'Firefighter's Last Call'
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me Limited Time Limited Ti Online Subscriptions $9 a year www.gazettejournal.net GLOUCESTER-MATHEWS THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 2020 VOL. LXXXIII, no. 18 NEW SERIES (USPS 220-560) GLOUCESTER, VA. 23061 | MATHEWS, VA. 23109 two sections 28 pages 75 CENTS Mathews adopts $28.71M budget Kay Cole James Jenny Crittenden BY SHERRY HAMILTON Rather than the originally- projected local revenues of The Mathews County Board $19.07 million, the operating of Supervisors on Tuesday budget as adopted now re- Two women adopted a $28.71 million flects anticipated local rev- FY2021 budget as presented enues of $18.91 million. The with local ties by County Administrator remainder of the $28.71 mil- Mindy Conner. The vote was lion budget comes from state 4-1, with supervisor Paul and federal funds. help to chart Hudgins dissenting. The reductions in the op- In a pair of meetings, one erating budget came from a work session at 1 p.m. and expected decreases in per- course ahead the other a regular meeting sonal property tax ($25,000), As the nation and Virginia at 6 o’clock, the board dis- boat tax ($5,000), machinery begin the challenging pro- cussed details of the budget. and tools tax ($5,000), lodg- cess of figuring out how best Conner presented board ing tax ($5,000), local sales to get back to work once it’s members with an operat- tax ($100,000) and business safe to do so in the wake of ing budget in which she had licenses ($20,000). COVID-19, two women with reduced local revenues by To offset this reduction local ties are part of the ef- SHERRY HAMILTON / GAZETTE-JOURNAL $160,000 from the original in revenues, Conner re- fort to chart that course. Firefighters from throughout the region lined both sides of Gloucester’s Main Street on Sunday morning to pay tribute to budget amount because of an- duced the schools budget Kay Cole James former Gloucester Volunteer Fire and Rescue Chief Andy James, who died on April 23 ticipated economic impacts Kay Coles James, found- of the COVID-19 disaster. SEE MATHEWS BUDGET, PAGE 7A er and board chair of The Gloucester Institute and president of The Heritage Foundation, has been placed at the helm of a group ‘Firefighter’s Last Call’ Gloucester board makes charged with providing the federal government recom- mendations for getting the made for Andy James budget adjustments U.S. back to work. As chair of the National BY SHERRY HAMILTON ers decided to send off their Sheriff’s Office and Engine BY TYLER BASS fees for unpaid property and Coronavirus Recovery Com- beloved former chief in style, 10, the department’s first- real estate tax until Aug. 15. mission, James has held Fire trucks, rescue vehicles with ladder trucks from six due truck (the department’s The Gloucester Board of The payments would still two meetings thus far, with and ambulances from all over different companies form- primary response vehicle, Supervisors held two more be due on June 30, but the a third scheduled for May the region lined Gloucester’s ing arches over the roadway the one that’s called first if budget work sessions during taxpayer would be allowed 5. According to the commis- Main Street on Sunday as and the lights from dozens of needed). the past week ahead of its an extra 45 days to pay sion’s first report, issued Gloucester Volunteer Fire emergency vehicles flashing The “Firefighter’s Last Call” electronic budget adoption without additional late fees. on April 20, the task force and Rescue Squad said good- a solemn farewell. was made over GVFRS ra- meeting, which will be held This change was suggested will be determining “how to bye to one of its own—Chief Around 65 vehicles repre- dios by Gloucester County at 7 p.m. Tuesday. Funding by County Treasurer Tara weigh the competing factors Andy James, who died on senting 15 different depart- dispatch as people stood si- for the schools and the dead- Thomas. associated with crisis mitiga- Thursday, April 23, at his ments were angled along lently paying their respects line for tax payments were The other major decision tion” and “how to determine Ware River home. Main Street, leaving a single until the procession had left two of the topics discussed was on how the schools the best way to transition to Unable to pay their respects lane open as the hearse and Main Street to make its way during the meetings. would be funded in FY21. recovery and restoring nor- during a regular funeral ser- family vehicles proceeded to Ware Neck, where James For FY2020, the board de- mal lives.” vice because of the current slowly down Main Street, es- cided to delay charging late SEE GLOUCESTER