http://www.mechlocal.com/index.php/news/index/ en kodor@mechlocal.com Copyright 2008 2008-05-15T17:37:00-05:00 http://www.mechlocal.com/index.php/news/article/honoring_hanovers_emergency_medical_services/ http://www.mechlocal.com/index.php/site/honoring_hanovers_emergency_medical_services/#When:16:37:00Z The American College of Emergency Physicians states that this celebration exists to “honor the dedication of those who provide the day-to-day lifesaving services of medicine’s ‘front line.’”This year, Emergency Medical Services Week is being celebrated May 18 through May 24. The American College of Emergency Physicians states that this celebration exists to “honor the dedication of those who provide the day-to-day lifesaving services of medicine’s ‘front line.’” Here in Hanover, that service is provided by Hanover Fire/EMS, by both volunteers and career officers. “I love it,” says Jim Benjamin, a volunteer EMT officer with Ashcake Rescue Station 13. “It’s rewarding, and the people I work with here are people of all kinds— we may not have a single thing in common.” At least on the surface. Because one thing they all share, says Benjamin, is that, “We don’t do it for money, we do it because we all choose to.” “Compassion and a giving, caring nature are typical traits of EMS providers,” said Cris Leonard, Volunteer Membership Coordinator for Hanover Fire/EMS, who has been with department for almost 10 years.  “EMS providers are world class public servants who have a great sense of civic duty… we often hear from folks who seem just ready to give back to the community.” There are about 1,000 Hanover Fire/EMS providers, all of whom receive extensive training. “In the Commonwealth, the training classes and certifications are the same for volunteer and career personnel,” said Leonard. “The role of EMS providers is vital to our emergency responses and the safety of our citizens… All of our members make a very significant contribution towards our goals.” Brian Nesselrodt, a full-time career officer with Hanover Fire/EMS, says that he appreciates the contact he has with people in the community. “You see them at their worst and help them at their worst. You get them the help they need to become better, or to relieve the pain they’re in.” Nesselrodt says that a lot of the patients he helps are affected by heart or breathing issues. “On the way to the hospital, you get to know them, find out their stories.” Nesselrodt’s empathy has impressed those he serves, as well as his colleagues. “He is currently at our Chickahominy Fire Company in the airpark, and has run many, many, many shifts on an ambulance lately,” said Leonard. “Brian’s compassion, bedside manner and calming demeanor make him a great firefighter-medic.” Benjamin, whose father was an emergency services provider, started volunteering when he was 18. After serving as a fireman in New Jersey for six years, he decided to work with EMT when he moved to Hanover. He gives about 20 hours of his time to the community every week, and says that people may not always understand what EMT services involve. “There are misconceptions, it’s not all gore,” he says of the cases he sees. “Many involve chest pains and illness, or car accidents with neck and back pain. And we provide the same level of care every day.” When asked why he volunteers, Benjamin said, “For the camaraderie, the self-gratification and satisfaction of helping other people, the less fortunate or the ill. I like it here, and I’ll stay as long as I can.” For information on volunteering, call 365-6195 Bryan Condra Emergency vehicles stand ready at the Station 13-Ashcake. 2008-05-15T16:37:00-05:00 http://www.mechlocal.com/index.php/news/article/hicks_charged_with_three_felony_counts/ http://www.mechlocal.com/index.php/site/hicks_charged_with_three_felony_counts/#When:16:17:00Z Kenneth Brandon Hicks, age 22, of Mechanicsville, was charged with Breaking and Entering and Malicious Wounding (felonies) - Henrico County Police Department, and Possession With the Intent to Distribute Marijuana (felony) - Virginia State Police. 2008-05-15T16:17:00-05:00 http://www.mechlocal.com/index.php/news/article/hanover_veterans_memorial_day_program_set_for_saturday_may_24/ http://www.mechlocal.com/index.php/site/hanover_veterans_memorial_day_program_set_for_saturday_may_24/#When:16:15:00Z The public is invited to attend the Hanover Veterans Memorial Day Program being held at the Hanover Veterans Memorial located at Hanover Wayside Park on Saturday, May 24 at 10:00 a.m. Veterans who gave their life defending their Country and those who are currently serving our Country to insure our freedom will be honored. The Honor Guard and Veteran’s family members will participate in this program with the laying of the ceremonial wreath. Special guest speaker will be Sgt. Brian Pearce.  