BY KATIE DUNN★ STAFF WRITER

ST. PAUL — Plenty of thankswas expressed last Friday during aceremony that commemorated theopening of the Mountain Viewoff-highway vehicle trail system.

The system officially openedJune 25, but local, regional andstate officials gathered last weekto rejoice in what MountainView’s developers announced wasthe first of several adventuretourism initiatives slated for thecoalfields region.

Mountain View is part ofSouthwest Regional RecreationAuthority’s (SRRA) SpearheadTrails initiative, which is focusedon creating multi-use recreationaltrails throughout SouthwestVirginia.

Mountain View offers 60 to 70miles of trail accessible off ThirdAvenue just outside downtown St.Paul and adjacent to Maggie WayCampground.

As speakers swapped storiesand offered thanks at the trailheadlast week, all-terrain vehicles, orATVs, rumbled by toward the newtrail.

SRRA Board ChairwomanCharlotte Mullins calledMountain View “a new creativeeconomic development initiative”for the coalfields region. Mullinsalso serves as executive director ofDickenson County’s IndustrialDevelopment Authority.Southwest Virginia’s mountainousterrain and the trails that traverse itare an asset that can help breathenew life into a struggling region,she said, noting St. Paul hasalready capitalized on MountainView’s economic potential.

Town businesses sell trail per-mits and some are expanding toaccommodate ATV riders.Mullins said Maggie WayCampground’s owner, BuckHylton, donated the land for thetrailhead and built a 2.5-mile con-nector trail to the Mountain Viewsystem at his own expense. He hasalso expanded his campground,remodeling the bathroom facilityto include showers and laundryfacilities, and is considering the

addition of cabins. Mullins also said Bailey

Hardware has begun selling ATVapparel and transformed spaceabove the store into two apart-ments that have already been rent-ed to ATV riders.

She likened the SpearheadTrails initiative to a water andsewer project. The trails authorityis installing the infrastructureneeded to create a “fertile environ-ment for businesses to grow andprosper.”

Its efforts have even garnerednational exposure. The New YorkTimes recently ran an op-ed pieceabout Big Stone Gap’s MutualDrug Cafeteria closing. In the arti-cle, it was noted that recreationalefforts like Spearhead Trails couldhelp revitalize the region. The trailsystem was also featured on theOutdoor Channel Network’sFisher’s ATV World. Mullins saidthe show will return to MountainView this October to shoot anoth-er episode.

Since June, more than 750 per-mits and 65 day passes have beensold, which Mullins said surpassesthe number of permits sold byWest Virginia’s Hatfield-McCoyTrails ATV system during its firstyear of operation.

STICK TOGETHERBuilding upon Mullins’ hopes

for economic revitalizationthrough adventure tourism, sever-al speakers mentioned that theseventures will require collabora-tion.

St. Paul Mayor Kyle Fletchersaid his town is the first to benefitfrom SRRA’s efforts, but the trailsbuilding initiative will impact the

entire region. Localities mustwork together to reap these bene-fits, he added.

Del. Joe Johnson also cited col-laboration as the linchpin that willensure the effort succeeds.Johnson will retire Jan. 1 from theVirginia General Assembly afterserving 28 years. During hisspeech, he also thanked those whohad supported him.

“In all sincerity, I just love rep-resenting you people. I love you.You’ve been so good to me, sokind to me,” he said. “I appreciateall the wonderful things thatyou’ve done to make me happy,and I’m happy to see you smile. Ijust can see you smiling, riding offin one of these ATVs and thatpleases me very much.”

Fellow Del. Israel O’Quinnalso spoke, stating that theregion’s mountains are a blessingdespite the challenges they some-times pose. “But as it is witheverything else, we people here in

Southwest Virginia are pretty cre-ative and we adapt,” he said.“Here we are today using themountains we’ve been given for agreat cause and that is adventuretourism.”

Wise County Board ofSupervisors’ District Four repre-sentative Robby Robbins spokeon behalf of the board. He toostressed the importance of outdoorrecreation as a tourism tool.“Times are getting hard and we’rereally going to have to dedicateourselves to tourism in all formsand fashions,” he said, noting thatit will likely become one of thepredominant industries inSouthwest Virginia. “Everyonewill have to stand together nowand we will have to face this as agroup. If we can’t do that, we’ll bein trouble.”

OTHER INITIATIVESSeveral other Spearhead Trails

initiatives are also in motion.

SRRA Chairwoman Mullinssaid construction of an ATV sys-tem in Tazewell County shouldbegin soon now that the final landuse agreement has beenacquired.

Work to map out a system forBuchanan and Dickenson countieshas also begun. Mullins saidSRRA officials are working withthe coal and gas industries — theyown mineral rights to much of theland the ATV trails will access —to determine the best route for thetrails. Plans for an ATV system inLee County are also progressing.

Mullins said the authority isalso working with Scott County toprovide more equestrian trails.

She stressed that SRRA wasnot commissioned by the state leg-islature to build only ATV trails,but also blueways, hiking, bikingand equestrian trails. Its initialfocus has been on ATVs becausethat’s where the money is, shesaid.

PAGE 2 ■ WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2013 ■ THE DICKENSON STAR

The Dickenson Star(684-350)

Published weekly, everyWednesday, at Clintwood, VA 24228

By AHP of Virginia.Periodical Postage Rate paid

at Clintwood, VA andat additional mailing offices

(ISSN #1081-1885).

POSTMASTERsend address changes to

The Dickenson Star, P.O. Box 707,Clintwood, VA 24228.

Subscriptions: $35 per year insideDickenson County; $53 in market

area; $64 elsewhere.

Member of Virginia Press Assoc.& National Newspaper Association.

PHONE (276) 926-8816

BRAMWELL, W.Va. (AP) — While work onnew ATV lodgings is under way in Mercer County,it still isn’t enough to meet the growing demand forrooms.

