Friday, July 25, 2008
Loving care for children of strangers
MAURERTOWN — As well trained as he is, Lloyd Horst still learns a new lesson once in a while.
As a father of eight, grandfather of 25 and great-grandfather of three, Horst, and his wife, Elverta, have influenced the lives of many more children as members of Volunteer Emergency Families for Children. As volunteers, they are matched by social workers with children who are either abused or in a home environment that has been deemed unsafe. Children can stay with volunteers for as many as three weeks and could be sent away from home and to a volunteer's house at any given time, with little notice.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Service that keeps giving
WINCHESTER — Lots of teenagers do service projects during their high school years.
But Virginia Lyman, 17, of Frederick County, is one of a handful who can honestly say that they've helped to give a number of blind people a new "leash" on life.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Refuge from the storm: Tornado season calls for planning
A twister appearing out of heavy storm clouds might not be something that Virginians are used to seeing, but it is something they can and should expect, especially during the warmer months.
According to the Virginia Department of Emergency Management's Web site, www.vaemergency.com, July is the most active month for tornadoes in Virginia.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Summer camp: Classes at park teach basics of staying outdoors
FRONT ROYAL — Rangers at the Shenandoah National Park are taking all the guesswork out of camping, offering two seminars tailored to the novice camper.
"The Basics of Family Camping" seminars are designed to teach families how to camp. Staying overnight in the park is a favorite pastime for many families, said Regina Cardwell, a park ranger, but it is important to know some basic information.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Family ties: Generations get together at reunions
With children off from school and warm weather tempting residents outside, the summer holidays offer the perfect opportunity for get-togethers with family.
Margaret Brumback, of Winchester, plans a reunion for the Armel and Trenary families every year. The families met again last month in Jim Barnett Park for their 46th year.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Chick magnet: Farming teaches a boy, his family about fowl, food and the country life
MIDDLETOWN — Peter Haskins seems a lot like a typical, witty 9-year-old: He loves his Nintendo Wii, the word "awesome" is a big part of his vocabulary, and he can quote lines from animated movies like "Chicken Run" and "Stuart Little."
But there's a lot more to this boy than meets the eye.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Local, national incidents highlight the danger of 'dry drowning'
STRASBURG — Six-year-old Kyierra Ashby seemed fine after being rescued from water over her head in the Strasburg pool last week.
Had pool manager Mary Catherine Funk not read a frightening article about "dry drowning" a few days before, probably nothing more would've been done for her. And in Kyierra's case that likely would've worked out just fine.
Monday, June 9, 2008
Happy birthdays without headaches
Birthday parties are fun but also hectic, depending on how old your child is and how many friends will attend the party. Whether you are planning a celebration for a toddler or a teenager, options around the valley are endless — and can save you a headache in the long run.
Many parents like to have their children's birthday parties at locations like Little Thinker Z in Winchester because the party coordinators do everything, and parents do not have to worry about cleaning up a mess, says owner Nanette Garver.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Couple meet while searching for truth, discover love
FRONT ROYAL - Indiana Jones has nothing on Andrew Coffron. While the fictional movie hero had his temple of doom, Coffron's temples led to a dream come true.
Coffron, 26, journeyed from Saratoga, Calif., to Front Royal and then to Thailand to find out where temple rice-paper rubbings left to him by his grandfather, Charles Jenkins, were from. Coffron's treasure at the end of his adventure, however, turned out to be meeting his future wife, Mukda Putthawong, 28. She is expecting the couple's first child in July.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Children on the menu? Properly prepared parents can make fine dining easier for families
Joerg Eichmann grew up in Germany, where people frowned upon bringing children to dine at the finer restaurants.
"If you brought little kids, jaws dropped," Eichmann declares, concerning German customs.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Borrowed time: Effects of housing crisis trickle down to private student loan market
When the sub-prime mortgage implosion began last year, the most obvious results were a rash of home foreclosures and falling home sales.
