York Notebook: Vote on Tuesday, Wittman Town Hall, Programs Win National Honors

By Sam Thrift Monday, August 22, 2011

Find out everything you need to know before heading to the polls Tuesday in the York County Notebook. Also, find out about Congressman Rob Wittman’s Town Hall meeting in Yorktown Aug. 24, where he will discuss issues facing seniors.

Voting
This is all the information you need to know before heading to the polls this Tuesday for the Republican primaries. Click on the candidate's name to read their answers to a WYDaily Q and A.

The candidates:
Virginia Senate District 3: Incumbent Thomas K. Norment, Jr. and Mark C. Frechette

York-Poquoson Commonwealth's Attorney: Incumbent Eileen M. Addison and Benjamin M. "Ben" Hahn

Board of Supervisors:
District 1: Incumbent Walter C. Zaremba and Mitchel E. Thomas
District 2: Incumbent Sheila S. Noll and G. Frank Barger
District 3: Incumbent Don E. Wiggins and Robert E. "Bob" D'Eramo
District 4: Incumbent George S. Hrichak and Jim R. Haas

Although it is a Republican primary, any registered voter – no matter their party affiliation – can vote.

The polls will be open from 6 a.m. until 7 p.m. and WYDaily will have all of the results posted as soon they are available.

To find your polling location, click here.

To see who will be on your ballot, click here.

Wittman to hold Town Hall meeting in Yorktown
Congressman Rob Wittman will be hosting a town hall meeting Aug. 24 in Yorktown to discuss issue facing seniors.

“With these meetings, seniors will have an opportunity to discuss issues affecting them directly,” said Wittman in a press release. “Seniors often ask about how recent action by Congress will affect their Social Security and Medicare, and how this work will also affect their children and grandchildren. I look forward to speaking with folks about these issues and more.”

The meeting will be at 1 p.m. at the Yorktown Senior Center, located in the Washington Square Shopping Center off of Route 17.

York County wins national awards for programs
York County won four Achievement Awards from the National Association of Counties for various county programs and initiatives.

“It is quite an honor to be recognized on the national level for programs that county staff has created and implemented,” said County Administrator James O. McReynolds in a press release. “County employees work very hard to serve the citizens of York, and these awards are recognition of a job well done.”

The award-winning programs were: Detecting the Invisible Killer, working collaboratively to address the needs of all preschool children, Virtual High School and the Functional Circuit Training Fitness Program.

The Detecting the Invisible Killer information program educated senior citizens about the sources of carbon monoxide (CO), symptoms of CO poisoning, and provided them with CO detectors for their homes. Several sessions were held with senior citizens throughout the county. Those homebound seniors unable to attend a session were visited at home by program coordinators, who also installed CO detectors while they were there.

Another program helped parents understand the difference between the preschool programs provided by the York County’s Department of Community Services’ Children’s Services Division and the York County Public School Division. Confused parents would duplicate their efforts by applying to both programs to ensure enrollment in a preschool program for their child. To help address this issue, the Children’s Services Division and the Public School Division worked to create a collaborative agreement that provides one smooth, clear preschool application process for county parents.

The Virtual High School program was a collaborative effort between the York County Public Library and the York County School Division to provide access to information technology and online learning for students who may not otherwise have access to a computer. The library provides computers, Internet access, and librarian assistance to students. The school division provides instructors, a learning management system and training to students and library staff. Since its inception, more than 350 students have been enrolled in the program.

The last award-winning program was the Functional Circuit Training Fitness Program, which was developed to help firefighters improve their health, wellness and safety. Utilizing low-cost items such as tires, rope, webbing, plywood, rubber mats and balls, chain, sledgehammers and more, staff created props that could be used by firefighters to perform functions that mimic those performed on emergency scenes. These exercises were integrated into a circuit to help firefighters simulate some of the physical strength, endurance and cardiovascular demands required during an emergency.

Bird Walk in New Quarter Park
York County residents will have a chance to go on a Bird Walk this Saturday at New Quarter Park.

The walk will begin at 7 a.m. in the park’s parking lot and will include two hours of birding along Queen’s Creek and through the park’s forested trails and meadows.

The walk will be led by Shirley Devan, Williamsburg Bird Club president, and will be conducted by the local club in partnership with York County Parks and Recreation.

Williamsburg Bird Club members have submitted lists of species sighted on walks at New Quarter Park walks to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology eBird database for more than five years.

For additional information call New Quarter Park at 890-5840.