Local News
6th District constituents ask: Where is our country headed – and why are you a part of it?!?
We promised a follow-up on details of Sixth District constituent comments and questions posed on February 22, at the weekly Open Door meeting in Front Royal hosted by staff of Congressman Bob Goodlatte – and here it is.
Why additional detail on those comments?
Because they reflect deep concerns that have driven an outburst of public anger at Town Hall meetings across the nation during the recent Congressional recess. It has been Republican lawmakers like Goodlatte that have taken the brunt of that anger as a consequence of the first month of Republican Donald J. Trump’s presidency. It is a presidency unusual on several fronts:
- Trump lost the popular vote by three million votes, despite the disenfranchisement nationally of millions of traditionally Democratic demographic groups, including youth, blacks and the elderly based on new, more restrictive state-approved voter ID laws and rules – “It’s almost to the point you have to have a birth certificate to vote,” one person present at the Front Royal meeting observed (and that might not work since they don’t have photos attached).
- At least in part, as a consequence of the difference between the popular vote and Electoral College result, Trump begins his presidency with the lowest approval rating – about 40 percent – in history;
- Despite those numbers, Trump enters office with a decisive Republican Congressional majority, a majority whose approval rating has been worse than his, around 20 percent or lower for several years, in both the House and Senate. It is a conservative majority that seems determined to overturn a half century or more of federal labor, environmental and civil rights protections, as well as social safety-net programs enacted during Democratic administrations;
- And the new president is poised to appoint a crucial tie-breaking US Supreme Court justice after those congressional majorities blocked the incumbent Democratic president’s ability to nominate a court successor to ultra-conservative Antonin Scalia in the final year of his presidency. – “It’s getting more like an oligarchy,” another person commented of defacto Republican-control of all three branches of the U.S. government.
And if Goodlatte personally managed to dodge the direct and often angry encounters many of his colleagues faced during the congressional recess by scheduling a trip to India to assure that government that our new president’s immigration policies will NOT impact that nation’s tech workers seeking employment here, his staffer Emily Wicht did not. As we previously reported, a lengthy list of questions and complaints were submitted to her to be presented to her boss.
Near the top of that list was a request Goodlatte make himself directly accessible to face constituent questions about his and his Party’s support of the agenda of a president whose primary leadership experience is as a “Reality-TV” star; and a silver-spoon-fed businessman with a habit of declaring bankruptcy (four times), at least in part to avoid paying debts. And with news reports escalating through February and beyond about “the Russian issue”, exactly how Trump’s path to the presidency was achieved, was not far behind accessibility and policy accountability on constituents’ minds in Front Royal that unseasonably warm February morning.
A double standard
“There is clearly a double standard here,” one of the 31 people who turned up to confront the absent Goodlatte, said. The reference was to the reluctance of House Republicans like Goodlatte to pursue an investigation into the Trump campaign’s contacts with Russian government personnel during the 2016 presidential race, after those same congressmen spent millions of taxpayer dollars on repeated and repeatedly fruitless inquiries into Hillary Clinton’s Benghazi-related e-mails.
In fact, Goodlatte himself has co-sponsored (with Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah 3rd) a call for a Congressional investigation into the leaks surrounding evidence of those contacts, while ignoring the substance at the root of the leaks – leaks which subsequently led to the resignation of Trump’s National Security Advisor Michael Flynn.
As FOX News correspondent Sheppard Smith noted of such an inquiry based on President Trump’s allegations of “leaks” surrounding the Russia contact stories, “They are saying the news is FAKE, but the leaks are REAL – that is IMPOSSIBLE.”
The general mood of those present seemed reflected in the question, “I wonder what made Trump single out the Russians to hack his opponent’s e-mails during the campaign?”
Since the February meeting here, the Russian plot has thickened for the Trump Administration, if not piqued the interest of House Republicans to pursue it. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has recused himself from any potential Russian inquiry due to his own Russian contacts during the election, a fact he neglected to mention under direct questioning about Russian contacts during his Congressional confirmation hearing.