Honored guests include: George N. Condyles, Hanover Veterans Memorial Sub-Committee; Reverend Edward J. Tracy, Rector, Saint James the Less Episcopal Church; Al Salazar, Chairman, Hanover Veterans Memorial Sub-Committee; Honorable Charles D. McGhee, Hanover County Board of Supervisors, Henry District. Hanover Wayside Park is located on U.S. Rt. 301 about a mile north of Hanover High School. For more information about this ceremony or about the Hanover Veteran’s Memorial, please call Hanover County Parks and Recreation at 365-4695 or visit http://www.co.hanover.va.us/parksrec/vetmemorial.htm 2008-05-13T16:15:00-05:00 http://www.mechlocal.com/index.php/news/article/cycling_the_rails_in_ashland/ http://www.mechlocal.com/index.php/site/cycling_the_rails_in_ashland/#When:16:14:00Z “We wanted a ride that would appeal to not only cyclists, but to people who just want to get out and ride, such as kids and families,” said Clunker Cruise organizer Joel Street.On Saturday evening, a bevy of bicyclists hauled antique and unusual cycles to Railroad Avenue in Ashland for a whimsical celebration of the town’s 150th anniversary. About 30 people gathered at 5 p.m. for the Ashland 150 Clunker Cruise, a 5-mile ride starting at Cobblestone Bicycles on Railroad Avenue and ending at Dairy Queen. “We wanted a ride that would appeal to not only cyclists, but to people who just want to get out and ride, such as kids and families,” said Clunker Cruise organizer Joel Street, who came up with the idea as a way for his business Cobblestone Bicycles to join in anniversary festivities. Street added that Railroad Avenue is well-known bicycle territory. It’s the only place where cross-country bicycle routes 1 and 76 meet. Biking is popular in Ashland, and people prepared bikes specifically for this ride, he said. Iain Melson, an Ashland resident, brought a custom bicycle he described as a “rusty old thing” before its transformation. He fashioned ape-hanger handlebars from conduit pipe and painted the frame black. Completing the picture was Melson’s spire-topped silver helmet. Other bicyclists brought antique pieces, such as Ashland resident Rob Stiles’ 40-year-old bicycle for two – or three if counting the extra child’s seat. Stiles’ parents bought the bicycle new, and he acquired it after his first child was born. “This is only the second time we’ve ridden it in the past couple of years,” Stiles said. “The event gave us a reason to dust it off and pump up the tires.” For the Clunker Cruise, Stiles pedaled off with his son George, age 10, in the middle seat and son Ethan, 6, on the back. Angela Woodford A bicycle decorated as Bill and Hillary Clinton drew attention at the Clunker Cruise.Ashland resident Marsha Summerson sported a bright yellow bicycle-meets-scooter creation called a sidewalker. She bought it at Cobblestone two years ago, and later discovered that sidewalkers are popular in Austria. No bicycle event seems complete without at least one high-wheeler, or penny-farthing bicycle. The Clunker Cruise drew two. Ashland resident Jeff Ault rode a reproduction of the 1880s-style bicycle that he ordered from Victory Bicycles in Florida. “It’s tricky getting on and off, but other than that, it’s just like any other bicycle,” Ault said. Ault has been riding since he was 8 years old, and used to ride a high-wheeler in local parades. The Clunker Cruise is one of many events celebrating Ashland’s 150th anniversary. For more information, visit www.ashland150.com. 2008-05-13T16:14:00-05:00 http://www.mechlocal.com/index.php/news/article/mechanicsvilles_muse_inspires_local_writers/ http://www.mechlocal.com/index.php/site/mechanicsvilles_muse_inspires_local_writers/#When:16:05:00Z Hanover Writers will hold its third annual Hanover Book Festival August 2 at VFW Post 9808. Mechanicsville is home to several fiction and nonfiction writers, many of whom find inspiration in their work and life experiences in Hanover. In 2003, area writers began meeting for critiques and networking through the Hanover Writers support group. The three fiction writers profiled below all live in Mechanicsville and belong to Hanover Writers, which meets on the third Saturday of each month at 10 a.m. at Mechanicsville library. Hanover Writers will hold its third annual Hanover Book Festival August 2 at VFW Post 9808. Teresa Adele Bettino Teresa Adele Bettino was inspired to publish her first novel, “The Adventures of Sugarbabe and Thunder,” when she turned 50. In the seven years since, Bettino has written three additional novels and a humor book for social workers, plus published two poetry collections. With 30 years in social work, Bettino moved from New Jersey to Richmond in 1977 to work with mentally ill adults as a VISTA volunteer. Much of her writing is inspired by heart-breaking experiences in child and senior services. She describes her poetry as “dark,” but her novels as having happy endings. Her second novel, “Degan and Me,” revolves around an impoverished girl with spina bifida who learns dressage horseback riding, which is guiding a horse through complex maneuvers. Bettino learned dressage as one of her goals for turning 50. The novel’s main character lives in Caroline County, and is loosely based on a single mother Bettino visited in 1995 who was living in