Carroll Valley and Fairfield area news briefs

(4/17) A veteran’s memorial may soon appear at Carroll Valley Commons. It would be located near Valley View Trail by Toms Creek, said Carroll Valley Mayor Ron Harris. The memorial would include the American flag standing 25-feet tall, and surrounding it would be a 20-ft flags representing each branch of the military. A light would shine on the flags at night. "This is the vision we have right now," Harris said. A committee meeting for this will be held at the AMVETS No. 172 on Fairfield Road, Harris said. The meeting is not be a public meeting "as of right now," Harris said. "We want to get some ideas together, then we will get together with the public on this," he said.

Austin Mackey, 15, a sophomore at Fairfield High School, is the project manager for the memorial. He made a presentation to Carroll Valley Borough Council Tuesday night. For the past four years, Mackey has been a member of the Fairfield Troop 76. "I really thought the veterans in the area needed a better memorial to recognize their efforts," Mackey said after the meeting.

In Fairfield news, Richard Mathews will not be appearing on the Democratic primary ballot in May. In a decision filed in early April, Adams County Court of Common Pleas Judge John Kuhn ruled one of the signatures on Mathews' petition was invalid. Kuhn heard the case because of a civil lawsuit filed by Sara Laird, a member of the Democratic Party. Since Mathews only gathered the minimum number of signatures required, 10, his petition was void.

Kuhn ruled that Theresa Petrosky's signature was invalid because the address listed by her name on the petition was different than the one on her voter registration card. In lieu of submitting an affidavit, Mathews, who represented himself during the hearing, attempted to present a letter supposedly written by Petrosky that stated she signed the petition. Attorney Matthew Battersby, who represented Laird, objected since he could not cross-examine Petrosky. Kuhn sustained Battersby's objection.

"The difference between an affidavit and a letter is significant because the former includes an unsworn document containing statements of fact and a statement by the signatory that is made subject to penalties," Kuhn wrote in his decision. "Without having the elector present, and subject to cross-examination, or having an affidavit that subjects the elector to penalties for false swearing the receipt of does not offer the level of credibility required to meet the candidate's burden."

Like the majority of school board candidates, Mathews attempted to cross-file and seek both major parties’ nomination for a board position. His Republican petition was not challenged so he will still be on that party’s ballot in the May 19 primary election.

In other news, The Penn State Extension is hosting a clinic to provide free basic water testing for homeowners in Adams County. The workshop is May 19th from 1:00 - 3:00 PM at the Adams County Extension Office at 670 Old Harrisburg Road, Gettysburg. The workshop is free. For more information please call 263-9226 or go tohttp://extension.psu.edu/home-water-septic.