ATV enthusiasts from across the nation have rid-den the Pocahontas Trail since it opened in May2012.

The trail is a new branch of the Hatfield-McCoyTrail.

Apartments, homes and even a former post officehave been converted into ATV lodgings to meet thedemand for accommodations.A 50-cottage resort isexpected to open by next spring and another entre-preneur is creating ATV lodging in downtownPocahontas, Va.

Jeff Lusk, director of the Hatfield-McCoy TrailAuthority, told the Bluefield Daily Telegraph thatdespite all the construction, more lodging is needed.

Lusk said that every time new beds becomeavailable, trail pass sales increase, and the influx ofnew riders soon exceeds the lodging space. He saysmore lodging is critical to the success of the trail.For example, this year has seen a 13 percentincrease in permit sales, but there has not been a 13percent increase in local lodging to match it, Lusksaid.

“The velocity of the opening of these places isnot keeping up with the demand,” Lusk said. “Webelieve there is potential for many, many more lodg-ing providers and hundreds of more beds.”

A new path to growth?Event opens ATV trails

Several riders prepare to hit the trails following the ceremony.

PHOTOS BY KATIE DUNN

The Mountain

View off-high-

way vehicle

trail system

officially

opened June

25, but local,

regional and

state officials

gathered at

the trailhead

last Friday for

a ribbon

cutting

ceremony.

In West Virginia, ATV lodgings struggle to meet demand‘We believe there is

potential for many, many

more lodging providers

and hundreds

of more beds.’

— Jeff Lusk,

Hatfield-McCoy Trail

Authority director

An ATV

rider

travels

toward

Mountain

View’s

trails

network.

RICHMOND (AP) —More than 4,000 Virginiastudents with cognitivedisabilities were incorrect-ly told they had passed atest after a scoring error bya national company with ahistory of similar mis-takes.

The Washington Postreported Aug. 14 that test-ing company Pearson pro-vided miscalculated score-cards to school divisionsover the summer to judgethe assessments taken lastschool year. Scores thatshould have registered as afail instead were given ahigher proficiency level.

Virginia has a three-year, $110 million contractwith Pearson to administerand score state tests.

The company apolo-gized to students, parentsand the VirginiaDepartment of Educationin a statement.

“We understand theimportance of accuratereporting and know thatthe school divisions arenow working very hard tomake internal adjustmentsto their scores beforereporting them to parentsand the state,” said SusanAspey, a spokesman forPearson.

Pearson issued a simi-lar apology last spring formaking mistakes in thescoring of admissions tests

for gifted and talented pro-grams in New York Citypublic schools. Other scor-ing problems in recentyears caused delays infinal test results in Floridaand Minnesota.

Pearson and state edu-cation officials said theproblem in Virginia cameafter the company provid-ed miscalculated score-cards to show how thescores were converted intoproficiency levels: fail,pass/proficient orpass/advanced.

Some school districts,including many in heavily

populated northernVirginia, already hadgiven parents the resultsbefore the error was dis-covered in late July.

The botched scorecardswere for the VirginiaAlternative AssessmentProgram, given to studentswith serious cognitive dis-abilities who are unable totake regular Standards ofLearning tests. The portfo-lio-style tests review stu-dent work that is compiledthroughout the schoolyear.

Usually, the portfoliosare evaluated on the local

level, but Pearson wastasked with judging thescoring this year becausethe state is moving to newstandards, said CharlesPyle, a spokesman for theVirginia Department ofEducation.

Pyle called the mistake“truly regrettable.”

Virginia education offi-cials plan to meet withPearson representativesthis week to discuss theproblems and whether thestate might receive anyfinancial compensation.

★ WEDNESDAY, AUG. 21Dickenson County Boardof Public Welfare, 5 p.m. inthe Department of SocialServices building, BrushCreek Road, Clintwood.(Director Susan Mullins,926-1661)

★ TUESDAY, AUG. 27Dickenson CountyTourism Committee, 5 p.m.at various locations through-out the county. Call for thismonth’s site. (Rita Surratt,276-926-6074)

★ WEDNESDAY, AUG. 28Dickenson County SchoolBoard, 5 p.m. at the schoolboard office, 309 VolunteerSt., Clintwood. (Clerk RebaMcCowan, 926-4643)

★ TUESDAY, SEPT. 3Haysi Town Council, 7 p.m.in the first floor meetingroom of town hall, MainStreet. (Clerk Mona Duncan,865-5187)

★ WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 4

Dickenson CountyIndustrial DevelopmentAuthority, 6 p.m. at itsoffice at 1019 Happy ValleyDrive, Clintwood. (ExecutiveDirector Charlotte Mullins,926-1699)

★ TUESDAY, SEPT. 10Dickenson CountyChamber of CommerceBoard of Directors, noon atthe chamber office, 194Main Street, Clintwood.(Director Rita Surratt, 926-6074)Clintwood Town Council, 6 p.m. at town hall, MainStreet. (Clerk Judy Steele,926-8383)

★ WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 11Lonesome Pine Soil andWater ConservationDistrict Board, 10 a.m. atthe Coalfield AgriculturalCenter, Route 83, RedOnion Mountain.(Administrative SecretaryBobbi Rasnick, 926-6621)

Week features more typical pattern for August

BY WAYNE BROWNING★ NATIONAL WEATHER OBSERVER

This week finds a more typicalweather pattern for mid-late Augustwith moist air and a daily chance ofhit-miss showers and downpours inthunderstorms. Such was the caseMonday with abundant clouds andscattered showers. The missing ingre-dient continued to be any true heat,with seasonable temperatures for thistime of year.

A frontal passage will be noted byFriday but the European Model keepsthe much drier, cooler air to our eastand northeast; although, there may besome brief drop in dewpoints. Whilethat could change with time, the trendappears to be one that will feature nomore strong cool pushes across thesouthern Appalachians untilSeptember arrives.

