Orange County gets a good soaking
In other news: Karen Hamilton campaign signs violate county policy
Alexandra Horn of Rapidan woke up early last Wednesday morning in something of a panic. The Rapidan River, her near neighbor, had begun advancing toward her home for an unannounced and most unwelcome visit. She rescued her paintings from the basement and put her son on the school bus after reassuring him she would be “long gone” from their house if the floodwaters presented any danger.
Fortunately for Horn and her neighbors along the flood-prone stretch of Rapidan Road near the intersection with Locust Dale Road, the river retreated—for the time being. And members of the Rapidan Volunteer Fire Department kindly stopped by to check on everybody and pitch in if they needed help moving their belongings to higher ground.
The spring rains have been good for some farmers and gardeners, according to Orange County resident and outdoorsman Andy Hutchison. “Crops on high ground benefited from the rain while plantings on bottomland may have drowned out due to flooding. The amounts of rain varied across the county, more in the western end, less in the eastern, but flooding was widespread,” he told me last week via text.
For some, the high water was a cause for wonder more than worry. Last Wednesday, Christy Moriarty and her son Colton took a walk around Rapidan to check out the rising river and later stopped by the dam alongside Spicers Mill Road in Orange for another view. Gary Jones, longtime treasurer of the Rapidan Volunteer Fire Department, also made his way around Historic Rapidan to see how things were looking. In recent weeks, Jones has been reminding local residents that the 30th anniversary of the historic flood of late June 1995 is approaching. That devastating flood is remembered as a “500-year event” in and around Orange County.
Jenny Sheetz, our trusty precipitation measurer at the Northern Piedmont Research Center in Orange, reported on Friday that 4.82 inches of rain had fallen so far in May. That pushes us ahead of the historic average of 3.99 inches for the whole month. As of Friday, the research center recorded 15 inches of precipitation for the year to date, compared to the historic year-to-date average of 4.19 inches. Let’s hope the rain in the coming days doesn’t overwhelm the Rapidan, the Robinson or the Rappahannock—nobody’s looking to mark the 30th anniversary of the 1995 flood with another soggy, scary claim to fame.
Playing (un)fair: Karen Hamilton campaign signs violate county policy
Karen Hamilton is seeking the Republican nomination for state delegate representing District 62, which includes the western half of Orange County. In the run-up to the primary on Tuesday, June 17—with early voting already underway—her campaign team placed signs all around the Office of Voter Registration and Elections at 130 N. Madison Road in Orange.
What’s noteworthy about that, you ask? Well, all but one of the Hamilton signs violated a county regulation effective as of last June. After receiving a complaint from a local resident, County Administrator Ted Voorhees removed the signs in violation on Monday morning.
According to county policy, campaign signs are allowed “a limited public forum” in one small area not far from the entrance to the early voting office. Each candidate or cause is permitted one sign in that spot.
The logic behind the limitations is sound. The policy states, “Permitting unattended signage on County property could be misunderstood to imply government endorsement of the content of such signage. Furthermore, particularly in parking areas adjacent to public buildings, signage may pose a safety risk by blocking views for motorists and pedestrians.”
Children often walk across the county-owned parking lot shared by the voting office and the occupants of the Sedwick Building, including the Main Library, Social Services and the Office on Youth. The policy states that the presence of children creates “an even stronger need to ensure adequate sight distances” for drivers maneuvering around the lot.
The document includes a diagram showing the designated area where campaign signs are allowed and spells out the rules, including a provision in the Virginia Code that no sign may be placed within 40 feet of the entrance to the voting office. Among the other rules are requirements that signs must be taken down right after election days each candidate or cause is allowed only one sign to limited space; and “[s]igns located elsewhere on the subject properties will be removed and disposed of.”
Despite the clearly stated policy, many Hamilton campaign signs were planted all around the early voting location. The optics of the large county sign just above one of the Hamilton signs sent exactly the implied endorsement message that the regulation seeks to prevent. Three more Hamilton signs lined Madison Road next to the voting office, and two were stuck in the little vegetable garden that a county employee plants every spring (with permission) in an area next to the parking lot. And in the grassy area where campaigns signs are allowed, the Hamilton team put three instead of the single sign the policy allows.
“We never get asked if it is OK to put signs on County property, so we adopted a policy to make it clear that it is not [OK], with a limited exception.” —Orange County Administrator Ted Voorhees
A local citizen familiar with the policy told me she called the county office on Friday, May 16, to complain about the Hamilton signs. She said she felt that her complaint “was taken seriously.” On Tuesday, May 20, Voorhees responded to Byrd Street’s inquiry about the matter: “I removed the signs yesterday morning. I was informed of a complaint on Friday and planned to visit the site that afternoon but got tied up with other things.”
County policy states that it is up to the county administrator or his representative to remove and dispose of signs in violation. Voorhees told me he didn’t plan to tell the Hamilton campaign that he removed the signs. Hamilton, an Orange resident, has not yet replied to the inquiry about the signs that I sent to her via social media.
As for why the sign policy was necessary in the first place, Voorhees said, “We never get asked if it is OK to put signs on County property, so we adopted a policy to make it clear that it is not [OK], with a limited exception.”
