The Front Royal/Warren County Chamber of Commerce recently celebrated the opening of Blue Ridge Mental Healthcare, LLC, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The event welcomed Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Rebecca Myers-Settle and her new practice to the community.

Mayor Lori Cockrell praised the initiative as a valuable addition to local healthcare services.  “I’m very excited to be here today with Becky. She’s a long-time member of our community and brings a needed service to our community. Mental health is the issue, and there are not enough providers. I cannot stress that enough,” she said.

Rebecca Myers-Settle, a long-time resident of Warren County, expressed her excitement and gratitude for the community’s support. “This is an exciting day. It’s been a long time coming. It’s a huge dream of mine. I am so blessed to be able to be here today and make this come to fruition,” she shared.

Blue Ridge Mental Healthcare, located at 624 Virginia Avenue in a charming Victorian house, aims to provide patients with a warm and inviting atmosphere. The practice offers mental health services to individuals of all ages, addressing various needs from youth to the elderly.

Rebecca’s background is impressive, with a bachelor’s in nursing from Shenandoah University, a master’s in healthcare management and nursing education, and a post-master’s certificate as a psychiatric nurse practitioner. Her extensive training equips her to address the community’s mental health needs effectively.

During a brief interview after the ceremony, Rebecca explained her motivation for opening the practice. “I wanted to open a mental health practice here because it is a certified need in Warren County and surrounding areas. Being able to offer this service opens access to care for individuals. I want it to be inviting, warm, and cozy,” she said.

The practice’s approach includes both direct and referral-based access to services. “We receive referrals from physicians, hospitals, and even through our website. It’s an open referral process because sometimes people need someone to listen to them, and that’s what I’m here for,” Rebecca noted.

Rebecca also highlighted her commitment to supporting local healthcare workers, law enforcement, and first responders. “I wanted to have a place for our healthcare workers, law enforcement, and first responders to come and have a person to listen to and understand,” she said.

The ribbon-cutting event began a new chapter for mental health services in Front Royal. As the community continues to face various challenges, the addition of Blue Ridge Mental Healthcare provides a crucial resource for those needing mental health support.

For more information about Blue Ridge Mental Healthcare, LLC, visit their website or welcoming office at 624 Virginia Avenue, Front Royal. Rebecca and her team are ready to help all community members on their mental health journeys.

On Monday, May 27th, the Front Royal community will gather on the lawn of the Warren County Courthouse to honor America’s fallen servicemembers during the annual Memorial Day Ceremony. This one-hour event, beginning at noon, is expected to be a moving tribute of gratitude and remembrance.

The ceremony will be led by co-chairs Skip Rogers and Robert MacDougall, who have played key roles in organizing the event. They will deliver heartfelt remarks to honor the servicemembers from Front Royal and Warren County who have sacrificed for our nation.

A highlight of the ceremony will be a flag detail by the disciplined cadets from Randolph Macon Academy. Their precise and synchronized movements in raising and lowering the flag are sure to evoke deep respect and pride among attendees. Additionally, a ceremonial bagpiper will add a touch of tradition with melodies that inspire reflection and honor.

This year’s guest of honor is Joe McFadden, a Marine combat veteran of Iraq, current member of the Virginia National Guard, local business owner of Battlegrounds Fitness, and Front Royal resident. McFadden will share his personal reflections, adding a profound and personal element to the ceremony.

The Front Royal community invites everyone to attend this free event to recognize the true meaning of Memorial Day: remembering and honoring those who have given their lives in service to our country. The ceremony offers a moment to reflect on their sacrifices and reminds us of the values and freedoms they fought to preserve.

We encourage all to join us in paying respects and remembering America’s fallen servicemembers this Memorial Day. By honoring their sacrifice, we acknowledge the cost of the freedoms we enjoy every day.

The 2024 Bay-wide Blue Crab Winter Dredge Survey results have revealed a stable blue crab population in the Chesapeake Bay. Encouraged by these findings, fisheries managers from Virginia, Maryland, and the Potomac River Fisheries Commission have decided to maintain current harvest levels while awaiting a comprehensive benchmark stock assessment.

