May 1, 2008
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Emporia, Virginia 23847
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PUBLIC NOTICE
CITY OF EMPORIA
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that the Emporia City Council will conduct a Budget Work Session in the Conference Room of the Municipal Building, located at 201 South Main Street, Emporia, Virginia, on Thursday, May 1, 2008, at 6:00 p.m.
Should you have any questions regarding this matter, please contact the City Clerk at 434/634-7309.
Funds for reunion are due on or before May 15th
First Baptist Christian Academy (next to GES) will host a National Day of Prayer gathering around the flagpole on this Thursday at noon. Meet in front of the school. Those on lunch hour may enjoy a ham biscuit with us!
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How will you put your stimulus money to use ? |
| Save it | |
| Pay off debt | |
| Purchase some necessity(s) | |
| Replace major appliance | |
| Repairs to house | |
| Automobile costs | |
| Begin a college savings account | |
| Put toward fuel costs for summer vacation | |
| Other | |
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| 21phen - phentermine prescription | |
Please only vote once. Thanks.
Belfield's First Annual Family Bingo Night
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Belfield Elementary School Cafeteria
6:00 PM to 7:30 PM
Refreshments will be sold and non-monetary prizes will be awarded.
Just for fun, please answer the poll. Only choose one.
From the Tidewater region to the Alleghany Mountains, Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) personnel are already receiving numerous calls regarding bear sightings. With a healthy and growing black bear population, bear sightings during the spring and summer months are becoming the norm in Virginia. While the highest concentration of bears occurs in the Blue Ridge and Alleghany Mountains and around the Great Dismal Swamp, bears are likely to be seen just about anywhere in Virginia.
During the months of April and May bears have left their dens and are ending their winter fast. Bears do not eat, drink, urinate, or defecate while they are in dens. Additionally, while denning, female bears may give birth to cubs. Cubs are born weighing less than a pound and are reliant on their mother’s milk. As new spring growth emerges, so do bears, and they are following their stomachs in search of food.
Bears are highly adaptable and intelligent animals and can learn to associate human dwellings with food. In their search for food, bears are attracted to residential areas by the smell of food around homes. The most common food attractants are bird feeders, garbage, and pet food. Additionally outdoor grills, livestock food, compost, fruit trees, and beehives can also attract bears.
The best way to encourage a bear to move on is to remove the food source that is attracting it. Do not store household trash, or anything that smells like food, in vehicles, on porches or decks. Keep your full or empty trash containers secured in a garage, shed or basement. Take your garbage to the dump frequently, and if you have a trash collection service, put your trash out the morning of the pickup, not the night before. Take down your birdfeeder temporarily until the bear moves on. Consider installing electric fencing, an inexpensive and extremely efficient proven deterrent to bears, around dumpsters, gardens, beehives, or other potential food sources.
Spring in Virginia, Time for Bears
If addressed quickly, wildlife problems caused by food attractants in people’s yards can be resolved almost immediately. After you remove the food source on or around your property, the bear may remain for a short time, but after a few failed attempts to find food, it will leave your property.
Bears generally avoid humans, but in their search for food, they may wander into suburban areas. So, what should you do if you see a bear? The most important response is to keep a respectful distance. Black bears have a natural fear of humans, and in most cases would rather flee than have an encounter with people. If a bear is up a tree on or near your property, give it space. Do not approach or gather around the base of the tree. By bringing your pets inside and leaving the immediate area, you give the bear a clear path to leave your property.
If you see a bear cub in an area do not try to remove it from the area or “save it”. Female bears will wander to find food usually with her cubs in tow. If she feels nervous she will typically send her cubs up a tree and can leave the area. The mother bear will leave the cubs there until she returns and calls for them. Bear cubs left where they are will almost always be retrieved by their mother as long as there are no people or pets around.
Always remember that a bear is a wild animal, and that it is detrimental to the bear, as well as illegal in Virginia, to feed a bear under any circumstances. Even the inadvertent feeding of nuisance bears is illegal.
