Top 10 Of '23 In Culpeper: A Drought, A New Sheriff, Byebye Baby Jim's, Hello Data Centers

Culpeper, the fifth largest small town in Virginia, ensures there's never a dull moment in the news. From politics to development, from business to history and weather, everything has left its mark on 2023. Here are the 10 main news of the past year:

1. He sued the sheriff

On June 29, a federal indictment was unsealed charging Republican Culpeper Sheriff Scott Jenkins with conspiracy to defraud the United States, four counts of mail and wire trust fraud, and eight counts of federal program corruption.

The FBI wiretapped the sheriff's phone for a month from last December to Jan. 13, 2023, seizing $10,000 from his campaign account after U.S. prosecutors announced federal charges in May.

In a subsequent indictment, the federal government alleges that Jenkins paid at least $72,500 in bribes to three Northern Virginia businessmen for his appointment as a deputy on badges and firearms issues.

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Jenkins had a duty to use his powers as sheriff “for the benefit of Culpeper County and its residents,” the lawsuit says, but instead “used the powers of his office to enrich himself and raise money for re-election.”

Jenkins has pleaded not guilty and is running for a fourth term in November. He was the last of three candidates to receive 20% of the vote; More than 3,300 people voted for Jenkins, who will be indicted on federal charges May 13.

2. He was elected deputy mayor

A 27-year law enforcement veteran, Culpeper Deputy Police Chief Timothy Walker Chilton announced his candidacy in March to run against Jenkins to become the next sheriff.

The 53-year-old Stafford native, who has lived in Culpeper for more than 20 years, ran on a platform of community unity, trust, transparency and police policy. Chilton declined to press charges against Jenkins and pointed to his history and independent experience.

Local Republicans backed a third candidate, former CCSO Capt. Joseph Watson, who received more votes than Jenkins with 24 percent.

Chilton won the election with over 55% (9,088 votes) to become the next sheriff of Culpeper County. Hundreds of people attended Chilton's Dec. 21 swearing-in at German Community College as he prepares to take office on the Public Safety Court starting Jan. 1.

3. Kids' gym snacks are gone.

Sunday, July 16th marked an unfortunate day in Culpeper's culinary history when one of the oldest restaurants that had been in business for generations, Baby Jim's Snack Bar, caught fire in an electrical fire that started in a basement storage area.

The North Main Street Pier, in operation since 1947, was engulfed in smoke and flames on a hot summer day as local firefighters rallied to put out the blaze. This destructive spectacle attracts the attention of sad townspeople who remember the good times and sweet treats of little Jim. One firefighter was hospitalized due to heat exhaustion.

The fire forced 12 residents, including two children, from three-story apartments on the second and third floors of the building, built around 1875, behind the restaurant where the late "Little Jim" raised his family in the 1950s and 1960s . In subsequent years. A few months later, the restaurant, the house, and even the famous neon sign disappeared from the site.

4. Data center corridors are being implemented.

The latest data center on McDevitt Drive - in Culpeper, Terremarque - is the first - 2023 will be a big year for the energy, data and information consumption industries that were established here after 15 years on McDevitt Drive.

Last year, four data center projects totaling more than 7 million square feet broke ground in the Tech Zone, including one near Culpeper National Cemetery on the city's east side.

Amazon's data center, approved in 2022, is being built on State Route 3 in Stevensburg.

State leaders say demand for data centers is driving economic development, while historic preservation and land preservation groups mourn the loss of ancient landmarks and farmland. Other issues include energy consumption and infrastructure, environmental impacts and historic resources. Time will tell when the line of data centers on McDevitt Drive will expand.

5. AP Hill comes home

Civil War General Culpeper's remains were interred with his parents and family in the city's Fairview Cemetery in January.

A. P. Hill's final resting place never existed, but his remains were buried, exhumed and transported three times during the 19th century. 20th century, as Freelance Star's Katie Dyson reports.

Then, when the city of Richmond decided to remove Confederate monuments as part of the murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement, the general's body moved again. The bony statue of Hill will be removed at the end of 2022 at the intersection of Laburnum Street and Hermitage Road in the state capital.

At Fairview Cemetery, which they thought would be his eternal resting place, Confederate reenactors dressed in hazel gray uniforms gathered about 600 people to pay their respects to the general, Dyson said. “A mule wagon carried the coffin to the grave, draped in an old Virginia flag, and hundreds of soldiers stood at attention. What follows is a horseless ride, with the drummer providing a steady beat.

