Entries for November 2008

We want to warn our members about a scam in our area that has targeted Martinsville Dupont Credit Union [MDCU].  Someone has obtained a list of phone numbers in the Martinsville and Henry County area and is calling individuals to tell them that their account privileges at MDCU have been suspended, and that they should call a phone number to enter their account information to correct this situation.

DO NOT RESPOND TO PHONE MESSAGES OR EMAILS ABOUT UPDATING YOUR ACCOUNT INFORMATION! This is a scam, known as “vishing”, short for “voice phishing”.  The caller is not associated with MDCU, and does not have anyone’s account information.  The caller is calling local phone numbers, not knowing whether the person called does or does not have an account at MDCU.  They simply hope individuals that do have accounts at MDCU will respond and reveal their account information.

If you have been contacted by this unauthorized caller, and have responded to their request, please contact MDCU at (800) 475-6328 option 0, so that we may help you take the necessary steps to ensure that your accounts are protected.

Please remember, MDCU WILL NEVER CONTACT YOU by phone or email and ask you for personal information such as your Social Security number, account number, or credit card number.

Remember these important safety tips to protect your personal information:

Never respond to unsolicited e-mails or phone calls requesting confidential information.

Never provide personal information in response to unsolicited e-mails, phone calls, faxes, or internet advertisements.

Change your passwords on a regular basis.  Passwords should contain both letters and numbers, and should not include any part of your account number, social security number or name.

Never send account information by e-mail.  E-mail on the internet is not secure.

When accessing your MDCU accounts through our online home banking, only connect by clicking on the link on our home page at www.mdcu.org.

MARTINSVILLE, Va. –   The Martinsville Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating a fire that occurred at 411 Third Street in the City of Martinsville earlier this evening.

      Fire & EMS crews were dispatched to the scene at 8:36 p.m. When firefighters arrived on the scene they encountered a fully-involved fire with heavy smoke and heat in the kitchen area of the home.  Firefighters were able to contain and quickly extinguish the blaze without further incident. There were no injuries sustained while fighting the fire. Residents were home when the blaze ignited, all were able to escape without injury.

      The Martinsville Fire Marshal’s Office has concluded its investigation of the blaze. “We’ve been able to determine that the fire was accidental in nature. The homeowner, Latika Jamison, indicated that she believed the fire started from cooking oil in a pan that ignited on top of the stove. In the course of the investigation, we found burn patterns originating from a frying pan on the right-front burner of the kitchen stove.  These findings are consistent with Ms. Jamison’s account of how the incident occurred,” said Martinsville Fire Marshal Ted Anderson. 

      The Martinsville Fire & EMS Department would like to extend thanks to the Martinsville Volunteer Firefighters, Fieldale Volunteer Fire Department, Martinsville City Police Department, and Stone Ambulance Service for their assistance in dealing with this emergency.

      The house is the residence of Latika Jamison, the homeowner, and her two daughters, who are five and seventeen years old. Jamison told investigators that the home is not insured. The family is being assisted with temporary housing and urgent needs by the local chapter of the American Red Cross.

      The Martinsville Fire Department reminds area residents to check their smoke detector batteries frequently and replace any smoke detector that is more than ten years old. Free smoke detectors are available through both the Martinsville Fire Department and the Henry County Public Safety office. To get one, call 403-5325 in the city or 634-4660 in Henry County.      City fire officials remind property owners that they are responsible for ensuring that any rental property is equipped with properly working smoke detectors.  

 

 

MARTINSVILLE, Va. – The Martinsville Police Department has introduced a new paint scheme on its patrol cars. Two new units sporting the new livery went into service today and can be seen patrolling the streets of the city this weekend.

            “The increase in popularity of predominately white emergency vehicles including police cars, rescue squad first responders, fire marshal’s cars, and even some Martinsville City vehicles in other departments, has made it increasingly apparent that we needed a change to immediately identify our marked police cars from all angles.  As it is now, an individual might pass a police car traveling through the city and not be able to identify which agency it belongs to until you look at the graphics from the side. The stark contrast in the color scheme of black and white is immediately identifiable as police,” said MPD Captain Tim Porter.

