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Culpeper, Virginia | StarExponent.com
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2017
WEATHER High: 68° Low: 56° Forecast: A2
ACLU AND LOCAL GROUPS OBJECT TO SHERIFF’S ICE OFFICER APPLICATION 287(g) program allows local law enforcement officers to act as immigration agents BY MARLA MCKENNA
In March, the Culpeper County Sheriff’s Office applied to partner with federal immigration officials under the controversial 287(g) program—a move drawing strong objections from the American
Civil Liberties Union, area legal aid organizations and community advocacy groups. With review, and possible approval, coming Nov. 14 from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, concerned citizens hope to keep the heat on the sheriff to withdraw the application, or at least mitigate its possible effects in the county. “In reality, [the Culpeper sheriff] won’t have that control anymore,” said Charlie
Schmidt, an ACLU attorney based in Richmond. “ICE does. ICE will have the authority on who’s detained.” ICE stands for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The 287(g) program, authorized by the Immigration and Nationality Act, is an agreement between local law enforcement officers, detailed in a memorandum of agreement, enabling local law enforcement officers—in this case deputies at the Culpeper County Jail—to
enforce immigration law within their jurisdiction. Currently, the Prince William County Jail is the only entity in Virginia operating with a such an agreement in place. Fauquier County Sheriff Bob Moser applied for ICE status for that jail last year, but withdrew the application in April based on a change to immigration law he said would make the agreement redundant.
See ICE, Page A5
HEROIN HEARTBREAK
Culpeper mom speaks out after son, his friend die from overdoses BY ALLISON BROPHY CHAMPION
ALLISON BROPHY CHAMPION/STAR-EXPONENT
Dee Fleming holds a portrait of her son, Joe, who recently died of a heroin overdose. He was 23. ‘I feel a deep burden to talk about these kids,’ the 47-year-old wife and local librarian said. ‘I feel like the more we talk about it and are open about it, the more somebody will say, “Yeah, I’m struggling.” ‘
LEON—A pair of boyhood friends in their 20s recently died from heroin overdoses within days of each other in Culpeper— a cou nt y t hat of f ic ia l s describe as being at the epicenter of the region’s persistent opioid scourge. One you ng ma n, a ge 24, worked a nd had his ow n busi ness, but had struggled with addiction before it took his life. He left behind a family struggling with the loss. The other young man, his friend since they went to youth group together, 23-year-old Joe Fleming, worked two jobs and had a family and friends that
See HEROIN, Page 5
Just the facts The McShin Recovery Center offers daily Narcotics Anonymous meetings at noon, a McShin Recovery meeting at 9 a.m., both Monday-Friday, in addition to meetings on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10 a.m. for Women in Recovery and at 2 p.m. for Men in Recovery. There are also Families Anonymous meetings at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Anyone is welcome to attend the meetings.
Culpeper free clinic celebrates quarter century of service BY RHONDA SIMMONS
If you or your parents ever visited the Free Clinic of Cu lpeper over t he past t wo decades and a half decades, chances are Richard ‘Dick’ Batiste Jr. handed out your prescriptions. Bat i ste, 81, i s t he fam i l ia r face beh i nd t he wooden door dispensing va rious medications to patients. He’s b e e n a f a it h f u l pharmacy aide volunteer
The Free Clinic of Culpeper provides primary medical services to Culpeper residents, ages 18 to 65, who don’t have medical insurance.
since the clinic opened its doors on Nov. 5, 1992, some 25 years ago. “I remember it was cold weather when it started,” Batiste said at the clinic. The clinic first opened
in the old health department on Laurel Street and the pharmacy was located i n t he basement of t he behav iora l hea lt h ca re department just a stone’s throw away. For t he pa st qua r ter centur y, Batiste’s main responsibility at the clinic has been to hand out prescriptions. “When the prescription came from the physician, CULPEPER STAR-EXPONENT FILE PHOTO I would record it and run The Free Clinic of Culpeper on Laurel Street opened it doors a quarter century ago Saturday. See CLINIC, Page 4 Since then it has served tens of thousands of local peoples’ medical needs.
» LIVING: In this week’s Culpeper Flashback, an old photo album yields memories. C1
» CAR CRASH: Victim in Route 3 crash was fun-loving and caring. A2
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ICE
From Page A1
ICE of f icia ls ca n current ly ask loca l law enfor c ement of f ic i a l s to detain inmates for an additional 48 hours if their doc u ment at ion st at u s is in question, allowing federal agents time to pick up a nyone i n v iolat ion as specified in the Immigration Detainer filed by homeland security when probable cause exists that the inmate is a “removable alien.” These deta iners have drawn criticism from several federal judges in recent years for violation of an inmate’s constitutional rights for, in essence, c on s t it ut i ng a s e c ond a r rest on civ i l g rounds for which loca l of f icers have no probable cause to implement a hold. In June, a federa l judge in Texas ruled that the Bexar County sheriff violated the rights of a Mexican citizen when he was held in jail on an immigration detainer after his criminal charges were dismissed. L ate la st week, more than 40 people gathered to express concerns about t he sher i f f ’s pu rsu it of 287(g) status for jail deputies. “After going over all the facts, I rea l ly t h i n k we ne e d to do s omet h i ng about this,” said Wilson Flores, pastor of Cristo Viene church in Culpeper. “All this is going to do is break the trust we’ve been tr ying to build between our local government and the Hispanic community.” Flores hopes the sheriff will meet with concerned community groups before t he appl icat ion is processed. “Practically speaking, t his is rea lly bad,” sa id Sophia Gregg, a staff attorney with the Legal Aid Ju st ice Center i n Fa l l s Church, a not her g roup actively opposing the Culpeper sheriff’s application. “It w ill encourage deputies to bring people in who otherwise may not be arrested.” Gre g g de s c r ibe d t he agreements as “repressive.” “It’s had pretty devastating consequences and can lead to costly lawsuits. Simple interaction with local law enforcement could lead to deportation,” said Gregg. “We plan to fight this.”
