Entries for the 'News Events' Category

(NewsUSA) - Tax season tends to be people's least favorite time of the year, which is only compounded for small businesses. Don't live in fear under the ever-nearing tax thundercloud, make sure your business is prepared to meet the daunting season. Here are five basic rules to keep your business ahead of tax season.

1. Regularly update accounting records. Knowing the intricacies of your company's financial situation throughout the year makes tax season much less intimidating. Plus, if all records are up-to-date and exact, your accountant has more time to spend on finding ways to save the business money instead of organizing information.

2. Triple check your tax bracket. Marginal tax rate analyses help guarantee that your small business isn't needlessly pushed into a higher tax bracket. This is especially beneficial if your business is teetering on the edge. Recognize income when your tax bracket is lower; pay deductible expenses when the bracket is higher.

3. Take inventory of supplies, equipment and other potential write-offs. Equipment might be damaged or too outdated to maintain productivity. Replacing office supplies and obsolete assets before the new year gives the company added deductions. For costly technology, confer with your accountant to see whether an immediate or depreciable write-off is preferable. Financial planners like On Call Accountants help maximize deductions and increase expenses to prevent owing exorbitant fees. Learn more about possible deductions at www.oncallaccountants.com.

4. Contribute to a retirement plan. If you haven't set up a retirement plan yet, do it before the year-end to reduce this year's income. Qualified retirement plans afford tax deductions for all contributions. Find an appropriate plan for your business, and explore contribution limits. A retirement savings opportunity will also garner loyalty among employees.

5. Look into business tax credits. Small businesses may be eligible for numerous tax credits, as listed on the IRS website. Examples of possible credits are Low-Income Housing, Credit for Increasing Research Activities and Disabled Access Credit.

Tony Stewart made a daring move to the high side of leader Jimmie Johnson with three laps to go to win the TUMS Fast Relief 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Martinsville Speedway.

 

Johnson had the preferred inside line on a restart on lap 498 after the 18th caution flag of the day, but Stewart managed to make the difficult outside pass going into the first turn and held on for his third victory of 2011 and his third career win at Martinsville Speedway.

 

“I don’t know because I don’t think anybody has ever passed Jimmie Johnson on the outside, so just determination,” Stewart said when asked about his late pass of Johnson. “I don’t think we had the best racecar today by any means, but we had the most determined pit crew to get it as good as they can get it. I was pretty mad all day, but I was the only guy who didn’t get in a wreck with somebody so I was kind of proud of that.”

 

Johnson wound up second followed by Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin.

 

NASCAR Sprint Cup points leader Carl Edwards overcame what could have been an awful day to finish ninth and maintain his lead in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Edwards was a lap down at one time and was mired outside of the top 20 much of the day.

 

It was a slugfest of a day, with 18 caution periods for 108 laps, a season high for both.

 

“It’s just Martinsville, isn’t it?” said Gordon. “I think it’s a combination of late in the year and Martinsville and sometimes just the way the race goes. If you get early cautions here at Martinsville, that usually contributes itself to more cautions. Those are more guys, somebody’s upset, tempers are flaring, incidents happen. It escalates from there.”

 

Jimmie Johnson has got a lot on his mind these days, like how to get back in position to capture his sixth consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup championship with only five races left in the season.

But Thursday morning he blocked all of that out and went back to the classroom with about 40 fifth graders at Rich Acres Elementary School to learn about  the unique Trout in the Classroom program that several schools in the Martinsville area host. Later he and the students traveled to the banks of the Smith River to release the trout into the wild.

“Today was a very good learning experience for me. It was also a lot of fun to be with the students and go to the school and stand in the stream and release the trout,” said Johnson.

 

Rich Acres Elementary School is only about three miles from Martinsville Speedway, where Johnson has won six NASCAR Sprint Cup races. His trip Thursday was part of an effort to help promote the TUMS Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville on October 30. And while it was officially a day of work for the five-time champion, he had a lot of fun.

 

He spent time in the classroom with youngsters in the Trout in the Classroom program learning how they had raised the trout they eventually released from eggs to release size, about two inches in length. From organizers of the program, he learned how important the curriculum was for the community, students and the school.

 

And once the group had travelled to Smith River, Johnson pulled on a pair of borrowed boots and waded out into the chilly water with the youngsters to help release about 50 trout.

 

“I had a great time with the trout release program today and learning about it,” said Johnson. “I think it’s very important for school systems to find a way to engage the students and find things that interest them and have those things a part of the classroom. I’m a huge fan of what I’ve seen today.”

 

Johnson, who is eighth in the Chase for the Sprint Cup points, did find time to talk about racing, too. He admits his success at Martinsville Speedway could help him drive his way back into Chase contention. And he divulged at least part of the secret to his Martinsville success.

 

“I had a decent race my first time here, but the next race I was lapped by Tony Stewart early,” recalled Johnson. “After he lapped me, I started following him and something clicked: how he drove the track, how he used the brakes, how he was getting the car into position in the center of the turn, how he was using the throttle up off the corner.

 

“It all clicked and I followed him. I stayed on his bumper and followed him from then on and got my lap back. I’ve run well from that point on and found out how to win here. I have to give credit to Tony indirectly for showing me the way around the track after he lapped me.”

 

Johnson will be able to put that knowledge to work on October 28 when the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series cars and the Camping World Truck Series trucks take to the track for a full day of practice.

Farm Bureau Pole Day and the Kroger 200 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race is set for Oct. 29 and the TUMS Fast Relief 500 is on October 30.

 

Good seats remain for all events and may be purchased by calling 1.877.RACE.TIX or by visiting www.martinsvillespeedway.com.

The unique four-inch high curbs guarding the inside of the turns at Martinsville Speedway have drawn the anger of almost every driver who has competed at this historic track.

But for the TUMS Fast Relief 500 weekend, the curbs will show a softer side. They have been painted pink in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Four ladies involved with the ”Ladies First” Martinsville and Henry County Breast Health Initiative helped track crews paint the curbs pink Tuesday morning. Two of the guest painters are breast cancer survivors.

“We hope this small effort on our part will help draw some attention to a cause that’s so important,” said Martinsville Speedway president Clay Campbell. “All of us know someone that has been touched by breast cancer. We all need to do anything we can do to help bring attention to the cause.”

“Martinsville Speedway continues to demonstrate their concern, involvement and commitment to our local community,” said Rita Winbush, project director of the “Ladies First” MHC Community Breast Health Initiative.

“By painting the curbs pink, they bring attention to not only a national program like the Susan G. Komen Foundation for the Cure but also to local programs like our “Ladies First” MHC Community Breast Health Initiative. We commend NASCAR and Martinsville Speedway for all they do to help raise breast cancer awareness throughout the year.”

The newly-painted curbs will be unveiled to the public for the first time on NASCAR Sprint Cup and Truck Series Practice Day on Friday, October 28. They will get their first real test on Saturday, October 29 with Farm Bureau Pole Day and the Kroger 200 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race. And they will be center stage of the racing world on Sunday, October 30 for the TUMS Fast Relief 500.

Tickets for all three days of racing are available and may be purchased by calling 877.RACE.TIX or by visiting www.martinsvillespeedway.com.

10/14/2011	Amherst	7	Brookville	41
10/14/2011	Appomattox	24	Dan River	7
10/14/2011	Blacksburg	7	Salem	55
10/14/2011	Bland Co.	13	Grayson	56
10/14/2011	Carroll Co.	23	Richlands	48
10/14/2011	Cave Spring	22	Pulaski Co.	20
10/14/2011	Cburg	31	Hidden Valley	6
10/14/2011	Chatham	0	Gretna	49
10/14/2011	Covenant	16	VES	8
10/14/2011	Covington	50	James River	48
10/14/2011	Floyd Co.	55	East. Mont.	0
10/14/2011	Franklin Co.	49	Halifax Co.	29
10/14/2011	Gate City	NA	Virginia	NA
10/14/2011	George Washington	32	William Fleming	7
10/14/2011	George Wythe	56	Chilhowie	10
10/14/2011	Giles	41	Glenvar	28
10/14/2011	Graham	14	Galax	45
10/14/2011	Heritage	19	Rustburg	0
10/14/2011	Holston	NA	Northwood	NA
10/14/2011	Honaker	NA	Hurley	NA
10/14/2011	Isle of Wight	44	Carlisle	0
10/14/2011	J. I. Burton	NA	Clintwood	NA
10/14/2011	LCA	38	Fork Union	0
10/14/2011	Lebanon	NA	Abingdon	NA
10/14/2011	Liberty	25	Jeff. Forest	36
10/14/2011	Magna Vista	42	Tunstall	0
10/14/2011	Martinsburg	14	Patrick Henry	9
10/14/2011	Martinsville	36	Patrick Co.	0
10/14/2011	Montcalm	14	Craig Co.	55
10/14/2011	Narrows	6	Fort Chiswell	42
10/14/2011	Nelson Co.	12	Altavista	24
10/14/2011	Northside	42	Staunton Riv.	0
10/14/2011	P. McCluer	14	Bath Co.	20
10/14/2011	Radford	49	Auburn	0
10/14/2011	Roanoke Cath.	44	Quantico	22
10/14/2011	Rockbridge	38	Lord Bot.	0
10/14/2011	Rural Retreat	39	Patrick Henry, GS	8
10/14/2011	Union	18	Central	20
10/14/2011	William Byrd	41	Alleghany	25
10/15/2011	North Cross	NA	Atlantic Shores	NA
10/15/2011	Randolph-Macon	NA	Hargrave Mil.	NA

Philip Morris keeps finding a way to outdo himself.

The veteran Virginia driver set a track record Saturday in qualifying for Sunday’s Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300 at Martinsville Speedway, adding to a season of amazing success, which includes 20 victories, a track championship and his fourth NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national championship.

“This year has been surreal,” said Morris, who is also the defending Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300 champion. “It has been a blur of victories.”

There was never much doubt Saturday that Morris was going to be the class of qualifying after he led both morning practice sessions.

Morris toured the .526-mile Martinsville oval in 20.165 seconds (93.905 mph) to shatter the old Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300 Late Model Stock car record of 20.216 seconds (93.668) set by Davin Scites in 2008. By winning the pole, Morris picked up the $1,000 Sparks Oil Pole Award.

“I had been looking for that lap all day long,” Morris said of his qualifying lap. “A lot of preparation went into the car. I drove way deep in the corner and it felt a little like the pole and when I looked up and saw it on the scoreboard, I was the happiest guy in Martinsville.”

Matt McCall was fairly happy, too, nailing down the second starting position with a lap of 20.347 seconds (93.065).

“We got waxed by two-tenths of a second,” McCall said chuckling. “We had a good lap, but Philip had an awesome lap.”

Last year’s pole winner, Lee Pulliam, earned the third starting spot (20.365, 92.983 mph) followed by Scites (20.381, 92.910) and Kenny Forbes (20.397, 92.937).

The top five qualifiers were in Chevrolets.

Rounding out the top 10 were B.J. Mackey, Brandon Butler, former winner Frank Deiny Jr., Josh Berry and Ryan Reed.

Only the top  22 positions for  Sunday’s 42-car field were determined in Saturday’s qualifying. The remaining 20 spots will be filled through four 25-lap heat races beginning at 12:30 p.m. Sunday. The top five finishers from each heat race transfer to the 200-lap feature.

