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Calendar 14 Church 7 Classified 13 Family Album 8 Obituaries 6 Sports 10 THE ENTERPRISE Viewpoints 9 Vol. 145 No. 17 Website: www.theenterprise.net STUART, VIRGINIA WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17, 2021 USPS 523-500 $1.00 VOICE OF THE PEOPLE SINCE 1876 - A PART OF PATRICK COUNTY’S HERITAGE Input sought Volunteers ask for furloughed funds to on potential tax be reinstated, board to discuss request increase as board at budget work session Monday By Taylor Boyd and dear to my heart and that department. One thing that approves new tax Members of volunteer fire is fire and rescue,” Buddy Dol- was cut was the fire and rescue By Taylor Boyd said. departments within the coun- larhite, chief of the Stuart Vol- allocation for capital improve- The Patrick County Denise Stirewalt, of ty asked the Patrick County unteer Fire Department, said ments,” Dollarhite said. Board of Supervisors the Peters Creek Dis- Board of Supervisors for the adding he knows the board is Three years ago, the coun- will seek input on a trict, said she would funds furloughed last year to going to have a difficult time ty allocation for fire and res- potential real estate rather set the tax high- be reinstated in the budget for completing the budget for fis- cue was $170,000. It was cut tax increase of up to er and possibly lower it the upcoming fiscal year. cal year 2021-22. by 10 percent two years ago 5-cents, or from .68 once the board works “I talk to you as a citizen, “Last year, public safety re- to $153,000. “Then last year, to .73 per $100 of as- through the budget. as well as you the members ally had carried a lot of the there was nothing allocated to sessed value, for the “If you look at just of the board, a servant to the load when it came to those that,” Dollarhite said. fiscal year 2021-2022. one department, the county about something near cuts, fire and rescue, the police (See Volunteers p. 5) The hearing will be state mandates in her held at 6 p.m. Wednes- requests is one cent. day, March 24, in the Then, you got the oth- third-floor conference er departments. These New fieldhouse at PCHS dedicated room of the Patrick state mandates coming County Veteran’s Me- down is going to consti- morial Building. tute a tax increase no County Administra- matter what unless we tor Geri Hazelwood cut jobs and contribu- recommended “we set tions,” Stirewalt said, it at 5-cents, but we but did not identify the can always lower it. department. We can lower it all “Hopefully we will the way back down to know a little bit more 68-cents if we get into on the 22nd as we be- the budget and we can gin to go through that cut, and we can realize budget as an entire that we do not need to board to see if there are increase that tax rate cuts that can be made,” by five cents.” Hazelwood said. Hazelwood said the Clayton Kendrick, of budget committee has the Mayo River Dis- received an estimated trict, said the board $1 million in requests has not yet seen a pro- while going through jection of county re- the budget worksheets. ceipts. A new fieldhouse at Patrick County High School will provide “a place to practice when the weather “Some are mandat- “We’re a long way conditions do not allow for outdoor activity,” Schools Superintendent Dean Gilbert said at a dedication ed, some are not. You from being through ceremony on March 9. The facility is named Martin F. “Fill” Clark Fieldhouse, in honor of Clark, who was know we got work to with the budget,” he a longtime attorney and former Patrick County Commonwealth’s Attorney. do on that budget,” she (See New Tax p. 4) Local author creates scholarship to honor parents By Taylor Boyd was a teacher in Patrick County for was no doubt that Tom was going to A local author and historian cre- 28 years. The elder Perry taught so- college,” he said. ated a new scholarship to honor his cial studies and coached basketball After losing both of his parents parents. at Blue Ridge High School before in the course of about two months, Tom Perry said his parents “both serving as principal at Red Bank Perry set up the scholarship. were really big on education, and I Elementary School from 1964 to “We’re probably going to give just wanted to do something to keep 1973, and then Blue Ridge Elemen- about $500 a year,” he said, and their name alive and honor them. tary School, from 1974 to 1987. added “you just have to be a senior They both lived to be 88 years old, so “I had my father