Courier-Record Newspaper

06/18/2020

POSTPONED: Event is rescheduled for Friday June 26th and Saturday June 27th.

06/18/2020

New hours!

06/18/2020

No injuries. Burkeville couple was in minivan, which backed into Blackstone Wal-Mart at about 11 am this morning ( Thursday, June 18th).

06/17/2020

Now on most newsstands and arriving at local post offices. Join our growing family of e-Subscribers by calling 434-292-3019. Just $25.00 per year, no matter where you live! Be safe, everyone.

06/11/2020

2020 Dream Big Senior Annual

Courier-Record 2020 Dream Big Senior annual is online and on newsstands now!

Issuu is a digital publishing platform that makes it simple to publish magazines, catalogs, newspapers, books, and more online. Easily share your publications and get them in front of Issuu’s millions of monthly readers. Title: 2020 Dream Big Senior Annual, Author: Fox Litho, Name: 2020 Dream Big ...

06/10/2020

Blackstone Courier-Record

In this weeks Courier-Record and available for view at https://www.courier-record.com
is the Courier-Record's exclusive
Dream Big 2020 Senior Annual!

06/10/2020

Now hitting newsstands, local post offices and inboxes. Remember, you can join our growing family of E-subscribers for just $25.00 per year, no matter where you live. The E-edition is an exact replica of our print edition, but you get it faster than regular mail. Call 434-292-3019 or email: [email protected]

06/09/2020

Ready to go in tomorrows edition! #classof2020 #dreambig #courierrecord

06/05/2020

EARLIER TODAY: Crewe Mayor Greg Eanes resigned today, effective at 12 Noon -- the day after his request for Crewe to receive any Civil War monuments that are removed in Richmond was followed by statewide publicity, unrest, and demonstrations in his town. Eanes didn't seek re-election in May, and his last day in office was to have been June 30th. Eanes' letter is attached. It's our understanding that Vice-Mayor Anne Stinson may be sworn-in to serve until Mayor-Elect Phil Miskovic takes office July 1st. Mayor-elect Miskovic released a statement yesterday supporting the Mayor's request "but only if we do so collaboratively and appropriately." More in your next Courier.

06/04/2020

Special thank you to Southside Girl Scouts Brooklynn and Sophia Zhe from Victoria for delivering a wonderful treat to a very grateful Courier-Record staff. Thanks ladies!

06/03/2020

Now hitting newsstands, local post offices, and inboxes. Join our growing family of e-Subscribers for just $25.00 per year -- no matter where you live.

05/30/2020

Hickory Hill Retirement Community

This is message from Hickory Hill founder and administrator of Hickory Hill Retirement Community, Dee Mullens.

COVID-19 ALERT
Information Release
May 29, 2020

To the Hickory Hill Family: its residents, staff, family members, and the community at large.

Hickory Hill Retirement Community has recently fallen victim to the COVID-19 virus. This release will provide as much factual information as possible to educate the reader on what is transpiring at our facility and what we are doing in response to the immediate challenge.

From the outset of the Corona Virus outbreak in the United States, Hickory Hill reacted proactively. On March 12th (prior to our Governor’s stay-at-home order) we implemented a rigorous modification to our operations which included a total lockdown of the facility. No one in and no one out, except essential healthcare personnel (HCP). Our Family members already know this, but they too, were precluded from coming to visit their loved ones in the interest of protecting the well-being of the residents. All off-site resident transports were suspended. Upon coming to work, each staff member is temperature-checked/screened and if found to have a fever greater than 99.5 deg F with symptoms or 100 deg F with no symptoms, they are not permitted to enter the building. Food service and supply vendors have left their deliveries outside the door, and our staff disinfected the boxes before bringing them into the facility. Likewise, our housekeeping staff continuously wipe down/disinfect frequent touch surfaces such as doors, furniture, door handles, handrails, keypads, and bathrooms. In-house doctor/therapist visits were suspended. Instead, all routine medical exams have been conducted via Skype. The only medical service providers that have been in our building since March 12th have been hospice registered nurses, one x-ray technician, and EMTs to respond to resident emergencies. With respect to personal protective equipment (PPE), our entire staff continues to be masked. All HCP are gloved and gowned as appropriate. Frequent hand washing has been rigorously enforced. Residents are temperature-checked every morning. If temperature is greater than 98.6 deg F, they are re-temped two additional times daily. Residents experiencing any adverse health symptoms are quarantined in their room and observed by our nursing staff until their condition resolves. Management conducts weekly staff meetings to share relevant information, education, feedback and to provide specific direction to our entire staff. Under this protocol, the Hickory Hill resident population remained COVID-19 free for 10 continuous weeks.