The first half of August was coolerand wetter than average. Daily highsranged from the 60s to upper 70s, with50s to middle 60s at night. Nice for atime of year when temps can some-times soar. In fact, it was just oppositelast week with morning hours of Aug.15 featuring the coolest conditions of

Summer 2013 when widespread 40s to lower 50s werefelt. Mid-upper eleva-tion mountain valleys,above 2,000 feet,dropped into the 40 to45 degree range fromthe City of Norton andHigh Knob Massif toBurkes Garden.Downright chilly forcertain!

Gary Hampton,superintendent of theBig Stone Gap WaterPlant, reported 5.47 inches of rain during the first half ofAugust at his location near the mouth of South ForkGorge above Cracker Neck. This made 50.21 inches ofprecipitation for 2013 and was a little more than 4.00inches above that observed in the City of Norton butsome 5.00 to 10.00 inches less than wettest places in theHigh Knob Massif. No surprise, Big Cherry Lake hasbeen overflowing its spillway all summer!

Long Ridge of Sandy Ridge: 42.36

Clintwood NWS: 36.42Norton Water Plant: 45.95

Big Cherry Dam: 54.41

YEAR-TO-DATE PRECIPITATION (IN INCHES)

Wednesday:Showers like-ly & possibly

a thunder-storm. High

near 80Wednesday

Night:Showers like-ly & possibly

a thunder-storm. Lowaround 65

Thursday: Achance ofshowers.

High near 78Thursday

Night: Partlycloudy. Low

around 65Friday: A

chance ofshowers &

thunder-storms.

High near 81

OBSERVATIONS RECORDED AUG. 13-19 AT 7 A.M. DAILYE-mail weather reports to nws441825@comcast.net.Web site address:http://www.highknoblandform.com/

CLINTWOOD ■ ELEVATION 1560 FT.NWS OBSERVER WAYNE BROWNING

LONG RIDGE ■ ELEVATION 2650 FT.OBSERVERS WAYNE AND GENEVIE RINER

Tue Wed Thur Fri Sat Sun MonPrec 1.02 .59 .00 .00 00 .02 .04High 77 75 69 73 77 70 76Low 67 56 49 56 58 62 65

Tue Wed Thur Fri Sat Sun MonPrec. .52 .32 00 .00 .00 .07 .03High 76 78 67 71 77 68 73Low 64 54 49 56 58 57 60

Corrections, clarifications

We publish corrections of fact that come to our attention andclarifications that make the news more understandable. ContactEditor Paula Tate at 276-926-8816 or e-mail ptate@coalfield.com.

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THE DICKENSON STAR ■ WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2013 ■ PAGE 3

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Inspector general probes AG office actionsBY LARRY O’DELLASSOCIATED PRESS

BRISTOL (AP) — Virginia’sinspector general is investigatingwhether one of Attorney GeneralKen Cuccinelli’s assistants improp-erly offered legal advice to twoenergy companies, including a sub-sidiary of a corporation that hasdonated more than $100,000 toCuccinelli’s gubernatorial cam-paign.

Cuccinelli refused to answerquestions about the investigation atan Aug. 13 news conference on hiseducation platform, but he issued awritten statement a few minuteslater predicting his office would becleared.

“We’re glad the InspectorGeneral’s Office has been lookinginto this case because they’re goingto find that our office acted appro-priately,” the Republican said.

The investigation was promptedby a judge’s criticism of AssistantAttorney General Sharon Pigeon’semails to attorneys for EQTProduction Co. and CNX, which arebeing sued by southwest Virginialandowners seeking nearly $30 mil-lion in natural gas royalties tied upin state-mandated escrow accounts.U.S. Magistrate Pamela MeadeSargent said in court papers in earlyJune that she was shocked thatPigeon seemed to offer thePittsburgh-based energy companies’attorneys advice on how to fight thelawsuits.

“We’re looking into it,” InspectorGeneral Michael Morehart said in atelephone interview Aug. 13. “Ourjob is to make sure, as best we can,that the resources of the common-wealth are utilized effectively andappropriately for their intended pur-pose.”

The dispute dating back more

than a decade involves thousands ofwells the companies drilled in south-west Virginia to remove methanegas from coal seams. The landown-ers argue they were cheated out ofmillions in royalties, which theVirginia Gas and Oil Board placedin an escrow account until the matteris settled.

Democratic state Sen. PhillipPuckett, whose district includes thecounties where the coalbed methanehas been drilled, asked the inspectorgeneral to investigate whether theattorney general’s office acted prop-erly. However, Morehart said helaunched the investigation on hisown after receiving informationabout “alleged inappropriate utiliza-tion of commonwealth resources.”

He emphasized that he is notspecifically investigatingCuccinelli. The IG’s office was cre-ated in 2011 to investigate allega-tions of waste, fraud, abuse or cor-ruption in state agencies, but it lacksauthority under state law to investi-gate elected officials.

That didn’t stop Cuccinelli’sDemocratic opponent, TerryMcAuliffe, from criticizing hisopponent over the issue. McAuliffe,whose electric car company is underinvestigation by the Securities andExchange Commission, called onthe attorney general to recuse hisoffice from the natural gas royaltiescase.

“It is completely inappropriatethat Cuccinelli continues his role inthe case despite being under investi-gation for his conduct,” McAuliffesaid in a written statement.

Cuccinelli previously recused hisoffice from defending the state in atax dispute with nutritional supple-ment maker Star Scientific becausehe had owned stock in the companyand had accepted lake house vaca-tions and private plane rides from its

chief executive.Even before last week’s develop-

ment, McAuliffe used the gas royal-ties dispute for campaign fodder.His campaign is running a televisioncommercial featuring a southwestVirginia resident complaining aboutthe attorney general’s actions in thecase and saying she doesn’t trustCuccinelli.

