SUBMERGING TALENT: Girls could overtake boys as Kettle Run’s most dominant swimmers. Sports, Page 13
December 12, 2018
Our 201st year | Vol. 201, No. 50 | www.Fauquier.com | $1.50
From sparkly greens to the first lady’s famous red trees
When dignitaries and guests have their photos taken with President Donald Trump and the first lady this holiday season, they’ll have Amy Lienemann of Haymarket and Shelley Campbell of Marshall – and about 228 others – to thank for the striking backdrop. INSIDE Business.............................................11 Classified............................................35 Communities......................................30 Faith...................................................28
Lienemann, an interior decorator, and Campbell, a florist, were among volunteers who helped decorate the White House in an “American traditions” theme for the holiday season. They worked in teams for three full days – 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. – knee-deep in Christmas ornaments, flowers and bright red beads. Family Time........................................19 Libraries.............................................27 Lifestyle..............................................23 Opinion.................................................8
Times Staff Writers
Lienemann placed ornaments on the live Christmas trees and the fireplace mantle in the diplomatic reception room and festooned Melania Trump’s internet-famous red Christmas trees with berries. Campbell focused her efforts on the West Wing, the east entrance to the White House, and the Gold Star tree. See WHITE HOUSE, Page 4
See OFFICER, Page 4
Local designers ready the White House for the holidays By Robin Earl
By James Ivancic and Jill Palermo
Warrenton Police Officer Carl M. Ferguson has been charged with assault in connection with a September altercation during which a young woman was injured. But he likely will not incur a criminal punishment, according to Commonwealth’s Attorney James P. Fisher. The charge, filed Friday, Dec. 7, in Fauquier General District Court, is based on a Virginia State Police investigation into the Sept. 19 incident at Fat Tuesday’s in Warrenton during which a 21-year-old woman suffered a broken nose. Ferguson is due in court Dec. 17 for an arraignment, according to court records. Ferguson was with other Warrenton police officers when the incident occurred. All were off duty at the time. Fisher said Ferguson would be charged under a Virginia statute that allows a “civil satisfaction” for the infraction. “We have been in contact with Ferguson and his attorney as well as the victim’s lawyer. After close consultation with the victim in this matter, we have agreed to permit her to accept civil satisfaction pursuant to Virginia’s accord and satisfaction statute,” Fisher said in a news release. “The victim was more interested in receiving compensation for medical bills for her broken nose and broken mobile phone, which [were] damaged during the incident, than obtaining a conviction in the case, which is what this particular law allows,” Fisher stated. Senior Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Charles Peters said the law allows a judge to dismiss the case based on an agreement between the defendant and victim.
Amy Lienemann, above, of Haymarket, helped create the nowfamous all-red Christmas trees at the White House. Shelley Campbell, right, of Marshall, celebrates a job well done.
Times Staff Writer
Police officer charged in off-duty incident
Obituaries...........................................33 Puzzles...............................................10 Real Estate..........................................29 Sports.................................................13
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NEWS
Fauquier Times | www.fauquier.com | December 12, 2018
More than 50 children ‘Shop with a Cop’ in Warrenton More than 50 children went shopping Saturday as part of the Fauquier Cops For Children’s Shop with a Cop program. Fauquier Sheriff’s Office deputies, Warrenton Police Officers, Virginia State Troopers, social workers and prosecutors from the commonwealth’s attorney’s office, National Honor Society students from Fauquier’s three high schools, and many volunteers from Walmart, Wells Fargo and Future Farmers of America helped make it a very happy day for
A Fauquier Sheriff’s Office deputy helps a young girl shop Saturday at Walmart as part of the annual ‘Shop with a Cop’ program.
the children. The children went shopping at Walmart and then to the Warrenton Community Center for breakfast, arts and crafts, games and photos with Santa. A similar event for teens will be held next week. Shop with a Cop is a program of Fauquier Cops For Children, a 501(c)(3) organization funded only by private donations. Donations can be sent to: Fauquier Cops for Children, FCFC, P.O. Box 3399, Warrenton, VA 20188.
Lights for Life thanks donors, remembers loved ones
PHOTO BY ROBIN EARL
Top of the Tree honoree Wilbur Heflin graciously thanked the Auxiliary for the honor.