such abject poverty that her infant was turned over to social services for fear it would not thrive. Bettino’s fourth book, “The Cats of Hanover Juvenile Correction Center,” also draws on her social-work experience, but focuses on the plight of feral felines. While working at the Hanover Juvenile Corrections Center, Bettino helped lead a trap, neuter and release program for the campus’ feral cats. A change in the correction center’s administration brought an end to the volunteer program. Bettino was so displeased that she wrote a book from the perspective of a mother cat about her feral kittens’ mischievous encounters with facility staff. As Bettino approaches retirement, she is working in adult protective services with abused and disabled seniors. Her experience with this population inspired her second poetry book, “A Wicker Rocker.” “In the first poem, a family leaves the house and abandons this wicker rocker on the front porch,” Bettino said. “This is a metaphor for how we abandon people who have problems – whether they’re mentally ill or physically disabled – when we have used the person. We discard them like things.” Bettino’s latest book, “Two Dogs and a Boy,” also examines end-of-life issues, but through a young boy who learns about life-cycles through the death of his two dogs. “This is not a sad book where you cry at the end,” Bettino said. “It’s just about learning that life throws you different punches.” Bettino’s books are available on Amazon.com and at Coffee Lane Café on Pole Green Road. For more info, visit http://www.teresaadelebettino.com. Joanne Liggan In 2000, a doctor’s misdiagnosis moved Joanne Liggan to dust off a book she wrote decades ago and have it published. For four months, the Mechanicsville real-estate agent thought she had multiple sclerosis. “It sort of made me re-evaluate my life,” Liggan said. “I had these manuscripts and thought, ‘If something happens to me, this thing is going in the trash.’” Three years later, Liggan published “Heir of Deception,” a murder-mystery set in an economically depressed Appalachian town. That year, she also founded the Hanover Writers support group. Liggan’s renewed focus on writing grew, and she took writing classes. In 2007, she published a sequel, “Air of Truth,” and is now working on a third book in the series. Liggan is also a writing instructor, leading a 20-week class on how to write a manuscript and get it published through Hanover Parks and Recreation and the Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen. “I love teaching” Liggan said. “I really wish I had found that calling earlier in life.” Her primary advice to students is “do not edit as you write, because if you do, you will never finish,” Liggan said. “Write a really terrible first draft, straight through, on paper, and go back and edit.” Liggan speaks from experience. “It took me 10 years to write my first three chapters because I wanted that first chapter to be perfect, and it drove me crazy.” She submitted it to an agent who read the first sentence, threw it back at her, and told her to try again. She decided to drop the novel’s labor-intensive beginning after all. Liggan’s books are available by special-order at area book stores. For more information, visit http://www.liggan.net. Miriam Walker Miriam Walker drew on her experiences with bizarre dates for her first novel, “Kiss Millie,” which was published in 2005. The book began as a collection of stories about weird dates she had after her divorce, including one with a man who showed up with a leather skirt and halter top four sizes too small. In “Kiss Millie,” the main character does find love in the end, but not after a few quirky adventures. Walker said she’s drawn to romantic stories, and based her latest novel book “It Took an Earthquake” upon the story of how Massachusetts Colonial aristocrat Sir Harry Franklin came to marry Agnes Surriage, a woman of humble means. “My own experience prompted ‘Millie,’ and my hometown [of Marblehead, Mass.] prompted ‘Earthquake,” Walker said. “I guess I’m a romantic person.” In both real life and Walker’s novel, Franklin marries Surriage after she digs him from the rubble following a Lisbon earthquake. Walker has written seven books since “Kiss Millie.” Her novel “Geneva Remembers” is a told by a grandmother whose grandchildren urge her to write a humorous memoir, but she instead tells a poignant account of her life. “That was inspired by my own family,” Walker explained. Walker’s father attempted to save a friend who fell overboard while duck hunting in 1937. Her father brought the man, who was in his 60s, to shore, but he was already dead. Physicians assumed he died from heart failure since he had no water in his lungs. “So I got to thinking, ‘How would my life be different if he did not survive that?’” Walker said of her inspiration for “Geneva Remembers.” Family dynamics are also a main focus in her book “Peeled Onions,” a novel about a girl who uncovers the mysterious reasons behind her mother’s distant, cold behavior. Walker said she has always loved writing, even though she began writing novels later in life. “I wondered why I didn’t start earlier,” Walker said. “But I thought that maybe I had to live this long to write these stories.” In giving advice to budding writers, Walker suggests they always write down what’s in their heads. She added, “There are two things you need to be a writer: one is a bit of talent, and the other is what musicians call an ‘ear.’ You have to listen to it. Does it flow? Is it easy to read? Or do you get stuck after this word and wonder where it goes? That’s almost more important than talent.” Some of Walker’s books are available at Coffee Lane, and she facilitates direct public sales. For more information, call Walker at 559-4829. Teresa Bettino Joanne Liggon Liggon Miriam Walker 2008-05-13T16:05:00-05:00 http://www.mechlocal.com/index.php/news/article/project_inspires_new_atlee_charity_club/ http://www.mechlocal.com/index.php/site/project_inspires_new_atlee_charity_club/#When:15:55:01Z The club Schools for Schools raises money for the charity group called Invisible Children. Invisible Children helps rebuild high schools located in northern Uganda. A book project in Rebekah O’Dell’s English class prompted one Atlee High School sophomore to make a difference in a worn-torn country by raising awareness and money. Brendan Molin completed the project, which included reading “Cry, to the Beloved Country” — a story about racial injustice in South Africa — and discussing other injustices around the world. Then he decided to start a new student club at Atlee. Last month the 16-year-old started the fundraising club Schools for Schools, which raises money for the charity group called Invisible Children. Invisible Children helps rebuild high schools located in northern Uganda. “I really got involved in this English project, and after doing research I came across the group Invisible Children,” Molin said. “Instantly a bunch of people rallied around the cause.” The organization initially appealed to Molin because it focused on bringing attention to the issue to help students in Uganda, he said. Also, individual Schools for Schools clubs can go online to track their fundraising efforts. “Brendan has truly gone above and beyond and embodied the spirit of the project,” said O’Dell. “I am thrilled that he wants to start a Schools for Schools club because it shows his sense of social responsibility extends far beyond the scope of one English project.” “I liked the group because I can see exactly where the money is going and see exactly what is happening,” Molin said. “Sometimes with bigger organizations you don’t know exactly where the money is going.” The high schooler took his idea to the Atlee activities director and then to the school’s principal, Vincent D’Agostino. According to Molin, it takes two years to become an independent club. But the Human Relations club took his new venture under their wing. “So far I’ve had a lot of interest from people I know and people I don’t know,” he said. “I’ve taken a personal interest in it and could see myself doing it for years in the future.” Molin has been spreading the word around Atlee himself by going into classrooms and talking to students about the new charity club. “Everyone in general has been really great,” he added. Molin has high hopes for the new club within the next year. He is already working on two fundraising events for the fall at the Byrd Theatre, in Richmond, and hopes to raise $10,000 for Invisible Children. “Virginia Tech raised $10,000 and if they can do it then we can do it,” he said. “I’m pretty confident.” 2008-05-13T15:55:01-05:00 http://www.mechlocal.com/index.php/news/article/spanish_teacher_leads_travelers_around_the_world_learning_new_languages_and/ http://www.mechlocal.com/index.php/site/spanish_teacher_leads_travelers_around_the_world_learning_new_languages_and/#When:15:34:00Z “I was a little hesitant, wondering if I wanted to be responsible for taking teenagers out of the country,” said Langenbacher, who is a Spanish teacher at Lee-Davis High School. “But it was absolutely wonderful, and I’ve been doing it ever since!” When Mary Langenbacher first considered guiding a group of teenagers through Spain, she worried that the trip might end up being more of a misadventure than an adventure. “I was a little hesitant, wondering if I wanted to be responsible for taking teenagers out of the country,” said Langenbacher, who is a Spanish teacher at Lee-Davis High School. “But it was absolutely wonderful, and I’ve been doing it ever since!” She says that seeing her student communicate with native speakers, using the language she had taught them, was a wonderful experience. “They come to me, excited, saying, ‘They understood what I said!’” said Lagenbacher. “The kids realized that yes, they could do it, they really can use it. And this is valuable, especially nowadays, the way our culture is. You have to learn another language, and here in the U.S., Spanish is the one to have.” Before moving to Mechanicsville last year, Langenbacher taught in Maryland. She and another language teacher there started planning trips to places such as Spain and Mexico, where their students could practice their skills. Soon, they expanded their itineraries to include countries such as France, Italy, the Czech Republic, England and Ireland.  