“What’s disappointing to me is his (Goodlatte’s) support of Donald Trump,” John Cermak told Wicht. “I met him and his wife; they seemed like nice people … but for him to support Trump on Party lines – I don’t understand it … Our disdain is generated by these Party-line stances.”
Inaccessibility
According to our contributing writer Malcolm Barr, Sr. complaints were already showing up about Goodlatte’s inaccessibility since he managed to earn the ire of President Trump on the ceremonial opening day of the 2017 Congress.
On that day, Goodlatte led a tribe of rank-and-file Republican lawmakers, who’d voted in a secret House Judiciary Committee meeting to dismantle the independent Office of Congressional Ethics. In the midst of a public and media firestorm, Trump Tweeted his displeasure, suggesting Goodlatte and company focus on “other more important things” and the House Republican Caucus immediately back-pedaled in the face of Trump’s objection and the growing public outcry.
“I don’t think I’ve heard a peep directly out of our congressman’s mouth since January 20,” Barr said; adding that he was told by one of our town’s leading citizens who asked not to be identified, about being “stood up” by Goodlatte last month.
Meanwhile, letters to the editor in other publications around the Sixth District have lodged similar complaints, which apparently led to a press release from the congressman’s office saying Goodlatte would not appear publicly either at town halls or with individuals for an unspecified time.
Health Care
If he did, another overriding concern he would have heard at the February 22 Open Door meeting was that Republicans NOT rush into repeal of the Affordable Care Act. The overwhelming consensus of those present was that the reduced-cost health care coverage implemented by President Obama under the ACA be maintained until Republicans come up with a BETTER alternative. And those addressing this issue, like Christine Ilich, Rea Howarth, Frederic Tagg III, Kathleen Roush and Diane Demarcus made it clear they did NOT view “better” as an alternative geared to simply restoring un-regulated corporate health insurers’ profits, thus making health care coverage unaffordable, even for many working Americans.
In fact, Rea Howarth said her daughter had begun a small business that would not have been possible without ACA help with health insurance coverage – “People overlook the positive impacts of the ACA on small business,” Howarth stated.
Her husband Tom Howarth cited his own work at health clinics, pointing out that people with any income, no matter how small, could not qualify for ACA-associated Medicaid coverage in Virginia because the Republican-controlled General Assembly had refused to adopt Medicaid Expansion, a key element of the Affordable Care Act. It is an element a U.S. Supreme Court majority in 2012 ruled that each state had the option of approving or rejecting, despite its connection to a federal program they deemed legal. Estimates are that the Virginia General Assembly’s rejection of Medicaid Expansion pushed by Democratic Governor Terry McAuliffe has kept as many as 400,000 Virginians from Medicaid eligibility and reduced ACA health insurance costs.
“Medical expenses can send people into bankruptcy overnight if a child is born with or comes down with a serious disease,” Rea Howarth stated, asking, “Why are we against socialized medicine and health care? Other countries do it and make it work.”
“Because we’re Americans, and we believe in FREEDOM!!!” one man said pounding the meeting room desk, drawing some laughter for his delivery of an obviously facetious remark.
Christine Andreae cited her work on the Warren Memorial Hospital Board. She pointed to the high amount of debt the hospital takes on because of patients who can afford NEITHER health insurance or large, unexpected medical expenses.
“It seems Republicans are more interested in Party than people,” Howard Morton commented.
“I don’t understand putting Party over the general good,” one young woman said, adding of Goodlatte, “What are his morals if he supports Trump?”
Immigration policy
And on the topic of morals, the president’s attempt to institute an immigration policy based on stereotyping of ethnic groups and nationalities came under heavy fire. Eleanor Miller said she taught an ESL (English as Second Language) class at Samuels Library, coincidentally site of the Goodlatte-less Sixth District Open Door meetings.
“The numbers have been dropping off in recent months – these are mostly moms trying to better themselves and the opportunities for their children. But they are afraid to drive now,” she or someone next to her said of a growing fear of immigrants that things like routine traffic stops could lead to incarceration and deportation, potentially separating them from their children.