Tickets are $20 for adults and children 12-and-under are free for the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300.

Fan gates will open at 9 a.m. Sunday.

9/30/2011	Abingdon	13	John Battle	6
9/30/2011	Alleghany	35	James River	19
9/30/2011	Amherst	10	Heritage	6
9/30/2011	Bassett	21	Hidden Valley	28
9/30/2011	Bath Co.	33	Pocahontas	45
9/30/2011	Bland Co.	14	Northwood	12
9/30/2011	Brunswick	0	Gretna	45
9/30/2011	Carlisle	NA	Walsingham	NA
9/30/2011	Castlewood	20	Grundy	21
9/30/2011	Cburg	42	Franklin Co.	8
9/30/2011	Chatham	20	Dan River	43
9/30/2011	Chilhowie	6	Virginia	21
9/30/2011	Covington	27	Summers Co., WV	22
9/30/2011	E. C. Glass	13	Brookville	48
9/30/2011	Fishburne	7	Roanoke Catholic	17
9/30/2011	Gate City	21	Bluefield	7
9/30/2011	George Washington	22	Southampton	0
9/30/2011	George Wythe	52	Marion	13
9/30/2011	Glenvar	21	William Byrd	42
9/30/2011	Graham	7	Princeton	41
9/30/2011	Hargrave Mil	13	North Cross	42
9/30/2011	Holston	14	Rye Cove	36
9/30/2011	Honaker	19	Richlands	45
9/30/2011	Hurley	12	Thomas Walker	54
9/30/2011	J. I. Burton	47	Eastside	18
9/30/2011	Lee	50	Central	51
9/30/2011	Liberty	12	Rustburg	21
9/30/2011	Magna Vista	42	Halifax Co.	21
9/30/2011	Martinsville	18	Carroll Co.	14
9/30/2011	Nelson Co.	28	Appomattox	55
9/30/2011	P. McCluer	41	Auburn	18
9/30/2011	Radford	38	Patrick Co.	13
9/30/2011	Salem	21	William Fleming	0
9/30/2011	Staunton River	27	Tunstall	17
9/30/2011	Tazewell	7	Lebanon	16
9/30/2011	Union	26	Clintwood	30
9/30/2011	VES	NA	Nansemond Suffolk	NA
9/30/2011	William Campbell	14	Altavista	7

MARTINSVILLE, Va. (September 21, 2011) – On a day when race teams were supposed to be tweaking their cars for the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300 at Martinsville Speedway, all they could do was keep an eye on Mother Nature. And as usual, Mother Nature won.

After several attempts at drying the track for a day of testing, a noon downpour finally forced track officials to scrap the day of testing. Teams will return on September 28 for another regularly-scheduled test day for the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300 Late Model Stock Car race on October 9.

“We had a lot of stuff we were going to try on our car today, but I think it (the weather) set everybody back,” said Lee Pulliam, last year’s Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300 pole winner. The Semora, NC, driver also won the track championship at Motor Mile Speedway this year with a track-record 16 wins.“I think everybody came in with the game plan of a doing a lot of experimenting today, but now we’ll have to come back next week and do the best we can.“I feel pretty good about the race car, though. We’ve got a really good package to work off from last year, so I don’t think it (the rainout) will hurt us as much as it will some of the others.”The rainout will make for a hectic test day next week, according to Frank Deiny Jr., a former winner of the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300.“We had a whole list of stuff we wanted to try today. We’re just going to have to have a really solid day when we come back next week,” said Deiny. “We’re going to have to fit two days into one. I think it’s going to be the same for everyone. We’ll all just have to work really hard.”

Open practice is scheduled for Wednesday, September 29, with team sign-in beginning at 7 a.m. All competitor passes purchased for Wednesday’s rainout will be honored on September 28.Tickets for the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300 are $20 for adults with children 12-and-under free. Tickets for qualifying on October 8 are $5. Tickets for qualifying day are on sale at the ticket office only.Fan gates will open at 9 a.m. on October 8 and 9. Tickets for the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300 may be ordered by calling 1.877.RACE.TIX or visiting www.martinsvillespeedway.com.

 

A stranded sailboat founders in the surf along the Willoughby Spit area of Norfolk as Hurricane Irene hits that area Saturday. The live-aboard couple attempted to outrun the storm and got caught up in the high surf and wind. They were rescued by local fire and rescue personnel. (AP)

VIRGINIA BEACH (AP) — Two people were killed by toppled trees as Hurricane Irene inched closer to Virginia on Saturday, flooding streets, damaging houses and knocking out power to hundreds of thousands as far inland as Richmond.Newport News spokeswoman Cleder Jones said an 11-year-old boy was killed when a large tree crashed through his apartment shortly after noon. The boy’s mother made it out uninjured, but he was pronounced dead at the scene, she said.In Brunswick County, a tree fell across a car around 2 p.m. Saturday, killing the passenger, Sheriff Brian Roberts said. The driver was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.Roberts said more than half of the roads in the county were blocked from downed trees.“Things here are real bad,” he said.Officials had warned residents not to get complacent after Irene dropped to a Category 1 storm Saturday morning.“The next 12 hours are going to be very, very bad for Virginians,” Gov. Bob McDonnell said during a late-morning news conference at the state’s Emergency Operations Center outside Richmond.McDonnell said that although Irene’s sustained wind speed had slowed to about 85 mph, it was still expected to bring “historic amounts of rain” to eastern Virginia. The Eastern Shore could get drenched by up to 15 inches, he said, and some localities could have tropical storm-force winds for up to 20 hours because the storm is moving relatively slowly.Fort Lee closed non-essential services such as the commissary and post exchange. It also asked people who don’t live on post to leave. Some roads on the base have been closed.The Virginia Beach oceanfront was essentially abandoned Saturday as 60 mph winds with hurricane gusts and rain began hitting the area.The Atlantic surged to Virginia Beach’s famed boardwalk, but officials said a stormwall should hold back the sea.As high tide approached Saturday evening, ocean water was covering the 300-foot-wide beach of the resort city’s oceanfront. Water was also lapping up on some portions of the 3-mile-long boardwalk.Fire Department Battalion Chief James Ramsey said the stormwall was built to withstand a 16-foot storm surge, and Hurricane Irene is expected to deliver a surge of 7 feet.In the Sandbridge area of the city, officials said a tornado was believed to have blown the roofs off five houses and collapsed some walls. Several others sustained less severe damage.The area was under a mandatory evacuation. No injuries were reported.In Norfolk, many streets were under several inches of water and were impassible. Water almost covered the tires of one stranded car, and some residents walked around taking pictures ahead of Irene’s official arrival. Grocery stores closed earlier than planned.City officials helped rescue a couple who had attempted to outrun the storm in a sailboat when they began getting battered by 6- to 8-foot seas and winds gusting to 45 mph earlier Saturday.Unable to launch rescue craft, two rescue crew members swam to the sailboat, pulled the sailors off and hauled them back to shore in the Willoughby section of Norfolk near the mouth of Chesapeake Bay.The couple, who did not want to be identified, were treated by medical personnel and taken to a shelter. Their cat also survived the ordeal. They had hoped to make it to Annapolis, Md.The sailboat had served as their home, Capt. Mike Marsala of Norfolk Fire and Rescue said.“Two knuckleheads on a sailboat with a cat. They definitely shouldn’t have been out there,” said Ronnie Boone, owner of the Ocean View Fishing Pier in Norfolk and an employee of the Portsmouth Fire Department. The sailboat nearly hit his pier.Despite winds powerful enough to double over small trees, people were still venturing to Virginia Beach’s oceanfront. Some young people ran through the stinging rain in swimming trunks, while others wore makeshift plastic covers.Four friends traveled from Norfolk to check out Irene’s impact on the tourist mecca.“We’re thrillseekers,” said Ashley Curtis, one of the four, all 23. “I’d like it the wind picked up more.”“We’ve never been to the oceanfront during a hurricane and this is a big one,” said Marshall Timmons. “We just wanted to come down and check it out.”Portions of city streets were already under several inches of rain and debris, branches and leaves were being tossed about by the wind.In Poquoson, a low-lying city on Virginia’s Middle Peninsula that is prone to flooding, 13-year-old Sammy Owen was in his room when a large tree on a swamped ditch bank uprooted and toppled against his room’s outer wall and window just before 1 p.m. The power had already gone out, and the felled tree snapped cables that provided cable TV, telephone and Internet service.“I bolted,” the boy said after parents Chuck and Hope Owen comforted him.The house sustained little damage, but the Owens knew the worst is yet to come. Chuck Owen had put his green Ford pickup truck on a small pyramid of cinder blocks to protect it from the storm tide that had already begun surging through the saltwater marshes that stand between Poquoson and Chesapeake Bay.While hurricanes commonly turn the Owen home into an island, the surge has never gotten inside, and it’s a point of pride for Owen that he’s never heeded an evacuation order and abandoned his house. Not even during Hurricane Isabel eight years ago — still the worst he’s endured — did he flee.“Isabel got 10 inches from coming in the house and this one ain’t no Isabel,” Chuck Owen said with a nod over his shoulder to heavy, wind-driven rain pounding against his living room window.The governor said many had heeded the mandatory evacuation ordered issued by several coastal localities. About 150,000 to 200,000 Virginians were subject to mandatory evacuations, and thousands of others left voluntarily, McDonnell said.The Virginia Department of Emergency Management said around 3,500 people were in 65 shelters operated by local governments. There are no state managed shelters at this time.At Birdsneck Elementary School in Virginia Beach, about 100 people were fed breakfast, given bottles of water and mats on which to gather in the gymnasium. The first arrivals were primarily the homeless Friday night but more families were showing up Saturday as winds and a pelting rain buffeted the resort city of approximately 430,000 people, the largest in the state.Willie Morris and his wife Keharia and their two young daughters, ages 5 years and 6 months, fled their military housing because it is in a low-lying area, Willie Morris said.“For us it was a personal choice,” he said. “A lot of other people, my neighbors, did too.”McDonnell said a storm surge of up to 5 feet was expected, bringing serious flooding to low-lying areas along the coast. High tide was expected around 6 p.m., around the same time as the storm.The Virginia Department of Transportation closed the Midtown Tunnel, which connects Norfolk and Portsmouth, because of the threat of flooding and shut down the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel because of high winds. VDOT officials said both tunnels would remain closed until after the storm passes Sunday.More than 607,000 Virginians had lost electrical power, and McDonnell said that number was expected to increase substantially.“The worst is yet to come,” Col. Steve Flaherty, superintendent of the Virginia State Police said. “We have the likelihood of the tree problem just getting worse, along with the standing water and flooding.”President Barack Obama issued an emergency declaration for Virginia early Saturday, making federal funds available to offset the state’s costs of such storm preparations as shelter openings and getting emergency personnel into position.The Virginia National Guard had about 325 troops staged at various areas, with an additional 175 on standby if needed.

Four races into the Chase for the Sprint Cup there are still at least a half-dozen drivers with a legitimate chance at winning the championship. And for at least four of them, Martinsville Speedway and the TUMS Fast Relief 500 on October 24 could be where they make their big move.

When the checkered flag waved at Auto Club Speedway Sunday, Tony Stewart had the victory and made a big jump in the Chase standings to fifth, Jimmie Johnson had retained his Chase lead and Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick and Jeff Gordon had remained solidly in the hunt.