On April 23rd, one Hickory Hill HCP tested positive for Corona Virus. She has since recovered, retested negative, and returned to duty. Over a month later, May 27th, we received our first positive test result for a resident. As of this writing, Hickory Hill has (4) HCPs and (8) residents testing positive for the virus within our assisted living wings. No residents in our Memory Care Wing have become symptomatic.

This setback is unfortunate. However, Hickory Hill Management has responded swiftly and aggressively to thwart the future spread of this disease within the facility. More stringent measures have been implemented within the assisted living wings, to include the following:
• 100% quarantine of resident population. Each resident is restricted to their own room.
• Communal dining and activities have been suspended. Meal service is provided to each resident in their respective rooms.
• Restrict internal movement of HCP within the building. HCP are dedicated to individual wings to minimize possibility of cross-contamination. Only our Registered Nurse and nursing supervisors are allowed full facility access.
• Stage individual PPE at each resident room doorway (gown, gloves, disinfectant wipes, etc.)
• Isolate resident rooms that become vacant once an infected occupant is transported to a medical facility. When fully disinfected, the room may open back up.

The Hickory Hill Management team is committed to providing the best possible service in a safe environment for each of its residents. We sincerely thank our residents and family members for their prayers and continued trust in us to deliver that service. As they say, “We are all in this together”. And together, we will all get through this difficult and challenging period.


Very Respectfully,
Dolores V. Mullens, Administrator
Hickory Hill Retirement Community, LLC

05/29/2020

The Courier-Record moments ago received this response from the Piedmont Health District:

"The Piedmont District of the Virginia Department of Health is currently actively involved in investigation of an outbreak at a facility in Nottoway County which has reported several residents diagnosed with COVID-19. We can not comment further at this time as the investigation is still in its initial stages."

We asked the Health District about testing of other residents and staff but, as you see above, the statement did not address that question.

05/29/2020

A FEW ITEMS: We are expected to receive, very soon in the mail, 1922 photos that show where the great meteor of 1922 is reported to have landed near Blackstone, along with some information from NASA. More in a future edition. In other news, Nottoway Supervisors met yesterday for about 50 minutes with fire and rescue captains, an employee of the Piedmont Health District, and an employee of the Nottoway Health Health Dept. Concerns were raised about the possibility -- if Burkeville Rescue members were to be exposed to COVID -- how would the County respond. Squad Captain E. B. Fisher assured officials that the Squad would assist Burkeville and also would consider having a dedicated unit available for only COVID-19 calls. Fisher also said that if necessary, the Squad would make arrangements with other providers. So far, it was reported, no Burkeville members have been quarantined because they were in PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) when responding to suspected COVID-19 calls. Supervisor Helen Simmons, who serves as the County's Director of Emergency Services in her capacity as Board Chairman, asked staff to develop a plan of action in case several or more agency volunteers have to be quarantined and out-of-duty for a prolonged period of time. Four of the five Supervisors were present, making yesterday's gathering a meeting, by law. The County, which recently installed a new video and recording system in the courtroom, did not record yesterday's meeting. Requests to have the meeting recorded were denied at the direction of the County Administrator, we were told by multiple sources.

05/28/2020

Moments ago, the newsroom was informed by the County Administrator's Office of an "informal" meeting at 5:00 p.m. today, in the General District Courtroom, between members of the Board of Supervisors, Nottoway Sheriff's Office, and Burkeville Fire & Rescue, and perhaps other agencies, to discuss an apparent "outbreak" of COVID-19 cases at Hickory Hill Retirement Community near Burkeville. County Administrator Ronnie Roark told the newsroom that there have been 7 positive cases at the facility and that officials are awaiting results of "6-8" more tests.

