50¢
Powhatan, Virginia
The hometown paper of M.W. Rose
Vol. XXVI No. 12
March 21, 2012
POWHATAN BUSINESS
Davis-Merchant Equipment marks 60 years of service. See page 6A
Benefit will be held for teacher
“I’ve always felt things ... [b]ack then you didn’t talk about it, because people thought you were crazy. Now, with all the ghost hunting shows on TV people are becoming more accepting of it.” Paranormal Investigator Pam Townsend
‘Mary on the Mend’ event will raise funds for resident brutalized in January attack By Roslyn Ryan Editor
After Powhatan teacher Mary Anderson was brutally attacked in her home last January, residents quickly rallied to support her. A fund was set up in her honor, and Anderson’s colleagues and students began trying to come up with a way to help Anderson begin to put her life back together. Now, as Anderson continues to recover from her injuries, the Powhatan Fair Association has partnered with the Powhatan High School Interact Club to host the Mary on the Mend benefit. The event will be held on March Anderson 24, from noon-4 p.m. and will feature music, food and plenty of games and activities, with all of the proceeds going to the Mary Anderson Fund. According to organizers, the event grew from a meeting between the Fair Association’s Randa Jackson and the UPDATE: Powhatan High School James Wolfe, Interact Club. The stu- Sr. the man dents and the club spon- accused of beating sor, Cindy Harris, had severely Mary Anderson been hoping to do and setting her something to help An- home on fire, derson, but needed to will undergo find a venue. Since a psychiatric their initial meeting, the evaluation in the Fair Association and coming weeks. For more on this the Interact Club have story, see page 4 been working with resi- for this story. dents, other PHS clubs, civic organizations and businesses to stage the event. According to the Fair Association’s Runda Harris, the group has a long history of reaching out to residents in need, as well as supporting area food pantries and other charitable organizations. “Whenever something happens in the community, and we know someone is in need, we try to do something,” said Harsee Benefit page 4A
PHOTO BY EMILY DARRELL.
Pam Townsend (center), founder of Powhatan Paranormal Investigations with her two “full-time” investigators: Amanda Aboulhosn (left) and Wanda Long (right).
Into the
Spirit
world
Powhatan’s Paranormal Investigators seek to make contact with those who have gone before us
Two years ago Pam Townsend, a nurse originally from Dolphin, Virginia, started Powhatan Paranormal Investigations. Encouraged by the success of TV shows like Ghost Hunters and radio programs like Richmond’s Ghost Raps, Townsend decided to assemble her own ghost-hunting team right here in Powhatan. Last week she sat down with PT reporter Emily Darrell to discuss the most haunted spots in Powhatan, whether supernatural beliefs conflict with religious beliefs, and how to commune with the dead through use of Maglites.
For you what does paranormal include? How would you define
paranormal activity? Anything that can’t readily be explained by something else happening. A lot of people think of paranormal as things like flying saucers, Big Foot . . . we tend to just do ghosts. If the lights are going on and off and you can find an electrical issue, that could be readily explained away. If it can’t be explained away, it’s got to be paranormal.
When did you first become interested in the paranormal? When I was a little girl. I think the first paranormal experience I had was I saw my grandfather, who had been dead see Spirits page 3A
Library may have to reduce hours Facility must reduce budget by five per cent, meaning layoffs, program cuts may be only options
the library needs to reduce its budget by five percent. Library Director Peggy Martin said that to accomplish this, the library will almost certainly have to reduce its hours, and will likely have to cut some of its programs as well, such as ones targeted By Emily Darrell at seniors and children. Staff Writer The library is currently open 54 hours a week and Martin said she’s looked into many different Interim County Administrator Elmer Hodge hour-reduction scenarios, such as closing on a cermet with the Library Board of Trustees Wednesday to discuss the 2013 budget. The bottom line: see Library page 2A
Inside
Sports
Index
A4 Equestrians earn top honors Riders from Cedar Ridge distinguish themselves on national stage.
B1 Sports roundup New-look Indians drop opener to Trojans.
Calendar Classified Crossword Horoscope
A8 B9 A11 A11
Opinion A10 Quotes A2 Real Estate B9 TV Listings B11-12