INSIDE American Legion essays offers students’ views on how best to guard liberty > page 7
Volume 62, Number 18 • May 4, 2017
Facing the future: For father and son, each step a thing to be treasured. See page 6 Courthouse Creek back in business
Resolution honors life of Dickson Measure highlights late former administrator’s leadership, dedication to improving county By Roslyn Ryan Editor
Photo Courtesy of Big Tree Photography
Courthouse Creek Cidery owners Liza and Eric Cioffi reopened their Goochland-based operation on April 22, less than a month after a devastating fire took their home and pets. The couple said they have received an incredible amount of support from the community.
Despite loss, family presses on Cidery owners say support has been ‘overwhelming’ in the wake of house fire By Roslyn Ryan Editor
O
ne month after a devastating fire destroyed their Maidens Road home, Eric Cioffi and his family are slowly beginning to piece their lives back together.
In addition to finding a place to stay while their house is rebuilt — a process that will likely take almost a year — the couple reopened their business, Courthouse Creek Cider, on April 22. “It’s nice to have a little normalcy,” Cioffi said last week about the chance to get back to work. The business, which opened this year on the same property where the family lived, had been closed since the fire.
Fire officials have not been able to determine the cause of the March 31 blaze, which completely consumed the Cioffi’s two-story home and claimed the families’ beloved pets. These days, as they embark on their recovery, Cioffi says they remain focused on thanking all of those who have reached out to them in the see Recovery > 8
Goochland County supervisors took a few moments during their April 18 board meeting to honor the life of someone they all knew and loved. The board was joined by Senator Mark J. Peake, R-Lynchburg, who presented a framed copy of a State Senate resolution in honor of late Goochland County Administrator Rebecca Dickson Dickson. Dickson, who died on Jan. 18 after battling cancer for several years, served as county administrator for six years before retiring in 2016, and has been widely recognized as an effective leader and tireless advocate for the county. Senate Joint Resolution No. 349 Celebrating the Life of Rebecca T. Dickson, which was passed by both the House and Senate in February, hailed Dickson’s “exceptional fiscal management,” as well as her role in helping the county earn a AAA bond rating from Standard & Poor’s in 2015. see Dickson > 8