with Virginia Law, as reported by the Gloucester-Mathews Gazette-Journal or actually not reported by them.  If you want to spend money then you need to cut it from some other part of the budget; that is what the rest of us have to do.

The next issue Gloucester County Board of Supervisors violates the public trust is the pay raises for county employees why only two? Why not the working people in the county?  I have to wonder if the Board of Supervisors are total incompetent based on the latest story from Mr. Thompson on Ted Wilmot (new salary $126,819), http://www.gloucestercounty-va.com/2013/07/gloucester-county-attorney-ted-wilmot.html.  I have no comment on County Administrator Brenda Garton’s (new salary $152,863) raise other than why now, the economy does not support it.  What jobs will you eliminate to pay for these raises?  I saw in the Daily Press on Sunday the salaries of the people across the water that is the concern of the tax payer over there.  Let the underpaid people leave and go somewhere else.  People are not leaving jobs in this economy and if they did there are a lot others to take their place.  Also it is a lot cheaper to live in Gloucester than on the other side of the river.

Now I want to discuss potentially the most blatant violation if they do not vote no, of the Board of Supervisors and the County School Board.  Not since Moses went up on the mountain to get the Law from God and the rest of the people collected all of the Gold to make a golden calf has there been another case of monument building by any people.  The school age population is decreasing; the ability to teach on line by public and private schools reduces the need for physical buildings for our youth to get an education.  Both boards have shown they are not capable of making fiscal responsible decisions since they voted to tear down the existing building and to build new.  If new is the way to go build a $12 million school, funds you all ready have.  You are asking for an additional $17 million for your monument to greatness.  Monuments to greatness are no promise of a better education.  Based on typical government projects if this is approved based on past government projects the school will end up costing not $24-29 million, but more likely in the range of $50-100 million before the doors are opened to the first student.  We do not need this type of irresponsible spending by people that are looking to build a monument to their greatness.  What has the board accomplished besides spending money?  Tell the Board of Supervisors at the public hearing next month.  The Gazette-Journal did not publish when the public hearing will be next month; check the blog for the date.  People of Gloucester let your representative know this is not how we want to spend our limited education budget on a monument to stupidity, we want responsibility in our elected officials and if do not get it we will vote for people that will give it to us.  IF you want to do this what are you going to cut out of the budget to pay for this monument?  You are paid to make the hard decisions.

Ms. Theberge was voted out as the Republican Candidate for Gloucester County At Large Supervisor in June because of her violation of public trust and failure to listen to the people she represents.  Three new supervisions will start in January of 2014.  This Blog Site does remember history and will reuse stories.  The four members that are not currently up for reelection your vote on this matter will be put in front of the voters when you come up for reelection.  Vote no for any bonds and increase in taxes and yes for being good stewards of the public funds and achieve the public trust.  The only monument the School Board should be building is students that can go anywhere and do anything because of a high caliber education.

“For the Common Good. “

Sincerely,

Alexander James Jay

This is a good time for an historical reminder.  Common Sense, the document that fueled the American Revolution and brought about the Declaration of Independence.  The suppressed history of our nation that most would have you forget.  We are putting up a copy here for everyone to read.

Common Sense Thomas Paine from Chuck Thompson

http://www.putlocker.com/file/9DCB3D8BBBAB7EA2  Here is a link to a free PDF file download of this document.  You can download it also from our SlideShare site but you will need to log in with either a FaceBook account or a LinkedIn account for the free download there.  Or just read it here online.

Don't want to read it?  Well you can hear it instead here.

58 fugitives arrested in three-day sweep on Peninsula, arrested identified

English: Image is similar, if not identical, to the Virginia State Police patch. Made with Photoshop. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By Tyra M. Vaughn and Andrea CastilloDaily Press

9:21 p.m. EDT, June 26, 2013

Virginia State Police and other law enforcement agencies arrested 58 fugitives last week during a three-day operation on the Peninsula.

Police arrested the fugitives on 21 felonies and 59 misdemeanors June 18-20 during the arrest sweep titled Operation Street Sweeper, said Sgt. Michelle Anaya, a spokeswoman for the Virginia State Police.

