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BY NATE DELESLINE IIIndelesline@starexponent.com

(540) 825-0771 ext. 110

Rising above 10 other contestants,Eastern View High School seniorSarah Leffler was named Miss

Eastern View 2011 on Saturday night,taking the first place honor at theschool’s second annual pageant.

“We had a lot of fun,” Leffler said fromthe auditorium stage moments after theannouncement was made. “I had fun.”

Hailey Ratliff, the inaugural MissEVHS, was on hand to present Lefflerwith the first place honors.

Leffler is the daughter of Michael andKaren Leffler and she began attendingCulpeper schools in the third-grade. Amember of the tennis team, Leffler hasalso been a show choir captain for threeyears. She chose music for her talentspotlight, performing “Firework” by KatyPerry.

For her first place win, Leffler will

receive a $2,000 scholarship. She hopesto attend the University of Virginia orJames Madison University to major inmusical theater with aspirations of purs-ing a career in acting, singing or dancingin New York City.

Carly Schuler, a senior, won secondplace and sophomore Elena Zanella tookthird. The second and third place honorscome with a $750 and $250 scholarship,respectively.

The other participants were: HeatherLister, Tyesha Lyburn, Bria Wiest,

sunday

STAR EXPONENTCulpeper, Virginia A Media General Newspaper Ç StarExponent.com $1.25 » MARCH 13, 2011

INSIDE: PRESCHOOLER DONATES LAPTOP,PRINTER TO EASTERN VIEW STUDENT » C1

Vol. 130, No. 72

INSIDECommunity, A2Local & State, A4Obituaries, A4Editorial, A7

Nation & World, A8Sports, B1Classified, B6Television, B7Culpeper Living, C1

COMING UP | Agribusiness of the YearThe Culpeper Chamber of Commerce willpresent its Agribusiness of the Year awardtoday. See who won in Monday’s paper.

DELIVERY PROBLEM?Call the circulationdepartment at(540) 829-5496

61 | 33Partlycloudy

Forecast: A8

CRH Radiation Oncology Service Opens March 14?DHF=' A$#5D:= D&#2 ,F'GD5 D:6G / AE:E#+%"+EF#+1!E >!#:E9#6E / .%6B#6D#6E 3%5:ED%6

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Spring forwardDaylight saving time

began thismorning. Set

your clocksahead

one hour.AP

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100 yearsCulpeper’s Hilda Judy

recently celebrateda century of life » A4

Lax previewFormer assistant steps up

to coach Cyclones while oldfavorite returns to CCHS » B1

BY RHONDA SIMMONSrsimmons@starexponent.com

(540) 825-0771, ext. 125

FREDERICKSBURG —Sycamore Park fifth-graderDamian Masson lasted sixrounds in the 2011 region-al bee in Fredericksburg onSaturday, placing seventhin the annual academiccompetition.

Before misspelling theword “boudoir,” Damianspelled the words “ca-boose, ventilate, gristle,linden and fletcherism”correctly.

More than 150 parents,siblings, teachers andfriends from across theregion filled the Muvico

Theater at SpotsylvaniaTowne Center in Freder-icksburg to watch 17 par-ticipants compete.

It took Ethan Ruggeri, ofLocust Grove ElementarySchool in Orange County,about 45 minutes and 21rounds to win this year’scompetition. His winningword was “terrapin.”

The 8-year-old third-grader also was the young-est speller in Saturday’sbee. Sponsored by the Free-Lance Star, this year’s com-petition featured studentsfrom third- to eighth-gradein public, private and onearea home school.

BY NATE DELESLINE IIIndelesline@starexponent.com

(540) 825-0771, ext. 110

Local business leaders are re-alistic but optimistic when itcomes to the economy, develop-ment, growth and the future.

About a dozen leaders fromall sectors — education, bank-ing, agriculture, governmentand more — shared mostly thesame sentiment at the CulpeperChamber of Commerce’s annualstate of the chamber luncheonFriday.

“I think the glass is a little morethan half full in the commu-nity,” said Chris Williams, chair-man of the chamber’s board ofdirectors after the remarks ofabout a dozen local businessleaders.

“Recession fuels innovation,”said Norm Laudermilch, seniorvice president of Terremark. Andinnovation in turn, he contin-ued, fuels growth for just aboutevery business sector.

Laudermilch said the Miami-based firm, recently purchasedby Verizon for $1.4 billion, isbeginning construction on afourth data center, adding to thecompany’s growing campus nearGermanna Community College.

At the same time, “We need tobe mindful of every decision we

The Associated Press

SENDAI, Japan — Shescanned the landscape ofdebris and destruction,looking at the patch ofearth where Japan’s mas-sive tsunami erased herson’s newly built house.

Satako Yusawa teared upbut pulled herself togetherquickly.

Because for the 69-year-old widow, there was thisto be thankful for: Herson and his family wereout of town when Friday’soffshore, 8.9-magnitudequake sparked huge surgesof water that washed fleetsof cars, boats and entirehouses across coastal Sen-dai like detritus perchedon lava.

But her son had bor-rowed a lot of money tobuild that house, and hadmoved in only last month.

“This,” she said, “is life.”No one knows yet how

many people died in thedisaster. Police found 200to 300 bodies on beachesnear Sendai but were stillassessing the devastationin the northeastern portof 1 million people, whereregional Gov. YoshihiroMurai is planning to visittoday.

Japan’s overall death tollstood at 686, though thegovernment said the even-tual tally could far exceed1,000 as search efforts stepup in the coming days.

Scenes of devastationat heart of Japan disaster Sycamore Park fifth-grader

seventh-best speller at bee

Regional Spelling Bee

See BUSINESS, Page A5

See SPELLING, Page A5See JAPAN, Page A5

See PAGEANT, Page A4

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Damian Masson, an 11-year-old fifth-grader at Syca-more Park Elementary School, spells “gristle” duringSaturday’s annual regional spelling bee at the MuvicoTheater in Fredericksburg.

BusinessleadersexpressoptimismChamber: Culpeper’seconomic glass ismore than half full

Miss EVHS crowned

VINCENT VALA/STAR-EXPONENT

Sarah Leffler (center) is applauded after being named 2011’s Miss EVHS at the school Saturday night. Carly Schuler (left) won second placeand Elena Zanella (right) won third. At rear left is Shauna Tate.

Sarah Leffler takes firstin school’s annual pageant