But as college students begin making financial arrangements for the 2008-2009 school year, the resulting credit crunch has the student loan market looking decidedly shaky.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Edward N. Bell's family speaks out to share the other side
WINCHESTER -- Virginia law might require that Edward N. Bell die for the murder of Winchester police Sgt. Ricky L. Timbrook, but taking another life will do nothing but create more suffering, according to the killer's family.
Joanne Nicholson, of Winchester, shared a home with Bell for years, and has been helping to raise three of his children since his trial in 2001. She and other members of the family have largely remained silent since then.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Before & after: Family photos can be saved from the ravages of time
The pictures, snapshots of departed loved ones at family gatherings or posed portraits on days of celebration, may be long forgotten, say, in a box in the attic or in an album in a musty basement.
They may be faded, or torn a little. Maybe the corners have worn away. They might have yellowed with age. And because of the damage, even when they're found again, it may be thought that they're lost forever.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Neighbors, friends 'shocked' by news
FRONT ROYAL — Neighbors and friends were reeling Thursday after learning that an early-morning fire on John Marshall Highway had claimed the life of at least one child, with one still unaccounted for that evening.
Bob Hively, a member of Moose Lodge 829, adjacent to the scene of the fire, said he has known the Cook family, who lived in the home, for more than 20 years. He said they were neighbors several years earlier.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Providing memories: Local student part of effort to give orphans portraits, worth
When the memory fades, family photos help tell the stories.
But many orphans, like Santiago Dotan, a boy in Quito, Ecuador, have neither pictures nor memories of their childhood.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Family, friends react to attempted murder charge
STRASBURG — The day after police announced the arrest of Samantha Elizabeth Dale on a charge of attempted murder of her 5-year-old son, relatives said there is no way the 23-year-old mother would hurt her "little man."
"I don't understand, because she is a great mother," Dale's sister, Kathy Dale, said through tears Friday. "I don't understand how they're accusing her of this, because this is not right. This is not her.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
The father-daughter bond: Hinegardner excels at Central with a little help from family
WOODSTOCK — With the winter air making it too cold to be outside, David Hinegardner placed a mattress against a wall in the unfinished basement of his home. That's where he would toss a ball for hours at a time to his 7-year-old daughter, Brea, who took her first cuts with a bat, hitting the ball over and over into the mattress.
That was how Central sophomore Brea Hinegardner learned to play softball — the game she still loves today.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Girl puts her pennies toward cancer cure for mother
FRONT ROYAL — Just like most children, Kaylee Williams saves her pennies in a piggy bank.
Unlike most children, though, she isn't pocketing that change for video games or Barbie dolls. She is desperately trying to find a cure for cancer.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Uncovering history: Some family cemeteries better preserved than others
MIDDLETOWN — Many residents of Frederick County already know about some of the cemeteries rooted in the county's history, but they might not be familiar with the many smaller, historic graveyards nestled along lesser-traveled country roads or on farmland.
Though some of the cemeteries are well preserved, others have fallen into disrepair over the years, making a cemetery's history difficult to uncover.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Abundant love: It's a family affair for the Funkhousers
STRASBURG — For better or worse, children turn out like their parents.
Passed down from one generation to the next can be political views, favorite sports teams, culinary skills, sense of humor, musical talent and a host of other traits good and bad. When Ricky and Beverly Funkhouser mapped out their plan for being parents in the mid-1980s, they identified one thing that would stand above the rest to define their children — unconditional love for others.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Birth control education pushed in Shenandoah County
WOODSTOCK — A dose of the real world is coming to Shenandoah County Public Schools' seventh-graders.
The School Board has approved a request from the family life education community involvement team to begin teaching a unit on contraception to pupils in seventh grade. Rebecca Cooper, chairwoman of the team, detailed the reasons it's needed at a lower grade level in a memo to board members, and the Internet, she states, is the big one.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Local ballet instructor teaches students, family joy of dance
FRONT ROYAL - As Karen Eriksson-Lee has run her Front Royal dance studio, her children have always been by her side.