These biennial treks became so popular that other teachers started to ask if they could come along. “They’d say, ‘I’d really like to go on a trip where somebody handles everything,’” said Langenbacher, “so we started doing adult trips on the off years. From that, other teachers would ask if their sister could come, or their sister-in-law—now it’s open to anyone who wants to travel.” When Langenbacher speaks of the places she has explored, she is opinionated and passionate. “Obviously, I love Spain,” said the Spanish teacher. “Barcelona is probably my favorite—I really like the work of Antoni Gaudi, an architect who believed that form should be almost organic in shape… he designed a church that has been under construction for 100 years—it’s beautiful.” Langenbacher enjoys taking people to places they may otherwise never go, like Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia, a church that, according to the newspaper El Periodico de Catalunya, receives 2.26 million visitors each year. But many of us have never heard of it, which, to Langenbacher, is part of the thrill. “This is what I try to get through to the kids—what you see, you won’t forget,” she said. “And that’s true for adults, too.” How many people can claim that they have ventured into the cheese caves in Roquefort, or the wineries of France’s Champagne region? How many have visited a Spanish ranch where fighting bulls are raised, or the dungeons of Switzerland’s Chillon Castle? Langenbacher has arranged visits to all of the above. She revels in the role of travel guide, which she has assumed for about 24 years. She starts planning each trip two years in advance to ensure that the journey will go smoothly, handling details such as air tickets, hotels, meals and itineraries. She’ll be heading out on another excursion next year, to France, Germany and Switzerland. Langenbacher’s background as a teacher proves useful when she’s handling the 20 – 30 people who choose to accompany her, she says. Being a tour guide? “It’s like managing a classroom!” Contributed Photo Mary Lagenbacher and her friend visited the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin. 2008-05-13T15:34:00-05:00 http://www.mechlocal.com/index.php/news/article/looking_for_ghosts_at_cold_harbor/ http://www.mechlocal.com/index.php/site/looking_for_ghosts_at_cold_harbor/#When:15:29:00Z Author and paranormal investigator Beth Brown, who calls herself a “skeptical believer,” wanted to find out if the stories she had heard about the site were true. If there exist such things as ghosts, it makes sense that they would linger at Cold Harbor, where an estimated 16,000 men were killed, wounded, missing or captured during a fierce Civil War battle between the armies of Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee. Author and paranormal investigator Beth Brown, who calls herself a “skeptical believer,” wanted to find out if the stories she had heard about the site were true. In her new book, Haunted Battlefields: Virginia’s Civil War Ghosts, she writes, “I thought sure that the reports of paranormal happenings at Cold Harbor had something to do with the strong emotions of the men who lost their lives there over a century ago. Locals and visitors alike claim to have felt the booms of artillery fire, smelled the distinct scent of burned gunpowder, heard shouts and cries from unseen men, the heavy clamor of horses’ hooves….” At first, she wasn’t sure if she would be able to visit the park during the times most ghostly activity was reported—between 1 and 2 a.m. “The park service was a little hesitant to talk about anything ghost related. They try to keep history in line, and highlight historical events,” she said.  “But when they understood that I was trying to convey both history and legend, they were willing to help.” Brown is the founder and president of the Virginia Society of Paranormal Education and Research, a group boasting about 150 members. Brown took some of her fellow investigators with her after the Richmond Park Service granted her permission to visit the park at night. Her team included nine believers and skeptics, says Brown. They headed into the dark battlefield armed with cameras, night vision video equipment, EMF detectors and digital audio recorders. They were accompanied by Barry Krieg, a law enforcement officer with the Park Service. “The law enforcement agent was a diehard skeptic, which is great to have along,” said Brown. “But as night went on, that started to change.” She says that the group kept hearing what sounded like someone following them along the path. When they turned and looked back through their night scopes, expecting to see a deer or other natural visitor, nothing was there. Members of the group also detected the scent of