The Fauquier Hospital Auxiliary, Inc. held its annual Lights for Life celebration Wednesday, Dec. 5 at the Fauquier Springs Country Club. The holiday-themed event thanked hundreds of donors and sponsors and recognized a “Top of the Tree” honoree Wilbur Heflin for his service to the community. Heflin, a retired pharmacist who owned and operated the Remington Drug Company for 43 years, was thanked for his consistent and enthusiastic support of the hospital. He also formerly served as mayor of Remington and a Fauquier County supervisor. Darlene Kelly, president of FHA, said the organization awarded 22 health-related scholarships in the amount of $25,000 to Fauquier County high school seniors in 2018.
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The FHA is working to develop and implement a new community health grant program and has already given $1,000 each to two local nonprofit organizations, Kelly said. Donors and sponsors supported FHA and honored loved ones by purchasing lights that were placed on holiday trees, embracing the night’s theme, “Always in Our Hearts.”
PHOTO BY LEONARD SHAPIRO
$50K raised for Windy Hill Mark Ohstrom and his wife Karin hosted a fundraiser for the Windy HillThe Plains at their Old Whitewood Farm home Wednesday, Dec. 5. Ohrstrom, pictured with longtime Windy Hill Foundation board member Judy Washburn and Foundation President Jonathan Catherwood, serves as chairman for The Plains arm of the nonprofit. The Foundation provides affordable housing for more than 500 tenants at locations in The Plains, Marshall, Middleburg and Brambleton. More than 100 guests attended the event, and an estimated $50,000 earmarked for Windy Hill-The Plains was raised. Windy Hill-The Plains has 19 units and 46 residents, 26 of them children.
ISSN 1050-7655, USPS 188280 Published every Wednesday by Piedmont Media LLC How to reach us ADDRESS: 41 Culpeper Street Warrenton, Virginia 20186 PHONE: 540-347-4222 FAX: 540-349-8676 HOURS: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, 24-hour answering service Publisher Catherine M. Nelson, 540-347-4222 cnelson@fauquier.com NEWSROOM Managing Editor Jill Palermo, 540-351-0431 jpalermo@fauquier.com Web/Copy Editor Amanda Heincer, 540-878-2418 aheincer@fauquier.com
COURTESY PHOTO
Carson and Kallie McRae demonstrate the new “Trading Tales Corner” bookexchange box outside the Warrenton Community Center.
Trade a good tale at new mini-library
A “Trading Tales Corner” book-exchange box was installed near the front entrance of the Warrenton Community Center earlier this month. The mini-library offers residents the chance to borrow a book and/or leave one for their fellow bibliophiles. The weatherproof structure holds about 80 volumes for readers of all ages. Kallie and Carson McRae of Warrenton conceived of the Trading Tales Corner book exchange and worked with Fauquier County Parks and Rec to plan its debut. Chuck Cromack oversaw the construction, and AnneMarie Paquette designed the logo, complete with a whimsical dragon’s “tale.” Family and friends donated books that the McRaes curated for the project. “We’d love it if folks could include a note in the book they share, explaining why they liked the story. Their recommendation might tempt someone else to pick it up,” Carson McRae said. The couple graduated from Liberty High School and have a deep family history of community service. Kallie McRae is a voracious reader and came up with the idea to share her love of books with her neighbors. “The deciding factor was when my dad offered to help build it!” she said. Thomas Schoenauer, central region superintendent for the Department of Parks and Rec, said he has already received feedback about the new addition. “It looks great, and I have already had several positive comments,” he said.
