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Powhatan, Virginia
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Vol. XXXIII No. o. 21
November 13, 2019
County sees 59 percent voter turnout By Laura McFarland Editor
P
OWHATAN – About 59 percent of Powhatan County’s registered voters came out to the polls last week to make their voices heard in state and local elections. Of the 21,778 registered voters in Powhatan County, 12,753 voters, or 58.56 percent, came out to vote on Tuesday, Nov. 5 in the 2019 General Election, said Karen Alexander, director of elections. The percentage of voter turnout was up from the same election four years ago, which saw a 51.4 percent voter turnout. It was a busy election, especially considering how many candidates were on the ballot and how many races were uncontested, Alexander said. She added she
PHOTOS BY LAURA MCFARLAND
Residents Benita Turner, left, and Shannon Van Dyke cast their votes on Nov. 5 in Powhatan County.
was initially expecting more voters simply because the number of absentee ballots had roughly doubled from 2015. “Going into Tuesday, I thought we would have closer to a 65 percent turnout,
so it was a little less than I expected with in-person voting,” she said. For most of the day, voting went smoothly at almost all of the precincts. However, the day was overshadowed by
tragedy at the precinct at Graceland Baptist Church when a voter, Kenneth Andrews, 86, came in at around 12:30 p.m. and suffered a medical emergency while trying to vote, she said. Her election chief was CPR certified and administered CPR until she could be relieved by a man who was campaigning outside and was also an EMT. Unfortunately, Andrews later died at the hospital. “Voting was halted for about 30 minutes, but everyone who was there when the incident occurred stayed and waited and was able to vote. They were very calm, cooperative and understanding and ended up being very prayerful that their fellow resident would be OK. Unfortunately, he wasn’t and didn’t make it after going to the hospital. It was a very sad see ELECTION pg. 6
Farmers negatively impacted by drought
Theresa J. Royall
Thomas Stark IV
New judges take the bench in Powhatan By Laura McFarland PHOTO BY LAURA McFARLAND
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Resident Billy Sifers stands in one of his corn fields in Powhatan County. The farmer and many like him were hit hard by a drought that affected the area in summer and early fall.
By Laura McFarland Editor
POWHATAN – Going months without any significant rainfall this summer and early fall placed a strain on farmers in Powhatan County that will likely be felt through 2020 and beyond. After several weeks of no rain in Powhatan County in July, August, and September, the county was listed with a D2 (“severe drought”) rating on the United States Drought Monitor map. The prolonged period of drought lasted long enough to cause signifi-
cant crop loss in the county, said Rachel Henley, a Virginia Cooperative Extension agent in Powhatan. Henley spoke to the Powhatan County Board of Supervisors on Oct. 28, asking members to support a resolution to petition Governor Ralph Northam to designate Powhatan County as a disaster area due to drought. “A lot of folks think we’ve gotten rains so we shouldn’t be in a drought anymore, but unfortunately from an agriculture standsee DROUGHT, pg. 4
Editor
POWHATAN – Judges Thomas Stark IV and Theresa J. Royall both stepped into the Powhatan General and Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Combined Courts this year as first-time judges ready to learn. Stark was the first to join the office, starting May 1 as a General District Court judge in the 11th Judicial District. He filled the seat left vacant when Judge Mayo Gravatt retired on Dec. 1, 2018, after six and a half years. Stark left a private
law practice to step into the courtroom on the other side of the bench. About two months later, Royall filled a newly funded position as a judge in the 11th Judicial District’s Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court. At the time, she was serving as the commonwealth’s attorney for Nottoway County, a role she had held since she was elected on Nov. 4, 2012. The first few weeks in their respective positions were grueling for both as they learned the rhythm of their new roles, they see JUDGES, pg. 9
Veterans Day tribute
PHOTO BY LAURA McFARLAND
Cathryn Greaser, far right, sings “God Bless the USA” to help draw the annual Veterans Day Concert to a close on Nov. 3. She and other returning performers put on a show to honor local veterans. More photos page 8.