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May 9, 2018
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Addiction-recovery service under transition Citing finances, McShin to cease Warrenton operation By James Ivancic Times sTaff WriTer
If the pieces fall into place, the McShin Foundation’s Warrenton addiction-recovery center could continue under a new name and a new nonprofit this summer. Financial problems prompted McShin, the Richmond-based addiction-recovery nonprofit, to close centers in Hopewell and Caroline counties. New nonprofits will be taking over and continuing addiction-recovery services there. The Warrenton office, at 30 John Marshall St.,
will stay open longer — until the end of July. And if center manager Chris Connell is successful, it will continue under a new addiction-recovery nonprofit: Hope Heals. “I’m in the process of filing paperwork,” said Connell. She’s been looking for financial support and people willing to serve on the nonprofit’s board of directors. “I’m hoping it will be in the same building. I’ve talked to several people in the county” about that, Connell said. But a location hasn’t been settled. “We’re still kind of in limbo,” said Deputy County Administrator Katie Heritage, who said the county was surprised when Connell told them McShin “was folding up.” “The lease goes to about August. We’ll have to
see” what happens next, Heritage said. Fauquier County owns the building at 30 John Marshall St., which it purchased earlier this year for future office or parking space.
Town’s denial of residential program affected finances
McShin had sought a special permit from the Town of Warrenton to start a 28-day residential addiction-recovery program for up to 14 people at the John Marshall Street site. But the Warrenton Town Council denied that request in January, citing a conflict with zoning rules that bar residential uses on the ground floor of commercial buildings.
See MCSHIN, page 4
Campaign leaflets, robocalls prompt state hearing By Leland Schwartz Times sTaff WriTer
PHOTO BY DOUGLAS LEES
LOCALS RULE AT GOLD CUP
Winning jockey Kieran Norris hoists the Virginia Gold Cup after his victory Saturday with third-generation Casanova-bred Zanclus. Neil Morris, second from left, trains owner-breeder Sara Collette’s homebred at historic Hickory Tree Farm south of Middleburg. Daughter Sheila Bell, far right, represented the Collette clan on the Great Meadow winner’s stand.
Photos of the fun and fashions, page 22 • Full event coverage in Sports, page 27
Tips to keep allergy sufferers from dreading spring. Health & Wellness, page 19 INSIDE Business ............................................23 Classified ...........................................42 Communities .....................................38 Faith ..................................................12
Warrenton store offers all things Amish. Business, page 23
Farming .............................................26 Health & Wellness ..............................19 Libraries ............................................41 Lifestyle .............................................33 LFCC ...................................................8
Last-minute campaign leaflets and robocalls delivered to Warrenton residents just prior to the May 1 election prompted at least two complaints to the Virginia State Board of Elections as well as a May 21 hearing in Richmond. The calls and flyers, distributed by “Fauquier Voters for Truth,” urged voters to cast their ballots for incumbent Warrenton Town Councilman Sean Polster and candidate Renard Carlos, both of whom won the two at-large seats up for re-election. At the time they were distributed, the group behind the flyers was not registered as a political action committee and had not filed financial disclosure statements, as required by state election law.
See HEARING page 3
Take your mom to tea for Mother’s Day. Lifestyle, page 33
Opinion................................................6 Obituaries ..........................................15 Puzzles ..............................................18 Real Estate.........................................37 Sports ................................................27
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NEWS
Fauquier Times | www.fauquier.com | May 9, 2018
PATH Foundation helps students learn to give Thanks to the decisions of Fauquier County’s high school seniors, nonprofit organizations will receive $20,425 in donations. The Warrenton-based PATH Foundation recently conducted an effort designed to encourage high school seniors think about giving back to their communities. The program offered each student $25 to donate to a nonprofit registered with Give Local Piedmont, the May 1 fundraising campaign run by the Northern Piedmont Community Foundation. A total of 817 high school seniors— from public and private schools in Fauquier — participated in the program, which was also offered in 2016. Their donations totaled $20,425. The PATH Foundation extended the same offer to high school seniors in Culpeper and Rappahannock counties, with their votes adding $11,625 to the effort. In total, the high school senior program gave $32,050 in donations to 122 organizations registered with Give Local Piedmont. “The idea behind the program is to encourage high school seniors to think about giving back to their communities as they’re looking toward their futures,” PATH President and CEO Christy Connolly said.