PossiblefiscalimPact
Gregg claims taxes have increased in Prince William County simply due to implementation of the program. The popu lation in Prince William grew more t ha n 147 percent f rom 1980 to 2006, according to a study released in 2009 by the Brookings Institute in Washington, D.C. During that same time frame, the foreign-born population increased by 1,265 percent. In 2015, the population in that county stood at 451,721. In 2008, Prince William initiated a new immigrat ion policy a nd t he po-
Steve Walker, who represents the east Fairfax district on the county board, said, “If we had somebody in our jails that ICe asked us to hold, I’m in favor of it. but I’m just not sure when it comes to the implications of actually becoming ICe agents.”
lice department signed a 287(g) agreement. Startup costs were estimated at $1.1 million, with $6.4 million spent in the first year, half of that to install dash cameras in 250 patrol cars to defend against allegations of racial profiling, according to the Brookings study. The county later dropped the 287(g) program for its patrol officers a nd on ly operates it i n the jail. The Prince William jail, unlike the jail in Culpeper, is not run by the county’s sheriff. Repeated calls to Prince William jail officials were not returned. Culpeper’s sheriff maintains the program won’t have a negative fiscal impact on the county. “There’s no outlay for expenses,” said Culpeper County Sheriff Scott Jenkins. “The federal government picks of the cost of training which includes any travel.” Jenkins said his department plans for four jail deputies to initially train under the program with ultimately between four and six participating. He said no new deputy positions will be required and the duties associated with the program will be performed by the deputies during their regular work hours. Detent ion costs, too, won’t be affected, according to Jenkins. “There are no additional costs for housing the inmates ident if ied under 287(g),” he said. “It is important to note that those ident i f ie d a re a l re ad y coming into t he ja i l on separate criminal charges.” In a st rong ly worded letter from the ACLU of Virginia to Jenkins, dated Sept. 26, the group decried the potential cost of implementing the program as well as the detrimental effect it would have on local immigrant communities. “We do not believe you can be a department with delegated ICE agents on your staff (over whom you have no supervisory control) who are charged with enforcement of federal immigration laws and expect to maintain the constructive relationships with the immig ra nt communit y that are necessary to effective community policing and to keeping everyone in Culpeper County safe,” said the letter, penned by Claire Guthrie Gastanaga, representing the ACLU. The ACLU also pointed to a possible fiscal impact, based on the memorandu m gover n i ng P r i nce W i l l ia m’s i nvolvement with the program, the sole example in Virginia of a partnership. Jenkins said his department won’t have a need for interpreters, infrastructure or overtime hours. The department already has several bilingual employees on staff,
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he said. “The program will require a computer station and one will be provided, at federal expense, in the jail,” said Jenkins. “There is no need for an additional office or office space.” According to Culpeper C ou nt y A d m i n s t r a t or John Egertson, the sheriff’s department’s Fiscal 2018 budget does not include any funds earmarked for 287(g) and no increases for training, overtime or computer upgrades as a result of the application. In fact, the sheriff’s budget was slightly reduced from FY17 to FY18, Egertson said. As for creat ing a n atmosphere of fear among local immigrants, Jenkins doesn’t believe that will happen. The department, he said, has strong relat ion s t h roug hout Cu lpeper’s minority communities. “My deputies strive to serve every aspect of our community and we work very hard to create good relations with everyone,” said Jenkins. “This program only affects those who are already under arrest and in the jail. “This is simply a matter of closing some of the gaps people can fall through within the criminal justice system. Our deputies are not enforcing immigration laws, they are not going out into the field and identifying illegal immigrants, but rather deputies will merely be screening inmates as they come into the jail. Illegal immigrants will then be reported to ICE to do as ICE deems appropriate.” Legal Aid Justice Center’s Gregg believes the distinction between deputies on the street and in the jail isn’t as clear cut as the sheriff would believe. “I don’t think he’s going to understand that this is a jail program and you have to put up a wall,” she said, describing a situation in which an officer might previously have issued a ticket but with the program in places chooses instead to detain someone so that a “buddy” at the jail can initiate a documentation interrogation.