            The Henry County Sheriff’s Office, Martinsville City Sheriff’s Office, and the Martinsville Police Department all currently have mostly white marked units in their respective fleets.  The use of black and white cruisers is becoming an increasingly popular replacement option for municipalities nationwide.

            The black and white units will be phased in through attrition as the MPD replaces older cruisers that are at the end of their service life.  The department currently has ten marked units that are assigned to the patrol division.  It will take approximately five years to convert the entire fleet to “black & whites.”

Boo Woods threw for three touchdowns and O'Shane Valentine returned a kickoff 88 yards for a score as the Bassett Bengals secured a share of the Piedmont District championship with a 28-6 upending of the Magna Vista Warriors Friday evening at Ed Bassett Stadium.

 

Valentine also caught two touchdown passes as Woods was 11 of 17 passing for 207 yards.

 

The title is Bassett's (7-3 overall, 3-1) fifth consecutive district championship under head coach Jay Gilbert. Coach's overall record in his six years at the helm of the program improved to 52-21 with two regional titles.

 

"I'm really proud of the whole team for their determination and work ethic," Gilbert said after receiving a nice, cool Gatorade bath courtesy of several jubilant Bengal players.

 

"The kids knew we had to win out to even have a shot at being co-champions and they dug down deep and didn't hang their heads when we got beat. That says a lot about their character and toughness and I'm very, very proud of this group of seniors and the whole team."

 

Woods continued a torrid late-season resurgence that culminated in six touchdown passes and over five hundred total yards over the last two games. Clutch victories over Martinsville (4-6, 2-2) and Magna Vista (0-10, 0-4) were pivotal after a mid-season slump that included consecutive losses to McMichael and Patrick County.

 

The Cougars' 38-10 drubbing of Martinsville on Friday evening ensured Bassett a spot in the regional playoffs while ending the Bulldogs postseason hopes.

 

Bassett's seniors shined brightest when it counted the most throughout the season, providing leadership and support to underclassmen while also tormenting teams throughout the district. Captains Dameon Hairston, Michael Hodges, Andrew Miller and Woods were determined to go out of the Piedmont District in style.

 

Mission accomplished. Now bring on the playoffs.

 

By Christian Dollarhite

For BTW 21

 The Patrick Henry Patriots Men's Basketball team picked up their first win of the season in their first NJCAA sanctioned game, a 82-55 decision over former VCCS rival Southside Virginia Community College.

Anthony Wooten led all scorers with 21 points for the Patriots, who turned a six point 37-31 lead at the half to a 82-55 rout. Marvin Brooks and Marlin Cribbs scored 14 and 13 points respectively and were joined by Lamar Ricks with 10 points as the four Patriots to score double figures on Opening Night.

Things got off to a slow start for the Patriots as Southside jumped out of the gates early as the visitors scored the first seven points of the game. "We started four freshman and just one sophomore so there were some nerves there at first," said Patriots Head Coach Chuck Moore. "Once we got settled down and started executing on defense, we wore them down and took advantage," added Moore.

The Patriots would rally just minutes later after Southside took the early lead. Anthony Wooten's three pointer with 12:10 remaining in the first half gave the Patriots a 16-13 lead, a lead that they wouldn't relinquish for the remainder of the game. PHCC opened up a 31-20 lead with seven minutes left in the first but Southside would turn up the heat and closed to within six to end the half.

The second half was all Patriots as they outscored Southside 45-24 and cruised to the win. Antron Fowlkes scored 16 points to lead Southside in scoring. "Southside has a very strong team with some good guards and some size in the middle, they should do very well in the VCCS," added Moore.

The Patriots travel to Nashville, Tennessee this weekend to play Volunteer State and Columbia State in the Volunteer State Invitational. "This weekend will be a big test against two division one teams with all scholarship players, it will be a good measuring point to see where we are early on in the season," said Moore.

By DOUG GIBSON - PHCC Sports Information Director