Monday, March 31, 2014

You won't read this in the Review

Former owner of Chinqua Penn gets 40 months in prison
Posted: Wednesday, March 26, 2014 12:26 am

ABERDEEN, Miss. — The former owner of Chinqua Penn plantation near Reidsville, has been sentenced to 40 months in prison and order to pay $5.1 million in restitution for his involvement in a multi-state scheme to avoid taxes and fees on tobacco sales.

Calvin Phelps, who operated four tobacco sales businesses in Mocksville pleaded guilty in June 2012 to three counts of wire fraud, contraband cigarette trafficking and money laundering. Phelps was sentenced Monday in U.S. District Court in Aberdeen, Miss.

Phelps was accused of bilking the United States, Mississippi and some other states out of more than $4 million.

In his plea agreement, Phelps admitted reporting that certain cigarette brands were to be exported outside the U.S., when, in fact, they were to be sold domestically.

The plea document states that from 2007 into 2009, Phelps sold some 16,022 cases of these cigarettes for $3.19 million through G-Corp and evaded nearly $5 million in fees and taxes. He also agreed to forfeit up to $2 million he acquired with his illegal profits.

Prosecutors said Phelps worked to develop a fake paper trail giving the illusion he shipped tobacco products out of the U.S. and avoid paying Master Settlement Agreement money owed from participating tobacco companies to states involved in the tobacco settlement.

Sunday, March 30, 2014

What has become of the news? It's wearing a bikini!

The Reidsville Review is featuring Kylie and Kendall Jenner in a bikini video.  The Review video also shows Kanye West in a paparazzi beat down and discusses Kris Jenner's plans to appear in Playboy.

Click here for the complete "news" story.

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Ron Price reporter further muddies the waters

I'm sorry we have not discussed Ron Price reporter Danielle Battaglia catching two more criminals in the act.  We've been really busy searching for the lost airliner MH370.

Anyways, Ron Price reporter Danielle caught Craig Blitzer overcharging a client back when he was a defense attorney.   Blitzer is running to replace Belinda Foster as District Attorney.  The Ron Price reporter failed to note Eden attorney Doug Hux was charged with the same offense.  Hux of course represented Price when he went after a Neely Chronicle reporter for $250,000.

Ron Price reporter Battaglia also went after Sheriff Sam Page for endorsing Blitzer.  And, Page endorsed Ira Tilley for Mayor of the Confederate Monument.  Page believes he is innocent and so does the County Manager and the Rockingham County Elections Department.  Unfortunately the state attorney general and the state elections board think otherwise.  You can read the Ron Price reporter's story to decide for yourself.

It's all a very confusing mess, made even more confusing by Danielle's style of middle school writing.

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Delayed or canceled?

If you want to know Rockingham County schools are closed today, go to the Greensboro News website.  If you want to know Rockingham County schools are on a three hour delay today, go to the Reidsville Review web site.

Sunday, March 16, 2014

Danville-Pittsylvania County fair update

I just wanted to report that the Reidsville Review is still advertising the Danville-Pittsylvania County fair was held on September 13-21, 2013.  Stay tuned to this channel for future updates.

Saturday, March 15, 2014

Featured story photos gathering dust

The Reidsville Review's featured story photos are a bit dated:

3 days ago - A photo of the Dr. Seuss events at a school (The Review does this same story every year)
2 weeks ago - A photo of a high school rasslin' match
3 weeks ago - A photo of a mattress in a museum in Madison
3 weeks ago - A photo of a girls high school basketball game
1 month ago - A photo of a county special Olympics cheerleader
2 months ago - A photo of some trees on the RCC campus

These are the featured stories, not stories in an archive.  No news like old news!







Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Chinqua-Penn is open again! Sorta.

Do you ever wonder what has become of Rockingham County's #1 tourist attraction?  I mean the really, really big tourist attraction.  The one the county government used to throw hundreds of thousands of your tax dollars at. The one Commissioner Trish Gwyn used to run.  No?  Well, me neither.

But, I did happen to run across a youtube video tour of the place.  It's after Commissioner Gwyn and Reidsville's Christmas Parade Grand Marshal Calvin Phelps had their way with the once beautiful mansion.  The government has come in and stripped it down to the paint.  There's not much left.

The tour reminds me of the History Channel program Life After People.  Mother Nature is beginning to take over.  It will all eventually turn to dust.

Come see for yourself if you have a few minutes.  The front door is unlocked.  Hell, the front door isn't even closed.  If you don't have the time, go here to check it out.

Sunday, March 9, 2014

Another interesting poll

The Review is now asking if its readers are aware of a NC Dept of Health and Human Services advisory about staying off the coal ash contaminated Dan River.  The irony of the question is the answer is the question.  An amazing 55% of respondents are replying "No" - they've heard nothing about staying off the Dan River

Record set!

It's official: Luncheon honors Mann and Ron Price reporter has become the most read post on the Reidsville Review Review.  It seems our readers cannot get enough of Katie Mann and Danielle Battaglia.  It's perfectly understandable.

Sunday, March 2, 2014

Which school athletic programs do you follow?

The Review has interesting poll going right now.  You can choose to support one of the four high schools in the county.  Oddly there is no option for people who don't give a crap about high school athletics.

The question is phrased strangely.  The answer choices imply you are being asked which high school you like, but the question asks which programs do you follow...such as football, basketball, baseball, foosball, etc.

Predictions

Sarah Palin says she predicted years ago that Russia would invade the Ukraine and the Reidsville Review is predicting up to three inches of snow on Monday.

Saturday, March 1, 2014

Fish Row observations

OBSERVED: I drove down Fish Row on Freeway Drive on Tuesday at around 5:30 PM.  The parking lot at Mayflower was jam-packed.  There must have been a special on Tilapia.   The parking lot at Libby Hill had one single car.  My wife said if Libby Hill occasionally changed it's fry oil, they might have more customers.  I ate at Super Super Buffet.