more local reaction
County supervisors said Saturday they were unaware of the pending application but def initely wanted to explore any fiscal impact implementing the program would have on the county. Ja c k F r a z i e r ( C e d a r Mountain District) said he’d need to look at the numbers and examine the facts. Communit y relations, too, would be a factor for any endorsement of
A5 A7
the program, he added. Brad Rosenberger (Jefferson District) said the sheriff is a “constitutional officer who answers to the public, except through the budget process” and he’d need time, like Frazier, to study the issue. His challenger in Tuesday’s election, Chuck Duncan, said he’d also like to study the histor y of the program in places it’s been implemented and the potential operational costs. “Are we talking about t hou s a nd s of a f fe c te d people, or maybe just one or two a month? We have a lot of unknowns here,” said Duncan. Steve Walker, who represents the East Fairfax District on the county board, said, “If we had somebody in our jails that ICE asked us to hold, I’m in favor of it. But I’m just not sure when it comes to the implications of actually becoming ICE agents.” Walker also wanted to learn more about how the relationship would work between the sheriff’s off ic e a nd t he C u lp ep er Town Police, since he believed a majority of possible detainees would come f rom t he more h ig h lyconcentrated town population when compared to the county. D u r i n g l a s t w e e k ’s meeting, the ACLU representative passed out a tool kit for advocating against programs such as 287(g). Attendees agreed they’d begin calling the sheriff’s office and their local representat ives as soon as possible. Culpeper resident Laura Bynum said the 287(g) application deeply worries her. When her family considered where to put down root s 10 yea rs ago, she polled friends in the Fredericksburg area and many recommended Culpeper. “Cu lpeper may be smaller than most towns and cities in Virginia, but I moved my family here because of its largesse of spirit and its family and citizen friendly demeanor,” said Bynum. “What I saw here were people ready to reach across aisles of all makes and models to help each other. I saw people of all faiths, backgrounds, ages and belief systems working together to help each other.” According to By num, the sheriff’s actions “cast a long shadow,” even now in the debate stage. She’s also worried about the potential impact on attendance at area festivals, restaurants and events. “I w ou ld h at e t o s e e this town lose its free and healthy spirit of openness and diversity,” she said. marla mcKenna can be reached at
[email protected] or 540/825-0773.
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Heroin
like this – to deal not only with the death, but what these kids have seen and what’s going to happen to From Page 1 loved him, including his the kids at this point. It’s mother, who now wants to heart-wrenching,” he said. break the stigma of opioid Devastated addiction impacting families here and everywhere. families Dee Fleming was grievDee Fleming intends to cast a light in a dark place. ing the loss of her son’s “I feel a deep burden to close friend and preparing talk about these kids,” said for his wake later that very the 47-year-old mother, night when she got the call wife and local librarian. “I that Joe had also died from feel like the more we talk an overdose. “I said what are you talkabout it and are open about it, the more somebody will ing about? I didn’t even say, ‘Yeah, I’m struggling,’ u nder st a nd w h at t he y because I think there is were saying,” she said. Fleming knew her son such a shame attached to it. We just have to break was struggling with losing that down and be willing his friend. The last time to let this be a normal part she saw her son, the day of our conversations be- before he died, he was recause it is a normal part of ally quiet, she recalled. The Flemings, having our lives.” just lost one of its ow n, Heart-wrenching still attended the friend’s viewing. reality “I couldn’t not go,” said R e s p ond i n g t o d r u g Dee. “It was so surreal,” overdoses is a daily occurrence for local law enforce- she said of viewing Joe’s ment, a nd t he problem body in the same funeral appears to be hastening, home as his friend. She had no idea her son according to authorities. Since Fleming died on Oct. used heroin and said that 13 and his friend on Oct. 9, he was not a druggie. Joe two more people in Cul- Fleming was employed peper have ingested fatal full-time on the night shift doses of heroin, authori- at Mercha nt’s Grocer y, worked a lot of overtime ties said. and on his t wo days off One of them was a mothw orke d i n t he k itchen er who overdosed in her home’s bat h room w it h at Bu f fa lo W i ld W i ngs, her two children outside where co-workers were the door, unable to reach crushed to hear of his sudher, according to Culpeper den death. The restaurant Police Capt. Tim Chilton will hold a memorial spirit with the Blue Ridge Nar- nig ht for Joe Fleming 6 cotics & Gang Task Force. to 10 p.m. Friday w ith a “ T he y e nde d f a l l i n g percentage of sales and a asleep on the couch in the raffle to help offset funeral living room after they fed costs. “These are just normal themselves and couldn’t everyday people that this get i nto t he bat h room where mom was,” he said. is happening to, who work When the children, both hard, make a living and younger than 10, got up in have friends. That’s what the morning, their moth- blows my mind,” said Dee. When Joe died, she deer was dead behind t he cided not to gloss over the locked bat h room door. cause of death, and she One of the kids ending up put it in his obituary that prying open an outdoor window to get to her before her beloved son died of an running to neighbors for overdose. “I just have to say it. Our help, Chilton said. beautiful, hilarious, wild “We show up and those two kids were there in that and crazy, loving son,” she kind of circumstance, but posted on social media the that is the kind of call that day after he died. “Unforpeople need to hear, that tunately, this is a tragedy t his is happening, how that is repeating itself over hard-hitting this stuff is a nd over aga i n i n Cu land how hard it is for us peper. This epidemic is to respond to something
See Heroin, Page a8
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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2017
Hispanic residents meet to discuss sheriff’s dual plans for jail deputies Application for 287(g) status would allow jailers to also act as ICE agents
Cu lpeper Public Libra r y to discuss how a sheriff’s effort to allow jail deputies to act as immigration officers would affect the Latino community. In March, Sheriff Scott Jenkins applied for a provision that BY MARLA MCKENNA would allow deputies working About 150 people, most ly in the jail to act as ImmigraHispanic, met Saturday at the tion and Customs Enforcement
(ICE) agents. The application is set for review and possible approval by the Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday, Nov. 14. At times demonstrating passion and also a sense of humor, participants at the meeting made it clear they’re strongly opposed to—and also fearful
of—the sheriff’s potential new power. One woman—who has a permanent work permit but still did not want to be identified— said she worried about going to the schools for parent-teacher conferences or just to bring food to her children. See HISPANIC, Page A5
Thanks to our local veterans ... Did you miss The Star-Exponent’s Veterans Day section in Friday’s newspaper? The section honored the local military veterans who fought to defend our liberties. You can pick up a copy at our office: 122 W. Spencer St, Culpeper, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
SHARED EXPERIENCES BIND ALL VETERANS TOGETHER BY RHONDA SIMMONS
A
f ter completing dentistry school, Dr. Sondra Dickerson decided to enter the military before opening her own practice.