With just one race to go before the TUMS Fast Relief 500, Hamlin is just 36 points behind Johnson. Harvick is 54 points back and Gordon trails the leader by 85 points. Stewart moved from 10th to fifth with the win and is 107 points in arrears.

And while Johnson has been dominant at Martinsville Speedway the past few years, Hamlin, Harvick, Gordon and Stewart all have to be excited about the only short-track stop in the Chase.

Hamlin is the defending champion of the TUMS Fast Relief 500 and also captured the Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500 on the half-mile oval last spring. He ended a three-race win streak by Johnson in the spring of 2008 and has won three of the last five Martinsville Cup races.

While it has been a few years since Gordon won at Martinsville, he leads all active drivers with seven Martinsville victories. He was third here in the spring and fifth last fall.

Stewart has a couple of Martinsville wins to his credit and has momentum on his side after winning in California Sunday. Even though he is more than 100 points behind with five races remaining in the Chase, he thinks he’s got a good shot at picking up a third Sprint Cup championship.

“We’re doing everything we can do,” said Stewart, who disliked Martinsville’s tight layout early in his career, but since has developed quite a fondness for it. “We’re going to need some help, but we’re doing everything we can do. I’m proud of these guys, and just so thankful … they refuse to give up, they refuse to back down. We’ll just keep doing what we’re doing here.”

Then there’s Harvick who sits 54 points behind Johnson. He was reared in California, but these days he calls Martinsville Speedway his home track, living just over a half-hour away. He hasn’t won a Cup race at Martinsville, but has a couple of NASCAR Camping World Truck Series wins here along with a Nationwide Series victory.

“I love racing at Martinsville. I get to sleep in my own bed and just have to go a few miles up the road. That makes life a lot easier, ” Harvick said recently. “There’s something about the place I’ve always liked. It’s a place like where we all got started, a short track. There’s always a lot of beating and banging there. And though we haven’t won, I think we’ve gotten better and better there.”

Tickets for the TUMS Fast Relief 500 begin at $25 and range to $77.

Tickets to the Kroger 200 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race on October 23 are $30 in advance, with children 12 and under admitted free.
 

Lee Pulliam continued his meteoric journey in racing Saturday afternoon by winning the pole for Sunday’s Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300 at Martinsville Speedway.

Four years ago Pulliam had never sat in a race car, but he wanted to be a racer. He fast-tracked his way through high school so he could finish a year early and go to work to save enough money to buy an entry-level race car.

Saturday the 22-year-old driver from Semora, NC, topped 84 other drivers, including three former national champions and several higher division drivers to start up front for the biggest, most prestigious Late Model Stock Car race in the country.

“It’s pretty emotional,” Pulliam said. “We’ve come a long way in a very short time and I’ve got to thank a lot of people for their help. It started with nothing four years ago. The Lord has given me a great path.”

Pulliam won five times this season at South Boston Speedway in just his second year in Late Model competition. He had the fastest car in two open test sessions at Martinsville over the past two weeks, and admitted because of that there was pressure headed into Saturday’s time trials. He came through with flying colors, though.

He turned in a lap of 20.272 seconds (93.410 mph) around the .526-mile oval to edge three-time NASCAR Whelen All-American Series champion Philip Morris. Morris, who won this event in 2000, had a lap of 20.310 seconds (93.235 mph).

Even after winning the pole, Pulliam was still a bit awed by his surroundings.

“It definitely says a lot when you call Timothy Peters’ name and Dennis Setzer,” Pulliam said, referring to a pair of drivers who compete regularly on the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, and who both have won this race and a truck series race at Martinsville. “Those guys are wheelmen. They’ve got a lot of laps around this place. A few years ago all of them were role models to me.”

Brandon McReynolds of Mooresville, NC, who finished second in this race last year, qualified third, followed by Ryan Robertson of Winston-Salem, NC, and Mike Looney of Catawba.

Peters was sixth fastest, with last year’s third-place finisher Brennan Poole of The Woodlands, TX, seventh. Davin Scites, last year’s pole-sitter from Davidson, NC qualified eighth with Setzer ninth and former race winner Alex Yontz 10.

Only the top 22 positions were decided in time trials Saturday. The remainder of the 42-car field will be decided in four 25-lap heat races that begin at 12:30 p.m. Sunday.

Fan gates open at 9 a.m. on Sunday, with an autograph session on the track’s frontstrech set for 11:30 a.m.
 

MARTINSVILLE, Va. (September 30, 2010) --  After back-to-back weeks of testing,  teams will get down to business Friday as the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300 weekend kicks off at Martinsville Speedway.

Registration and inspection opens at 7 a.m. Friday with almost 100 cars expected to roll through the inspection line by 2 p.m.By the end of the day Thursday, just over 70 teams had already loaded into the infield for Sunday’s Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300. There will be another long line waiting to get in when the pits open at 7 a.m. Friday.

Martinsville’s tight racing surface will get crowded around 2 or so Friday afternoon as cars take to the track for practice once technical inspection is finished.  All cars must be through tech before any cars are allowed on the track. Practice will conclude at 5 p.m.

Fan gates will open at 9 a.m. Friday with no admission charge.

Saturday is a busy day with two hours of practice beginning at 9 a.m. Time trials start at 2 p.m. with the top 22 spots determined. Admission to Saturday’s action is $5 with fan gates opening at 9 a.m.

Fan gates open at 9 a.m. on Sunday, with an autograph session on the track’s frontstrech set for 11:30 a.m.

The first of the four 25-lap heat races begins at 12:30 p.m. Sunday, followed by the 200-lap feature race. The top five finishers in each of the four heat races advance to the main event.

Tickets are $20 for adults with children 12 and under admitted free. Tickets may be purchased by calling 877.RACE.TIX or by visiting www.martinsvillespeedway.com.

 

Bobby Santos' dream season continued Sunday at Martinsville Speedway as he captured the checkered flag in the Made In America Whelen 200.
 
Santos pulled away from the field on a green-white-checkered finish to claim his third win in four NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour races to start the 2010 season.
 
Rookie Justin Bonsignore had a career-best second-place finish, followed by Todd Szegedy. Mike Stefanik, the defending race winner, settled for fourth. Stefanik, who won the Coors Light Pole Award Saturday, lined up on the outside of the front row on the final restart but was shuffled back on the final two laps. Burt Myers finished fifth.
 
James Civali, Eric Beers, Woody Pitkat, Richie Pallai Jr. and Wade Cole rounded out the top 10.
 
The 24-year-old Santos, from Franklin, Mass., entered the season with one career win in 28 Tour starts and had never run a full season. Late in the offseason, he was picked to replace defending champion Donny Lia in the No. 4 "Mystic Missile" Dodge when Lia departed to run in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Santos has responded with three Coors Light Pole Awards and three wins.
 
Santos finished second in the race he did not win, and has forged an 89-point lead in the standings on Stefanik.
 
Ron Silk appeared to have a car to challenge Santos. However, he pulled out of the lead under caution on Lap 174 and ran out of gas on pit lane.
 

Drivers will be getting in the racing groove on June 6 in the Made In America Whelen 200/UNOH Performance 200 at Martinsville Speedway. But the night before, fans can “Get In The Groove” on the front stretch of the historic speedway.

Martinsville Speedway will present  “Get In The Groove,” an evening of music and fun on Saturday, June 5 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

When the gates to the front stretch open at 6 p.m., the track will have barely cooled down from a full day of practice and qualifying for the Made In America Whelen 200/UNOH Performance 200.

“We wanted to make this a full weekend fun for everyone. It’s a chance for race fans to get down on the track and a chance for the non-race fans to come out, enjoy an evening of music and see what’s going on out here,” said Martinsville Speedway President W. Clay Campbell.

“We’re pretty sure most of the drivers and crew chief are going to stick around, so it’s a chance to mingle with them and while fans can’t go into the pits, everything will be close enough they can get a good up close look.”

FATZ, a classic country-rock band, will provide the music, playing from a stage set up across the front stretch, just past the start-finish line. There will also be food vendors and a beer vendor on the track.

Admission to “Get In The Groove” is $5. The event will benefit the Martinsville Speedway Children’s Foundation.

Qualifying for the Whelen 200 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race is set for 3:30 p.m. on June 5 followed by qualifying for the UNOH Performance 200 K&N Pro Series East race.

Race day on Sunday, June 6 will kick off with a on-track autograph session with all drivers from each event in attendance. Fans will enter the track through the flag stand at the start-finish line and the drivers will be along the front stretch signing autographs.
 

When Bobby Santos was two, his father plopped him down in a go-kart. He’s been in a racing seat ever since.

And now, some 23 years later, he’s sitting in the best seat in the NASCAR Modified Tour house – the famed Mystic Missile, owned by legendary Bob Garbarino.

After two races Santos is leading the NASCAR Modified points chase. He has a win, two top-five finishes and two pole wins headed into the Made In America Whelen 200/UNOH Performance 200 at Martinsville Speedway on June 6

A year ago Santos ran just two NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour races as he concentrated on other series. At the same time Garbarino was winning his second Modified championship in three years with Donny Lia in the bright yellow number four. Not long after the season ended, Lia bolted for other opportunities and Garbarino was searching for a new driver. He didn’t search long or far, tabbing Santos to pilot the Mystic Missile.

“They were looking for a driver. They had a few different options and it’s pretty cool they chose me,” said Santos, a third generation driver from Franklin, MA. “It’s an honor to drive for Bob. I knew a lot about the Mystic Missile long before I sat in it. I watched it win a lot of races when I was just a kid.”

The 25-year-old Santos is running some races outside of the NASCAR Modified Tour this season, but no where near the 60 to 70 events he’s run in years’ past.

“I’ve run all three USAC divisions, I’ve done some super modified stuff here and there, some different types of dirt stuff and we just picked the big (NASCAR) Modified races,” said Santos. “This year we’re focusing on racing with Bob’s team and then some big USAC races.”

While Santos knew he was getting top-notch equipment with Garbarino, he didn’t realize how good until he crawled through the window for the first time.

“We’ve got awesome equipment and really great people working on it,” said Santos. “Bob has been so easy to work with from the beginning. All he expects me do to is drive it. That’s the way it’s been from the beginning.

“A lot of people say there has got to be a lot of pressure on me because of the ride I’m in, but I’m the only one putting pressure on me. “

Santos has raced on Martinsville Speedway’s tough .526-mile just one time, in 2007. He remembers having a pretty good car then, but got caught up in a wreck past the halfway point. But even before that 2007 trip to Martinsville, he understood the importance of the track to his family. His grandfather, Bob Santos, the patriarch of the racing family, won the Modified portion of the 1972 Cardinal Classic at Martinsville.

I’m very confident going to Martinsville. I enjoyed in when I was there and I know this car has had a lot of success there and there’s no reason we can’t go there together and win. That’s what all of us expect,” said Santos.

“Nobody wants to win it more than me, though.  To win the grandfather clock (winner’s trophy) at Martinsville would mean the world to me. I’ve seen my grandfather’s grandfather clock he got for winning there. I would love to have one of my own.”

 

Ryan Gifford’s grandfather was a drag racer. But when it came time for Gifford to choose a path, he opted for straightaways that had a turn at the end.