There were 17 people arrested in Hampton and 15 in Newport News, in addition to 26 individuals arrested in Williamsburg, York County, Poquoson and James City County, Anaya said. The arrests were made without incident, she said.

Among those arrested in the sweep was Justin A. LaFontaine, of Hampton, who was charged with grand larceny and Sean Christopher Kelsey, of Newport News, on two counts of prescription fraud, according to a Wednesday release from Anaya.

LaFontaine and Kelsey were arrested on June 18 and booked in the Hampton City Jail.

On June 19, police arrested Pleas Yates III of Newport News on grand larceny and conspiracy charges; James Edward Carney ofYork County on probation violation for two felonies; Eric Vince Vannostrand of Newport News on malicious wounding and breaking and entering charges; and Jacquetta Dixon of Newport News on three abduction charges, two firearms charges and one malicious wounding charge. Yates, Carney Vannostrand and Dixon were booked in the Newport News City Jail, Anaya said.

On June 20, police arrested Jenifer Erin Daniels on a grand larceny charge; Matthew James Falls on grand larceny and conspiracy to commit grand larceny charges and Fijiko Langley Hopkins on utter a forged check and obtaining money by false pretenses charges.  The three, of Williamsburg/James City County, were booked in the Virginia Peninsula Regional Jail, according to Anaya.

Law enforcement personnel from Hampton, James City County, Newport News, Poquoson, Williamsburg andYork County assisted in the roundup. The U.S. Marshal's Service, Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control and the Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation's Chesapeake Field Office also assisted in the operation.

http://www.dailypress.com/news/crime/dp-peninsula-fugitive-sweep-0624,0,6893108.story?obref=obnetwork  Link back to original story at the Daily Press.

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Gloucester wins grant for cigarette problem at Beaverdam

Matt Sabo

Gloucester County has received a $500 grant to help solve its problem with smokers tossing cigarette butts around Beaverdam Park.

The grant is from the organization "Keep Virginia Beautiful" that funds attempts at litter prevention, according to a press release. Beaverdam Park has a 635-acre pond and more than 10 miles of trails, but visitors frequently discard their cigarette butts around the park.

The cigarettes pose a huge fire danger in addition to emitting toxic chemicals that leach into wildlife habitats, according to a spokesperson for Keep Virginia Beautiful. County staff will purchase cigarette receptacles and post signs to encourage Beaverdam Park visitors to properly dispose of their cigarettes.

http://www.dailypress.com/news/gloucester-county/gloucester-blog/dp-gloucester-gets-grant-to-solve-litter-problem-at-beaverdam-20130624,0,3499111.story

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Civil War In Gloucester, VA - First Shots Fired In Virginia During The War

The above video is from the Daily Press with a history of the first shots fired in Virginia during the American Civil War.  The following videos are produced by us back in 2011 when Gloucester reenacted those famous first shots at Gloucester Point Beach.  

 

These next two videos are simply pictures from the event along with music to go along with the pictures.

Ware Neck resident wins case in circuit court ruling - Ted Wilmot Seeks Revenge?

By Matt Sabo, msabo@dailypress.com | 757-247-7872

1:45 p.m. EDT, June 18, 2013

GLOUCESTER — Ware Neck resident Judith Doyel won a small victory in Gloucester County Circuit Court on Tuesday when a judge granted her request to divide a single property with two homes on it over the objections of county officials.

But her victory was tempered when County Attorney Ted Wilmot said he would appeal the case to the Virginia Supreme Court, a move that will cost Doyel thousands more in legal fees and an unknown amount of time waiting out the legal process.

Doyel and her attorney, Bob Hicks, had successfully convinced visiting Judge Walter J. Ford to grant the request to divide equally 7.4 acres on Marshfield Road in Ware Neck. Doyel has been trying to sell the property with two homes on it since December 2011.

A contract on the property a year ago was nullified, however, because an appraiser couldn't find any comparable properties to arrive at a value and no mortgage companies would lend the purchaser money to finance the sale, according to court testimony.

Doyel applied to subdivide the property and filed an application with the county last year, but it was denied by Planning Director Anne Ducey-Ortiz. In court, Ducey-Ortiz testified that as much as she wants to help Doyel, she is supposed to enforce county ordinances.

