THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, January 21, 1996 TAG: 9601180154
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Long : 120 lines
I was sitting at my desk the morning of Jan. 8, computing my federal and state taxes so I may make the final quarterly estimated tax payment for 1995 by Jan. 15. As I work, what do I hear on the radio? Dare County offices and schools are closing at noon! Why? Sure, there are a few snow flakes falling, but they are light, and no real accumulation is forecast. The temperatures are forecast to stay in the 20s, so the roads will NOT get icy. Is this a sympathy closure for their fellow bureaucrats in Washington, D.C., where there is over two feet of snow? You figure it!
We read glowing reports on the Dare school system, and how they are in the top five in the state. On the surface, this sounds great until you learn that North Carolina schools are 48th in the nation! Is this more phony self-esteem propaganda? We are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on computer technology, yet I've yet to read or hear what useful work the students are going to learn on the computers. Does anyone know? Playing games, or surfing the Net is fun, but it won't bring you a dime in the job market. (I know; I spent 35 years in the computer software industry.) The schools let out regularly, beyond weather-related closures, for staff enrichment (whatever that is) or for other unexplained reasons. Further, even a casual observer cannot help note that truancy is a major problem. If our children aren't in school, how will they ever be empowered to be better than 48th?
Perhaps our schools are training today's students to be government bureaucrats - they are the only other group who took the afternoon off. On this score, I don't blame the employees any more than I blame the teachers. The blame lies squarely with the administrators. We are in a period where unnecessary and unwise expenditures of taxpayer funds is not to be tolerated. With the ongoing devolution of government programs from Washington to Raleigh, and thence to Manteo, we must ensure that our elected and appointed leaders meet their responsibilities. Today's closures are not responsible!
Jerry Raveling
Kill Devil Hills
No funds for Avant-Garde
The current owner and staff of Avant-Garde would like to reply to the Jan. 11 article about the Sixth Annual Avant-Garde Blues Fest, titled ``Fall blues festival funds still awaited.''
The Blues Fest was organized, arranged and completely overseen by previous co-owner Donald Patronelli, also known as Don Stacy. He never asked permission of his then-partner, Donna Foard, to use the business name to endorse this project. He had for the past six years organized and hosted the annual fund-raiser, using the name as his endorsement.
The current staff of Avant-Garde is as disappointed and surprised that no money was actually donated to the Dare County AIDS Task Force as the rest of the community of Dare County. We, too, feel that our contributions of proceeds from haircuts were not appropriated to the proper channels. We, too, were led to believe that our time and efforts were going to benefit people with AIDS.
No funds from the benefit were handled by any current staff at Avant-Garde, and no money collected from the benefit was placed in the Avant-Garde business account. We welcome anyone who donated time or money to this endeavor to check all our records. If we can be of any assistance in rectifying this matter, we are more than happy to do so.
In closing, we would like to clarify that Don Stacy/Don Patronelli is no longer affiliated with this establishment in any way as of Nov. 10, 1995.
Donna
Darcie
Jennifer
Tori
Tom
Avante-Garde
Thanks for aiding `angels'
The 1995 Angel Tree, sponsored by the Outer Banks Woman's Club, was a huge success, thanks to the kind and caring people and businesses who contributed. Because of your generosity and willingness to share, 389 children in 179 families had an exciting Christmas.
We appreciate every individual, organization and business who sponsored ``Dare County Angels.'' A special thank you goes to the Outer Banks Mall, Friscos, Belk, Stone Oven Pizza at Soundings Outlet Mall and Wal-Mart for sponsoring Angel Trees. Thanks to Kmart and Belk for generous discounts to Women's Club shoppers as they filled children's wish lists, to Dare County employees for adopting 38 children and the media for telling our story.
For the first time in the nine-year history of this project, we had to make a last-minute plea because we did not have enough money. The pleas through the radio and by Spottswood Graves, minister of the Outer Banks Presbyterian Church, were heard. That congregation collected a love offering, radio listeners stopped by our location with donations from $5 to $300, and once again the generosity of this community was evident.
Hopefully the economy will improve, and the numbers of needy families will decrease by next year when the Outer Banks Woman's Club sponsors this project for the 10th holiday season. Thanks for helping us assure there were smiles, not tears, on Christmas morning.
Julia Haywood
Susie Stoutenburg
Gwen White
Co-chairs Police officer praised
This letter was written to the Kill Devil Hills police chief:
During the week of Oct. 8, I and two lady friends had the pleasure of vacationing on the Outer Banks.
While in Kill Devis Hills, we were involved in a motor vehicle accident on Oct. 10. We felt compelled to let you know how kind, concerned and helpful Officer James Wesley Liverman was to us. Not only was he very professional and competent in his investigation of the accident, he went beyond what we expected to assist us in every way. While one of us was being transferred to Chesapeake General Hospital, he stayed with the other two until they had a car to drive, drew us a map and offered every assistance possible to help.
In view of the negative remarks about so many law enforcement officers, we felt it is time to compliment and appreciate when we have been treated so nicely.
Mr. Liverman is a wonderful young man and an asset to your department. Please let him know we wrote the letter, and tell him ``THANKS'' from three ladies from Kentucky - that he helped make a very stressful situation less stressful.
Betty McDavid
Russell, Ky. by CNB