So, in 1994, she enlisted in the U.S. Navy serving three years overseas, working under the tutelage of more experienced dental specialists in Italy. “After school, I just wasn’t ready for private practice ... ” she said. “I felt like I learned what I was supposed to in dental school, but also felt like I needed to do something with more supervision and that’s what I got being surrounded by specialists,” said Dickerson. “I was most impressed at the beginning with taking our oath of office. And if that’s not an ah-ha moment, I’m not sure what is.” Dickerson said the military instilled enough confidence in her to open Family Dental Care in Culpeper a decade ago.
MARLA MCKENNA/STAR-EXPONENT
Trinity Berry pins a corsage on Army veteran Richard Early during Friday’s special Veterans Day event held at Culpeper County High School.
‘A deep and abiding love’ RHONDA SIMMONS/STAR-EXPONENT PHOTO
U.S. Navy veteran Bill Simms pays tribute to fallen veterans during the annual Veterans Day ceremony held at Culpeper National Cemetery Saturday.
Dickerson was one of several military veterans who attended the annual Veterans Day service at Culpeper National Cemetery Saturday. Hundreds of folks filled the cemetery underneath clear, sunny skies and frigid 30-degree
A drive-by shooting in Culpeper County Saturday morning has the sheriff’s office searchi ng for a 21-ye a r-old man who is considered armed and dangerous. D a v ion M a l i k Pe rson Jr. is wanted on five counts of attempted first degree murder, shooting into an occupied dwelling, use of a firearm in
ended World War I on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918. The Rev. Brad Hales, pastor of Reformation Lutheran Church in Culpeper, began the ceremony with a prayer. See VETERANS, Page A6
BY MARLA MCKENNA
Col. Wilbur “Bo” Dishman took fire in the jungles of Vietnam as a platoon commander. He led infantry officer courses at Quantico. He even taught young children the value of physical education as a teacher
at Emerald Hill Elementary School. But it was speaking to about 1,200 high school students on Friday that made the celebrated Marine just a little bit nervous. “It’s one of the characteristics of being a Marine,” he said. “You just don’t want to let anybody down.” Dishman served as keynote speaker for Culpeper County High School’s first Veterans’ Day event honoring area men and women
See CEREMONY, Page A6
German Embassy staff visit Fort Germanna
CCSO investigating a drive-by shooting in Culpeper on Saturday STAR-EXPONENT STAFF REPORT
temperatures to salute military veterans during the 25-minute program. Initially recognized as Armistice Day, Veterans Day pays tribute to armed service veterans while marking the signing of the Armistice, which formally
Culpeper High honors more than 80 veterans in special ceremony
attempted murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, according to the Culpeper County Sheriff’s Office. A spokesperson for the office said Saturday afternoon multiple shots were fired into a house while children played in the yard between 11 and 11:35 a.m., in the 8000 block Kirtley Trail, off of See SHOOTING, Page A3
BY RHONDA SIMMONS
LOCUST GROVE—Germanna Foundation President Marc W heat got to sha re one of his pr i zed possessions w it h a few members of the GermanAmerican team from the German Embassy Saturday. Holding the 36 by 36inch framed map while s t a nd i ng out side G ermanna’s Brawdus Martin Visitor Center here, Wheat said that the artifact was
created in 1715, a year after Germans settled near the banks of the Rapidan River and what is now Route 3 (Germanna Highway) in Orange County. Pointing to a section on the historic map, Wheat explained the settlement under the authority of Virginia Lieutenant Governor Alexander Spotswood was initially called GermanRHONDA SIMMONS/STAR-EXPONENT PHOTO town or Teutsche Statt in A German-American team from the German Embassy Jonas German. Koll, Claire Macfarlane and Eva Lindner visit Fort Germanna See EMBASSY, Page A6 and the Brawdus Martin Visitor Center in Orange on Saturday.