"My studio I started before I was ever married or had kids, so they grew up with me in the studio," she said.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Keeping up with the kids: Clarke County family works together to raise boer goats
BOYCE — The Wright family of MVP Acres Farm recently welcomed quadruplets to its ever-increasing number. Four healthy babies, three boys and a girl, made their way into the world in a mere 30 minutes the night of an eclipse, Feb. 19, each one of them sporting their own unique hair coloring, clamoring for mom's attention — and bleating.
That's right. The Wrights, Eddie, Wendy and their 14-year-old daughter, Natalie, raise boer meat goats, and one of them, Stretch, gave birth to Polky Dot, Eclipse, Spuds Mackenzie and Clover. While twins are the norm for goats, quads are a rarity, Mrs. Wright said, and the farm has seen its fair share of babies recently, with four sets of births since the beginning of December.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Cardio connection: Exercise can also benefit relationships
Starting a new relationship can be difficult, especially if you do not know your date very well and are unsure if the two of you have much in common.
An alternative to the traditional "dinner and a movie" date, which could be easier on your wallet and your waistline, is fitness dating.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Experts stress the importance of knowing family health history
Family stories affectionately told and passed down from generation to generation are familiar events at reunions and gatherings across the communities of the Northern Shenandoah Valley.
But how frequently do these family discussions reveal to us important information about our family's health history?
Monday, February 18, 2008
Need for speed: Family supports son's 'drive'
FRONT ROYAL — Like most successful stock car drivers, it helps to have your family's support. In Garrett Bunch's case, the 14-year-old can't compete unless his parents take him to the track.
Although he may not be old enough to obtain a Virginia driver's license, Garrett has already proven his ability in a go-kart, securing state and national championships. This year, the ninth-grader at Skyline High School plans to race full time on the Allison Legacy Series, a developmental circuit that's operated by former NASCAR driver Donnie Allison's wife, Pat, and their three sons, Donald, Ronald and Kenny.
Monday, February 4, 2008
'Super Saturday' set: Event helps future college students apply for aid
MIDDLETOWN — While high school students are busy mailing off admission applications to colleges they hope to attend, questions like "How much is it going to cost us?" and "How are we going to pay for it?" will surely be swarming through the minds of their parents.
Officials at Lord Fairfax Community College are hoping to at least steer local families in the right direction in applying for financial assistance for college.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Parents should monitor cost, safety issues associated with cell phones
Sarah Holbrook, of Winchester, might be young, but she understands that owning a cell phone is a big responsibility.
Holbrook, 16, has had a cell phone for almost five years. She says she wanted one because her friends had cell phones. Her parents allowed her to have one because she had started participating in school sports and would need a phone for contacting them.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Tickled toddlers: Little ones learn songs and skills at Friday class
BERRYVILLE — They are the kind of little ditties that crawl into the brain's toe-tapping region and stay there, until pushed out by another catchy tune.
Briana Nei, who sings like a bird, is a master of them. Her audience of children, 18 months to 3 years old, shows its appreciation with grins and slobber, while the mothers do the heavy lifting for flying and waltzing.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Together on the slopes: Families are spending quality time on skis at Bryce Resort
BAYSE — In an effort to spend more time together, some families are abandoning their sofas in favor of snow-covered slopes, and taking up skiing, snowboarding and other winter sports.
"I think they realized there are only a few sports in the world where you can do everything together with the family," said Horst Locher, co-director of ski operations at Bryce Resort.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Digging for roots: genealogists turn to DNA when paper trail ends
James Kiser, of Woodstock, speaks proudly of his great-grandfather, William Kiser, who was a landowner, farmer, city judge and West Virginia legislator.
Curious about his ancestry, James Kiser poured over his family genealogy off and on for nearly three decades, learning much about his prominent West Virginia relative. He even traveled to Germany to find the family's original home and eventually put the Kiser family history into a bound book.
Crossword Puzzle