In Doyel's case, those zoning ordinances in her area prohibit lots of less than five acres with homes on them and bars private roads such as Marshfield serving more than 3 lots; the road serves five.

A farmhouse and a manufactured home were on the property prior to the enactment of the county's zoning and planning ordinances in 1998.

Hicks told Ford that Doyel isn't asking to put anything new on the property. The homes have separate driveways, septic systems, wells and even addresses and keeping them has become a financial hardship for her.

In his ruling, Ford said that Doyel has been deprived of her right to sell her property and "that's a hardship."

Wilmot's move to appeal the case caught Doyel and Hicks by surprise.

"It makes no sense," Doyel said.

http://www.dailypress.com/news/gloucester-county/dp-tsq-mid-gloucester-civil-trial-0620-20130618,0,913620.story  Link to Daily Press original story.

This is typical of Gloucester County government.  This article lacks detail in regards to the ordinance in question.  We have shown numerous times on this site that Gloucester County has little to no regard for state law when making local ordinances and have made a number of local ordinances in violation of state law. Could this be another area where the county has done just that?  

  Maybe someone should sue Ted Wilmot for the hardships he is creating here.  This is also part of the reason Louise Theberge was voted out recently.  The people of Gloucester County are tired of these kinds of cruel politics and have made it well known that we are not going to take it anymore.  It would seem to us that there is a grandfather clause in this case seeing as the homes existed on the property prior to the 1998 zoning ordinance.  Is Judith Doyel just being milked here?

This is your county tax dollars working against a citizen of Gloucester.  Send Ted Wilmot an email letting him know not to waste your tax dollars like this.  His email address is ewilmot@gloucesterva.info

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Gloucester Local News Updates - June 12th, 2013 - Theberge defeated by Meyer in vote

By Matt Sabo, msabo@dailypress.com | 757-247-7872

8:58 a.m. EDT, June 12, 2013

GLOUCESTER — The School Board will consider at its June 25 work session whether to redistrict 32 students who live in neighborhoods along Indian Road from Botetourt to Petsworth elementary schools.

The proposal is designed to lighten the enrollment at Botetourt Elementary School, which parents have complained is crowded.

But members of the School Board aren't so sure they want to send 16 fourth- and fifth-graders to another school — again. In 2009, a redistricting sent the students from Petsworth to Botetourt, and now they would be heading back.

The 32 students live in neighborhoods on Indian Road between Figg Shop and Harcum roads, said Gloucester Assistant Superintendent John Hutchinson. The travel time for the students would be about the same, he said.

School Board member Anita Parker said she lives in the area and won't support the redistricting because it's a hardship on families.

"I don't think this amount of children will make enough of a difference because they are split up into enough grade levels," Parker said. "I cannot support moving any of these children back to Petsworth once again."

The proposal would move three kindergartners, four first-graders, three second-graders, six third-graders, six fourth-graders and 10 fifth-graders, according to school documents.

School Board Member Carla Hook said the fourth- and fifth-graders would be attending their third school and is concerned about that. Elementary school students shouldn't be forced to go to more than two schools, she said.

Chairman Randy Burak said the fifth-graders comprise one-third of the group and would move to middle school after one year.

http://www.dailypress.com/news/gloucester-county/dp-nws-gloucester-school-board-0611-20130612,0,1652987.story  For the rest of the article on the Daily Press web site.

Gloucester sheriff's weekly arrest report

In the 4700 block of George Washington Memorial Highway

The business alarm at Hampton Pipe & Tobacco was activated at 3:35 a.m. on May 21. Someone gained entry through the front door of the business by apparently breaking the glass with a cinder block. Cigarettes and general merchandise valued at less than $200 were taken.

In the 2000 block of Kathleen Place

A resident reported on May 21 a breaking and entering of a detached garage that had occurred overnight. Forced entry was made to the side door. An LG cellular telephone was taken from an unsecured vehicle inside the garage. The value exceeded $200.

In the 10400 block of Foxes Creek Drive

A resident reported on May 21 that his Langley Federal Credit Union credit card had fraudulent transactions on May 18 and May 20 in Michigan. The total charges were $310.