» FOCUS OF FORUM: Campaign managers of Northam and Gillespie to speak at seminar. A2
» LIVING: In this week’s Culpeper Flashback were remember Miss Crimora’s 1950s kindergarten. C1
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Sunday, november 12, 2017
Hispanic From Page a1w
“I have two kids, born here, a nd we k now t he sherif f ’s of f ice is at t he schools,” she sa id. “We know it’s to be secure, but now people will be afraid to go to t he schools for anything.” The 287(g) program, authorized by the Immigration and Nationality Act, is an agreement between local law enforcement officers, detailed in a memorandum of agreement that enables local law enforcement officers to enforce immigration law within their jurisdiction. “Sheriff Jenkins has said this is going to make our communit y a lot safer,” sa id Cu lpeper resident Janet Garcia. “My question is, ‘Safer from what?’ ” S h e d o e s n’t b e l i e v e t here’s a ra mpa nt ga ng problem in the community and that 287(g) will only encourage profiling. Garcia said she believes this will “bleed into other t h i ngs” a nd negat ively affect all citizens of Culpeper, not just Hispanic residents. M a r i l y n D u n p h y, a member of the Culpeper Persisters group, agreed with Garcia. “How do we promote harmony in the community if people are afraid to go out?” she asked. Jenkins, who was not at the meeting, has previously said he did not believe the program will create an atmosphere of fear among loc a l i m m ig ra nt s. T he sheriff’s office, he said, has strong relations throughout Culpeper’s minority communities. “My deputies strive to serve every aspect of our community and we work very hard to create good relations with everyone,”
marLa mcKenna/Star-eXPonent
cecilia cabrera, Janet Garcia and adriana antesana speak to a group of culpeper residents who are concerned about the culpeper county Sheriff’s office’s plans to allow jail deputies to double as immigration officers.
said Jenkins in a previous interview. “This program only affects those who are already under arrest and in the jail. This is simply a matter of closing some of the gaps people can fall through within the criminal justice system. “Our deputies are not enforcing immig rat ion laws, they are not going out into the field and identifying illegal immigrants, but rather deputies will merely be screening inmates as they come into the jail. Illegal immigrants will then be reported to ICE to do as ICE deems appropriate.” In addition to concerns about the impact on jobs a nd possible i m m ig ration sweeps, several at the meeting expressed fears about the impact on families if a family member is deported leaving children behind. “The family is the heart of the community,” said Dunphy. “If you destabilize the family, you desta-
bilize the community.” She questioned the need for the 287(g) status for Cu lpeper when federa l agent s c a n a l ready request that undocumented inmates be deta ined at the jail until they can be picked up by ICE personnel. “W hat does it do t hat we aren’t already doing?” Dunphy asked. “The criminals are going to go anyway.” One man in the group also asked when the sheriff’s current term ended and if they should could come together to oppose any re-election bid. “Dos anos,” Garcia relayed to the group. Two years. Representatives from the ACLU, the Legal Aid Justice Center, some local Hispanic faith leaders and others plan to meet with the sheriff Monday morning to ask questions and relay their concerns. “We met with him in August, hoping to deter him,”
community caLendar
TODAY
more about the school. Light refreshments, tours and faculty and Madison Volunteer staff available to answer Rescue brunch questions. hoffmand@ will be held at 8 a.m. on epiphanycatholicschool. the station across from the org or 540/825-9017. post office in madison with proceeds to support the Free intro to youth volunteer rescue company. rugby clinic offered
St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church s
will be held 1 to 3 p.m. in yowell meadow Park. culpeper youth rugby Holds services at 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. on Sundays club is offering the training session for all with childcare from players interested in its 9 a.m. to noon. church is 2018 season. co-ed tag located at 115 n. east St. programs offered for for in downtown culpeper 1st-8th grade and tackle with parking at 120 n. programs for 3rd-12th commerce. St. 540/825grade. 8786.
Mountain View Community Church Holds services at 8:30, 10 and 11:30 a.m.the 10 a.m. service is live streamed at mountainviewcc.net. children’s programs for birth through 5th grade at 16088 rogers rd., behind brusters ice cream in culpeper. Small groups also meeting during the week. 540/727-0297.
Epiphany Catholic School Open House will be held at 1 p.m. at the school, 1211 east Grandview ave. in culpeper, for anyone who wants to learn
richardsville and Lake of the woods Fire & rescue companies. 540/219-9958.
MONDAY
Toddler Story Time will take place at 10:30 a.m. at the culpeper Library. Fun and engaging “lap sit” program for 2-year-old children with parents designed to help develop early literacy skills for Kindergarten readiness. Stories, songs, puppets, and finger plays. no registration necessary. older siblings are welcome to attend.
Marty By waters-Baldwin, who works for Goodwill, told the board he was tr ying to find help for a single mother of four. Her husband, a house painter in the area for 14 years, was recently deported following a traffic stop, Bywaters-Baldwin said. The mother, a certified nursing assistant, can’t make ends meet alone, he added. He said the 287(g) prog ra m is ex pen sive a nd not popular, with only 37 localities implementing it nationwide. “It was double that several years ago,” said Bywaters-Baldwin. Cindy Thor n h i l l, a building contractor, told t he boa rd t he measu re would affect the county’s economic bottom line. “The const r uct ion business is supported by the Latino community,” T hor n h i l l s a id . “T he y should not be afraid to live here.” Reva resident Rebecca Layne said the program would “make the community less safe” by eroding trust between the citizens and law enforcement and “raising the likelihood of domestic violence going unreported and making it less safe for law enforcement to patrol these communities.” Mi ke McCla r y ca l led upon t he boa rd to u se its inf luence and purse strings to conv ince t he sheriff to withdraw the application. “The Constitution and the Bill of Rights apply to everybody in this country, not just citizens, and not just voters. Our sheriff’s deputies are supposed to ser ve and protect a ll of us. They have no business trying to enforce immigration laws,” he said.
