Longtime Manhattan, New York resident Helen Tono passed away on February 21, 2011 at the age of 88. Born in Jersey City, New Jersey on November 30, 1922, she attended the New York University School of Journalism, where she received her training in the media genre and earned a degree. Afterwards, she went on to pursue work in her chosen career field, eventually becoming the Editor of popular magazines such as Redbook, Woman’s Day and Better Homes and Gardens, and writing an advice column for Playboy Magazine, answering readers’ questions about sex. She additionally worked as a freelance proofreader, and was the author of 48 books on the subject of Astrology, one being Love, Sex and Marriage Through Astrology, which, along with a few more of her books, and the magazine articles that she wrote, is still in print, and can be found on websites like Amazon.

Helen Tono donated her time and services to a number of organizations in the New York area that had a special meaning to her, such as: The Actor’s Guild, which is a union that represents 160,000 actors, writers, stunt performers, recording artists, and many other media professionals; The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, also known as the ASPCA, which works to put an end to the abuse of animals; The Ballet Society, which was created to teach the art of dance, and has featured many well-known ballet dancers since its opening; The Big Apple Circus, an entertainment company that uses no wild or exotic animals in their circus acts, and is known for its humane treatment of the rescue animals they use in their shows; and, The Hudson Senior Guild, a community-based social services foundation that was opened in 1897 as a settlement house for immigrants living in the Chelsea area of Manhattan.

Her religious affiliations include being a member of New York’s Holy Catholic Church, where she regularly attended services, and later becoming a member of the congregation at St. Jude’s Catholic Church after moving from her home state to the city of Franklin in Virginia. The career journalist was the daughter of the late Julius Tono and Felicksa Chimelewski Tono, and she was also preceded in death by three of her sisters, Wanda Greene, Adele Roginski and Sophie Tono, as well as by one brother, Joseph Tono.

After her funeral ceremony is over, a celebration of life service will be held for Helen Tono at the Franklin, Virginia home of her niece Michele Tono Harshall and her husband Bryan, who are two of her surviving family members. The program will take place on Saturday February 26, 2011 at 3 pm, and everyone who knew the deceased, or anyone who wants to participate in her memorial service are invited to attend. The address is 724 Clay St. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that monetary donations be made to a no-kill animal shelter , such as the Norfolk SPCA, located at 916 Ballentine Blvd. in Norfolk, Virginia. Her loved ones feel that these contributions will honor the late writer better, since she was very involved with fighting for the rights of animals to be treated humanely while she was alive.

All funeral arrangements for Helen Tono will be handled by Wright Funeral Home, located at 206 West 4th St. in Franklin, and any information concerning her service, and when sympathy cards and other items expressing condolences to the family by acquaintances, relatives and friends of the deceased will be accepted, as well as when the guest book can be signed can be accessed through the funeral home’s website wrightfuneralhome.org.

Visit https://www.tidewaternews.com for more breaking news.

Wilbur Louis Bass Jr. passed away in Emporia back in February 14, 2011.

No one really knows when their time is coming, and it can happen with no warning and in the blink of the eye. Passing on is one of the greatest mysterious of life, and it is one that Wilbur experienced on that fateful day, but there is one thing for certain: he was hoping to meet his maker.

Wilbur, after all, was a man of faith and a man who felt like he was going to see the father of the heavens. His journey to him is a tale that can only be experienced and never told. Wilbur is survived by his wife, Irma, a woman who was by his side at all times and supported him through the ups and downs life hits you with. Mr. Bass Jr. also left behind three children, siblings, and even a few cats that may not be able to audibly say they miss him, but deep in their eyes one can see their heartbreak.

Wilbur was a good husband to Irma and the two shared the kind of marriage one can only dream of. It was one of mutual respect and admiration. It was a marriage full of open dialogue and an honest connection. The two really did understand each other, so there is no doubt that Irma is hurting though she and all those left behind do have his memories to hang on to.

Mr. Bass Jr. was the kind of man who didn’t let life just pass him by. He did accomplish a lot in this life and was able to form long-lasting memories that those he loved can cherish and talk about, even though he is no longer part of this plane of existence.

Wilbur was the son of a determined father who passed on good work ethics to his son and shared his name. Those work ethics carried him during his life on this earth.

He worked at VDOT for 30 years, and he always came to work with good spirits. He was a helpful guy and a fun person to be around. He formed true connections during his three decades at this place of work. He left many friends behind, who are also going to miss Wilbur and the life he was able to interject into any situation.

Wilbur did attend church regularly and communicated with his Lord and Savior a lot during his life here. It was his faith that gave him the desire to be a better person every day. This desire was obvious, and it was one reason many people respected this man and why many grew to care for him.

The funeral service took place on February 18, 2011 at Owen Funeral Home at 2 in the afternoon where many other souls were given their last words. It was there where many of those left behind were able to talk to him one last time. Some were able to share their deepest wishes for him, while others were there to tell him how much they are going to miss him.

The family was happy to see so many people there, supporting them and supporting their beloved Wilbur. Having others around can bring peace to people dealing with the loss of a loved one as they don’t feel so alone, and some joy can be birthed out of the sadness.

He was taken to his final resting place at the Greensville Memorial Cemetery soon after the funeral services. Hopefully, Wilbur, wherever he is, was able to see how much love he was given and how much love he left behind.

Visit https://www.tidewaternews.com for more breaking news.

An elderly woman living in the small town of Windsor in Isle of Wight County in Virginia is recovering today and thanking her lucky stars that her neighbor was able to act immediately and save her life from a pit bull attack.