The attorney general has defend-ed the actions of Pigeon, who advis-es the Virginia Oil and Gas Board.He said earlier this summer that shehad a narrow interest in the case —defending the Virginia Gas and OilAct, which he said attorneys for thelandowners were trying to strikedown as unconstitutional.

He also rejected “in the strongestpossible terms” any suggestion thatcampaign donations from ConsolEnergy, the parent company ofCNX, have influenced his office’shanding of the case.

In her June opinion recommend-ing that the landowners’ claims becertified as a class action, Sargentsaid Pigeon’s counsel went beyondconstitutional issues.

“Shockingly, these emails showthat the Board, or at least Pigeon,has been actively involved in assist-ing EQT and CNX with the defenseof these cases, including offeringadvice on and providing informationfor use on the Motions before thecourt,” she wrote.

In court papers, an attorney forEQT called Pigeon’s comment “agratuitous personal observation”that is irrelevant to the case.

Don Barrett, an attorney for thelandowners, has accused the Gasand Oil Board and Pigeon of being“stooges” for the gas companies.

Republicans have criticizedPuckett because he is an officer inan Abingdon bank that holds theroyalties in escrow.

4,000 students receive incorrect test scores

FREEMAN MACK ARTRIP

Freeman Mack Artrip, age 80, passed away, Friday,Aug. 16 at Russell County Medical Center.

He was a retired coal miner and aveteran of World War II. He was pre-ceded in death by his parents, Russelland Rachael Artrip, and one sister,Ann Cordel.

He is survived by daughtersDebbie Artrip of Lynchburg andGlenda Artrip of Clinchco; brother

Delbert (Mildred) Artrip of Huba Heights, Ohio; grand-daughter Amber Fleming of Jacksonville, N.C.; andgreat-grandson William Fleming of Jacksonville, N.C.

A military graveside service was conducted Tuesday,Aug. 20 at 1 p.m. at Forest Hills Memorial Cemetery,Abingdon, with Ricky Duncan officiating. Pallbearerswere Randy Newberry, Edgar Rose, Mark Artrip, BJFleming, Doug Kidd and Kevin Rose.

Mullins Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.Online condolences may be made at mullinsfuneral-home3@verizon.net.

NELSON CHARLESCLINCHCO

Nelson Charles, age 81, passed away Tuesday, Aug. 13at Mountain View Regional Medical Center, Wise.

He was a lifelong resident ofDickenson County and a member ofMill Creek Freewill Baptist Church.

He was preceded in death by his par-ents, Mack and Annie Charles; onedaughter, Fayrene Lishman; two sisters,Trinie O’Quinn and Artie Ratliff; twobrothers, Kedna Charles and Richard

Charles; and 17 half-brothers and half-sisters.He is survived by his loving wife of 35 years, Nan

Charles of Clinchco; daughter Barbara (Carl) Hollifieldof Green Cove Springs, Fla., son John (Lisa) Sutherlandof Green Cove Springs, Fla.; brother Jerry Charles ofClinchco; eight grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren;several nieces and nephews; and special canine friendGizmo.

Funeral services were conducted Friday, Aug. 16 at 11a.m. at Mill Creek Freewill Baptist Church with MichaelRasnick, Doug Moore and Bob Bowman officiating.

Burial followed in the Rasnick Cemetery, Neely Ridgesection of Clinchco. Pallbearers were Louie Garrett, MikeGarrett, Steve Blansett, Mike Charles, Brandon Rasnickand Bradley Edwards. Honorary pallbearers were CarlHollifield, Don Ratliff, Poky Branham, Marvin Carico,Paul Bloodgood, Dr. Lurton Lyle, Tivis Rasnick, RonnieRasnick, Verlan Deel, Roy Garrett, Danny Honaker, JamieHonaker and Don Polzin.

A song service was held Thursday, Aug. 15 at 7 p.m. atMullins Funeral Home Chapel. The family receivedfriends before the service.

Online condolences may be made at mullinsfuneral-home3@verizon.

net.

PEARL CHILDRESSCLINCHCO

Pearl Childress, age 89, passed away Tuesday, Aug. 13,2013 at her residence.

Born in Dickenson County, she wasthe daughter of the late Lewis Henryand Isabell Turner Harrison. She was amember of Sandlick Primitive BaptistChurch and a former member of HaysiFriend Finders. She had worked as anaide at Clinchco Elementary Schooland at M&M Drive-In, The Laurel

Shop and Sam’s Deli.In addition to her parents, she was preceded by her first

husband, Elder James Roy Reece; four brothers, Bill,Howard, Johnny and Emory Carter Harrison; and one sis-ter, Myrtle Deel.

Survivors include Floyd Childress; daughters Sandy(Jerry) Thomas of Haysi, Dianne (Dean) Worley ofMeadowview, and Debbie (Carl) Mullins of McClure;grandchildren Rita (Walt) Johnson, Mitch (Rhonda)Thomas, Chris (Sandy) Lowery, Jamie Lowery, LakeshaAnderson, and Brett (Jennifer) Dearmen; step-grandchil-dren Jason Worley, Jessica Dutton, and Cynthia, Timmy,and Jessica Mullins; great-grandchildren Tanner (Lahina),Noah, and Trace Johnson, Morgan and Wyatt Thomas,

Brennan, Casey and Kaitlyn Lowery, and Akasha andExodus Anderson; step great-grandchildren Trevor,Alexis, Haleigh, Dru, Jake, and Elijah; sisters-in-lawLorena and Jean Harrison and Melster Tracy; and care-givers Kathy Jones and Nan Edwards.

Funeral services were conducted at 11 a.m. Friday,Aug. 16 at Haysi Funeral Home with elders Price Viers,Roger Fuller, Bobby Rose, Jim O’Quinn, Joe Edwardsand Garnell Gilbert officiating.

Burial followed in the Sutherland Cemetery, Bee.Pallbearers were grandsons.