One wonders why neither Voorhees nor any of our county supervisors had flagged the violation before a citizen raised the issue. The signs were in plain view from Madison Road and had been up for a while. (Byrd Street is unable to pinpoint when the signs first appeared.) Every person voting early, visiting the library or doing business at the Sedwick Building went right by them.
Hamilton’s opponent complies … by not posting any signs
Hamilton’s opponent in the District 62 Republican primary is Clay Jackson, a county supervisor in Madison County. When I checked over the weekend, there were no Jackson campaign signs outside the voting office in Orange.
Jackson declared his candidacy shortly after incumbent Del. Nick Freitas (R) said he was stepping down and endorsing Hamilton, who has no experience in governance or policymaking, as his successor. Freitas timed his surprise announcement just a few days before the deadline for submitting the paperwork required to get on the primary ballot. It seems he was gaming the system so members of his party wouldn’t have enough time to enter the race for the seat he’s held since 2016.
Sara Ratcliffe, who lost to Freitas two years ago, is running unopposed for the Democratic nomination for state delegate in District 62. She has one sign posted in the allotted space near the Orange County early voting office.
Byrd Street grocery cart: Total cost rises from April to May
Last month, to better grasp what’s going on with inflation, Byrd Street began tracking grocery prices at Food Lion in Orange. For my official list of 16 items, I chose a variety of brands. I didn’t seek out things on sale but recorded Food Lion’s discount “MVP” price when it applied.
Saturday afternoon (May 17), the month-to-month comparison began. As I made my way up and down the aisles, I discovered that for the brands of bananas, orange juice, ground beef and coffee on my list, all had all gone up in price. My chosen brands of frozen broccoli, eggs, cat food and laundry detergent were on sale, provided one had an “MVP” card. The prices of the remaining eight items on my list had not changed since last month. The final tally: May’s total came out $3.59 higher than April’s.
There are cost-saving workarounds for shoppers who don’t feel brand loyalty and for those, on the day I shopped, perfectly content to buy ground chuck (on sale) instead of 73% lean ground beef. Still, most of us do have our brand preferences. If you’ve run out of your favorite coffee or cereal, it can be hard to buy a less appealing alternative even if it costs less.
Correction: Last month, I mistakenly listed the retail price for Starbucks House Blend coffee instead of Food Lion’s “MVP” sale price. I’ve corrected that detail and the April total below.
Flower + Moon
In May, we have the Flower Moon in honor all the blooms brightening the month. The name has Native American origins, though it’s hard to determine precisely which tribe came up with the moniker. Lunar devotees may already know that it’s not just the full moon that gets all the poetic glory. According to The Old Farmer’s Almanac, “Traditionally, each full Moon name was applied to the entire lunar month in which it occurred, not solely to the full Moon.”
Coming up soon—in June—the Strawberry Moon.
Gemini the Twins: Horoscope by Artemis Dandelion
If you were born between May 21 and June 20, you are Gemini, the sign of the twins. Communication is your superpower. You are talented at expressing what you envision and how to get where you want to go. People are drawn to your energy and imagination. You are full of ideas and you know how to lead your colleagues to accomplish big things.
The Twins represent duality, and that can sometimes manifest as extreme emotions; you can go from feeling really joyous to suddenly anxious to furious to happy again. Go with it! You can be a role model for directness and authenticity. Just make sure you don’t project your feelings onto other people—let them have their full self-expression, too. Use your talents to help others to express themselves and they will blossom in your presence.—Artemis Dandelion
People celebrating birthdays under the sign of Gemini include Bob Dylan (May 24), Charlotte Cole (May 27), Doug Arnold (May 30), Angus Macdonald (May 30), Meg Donnelly (June 2), Cary Holladay (June 16) and Adrianna Waddy (June 18). And belated birthday greetings to Buzz Van Santvoord, a Taurus born on May 12.
Artemis Dandelion offers celestial insight and guidance but modestly declines to predict the future. The Orange resident uses a nom de plume because she is fond of plumes.
Obituaries
John Fitzgerald Scott, 56, formerly of Orange; Joyce Moubray Davis, 72, Orange; Barbara Louise Hinrichs Moriarty, 99, Orange; James Godwin Dillon Jr., 69, Orange; Stephen Joseph Loughman Jr., 74, Mine Run.
Coming up soon
BRAVO Youth Orchestra Spring Concert, The Music Room, 135 E. Main St., Orange, 6:30 p.m., Thursday, May 22
“Steel Magnolias,” Four County Players, performances on weekends through Sunday, May 25
Music in the Park, Taylor Park, Orange, 6-9 p.m., Thursday, May 23
Spring Concert, Orange Community Chorus, Orange Presbyterian Church, 2 p.m., Saturday, May 31
Fifth Saturday Open Mic & Jam, Waddell Memorial Presbyterian Church, Rapidan, potluck supper, 6 p.m., and music (gospel, bluegrass, old favorites, musician's choice), 7-9 p.m., Saturday, May 31
Fun Band Sing Along, The Music Room, 135 E. Main St., Orange, 2-4 p.m., Sunday, June 1
Orange Uncorked Wine Festival, James Madison’s Montpelier, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, June 7-Sunday, June 8
Rapidan Chamber Players, The Music Room, 135 E. Main St., Orange, 2 p.m., Saturday, June 21
Recent back issues
Deadlocked school board does not fill District 4 vacancy (May 7)