6. Name of the restored sculptor.

55 years have passed, but

In September, graduates held a ceremony to restore the name of the school, which closed in 1968 after a 20-year division. The name of the famous scientist was quickly destroyed by the authorities, and his former students wanted to return from the very beginning. Dr. Hortense Hinton Jackson said at the opening that there is power in a name.

"They didn't just come up with a random name," he said of the Culpepper, Orange, Madison and Rappahannock parents who opened the school for his children. “I think it’s important because a name says a lot about a place.”

Carver (1864-1943) was a nationally and internationally recognized African-American inventor, teacher and explorer, he said. The local school got its name because it reflects what Carver parents want from their students: academic excellence. “Names are important, names are symbols, names mean everything.”

The Culpeper County Board of Supervisors approved the construction and rejected the project to return Carver's name to the educational center.

7. Still waiting for broadband

2023 is set to be the year when more than 4,000 addresses in rural Culpeper County will have access to high-speed, reliable and affordable internet connectivity.

A year has passed and still no broadband.

The $34 million project with Leesburg-based Allpoint Broadband is expected to build 490 miles of broadband, funded by local, state and federal dollars as well as private investment. In places that are very difficult to reach.

The Board of Trustees has been negotiating the project with All Points for several years and a contract has been signed, but there does not appear to be a committed completion date. Elected officials are frustrated with the schedule change because they want a reaction.

The most recent information from All Points in November is that this project, like several other projects in the state that have been funded since the pandemic, involves inspections of power poles. What is the new target date for broadband in your home? By the end of 2024

8. Spanberger is a candidate for governor.

On November 13th, Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger, D-7th Culpepper, announced her candidacy for governor of Virginia in the 2025 election.

The 44-year-old Henrico County woman used a video message this year to say she is interested in running for governor instead of a fourth term in Congress to fill the court-appointed seat in Virginia's northern 7th District at the end of 2021. than in Henrico and Chesterfield counties, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported.

A former CIA officer and criminal investigator for the U.S. Postal Service, she and her husband Adam raised their three daughters with the same lessons their parents taught them. The power to make it happen.”

Spanberger, who will face Republican Gov. Vince Earl-Sears in the race to become the state's first female governor, said Virginia, like the rest of the country, is at a dangerous political crossroads.

"Our country and our society face fundamental threats to our rights, freedom and democracy," he said. "While some politicians in Richmond are focused on banning abortion and banning books, what they do helps the community," RTD reports.

Spanberger received widespread support from Culpeper Mayor Frank Reeves and Councilman Jamie Clasey.

9. Bingham and Taylor extensions.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin visited downtown Oct. 6 to celebrate Bingham & Taylor's $23 million expansion and modernization.

The governor said the company has owned the largest plant in the Commonwealth for 77 years. “This partnership has stood the test of time, expanding the plastics plant twice, making it the heart of our gas and water industries and building Virginia for the future.”

Much of the investment in the local plant involves switching from coal to electric furnaces, which will reduce on-site carbon emissions by 98%. The city's electric distribution company built electrical circuits at its Chandler Street facility to serve small substations built behind large city facilities. Bingham & Taylor is the city's largest consumer of electricity.

This expansion will create 45 new positions, a full second shift of 32 hourly positions and 13 professional/administrative positions. About 60 percent of Bingham & Taylor's local workforce is Latino, according to city officials.

Dozens of workers lined up for the ribbon-cutting ceremony and the governor's visit on their day off, wearing hard hats, safety glasses and blue cotton button-down uniforms. It's a showcase of the strength of American manufacturing at the plant, which employs about 165 people.

10. Drought and lake shores are drying up.

The Lake Culpeper Adventures boat rental facility on the town's reservoir closed a month earlier than planned for the September season due to persistent drought and a beach too dry for boating.

When the city council decided to stop work, the lake, which supplies half the city's drinking water, was 24 centimeters below the spill level.

On Dec. 28, Weather Report reported that Culpeper County received 24.32 inches of precipitation for the year, below the normal year's 45.24 inches.

In September that year, chief extension officer Carl Stafford told local farmers that they were losing money due to a lack of water for crop production and the need to transport water for livestock. He said this drought has been particularly severe in terms of water access, noting that the "weather rock" on Lake Culpeper has been completely exposed in recent weeks.

In November, the council urged residents to conserve water for non-essential purposes, including washing vehicles and taking short showers instead of showers.

Champion Alison Brophy: 540/825-4315

abrophy@starexponent.com

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