No one was injured but there was plenty of damage done Sunday afternoon after a Pamplin shooting. Prince Edward County sheriff’s deputies received a call around 5:16 p.m. about a drive-by shooting on Sam Stiff Road. No one was injured in the incident, but multiple cars were hit by bullets, along with a nearby home.

“It seems that only one residence was targeted, so at this time we believe this was an isolated incident,” said Prince Edward County Sheriff Tony Epps. “We are investigating and trying to get to the bottom of this shooting.”

Epps added there’s no risk to the community and the investigation into the Pamplin shooting is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to call the Prince Edward County Sheriff’s office at 434-392-8101 or Crimesolvers at 434-392-3400. 

A worm moon and eclipse

If you were awake early Monday morning, Farmville and the surrounding area got to see a unique show in the sky. Two unique shows, actually. First, starting at 12:53 a.m., the moon was almost perfectly aligned with the sun and Earth, causing what’s known as a penumbral lunar eclipse. That is, the outer edge of Earth’s shadow, known as the penumbra, reflected on the moon. So for those awake to see it, there was a shadow stretching over part of the moon. That shadow kept growing and growing until roughly 3:12 a.m., when the entire moon looked a bit darker than usual. 

Then there was the second show, as this marked the start of March’s full moon, also known as a “worm moon” by the Farmers’ Almanac. The full moon, which will be visible for a few days, is called the worm moon because of how close it is to the spring equinox, which was on Tuesday, March 19. Native tribes called it the worm moon as it marked the approach of spring, where worms, beetles and other creatures would emerge from hibernation. 

And if you missed all this, don’t worry. A total solar eclipse will be in view on Monday, April 8. 

Buckingham switches channels 

One thing that popped up Sunday afternoon was an announcement by Buckingham Sheriff Billy Kidd that his department would be changing the way they communicate. That is, they’re going to an encrypted radio signal, one that most household scanners won’t be able to pick up. Previously, the department had used analog systems, so anyone with a scanner would be able to hear when a call went out or when deputies responded. Kidd said in a statement posted on his office’s Facebook page that the department needed to make a change. 

“Maintaining the personal information of our citizens and ensuring a safe scene for law enforcement is of upmost importance, which has yielded our decision to use this communication method,” Kidd wrote. 

Buckingham isn’t alone in making the change. Over the last year, most departments in this region switched from analog to digital, with Farmville Police being the most recent. 

Town hall meeting this week 

If you live in Prince Edward County’s Hampden district, here’s your chance to talk with elected officials. A town hall meeting will take place this coming Thursday, March 28, at Crawley Forum. That’s on the campus of Hampden-Sydney College and located at 681 College Road. A number of county officials will be on hand, along with members of the Prince Edward County Sheriff’s Office, Virginia Department of Transportation, the Hampden-Sydney Fire Department, Prince Edward schools, County Administrator Doug Stanley and officials from 5 Pillar Meats. Things get started with refreshments at 5:30 p.m. And yes, you can talk about the roundabout. 

One more award for Hubbard

And now let’s turn our attention to sports for a minute, as one Hampden-Sydney player will be adding to his collection of awards. Tigers’ senior Davidson Hubbard has made the Division III All-America Third Team. 

Hubbard started 33 of 34 games this season, averaging 14.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 29 minutes. The senior from Charlotte, North Carolina shot 47% from the field and had 27 double-figure scoring games. He led the team in scoring 13 times and in rebounding 21 times with five double-doubles. 

He collected a number of awards along the way to a 31-3 finish for Hampden-Sydney’s basketball season, a trip which took them on a run through the NCAA Tournament. They finished as just the second NCAA Division III national runner-up in program history. The last time the team made the national title game was in 1999.