An evening service was held at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug.15 at the funeral home. The family received friends beforethe service.

Online condolences may be sent to www.haysifuner-al.com.

KENDRA DAWN FULLERBIRCHLEAF

Kendra Dawn Fuller, age 20 months, passed awayWednesday, Aug. 14 at her home.

She was preceded in death by her maternal grandmoth-er, Sandra Tucker, and paternal grandparents, KennethDarrell Fuller Sr. and Goldie B. Fuller.

Survivors include her parents, Avery and Rachel Fullerof Birchleaf; three sisters, Jasmin Jade Fuller, GabriellaMarie Fuller and Haliegh Grace Fuller; a brother, DylanMichael Fuller; maternal grandfather, Earl Tucker ofCoolville, Ohio; aunts, Shyla Tucker, Shannon Tucker,Lisa Anderson and LeAnn Counts; and uncles, KennethFuller Jr. and Chris Fuller.

Funeral services were conducted at 5 p.m. Friday, Aug.16 at Haysi Funeral Home with Lonnie Fuller officiating.

Burial was at the family cemetery in Coolville, Ohio. The family received friends Friday, prior to the funeral

service.Online condolences may be sent to www.haysifuner-

al.com.

AVERY E. MULLINSCLINTWOOD

Avery E. Mullins, age 85, passed away Saturday, Aug.17 at Heritage Hall in Clintwood.

He was a veteran of the Korean andVietnam Conflicts. He was also aretired miner. Avery was a member ofthe Cumberland Church of theBrethern. After his retirement, hisgreatest enjoyment came from garden-ing and going to the flea market with

Jetheral, his wife of 62 years.He was preceded in death by his parents, Dock P and

Pearlie Cumbo Mullins; two brothers, Rev. Hie A.Mullins and Guy Mullins; and three sisters, Mae Brown,Joy Mullins and Janice Whittington.

He is survived by his wife, Jetheral Sluss Mullins ofClintwood; sons Elliot (Angie) Mullins of Chesterfield,and Michael (April) Mullins of Clintwood; daughtersDiana (Jerry) Mann and Denise (Randy) Beverly, bothof Clintwood; granddaughters Randi Renee Beverly andcompanion Kemper Edwards of Clintwood and ChristiMullins of Chesterfield; grandsons Tyler (April)Beverly and Jarod Mann, both of Clintwood, and Austin(Dana) Mullins of Chesterfield; great-grandson AydnBeverly of Clintwood; brother Rev. Lee (Lois) Mullinsof Marion, Ohio; and sisters Greta Rank and Ella Faye(Carroll) Puckett, both of Clintwood.

Funeral services were conducted Tuesday, Aug. 20at 11 a.m. at Mullins Funeral Home Chapel with HaroldRose and Joe Glenn Sluss officiating.

A military graveside service was conducted by VFWPost 8979 at the Dock Mullins Cemetery, Wolfe Pensection of Clintwood. Burial followed. Pallbearerswere Randy Beverly, Kemper Edwards, Tyler Beverly,Michael E. Mullins, Robert Puckett and Scott Mullins.Honorary pallbearers were Jerry Mann, Roger Ramey,Kenneth Ramey, Crawford Ramey, Ivis Phipps, HarryRoberts, Wiley Deloach, Timothy Deloach and KeithDeloach.

A song service was held Monday, Aug. 19 at 7 p.m.at Mullins Funeral Home Chapel. The family receivedfriends before the service.

The family extends a special thanks to the staff ofHeritage Hall and to Mullins Funeral Home.

Avery will be sadly missed.Online condolences may be made at mullinsfuneral-

home3@verizon.net.

BEULAH BLANCHE PHILLIPSDANTE

Beulah Blanche Phillips, 83, of Dante, died Friday,Aug. 16 at her home.

She was born in Mendota, thedaughter of the late Shaler and MollyJohnson Kiser. She was preceded indeath by her husband, Laborn A.Phillips, Jr.; two sons, RonniePhillips and James Phillips. She wasof the Pentecostal faith.

She is survived by three sons, Harry Phillips andwife Janice of Dante, Claude Phillips and wife Bonnie,and Shaler Phillips and wife Annmarie, all of Hildebran,N.C.; two daughters, Barbara Phillips Lowe and hus-band Newman of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., and DebraKeith and husband Johnny of St. Paul; two sisters, RubyPhillips and Goldie Phillips, both of Dante; 23 grand-children; 10 great grandchildren; one great-great grand-child; several nieces and nephews.

Funeral services for Beulah Blanche Phillips wereconducted at 2 p.m. Monday, Aug. 19 in CastlewoodFuneral Home Chapel, Castlewood, with Rev. LarryPhillips officiating.

Interment followed in Phillips Cemetery, Dante.Pallbearers were family and friends.

The family received friends from 6-9 p.m. Sunday,Aug. 18, 2013 in Castlewood Funeral Home.

Online condolences may be sent to the Phillips fam-ily and a video tribute may be viewed at www.castle-woodfuneralhome.com.

STEPHANIE MICHELLE PHIPPS

Stephanie Michelle Phipps, age 19, passed away onMonday, Aug. 12 at Duke University Medical Center.

She was preceded in death by herpaternal grandmother, Lavonda SuePhipps, and her maternal grandfather,Jerel “Gerald” Ray Stanley.

She is survived by her mother,Patricia (Tim) Austin of Radford;father, Wesley Burns (Alecia) Phippsof Chattanooga, Tenn.; sisters AshleyNicole Phipps of Radford and Morgan

Rena Phipps of Christiansburg; paternal grandfather,Harold Phipps of Clintwood; and maternal grandmoth-er, Anna Stanley of Coeburn.

A memorial service was held Saturday, Aug. 17 at 2p.m. at Mullins Funeral Home Chapel with Terry Roseofficiating. The family received friends before the serv-ice.