sassafras, and watched as a thick fog about five feet high and twenty feet deep settled over the battlefield. When the group later sorted through the evidence they had collected that night, they discovered several photographs that included light anomalies. In her book, Brown writes, “The Rangers were quite surprised at the number of unexplainable photographs we snapped that night and they even commented on how maybe there was some validity to all of the stories they had been told over the years.” When asked why she chose to write about haunted battlefields, Brown said, “I grew up in Varina, surrounded by Civil War history, so this seemed a good match!” Brown has been interested in ghost-hunting nearly all her life. “All kids are into it, it’s a natural curiosity,” she said.  “A lot of people close to me died when I was young, and I had a curiosity about what had happened to them when they moved on.  Everybody wants to believe that there’s something, when we move on from the earth.” She acknowledges that she is as passionate about history as she is in the paranormal. “My husband jokes that I’m a history nerd, and need an excuse to put that to good use!” Haunted Battlefields will be released June 1. For more information about Virginia’s haunted attractions, visit http://www.virginia.org. Before visiting Cold Harbor Battlefield, go to http://www.nps.gov/rich/historyculture/cold-harbor-tour.htm or call 226.1981. Contributed Photo While exploring Cold Harbor at night, Brown and her team noticed a thick mist settling over the battlefield. 2008-05-13T15:29:00-05:00 http://www.mechlocal.com/index.php/news/article/day_of_prayer_observed_at_polegreen/ http://www.mechlocal.com/index.php/site/day_of_prayer_observed_at_polegreen/#When:17:08:00Z A group of Hanoverians observed the 57th annual National Day of Prayer by meeting at the site of the historic Polegreen Church last Thursday evening.A group of Hanoverians observed the 57th annual National Day of Prayer by meeting at the site of the historic Polegreen Church last Thursday evening. Layman Elwood Earl “Sandy” Sanders of the Hanover Church of the Nazarene helped organize the event, said Community Life pastor Joyce Grambo. Sanders said he e-mailed Del. Chris Peace, executive director of the Historic Polegreen Church Foundation, who readily agreed to use of the site. Church members set up six stations for visitors, to pray for government on the federal, state and local levels, along with stations for praying for members of the military, revival and church unity. “We can use all the help we can get,” observed Chickahominy supervisor Robert Setliff. Brad Norwood, brother of lead pastor Greg Norwood, said the site was appropriate for the observance. “The foundations of religious liberty began right here at Polegreen Church,” said Norwood. Visitors then dispersed, visiting the six stations to pray silently or aloud. Sanders and Peace said the program might well become an annual event at the historic site. 2008-05-06T17:08:00-05:00 http://www.mechlocal.com/index.php/news/article/home_spared_damage/ http://www.mechlocal.com/index.php/site/home_spared_damage/#When:16:59:00Z One Cold Harbor woman saw the hand of God in the aftermath of the recent tornado that struck Hanover County.One Cold Harbor woman saw the hand of God in the aftermath of the recent tornado that struck Hanover County. While her neighbor Tom Curd lost his barn, and others suffered damage all around, the house where Linda and her husband Richard got by with hardly a scratch. Not that it wasn’t a frightening experience. Sunday April 20 was a rainy day in the area, and Linda was relaxing after church when she heard her big cast iron dinner bell ring one time. “I looked up to see if maybe a bird had hit it,” said Linda. What followed was the storm that destroyed there neighbor’s barn and downed trees throughout the area. “It was all over in 20 seconds or so,” said Linda, who yelled to her husband to take shelter in the basement. But he was looking out the window of his home office. “I saw the top of the tree go straight up in the air and come down,” said Richard. Debbie Turner, who lives across the from the Wooddy’s home on McClellan Road, said the Wooddy home disappeared inside a dark cloud for a moment. Despite the destruction, no one was injured by the tornado of April 20. That was the blessing,” said Turner. Linda agrees. ‘Our lives, our house and our animals were spared,” she said. “we began to count our blessings rather than our damages.” When everyone had left, Lind and Richard found a stone cross with the Lord’s Prayer on it lying on the floor, that fell from a shelf by the front door. “Along with the bell, we believe this cross is to let us know that God had his protective hand over us,” said Linda. “This storm was a reminder of who is really in charge.” Editor’s Note: Questions of why some are spared often arise after natural disasters. The answers each person finds are different. Ken Odor A large tree was sheared in half in the Wooddy’s front yard. 2008-05-06T16:59:00-05:00