It seems like it was a pretty good decision. The 21-year-old Gifford has finished in the top five in two of the first three races of the season on the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and headed into the Made In America Whelen 200/UNOH Performance 200 at Martinsville Speedway on June 6, he is fifth in the series points standings.

“My grandfather used to be a drag racer. I had a big interest in either racing junior dragsters or go karts. There was a go-kart track about 15 minutes down the road from us,” said the Winchester, TN driver, who was eight years old at the time. “He took me down there and I fell in love with it. “

He conquered the World Karting Association and moved to dirt late models in 2005 and immediately started winning races. He caught the eye of Sprint Cup team owner Richard Childress and signed on as a developmental driver for RCR in 2009. He remains an RCR driver, but is also a member of the 2010 Drive For Diversity Class, racing for Revolution Racing.

He raced in five East Series races last year, finishing in the top 10 in all five and in the top five in three of them. Gifford has started strong this season, but concedes there is pressure involved.

“There’s a lot of pressure. There are a lot more talented race drivers than there are good race cars,” said Gifford. “You have to perform. That’s the bottom line.”

While he’s never turned a lap at Martinsville, he’s excited about the upcoming trip to the storied track.

“That place has so much history … it’s just crazy. I’ve always wanted to race at places like Martinsville … it’s the Mecca of short track racing,” said Gifford.

And it doesn’t hurt that he’s got an affinity for short tracks.

“I’m big on short-track racing. And the go-kart track I learned on was shaped a lot like Martinsville, but just a smaller version. It had long straights and tight turns.”

 

Perhaps overlooked in preseason talk of NASCAR K&N Pro Series East championship contenders, Max Gresham has quickly emerged as a title threat in 2010.

Gresham, a 17-year-old from Griffin, GA, enters Sunday’s Made In America Whelen 200/UNOH Performance 200 at Martinsville Speedway as the East points leader after three races thanks to wins in the last two outings.

The first win of his young career came on April 3 at South Boston Speedway in just his fourth series start.

“The feeling I got after the South Boston win was unbelievable,” Gresham said. “It felt great to finally have a strike in the ‘W’ column because the Joe Gibbs team deserved it and I felt, as the driver, it was about time to get them another win.”

Gresham stayed hot as he outdueled fellow high school junior Ty Dillon in a last-lap battle to win the prestigious East-West combination race at Iowa Speedway on May 23.

“I’d definitely call that the biggest win of my career,” Gresham said. “It was also probably also the most memorable because I had to earn it there in the last lap. It was one of those times that I will never forget.“

Although short on speedway experience, Gresham has been quite successful at the larger track. He participated in the K&N Pro Series West race at Iowa in 2009 and finished third.

“A lot of the bigger tracks really agree with me because I like to go fast and I like to have the control of all the variables,” Gresham said.

With the UNOH Performance 200 at Martinsville Speedway up next, Gresham will attempt to sweep the two K&N Pro Series East races in Virginia, but to do so he’ll have to go back to a short-track racing mentality.

“Going to Martinsville is kind of like going back home [to a short track],” Gresham said. “Its going to be a lot of fun because it’s a big-name track and it’s a place I’ve always fantasized about racing at.”

MODIFIED MADHOUSE: While Sunday’s Made In America Whelen 200 is not a NASCAR Southern Modified Tour event, it will have at least a little southern flavor.

Two of the prominent stars of The History Channel’s breakout hit, “Madhouse,” Burt and Jason Myers will be in the house at Martinsville this weekend for the NASCAR Modified Tour event. Both compete on the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour.

It’s going to be a busy weekend for Burt Myers. He’s racing at Ace Speedway near Burlington, NC on Friday, has to be at Martinsville all day Saturday for practice and 3:30 p.m. qualifying and then makes a mad dash for Bowman Gray Stadium for a race. He’s presently the points leader at Bowman Gray.

GOLDEN OLDIE: While most of the field for the UNOH Performance 200 East Series  race is ridiculously young, there will be at least one oldster in the field.

Forty-three-year-old Steve Park will be making his first start of the season in the East Series after competing full time the past two years.

To say Park is a NASCAR veteran would be an understatement. He’s won races in the Sprint Cup, Nationwide, Camping World Truck Series, Whelen Modified Tour and the East Series.

This weekend will mark the fourth different series he’s competed in at Martinsville.

SCHEDULE AND TICKETS: Qualifying for the Made In America Whelen 200 NASCAR Modified Tour race is set for 3:30 p.m. on June 5 followed by qualifying for the UNOH Performance 200 K&N Pro Series East race.

Race day on Sunday, June 6 will kick off with an on-track autograph session at 11 a.m. with all drivers from each event in attendance. Fans will enter the track through the flag stand at the start-finish line and the drivers will be along the front stretch signing autographs.

 

 Governor McDonnell to Serve as Grand Marshall of Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500 NASCAR Race.  

It’s been a pretty good week for Kevin Harvick at Martinsville Speedway and he’s still got another day to go.

Harvick captured the Kroger 250 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race Saturday after winning the pole for both the Kroger 250 and the Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Race on Friday.  A win in the Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500 would give him a perfect week at the historic half-mile

"It was a lot of fun for me, just for the fact that the thing was so dominant to drive," said Harvick, who is also the NASCAR Sprint Cup points leader. "I didn't really have to do a whole lot different -- I just drove my line every lap, and we were able to make our way through traffic when we needed to.

"When we passed the No. 17 (Timothy Peters) for the lead, it looked like his truck started to get a little loose getting into the corner, and we were able to capitalize on that."

Saturday’s win was the eighth truck series victory of his career and his second of the season.

Harvick led 187 laps, and he dominated for most of the day on the way to a 1.5-second win over Ron Hornaday Jr. Brian Ickler was third, followed by Timothy Peters and Johnny Benson.

Peters, who won at Martinsville last fall and also captured the season-opener at Daytona, led late in the race and gave Harvick a spirited battle until Harvick took the lead for good on lap 190.

“Every time we have come here, not matter what it is, we’ve run well,” said Peters, who lives less that a half-hour from Martinsville Speedway. “I’m just thankful we can have that success up here. I just love coming here.”
 

Without turning a single qualifying lap Kevin Harvick captured the pole for two races at Martinsville Speedway Friday afternoon.

Persistent rain showers washed out time trials for both the Kroger 250 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race and the Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500. Harvick was awarded the pole for both events by virtue of NASCAR’S points system.

“Obviously this is the place where if you’re going to have that happen (qualifying washed out) and start up front, this is the place you want to do it,” said Harvick, who is atop the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points . “But this is a good place to have that happen and I’m looking forward to both races.”
For the first time this season for either series, lineups were set according to the respective series' rulebooks. So Harvick will lead the 43-car field for the Goody's Fast Pain Relief 500 to the green flag on Sunday.

After five Cup races, Harvick's No. 29 Richard Childress Racing team has a one-point lead on 2003 Cup champion Matt Kenseth's No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing squad, which will also start on the front row.

Defending Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson will start third followed by Greg Biffle and Tony Stewart.

 Because 2009 Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday, Kevin Harvick Inc.'s other driver, has a past champion's provisional available to him, his truck's owners' points were transferred to the No. 2 Chevrolet, which this weekend is driven by the team owner. Hornaday will roll off 31st in Saturday's race.

Truck Series runner-up Matt Crafton will line up second in his No. 88 ThorSport Racing Chevrolet.

Despite a valiant effort by track workers, rain washed away Saturday’s action at Martinsville Speedway, forcing the Made In America 300 to be compressed into a one-day event, beginning at 9 a.m. Sunday.

The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour cars will get on track at 9 a.m. Sunday for an hour of practice followed by an hour-long Limited Sportsman practice session. Modified time trials will begin at 11:30 a.m. with the two Limited Sportsman heat races set for 1 p.m.

The 200-lap NASCAR Modified Tour race will take the green flag at 3 p.m. with the 50-lap Limited race set to start at 5:30 p.m.

There will be an autograph session with Modified drivers on the front stretch at 2 p.m.

Track workers, with the help of two jet driers, battled a light mist much of the morning before getting the track dry enough around noon Saturday to allow the Modifieds about a 40-minute window for practice. Then the rains came back harder and the day was called.

Todd Szegedy led the field during the abbreviated practice for the Made In America Whelen 300, touring the demanding track during practice with a time of 19.133 seconds (97.841 mph). Donny Lia, a former Martinsville winner, was second with a time of 19.172 (97.642 mph). Glenn Tyler was fourth with Johnny Bush and Ronnie Silk completing the top five.

Because of the tight schedule Sunday, the Limited Sportsman will not have time trials. The first 26 positions in the 50-lap feature will be filled by the fastest 26 cars in practice. The final 10 spots will be filled through two 25-lap heat races.

Tickets for the Made In America Whelen 300 are $25 for adults with children 12 and under admitted free.

There will be no shortage of race cars at Martinsville Speedway this weekend for the Made In America Whelen 300.
More than 110 cars are entered for the NASCAR doubleheader featuring a 200-lap NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race and 100 laps of NASCAR Limited Sportsman racing.Over 40 entries have been received the Modified Tour race, which includes drivers from both the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour.       Read more....

Preece Has Martinsville Clock, Now Wants Trip To Victory Lane In Whelen 300

Ryan Preece has the trophy, the big, beautiful grandfather clock, that goes to the winner of the Made In America 300 at Martinsville Speedway. What he doesn’t have is the Victory Lane experience that goes with it, and that’s what he’ll be gunning for next Sunday.

Preece won the pole for last year’s NASCAR Modified Tour event at Martinsville and led most of the race. But with 29 laps remaining, Burt Myers slipped past him and held on for the win just ahead of Preece.         
                  Read more....

$25 Tickets Return To Martinsville Speedway For TUMS Fast Relief 500

The fans have spoken and Martinsville Speedway is listening.  Read the full story!

Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day set
Event will take place Saturday, October 25 at new location

The annual Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day is scheduled for Saturday, October 25. The event will take place from 9 a.m. to noon, but it will be held at a different location than in previous years. 

Instead of being at the County Administration Building as in the past, this event will now be held at the new Henry County Public Service Authority Shop on Fairy Stone Park Highway, across from Bassett Office Supply. This facility used to be a part of the Bassett Furniture Industries complex. 

The Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day is free and open to all residents of Henry County and Martinsville. No items from businesses or industries will be accepted. The event is sponsored by Blue Ridge Paints and Solvents, EMI Recycling, Gateway Streetscape, Henry County, and the City of Martinsville.
Local residents can use the event to get rid of caustic household items that they cannot deposit in local Convenience Centers. These items may include solvents, paints, fuels (including gasoline, kerosene, diesel fuel, heating oil, boat fuel, and chainsaw fuels), batteries, and computers. 

Items that cannot be brought to Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day include smoke detectors, compressed gas cylinders, explosives or shock-sensitive materials, radioactive materials, infectious or biologically active materials, household cleaners, pesticides, drain cleaners, herbicides, fluorescent light bulbs, gas tanks, and oil tanks.
Any items brought after 12 noon will not be accepted.
For more information, contact Henry County's Mike Amos at 634-2503.

The Martinsville Police Department is advising residents to take every possible precaution to protect themselves and their property.

Middle School All-District Choirs came together in March and was a real crowd pleaser. The Glenvar High School Auditorium was filled with parents of students as far north as Salem Virgina. We are proud of the Henry County Schools represented and the middle schools students who represented us well. Local schools included were FC Middle, Laurel Park Middle, and Carlisle School. This annual event was an experience that middle school students from Henry County will remember and be proud of.