“All I see are increases for the police and the military. ICE (Immigration & Customs Enforcement) and the Border Patrol are becoming our Brown Shirts,” one woman said of Trump budget proposals and immigration policies (Brown Shirts being a reference to militarized German police of the fascist, Nazi era of the 1930s and 1940s). “We’re not the home of the free, home of the brave anymore – we’re home of the scared; and they are doing everything to promote that fear,” she said of the Trump administration and Congressional Republicans walking in lockstep on immigration with it.
“I don’t want one cent spent on building a wall,” Tom Howarth added to his previously expressed concerns about health care. Of Trump’s immigration policies and deportation plans, Howarth cited the plight of a Salvadoran friend in Arlington. He said if that person was sent back to Salvador in the wake of the most recent coup there, they had told him, “We will be killed.”
“Are we that hard hearted that, that’s the best we can do?” Howarth asked the absent Goodlatte, who as House Judiciary Chairman sits at one focal point of immigration reform.
The narrative & the media
Melissa Ricks recounted helping take a group of children to visit the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. She said that when one of the children asked how something like that happened, she responded that Hitler and the Nazis “controlled the narrative” about what was happening at the hands of their government, and why.
That observation led to some group back and forth about Trump’s vilification of the media, most famously as the “enemy of the people”, exactly because they do not accept the president’s often unsubstantiated or even verifiably false narrative on myriad issues.
Trump’s assertions about the media were recently contradicted by a perhaps to many, unexpected source – former President George W. Bush. In response to a direct question from the “Today Show’s” Matt Lauer about Trump’s “enemy of the people” comment, Bush said he considered the media “indispensable to democracy.” The 43rd president then added, “We need an independent media to hold people like me to account. Power can be very addictive and it can be corrosive, and it’s important for the media to call to account people who abuse their power.”
WHAT is going ON?!!? – I have quoted Fox News’s Sheppard Smith AND Texan George W. Bush in one article – QUICK, someone get me the vapors before I expire!
Ah, that is better. A quick count of “narrative” issues involving either Trump or Congressional Republicans in general included in and after the February 22 Goodlatte-less Open Door discussion were:
- Actual crime rate numbers;
- Immigrants’ impact on crime rates;
- The president’s rationale for proposing huge increases in military and law enforcement spending;
- The necessity of cutting social safety net programs to achieve other budgetary goals;
- And even things as trite as the attendance at the president’s inauguration.
In the administration’s first month, Trump spokesmen or women were forced to create a term to explain gaps in the president’s statements and reality – “alternative facts”. It is a concept that Miriam Webster’s Dictionary online has noted “does not exist” – facts are facts, the “alternative” is non-facts, as most five-year-olds are probably beginning to understand.
“We have to contradict that narrative every chance we get,” one person said of the Trump and Republican Congressional majority’s narrative about the state of the nation and world.
“I hold him personally responsible for violating citizens’ civil rights,” another commented – and it wasn’t clear at that point, at least to this reporter, if “him” was President Trump or Congressman Goodlatte.
Time will tell…
There was more, including Administration and Republican Congressional weakening of environmental protections, including offering federal lands for sale to corporate interests at the state level; the diminishing of science as a basis for governmental decision making on things like energy, the environment, climate and human health; corporate profiteering off student loans to cover soaring college costs; why Goodlatte as House Judiciary Committee chair had rejected some comprehensive immigration reform plans, then excluded Democrats from a meeting with ICE officials; and even a general Trump Administration assault on the function of federal agencies, including the EPA, Education and even the State Department.
But I know I’m probably boring the county’s Republican majority, though perhaps NOT. – As several people present on February 22 said, “I used to be a Republican” or “If you take Republicans for granted you are making a BIG mistake.”
However, there were also questions as to whether Party-line supporters of Trump, or Goodlatte for that matter, understood that they, not to mention their children and grandchildren, ALSO benefit from things like affordable health care reform; affordable college tuition; federal land and national park protections; and moves toward sustainable energies from highly polluting fossil fuels.