You can help manage the Commonwealth’s black bear population by keeping your property clear of attractants and communicating with your neighbors to resolve community bear concerns. If you visit outdoor recreation areas in bear country insist that the area supervisors manage their trash properly. Human and bear safety is the responsibility of all residents of the Commonwealth.
If you do see a bear in your area, enjoy watching it from a distance. If you experience a bear problem after taking appropriate steps of prevention, please notify the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries at 804-367-1258.
Living with Bears in Virginia, a video produced by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, is available on the Department’s website and provides tips for peacefully coexisting with bears. Please visit www.dgif.virginia.gov/wildlife/bear/ to view the video.
Black bears are becoming an increasingly common sight in Virginia — bears now live in almost every county! We are fortunate to have a healthy and sustainable population of these animals in the Commonwealth. But even as our black bear population grows and expands, at the same time, residential areas are encroaching into the forested lands and habitats used by bears and other wildlife, thus increasing the chances for bear/human interaction or conflicts. Let's all do our part to help manage black bears by watching this video and learning how to live with bears in Virginia.
The Virginia Department of Emergency Management and the Virginia Department of Health urge citizens to take necessary safety precautions to protect against injury in the aftermath of the recent tornadoes.
"Injuries can happen when people walk among debris and enter damaged buildings," said State Health Commissioner Karen Remley, M.D., M.B.A. "One study shows that half of tornado-related injuries were suffered during rescue attempts, cleanup and other post-tornado activities. Nearly a third of the injuries resulted from stepping on nails."
Other common causes of injury include falling objects and heavy, rolling objects. Because tornadoes often damage power lines, gas lines or electrical systems, there is a risk of fire, electrocution or explosion. Protecting yourself and your family requires promptly treating any injuries suffered during the storm and using care to avoid further hazards.
Here are some safety precautions that could help you avoid injury after a tornado:
* Continue to monitor the news for emergency information.
* Be careful when entering any structure that has been damaged.
* Wear sturdy shoes or boots, long sleeves and gloves when handling or walking on or near debris.
* Wear safety glasses or protective eye wear when working with debris to avoid eye injury.
* Be aware of hazards from exposed nails and broken glass.
* Do not touch downed power lines or objects in contact with downed lines. Report electrical hazards to the police and the utility company.
* Use battery-powered lanterns, if possible, rather than candles to light homes without electrical power. If you use candles, make sure they are in safe holders away from curtains, paper, wood or other flammable items. Never leave a candle burning when you are out of the room.
* Never use generators, pressure washers, grills, camp stoves or other gasoline, propane, natural gas or charcoal-burning devices inside your home, basement, garage or camper, or even outside near an open window, door or vent. Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless gas that can cause sudden illness and death if you breathe it. The gas can build up in your home, garage or camper and poison the people and animals inside. Seek prompt medical attention if you suspect carbon monoxide poisoning and are feeling dizzy, light-headed or nauseated.
* Cooperate with public safety officials.
Protect Yourself from Injury After a Tornado
Respond to requests for volunteer assistance by police, fire fighters, emergency management and relief organizations, but do not go into damaged areas unless assistance has been requested. Your presence could hamper relief efforts and you could endanger yourself.
After a tornado has passed, be aware of possible structural, electrical or gas-leak hazards in your home. Contact your local city or county building inspectors for information on structural safety codes and standards. They may also offer suggestions on finding a qualified contractor to do work for you.
* In general, if you suspect any damage to your home, shut off electrical power, natural gas and propane tanks to avoid fire, electrocution or explosions.
* If it is dark when you are inspecting your home, use a flashlight rather than a candle or torch to avoid the risk of fire or explosion in a damaged home.
* If you see frayed wiring or sparks, or if there is an odor of something burning, you should immediately shut off the electrical system at the main circuit breaker if you have not done so already.