sa id Cu lpeper resident Don na De A ngel is. “He was not deterred.” S om e m e m b e r s m a y also attend the Monday meeting of the Culpeper County School Board to air their concerns. The group plans to attend the Dec. 5 meeting of the Culpeper County Board of Super v isors at which Sheriff Jenkins is expected to appear. They also plan to establish an invitation-only Facebook g roup so t hat Hispa nic members of the community can learn more about the laws, their rights and any scheduled meetings or protests. In addition to the meeti n g S a t u r d a y, a b ou t a dozen people spoke last Wednesday evening at the supervisors’ meeting to express their dissatisfaction w ith the plans and implore the board to hold t he sher i f f, a const it utiona l of f icer, account- marla mcKenna can be reached able through budgetar y at
[email protected] or 540/825-0773. means.
brieFS
Frustration sets in after coal mine health study ends GLEN DANIEL, W.Va. (AP)—Some people living near mountaintop coal mines in West Virginia are frustrated the Trump administration has suspended the latest federal study on the health impact of surface mining in Appalachia. But they are not entirely surprised. Chuck Nelson, a former miner, has seen it before. A U.S. Geological Survey study of mining’s impact on air and water was suspended seven years ago. Nelson and some of his neig hbor s bla me t hei r health conditions on mining. Some studies agreed with them but in the end were inconclusive. This latest st udy was supposed to provide the most comprehensive review to date. The Trump administration—a coal industry advocate—suspended it three months ago, citing budget reasons.
Nuclear detonation app lets you target your own hometown CHARLESTON, W.Va. — With current talk of the threat of nuclear war with North Korea, did you ever wonder what would happen if someone dropped a nuclear weapon on your hometown? There’s an app for that. Nukemap, which can be found at nuclearsecrecy. com/nukemap, is an interactive Google Maps program developed in 2012 by Allen Wellerstein, a historian who studies the history of nuclear weapons. teLeGram eXPonent
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Manna Ministry Bitters & Herbal Thanksgiving Recipes offers free lunch for will be held at 2 p.m. on at the Pranapiloga wellness studio in culpeper. Learn about preparing for feasting on thanksgiving with bitters and other culinary herbs that help with digestion and add delicious flavor. Free samples and hands-on opportunities. donations appreciated.
Benefit Hymn Sing at United Methodist
anyone 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. mondays in the culpeper Presbyterian Fellowship Hall, 215 S. main St. 540/825-8616.
Culpeper County School Board Finance Committee
We get you back to your life.
will meet at 5:30 p.m. on today in the county boardroom, 302 n. main St.
Culpeper County School Board
will be held at 2 p.m. will meet at 7 p.m. in the on at the church, 23557 Lignum rd. in Lignum with county boardroom, 302 donations to benefit the n. main St.
Transferred from Germanna to UVa 21 Cool Springs Rd. Sun., Nov. 19 & Sun., Dec. 17 from 11 am to 1 pm
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WARRENTON | 52 W. Shirley Ave., | 540.347.9220 GAINESVILLE | 14370 Lee Hwy., Ste. 102 | 703.743.2814
Sports: Culpeper dominates Madison for third straight win, B1 YO U R H O M E T O W N N E W S PA P E R
$1.00
Culpeper, Virginia | StarExponent.com
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2017
WEATHER High: 50° Low: 30° Forecast: A2
Emotions high on ICE program during packed meeting BY MARLA MCKENNA
Mor e t h a n 2 0 0 men, women a nd ch i ld ren packed the board of supervisors meeting room, the lobby and even the outside porch Tuesday night to express their concern about, or support for, the Culpeper County sheriff’s plans to implement a controversial jail program which would allow deputies to act as immigration officials.
Board Chairman Jack Frazier asked about 100 people to leave the board room, citing fire code issues in the 111-capacity space. During the citizens’ forum, speakers were about e ven l y spl it over t hei r feelings about t he prog ra m—which is k now n as 287(g), the section of the Immigration and Nationality Act that allows
for its implementation— with nine in favor of the sheriff’s proposal and 11 against. Marilyn Dunphy, speaking on behalf of herself and her husband Ed, said she wanted to address the cost of a decreased quality of life for Culpeper’s families if deputies become Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. “I m a g i n e y ou r f a m-
ily, especially the children, wrestling with the fear of being separated from you at any moment,” she said. “Imagine that fear multiplied by hundreds. That is what 287(g) has already brought to our community. “T he me d ia i s not to blame. Inviting ICE into our community is causing it—that an the many See ICE, Page A7
ALLISON BROPHY CHAMPION/STAR-EXPONENT
It was standing room only in the county administration building as concerned citizens packed the supervisors’ meeting room Tuesday evening. All 19 speakers addressed the board about the Culpeper sheriff’s proposed 287(g) immigration program.