Since 1990, the Virginia Institute of Marine Science and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources have conducted the annual Winter Dredge Survey. This survey uses traditional crab dredges to sample blue crabs at 1,500 sites throughout the Chesapeake Bay from December through March. The 2024 survey estimated the blue crab population at 317 million, with adult female crabs remaining above average for the second year.

Monitoring the adult female blue crab population is crucial, as they are essential for propagating future generations. The population has responded positively to management changes made after the 2008 Blue Crab Fishery Disaster declaration. Notably, there has been no overfishing of female crabs in 2024, continuing a positive trend.

Jamie Green, Commissioner of the Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC), highlighted the importance of Virginia’s license-specific bushel limits: “One of the most influential management measures that has contributed to the long-term success in blue crab fisheries management has been the license-specific bushel limits implemented by Virginia in 2013. This allows Virginia to reduce regulatory burdens that would economically benefit the industry while maintaining the long-term conservation goals of the joint Chesapeake Bay jurisdictions.”

However, the Chesapeake Bay Stock Assessment Committee (CBSAC) has warned that other factors affecting blue crab abundance may not be fully understood. To address this, a collaborative effort supported by Virginia, Maryland, and the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office is underway to conduct a comprehensive stock assessment over the next 2-3 years. This assessment will consider habitat availability, water temperature and salinity, ocean dynamics, and predator abundance, with the results informing future management strategies.

CBSAC recently reviewed the 2023-24 Winter Dredge Survey results, which will be detailed in the forthcoming CBSAC Annual Report, scheduled for release this June. In Virginia, stakeholders can learn more about the survey results at the Virginia Marine Resources Commission’s Crab Management Advisory Committee meeting on May 29 at 4 p.m. Additional information about public meetings can be found at MRC.Virginia.gov.

In a recent column in the “Opinion” section of the Royal Examiner, Dr. James Finck, a professor of history at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (USAO), took the time and effort to put forth some good information on the early days of Islam… a religion and ideology driving most of the events that are in the news today (Islam is not just a religion but is an all-encompassing ideology that constitutes religious, political and military components).

While trying to reconcile or spread some light on this ideology, Dr. Finck referred to some of the observations of Middle Eastern correspondent Lesley Hazleton from her “The First Muslim: The Story of Muhammad.”

Ms. Hazleton and Dr. Finck’s observations and assessments speak for themselves in attempting to explain some of the disturbing contradictions in the Quran, the Hadith, and the Sirah (the traditional Muslim biographies of the Islamic prophet Muhammad). We derive most of our information from these three sources about his life and the early period of Islam.

As we look at some of the differences in the development of Christianity and Islam over the centuries (up to this very day), it is enlightening to compare some of the fundamental differences in the founders (Jesus and Mohammed). Bill Federer has a wealth of knowledge to contribute to this important subject, and a good source for more detailed information can be found in his book What Every American Needs to Know about the Qur’an: A History of Islam & the United States.

One other point needs to be emphasized since it seems to be a tenant of Islam that is not shared by most religions, and that is “Taqyya” – sacred lying or holy deceit. This belief says what you say now can supersede and abrogate (officially called “abrogation” in Islam) something you said previously… something akin to “yes, I said that before, but now I’m saying something different (and perhaps just the opposite) so forget about what I said previously. In my mind, this explains many of the warlike statements in this “peaceful” ideology.

Let’s take a look at some of the obvious differences in Jesus and Mohammed:

JESUS is God and was a Religious Leader.
MOHAMMED was a Religious, Political, and Military Leader.

JESUS never killed anyone.
MOHAMMED killed an estimated 3,000 people, including beheading 700 Jews in Medina.

JESUS never owned slaves.
MOHAMMED received a fifth of the slaves taken in battle, including African slaves, as he was Arab.

JESUS never married.
MOHAMMED had at least 11 wives, plus concubines and women taken in battle. Aisha
was married at age 6 and consummated at age 9.

JESUS never forced followers to believe.
MOHAMMED forced followers to continue believing: “Whoever changes his Islamic religion, kill him.” Bukhari v.9, b.84, n.S7

JESUS never allowed his disciples to lie.
MOHAMMED obligated followers to lie to advance Islam. It is called “Taqyya” – sacred lying, holy deceit, and “Hudna” – when weak, make treaties until you get strong enough to disregard and then violate them.

