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	The Top 10 of 2006 Culpeper Star Exponent December 31, 2006 http://www.starexponent.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=CSE/MGArticle/CSE_MG Article&c=MGArticle&cid=1149192426727 Illegal immigration: Jenkins embodied controversy of hot issue The people of Culpeper voiced wide-ranging and passionate opinions on immigration this year, joining a national conversation as its own population continued to grow and diversify. The ongoing local debate brought national media attention and another interesting chapter in the lively political history of a pre-colonial town. Culpeper’s Hispanic residents sparked the activism May 1 when a small contingency skipped work and school on the Latin American Labor Day to participate in “A Day Without Immigrants.” Newly elected Town Councilman Steve Jenkins (left), a Culpeper native, fueled the complex debate within weeks of taking office in July, proposing numerous housing and employment initiatives aimed at clearing out undocumented residents. His proposals, none of which has been adopted, led to an emotionally charged town hall meeting in September. On the same day, a protest march by local Hispanics was led by Martin Bernal, a downtown shopkeeper from Mexico. Online, in print, on TV and at public and private meetings, the conversation continues to evolve. Bomb threat: Caller closed schools, put Culpeper on national radar A telephoned bomb threat shut down the county’s entire school system Oct. 5, whipping Culpeper into panic, sparking national media attention and instigating a rash of copycat threats. Law enforcement officers and bomb-sniffing dogs from 10 jurisdictions swept every public and private school in the county, revealing nothing of danger to students. Investigators seized computer equipment they believed was used in making the calls from two suspects, Mark Robinson, 25, and Justin Brown, 19, both of Culpeper. Only Robinson has been charged. With memories of the Pennsylvania Amish school shooting still fresh in the nation’s mind, media outlets swooped into Culpeper in anticipation of a big story. Fortunately, they didn’t get one. More growth: New schools, new homes and new stores The steady influx of new residents has affected Culpeper schools, housing and shopping. With overcrowding at the county’s only high school, the highly anticipated annex opened its doors in January. In addition, construction began on the county’s second high school and sixth elementary. In August, Culpeper ranked sixth among the nation’s fastest-growing counties, adding 9.3 percent in housing units and gaining 1,379 new homes. On the commercial side, Kohl’s opened its 68,000-square-foot facility in October. And by March, Target is scheduled to open its doors for Culpeper shoppers. The question now becomes: How about some new roads? Arrest for murder: Suspect named in Warner case The murder of Reva resident Sherri Warner on Dec. 18, 2005, sparked fear and an eagerness for resolve in the Culpeper community. Exactly one year later, a grand jury indicted convicted felon Ricky Javon Gray on a first-degree murder charge, helping family members achieve a degree of closure. Warner, 37, was found shot and hanged by an electrical cord in her burning basement off U.S. 29, a few miles south of the town of Culpeper. Sheriff H. Lee Hart revealed little information about the case until declaring Gray a suspect earlier this month. Gray, a 29-year-old Arlington resident, is on death row for murdering the Harvey family in Richmond. Musician Bryan Harvey, his wife Kathryn, and their two young daughters were found dead in their basement two weeks after Warner’s death. Their house also had been set on fire. Gray’s accomplice and nephew, Ray Joseph Dandridge, is spending life in prison without parole for his involvement in the Harvey family murders. It is unclear if Dandridge was also involved in the Warner murder. Gray awaits trial in Culpeper County Circuit Court. His first appearance is scheduled for Wednesday at 11 a.m. Fatality at Air Fest: Pilot dies hours after crash When world-renowned aerobatic pilot Nancy Lynn crashed at Culpeper Air Fest 2006, spectators and pilots were shocked and saddened. Lynn, 50, of Annapolis, Md., was performing a stunt routine when her Extra 300L clipped the ground, flipped upside down and burst into flames. Her son and chief crewman Pete Muntean, 18, was announcing her every trick as the accident happened. She was airlifted to the University of Virginia Medical System in Charlottesville, where she died in a burn unit nearly 11 hours after the crash. Lynn was the first female pilot ever to perform at Culpeper’s Air Fest. She was known for her skill and safety consciousness. She left the corporate world at Proctor and Gamble to pursue her passion for flight. Her mission, and slogan, was to