BOARD, PAGE 7A “The challenge at hand is a pandemic situation, firefight- corted by Gloucester County SEE ANDY JAMES, PAGE 5A public health crisis with un- precedented implications,” according to the report. “At this point in the progression People delaying emergency care in age of coronavirus of COVID-19, good public health policy is good policy: BY MELANY SLAUGHTER of contracting the coronavi- the onset of symptoms.” Americans’ normal lives will rus. “Not only is it easier and rebound when the American Hospitals and urgent care “We are seeing this nation- less expensive to treat ill- people are healthy and confi- facilities across the country wide that people are waiting nesses early on, but doing so have seen a significant and at home sick and in pain, also reduces medical compli- SEE CHARTING THE COURSE, PAGE 5A troubling decrease in non- many with bad injuries and cations which jeopardize the coronavirus related patients many without their chronic patient’s overall health,” said since March. medications because they Ayers. “Nationally, according to are fearful of coming in,” said Foregoing medical care Let us know data from the Urgent Care Naumann. “Many conditions during the pandemic is also Association, urgent care vol- can become life-threatening expected to have adverse ef- umes are down over 50 per- or life-altering rapidly. fects after the virus is over. how you’re cent,” said Alan Ayers, Chief “Some examples of this “Industry experts estimate Executive Officer of Velocity would include abdominal that up to 20 percent of Ur- Urgent Care. “We’ve seen a pain which could be indica- gent Care centers may not re- similar downward decline tive of a surgical condition open after the current crisis,” doing with hospital ERs. Many PCP such as an appendicitis,” she he said. “Velocity Urgent Care When Gloucester and offices are closed and while said. “Urinary symptoms can has temporarily reduced its Mathews joined the rest of many have migrated to tele- become toxic rapidly and hours in Gloucester to Mon- the nation in the COVID-19 medicine, consumer adop- lead to sepsis. Seasonal aller- day-Friday only.” shutdown, the Gazette-Jour- tion of telemedicine remains gy symptoms left untreated “The biggest challenge in nal started to wonder how low as it’s extremely limited can lead to bronchitis and this time is helping the pub- people were coping with in its capabilities.” put folks with respiratory lic to understand that Urgent the sudden changes in their Gloucester’s Velocity Ur- compromise such as COPD in Care sites are an extremely lives. gent Care has proved to be dire situations. safe place to obtain medical We have been asking our no exception. It began to “Furthermore, they can care,” said Naumann. “The readers to help us document see a steady decline in pa- cause symptoms that mimic medical community has been the good things and the un- tient turnout beginning in the COVID-19 virus and lead fighting the spread of infec- usual things that have hap- late March and early April, to increased anxiety. Mus- tion for decades. We are in pened along the way. If you according to Colleen Nau- cular-skeletal injuries left fact the most trained to do wish to contribute to any of mann, Nurse Practitioner at untreated can lead to vascu- so and this includes wearing MELANY SLAUGHTER / GAZETTE-JOURNAL these efforts, please send Gloucester’s Velocity Urgent lar compromise. These con- PPE with all patients and also Lanell Williams, Director of Critical Care, at left, and Dr Melvin D Schursky, Chief your material, photos and Care. She said she believes ditions can and should be providing them with protec- Medical Officer of Riverside Walter Reed Hospital, are shown dressed in the gear this is due to the stay-at- treated safely and effectively they wear while handling COVID-19 patients Williams wears a P100 respirator and SEE HOW ARE YOU DOING?, PAGE 5A home order and people’s fear in our Urgent Care settings at SEE EMERGENCY CARE, PAGE 5A face shield and Schursky wears an N95 mask and goggles INSIDE THIS WEEK TO REACH US: Phone: 804-693-3101 Gloucester 2A Obituaries 9A-10A Variety 5B On the river Mathews 3A Schools 11A Days Past 6B Fax: 804-693-7844 Gloucester Point 4A Sports 12A-13A Business 7B Several world-class athletes will be coming to Mathews today to film vid- eos for a rowing machine similar to a Peleton cycle See story on page 12A Editorial 5A Community News 1B Public Record 8B On the web Arts 7A Church News 3B-5B Classifieds 9B-12B www.gazettejournal.net Disclaimer: *The Wells Fargo Home Projects credit card is issued by Wells Fargo Bank N.A., an Equal Housing Lender. 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