SATURDAY 4/27: Benefit at Sunset Grille Features Key West Singer Scott Kirby
Scott Kirby, renowned Key West based singer and songwriter, will perform at Sunset Grille on April 27 from 6-9 p.m. [Read more…]
Graveside Service Thursday for Slain Cape Charles Native
BRYAN KEITH ELLIOTT
April 2, 2013
A graveside service for Bryan Keith Elliott, 35, will be held 1 p.m. Thursday, April 4, at Cape Charles Cemetery with the Rev. Randy E. Lewis officiating.
Mr. Elliott was a native of Cape Charles, and until last week lived in the Madison Avenue trailer park. He had just relocated to a house on Seaside Road near Cheriton.
On Sunday he was found dead from a gunshot wound at his new residence.
(UPDATE: On April 3, authorities arrested a suspect, Gary Coble of Cape Charles, and charged him with first-degree murder.)
Bryan Elliott was the son of John Elliott, Jr,. and his wife, Valerie, of Cape Charles and the late Essie Mae Brady Elliott. He was a waterman.
In addition to his father and stepmother, he is survived by two sons, Ben and Anakin; a sister, Elizabeth Elliott Charnock and her husband, Raymond, of Tangier; three brothers, John Elliott III and his wife, Tricia, of Capeville, Chris Elliott of Cape Charles, Derrick Elliott of Eastville; two stepsisters, Chelsea and Heather, and numerous nieces and nephews. [Read more…]
TUESDAY 4/2: PLANNING COMMISSION: Permit Requested for 2nd-Floor Apartments on Randolph Avenue
Cape Charles Planning Commission will meet 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 2, at Town Hall. [Read more…]
FRIDAY 4/5: ‘Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt’ at ESCC
The Science and Philosophy Seminar of the Eastern Shore of Virginia will present “Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt” 12:30 p.m. Friday, April 5, in the Eastern Shore Community College lecture hall, 29300 Lankford Hwy, Melfa. [Read more…]
SATURDAY 4/6: Nashville Night at ESO LIVE!
ESO LIVE! presents Nashville Night Saturday, April 6, with the return engagement of Dean & the County Travelers. [Read more…]
EDITORIAL: The Cost of Lawsuits
April 1, 2013
Last week somebody posted the following notice on the Cape Charles Post Office telephone pole:
DID YOU KNOW??
ATTENTION
So far our town of Cape Charles has
spent $76,386.01 of your money for
attorney’s fees to respond to the lawsuit
from Old School Cape Charles.
You and every other town resident will
pay for this foolish lawsuit!!!
Ask the Wave . . . why they didn’t
publish this!
So far, no one has asked the WAVE — but if they did we would refer them to our March 4 analysis, where we wrote: Records show that since July 1 of last year, the Town has spent almost $64,000 on the [Old School lawsuits].
There were legal costs prior to July 1, so the anonymous telephone poll poster probably got it right: total attorney fees of $76,386 and, to be precise, one penny.
If the unknown informant had wanted that fact circulated to the most possible people, he or she could have written a letter to the editor at the WAVE. We would have published it. (Of course, that would have required the writer to have the courage to identify himself.)
But there was even another way: send it for publication in the ANONYMOUS section of the WAVE. We would have published that as well.
Regardless, the unknown writer raises a salient, if unintended, point: why does the Town of Cape Charles, with a population of 1,000, spend so much money on lawyers?
The $76,000 is not the total cost for Old School legal fees. As the WAVE has reported, the Town paid its own attorney $15,000 just to review the contract to convey the Old School to a developer for a price of $10.
That should make the Guinness World Records: legal costs were 1,500 times the sales price.
Worse, Town Council proceeded to ignore the Town attorney’s advice to require a performance bond and a buyback option in the contract. So if the developers fail to carry out their plan to convert the school and parkland into a 17-unit apartment building, there is no penalty, and nothing the Town can do about it.
Except, perhaps, sue. And at what cost?
The $15,000 legal fee also seems money badly spent considering that the Town attorney failed to raise a red flag over language in the contract stating that Purchaser shall not operate the Project as a low-income housing facility under any state or federal program. That got the Town in hot water with fair housing advocates and, as a result, state legislators. After the building was already sold, the Town revised the contract to drop the offending language.
So, adding the $15,000 fee to review the Old School contract to the $76,000 to answer the lawsuit brings the legal cost to the taxpayer to $91,000. [Read more…]
FRIDAY/SATURDAY 4/5-6: Annual Blessing of the Fleet at Cape Charles Harbor
The Town of Cape Charles 6th Annual Blessing of the Fleet begins Friday, April 5 at 5:30 p.m. [Read more…]
LINDEMAN: Help Our Accomack Neighbors Fight Arson
By BRUCE LINDEMAN
Cape Charles Wave
March 28, 2013
Since mid-November, 74 arsons in Accomack County have been recorded. Investigators are trying desperately to find the person or persons responsible and have recently announced an award of up to $5,000 for information leading to the capture of the arsonist(s) from the Virginia Chapter of the International Association of Arson Investigators (http://www.vaiaai.com).
Since these fires have been widespread, fighting the blazes has involved many local volunteer fire departments throughout the county –- departments with limited funds to respond to the extraordinary number of calls.
These blazes have stressed many of Accomack’s volunteer fire and rescue personnel to the point where they are running out of supplies and the budget to replace them. To date, these brave men and women have logged 3,700 hours fighting these fires.
How can we help? I asked Billie Jean Miles at the Accomack County Department of Public Safety. Below is the information she sent me.
Volunteer! There are fifteen volunteer fire & rescue stations located in Accomack County. A complete list with contact information can be found at http://www.acdps.net/page/volunteer-fire-and-rescue.
There are various ways one could volunteer and not necessarily be a firefighter and/or EMS provider. Maybe you have some extra time to help clean equipment or fire hoses, assist with one of their upcoming fundraisers, staff the rehab unit, or provide administrative support. Contact your local station to see how you could make a difference.
Give! An account has been established for monetary donations. All donations are tax-deductible. Donations can be dropped off at any Shore Bank location or mailed to Shore Bank (c/o Accomack Firefighter’s Assistance Fund), P.O. Box 920, Onley VA 23418. [Read more…]