Jane Ashe, 76, of Peanut Drive, had just arrived home from morning grocery shopping and was exiting her car with the bags and her small dog Jack in her arms. Jack is a Jack Russell Terrier.

The pair was walking to her property’s deck when Jane spotted the pit bull. She told it firmly to “go home!” The next thing she knew, the dog had quickly positioned itself between her and the door to the deck. The pit bull would not let Jane and Jack go inside.

Jack knew he was on his territory and began growling at the other dog. That’s when the pit bull lunged at the two, knocking Jane down as it attempted to attack Jack. She would not allow the dog to attack her little Jack, so she held on fiercely and began screaming loudly. The pit bull continued biting into her arm, and Jane feared she would die.

Her neighbor, Syrena Merritt, heard the desperate cries for help and ran over to Jane and Jack and began battling the dog with a stick. Meanwhile, Syrena is barefoot and trying to maintain her balance as she fought off the four-legged intruder.

The pit bull was forced back into its yard which is on the other side of Jane’s home. Unfortunately, the dog viciously returned and tried attacking again. Merritt quickly found a rope and was able to secure it around the aggressive dog’s neck and keep the dog at bay until help could arrive.

The pit bull was said to weigh about 40 pounds.

The women call 911, and paramedics swiftly arrived within eight minutes as Jane continued to bleed profusely. To the elderly victim, it seemed like an eternity before the ambulance crew had arrived, Meantime, Syrena also called her husband and son who were working at the equipment store they owned in Suffolk.

Jane’s serious injuries necessitated a flight to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital for immediate treatment of the nasty gash on the back of her head, deep lacerations and bruising to her right arm. Multiple stitches were required to close the gash, and she was released following the medical treatment.

Her dog Jack was more fortunate and escaped with only a few scratches to the back of his right leg.

Jane Ashe is doing well considering the brutal attack she and her Jack Russell terrier underwent, but the fate of the pit bull remained in question. Isle of Wight Animal Control stated that the dog would stay in quarantine at the shelter until a court date would be heard.

The owner of the pit bull is Lori Millhouse. She has seven dogs, a pot-bellied pig and two horses. She cannot fathom how her pit bull escaped from its secured chain. There have never been issues with aggression or attacks, and she fears her dog will be put down. She has begged Animal Control to find her pit bull a new home.

Jane Ashe and her husband Conrad, 81, were new residents to the neighborhood, barely a month there when the incident occurred. They have two Jack Russell Terriers, another named Shorty. They never allow the dogs outdoors to roam around unless she or her husband is present.

Millhouse wants to apologize to the Ashes but has come under threat from other people. She is very sorry this happened to Mrs. Ashe.0

Visit https://www.tidewaternews.com for more breaking news.

Those planning on driving on the new limited-access U.S. Route 460 road, which will run a total of 55 miles from Suffolk and Petersburg, may be in for a rude awakening.

Tolls are expected to be high. For cars, tolls could be anywhere from $5.50 and $11.00, and that is just for riding the road in one direction. For trucks, the costs of driving on the road will be even higher. They are expected to be as much as $22 one way.

Currently, the Virginia Department of Transportation is reviewing 3 proposals from private companies to both develop and operate the new road. The costs in these proposals just to design and build the road range from around $1.4 billion to $1.8 billion.

The 3 companies that made the conceptual proposals are MultiModal Solutions, Clintra Infraestructuras and 460 Partners, and all 3 are requesting to receive of minimum term of 75 years. The contract would include the development of the road and its construction as well as the maintenance of the road and the collection of tolls on the road.

The state of Virginia is planning on building the limited-access road south of the existing U.S. Route 460 while running parallel to it.

All 3 proposals envision a similar timeframe for completing the road. Both MultiModal Solutions and 460 Partners are estimating that constructing will take about 5 years. Clintra Infraestructuras estimates that the construction will take just a little longer: 5 1/2 years. All the proposals also detail just how the companies plan to collect tolls from motorists. The 3 would all do it electronically.

Another similarity between the 3 proposals is how the costs of the tolls would increase. Each company envisions that tolls would increase on a yearly basis, with only a slight difference in cost between the 3, which vary from a little under 2% every year to about 3% every year.

While the Virginia Department of Transportation is reviewing the 3 proposals, this is just the first step in the process. The next step involves the creation of an independent panel, which the state’s secretary of transportation will appoint.

But not just government officials will be reviewing the proposals. The agency insists that the public will be able to participate in the review process as well.

The limited-access road will replace a section of U.S. Route 460 that currently exists between U.S. 58 and the Interstate 295 interchange that is not far from Petersburg, and it will include 4 lanes.

The Virginia Department of Transportation estimates that a little less than 9,000 vehicles will use the new road on a daily basis. This is about 10% of the traffic that travels along I-64 in Williamsburg. The agency expects that those traveling on the new road would bypass 10 stop lights, which would save drivers 20 minutes. This represents a 20% reduction in driving time.

The new road will also reduce traffic in many towns, such as Ivor, Windsor, Disputanta, Zuni, Wakefield and Waverly. The agency believes that this would further improve road safety, which is currently a major issue.

To pay for the new road, the state of Virginia plans to contribute $900 million from its highway construction funds and the Virginia Port Authority will contribute another $250 million. The private company chosen to construct and operate the road will additionally finance another $250 million of the construction costs, which it will recover through the collection of the tolls.

The state hopes that the new road will stimulate the economy through new buildings, new companies and new jobs to the extent that it justifies the investment.

Visit https://www.tidewaternews.com for more breaking news.