“Having the program support Give Local Piedmont gives students a glimpse of how many nonprofits are working to make this a great place to live. We’re so glad to have all public and private schools join us in making this project successful.” The students watched a video explaining the program’s premise and then received ballots to select one of more than 150 organizations registered to participate in the May 1 Give Local Piedmont event. Organizers encouraged each student to pick an organization important to him or her. Overall, animals garnered the most support from the students, with 12 animal-welfare organizations receiving $7,400 (more than 25 percent of the seniors’ support). Fauquier SPCA, the top-selected nonprofit, received 133 votes (124 from Fauquier County students). For the fifth consecutive year, the PATH Foundation also contributed $100,000 to the Give Local Piedmont campaign in addition to the high school senior program. Participating nonprofits represent arts and culture, animal welfare, community improvement, education, environment, health, housing, human services, public safety and crime prevention, and youth development.
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FAUQUIER FOCUS Wear blue and don’t put the tile down Pauline Hall Upshur was excited to be celebrating her 85th birthday. Family and friends arrived at Mt. Olive Baptist Church in Rectortown to have a party in her honor. Born April 24, 1933, Pauline’s special day was remembered on Sunday, April 29. “My children got together…they decided they wanted to give me a nice 85,” said Pauline, proud of her four children: Robin, Adrian, Ronald and Rodonna, or as family knows her, ‘Donnie.’ “It was really wonderful,” said Pauline’s eldest child, Robin Fields. “We had a display of her life that folks could see…albums to look through and remind of her life.” Pauline came dressed for the occasion wearing a stunning powder blue suit with a blue hat that no doubt would have drawn attention at the recent Virginia Gold Cup. “My baby daughter gave me the hat,” said Pauline with a pleased chuckle. “Oh, I don’t care about being in style… just want to be neat and clean and well kept.” The hat and suit had been given to her several years back and she decided to wear the ensemble for the occasion. What she didn’t know was that the cake would be decorated with a photo of her wearing her blue millinery masterpiece. “Oh, that cake was delicious,” said Pauline, “it was part vanilla and part chocolate.” There were quite a few refreshments including tea, mints and peanuts. Pauline readily admits that she is blessed to have her four children, 10 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. “I feel sorry for folks who don’t have grandbabies,” said Pauline. “It can be hectic but what a joy they are.” With the exception of brief stints elsewhere, Pauline happily reports that she has lived “just about all of my life” in Fauquier County. As a young woman,
Pauline Hall Upshur she worked in retail at Lane Bryant in Washington, D.C. She also has fond memories of her and chums like Joan Williams who would meet up at the Ford Motor Company in Marshall and then drive into Fredericksburg. “We were working on our two-year college degrees…what a lot of work to get our educations.” Widowed for 21 years, her husband Robert (Bobby) Upshur died in 1997. They were married in 1954. Her grown children are not far away with the youngest living in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, one son in Manassas, another in Culpeper and Robin in Catlett. Healthwise, Pauline is a happy camper. “I’m still going,” she says but offers words of advice. “You can’t be too careful…if your husband isn’t around to do things, don’t try it on your own…hire it done because it’s not worth it.” Four years ago, Pauline suffered a stroke. “I said to myself, ‘I’m going to put that tile down,’” Pauline recounted of her efforts to tile her bathroom floor. “It was all going well and then I got so tired…so tired and I said to myself, ‘You need to rest for a while.’ I just got so tired and then I was leaning against the wall…I didn’t fall…I just slid down on my butt and there I was and I could hear the phone ringing.” Robin phones her every night to check on her and it was Robin that was calling, but Pauline was too weak to get to the phone. “Well, I eventually wobbled over and called Robin…told her I’d fallen and she said, ‘Mama, I’m coming,’ and pretty soon Robin, my neighbors and the rescue squad were there and I was on the way to the hospital,” recalls Pauline. “My advice is, ‘Don’t put the tile down; it’s more of a job than you think,” laughed Pauline who will remember her 85th birthday as a day of good memories, fun with family and friends and, while she may not think so, celebrating in blue chic style. Happy birthday Pauline and many more! Classified Sales Consultants Jeanne Cobert, 540-878-2491 jcobert@fauquier.com Evelyn Cobert, 540-878-2492 ecobert@fauquier.com
