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Powhatan, Virginia
The hometown paper of Barbara Mencarini
Vol. XXVII No. 45
VETERANS DAY IN POWHATAN
November 20, 2013
Resident dies after his car hits tree By Ben Orcutt News Editor
PHOTO BY BEN ORCUTT
World War II veteran Angelo “Chubby” Meluso serenades 1-year-old Sabrina Quinn prior to the start of last week’s Veterans Day ceremony at the Powhatan County Courthouse green.
Courthouse Village ceremony brings all ages together to honor veterans By Ben Orcutt News Editor
Before last week’s Veterans Day ceremony got underway at the Powhatan County Courthouse green, 93year-old World War II veteran Angelo “Chubby” Meluso serenaded 1-year-old Sabrina Quinn with his harmonica. There was Meluso, proudly wearing his American Legion Post 201
Powhatan, Va. hat, leaning over Sabrina’s stroller and playing a song for her. “Well, I always play for the youngsters,” Meluso said. Last week’s ceremony was one of many Meluso has attended since his days during WWII when he was assigned to a tractor unit that traveled to North Africa, Italy, France and Germany. For little Sabrina, it was her first
Veterans Day ceremony and one that her mother, Jaime Quinn, will remind her of for years to come. Quinn, 36, was asked by Billy H. Kornegay, past commander of Post 201, to sing the National Anthem at the ceremony and she also sang God Bless America. Although the Powhatan resident does not come from a military family, see Courthouse page 4A
Powhatan High School celebrates veterans’ service By Ben Orcutt News Editor
Retired U.S. Army Command Sergeant Michele S. Jones told those gathered at last week’s Veterans Day ceremony at Powhatan High School that you have to have good bones to be successful in life. Jones was the keynote speaker for the program put on by members of the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC)
at Powhatan High School. The title of the program was “Fallen But Not Forgotten.” With an all-volunteer military, U.S. servicemen and women “serve because we want to, not because we have to,” Jones said. “There’s not a day I regret serving and I served for 25 years,” she added. Prior to her retirement in 2007, Jones was the see Service page 3A
PHOTO BY BEN ORCUTT
The Powhatan High School JROTC Color Guard presents the colors at the beginning of last week’s Veterans Day ceremony in the school auditorium.
Gresham gains GOP clerk nomination By Ben Orcutt News Editor
Tim Gresham will carry the banner of the Powhatan Republican Committee in the Feb. 4 special election for Clerk of the Circuit Court of Powhatan County. Gresham, who is chairman of the local GOP, was nominated by accla-
mation after it was announced that his challenger, Teresa Dobbins, withdrew her request to be considered for the party’s nomination. “I’m humbled by the number of friends and Gresham neighbors that are here tonight,” Gresham said to an overflow
crowd at the Powhatan Rescue Squad. Members of Gresham’s campaign offered those arriving for the mass meeting hot dogs and red stickers with his name on them. If elected to fill the unexpired term of William E. Maxey Jr., who retired see Nomination page 5A
A Powhatan County man died at the scene of a crash last week after the vehicle he was driving went off the right side of Huguenot Trail near Woolridge Road and struck a tree. The man was identified as Ledge A. Schmidhammer, 58, of the 3000 block of French Hill Road, according to Sgt. Thomas J. Molnar of the Virginia State Police. Trooper Otis Jackson, who worked the incident, said the call came in about 5:15 p.m. on Nov. 12 for a single-vehicle crash near the westbound lane of Huguenot Trail (Va. 711), about a tenth of a mile west of Woolridge Road (Va. 721). Schmidhammer was the only occupant of the 1967 Chevrolet Camaro, Jackson said, adding that Schmidhammer was wearing a lap belt when the crash occurred. “He went off the right side of the road and struck a pretty large oak tree,” Jackson said. “My estimate of the speed when he struck the tree would be about 75 miles per hour. He was pretty mangled in the car and [rescue personnel] had to cut the top off, but when I arrived, they told me he was DOA. “Again, I would say speed would be a factor in it,” Jackson said. “As far as alcohol, that’s undetermined.” Further determination as to the cause of the crash will be based on the medical examiner’s report and a toxicology report, Jackson said. The speed limit on the section of Huguenot Trail where Schmidhammer crashed is 35 mph, Jackson said. The pavement was level and dry, “but it was in the S curves,” Jackson said. “He had passed a few vehicles in the no-passing zone and they witnessed the actual accident,” Jackson said. Schmidhammer’s next of kin were notified of the fatal crash, Jackson said. Traffic was detoured and Huguenot Trail was closed until approximately 8:40 p.m., Molnar said. The Powhatan County Sheriff’s Office provided assistance. Contact Ben Orcutt at borcutt@ powhatantoday.com or at (804) 5984304, ext. 19 or (804) 363-1577.
Correction In a story published in the Oct. 30, 2013, edition of Powhatan Today on the success of the 2013 Festival of the Grape, Tina E. Bustos, executive director of the Powhatan Chamber of Commerce, said she should have said that Powhatan County Commonwealth’s Attorney Robert E. Beasley Jr. shared with the Chamber’s security team that “the Festival Committee had the option to disallow weapons because we were hosting the event.”
Inside
Sports
Index
A2 Winter Homecoming Dec. 7 to benefit St. Jude hospital
B1 And another one! Blessed Sacrament Huguenot wins fifth football state championship in a row.
Calendar Classified Crime Report Crossword Horoscope
A5 B7 A2 A7 A7
Letters Obituaries Opinion Quotes TV Listings
A6-7 A3-4 A6 A2 B4-5