Emporia, Virginia--the News

ATTENTION: GREENSVILLE COUNTY TAXPAYERS

Applications for Tax Relief for the Elderly and Disabled Persons, Tax Relief for Landowners with 5 acres or more productive agriculture and Personal Property Relief for Certain Veterans can be obtained from the office of the Greensville County Commissioner of the Revenue starting September 1st. The application must be signed and filled out completely with all attachments and returned to the Commissioner of the Revenue's Office no later than November 1st. My office is located at 1781 Greensville County Circle Room 132, Emporia, VA - Highway 301 North - Sussex Dr. Our telephone number is 434-348-4227.

Martha S. Swenson

Master Commissioner of the Revenue

Greensville County

Business Workshop at Library

New Visions New Ventures, a non-profit community economic development organization in Richmond, and the Richardson Memorial Library, Emporia will be presenting a workshop on "Starting a Business" Wednesday, September 8th from 10:00 am until 1:00 pm. This class will teach the basics of starting a business, how and where to file for a business license and tax ID, basics in business financing, methods for building a business network and the importance of customer service.

This workshop is free and open to the public. For information contact the Richardson Memorial Library at 434-634-2539 or visit www.meherrinlib.org. The Richardson Memorial Library is part of the Meherrin Regional Library System.

Senator Webb on the Withdrawal of American Combat Troops from Iraq

Senator Jim Webb, a member of the Senate Committees on Foreign Relations and Armed Services, issued the following statement today:

“After more than seven years of operations and countless rounds of troop rotations, I am heartened today by the President’s confirmation of the end of the U.S. combat mission in Iraq and his stated intention to withdraw all our troops by the end of 2011. Although our residual force of 50,000 will continue to perform hazardous duties during the year ahead, today’s transition is an important milestone.

“As I have said many times, we went to war in Iraq recklessly, and little has happened since 2003 that was not both predictable and predicted. The war’s costs to our nation have been staggering-chief among them, the lives of thousands of our brave men and women as well as thousands more who have been wounded or injured in the service of our country. The effects of past rotation cycles, multiple combat deployments, and inadequate dwell time between those deployments have also taken a heavy toll on the more than one million men and women who have served in Iraq since 2003, as well as their families. We have incurred extraordinary financial costs that have contributed to record deficits and a poorly performing economy.

“This drawdown is appropriate and crucial. It is not in our nation’s strategic interest to become an occupying force in the region. It is time for the Iraqis to play a larger role in seeing to their nation’s security. It is critical that our military retain its maneuverability, when faced with mobile international terrorist movements.

“With regard to Afghanistan, I have previously stated that I will defer comment on the Administration’s new strategy until its December report to Congress. At that time, I hope it will provide clear indications of the endpoint of our military operations, how the administration will achieve that objective, and the prospects for a timely transition of operations to the Afghan government.”

Weekly Business Planning Series Offered in Emporia

September 14 - October 19

Are you interested in starting your own business and not sure where to start? We can help! Virginia Cooperative Extension and New Visions New Ventures are pleased to announce a 6-part Business Planning Series that will guide prospective entrepreneurs through the business planning process. Weekly topics will include the following: the importance of planning, market research, pricing, financial projections, taxes and record keeping, business entities and insurance. There will be time in class for writing and getting feedback on your plan.

The weekly business planning sessions will be held each Tuesday evening from 6:30 p.m. - 9 p.m. at the Greensville/Emporia Extension Office located at 105 Oak Street Emporia, VA. If you would like to attend, please call the Greensville/Emporia Extension Office at 434-348-4233 to register.

Instructor, Peter Murphy with StefanJames Advisors LLC, a financial consulting firm based in Richmond, VA will be presenting the weekly sessions. He has more than 20 years experience working with companies on finance and accounting matters and has worked on nearly 100 M&A transactions over his career, advising executives looking to buy, sell or expand businesses. Peter holds a BBA from the University of Notre Dame and is a licensed CPA in the state of Virginia.

This series is co-sponsored by the Greensville/Emporia Office of Virginia Cooperative Extension. Programs and services are open to all, regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation or marital or family status. An equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. If you are a person with a disability and require assistance or accommodation to participate in this program, please call Amy Moore at 434-348-4233 between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. TDD number is 800-828-1120.