inspire. The Culpeper Airport Advisory Committee is planning next year’s Air Fest in her honor. Soldiers in Iraq: Most returned home; one did not The war in Iraq brought mixed bag of emotions this year with the death of Culpeper resident Pfc. Edwin Anthony Andino Jr. (right) and the safe return of Culpeper's U.S. Army Reservists with the 3rd Battalion, 317th Regiment. Andino, 23, was killed Sept. 3 when a roadside bomb detonated near his vehicle during combat operations in Baghdad. He was the second wartime fatality from Culpeper County since the Vietnam War. Second Lt. Leonard Cowherd, 23, was fatally shot in Karbala, Iraq, May 16, 2004. Days after the news of Andino's death, Culpeper joyfully welcomed home soldiers from their yearlong Iraq deployment during a bittersweet ceremony at Culpeper Middle School. Under the leadership of Lt. Col. Bob Chapell, who himself was injured during a Humvee attack, all 28 members of the 3/317th safely returned. County taxes: Personal property tax skyrockets When county residents opened their personal property tax bills for 2006, many immediately called the Commissioner of Revenue’s Office. Most bills were more than double what residents paid the year before. The reason: A $1 tax hike the Board of Supervisors adopted in April to help pay for new schools, plus a decrease in the amount of tax relief available. The result: Bitter taxpayers and hundreds of assessment appeals or angry phone calls. One man even got arrested on tax day for pushing past deputies enforcing the line cut off by the county treasurer. The future impact: As more people move into Culpeper County and more vehicles populate county roads, less and less relief will be available. The county is looking at alternate ways to collect payment to diffuse the burden at the end of the year. It’s also looking at better ways to educate residents on why taxes increase and an online form of payment to avoid long lines at the courthouse. Regardless, the county - or should we say taxpayers? - took this one on the chin. The Rev. Shifflett: Charges of mistreating children The yearlong case of Charles Shifflett ended one month before his scheduled trials, originally slated for late January and February. The pastor of First Baptist Church of Culpeper was facing seven felony child abuse charges for incidents that occurred nearly 20 years ago at his former church, Calvary Baptist. On Dec. 14, he signed a plea agreement. By pleading guilty to one felony charge of cruelty and injury to children, Shifflett’s remaining charges were reduced to misdemeanors - eliminating the sexual nature of some of the charges and the potential for decades in prison. He was sentenced to 700 hours of community service and is never allowed to be in the presence of a child again unless another adult over 21 is there as well. The commonwealth says it agreed to the plea to ensure a conviction and bring closure to the victims. Germanna Tech: New campus, new president Germanna Community College experienced a few milestones this year. First, President Frank Turnage announced his plans to retire in early 2007, sending the Virginia Board for Community Colleges on a nationwide search for the college’s fifth president. In December, the board chose David Sam of Pace, Fla., to succeed Turnage. The transition will take place in March. While leading Germanna for 20 years, Turnage helped to increase enrollment at both Locust Grove and Fredericksburg campuses. In August, Germanna expanded its services by opening the doors of its third campus, the Ger-manna Center for Advanced Technology (pictured), located near the intersection of Route 3 and McDevitt Drive. The 39,000-square-foot facility offers a virtual library, technology classrooms, a multi-purpose auditorium and courses for students aiming for fast transitions into the work force. Tinsley trial: Justice finally served in 1982 murder Nearly a quarter of a century ago, Rebecca Lynn Williams’ life was cut short. The 19-year-old mother of three was stabbed 38 times on June 4, 1982, in her Culpeper apartment. The original suspect in the case, Earl Washington Jr., has a mild mental disability, spent 18 years on death row and was days away from being executed. But Washington was exonerated in 2000 after two DNA tests linked convicted rapist Kenneth Maurice Tinsley’s DNA to the crime scene. In September, Culpeper County Circuit Court Judge John R. Cullen informed Tinsley of his indictment by a grand jury for the murder and sexual assault of Williams, punishable by a death sentence. For Washington and the Williams family, justice had finally been served. Over the years, the case has garnered national attention. If Washington didn’t commit the crime, experts asked, then who did? Tinsley’s arrest goes a long way toward putting closure to this sad saga.
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