Community Editor Anita Sherman, 540-351-1635 asherman@fauquier.com Associate Editor John Toler, 540-351-0487 jtoler@fauquier.com Staff Writers Karen Chaffraix, kchaffraix@fauquier.com James Ivancic, 540-878-2414 jivancic@fauquier.com Jonathan Hunley, 540-351-0431 jhunley@fauquier.com Sports Editor Peter Brewington, 540-351-1169 pbrewington@fauquier.com Sports Staff Writer Jeff Malmgren, 540-874-2250 jmalmgren@fauquier.com ADVERTISING Ad Manager Kathy Mills Godfrey 540-351-1162 kgodfrey@fauquier.com Classified Sales Consultant Jeanne Cobert, 540-878-2491 jcobert@fauquier.com
Chairman Emeritus George R. Thompson To place Classified and Employment ads: Call 540351-1664 or fax 540-3498676, 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, 41 Culpeper St., Warrenton, VA 20186. Periodicals postage paid at Warrenton, Va. and at additional mailing offices
NEWS
Fauquier Times | www.fauquier.com | December 12, 2018
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Organizers cancel First Night Warrenton, announce plans for 2019 Staff Reports Downtown Warrenton’s New Year’s Eve event – First Night Warrenton--has been canceled this year, but plans are already in the works for 2019. That’s according to the Allegro Community School for the Arts, which adopted Warrenton’s summer concert series after Bluemont closed its doors earlier this year. Allegro was also asked to take over the First Night event, which had been coordinated by Bluemont. But lack of funding will prevent that from happening this year, said Sam Yoder, Allegro’s executive director, in a statement issued Friday.
“We discovered that other private funding that had gone to First Night Warrenton had also been reallocated,” Yoder said in the statement. “With only a month to go until the event, it was necessary to cancel.” Plans for next year, however, are already underway, Yoder said. Vol-
unteers have begun planning what they will call: “Celebrate New: A Winter Music and Arts Festival in Fauquier County.” “This is just a one year off, which we will put to good use in re-designing the event,” Yoder said. The aim of the 2019 event will be to promote local businesses, “making Warrenton a tourist destination for art, music, shops, wine and beer tasting, restaurants and local artisans,” the statement said. Businesses will be encouraged to have events and promotions during festival days, and guides will provide information on events throughout
the town and county. Organizers envision a main event on New Year’s Eve in Old Town Warrenton, which will include a heated tent on Main Street. The gathering place “will help bridge the two ends of town and provide a communal location to warm up and to gather and enjoy beverages, food, as part of the evening,” the statement said. An art competition, to open in the winter of 2019, will be included in the festival. Partnerships are being sought for the 2019 event. More details will follow in upcoming months.
Mike Hammond to run for Scott District School Board in November 2019 By Karen Chaffraix Times Staff Writer
Warrenton resident Mike Hammond will run for the Scott District seat on the Fauquier County School Board in 2019, the seat currently held by Suzanne Sloane. With 18 years in Warrenton, and two daughters in the school system Hammond, 44, says he knows the issues and wants to be “part of the discussion rather than on the outside relying on others.” Hammond outlined his mission during a recent interview at his New Baltimore home. “With each passing year, I’ve been more aware of what’s going on with the schools; seeing what the
school board, what the administration is doing. There is more we can do, and do better,” he said. Hammond’s top four concerns are teacher compensation, revamping spending priorities, solving the middle school dilemma (Warrenton and Taylor middle schools need either replacement or major upgrades) and opening channels of communication between the school board and citizens. “Our teachers deserve to be fairly compensated according to education, experience and tenure,” Hammond said. “We have to look at school systems in districts comparable to ours and at how we can make adjustments without a huge tax hike.” On the middle school situation: “It’s disheartening that the school
board and the board of supervisors can’t work together to find a solution to the problem. I’ve been a project manager for 20 years. You don’t start anything without knowing what the constraints are, what your budget is. The board of supervisors is holding the purse strings; you’ve got to get their buy-in before you start.” The board of supervisors and school board have so far not been able to agree on whether to build a new middle school or renovate existing buildings. Hammond has a certificate in systems engineering and currently works in cybersecurity at Forcepoint in Herndon. Prior to that, he spent 11 years in online banking. Hammond is a long-distance motorcycle enthusiast, plays guitar and
likes to fish. “Project management is all about budgeting, scheduling, risk mitigation, bringing groups of people together to come to consensus – that’s everything you do on a school board. I’ve worked on multi-million dollar projects, so I understand the budgeting and the spending process,” he said. Until the November 2019 election, Hammond said: “I’ll be talking actively to as many people as I can. Understanding their needs and positions will let me bring their perspectives to the school board.” Hammond has a Facebook page supporting his candidacy, which officially kicks off Jan. 1. Reach Karen Chaffraix at kchaffraix@fauquier.com