As my friend and colleague Malcolm Barr, Sr. said in a recent Opinion piece involving a Goodlatte-sponsored economic development initiative here, I guess “time will tell.”
(Malcolm Barr Sr. contributed to this story. His appraisal of Goodlatte’s effort to remove independent ethics oversight from himself and his colleagues is posted in our OPINION section.)
Local News
Illuminating Futures: Celebrating Achievements and Exploring Quantum Computing at ‘This is IT!’ Event
The “This Is IT!” club of Warren County, Virginia, marked another milestone as a hub for budding IT enthusiasts from diverse backgrounds. The club, which started in 2023, has quickly become a cornerstone for students interested in the ever-evolving world of information technology.
At the ‘This is IT!’ club gathering at the Samuels Public Library on Wednesday, April 17, 2024, students and community members came together to celebrate and learn. The club includes 9th to 12th-grade students from public, private, and homeschool backgrounds and is aimed to ignite curiosity and reward academic excellence in information technology and quantum computing.
The ceremony kicked off with an introduction by Melissa Chapman, an instructor involved with the club. She set the stage for a night that was not only about recognition but also about expanding young minds. “Understanding the vocabulary of quantum computing is the first step towards mastery,” Chapman remarked, highlighting the importance of foundational knowledge in this cutting-edge field.
The focal point of the evening was the guest lecture by Dr. Bruce Chesley, an aerospace engineer who adeptly connected the seemingly distant realms of space exploration and quantum computing. With palpable enthusiasm, Dr. Chesley described how quantum technologies could revolutionize our approach to exploring the cosmos. His talk made the complex topics accessible and entertaining, captivating the aspiring scientists in attendance.
Amidst the talks, the club took a moment to honor its bright young members through a scholarship awards ceremony. Scholarships were awarded to students who have shown exceptional prowess in STEM fields. These awards are a testament to the community’s support for its young learners and a major encouragement for them to pursue further education in technology. The winners were Jude O’Neal, Elijah Hambric, Jack Gillespie, Benedict Keough, Matthias Biedler, and Uli Duke.
Local News
The Apple Blossom Coronation Legacy Continues for the Historical Event
For the first time in the history of the Shenandoah Apple Bossom Festival® three consecutive generations in a family will have served as Queen Shenandoah. Susan Ford Bales, Queen in 1975, and Tyne Vance Berlanga, Queen in 2001, will be accompanying Joy Elizabeth Berlanga as she assumes her role as Queen Shenandoah XCVII.
The Crowning Ceremony entertains from regal pomp and circumstance to joyful enthusiasm of Little Maids and Pages who are ever present to serve their Queen. The youthful court interchange historical and educational facts from the British Crown to learning about a United States President – to asking, “Who has the Crown?,” and with dancing. The Queen will be crowned at the memorable Coronation celebration under the direction of Elaine B. Aikens. The Ceremony to install the new sovereign is sponsored by Morgan Orthodontics, on Friday, May 3 at 1:30 p.m.at Handley High School. President Gerald Ford crowned Susan. Susan crowned Tyne, and Joy will be crowned by her mother and escorted by her grandmother.
Susan, Joy’s grandmother, is a Virginia native and now resides in Texas. She is the daughter of President Gerald R. Ford and Betty Ford. Susan is the mother of two daughters, Tyne Berlanga and Heather Deavers, five grandchildren, Joy Elizabeth Berlanga, Cruz Vance Berlanga, Elizabeth Blanch Deavers, Jude Deavers, and Sullivan Bales, and three stepsons, Kevin, Matthew, and Andrew Bales.
Susan was raised in Alexandria, Virginia and attended Holton Arms School and the University of Kansas, where she studied photojournalism. She is the recipient of an Honorary Doctorate of Public Service degree, an Honorary Doctorate of Letters degree, and an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters degree. She is the author of two novels set in the Whie House, “Double Exposure: A First Daughter Mystery”, and its sequel, “Sharp Focus.”
