Distributed Free On Fridays For 11 Years! September 25, 2020 www.pcpatriot.com Locally Owned And Operated Insuring You & Yours PC MIDDLE SCHOOL OPENS Karen Tuggle Brad Alley Lynn White Home • Auto • Life • Business 611 East Main Street Dublin, VA 24084 • 540-674-4678 www.insurancecenterofdublin.com Danielle Reid / The Patriot WEEKEND WEATHER Students arrive at the new Pulaski County Middle School on Monday morning. Saturday Sunday First day at new middle school Partly sunny, with a high near Mostly sunny, with a high near 75. Light and variable wind. 79. provides students a different kind of excitement Chance of precipitation is 20%. Sunday Night - Mostly cloudy, By DANIELLE REID erated at the Pulaski County Mid- Some parents dropped off their Saturday Night - Partly cloudy, with a low around 61. The Patriot dle School’s first day of class on children at the front door of the with a low around 58. Monday, September 21. school where they were greet- Remember how excited you The one big differences be- ed by teachers and staff, ready were when the first day of school tween other years’ first day of to help them have a memorable arrived? Most likely you helped class and this year’s is the men- first day experience. After hav - pick out your school supplies and ace of COVID-19, that challenges ing their temperatures taken out- had them all organized in your the logistics of coordinating the side the front doors, the students backpack. Your friends had called safety and health of the students, were ushered into the building. or texted you about a thousand teachers and staff while ensuring More teachers and staff directed times about what they were going the students receive a quality ed- the students to the common area to wear. You wondered what you ucation. Face masks, hand sani- where welcome signs, held up would eat for lunch that first day, tizers, Clorox wipes, social dis- high by eager teachers, collected would you like your teacher, who tancing, virtual classes and deep students into their grade levels of would be your new friends, etc. cleaning have been added to the sixth, seventh and eighth grades. Now add to that anticipation a curriculum and the cost of educa- One of the first of students to brand new high-tech school, built tion. However, these challenges be dropped off was eighth grader just for you and your friends, and didn’t seem to dampen the enthu- Kaydence Conner whose com- you can imagine the energy gen- siasm of the returning students. See SCHOOL, page A5 Voting Early? Next Chapter Of Wondering What’s INSIDE The Fabric of On The Ballot Like Sauerkraut? Old Fincastle: November 3? Then You Don’t Want The service by See Our Sample To Miss Joseph Cloyd Ballot On Page A3. 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TO SOMETHING 540-674-3103 We've Got Got We've Locally Owned & Operated • www.valleystaffingjobs.com Page A2 - The Patriot - September 25, 2020 School board approves three Gade, Warner amendments to reopening plan School board approves three Rationale – The previously ap- provide adequate physical dis- meet in 1st debate amendments to its school opening proved guidelines established con- tancing for students while eating plans crete goals to move forward as a meals. The Pulaski County School division but didn’t allow the flexi- Rationale - The previously ap- of Senate race Board voted 4-1 Thursday after- bility to make school specific deci- proved plan prohibited the use of RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — U.S. shown by the Washington Post to noon during a special called meet- sions or to consider special circum- common areas for meals and re- Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia and have committed over 20,000 lies ing to approve three amendments stances. This amendment would quired that they be eaten in the his Republican opponent Daniel in his tenure. It appears my op- to its Instructional Plan for the Re- allow us to have some schools be classroom. Recent guidance allows Gade sparred over the dangers ponent is actually trying to catch opening of Schools. at 100% attendance while others, for the use of these spaces as a pre- of the conoravirus, when to fill up with him today,” Warner said. Only Bill Benson of the Cloyd who might be experiencing more ferred alternative to not having 6 a vacancy on the Supreme Court Gade is a professor and a re- District voted against. positive cases, to operate on a dif- feet of physical distancing while other topics Wednesday during tired Army officer who was se- Amendments approved are: ferent attendance schedule. It also unmasked for meals. Students will their first debate in a little-noticed riously injured in Iraq in 2005, Amendment 1- PCPS will puts more emphasis on consulta- need to wash/sanitize their hands Senate race. losing a leg after his Humvee was establish and can modify the tion and guidance from the appro- before and after using common Warner, a Democrat and for- hit by a roadside bomb. He ad- percentage of students attend- priate health officials instead of on spacesand the areas will need to be mer governor, is a the heavy fa- vised President George W. Bush ing in-person classes each week meeting calendar based objectives. sanitized after each meal. vorite to win re-election for a on military and disability issues based on internal data with Amendment 2- PCPS will Amendment 3- PCPS will al- third Senate term despite the fact and was Trump’s appointee to guidance from the New River make use of available cafeteria low up to 3 students per every 2 that he almost lost six years ago. serve on the Equal Employment Health District. and common spaces in order to adjacent seats during bus trans- Virginia has tilted heavily Dem- Opportunity Commission, but portation provided that masks ocratic since then, thanks to the withdrew his nomination after a are utilized. The 3rd student large population growth in urban lengthy delay in the Senate over should only be seated this way af- and suburban areas and President his confirmation. ter all seats have been filled and Donald Trump’s unpopularity in Gade grew particularly ani- the seating positions will need to the state. mated when discussing the Af- be staggered. The race has been overshad- fordable Care Act, saying the Rationale- The current plan for owed by the presidential contest Warner campaign had wrongly transportation of having one stu- and more competitive races in accused Gade of not supporting dent per seat would still be our goal other states that will determine a requirement that health insur- each day. Incorporating the revised partisan control of the Senate. ance companies cover pre-exist- guidance on transportation will At Wednesday’s debate, held ing conditions. allow us to make exceptions and virtually due to the coronavirus “I have a pre-existing condi- transport additional students when pandemic, Gade tried to gain tion myself because I got my leg the need arises. Some examples of ground by attacking Warner as a blown off in Iraq … that’s not when this might be necessary are career politician who flip-flops on who I am, it’s a lie,” Gade said. when a bus breaks down, when key issues. The pair sparred over whether car riders cannot be picked up or “The same old stale ideas aren’t the Senate should fill a Supreme dropped off, or when students may working for Virginians,” Gade Court vacancy after the death need to be transported to an alter- said. of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg nate location than their home. Warner pitched himself as a last week. Warner said the spot business and tech-savvy moder- should not be filled until after the ate who is well-known to Virgin- election, noting that early voting ians. He dismissed Gade’s attacks as already started in Virginia. as theatre. Gade said the Senate should “President Trump has been See DEBATE, page A5 Happy Birthday This is your first birthday in Heaven. Home here on earth feels empty without you and my heart is broken. God will take care of all of this when I join you in Heaven along with the rest of my family. Your “Buddy,” Jan The Patriot - September 25, 2020 - Page A3 PULSE Pulaski County Sample Ballot September 25 Lena Quesenberry Mitchell to for November’s election celebrate 96th Birthday Reminder to friends and family of Lena Quesenberry Mitchell she will be celebrating her 96th birthday this Friday, September 25, 3 p.m. – 6 p.m.(weather per- mitting). Friends and family are welcome to drop by for a social distancing yard visit or a drive-by “Honk and Wave.” She will visit from the porch in the 5200 Block of Wilderness Rd. in historic Newbern. September 26 Local event to support F. Gra- ham’s call to “America to Re- turn To God” In support of Franklin Graham’s call to America to Return to God, there will be a combined prayer meeting lead by Rev.