Burial followed at Rufus Stanley Cemetery, CaneyRidge section of Clintwood.

Online condolences may be made at mullinsfuneral-home3@verizon.net.

CAROL LEE GIBSON EDWARDS SMITHCOUNCIL

Carol Lee Gibson Edwards Smith, age 40, passedaway Friday, Aug. 16 at her home.

Born March 12, 1973 in TazewellCounty, she is a daughter of JoAnnGibson Stacy and the late ArnoldGibson. She was a homemaker andof the Pentecostal faith.

In addition to her father, she waspreceded in death by a brother,Lonnie Gibson, and nieces DeAnnaLee Gibson and Keelis Lee Gibson.

In addition to her mother, survivors include her foursons, Claudie Craig Edwards II, Chandler Lee Edwards,Christopher Lee Edwards and Cory Lee Edwards; threesisters, Connie Gibson and Doris (Ricky) Stacy, both ofHurley, and Bonnie Gibson of Lexington, N.C.; a broth-er, Ronnie Gibson of Hurley; and a host of nieces andnephews.

The Edwards boys want to thank everyone for theirlove and support and everything done to help them dur-ing the loss of their mother, especially Pastor DavidCummings of Sandlick Presbyterian Church.

Funeral services were conducted at 11 a.m. Tuesday,Aug. 20 at Haysi Funeral Home with Pastor DavidCummings officiating.

Burial followed in Gibson and Rife Cemetery,Hurley. Family and friends served as pallbearers.

Online condolences may be sent to www.haysifuner-al.com.

PAGE 4 ■ WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2013 ■ THE DICKENSON STAR

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Letters • Commentary • Personal Observations

PAGE 6

WEDNESDAY ■ AUGUST 21, 2013

TheDickenson Star

The Dickenson StarPUBLISHED WEEKLY, EVERY WEDNESDAY BY AMERICAN HOMETOWN PUBLISHING, P.O. BOX 707, CLINTWOOD, VA. 24228 276-926-8816

★ Editor: Paula Tate★ Staff Writer: Teresa Mullins

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★ Bookkeeper: Georgette Hamilton

Political correctness is destroying our Bill of RightsBY DOUG PATTON

“We have met the enemy, and he isus.” — Pogo

What’s more chilling than a peopleoppressed by a Hitler, a Mao or a Stalin?A people that voluntarily oppresses itself,a reality that has now afflicted America.

We have watched over the last 40years as American women have gone —willingly in most cases — into abortionmills to destroy one-third of a generation.

We have seen speech codes pop up oncollege campuses banning any conserva-tive expression, and watched as so-calledhate crimes legislation appeared on thebooks as the law of our land, a dangerousprecedent if ever there was one.

Homosexual special rights groupshave foisted their hateful rhetoric on us

and cowered many into agreeing to sup-port a same-sex “marriage” agenda thatwill fundamentally transform this countryinto something so perverse that none of uswill even recognize it in 10 years.

A shrinking number of Americansbelieve it is their right to keep and beararms, even though their own preciousConstitution guarantees it.

We have allowed our own governmentofficials to spy on us, ostensibly to protectus from the very terrorists they haveallowed into the country.

In short, self-engendered political cor-rectness is destroying our Bill of Rights.

So should it come as any surprise that

political correctness has so permeated thefabric of our society that a rodeo clown isnow public enemy number one? I refer, ofcourse, to the recent incident at theMissouri State Fair, where a rodeo clowndressed in a Barack Obama mask dared tomake fun of the President of the UnitedStates.

Rodeo clowns are there to distract thebulls and to entertain the crowd, which isexactly what this clown was doing. Heappeared in the arena, wearing the Obamamask and a broomstick protruding fromthe rear of his pants. Meanwhile, anannouncer — apparently another clownwith a wireless microphone — asked thecrowd if they would like to see the Obamaclown run down by a bull. The audiencecheered enthusiastically. Video of theevent has since gone viral on the Internet.

Fair officials dubbed the stunt “uncon-scionable.” The clown in the Obamamask has since been banned — for life!— from performing at the Missouri StateFair. (A-Rod gets a season-and-a-half.This poor guy is banned for life.) And therest of the rodeo staff is to be subjected tothe humiliation of “sensitivity training.”

Meanwhile, Mary Ratliff, president ofthe Missouri chapter of the NAACP,issued this statement: “The activities atthe Missouri State Fair, targeting andinciting violence against our president,are serious and warrant a full review byboth the Secret Service and the JusticeDepartment. Incidents involving individ-uals acting out with extreme violentbehavior in movie theaters, schools,

Patton

BY GLENN GANNAWAY★ STAFF WRITER

For reasons we need not go into here, I catch quitea few of the movies on the Lifetime Movie Channel.About 90 percent of the movies, by my reckoning,use the same plot, with variations in hair styles, set-ting, and the relationships among the protagonists andantagonists.

Here’s the basic plot:Act. 1: Woman meets man who appears to be per-

fect. He lives in a house that would put Biltmore toshame, loves her children from a previous marriagelike they were his own, is a physician in a charity hos-pital, and spends his weekends working with his com-munity’s raccoon rescue effort.

Act 2: Clues to the man’s secret past begin toemerge, leaving the woman to conclude that he mur-dered at least 11 of his previous 12 wives. (Laptopcomputers always figure prominently at this point;can’t remember how they handled this act 30 yearsago.) She reaches out for help; however, her motherand the police don’t believe her. Oh, mom!

Act 3: Woman engages in physical fight for herlife against the formerly perfect man, who is nowfully revealed as a two-legged monster. She managesto lay hands on a butcher knife just as the man isabout to push her through a window of the third-storykitchen. (The kitchens in all these movies are bristlingwith butcher knives; I think we’ve got two, andthey’re at the back of a drawer.) Having avoideddefenestration and (a. mortally wounded) or (b.killed) her evil husband, the woman emerges victori-ous just as the police — including the cute detectivewho had shown her sympathy from the beginning —arrive to clean up the mess.