Susan is the Ship’s Sponsor for the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), which she officially christened on November 9, 2013. On April 8, 2016, in recognition of her service as the Ship’s Sponsor, she was named an Honorary Naval Aviator by the United States Navy, becoming only the 31st American to receive this distinction. And history was made with her selection – Susan is the first woman to be chosen as an Honorary Naval Aviator.
During her high school years, Susan lived in the White House and served as official White House hostess following her mother’s surgery for breast cancer in 1974. In 1984, she and her mother helped launch National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and Susan subsequently served as national spokesperson for breast cancer awareness. Since the founding of the Betty Ford Center in 1982, Susan worked side by side with her mother on projects at the Center and was elected to the Center’s Board of Directors in 1992. She succeeded her mother as Chairman of the Board 2005-2010, and currently serves on the board of directors of Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation.
In addition to her many charitable public service activities, Susan serves as Co-Trustee of the President Gerald R. Ford Historical Legacy, Trustee, Trustee of the Elizabeth B. Ford Charitable Trust, and the Honorary Advisory Committee of the Children’s National Medical Center.
Tyne, mother of Joy, Queen-designate, resides in Frisco, TX with her husband Hector and two children, Joy and Cruz. She serves as a marketing manager for Western Son. With a passion for community involvement, Tyne sits on multiple school booster club boards for all her children’s activities.
On Tyne’s departure as Queen she reflected, “It was easy to be kind, gracious and humble Queen when surrounded by the people of Winchester. My five-day reign as Queen Shenandoah was an occasion that will have a special place in my heart. I have formed friendships and made memories that will hopefully stay with me for a long time to come. On Sunday morning I was doing an exit interview with one of the reporters and he asked me, “If l had a daughter would I let her be Queen?” My answer was immediately “Yes, if she’s lucky enough to be given this opportunity.” Now, Tyne eagerly anticipates returning to Winchester where Joy is set to embark on a remarkable journey, echoing Tyne’s own experiences from 23 years prior. It’s truly heartwarming to be able to share this moment with both her mother and daughter.
The Queen and her family will ride in the Hang 10 Firefighters’ Parade Friday evening at 5:30 and the glo fiber Grand Feature Parade on Saturday, May 4 at 1:30 p.m. Queen-designate Joy and her family will be making appearances at Festival events during the weekend.
Tickets to Festival events are available at www.thebloom.com/events.
Community Events
Valley Chorale Announces Upcoming Spring Concerts in Middletown and Front Royal
The Valley Chorale presents “Wishing On a Song – Music in the Key of Hope”, a spring concert exploring aspirations of love, home, spirituality and compassion that unite and uplift us all. With styles ranging from light classical and sacred to vocal jazz, spirituals and pop, The Valley Chorale strives to capture the hopes that unite us.
The Valley Chorale is known throughout the Shenandoah Valley for innovation and excellence, with piano, cello and percussion accompaniment, and their concerts are often a heart-warming experience for all. They welcome babies and tots, so no need to hire a babysitter.
Tickets can be purchased on their website TheValleyChorale.org — $15 for age 21+ (free under age 21) or at the door for $17.
SATURDAY, MAY 4, 3:00 – 4:15 PM
Belle Grove Plantation (Bank Barn), 336 Belle Grove Road, Middletown, VA
SUNDAY, MAY 5, 3:00 – 4:15 PM
First Baptist Church, 14 W. 1st Street, Front Royal, VA (Community Reception to follow)
For further information, visit the website: TheValleyChorale.org: follow them on Facebook; email them at TheValleyChorale@gmail.com or call at 540-635-4842.
(From a Release by The Valley Chorale)
Local News
Warren Coalition Announces 2024 Video Contest Winners
Just before spring break, the Warren Coalition presented first-place prizes to four students for their submissions in the annual Health Video Contest. Jerry Buhl and Kenny Buhl, brothers who are both students at Warren County Middle School, won in the categories of Eating Healthy and Getting Enough Sleep, respectively. Caleb Rodman, a local homeschool student, was honored for his submission about Drinking Enough Water. Landon Marut of Front Royal Christian Academy took the top prize in the Exercise category. Each of the students received $125 in Amazon gift cards.