Sheriff defends plan to train deputies to enforce immigration law
LIGHTS OF LOVE
BY MARLA MCKENNA
Sheriff Scott Jenkins appeared before the Culpeper County Board of Supervisors Tuesday morning to explain his efforts to implement a controversial immigration enforcement program in the county jail. Jenkins expressed some frustration with people who “twist information to promote their own agendas.” Despite r umors, he told t he board, the 287(g) program is not a “street-level” program, it would only be operated in the jail and his deputies would not be profiling residents who hadn’t broken the law. See SHERIFF, Page A6
INSIDE DANIEL TYSON/STAR-EXPONENT
Members of the Theatrical Arts youth choir performed seasonal songs during the 35th Annual Lights of Love program Tuesday night outside of the Culpeper Medical Center. For more pictures of the event, see page A7.
Culpeper Board OKs kennel application BY ALLISON BROPHY CHAMPION
A controversia l dog kennel operation in a rural location near Stevensburg gained unanimous approval Tuesday night from the Culpeper County Board of Supervisors in spite of claims from animal activists that it will operate as a puppy mill. More than two dozen people spoke for a nd against the application for a cond it iona l use per m it subm it ted by Emmanuel and Corrie Warren during a nearly two-hour public hearing. Slightly more of those who spoke favored the
couple’s plan to breed eight dogs to produce Sheepadoodle and Bernadood le puppies on a por t ion of t heir 57acre property at 17521 Kibler Rd., off of Route 3 in eastern Culpeper County. “We are happy to be i nspected on a reg ular basis,” said Corrie Warren. “We want to be good neighbors, we really do.” The couple proposed a similar operation last year in Fauquier County, but withdrew their application in the face of simila r opposition there. The couple contended that they have an extensive waiting list of
more than 100 customers for t hei r puppies with deposits already paid. Thirteen people spoke against the application including Patty Werwick, president of the Culpeper Humane Society. “We do have g r ave concerns about this if it passed,” she said, noting that is currently fostering two puppies from mills that are in poor condition. Concerns ra ised by others who spoke about water and soil contamin at ion, a n i m a l m i streatment and excessive barking. The fourteen people
who supported the appl ic at ion lauded t he Warrens as respectable, responsible people who care well for their animals. “I’ve known the Warrens for about 15 years,” sa id A ma nda Moser, “T hey breed hea lt hy dogs.” In the end, Board Vice Cha ir ma n Bi l l Chase made the motion to approve the conditional use permit, saying the county should be careful to not over-regulate the use of private property. “I think we’re trying to get too citified,” he said. An entire county code regulates the operation
of dog kennels, including a provision that allows a nima l ser v ices to conduct inspections whenever, giving reasonable not ice to t he ow ners. Now that the Warrens have the cond it iona l u se per m it, they will have to apply through the county for a kennel license. The Culpeper County Planning Commission last month recommended approval – albeit with a split 4-3 vote – of the conditional use application submitted by the Warrens for the kennel in a wooded area about half-mile from the nearest neighbors. The comSee KENNEL, Page A4
ACADEMIC SPOTLIGHT » Meet (Clockwise from top left) CCHS’s Jesse Kirby, Jacob Hardaway and EVHS’s Molly Luckinbill, Jennifer Shaw A2 CLASSIFIEDS
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HOLIDAY MARKETPLACE hometown
Germanna’s Daniel Technology Center 2017 Hometown Christmas Holiday Marketplace
$5 OFF Adult Admission Must present at entrance. Good Sunday, December 10, Day of marketplace
NEWS
Wednesday, december 6, 2017
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the christmas tree lighting during tuesday’s 35th annual Lights of Love at culpeper Medical center photos by daniel tyson/star-exponent
Local performer alex smith sings “holy night” tuesday at the culpeper Medical center’s tree lighting ceremony. about 40 people attending the 35th annual Lights of Love program, despite the cold, rainy weather.
Members of the youth choir of theatrical arts perform Joy to the World during tuesday night’s 35th annual Lights of Love program at the culpeper Medical center.
Megan Barbour, left, Debbie Day and Michelle otto attended the 35th annual Lights of Love program tuesday night donning funny hats. they work at the hospital’s oncology department.
a children’s choir sings during the Lights of Love program tuesday night.
ICE
Ku r t Ch r istensen, for showing “courage and – as long as they stay on the right side of the law. w h o a l s o a t t e n d e d foresight.” T he for mer long t i me “T h is is a ver y ma i nthe morning session From Page A1 at wh ich t he sher i f f stream and modest pro- planning commissioner said, “If you don’t break addressed the board, gram,” he said. horror stories that have the law, you don’t have a Francis Updike said he sa id “Cu lpeper shou ld happened to so many famproblem. If you’re not in the believes residents are livnot become a sanctuary ilies here and across the jail, you don’t have a probing with unfounded fears city. He praised Jenkins country.” “It’s causing a tremendous amount of fear,” Dunphy said, gesturing around the crowded room, “in case that’s not obvious.” Others, such as Susan Bates, offered praise for the sheriff and his plans to operate the jail program. Jenkins, she said, is a warm and compassionate law enforcement professional. “He can solve the fear problem,” said Bates. Melanie Chambers said she was raised in a multicultural area in Hawaii and she supports law and order. “ W h e n s om e b o d y i s picked up for breaking the marla mcKenna/star-exponent law there should be conse- about 100 people couldn’t enter the board of supervisors’ meeting room tuesday night due to quences,” she said.