05/28/2020

BREAKING IN LUNENBURG--NO PAROLE this year for Charles Edward Zellers, the Lunenburg man who in 1993 pleaded Guilty in the death and forcible sodomy of his 19-month-old stepson. Parole Board held hearing on Tuesday and denied petition...more in your next Courier-Record.

05/28/2020

Give us a call and we can help you distribute up to 5,000 business cards!
434-292-3019
[email protected]
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05/28/2020

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Nottoway County has risen from 20 to 24 in the past 48 hours. We are getting reports--UNCONFIRMED at this time--that the jump is attributable or partially attributable to an institution in Nottoway County.

05/27/2020

Now hitting local newsstands, local post offices, and inboxes all over the world. Join our growing family of e-Subscribers! Just $25.00 per year, no matter where you live! Call 434-292-3019, email [email protected], or visit: www.courier-record.com.

05/25/2020

Memorial dedicated to all veterans buried in Blackstone's Lakeview Cemetery. Three monuments include more than 650 names. It was dedicated on Veterans Day 2015 and donated to the community by Blackstone VFW Post 7897, which raised and spent about $35,000 on the years-long tribute. ©Courier-Record.

05/16/2020

05/16/2020

Exclusive brief interview with protesting “mailman,” Frank Hostettler.

05/16/2020

05/15/2020

Find out how to get your spot on our page! Call 434-292-3019 or email [email protected]

05/15/2020

Tomorrow morning shortly after sunrise, the Courier-Record plans to go Facebook Live, on scene, to cover what's being billed as a worker protest of sorts in Blackstone. We're still gathering information and details...

05/15/2020

SCHOOL BOARD STALEMATE: A proposal by the Nottoway division's leadership team -- to extend the school day by 30 minutes for Fall semester 2020 -- failed to advance at last night's meeting, the board's first meeting in two months. The School Board is now planning a special meeting later this month to decide how best to make-up the missed instructional time since March 13th. A motion to extend the day was made not once but twice by Dist. One rep Bill Outlaw, but it failed to receive a second. MORE IN YOUR NEXT COURIER.

05/14/2020

Salute Your Senior! Deadline tomorrow!

05/13/2020

Happy Birthday to 7-year-old Kamelra Hill in Crewe!

05/13/2020

Now hitting newsstands and local post offices. Our e-Subscribers received their editions several hours ago. Join our growing family at: www.courier-record.com

05/11/2020

Find out how to get your Ad on our page! Email [email protected] or call 434-292-3019

05/10/2020

Our Deadline for the 2020 Senior Magazine will be Wednesday May 13th by 2pm.
Please contact [email protected], [email protected] or call our office
at 292-3019 to get your Senior Salute included.

05/08/2020

Find out how to get your Ad on our page! Email [email protected] or call 434-292-3019

05/08/2020

FIFTY-SEVEN CITIZEN EMAILS were read aloud by Chair Helen Simmons -- for a full hour -- at last night's public hearing on the proposed Nottoway County budget. The overwhelming theme of those emails -- provided to the Board by Supervisor John Roark -- support the current tax rates, oppose lowering tax rates as initially proposed by the Budget Committee, and also support more funds for Sheriff Robert Jones to hire two additional deputies, and support more funding for fire and EMS agencies (emergency services). The Board also heard the same message from several speakers. County Administrator Ronnie Roark reported that the VA Dept. of Emergency Services was sending the National Guard to Piedmont Geriatric Hospital to assist that state institution with custom-fitting N95 masks. Administrator Roark also provided information showing that Nottoway County households are lagging the state in returning U. S. Census forms that were mailed earlier this year. MORE, MUCH MORE, in your next Courier.

05/07/2020

Dillard Street Surprise: It was a four-alarm.....birthday party at 2 pm today for a six-year-old Blackstone girl, La’Shae Hardy! Blackstone Fire and Police made it happen! Happy Birthday, La’Shae!

05/07/2020

Reunited with her Blackstone High School ring after losing it 60 years ago. The lovely Peggy Carlo. See story in this week’s edition.