JESUS never avenged insults, saying, “Father, forgive them.”
MOHAMMED avenged insults, ordering Ibn Khatal and his slave girls killed for writing poems that insulted him.

JESUS never allowed disciples to rape anyone.
MOHAMMED permitted followers to rape infidel women taken in battle.

JESUS never tortured anyone.
MOHAMMED had the chief of Khaybar stretched out on the ground and kindled a fire upon his chest because he would not tell where the tribe’s treasure was hidden.

JESUS never led armies, nor did his apostles. Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire for three centuries by loving their enemies and surrendering their lives for their faith.
MOHAMMED fought in 66 battles and raids, leading 27 of them, and all of Islam’s “Rightly Guided” Caliphs and Sultans commanded armies, conquering from India to France.

JESUS did not retaliate when violence was committed against him but was crucified.
MOHAMMED retaliated when violence was committed against him and ordered enemies to be killed.

JEWISH/CHRISTIAN concept of a martyr would die for their faith while forgiving their enemies.
ISLAMIC concept of martyrdom would die for their faith while killing infidel enemies of Islam.

JESUS – In the first 300 years of Christianity, there were 10 major Roman persecutions, resulting in thousands of Christians killed in the Coliseum. and many fed to the lions. During this time, never once did Christians lead an armed resistance.
MOHAMMED – During the first 300 years of Islam, Muslim armies conquered Arabia, Persia, the Holy Land, North Africa, Spain, Southern France, and Central Africa. They invaded vast areas of Northern India, Asia, and Asia Minor.

JESUS taught equality, that all men and women were made in God’s image. Matt 22:20, ref. Gen. 1:26-27,9:6
MOHAMMED did not teach equality, that Allah has no image, and that unbelievers are not equal to believing Muslims, and women are not equal to men. Sura 42:11, Sura 112:4

JESUS taught consistently in all four Gospels to love, and he never advocated violence.
MOHAMMED taught in the early verses he received while living in Mecca that there was “no compulsion in religion.” Still, these verses were abrogated and abolished by later verses received in Medina, which advocated violence toward apostates, unbelievers, and those who offended the prophet.

JESUS taught, “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, pray for them which despitefully use you.” Matt. 5:44
MOHAMMED taught, “Infidels are your sworn enemies.” Sura 4:101

JESUS taught, “Treat others how you want to be treated.” Luke 6:27-36
MOHAMMED taught, “Kill the disbelievers wherever we find them.” Sura 2: 191

JESUS taught to help disbelievers, “If ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same.” Luke 6:33; Parable of Good Samaritan; “Feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the sick, whatever you do to the very least you have done unto me.” Mat 25:40
MOHAMMED taught, “Never help the disbelievers,” Sura 28:86, and “Take neither the Jews nor the Christians for your friends.” Sura 5:51,60:13

JESUS taught, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” Mat. 6: 10-15
MOHAMMED taught to avenge trespasses and insults committed against you, your family, or your religion to restore your honor.

JESUS taught, “If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to them the other.” Mat. 5:39
MOHAMMED taught: “Strike off the heads of infidels in battle.” Sura 47:4

JESUS taught, “Judge not, that ye be not judged.” Mat. 7: 1
MOHAMMED taught: “If someone stops believing in Allah, kill him.” Bukhari 9:84:57

JESUS taught, “Resist not evil.” Mat. 5:39
MOHAMMED taught, “Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day.” Sura 9:29

JESUS taught, “Ye have heard that it was said, Thou shalt not kill, but I say whoever is angry with his brother is in danger of the judgment.” Mat. 5:21-22
MOHAMMED taught, “No Muslim should be killed for killing an infidel.” Bukhari 1 :3: 111

JESUS taught, “Forgive, and you shall be forgiven.” Mat. 6: 14
MOHAMMED taught, “The only reward of those who make war upon Allah and His messenger will be that they will be killed or crucified, or have their hands and feet on alternate sides cut off, or will be expelled out of the land.” Sura 5:33