lem. Don’t worry about it, it doesn’t affect you.” Janet Garcia, who has close ties to Culpeper’s Hispanic community and has attended several informational meetings on 287(g) in recent weeks couldn’t disagree more. It upset her to hear ICE agent Earl Kennedy, who manages the region’s 287(g) program, speak at the board’s morning session at which he referred to “picking bodies up” from the jail for detention and possible deportation. “He described them as bodies,” Garcia said, visibly emotional. “Bodies are someone who is dead.” She also relayed the story of a young Hispanic man held for 22 days at the Culpeper jail for driving without a license and cited at least 20 families in the area that have been affected by recent deportations. Marty By waters-Bald-
win, who works for Goodwill, asked the supervisors to take a stand by denying any funding for the program and passing a resolution denouncing it. He, too, was affected by the ICE agent’s use of the word bodies. “Look at all of the beautiful children here tonight,” he said. “Those aren’t bodies, as the ICE agent said he could pick up. Those are beautiful human beings.” Jenkins applied for the federal program in March and the application was reviewed by the Department of Homeland Security on Nov. 14. A Memorandum of Agreement between the sheriff’s office and ICE has yet to be announced. The sher if f ca n enter into an agreement w ith ICE without the Board of Supervisor’s support. marla mcKenna can be reached at
[email protected] or 540/825-0773.
US schoolchildren tumble in international reading exam rankings Washington Post neWs service
TheUnitedStatestumbled in international rankings released Tuesday of reading skills among fourth-graders, raising warning flags about students’ ability to compete withinternationalpeers. Thedeclinewasespecially precipitous for the lowestperforming students, a finding that suggests widening disparities in the U.S. educationsystem. The United States has traditionally performed well on the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study, an assessment given to fourthgraders in schoolsaround the world every five years. In 2016, however, the average score compared to 2011 dropped from 556 to 549 out of 1,000. The country’s rankingfellfromfifthintheworld in 2011 to 13th, with 12 education systems outscoring the United States by statisti-
cally significant margins. Three other countries also scored higher, but the differenceswerenotnotable. “We seem to be declining as other education systems record larger gains on the assessment,” Peggy Carr, acting commissioner for the thefederalgovernment’sNational Center for Education Statistics, said during a news conference Friday. “This is a trend we’ve seen on other international assessments in whichtheU.S.participates.” The international exam was g iven to 4,400 U.S. fourth-graders who composed a nationally representative sample. The United States was outscored by countries and school systems that typically score well on international assessments, with Russia, Singapore and Hong Kong topping the list. But it was alsosurpassedbyLatvia,one of the poorest countries in the European Union. Mean-
while, Poland and Norway leapfrogged ahead of the UnitedStates. The report adds to a worrisome body of evidence that academic achievement is stagnant or slipping among U.S. schoolchildren. Fourthgraders and eight-graders continuedtolagbehindtheir counterparts in Asian countries in math and science, according to another international exam administered in 2015. That same year, high school seniors showed unchanged results in reading and slipping scores in math on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, an exam given every two years. Reading scores on that test for fourth-graders remained unchanged and dropped for eighth-graders. “This is kind of an international confirmation that something may be going on in the United States where our academic performance—which, gen-
erally speaking, was going upwa rd—may have stopped,” said Tom Loveless, a nonresident senior fellow who studies education at the BrookingsInstitution, a thinktank. Carr noted that the worstperforming students posted thelargestlossesontheProgressinInternationalReading Literacy Study test, suggesting U.S. schools should do more to improve achievement among their most challenged students. The average score for the bottom 25 percent of students fell from 510 to 501 points from 2011to2016. “Other education systems seem to be doing a better job of moving students from lower levels of achievement to higher levels of achievement,”Carrsaid. Students in schools with higher free- and reducedlunch rates, a rough proxy for poverty, also performed worse than the average.
Black and Hispanic students lagged behind the national average, while Asian studentsoutperformedallother groups. MartinWest,aneducation professor at Harvard, said the results are disappointing, particularly because they may show that efforts to improve educational outcomes for the most challenged students are not payingoff. “It’s certainly not the patternthatwewanttoseegiven how much emphasis we’ve placedinthiscountryontrying to improve the bottom of the distribution,” West said. “We know that American education faces challenges with respect to its overall competitiveness to other countriesandwithrespectto inequality within the United States. This report just highlights the need to start makingprogressonbothfronts.” Itisunclearwhatisdriving the trend. West suggested
the Great Recession, which plunged many families in to poverty and forced states to slash education budgets, may have contributed. A recentreportfromtheCenter on Budget and Policy Priorities, a think tank, found that state per-student spending declined in 29 states from 2008 to 2015 when accountingforinflation. “We know it affected families directly in terms of their economic health and also hadindirecteffectsonschool systems that could have affected students in a wide varietyofways,”Westsaid. The report had at least one silver lining: Students in the United States fared far better on an Internet-based version of the assessment that tested their ability to process information online. U.S. students placed fourth out of the 16 education systems that participated.