• Exhibitors
• Food Vendors
• Fly Tying/Casting
• Demonstrations
• Raffles
• Educational Displays
• Archery events
• Music Entertainment                 

• BASSETT – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Friends of Philpott, Inc. organized a lake cleanup at Philpott Lake this past Saturday. Forty-two volunteers, including members of the Ferrum Recreation Club, Friends of Philpott, and several Benjamin Franklin Middle School students from teacher Melissa Talley’s 7^th grade science class, assisted Philpott Lake staff with removing trash from the shoreline of the lake. Ms. Talley’s students also performed stream monitoring on Nicholas Creek to assess its water quality by collecting and identifying the aquatic benthic macro-invertebrates, or “bugs”.

 

Trash removed from the lake consisted mainly of plastic beverage bottles, aluminum cans, and food wrappers. Other trash included bait containers, bottle caps and several tires. Some volunteers used motorboats and kayaks, while others picked up trash on foot in park areas and along trails. An estimated half ton of trash was removed by participants from various areas in and around the lake, including Twin Ridge, Jamison Mill, Salthouse Branch, Goose Point, Maple Springs, and upper Smith River area.  Mary Lawson, Philpott Lake Conservation Biologist, said, “Participation almost doubled this year, and the event was a major success.”

 

The cleanup was a part of National Public Lands Day as well as the Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup. Much of our land-based trash never makes it to landfills. Instead, it is carried by wind and water, eventually winding up in the ocean. Today, many products last for centuries and are buoyant, traveling for years in water, endangering ocean ecosystems and wildlife along the way. Data collected during clean-ups about the amount and types of litter removed can be analyzed by the Ocean Conservancy in order to help reduce the problem of ocean litter. We all rely on our precious waterways in some way. We all have a responsibility to care for them, not just one day a year, but every day throughout the year.

 

Photo Description: Volunteers stand in front of a pile of trash that was removed from Philpott Lake this past Saturday.

 

What began as an experiment last year for the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300 will be standard operating procedure in 2011.

Again this year there will be two test dates heading into the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300 NASCAR Late Model Stock Car race at Martinsville Speedway on October 9.

The first test session is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 21, with the second date a week later on Wednesday, Sept. 28.

“We knew teams weren’t getting much track time the way we had been doing it, so we tried the two days last year just to see how it would go,” said Martinsville Speedway President Clay Campbell. “It turned out to be a huge hit last year. The teams weren’t nearly as rushed and got plenty of track time before coming in for the race weekend.”

Teams will be allowed to test on both test dates. The grandstands will be open for fans free of charge both days.

Registration will begin at 7 a.m. on both September 21 and September 28 at the main ticket office. Haulers can begin staging the day before each test session.

Cars will be on-track from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day with an hour break at noon each day.

Pit passes for each test day are $25.

On the second test day, pit passes for the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300 will be available for purchase. They are $50 for the entire weekend.

Anyone under 18 must have a NASCAR license to enter the pits for either test day. NASCAR licenses will be on sale at the track each test day. A parent must be present to sign a minor’s release form to purchase a NASCAR license during the registration process. No faxed or mailed releases will be accepted.

On a campus where star athletes are the norm, NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Kevin Harvick turned some heads Tuesday.

Harvick, who won the NASCAR Sprint Cup regular-season finale at Richmond International Raceway Saturday night, spent several hours at Virginia Tech Tuesday as part of a media event with Martinsville Speedway. He toured the football facility and visited with the 13th-ranked Hokies’ coaching staff and team members.

And everywhere he went, people were interested. When he dropped in on the weekly coaches’ meeting, head coach Frank Beamer literally welcomed him with open arms. The Tech coaching staff listened intently as Beamer and Harvick talked racing.

“We got back in time Saturday night (after a17-10 road win over East Carolina University) to watch the end of your race,” Beamer said to Harvick as they were shaking hands. “That was exciting stuff. I know NASCAR and I know when Kevin Harvick gets out front, it’s hard to get by him.”

A little later Harvick was introduced to Josh Oglesby, the Tech tailback who scored both of the Hokies’ touchdowns Saturday. Oglesby immediately said: “great win Saturday night, sir.”

Harvick sat with Oglesby, cornerback Chris Hill, linebacker Bruce Taylor, and defensive tackle Derrick Hopkins during lunch. The players peppered him with questions about racing and what it took to be a championship caliber driver.

While players and coaches were taken with Harvick, who has four wins this season, he was equally impressed with what he saw during his first trip to Virginia Tech.

“For me, I’ve learned a lot about Virginia Tech football today and about Virginia Tech,” said Harvick. “For me, not going to college, being able to see these facilities and everything that goes into it … this is a first-class facility and there are a lot of people to make it go round.

“I’ve seen today there are a lot of similarities to making a race team go around and a football team go around. It takes good people. It takes dedication and it takes determination to do what you have to do.”

Before the day was done, Harvick, Beamer and Martinsville Speedway president Clay Campbell swapped memorabilia. Harvick presented Beamer with an autographed Budweiser racing helmet. Beamer gave Harvick a Virginia Tech football jersey, personalized with Harvick’s name and car number. And Campbell gave Beamer, a regular at Martinsville Speedway races, a pair of lifetime suite passes.

Young: 'Area looks like pigsty'

By Martinsville BULLETIN STAFF REPORTS - Martinsville attorney R. Reid Young III wants the Henry County and Martinsville governments to mount a fight against litter. And if they won’t, he will.Young outlined some of his ideas for battling litter at Tuesday’s Martinsville City Council meeting, and he will do the same at the Sept. 27 meeting of the Henry County Board of Supervisors.“I see it (litter) every day,” said Young, who lives on Terry’s Mountain. There, he said, he picks up a feed bag of garbage every week.He added that he has talked to his neighbors and others about the litter problem, and “I hope to get a group excited enough to do something” about it.Litter is a problem throughout the county and city, he said, singling out the new Dick & Willie Passage. “It’s an embarrassment,” he added.“No one is going to relocate in the area as long as it looks like a pigsty,” Young said. “There aren’t going to be new jobs. CEOs are sophisticated people” with families who have certain expectations. “No one will come as long as there’s litter everywhere.”Young has several suggestions to try to combat the problem.“The best way to resolve it is a ground roots program beginning in the schools,” he said, suggesting that the governments appoint a liaison with the schools to work on the issue.Awards could be given to schools that tackle the litter issue, contests could be held and students could be recognized for their efforts, he said.Also, “there has got to be a reward system put in place ... money paid to tipsters to help stop this (littering),” Young said. “It’s not being reported as much as it should.”He is proposing that people who litter have their driver’s licenses suspended and/or be ordered to do community service picking up trash before they could get their licenses back. If trash is thrown on private property, he said the property owner should be able to charge the suspect with trespassing.Currently, Young said he believes littering in Martinsville is a Class 1 misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $2,500 and/or 12 months in jail. He thinks the penalties should be stiffer.“The only thing to do is treat it like the Canadians do. If you litter on the roads in Canada, there is a $2,000 fine,” he said, adding that people do not litter there.Young suggested that the area’s judges be approached about imposing stiffer fines and sentences, and if the law needs to be changed to do that, so be it.“We need to encourage reporting of areas that are chronic problems, dumps,” he said, and also need to require landfill owners to monitor their sites. If they do not clean the areas up, liens could be placed on the property to force the issue, Young added.In addition, he said businesses should be required to keep areas around their trash receptacles litter-free or they could lose them, and he would like to see churches get involved in the effort.Young said he wants to see the local governments fight litter by posting signs and taking other steps. “If they don’t do it, we’ll get together a group” that will, he added.Young’s comments to city council Tuesday were limited because they occurred during the business from the floor session. He said council members told him they want him to return to more fully discuss his ideas.

Listen Up: New Sound System For Martinsville Speedway In 2011

 

            MARTINSVILLE, Va. (February 3, 2011) – Fans will have amazing sound to go with the always amazing racing when they return to Martinsville Speedway for the Goody’s Fast Relief 500 on April 3.

            A new, state-of-the-art sound system will be in place by the April event, giving fans unparalleled audio during the weekend.

            “Our new sound system will be much the same as the sound systems used in other major stadiums around the country,” said Martinsville Speedway President W. Clay Campbell. “It’s going to enhance the quality of the sound, especially during pre-race, when music is being played and anytime cars aren’t on the track.”

            Approximately 50 new speakers are being installed around the track and atop the video boards in the infield. In the past the speakers have been on the catch-fence circling the track, but now they will be mounted on poles closer to the grandstand area.

            “Fans have told us that they were having difficulty hearing the PA system in certain areas around the track. This should provide great sound to everyone,” said Campbell.

            Other improvements at Martinsville Speedway for the 2011 season include wider seats, new restrooms and new concession stands and wider concourse under the front-stretch grandstands.

Tickets for the Goody’s Fast Relief 500 weekend are on sale and may be purchased by calling 877.RACE.TIX or by visiting www.martinsvillespeedway.com.

            Tickets for the Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500 on April 3 start at just $25.

MARTINSVILLE, VA (July 16, 2010) – AMP Energy driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. will take time to visit with fans and answer some of their questions before the TUMS Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway on October 24.

Earnhardt will make an appearance in the Martinsville Speedway Fan Zone sponsored by AMP Energy just a couple of hours before the start of the TUMS Fast Relief 500, the sixth race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

“We always feel fortunate when we get Dale Jr. for our Fan Zone. Obviously the fans love him and he does such a great job in the question-and-answer session,” said Martinsville Speedway President W. Clay Campbell. “He makes them feel very at ease, he’s got a great sense of humor talking with them and he provides a lot of information.”

Earnhardt’s appearance will be an emceed question and answer session. There will not be any autograph sessions.

Admission to the Martinsville Speedway Fan Zone sponsored by AMP Energy is $99 and includes pastries, juice and coffee for breakfast, lunch buffet, four beverage coupons for Pepsi products, AMP Energy drinks and beer (Patrons 21 and older). It also includes a Pre-Race Track Pass.

The Pre-Race Track Pass allows fans to stroll on the track along the frontstretch from 9:00 a.m. to noon.

The $99 price does not include a ticket to the TUMS Fast Relief 500.

The Martinsville Speedway Fan Zone will open at 8 a.m. on October 24.

The pastries will be served at 8 a.m. with the lunch buffet beginning at 10:30 am.

Tickets for the Martinsville Speedway Fan Zone may be purchased by calling 1.877.RACE.TIX or by visiting www.martinsvillespeedway.com online.

 

On December 10, BTW21 launched another new program called Ask This Old Geek. 

This new Community Service Program was developed to provide useful information about various forms of technology, practical for today's use in the home, school, or business, and hopefully address some of the frustration when starting out with new technology products.  The show hopes to provide information in an way that is understandable to all.    Live on Tuesdays, 6:00pm    Their website is www.AskThisOldGeek.com

Health Coalition Receives Donation to Provide Screening Mammograms

MDCU SCAM ALERT

SCAM ALERT: On Saturday, October 3rd, fraudsters attempted to send text messages to cell phones, claiming they were from Martinsville DuPont Credit Union (MDCU). MDCU will never contact you via text messaging. If you provided any information by responding to the text message, please contact us at  (276) 632-1679  (276) 632-1679 ,  (540) 483-0018  (540) 483-0018 , or  (800) 475-6328  (800) 475-6328 extension 0 so we may take steps to protect your accounts. MDCU will never ask you to contact us at any other number. Authorities have been contacted to stop the criminal activities.
 