The contest was open to all middle school students, ages 11-14, in Warren County. Students could elect to submit a video about getting regular exercise, getting enough sleep, drinking water, or maintaining healthy eating habits. The contest was held as part of the Warren Coalition’s WAHOO (Working to Achieve Healthy Outcomes and Opportunities) program, which is funded by the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth. Their videos will be used as healthy living ads throughout Warren County in the late spring/early summer.
Warren Coalition is a nonprofit agency established in 1994 to help fill the gaps in health care and substance abuse awareness to the community. The Coalition began under the guidance of Warren Memorial Hospital as an outreach project, but it has since grown and was incorporated in 2001. The office is currently located in the Warren County Community Center. Their mission is to make Warren County a safe, healthy, and drug free community through many programs and in collaboration with 15+ member agencies.
Local News
Warren County Habitat for Humanity Receives Major Grant to Support Housing and Community Revitalization
Warren County Habitat for Humanity has been awarded a substantial $235,466 grant from the Susan Dewey Virginia Housing Grant. This funding will enhance their ongoing efforts to revitalize neighborhoods and provide affordable housing, with a focus on the Osage Street project.
The grant, named in honor of Susan Dewey’s 25 years of dedication at Virginia Housing, underscores a commitment to eliminating substandard housing and promoting vibrant, healthy communities. It is part of a larger $1 million initiative aimed at supporting the construction, rehabilitation, and preservation of single-family homes across the state.
Warren County Habitat for Humanity is among five affiliates chosen for this generous grant. The funds are expected to aid in covering construction costs and reducing loan expenses, making homeownership more accessible to families striving for better living conditions.
Debra Siksay, President of the local Habitat chapter, expressed her gratitude, stating, “This grant from Virginia Housing is a monumental support for our Osage Street project and other endeavors. It allows us to push forward with our neighborhood improvement plans and make a lasting impact in the community.”
The organization’s mission, deeply rooted in the values of community and hope, is to ensure that every family in Warren County has a decent, safe place to call home. The Susan Dewey Virginia Housing Grant will play a crucial role in bringing that vision to life by empowering families and fostering community development.
Residents interested in learning more about the Habitat for Humanity projects or wishing to contribute can visit the Warren County Habitat website at www.warrencountyhabitat.org or contact their office at 540-551-3232.
Warren County Habitat for Humanity continues to work tirelessly towards a world where everyone has a decent place to live, supported by community efforts and generous funding such as the Susan Dewey Virginia Housing Grant.
Local News
Blue Ridge Wildlife Center Patient of the Week: Red Fox
A quick turnaround for this lucky fox!
As the only wildlife-dedicated hospital in the Northern Virginia area, we rely on a variety of other organizations to get orphaned, injured, and ill wildlife to us for treatment from various locations.
Big thank you to the Animal Welfare League of Arlington and their skilled officers for responding to a call about a fox in distress with a trap on his neck. Their quick thinking got this fox contained, the trap removed, and the fox transported to us for further evaluation and treatment.
On intake, this fox was relatively quiet but required sedation to be fully examined. While there was initially blood seen on the fox’s paw, the only major injuries found were wounds on the neck caused by the trap. The blood was likely from the fox using his paw to scratch at the trap in an attempt to remove it.
With a long-lasting antibiotic on board as well as pain medications, this fox bounced back quickly and was moved outside to a pre-release shelter for continued healing. He quickly began digging, eating, and acting appropriately towards staff.
A few good days of food and rest, this adult fox was cleared for release by our veterinary team! We are overjoyed we were able to get this beautiful guy back to the wild:
Thank you to ALL involved in this animal’s rescue, care, rehabilitation, and release. It truly takes a village and we’re so thankful to have an amazing community dedicated to the well-being of wildlife.
It’s important to note that trapping within Arlington is illegal – if you have any information on anyone setting illegal traps in Arlington, please contact the AWLA to report information!
Looking for an easy way to help native wildlife? Become a monthly BRWC donor! For as little as $5/month, you can provide year-round, sustainable support that helps us fulfill our mission.