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Chairman Emeritus George R. Thompson To place Classified and Employment ads: Call 540-351-1664 or fax 540-349-8676, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday — Friday or email fauquierclassifieds@fauquier.com SUBSCRIPTIONS Call 540-347-4222 Help with your subscription? Call 540-878-2413 or email CirculationFT@fauquier.com Missed your paper? Call 540-347-4222, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursdays Subscription: $69.68 per year within the United States. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Fauquier Times, 39 Culpeper St., Warrenton, VA 20186. Periodicals postage paid at Warrenton, Va. and at additional mailing offices
FROM PAGE 1
Fauquier Times | www.fauquier.com | May 9, 2018
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Campaign leaflets, robocalls prompt state hearing HEARING from page 1 One side of the flyer displayed a copy of Keith Macdonald’s letter to Fauquier County Registrar Alex Ables, announcing his withdrawal from the race, and urged that Vice Mayor Linda “Sunny” Reynolds be defeated. The flipside was a copy of a letter former Warrenton Councilman Yak Lubowsky sent to FauquierNow, which was critical of Reynolds and urged support for Polster and Carlos. The leaflets, left in doors, on mailboxes and under car windshields, were distributed April 28 and 29, the weekend before the election, in the Leeds Square, Menlough and Old Town areas of Warrenton. Neither Polster nor Carlos responded to requests for comment about the complaints. Fauquier Supervisor Chris Granger, whose district includes the Town of Warrenton and who supported Reynolds, filed one of the complaints. In a Facebook post, Granger said: “It pained me to do so, as today’s election in Warrenton has been about transparency and accountability.” “Unfortunately, this group has neither registered as a [political action committee], as required by Virginia law, nor reported their financial contributors since its formation in 2015. This lack of transparency is alarming. I hope this group is fined to the full extent of the law and this type of dirty campaigning is run out of our town for good,” Granger wrote. Warrenton political activist Chris Bonner registered “Fauquier Voters for Truth” with the State Corporation Commission in 2015. Bonner registered the group as a political action committee last week, after the fliers were distributed. “I regret confusion over the activities of Fauquier Voters for Truth LLC that gave rise to complaints to election and postal authorities. The LLC was formed in 2015 in the interest of good government
“We need to know what special interest groups may be seeking favored treatment from candidates for office. The issue is funding, not the truth of what was said.” WARRENTON MAYOR POWELL DUGGAN
and has been all but dormant ever since,” Bonner said in a statement. “To the extent our counsel believes that the events of three days in April days constitute non-exempt activities, we will file the necessary documents required by the State Board of Elections within the time frame required under the law,” his statement said. According to a representative of the State Board of Elections, organizations comply with state law as long as they register as PACs within 10 days of conducting any political activity. Bonner said the automated phone calls and campaign fliers “were preceded or accompanied by all requisite disclosures.” The content of the calls, he said, “were straight polling calls, followed by conventional, get-out-the-vote calls.” “The contents of the flyer were limited to a public signed document and a public, signed opinion piece,” Bonner said in his statement. “Their additional dissemination violated no law and was permitted as free speech under the First Amendment.” Warrenton Mayor Powell Duggan, who decided not to seek re-election, noted on Facebook that town leaders made a point to follow state election rules. “One of the first acts taken by the new council in 2014 was to make Warrenton subject to state election laws, which otherwise would not apply to a town (this) size,” he wrote. “Everyone currently on council and I supported this.” During the last election, Duggan continued,
“The reporting requirements did not work as well as we had hoped, with at least one PAC making a contribution after the election, but these requirements are important, and we must be vigilant in bringing them to light.” “This is particularly true if donations are solicited or accepted by candidates. We need to know what special interest groups may be seeking favored treatment from candidates for office. The issue is funding, not the truth of what was said, Duggan wrote. In a letter to Tony Tedeschi, who helped run Reynolds’ campaign, and filed the other complaint, Virginia Department of Elections Policy Assistant Nikki Clemons said the matter would be the subject of a May 21 hearing in Richmond “to determine whether a violation has occurred and whether to impose civil penalties.” Bonner, however, said Fauquier Voters for Truth registered as a PAC before the letter was written. “That may not have been known by the time the letter was signed,” Bonner said. In a statement the day after the election, Tedeschi said the LLC failure to register as a PAC “is a clear violation of campaign law.” Tedeschi said the purpose of his complaint “is not to challenge the results of the election but to hold those supporters accountable for illegal and deceptive practices.” Reach Leland Schwartz at lschwartz@fauquier.com
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