BTW 21 your neghborhood network is proud to announce a new and exciting show to our line up! Car Talk, hosted by Bob Norris isa weekly call in show all about cars. The show is on Tuesdays atarting at 7 PM.

Car Talk Live is a weekly show on Martinsville's  BTW 21 television station. During the show callers call in and explain symptoms of their car's misbehavior.

Callers are encouraged to mimic the sound their car is making adding to the fun!     

Bob and his guest car gurus deliver a humorous but usually accurate diagnosis

So be sure and tune into BTW 21 on Tuesdays at 7 PM
and call in with your car, truck or just about any vehicle
problems you might be having!

BTW 21 your neghborhood network is proud to announce a new and exciting show to our line up! Car Talk, hosted by Bob Norris isa weekly call in show all about cars. The show is on Tuesdays atarting at 7 PM.

Car Talk Live is a weekly show on Martinsville's  BTW 21 television station. During the show callers call in and explain symptoms of their car's misbehavior.

Callers are encouraged to mimic the sound their car is making adding to the fun!     

Bob and his guest car gurus deliver a humorous but usually accurate diagnosis

So be sure and tune into BTW 21 on Tuesdays at 7 PM
and call in with your car, truck or just about any vehicle
problems you might be having!

 “We are pleased to enter into this agreement with Barcalounger Home. One that has been operationally and financially designed to successfully position both our companies to move forward with future growth as the economy recovers,” says Noel Chitwood, President of American of Martinsville.  “Given the fact that both American of Martinsville and Barcalounger Home each have a company heritage that spans over 100 years, we intend to protect these carefully nurtured brands and build upon the strengths of both, collaboratively.”

By Christian Dollarhite-BTW21 Sports Editor

Martinsville Deputy Chief of Police Robert Ramsey participated in the 113th running of the Boston Marathon on Monday, finishing the 26.2-mile race with a time of 3:25:30.

Boston boasts the world's longest-running marathon and this year's event marks the sixth time that Ramsey has participated in the popular race. This year's event featured over 25,000 runners.

Deriba Merga of Ethiopia won the men's event with a time of 2:08:42 while defending champion Robert Cheruiyot of Kenya settled for a fifth-place finish. Ryan Hall represented the Americans well with a third-place time of 2:09:40.

The women's race came down to the wire as Salina Kosgei of Kenya dethroned defending champion Dire Tune of Ethiopia by a mere second with a finishing time of 2:32:16.

"When you hear it's marathon weekend, you know it's spring here in Boston--even though the calendar may say something else," said Boston Mayor Tom Menino.

The Patrick Henry Community College baseball team continues to play stellar deep into the 2009 season.   
With another solid victory last week and the playoffs looming, Coach Chris Parker's Patriots are now 27-8 overall, and 6-1 in Region X.   Patrick Henry has also proven there's no place like home.  Read the full story by Chris Dollarhite!

Danville native Peyton Sellers completed his first 2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series race last weekend and came home with a solid 26th-place finish in the O’Reilly 300 at Texas Motor Speedway.

The #77 SFP Chevrolet was forced to go to their backup car to qualify for the race due to a wreck in practice. Sellers still managed to qualify 23rd among 49 drivers, with an average speed of 183.187 mph on the 1.5 mile track.

Three-time Sprint Cup Champion Jimmie Johnson continued his recent domination of Martinsville Speedway on Sunday, pushing aside Denny Hamlin with 14 laps to go to win for the fifth time in the last six races on the notoriously tight, paper-clip shaped oval.

It's true that blood is thicker than water. Just ask Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Earnhardt Jr. continued his campaign on Friday to defend his crew chief and cousin Tony Eury Jr. despite ever-growing criticism from fans and media alike who believe Earnhardt Jr. might find better results with a new crew chief.

To say Kyle Busch is a busy guy this racing season would be a huge understatement.

After all, Busch has competed in EVERY race in NASCAR's top-three divisions thus far in 2009 - Sprint Cup, Nationwide and the Camping World Truck Series. His second Cup win and fifth overall victory of 2009 in last week's Bristol race moved the 23-year-old Las Vegas native one step closer to a record that is quickly approaching.

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

·         When NASCAR fans want fast relief and simple solutions for heartburn, they turn to TUMS. When they want fast action on the track, they turn to TUMS Racing. TUMS Racing helps NASCAR fans enjoy their race experience to the fullest.

·         TUMS QuikPak gives race fans the green flag to enjoy the food they like and eat as many Martinsville hot dogs as they can handle. Fans can pick up samples of the new TUMS QuikPak in the Fan Zones throughout the weekend, and during the TUMS QuikPak 500 at Martinsville Speedway. 

·         The partnership with Martinsville Speedway provides TUMS increased visibility among the millions of fans of the sport. The partnership also allows TUMS to demonstrate that it offers a simple solution for fast relief from heartburn.

 

·         The attributes of TUMS’ core consumers are very similar to those of NASCAR fans: like speed on the track and speed in relieving their heartburn. This sponsorship is a great way to reach the target audience.

 

·         The TUMS Racing program is designed to help drive home the message to our consumers: whether they’re attending a race or watching on television, with TUMS QuikPak for heartburn relief, fast just got faster.  TUMS launched a nationwide search to find the Grand Marshal of the TUMS QuikPak 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway.  In the spirit of TUMS, and the all-new TUMS QuikPak, the focus was to find an individual to serve as Grand Marshal who had provided fast relief to others. Out of hundreds of entries received, we are thrilled to award Staff Sergeant Robert Hankins with opportunity to serve as a Grand Marshal at the TUMS QuikPak 500.Robert is a Martinsville native and is currently home on leave from his third tour of duty in Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Not only has Robert provided fast relief to his fellow soldiers while serving overseas, but he has also provided fast relief to his friends and neighbors outside his current home in Colorado.  I was honored to be selected as the TUMS QuikPak 500 grand marshal and can’t wait to deliver the “start your engines” command on Sunday!   I’m grew up in Martinsville and have watched many cars race to take the checkered flag right here at this track. Being selected by TUMS to serve as the Grand Marshal of the TUMS QuikPak 500 is the ultimate dream come true.  I am currently on leave from my third deployment to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and couldn’t think of a better place to be than with my family at the TUMS QuikPak 500. After this week, I will return to Iraq, with a lot of TUMS, to finish the reminder of my fifteen month combat tour. Serving as the grand marshal of Sunday’s race is going to be one of the biggest highlights of my life. I want to thank TUMS for making it possible; they really know how to put fans first.

Police chase leads to arrest and multiple charges

MARTINSVILLE, Va. – The Martinsville Police Department arrested a local man on multiple charges stemming from a chase that occurred shortly before 12:30 a.m. this morning.  

MPD Officer Eddie Dillard observed a white, 90’s-model Buick being operated with defective equipment on Memorial Boulevard near Lavinder Street.  The suspect vehicle refused to stop and continued traveling on Memorial Boulevard turning right onto Park Street.  The driver, later identified as Fletcher Dernard Millner, continued to elude police, taking the chase to several residential streets and major thoroughfares before traveling on Askin Street and turning left onto DuPont Road in Henry County.

Millner stopped the vehicle and bailed out just below the Martinsville- DuPont Credit Union office and fled on foot.  MPD Officer Dillard was joined by Virginia State Trooper Noah Night who was nearby at the time the incident started; the two officers chased the suspect on foot.

Millner left the transmission of the Buick he was operating in drive causing the vehicle to continue to roll forward.  MPD Officer Richard Pulliam had pulled his police cruiser in front of the Buick when Millner bailed out.  The vehicle rolled forward stopping against the front bumper of MPD Car 14 (Officer Pulliam’s cruiser).  This low speed collision caused only minor cosmetic damage to the front end of the police cruiser and Millner’s Buick.  

Millner continued to flee on foot, running between a utility pole and an attached guide wire.  As Officer Eddie Dillard pursued the suspect on foot he hit the guide wire with his left shoulder in a full sprint.  Millner was chased down by VA State Trooper Noah Night and taken to the ground after he reached for his waistband. After Millner was apprehended a handgun was found underneath him.  

Millner was then handcuffed and searched.  The search incident to arrest turned up several individually packaged white rocks believed to be crack cocaine; the material will be sent to the state lab for further analysis. 

Officer Eddie Dillard received only minor injuries when he collided with the utility pole guide wire; he will return to work as scheduled. There was no property damage other than the minor cosmetic damage to the front end of the white Buick LeSabre driven by Millner and to the police cruiser driven by MPD Officer Richard Pulliam. The chase began in the City of Martinsville and ended just across the border in Henry County. 

Fletcher Dernard Millner, age 20, of 1160 Yorkshire Road in Martinsville was arrested and charged with the following in the City of Martinsville:
- Felony Eluding Police
- Misdemeanor Obstruction of Justice 
- Misdemeanor Driving with Revoked License 

Further charges may be forthcoming in Henry County, depending on results of lab analysis on the substance retrieved from Millner upon arrest.  

The Martinsville Police Department is continuing to gather evidence and information in this case. Further charges may be forthcoming.  Anyone with information on this crime should contact the Martinsville Police Department Investigations Unit at 403-5301, the 911 Center, or Crime Stoppers. Crime Stoppers pays rewards of up to $1,000 in certain cases. You do not have to reveal your identity. Report tips anonymously to 63-CRIME (276-632-7463).

Industrial incident causes one fatality

MARTINSVILLE, Va. –   The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is investigating an industrial incident that led to a fatality at 101 East Commonwealth Boulevard in the City of Martinsville earlier today. The building is a large warehouse located behind the Commonwealth Center office complex, and is used for storage. Martinsville Fire & EMS crews were dispatched to the scene at approximately 10:30 a.m. this morning.

The victim was working with at least one other individual at the time the incident occurred. The workers were in the process of removing a large commercial-grade air conditioning unit from the roof of the building. During the process the air conditioner shifted toward the victim, pinning his body between the unit and an exterior wall. The victim sustained injuries that included massive trauma to the head and upper chest; he was pronounced dead at the scene.

It is yet to be determined what caused the incident. The Martinsville Police Department will assist OSHA and the state medical examiner’s office in the investigation of this incident. Stone Ambulance Service also provided assistance. A crane truck was utilized in the removal of the victim’s body and was not involved in the actual incident.

The warehouse where the incident took place is owned by the Lester Group of Martinsville. The men working on the project are private subcontractors from the Danville area of Virginia. The identity of the victim is being withheld until his family can be notified. Further information will be released when it is available.

Update on fatal industrial accident  The identity of the man fatally injured yesterday in an industrial accident at a warehouse located at 101 East Commonwealth Boulevard in Martinsville has been released by the Martinsville Police Department. He has been identified as Carl Wayne Turner, aged 54, of Sugartree Church Road in Danville, VA. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is still investigating the incident. No cause has been determined at this time

Traffic Alert: Route 639 – Henry County – Town of Ridgeway

 

On Wednesday, October 8, Route 639 (Phospho Springs Road) will be closed to through traffic from 2/10 of a mile from Route 220 (Main Street) for bridge demolition. The anticipated work completion date is Friday, October 24, 2008, weather permitting.

