Court hears request to stop JCC government center work this morning
Good morning! We want to wish you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving. We will not publish a Friday edition so we can spend the holiday with family
Today at 9 a.m., a judge is scheduled to hear a request for an injunction to stop work on James City County’s proposed $190 million government center.
Seven county taxpayers filed the injunction request in Williamsburg-James City County Court, arguing the state constitution and state law require the county to stage a referendum before committing long-term borrowing for the center.
The board of supervisors is not scheduled to vote to officially approve construction of the government center, and a library annex, until their Dec. 9 meeting.
But they did approve $36 million worth of preliminary work including initial site work, which has been underway for several weeks at the center’s Longhill Road location next to the county recreation center.
Attorney Christopher Woodfin is asking for an injunction to stop that work until the court rules on the referendum question.
He named County Administrator Scott Stevens and the five county supervisors as defendants.
County attorney Adam Kinsman will be representing the county and will ask the court to deny the injunction request.
We will be at the court and will report back today.
Lower-income 3d graders in York schools surpassed literacy averages last year
Don’t tell York County’s interim school superintendent county schools have superior student results because it has a higher income population. He told the school board Monday the county also beats most Virginia public schools in teaching lower income students to read.
James Carroll is touting several independent studies he says show the county is doing a better job than most schools teaching low-income elementary school students how to read, at a lower cost than most Virginia public schools.
Carroll told the school board meeting Monday night that all the county’s elementary and middle schools earned top placement in U.S. News and World Report’s November national school rankings. Tabb, Mt. Vernon and Coventry elementary schools placed in the magazine’s top 25 list, along with Tabb, Grafton and Queens Lake middle schools.
Carroll said the schools are doing a better job of educating lower income students as well. “Our county’s affluence was very often given as the reason why” students do so well, he said. But he said that success also extends to those from low-income households.
He turned to a recent report from a nonprofit educational media group showing more than 80% of York Schools’ third graders who were receiving free or reduced-price meals passed their reading tests last school year.
The 74, a nonprofit educational news group, compared data sets at 41,883 schools across all 50 states. It measured how each school performed against the students’ expected literacy rate based on income.
Only one elementary school in the Williamsburg-James City County school system – Stonehouse Elementary – had an 80% reading pass rate among low-income third graders, according to The 74. Three others – Clary Byrd Baker, D.J. Montague and Laurel Lane – had reading scores below 80%, but did better than the national average for lower income groups.
The remaining five W-JCC elementary schools – Matoaka, J. Blayne Blayton, Matthew Whaley, Norge and James River -- showed reading scores that were below the reading proficiency level expected for low-income students, the study said.
York schools are producing good results with significantly lower costs per student, Carroll added.
He cited a report from Georgetown University’s Edunomics Lab comparing literacy results for 4th graders at York schools to the rest of the state. That study showed county schools significantly outperformed the state average on literacy, although its average funding of $14,000 per student was significantly less than the state average of $18,000.
Sentara Williamsburg’s Cadaver Lab trains rescue crews to handle traumatic injuries
It has a grisly name: Cadaver Lab.
But the purpose of the annual program at Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center is to help emergency rescue teams save lives by improving their trauma skills.
The hospital hosts the session every year, and Sentara officials say the number of participants continues to grow. This month’s event had more than 90 participants, including rescue personnel from James City, York, New Kent, Charles City, and King & Queen counties, as well as the city of Hampton.
The sessions allow both emergency and hospital personnel to use cadavers to collaboratively practice advanced trauma and emergency skills in a realistic setting.
Teams worked on cadavers provided by the Maryland-based Anatomy Gift Registry and the Trauma Services Department at the hospital itself.
The Cadaver Lab focuses on difficult airway management, anatomical review, thoracic injuries, and advanced vascular access options.
Regional & State Headlines
New Williamsburg clinic brings bleeding disorder care closer to Hampton Roads
US House committee launches antisemitism probe into Fairfax County Public Schools
Weekend Fun & Games
If you just can’t stand the thought of more baking and cooking this holiday, there are a slew of Thanksgiving feasts available at local eateries. You can find a long list at Visit Williamsburg’s site.
Williamsburg Christmas Market. Nov. 28-Nov. 30 and Thursday-Sunday in December. 320 Court St. Hours vary. $5 Friday-Sunday, free on Thursdays in December.
Merchants Square Tree Lighting and Small Business Saturday. Nov. 29. 402 Duke of Gloucester St. Tree lighting at 5 p.m.
Music and Dance of a Scottish Yuletide. Nov. 30. Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg. $10 Adult/$5 child.
Passings
George L. Jones Jr., 62, Nov. 20.
Thomas Michael Ridpath, 81, Nov. 20.
Charlene M. Mann, 83, Nov. 23.
Margaret Hoffman Webster, 79, Nov. 23.