I’m picking on Lifetime Movie Channel onlybecause, as stated above, I watch quite a bit of its farefor reasons not to be discussed here. The truth is, lookat any aspect of mass culture and you find the samedependence on formula. The music industry makesmore hot dogs than Oscar Meyer. Publishers churnout warm and witty works of fiction with easily fol-lowed narrative structures.

Well, I suppose we should thank these industriesfor being such do-gooders and keeping us out ofharm’s way. No need of blowing the circuits of thealready overloaded American consumer by makingartistic challenge a part of his daily fare. To say noth-ing of the artist, who, under prevailing conditions,isn’t expected to do more than master the canon of his

Pop culture is taking

‘Whizz Bang’ approach

G a n n a w a y

PLEASE SEE PATTON, PAGE 7

★ Publisher/Executive Editor: Jenay Tate

PLEASE SEE GANNAWAY, PAGE 7 SEE LETTERS, PAGE 7

Let ters

Cuccinelli actually a fiscal liberal

To the Editor:Ken Cuccinelli cam-

paigns to be Virginia’snext governor as a tight-fisted, frugal fiscal con-servative except when itcomes to his attorney gen-eral’s office.

Cuccinelli is a hyp-ocrite when it comes tofiscal conservatism; hereally is the liberal.Attorney GeneralCuccinelli plans to spend$42.7 million this year.That is up nearly 25 per-cent from the year he tookoffice, state budget docu-ments show, as reportedby The Roanoke Times.

His spending outpacesthe 15.7 percent growth inthe total state budget overthe same time, includingthe 13 percent increase inthe governor’s office andmakes one question the1.4 percent decrease infunding for the state’smain law enforcementagency, the Virginia StatePolice.

So, when Cuccinellitalks about his fiscal con-servatism, think about the25 percent growth inspending for the office ofattorney general duringhis less than four-yeartenure. He certainlyknows how to rapidlygrow government at tax-payer expense.

My vote on Nov. 5goes to Terry McAuliffe, aman we can trust to be ourgovernor.

Douglas KernNorton

How much harm will Obamacarecause before it collapses?

BY MORGAN GRIFFITH★ NINTH DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVE

The Washington Post recently pub-lished an article that detailed an internalaudit indicating that the NationalSecurity Agency (NSA) breaks privacyrules “thousands of times per year.” ThisMay 2012 audit finds 2,776 “incidents” –instances in which rules or court ordersregarding domestic surveillance wereviolated – from April 2011 throughMarch 2012.

Intelligence officials testifying beforeCongress had given the impression thaterrors were rare. Unfortunately, thisinformation came to light several weeksafter the House defeated in a vote of 205- 217 the Amash-Conyers amendment,which would have stopped the NSA fromconducting blanket surveillance. Had mycolleagues known how often violationsof privacy protection or legal rules aretaking place, I believe more of themwould have joined me in supporting theamendment and that it would have passedthe House of Representatives.

The fight to protect Americans’ rights,defend the Constitution and its Bill ofRights, increase transparency and gatherinformation on the NSA and surveillanceprograms is a fight that must and willcontinue.

YET ANOTHER OBAMACARE DELAY

Borrowing from a recent Forbes arti-cle, “First, there was the delay ofObamacare’s Medicare cuts until afterthe election. Then there was the delay ofthe law’s employer mandate. Then therewas the announcement, buried in theFederal Register, that the administrationwould delay enforcement of a number ofkey eligibility requirements for the law’shealth insurance subsidies, relying on the‘honor system’ instead. Now comes wordthat another costly provision of the healthlaw — its caps on out-of-pocket insur-ance costs — will be delayed for onemore year.”

This provision would have limitedout-of-pocket costs to $6,350 for individ-uals and $12,700 for families. Asdescribed by Washington Post columnistEzra Klein, “when the Obama adminis-tration went to implement the rule, itfound it wasn’t going to be that easy.”Therefore, they opted to delay its imple-mentation and announced the delay “in a

Gri f f i th

SEE GRIFFITH, PAGE 7

AARP debate is not

left wingTo the editor:

Ken Cuccinelli has dis-missed a proposed AARP-sponsored Virginia guber-natorial debate as a “leftwing” affair. He will notparticipate becauser hefears having to addressissues relating to the elder-ly and disabled throughoutVirginia.

The AARP Virginia is anonprofit, nonpartisanmembership organizationfor people age 50 and over— not some “left wing”organization of hippies orfeminists as suggested bythe out-of-touch and giftgrabbing attorney general.

The AARP only soughtto host a debate betweenthe two major candidatesfor governor like it did dur-ing past statewide races inVirginia: Tim Kaine andGeorge Allen participatedlast year as senatorial can-

didates, while BobMcDonnell and CrieghDeeds faced off in a guber-natorial candidate forumfour years ago.

Cuccinelli opposesMedicaid expansion, thejointly funded federal andstate program that providesmedical care to the poor,elderly and disabled andevery local citizen over age50 needs to realize that thiscandidate for governorcould care less about yourhealth care and the healthcare industry job losses inthe region.

William “Bill” ReevesWise

McAuliffe wantsto kill

coal jobsTo the Editor:

I see all of these lettersto the editor promotingTerry “As governor I neverwant another coal plantbuilt in Virginia”McAuliffe and I cannot

help but wonder, whomdoes the author of these let-ters think they are trying tofool?

These are the samefolks that gave us capand trade and the War OnCoal, which is moreaccurately a War On CoalFamilies.

Now they want to trickus into electing a man asgovernor that said weshould “move beyondcoal” . . . to what, Mr.McAuliffe, widespreadpoverty & suffering?! Nocoal jobs = no food on thetable, no school supplies,no house payment and notruck/car payment. Bye,bye four-wheeler and hunt-ing trip this fall!