TRAFFIC ALERT – ROUTE 1228 – HENRY COUNTY

 

 

On Wednesday, October 1, Route 1228 (Governor Stanley Highway) in Henry County will be closed to through traffic for bridge deck replacement. Directional signs will allow for traffic to be detoured. All work is anticipated to be complete within three (3) weeks, weather permitting.

 

Motorists should use alternate routes.  

Police remind motorists to exercise caution at crosswalks

Sheriff Draper to be named President of Virginia Sheriffs’ Association  

• The Virginia Sheriffs' Association (VSA) gives a voice to Virginia sheriffs and deputies. Working on many levels and in cooperation with the various segments of the criminal justice system and state government, VSA gives representation for sheriffs and deputies throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia.
• As the organization speaking for sheriffs and deputies, VSA enjoys high recognition by the Virginia General Assembly.
• VSA provides members with information about emerging law enforcement issues, crime prevention, and various other topics related to the sheriffs' office.

The drive for five is alive.

 

Rashawn Woods and O'Shane Valentine hooked up for scoring passes of 11 and 5 yards and Tyler Martin booted two field goals to begin Bassett's quest to win their fifth consecutive Piedmont District title. The Bengals dominated Carroll County 28-7 on Friday evening in a season-opening non-PD matchup.

 

Woods, the reigning Timesland offensive player of the year, also rushed for 71 yards while Valentine gained 58 yards on just seven carries.

 

Because many of the Bengals' offensive starters hadn't yet played a varsity down, head coach Jay Gilbert had some worries that Bassett's inexperienced backfield and receivers would start out slow.

 

Woods and the new cast of Bengal ballers quickly disspelled that notion.

 

"Everything came together very quickly. We really clicked well from early on in the game," said Gilbert. "Everyone played together and played hard. We executed on both sides of the ball and got the job done."

 

Senior guard Andrew Miller kept Carroll County confused, racking up eight solo tackles, six assists and two stops for a loss. Michael Hodges was a force at inside linebacker with six tackles and six assists. Vershaun Norman also contributed heavily to a stout defensive display.

 

"They really had no answer for Andrew," Gilbert said of his aggressive defensive leader. "He really helped put pressure on their backfield and forced them to make some mistakes."

 

Woods completed nine of his 13 passes and looked impressive throwing from the shotgun snap. A stubborn offensive line kept the senior signal-caller from taking any hard shots from Carroll County defenders. Options and sweeps were regularly converted for first downs as the Bengals moved to 1-0 overall.

 

Martin hammered home both of his field goal attempts, a 29-yarder in the first quarter and 38 yards in the second stanza.

 

Dylan Caveness led Carroll County with 74 yards on the ground and a touchdown.

 

Bassett's home opener is Friday at Ed Bassett Stadium against Patrick Henry. Patrick Henry head coach Bob Gray is a former assistant football coach and head wrestling coach at Fieldale-Collinsville High School.

 

This Friday's game will be dedicated to the late Jerry Slaughter, former F-C administrator and state championship golf coach. Slaughter was recently inducted into the Virginia High School League Hall of Fame.

 

Story by: Chris Dollarhite

GAME AIRS MONDAY NIGHT AT 9PM

Police caution residents about phone scams

 

MARTINSVILLE, Va. –   The Martinsville Police Department has been notified of a phone scam that is being propagated throughout the Martinsville and Henry County community. “We have been advised that residents are receiving messages on their answering machine or voicemail that are not credible,” said MPD Lieutenant Jim Minter.

         “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(s) are dialing local phone numbers, not knowing whether the person(s) called have accounts at MDCU. They simply hope individuals that do have accounts at MDCU will respond and reveal their account information,” said MDCU President and CEO Darrell L. Minniear.

            In these messages a recording states, "This is the Security Department at Martinsville-DuPont Credit Union. Your card has been deactivated. In order to reactivate your card, please call the following number.” A phone number beginning with the numbers 405 is given.

            When this number, beginning with 405 is dialed the call is answered by a recorded message of poor quality with a lot of static. The caller is then instructed to enter their credit or debit card number.

            One of the calls has been traced to an undetermined location in the province of Quebec, Canada. These calls are part of a scam. Police and MDCU officials warn customers to not respond to any calls of this type. Do not release your credit or debit card number or any personal information in response to these calls or any communication of a similar type.

            “Our goal is to inform and protect the public against scams like this. Unfortunately, since the calls appear to be coming from a foreign country, there is little that we can do as far as legal action against the perpetrators. However, by getting the word out, we can prevent our residents from being victimized,” added Minter. 

            If you have received one of these calls and have given out any personal information, you should contact MDCU at 632-1679 #0 or 1-800-475-6328 #0.

Traffic Alert: Route 639 – Henry County – Town of Ridgeway

 

On Monday, August 25, Route 639 (Phospho Springs Road) will be closed to through traffic underneath the Main Street Bridge to allow for grading operations. Work will be performed on Monday through Thursday for the next three (3) weeks. The anticipated work completion date is Thursday, September 11, 2008, weather permitting.

TRAFFIC ALERT – ROUTE 609 – HENRY COUNTY

 

 

Beginning Tuesday, July 22, Route 609 (Patrick Avenue) between the Fieldale United Methodist Church and the Fieldale Park in Henry County will have temporary lane closures. These closures are necessary to replace a pipe under Route 609. Traffic will be controlled by flaggers and motorists should expect delays. All work is anticipated to be complete by Tuesday, July 29, weather permitting.

City cautions residents about traffic detour 

 

MARTINSVILLE, Va. – City Public Works crews, along with contractors from Cycle Systems, Inc., will be removing the steel support structure for a steam pipe that previously ran across Commonwealth Boulevard to the former Tultex plant. The steam pipe and other associated materials have already been disassembled and removed. The steel truss structure mounted to the side of the Franklin Street Railroad Bridge over Commonwealth Boulevard is the only piece that remains.

The project is expected to begin around 7:00 a.m. on Sunday, July 20 and is estimated to take approximately three to five hours. “Traffic will be detoured during this time and may involve use of Northside Drive, Lester, Depot, and Franklin Streets. We ask that motorists use caution while traveling through this area on Sunday morning and be prepared for a detour and possible delays,” said Assistant City Manager and Public Works Director Leon Towarnicki.

            Traffic flow on this portion of Commonwealth Boulevard will have to be stopped completely for at least five to ten minutes, and possibly longer, while the larger pieces of the support structure are brought down.

Federal Grant Allows Dr. Friedrichs to Donate Microscope to Free Medical Clinic

Fisherman get out your rod and your waders the state has stocked the river today. The truck was full of nice size trout today at around 10:30 when stocking began. The Philpot dam reported that they will make power today and tomorrow starting at 12:00 noon until 3:00PM so get up get out and go fishing.  You can get power generation schedule by calling 276-629-2432

BTW21 Sports

May 17, 2008.    
A beautiful day and excellent festival in Fieldale, Virginia

(Click for the pictures gallery) 
and add your own!

Grand Re-Opening 
Martinsville National College Campus.

The ribbon cutting was held May 13th with a special welcome from Campus Director John Scott. Special guest speaker was Martinsville Mayor Kimble Reynolds, Jr.

Tours were given by Director of Admissions, Barbara Rakes and Kim Myers.   For more pictures, click here to visit the Photo Gallery

National College was founded in 1886 and has seven locations in Virginia. Coverage of the event can been seen on BTW 21.  For more information call 276-632-5621 or visit their website at www.national-college.edu

 Virginia Museum of Natural History host the 21st Annual Thomas Jefferson Awards

Thomas Jefferson Medal for Outstanding Contributions to Natural Science Education – a Virginia educator who has consistently made outstanding contributions to natural history, environmental and science education in either the formal or non-formal sectors.
Recipient – Charles K. Jervis of Christiansburg

William Barton Rogers Corporate Award – a corporation that has shown significant support for the natural sciences in Virginia, through contributions to research, science education, or other relevant programs of the museum.
Recipient – Tahoma, Inc. of Martinsville, accepted by Amy Lampe, CEO

William Barton Rogers Individual Award – an individual who has shown significant support for the natural sciences in Virginia, through contributions to research, science education, or other relevant programs of the museum.
Recipient – James C. Firebaugh, Jr. of Richmond

Matthew Fontaine Maury Distinguished Service Award – an individual or corporation that has provided exemplary service in the development of VMNH.
Recipient – Suzi Kirby of Martinsville

Noel T. Boaz Director’s Award – an individual selected by the VMNH Executive Director who has made significant contributions, through volunteer efforts or financial support, to enable the museum to be a more successful institution and to secure its future as a great museum benefiting all citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Recipient – George and Jean Adams of Martinsville 

View more pictures in the Gallery - Click Here

Election Results - May 6, 2008

Turnout  24.3%

Reality check for students

Students from all over the county participated in the Dollars and Sense program at PHCC this week. Many sponsors and organizations made this event possible. Students would not only choose a career and salary but would choose how they spent it. In the real world we all have living expenses and bills. These kids were faced with adult decisions today that will forever change the way they think. Students lined up to meet professionals to talk about homes, health care, careers and many others issues adults face every day.  Many more pictures were taken of this event and can be seen in our picture gallery.

CHILL Youth Task Force and HEY! Community Coalition to host 5^th annual Positive Choices Youth Rally and Teen Maze at Patrick Henry Community College on April 17th.

From getting a new job to having a baby to graduating college, CHILL and HEY!, try to teach area youth about making positive choices in their lives, and how negative choices can effect their entire life. This year will be the 5^th Positive Choices for youth rally and teen maze hosted at Patrick Henry Community College. The first year that this rally was held brought out 250 area youth, just last year over 500 area youth came out for this positive alternative event.

You might be asking yourself, what is a teen maze? Picture a life size game board and you’ll get a good idea. The teen maze is designed to “bring to life” the potential effects of life choices. You navigate your way through the maze by drawing scenario cards or spinning a wheel that indicates a “choice” for you. After receiving this choice, you follow the maze path to discover some of the realities that choice may bring. The maze paths are staffed by various individuals who have a certain “role” to play an present the appropriate information for that path. This is creative, interactive, and delivers powerful information to youth about the consequences of your life choices.

This years Youth Rally and Teen Maze will be held on the campus of PHCC in Collins Gym, with a Kick off at 5:00 pm. 5:30-7:15 pm Middle school goes through the maze, and 7:30-9:30 pm High School interactive health fair. FREE Pizza will be served from 5:00 – 7:30pm.

CHILL, HEY! and the Drug Task Force would like to thank the following partners: Carlisle School, Carter Bank and Trust, Charity League of M/H Co., Citizens Against Family Violence, Collinsville Printing Co., Department of Social Services, Focus On Youth, For the Children, Healthy Community Initiative, Henry Co. G.E.M.S, Henry Co. Parks and Recreation, Henry Co. Schools, Henry Co. Sheriff’s Office, Henry/Martinsville Health Dept. Martinsville City Police Department, Martinsville City Schools, Mental Health Association, New College Institute, PHCC, Patrick Henry Correctional Unit # 28, Piedmont Community Services, Virginia Department of ABC, and YMCA.