for one year as at Patrick County High School” to they had a good run. Both of them. I principal when I was in seventh be eligible for the scholarship. felt that the best way I could do that grade. ‘You have to set a certain He said he would also prefer to is to give back to the kids of Patrick example as you are the principal’s award the scholarship to a senior County and maybe help some of son,’ I can’t tell you how many times planning to attend either Perry or them get through school.” I heard that,” Perry said. his father’s alma mater. As a result, the younger Perry Betty Hobbs Perry and Erie Meredith While not an educator, Perry’s “That’s what I kind of want be- created the Perry Family Scholar- Perry are shown in this undated photo. mother Betty Hobbs Perry, also cause if they’re going to Patrick The Perry’s son, Tom Perry, has created a ship. scholarship in their honor for Patrick County was a massive supporter of educa- Henry most of the time their tui- His father, Erie Meredith Perry, High School seniors. ( Contributed photo) tion. “When I was a little guy, there (See Author p. 4) Gubernatorial hopeful campaigns in Stuart By Taylor Boyd Sergio de la Peña, a guberna- torial hopeful, campaigned in Stuart at a Mar. 9 meeting of the Patrick County Republican Com- mittee. De La Peña, who has never held political office before, said he was inspired to run to protect the American Dream. “Virginia is the appraisal of the American experiment that has provided the greatest good for the world in the history of humani- Sergio de la Peña campaigned in Stuart ty. That’s no exaggeration, that’s on March 9. Bridgette Craighead and her son, Bronsyn, after the grand opening of her salon EL3ven11 Beauty Lounge in Rocky Mount. what Virginia is all about. Virgin- ia is the birthplace of the Ameri- cluded working at a lumber yard, can Dream, and that’s the dream working as a welder, working on Activist, small business that I’ve lived,” he said. a drilling rig exploring for urani- De la Peña was born in Mexico um. So, I know what it is to get in a house with dirt floors and no dirty and have to do the work that owner looks to make history running water. He legally immi- it takes to put the daily bread on grated to the United States when the table, or at least help my mom in Virginia’s 9th District he was five years old with his and my dad do that,” he said. mother and his brothers. De la Peña joined the Army and By Brandon Martin make up for with a “can-do attitude” “My father was already here. completed Rangers School before After 13 years of Republican con- and a “genuine desire” to make a dif- He was working as a farmer, as serving for 30 years. He started trol over Virginia’s 9th House of ference. a farm worker, and as a cowboy,” his military career stationed in Delegates seat, political-newcomer Craighead, 30, is the owner of he said. Germany during the Cold War. Bridgette Craighead is hoping to EL3ven11 Beauty Lounge in Rocky When he was 10 years old, de la “Our position was to defend notch a victory for the Democrats Mount. She gained national atten- Peña started picking cotton. against a Soviet attack of West- this November in a district that typi- tion last year for her role in organiz- “Between the time I started ern Europe that also included the cally goes uncontested. ing for the group Black Lives Matter picking cotton and the time I possibility of nuclear weapons, Craighead said that what she lacks Franklin County. joined the Army, I had 20 differ- because we were fighting against in political experience, she hopes to (See 9th District p. 4) ent part-time jobs, and that in- (See Gubernatorial p. 5) Page 2 - The Enterprise, Wednesday, March 17, 2021 CDC’s anti-smoking campaign returns for 10th year The Centers for Disease people who smoke to quit. quit smoking and inspired that from 2012–2018, lated healthcare costs. The Control and Prevention’s The Tips campaign is the millions more to try to quit. the Tips campaign helped Virginia Department of (CDC) Tips From Former nation’s first federally fund- In Virginia, 10,300 resi- prevent an estimated Health is committed to help- Smokers® (Tips®) cam- ed tobacco education cam- dents die every year from 129,000 early deaths and ing Virginia understand the paign is entering its 10th year paign and has helped more smoking-related diseas- helped save an estimated reality of smoking-related with new ads that encourage than 1 million U.S.

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