Winchester Star (Newspaper) - March 19, 2008, Winchester, Virginia March 19, 2008 112th YEAR No. 219 VIRGINIA 22601 Frederick water bills could rise on July 1 Winchester rate hike might affect county By ROBERT IGOE The Winchester Star STEPHENS CITY - A proposed increase in a major water rates is having a domino effect that could lead to higher water bills in Frederick At its regular meeting on the county Sanitation Authority approved a resolution setting a public hearing - at 6 p.m. on June 17 in the authority's offices on Tasker Road - to discuss a proposed 7 percent water rate increase in the The authority is proposing a two-phase increase that will bring the rate from per each 1,000 gallons of water to per 1,000 gallons - starting on July 1 - and another increase to per 1,000 gallons on Jan. 1. The authority blames the increase on a similar rate hike by which is proposing a 33 percent increase for its water The county purchases about half of the water it distributes - which averaged 5.35 million gallons per day in February - from The authority expects to purchase 2.5 million gallons per day from the city in the upcoming fiscal which begins on July 1. The city's rate change would mean an estimated payment increase of over the regular purchase The county has an agreement to buy up to 4 million gallons of water per day from the See Page A8 JEFF Winchester Star Rebecca Snodgrass receives a high-five from her father Ron after winning the Regional Spelling Bee at Daniel Morgan Middle School in Winchester on Tuesday Rebecca Snodgrass is the winner of the longest Regional Spelling Bee in history By TERESA DUNHAM The Winchester Star WINCHESTER - A typical spelling bee doesn't include a restroom break or time for a contestant to lie down on his chair and close his But the 31st annual Regional Spelling Bee on Tuesday night was anything but The sponsored by The Winchester lasted nearly three hours - and most of that time was devoted to the final two Rebecca Snodgrass and William MORE PHOTOS I B3 After an intense spelling bout between the two - including words such as and Rebecca ultimately The 11-year-old student from Winchester won by spelling The word means - but the competition at the Bee certainly wasn't Pronouncer Gene Babb was calling out 266 including 174 to the Last he used 154 words for the entire in what judges considered a lengthy In the longest Regional Spelling Bee on Rebecca attempted 90 and Levi tried 84. Last year's Bee Rachel won after spelling just 10 was very Rebecca said after her She was among 27 competitors in grades four through eight from across the northern Shenandoah Valley who competed at Daniel See Page A8 Parents file million lawsuit in death of 10 By ERICA M. BUSH The Winchester Star WINCHESTER - The parents of a Frederick County boy who died when an unanchored soccer goal toppled onto him have filed a accusing nine defendants of The filed on Monday in Prince William County Circuit accuses Howard Shockey & Sons Inc. of the Blue Ridge Youth Soccer and seven others of breach of and product in the May 7 death of 10-year-old Hayden Barnes a Elementary School student and the son of Mary and Greg died during a scrimmage at Millbrook High A statement from the Frederick County Sheriff's Office in May indicated that a moveable goal post fell on top of Hayden during the but did not say why it The died from trauma to his head and Hayden was playing as goalkeeper in a Winchester United scrimmage against the Winchester United girls team when the incident According to court Winchester United operates the control and/or supervision of the Blue Ridge Youth Soccer Inc. and/or Old Dominion Soccer Both organizations are accused in the complaint of to adequately See Page A8 RICK Winchester Star Mary and Greg Ellias display a portrait of their late son Hayden in June 2007. Evidentiary hearings for 500-kilovolt power line end By DREW HOUFF The Winchester Star WINCHESTER - The matter is now in the hands of Alexander E Skirpan a hearing examiner for the Virginia State Corporation He concluded the evidentiary hearings concerning a proposed 500-kilovolt transmission line between the Meadow Brook substation in Frederick County and another one in Loudoun County on Tuesday Forty-eight witnesses appeared to testify and answer questions in cross-examination during the which started on Feb. 25. Andy the Virginia education resources said in a telephone interview on Tuesday that Skirpan instructed those who had participated to file closing briefs within 40 days after they receive transcripts of the testimony made during the Since that may take a couple of closing arguments likely will not be filed for another six or seven Farmer He said Skirpan then will consider the and related along with comments from a series of public hearings in 2007, to help form his recommendation for the proposed power The report will be given to the full has got the entire case to Farmer as complex as this case it is very hard to see it will be done This will take The proposed 40-mile 500-kilovolt power line is a joint project of Dominion Virginia Power and Allegheny Interstate Line Co. See Page A8 Major rate cut passed by Fed Stocks soar after 0.75% reduction By MARTIN CRUTSINGER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON - The Federal Reserve reduced a interest rate by three-quarters of a point on capping its most aggressive two months of action in a quarter-century during the battle to halt a spreading credit Wall Street registered bursting to its biggest gain in five The strong Fed action seemed to convince at least for that the central bank will do whatever it can to keep the country out of a steep The Dow Jones industrial average finished the up 420.41 points at 12,392.66. a see The latest Fed move brought the federal funds rate - the interest that banks charge each other - down to 2.25 the lowest since late 2004. That's important far beyond bank The reduction triggered announcements from commercial banks that they were cutting their prime lending rate to 5.25 percent from 6 This rate is the benchmark for millions of business and consumer The Fed action was designed to lower borrowing costs and boost spending See Page A8 Americans must address racial Obama says By PAUL WEST c 2008 The Baltimore Sun WASHINGTON - Trying to quell a controversy that threatens his presidential Barack Obama delivered a sweeping address on Tuesday that bluntly challenged Americans to move beyond racial stalemate that we've been stuck in for He repeated his criticism of racially DECISION charged remarks by his former tor he have raised questions about his But Obama also used the issue as a springboard for remarks that touched on the nation's legacy of racial division and animosities he have hindered social Before an invited audience in downtown near the site where the Declaration of Independence was Obama spoke sympathetically about the way that affirmative action has stoked racial resentment among But he also called on whites to recognize the burdens that blacks still almost a century and a half after slavery was See Page A2 TODAY'S Tax break for the GW The George Washington Hotel in Winchester has been approved for a new incentive program that makes it eligible to receive a 100 percent refund of business taxes paid to the city for five Full story Bl The Quota Club of Winchester uses its motto for a new Full story C7 Arthur C. Clarke's odyssey has ended The famed science fiction writer died early today at his home in Sri Full story B3 COMING THURSDAY Charity comes in all With that in students at James Wood High School will participate in a event Why they chose to pursue such a unique fundraising method will be 2 Four 28 Pages Bulletin Classified Movies Nation B2 Dl Dear TODAY'S FORECAST 68 HIGH with a 70 percent chance of showers and scattered thunderstorms in the Full report A8 43 LOW Miss your Call 665-4946 from 7 to 11 a.m. See us on the 0608566000375
