I don’t know if it’ll do any good, but the Board of Supervisors might want to see if “Dr. Phil” McGraw is available for Thursday night’s Board of Supervisors. Perhaps that TV psychologist could serve as a facilitator between angry taxpayers and County officials. Dr. Phil could ask those who come to the podium, with fire in their eyes: “How does your tax bill make you feel?” And then he could turn to Supervisors and say: “See how that grown man is hurting? He’s almost in tears. Now how does that make YOU feel?”
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All kidding aside, Supervisors advertised the County’s proposed budget and tax increases back in May. They discussed them PUBLICLY beforehand, for several weeks, and then publicly BEGGED for citizens to pack the house and speak. This is self-serving and preachy: Citizenship in a free country requires responsibility, and that includes informing yourself. May we recommend Nottoway County’s awardwinning newspaper, now in our 135th year? Or do you just want to rely on Facebook gossip?
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We failed to mention in last week’s column that the Republican state Delegate who received those awful text messages from Democrat Jay Jones (who expressed a desire to shoot then-House Speaker Todd Gilbert in the head) promptly and privately shared those messages with Gilbert. She didn’t feel it was her place to make those 2022 texts public since they involved Gilbert and Gilbert’s family. She did the right thing. What I can’t figure out is why it took so long for those texts to be leaked by Gilbert or whomever. If a Republican had sent a text message like that about a Democrat, Democrats would have made sure everyone in America had them memorized — and well before Early Voting already had begun. Democrats stick together and play hard ball better than Republicans.
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Here’s something I wonder: What kind of celebratory text messages do you suppose Jay Jones sent to his buddies on Sept. 10th, moments after conservative Charlie Kirk was assassinated? Remember, his texts about Speaker Gilbert didn’t make news until October 3rd. There’s no telling how ecstatic Jones must have been on Sept. 10th and the days that followed. Would he consent to a review of his phone records to dispel such a notion?
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I like the new smooth pavement and bright markings on the southern stretch of South Main Street out near the shopping center, but Town officials need to add something. Please paint “35 mph” in both lanes of traffic around Food Lion and Walmart and end this 25 mph nonsense once and for all. Come on, Council!
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A civics reminder about direct indictments: Grand jurors hear only one side and usually from only the officer who investigated the case. Everyone is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Charges are sometimes reduced or dismissed prior to trial or at trial. We cannot emphasize that enough. You can indict a ham sandwich.
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Nottoway County leaders are heavily engrossed in a verbal game of musical chairs, and it’s making me dizzy. There are several scenarios being playedout about where various offices might be located during construction of a new courthouse. There’s talk of moving the Sheriff to the Social Services building, and demolishing the Sheriff ’s Office as well as the Commissioner of Revenue’s office to make way for a new courthouse where toilets flush properly and where rodents don’t die and rot behind interior walls.
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Meanwhile, my dream of bowling a perfect 300 at Nottoway Lanes apparently will never come true. Supervisors last week, in one of those cozy worksessions, voted 5-0 to reject all five proposals to buy the County-owned bowling alley. Five proposals? FIVE? Can’t wait to see them. It appears the County is leaning towards moving the Social Services and Health Department to the bowling alley. What in the world to do with all those pins and equipment? I would NOT let any taxpayers get hold of any pins before Thursday night’s Board meeting.
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Meanwhile, quite a few people are upset about the proposed sale of the former Burkeville Elementary School. School Board member Damien Rowe said it best last Thursday night — closing that school in 2017 was a bad decision by a previous Board. I think the school’s newgym at that time was like fiveyears young. But the School Board doesn’t have money and especially doesn’t have a surplus. And, this just in: Nottoway County is running on fumes with more mountains to climb and more tax hikes to come. If only some solar farms could express interest here, on willing landowners’ property, and pay the County millions in siting agreements and taxes over the next 20-30 years. If only….
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