* If you smell gas or suspect a leak, turn off the main gas valve, open all windows and leave the house immediately. Notify the gas company, the police or fire departments or State Fire Marshal's office, and do not turn on the lights, light matches, smoke or do anything that could cause a spark. Do not return to your house until you are told it is safe to do so.
During cleanup, be sure to practice safety precautions:
* Wear sturdy shoes or boots, long sleeves and gloves.
* Learn proper safety procedures and operating instructions before operating any gas-powered or electric-powered saws or tools.
* Clean up spilled medicines, drugs, flammable liquids and other potentially hazardous materials.
* Use caution or seek professional assistance when removing fallen trees, clearing debris or using equipment such as chain saws.
* Avoid lifting material weighing more than 50 pounds per person.
* Perishable foods, including meats, dairy products and eggs, that haven’t been refrigerated for more than two hours should be discarded because they are no longer safe to consume.
For more information, go to VDEM's Web site, www.vaemergency.com, or visit VDH's Web site at www.vdh.virginia.gov.
For over six decades, Ducks Unlimited has maintained a singleness of purpose that has guided the organization to become the leading waterfowl and wetlands conservation entity in North America.
Today, more than ever, Ducks Unlimited needs your help. The United States is losing more than 80,000 acres of wetland habitat annually. That's more than seven football fields every hour!
Ducks Unlimited’s conservation programs have always had a strong biological foundation. That science and research tradition continues today with hundreds of studies to address the habitat needs of waterfowl. Although a great deal of work has been done and many important questions answered, there is still much to learn about how the birds respond to landscape, habitat and environmental changes. DU has embraced an approach of constant monitoring and evaluation which allows for continual refinement of its habitat programs. In the end, such an approach ensures that each and every dollar invested in conservation programs is used as effectively and efficiently as possible.
Local Chapter of Ducks Unlimited Holds Annual Dinner/Auction
Yesterday afternoon and evening, the local members of Ducks Unlimited held their annual fundraiser. The monies raised goes for conservation.
The activities got underway about 3:30 pm with skeet shooting and outdoor displays. A social time and silent auction preceded dinner.
A live auction occurred after the steak dinner.
Ducks such as mallards, pintails and teal build nests in dense, grassy areas near wetlands. Grassland cover helps hens conceal their nests and increases their chances of successfully hatching a clutch. Once hatched, the hen leads the ducklings over land to a nearby wetland, where they grow into adults. DU and its partners help to secure and restore these grasslands to reduce predation rates and improve nest success.
Please note:
The Governing Gladiators Relay Day in the Park that was to be held on May 3, 2008 is being cancelled.
YMCA GOlf Tournament is next Wednesday.
Get your team together. If you want to use this form, place mouse on form, right click and choose print.
Death Notice:
Veronica Gray departed this life on April 30, 2008 at Halifax Regional Medical Center in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina. Funeral notice later. The Staff of Pearson Funeral Services, 556 Halifax Street, is in charge of the arrangements.
The Omicron Delta Kappa Society, Inc., The National Leadership Honor Society for college students, recognizes and encourages superior scholarship, leadership and exemplary character. Membership in ODK is a mark of highest distinction and honor.
The Society recognizes achievement in scholarship; athletics; campus or community service, social and religious activities, and campus government; journalism, speech and mass media; and the creative and performing arts. Emphasis is placed on the development of the whole person, both as a member of the college community and as a contributor to a better society
April Grizzard, daughter of Barry and Nancy Grizzard, was recently inducted into Omicron Delta Kappa Society.
April, a Virginia Tech student, was among 28 students and several faculty members installed at the induction ceremony.
April is the VP of the Wesley Foundation, a college group of Methodist students at VT.
She also works at the Admissions Department at VT. It was the Director of the Admissions Department that put April up to be reviewed for ODK.
Last month, April did a Stop Hunger Now event at VT where students pack food stuffs into bags for ready-made meals to be sent to needy populations around the globe.
April Grizzard Inducted Into College-level Honor Society