JESUS taught, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy,” and “Blessed are the peacemakers.” Mat 5:7,9
MOHAMMED taught, “Be ruthless to the infidels.” Sura 48:29

JESUS taught, “If someone takes your coat, give them your shirt.” Mat. 5:40
MOHAMMED taught, “Make war on the infidels who dwell around you.” Sura 9:123, 66:9

JESUS taught God was “Our Father” and that all are all “children of God.” Mat. 6:10
MOHAMMED taught it is blasphemy to call Allah your father, as Allah took no wife and has no children. Sura 5: 18

JESUS taught that true religion is from the inside out, voluntary, with a God of love wanting a relationship with each person.
MOHAMMED taught that religion could be forced from the outside in, with fear of an impersonal Allah who demanded strict obedience.

JESUS taught to offer peace, if they refuse, “let your peace return to you … depart out of that city, shake off the dust of your feet.” Mat. 10:14
MOHAMMED taught to offer peace to those who submit to Allah.

JESUS taught he was the Son of God, “Again the high priest asked him … Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? And Jesus said, I am.” Mark 14:61-62, and “Jesus saith unto him, I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No man comes to the Father but by me.” John 14:6
MOHAMMED taught that believing Jesus was the Son of God was an unforgivable sin called ‘shirk’, which condemns Muslims to hell.

These are just a few contrasts between Christianity and Islam, and the differences are stark.

On May 18, 2024, the Colonel James Wood II Chapter of the Virginia Society Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) held a special ceremony to honor the winners of their annual youth contests. These contests, designed to foster an appreciation for American history, saw enthusiastic student participation across the region.

The SAR sponsors a poster contest for fourth graders (or those in grades where the American Revolution is taught). This year, students created two-dimensional posters based on events from the Revolutionary War. Participants came from public and private schools, scouting programs, and other youth groups. The top three winners received monetary awards, and the first-place winner advanced to the Virginia State Contest.

Poster Contest Winners

First place in the poster contest was awarded to Audrey Turman Bayliss for her exceptional depiction of a Revolutionary War event. Audrey’s poster also earned her a fourth-place finish at the Virginia State Contest, showcasing her talent and dedication. Second place went to Phoebe Buck, third to Nick Bosacco, and fourth to Eve Tipton.

Audrey Turman Bayliss, poster sent to Virginia State Contest. Photos courtesy of Thomas “Chip” Daniel.

, l. to r. Paul Christensen (Chapter President), Audrey Turman Bayliss, Phoebe Buck, Nick Bosacco, Eve Tipton, Brian Bayliss (Youth Committee Chair).

Brochure Contest Winners

For middle school students, the SAR conducts a brochure contest open to students in grades 6 through 9, including those in private, church-based, and home-school settings. The contest is also open to members of scouting and the Children of the American Revolution when their schools do not participate. Students create a tri-fold brochure based on one of the five foundational documents of the United States. These brochures are judged on content, creativity, and correctness.

Katie Tipton took first place in the brochure contest, impressing judges with her insightful and well-crafted brochure. Her work will now compete at the Virginia State Contest. Second place was awarded to Carley Bosacco and third place to Bethany Tipton. Like the poster contest, the top three winners received monetary awards.

. l. to r. Paul Christensen (Chapter President), Katie Tipton, Carley Bosacco, Bethany Tipton and Brian Bayliss (Youth Committee Chair).

Honoring Excellence and Encouraging Historical Appreciation

The ceremony underscored the importance of engaging young students in studying American history and recognizing their efforts and achievements. The Colonel James Wood II Chapter of the SAR is proud to support educational initiatives that promote an understanding of the nation’s foundational events and documents.

Brian Bayliss, Chair of the Chapter’s Youth Committee, highlighted the significance of these contests in his remarks. “These young historians have shown remarkable talent and dedication in their work. We are proud to support their educational journeys and encourage a deep appreciation for our nation’s history.”

Additional information about the contests and how to participate, please visit the National Society Sons of the American Revolution website or contact the Colonel James Wood II Chapter Youth Committee Chair, Brian Bayliss, at ruralvirginia@gmail.com.