In the 6700 block of Main Street

An employee of Laurel Shelter Gift & Thrift Shop reported on May 21 that sometime overnight a 1995 Chevrolet S-10 belonging to the business had its ignition damaged. There were no signs of forced entry.

In the 7000 block of Woodsville Road

An employee of Earth Friendly Pest Exterminating reported a breaking and entering on May 21. Sometime between the afternoon of May 20 and 2 p.m. on May 21 forced entry was made to the front door. An industrial drill hammer and 12-volt battery charger were taken, with a combined value exceeding $200. An undisclosed amount of cash was also taken.

In the 4400 block of Canvasback Drive

A resident reported on May 21 that her Langley Federal Credit Union credit card had a fraudulent online transaction that day for $325.88. The credit union contacted the victim in an attempt to verify the transaction.

In the 8400 block of Little England Road

A resident reported on May 22 a larceny that had occurred overnight from an unlocked vehicle in the driveway of a residence. Prescription medication was taken.

On John Clayton Memorial Highway

A traffic stop in the area of Route 14 and Ware Episcopal Church on May 22 resulted in a traffic summons issued to Kenneth Carl Hurst, 51, of John Clayton Memorial Highway in Gloucester, for driving with a suspended license and failure to wear a seat belt.

In the 7500 block of Justice Drive

A 20-year-old woman reported on May 22 that she left her wallet unattended in the restroom of Applebee's restaurant between 1 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. When she realized it was gone and returned to the restaurant, the wallet was not located and had not been turned in. The wallet contained an undisclosed amount of cash and credit cards.

In the 5600 block of Millwood Drive

A resident reported on May 23 that her BB&T credit card had fraudulent online charges for $167.39 that occurred on May 21.

Theberge defeated by Meyer in vote

By Matt Sabo, msabo@dailypress.com | 757-247-7872

3:26 p.m. EDT, June 12, 2013

GLOUCESTER — Political newcomer John C. Meyer Jr. soundly defeated incumbent Louise Theberge in Tuesday's Republican Party primary, setting up a race against another political newcomer in November for a seat on the Board of Supervisors.

Meyer received 1,089 votes, or 59 percent, to the 762 votes tallied for Theberge, or 41 percent, according to results from the Gloucester County Voter Registrar's Office. Meyer, who moved to Gloucester in 2005, will take on W. Grant Keller in November for the At-Large seat on the Board of Supervisors to be vacated by Theberge.

With the pending departure of Theberge, as well as the departures of Petsworth Supervisor John Northstein and York Supervisor Carter Borden, the Board of Supervisors will not have a member with more than one term of experience when it's seated at its first meeting in January 2014.

The only caveat to that is if former Supervisor Graham C. Blake, who served in the 1990s and through 2003, wins election in November in a three-way race in the York District. Other candidates in that race include political newcomers Marcia J. Mickle and Phillip N. Bazzani.

In the Petsworth District, Michael R. Winebarger faces Michael D. Jenkins.

The School Board races all have single candidates to include:

•Charles B. Records in the At-Large District;

•Incumbent Carla B. Hook in the York District;

•Incumbent Anita F. Parker in the Petsworth District;

•Incumbent Troy M. Andersen in the Gloucester Point District. Andersen is seeking to fill an unexpired term through Dec. 31, 2015.

http://www.dailypress.com/news/gloucester-county/dp-tsq-mid-election-story-0613-20130612,0,982863.story  Link to the rest of the story.

Our congratulations to John Meyer on his recent win.  The people really do want limited government that is responsible to the people and responsive.

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In related news from the Daily Press;

By Tyra M. Vaughn, tvaughn@dailypress.com | 247-7870Daily Press

1:51 p.m. EDT, June 11, 2013

HAMPTON —

Police are investigating a homicide in the 2900 block of Shell Road, a spokesman said.

Officers were called to Roy's Quick Serve convenience store shortly after 1 p.m. Thursday after receiving a call about multiple shots being fired in the area. Upon their arrival, police found a man suffering from a gunshot wound, said Sgt. Jason Price, spokesman for the Hampton Police Division. The man was pronounced dead at scene.

http://www.dailypress.com/news/crime/dp-hampton-homicide-0611,0,7658611.story  Link to story.

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