Dixie Melody Boys Thursday, March 27th • 7 PM

 Construction for a new Walgreen's will soon change the look of the corner of Kings Mountain Road. Walgreen's is planning to open the new store this summer says Carol Hivley, Walgreen's Corporate Spokeswomen. The new store will be 14,800 a typical size for Walgreen's. The store will feature a drive-Thur pharmacy window and will employ about 25 people. You can visit their website Walgreen's.com to file out an application if your interested in employment. Walgreen's forced locally owned business National Glass to relocate a few months ago.

      Just a little history, Charles R. Walgreen Sr. purchased the Chicago drugstore where he had worked as a pharmacist — and that started the Walgreen chain. His energy and enthusiasm soon led to new ideas and ambitious expansion. For example, he manufactured his own line of drug products to ensure high quality and low prices.

A late Thursday afternoon accident on 220 North slowed traffic down for hours. No surprise to neighbors who say his happens all he time. A quick response from Henry County Sheriff's Office, Collinsville Vol. Fire and Bassett Rescue secured the scene and prevented any potential dangers.

Neither information nor an accident report would be released from Virginia State Police. We assume the driver was not local and know he was not hurt in the accident. As always, speed and the road design was a factor. Once again, the guard rail company will be back to work.

TRAFFIC ALERT!
February 12, 2008

 TRAFFIC ALERT – ROUTE 657 
HENRY COUNTY

Route 657 (Rockwood Park Road) between Route 609 (North Daniels Creek Road) and Route 608 (Pawnee Lane) in Henry County will be closed to through traffic beginning Tuesday, February 19. This closure is necessary for a pipe replacement project. All work should be completed by 5:00 pm, Friday, February 29, weather permitting.

Motorists should use alternate routes. 

United States Congressman, Virgil Goode, who represents the 5th District of Virginia, addresses the Fieldale - Collinsville Rotary club Wednesday, February 20 at the Dutch Inn.

Goode's appearance is part of the F-C Rotary Club's ongoing services of political appearances by candidates for office. Tom Perriello, the likely Democratic foe against Goode for the 5th District seat in November, addressed the F-C Rotary Club two weeks ago. For more info on Goode's appearance contact BTW 21 for airing dates.

 4th of July Celebration on Track!

Just two days following the announcement that the Martinsville 4th of July Celebration event was at risk of not taking place, Clay Campbell, Martinsville Speedway President (left), announced today that the celebration will go forward.  

Immediately after the announcement was made that funding was a problem for the event, the community came together to make this free even possible again.    Several companies came forward to sponsor the event, and the goal has already been achieved for funding.  Mr. Campbell stated that calls were also received individuals in the community wanting to help ensure this event was not canceled.

The photos here are from the news conference held at 2:00pm on Thursday, February 8, 2008, at the Martinsville Speedway Media Center.   Standing with Mr. Clay Campbell are representatives from many of the companies and organizations that came forward.   

Will the 4th of July Celebration Event take place in 2008?

A news conference was held today at the Martinsville Speedway Media Center, announcing that the annual 4th of July Celebration for 2008 is at risk of not taking place.  
The event is in need of funding, and is looking for some additional sponsors to help cover the cost of this very popular event for the community.  Read full story!

Update:  http://www.btw21.com/Default.aspx?tabid=427&mid=1531&ctl=ArticleView&articleId=40

Bassett wins a close one over Magna Vista. 55-53 

Bassett fans roared after a close game to the Warriors. The game was explosive as were the students, the schools rivalry was as HOT as the game! BTW 21 was on location for the action! Call for games air dates or to purchase the game on DVD. pic of games are also cocated on sports page.

Same Location – New Floor Plan:

The area's premiere business trade show, will take place at the same location as last year, the former home of the VF/Bassett Walker complex on Walker Road (off of Rives Road) in Martinsville. It is now the home of the Resurgence Properties LLC. March 4th will be VIP night, by invitation only and March 5th is Open to the Public.

For info (276) 632-6401
Fax: (276) 632-5059
mhccoc@mhcchamber.com
 

RTI International Metals invests $100 million to open Virginia operation.

Governor Timothy M. Kaine today announced that RTI International Metals, Inc. (NYSE:RTI) a leading U.S. producer of titanium mill products and fabricated metal components for the global market, will invest $100 million to open a manufacturing facility in the Patriot Center, an industrial park jointly developed by the city of Martinsville and Henry County.  The company will manufacture titanium for the aerospace industry, creating 150 new jobs.

Two men from Maryland were arrested in the robbery of Southern Gun, a Collinsville gun store.   

Ronald Ganeous, 22 of Bledensburg MD, and Timothy Oliver Jackson Jr., 23 of Upper Marlboro, Md were arrested Tuesday night in Maryland.   

Officials made the announcement Thrusday, during a news conference at the Henry County Administration Building.   During the news conference, Sheriff Perry stated that they did not yet know if the two men has ties to the area, or if they were just traveling the major corridors.   Only six of the  74 guns stolen were recovered.   
Source, and full story:  The Martinsville Bulletin

          In my intern at BTW 21 I learned that there is more to television shows than what meets the eye. I have more sympathy for those who carry the camera equipment and follow the person being shot. They have the hard job of shooting sometimes a moving segment and keeping a steady picture while carrying a ten pound camera on his or her shoulder. Then they have to deal with the person being shot, who may change his or mind about the way he or she wants the commercial or show to be filmed. Sometimes he or she may have to reschedule the appointment with the person being shot do to some type of technicality.

            Editing a 30 second commercial can sometimes take up to four hours. I tip my hat off to those who have the ability to put together a commercial or show without having a panic attack. These people deal with computers that might shutdown or freeze at any moment. Thus, they may lose half or all of their work. In the end they produce a commercial or a show which will later be viewed by the audience.

              In order for the audience to see these commercials or programs someone has to put them in viewing state. This person gets the commercials and shows in their correct place so the entire program runs perfectly. I still see myself as being a news anchor, but I have more respect for those who help make television programs possible. If I don’t start off my career as an anchor of some sort I still will have the knowledge of the actions that take place behind the camera. If no one wanted to endure these circumstances, there would not be television.

Story By: Lydia Tyree

MARTINSVILLE, Va.

Employees of the City of Martinsville are pitching in to help make the holiday season better for community residents with special needs.

City employees donated $19,153, exceeding their goal of $17,000 for the annual United Way campaign this year.  In addition to the monetary donations, there were a number of items brought in for the United Way “Day of Caring”.

The city’s annual “Toys for Tots” campaign received donations of more than 200 toys to be distributed through the Christmas Cheer program to local children in need.  Collection boxes for these items were placed throughout the municipal building, police and fire departments, and the city shop.      

Martinsville, VA - November 29, 2007

The Martinsville - Henry County Economic Development Corporation celebrated the official opening of the Martinsville- Henry County Visitor Center today with a ribbon cutting ceremony.

Click here for the full story and more pictures.

The Henry County Sheriff’s Office investigation into the murder of Willard Swanson “Blackie” Brown age 75 of 3414 Axton Road, Axton, VA has resulted in the arrest of Dickie Lee Pulliam age 59 of 611 Brown’s Point Drive, Moneta, VA on 11/21/07 at approximately 12:20 pm.

Criminal charges issued: 1st Degree Murder, Use of Firearm in Commission of Felony (1st Degree Murder). Bond amount – NONE Mr. Pulliam is incarcerated in the Henry County Jail.

Dickie Lee Pulliam

Mr. Pulliam was taken into custody by the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office in the West Lake area of Franklin County.  The investigation is continuing.

Missing Person Search November 21, 2007 at approximately 2:45 PM, a search team discovered the body of Benjamin Harrison Richardson, age 84 of 892 Blue Known Road, Martinsville, VA. Mr. Richardson was deceased when he was found, lying in a creek nearby his residence.  The investigation into the death of Mr. Richardson is continuing.   Foul play is not suspected.  The Henry County Sheriff's office would like to thank all who assisted in the search for Mr. Richardson.

Food Lion has presented a check in the amount of $2,500 to the Community Storehouse.  The funds are from the Food Lion Charitable Foundation.  "We'd like to thank all the local Food Lions, as well as the Food Lion Charitabe Foundation for all they've done to help the community; we're proud to be partners with Food Lion," said Nancy Nelson, Community Storehouse Executive Director.  The check was presented by local Food Lion Manager, James Hodges.  
 
Community Storehouse of Martinsville & Henry County
www.communitystorehouseofmhc.org 

The Fieldale Festival of Lights.  November 23, 2007, 
through January 1, 2008, from 5:30 PM to 9:30 PM.

Drive through the Old Fieldale Iron Bridge (with lights), and by the lights in Fieldale Park, up Field Avenue then turn onto Marshall Wall to see some beautiful lights on and around the Fieldale Community Center.

Head Coach Jay Gilbert addresses the Bassett team after their win over Blacksburg Friday night.  The Bassett Bengals defeated the Blacksburg Bruins 27 to 15.

Martinsville Speedway had a VIP suite it needed to tear down.  Bassett High School needed a press box for its baseball field.  Teamwork and community spirit blended the two needs together for what's going to be a state-of-the-art high school press box.

The speedway was prepared to raze a small suite in the third-turn area of the track during a building project in the summer.  Steve Martin, owner of Steve Martin Trenching and a former Bengal player and longtime booster, was onsite doing some work and envisioned a new home for the building.  He huddled the track president Clay Campbell and a plan was born.

"It seemed like a perfect idea to me, " said Campbell.  "We had a building we didn't need anymore and they had a need for a press box.  The suite fit the bill perfectly.  We were certainly happy to donate it to them.

That was the easy part.  The difficulty part was getting the 36-foot-long building from Martinsville Speedway to Bassett High School.  But that's where community spririt and partnership took over.

Martin's company, Steve Martin Trenching, perpard the building to take off its perch some 15 feet off the ground.  Guy Turner Crane Service donated the use of a large crane to lift the building and place it on the back of a flat bed trailer.

After the trip to Bassett, Turner again donated the use of a crane to place the building on its foundation again.

Light Electric donated services to get the press box wired and Virginia Blower donated all HVAC services and materials, including a heat pump.

"Everyone in this area should be proud of the community coming together on a project like this," said Campbell.

More Photos

U.S. Army Pfc. Rush “Mickey” Marshall Jenkins was killed Tuesday, his 22nd birthday, after the Bradley fighting vehicle he was in ran over an IED (improvised explosive device), his brother, Sgt. George “Alex” Jenkins, said last week.

Mickey Jenkins’ body arrived this morning, and Funeral Service will be arranged with the Bassett Funeral Service. 

The family will receive friends from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday at the Bassett Funeral Service's South Chapel.  The funeral will be held there at 2 p.m. Thursday, with full military honors.

More photos

Martinsville Speedway October 21st. 

Jimmie Johnson Winner of the Subway 500

More Pictures

A fallen soldier is laid to rest in Bassett.

Pvt. Daniel Fisher was remembered Sunday afternoon as hundreds

came to show respect. Members of Fort Lee presented

American flags to the Family Members. Fisher leaves his young wife

Brittany. Fisher was only in his sixth week of training. Fisher was 19 years old. 
Visit the Bassett Funeral Service website to send 
the family Comments and condolences.

more photos 

It is the area's newest shell

building located in the

Patroit Centre.

This new facility was dedicated with hopes
 of bringing new jobs to the area.