The Obama-crats suchas Mr. McAuliffe and hisminions are great at propa-ganda, they are fantasticwith their smoke and mir-ror flim-flamery and look-ing around, we can see thatthey excel at killing coaljobs. But folks, they suck atEconomics 101. Partisanpolitics and upholding aliberal tree-hugging job-killing agenda based uponjunk science means moreto them than protectingcoal jobs and promotingenergy development.

Liberals are fine with ahardworking coal minertraveling down a bumpyroad to the poor house —just as long as he rides abattery-powered green carpast a windmill farm to getthere!

Ken Cuccinelli is aproven Friend of Coal; hisopponent is a provenFriend of Obama. Thequestion is, will you votefor the Obama-cratMcAuliffe and vote to cut acoal miner’s throat or willyou vote for Cuccinelli andsend Obama the messagethat we will fight him —and win! — in his war oncoal families?

Your vote could be thedifference between jobsand starvation, betweenhigher and unaffordableelectric bills and coal jobs,between food on a coalminer’s table or hard timesunlike anything we’ve everseen in our lifetimes.

I’m proud to be the sonof a coal miner and thefather of a coal miner! I’msupporting Ken Cuccinellifor governor because I sup-port coal jobs!

God bless our familieshere in coal country!

Bobby MayHurley

THE DICKENSON STAR ■ WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2013 ■ PAGE 7

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particular field without exerting himself to extendand expand the canon, which is where the rubbermeets the road.

Call it the Whizz Bang Culture. “Whizz Bang”was one of the nicknames given by British soldiersto the Form A2042 Field Service Post Card, whichoriginated in World War I.

Soldiers at the front would check off the appro-priate state-ment on thecard —s e l e c t i o n swere limitedto things like“I am quitewell” or “Ihave beenadmitted tohospital” and

(check one) “am going on well” or “hope to be dis-charged soon.”

The Field Service Post Card is considered to bethe father of all modern form documents, which Isuppose means we have the British military of 100years ago to thank every time we fill out a form atthe doctor’s office or the bank, or complete a sur-vey.

But it’s probably not a good thing that produc-ers of popular culture use the Whizz Bang as themain spring of artistic creation. If every movie’sgoing to have the same plot as the old Julia Robertsvehicle “Sleeping with the Enemy,” why not justsend out post cards and save on the costs of pro-duction?

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6

Gannaway

maze of legal and bureaucratic lan-guage that went largely unnoticed,”according to The New York Times’Robert Pear. Where they get theauthority to change the law repeat-edly without Congressional action isa mystery.

From the Forbes article,“According to the CongressionalResearch Service, as of November2011, the Obama administration hadmissed as many as one-third of thedeadlines, specified by law, underthe Affordable Care Act.”

President Obama and theDemocrats in Congress in 2010drafted Obamacare as they wantedit, building it by stringing together aseries of separate and distinct ideasthat have been floating aroundCapitol Hill for decades. They setthe timetables for its implementa-tion without taking the time to fig-

ure out if it worked or if the countrycould really afford it. TheDemocrats rammed it through with-out Republican support and sincethen have been working on getting itto function.

Remember former Speaker of theHouse Nancy Pelosi saying thatCongress had “to pass the bill soyou can find out what’s in it?”

Well, the Democrat-controlledCongress passed the bill, thePresident signed it, and since thenthey have not been able to makeObamacare work. I don’t believeObamacare was built carefullyenough to ever work.

The President has indicated thatRepublicans are no longer talkingabout “repeal and replace.” He ispartly right. While we hope theDemocrat-controlled Senate willrealize Obamacare needs to berepealed and replaced beforeJanuary 2014 when most of the pro-

visions are “supposed” to becomelaw, it is doubtful they will. So nowwe are planning for the inevitable.Obamacare will beimplemented. Instead of “repeal andreplace,” we will have to deal with“collapse and replace.” WhetherObamacare is repealed or it collaps-es, the plan will go away. The ques-tion is how much harm the Presidentand his allies will do to the coun-try’s health care system in theirinsistence on clinging to an unwork-able program.

The American people deserve ahealth care system that is afford-able, high quality, fair, and thatworks.

As always, if you have questions,concerns, or comments, feel free tocall my Abingdon office at 276-525-1405 or my Christiansburg office at540-381-5671. To reach my officeby email, please visit my website atwww.morgangriffith.house.gov.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6

Griffith

churches, political appearances, and outdoor events ingeneral speak volumes to the irresponsible behavior ofall the parties involved with the incendiary events at theMissouri State Fair.”

The stupidity of that statement speaks for itself, but,of course, politicians from both parties started runningfor cover while harrumphing about intolerance andracism.

The radical left in this country will not be happy untilevery voice opposed to their agenda has been silenced.It’s that simple. And gutless Republicans who go alongwith this nonsense are playing right into their hands.

Fortunately, there are still voices of reason in thearena. Rep. Steve Stockman, R-Texas, invited the rodeoclown at the center of this storm to come to Texas and

perform. “Liberals want to bronco-bust dissent,”Stockman said in a statement released by his congres-sional office, “but Texans value free speech, even if itsspeech they don’t agree with. From [the late liberalcolumnist] Molly Ivins to [outspoken conservative con-gressman] Louie Gohmert and every opinion in between,Texans value free and open political speech. I’m sure anyrodeo in Texas would be proud to have the performers.”

It sounds like there are still a few courageous electedofficials left in Texas. Too bad we can’t say the same forMissouri.

— Doug Patton describes himself as a recoveringpolitical speechwriter who agrees with himself moreoften than not. Readers are encouraged to email him atdpatton@cagle.com and/or to follow him on Twitter at

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6

Patton

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6

Letters

The music industry makesmore hot dogs than Oscar

Meyer. Publishers churn outwarm and witty works

of fiction with easily followednarrative structures.

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