LETTER: Why Was Gazette Mum about Closing the Basketball Court?
January 2, 2013
DEAR EDITOR:
The Gazette is the official Town newsletter. My question is, who is responsible for the Gazette, and who approves it?
Last Friday after discovering from local kids that our basketball backboards had been removed, I went to Mayor Dora Sullivan to report this. Her response was: “We don’t own them anymore.”
My reaction was — what? Why would the Town remove the backboards during the Christmas-New Year’s break?
She had no answer.
I asked the mayor if the closing of the basketball court had been posted on the Town website and Gazette. She said no, but that the Cape Charles Wave interviewed [Assistant Town Manager] Bob Panek about the backboards’ removal.
I am frustrated by the lack of knowledge available on the day-to-day business of Cape Charles. The Town felt it was important to post changes to the garbage pickup holiday schedule, but said nothing about removing the basketball goals.
What’s next? Pay raises for a job well done on giving away the school, basketball court, and playground parking lot for $10? [Read more…]
TUESDAY 1/15: Local Meeting to View Plans for Main Library
Public meetings will be held in Northampton and Accomack counties to view the preliminary concept drawings for a new Main Library in Onley as a follow-up to meetings held in May. [Read more…]
6 Months of WAVES — And Counting!
January 1, 2013
Happy New Year — or Happy One-Half Year, in the case of the Cape Charles Wave. Your hometown online newspaper is now six months old.
The Wave came about because two longtime journalists — one an old hand on the Eastern Shore, the other a newcomer — agreed that Cape Charles needed its own newspaper. In the days of print journalism, that would not have been practical for such a small town, but with the Internet it was doable.
And although the staff makeup has changed since July 1, we’ve been making WAVES for 26 weeks now.
The Google Analytics chart above tells the story, with each of the 26 dots representing one week’s readership. By August, we were humming along at close to 2,500 reads per week. After a lull, readership jumped in November, and after another lull, made the biggest gains in December.
Since only about 1,000 people live in Cape Charles, a lot of our readers obviously live out of town. In fact, about one fourth of them don’t even live in Virginia. And even among in-state readers, the majority reside outside Cape Charles town limits.
Whether tourists, or former residents, or future come-heres, it appears that a lot of out-of-towners are keeping up with the local news.
The purpose of the Wave is to serve as an electronic medium to spread news, events, and discussion about the Cape Charles area. As we begin a new year, the Wave wants to thank our “heroes” — the folks who have recognized the mission of the Wave and in one way or another have helped it to succeed.
In alphabetical order (by first name), our 2012 Wave heroes are:
— Audrey Nottingham, whose pictures and story of the Nativity scenes at Pfeiffer Riding Stables gave us a wonderful Christmas present — not just for the report, but because Audrey fulfilled our highest hopes for the Wave: citizen journalists writing about and photographing a local event and publishing it in the Wave;
— Barbara Brown, for sharing her nice article and picture for publication;
— Bruce Lindeman, who writes eloquently, intimately, and regularly of his adopted part-time village and its denizens he knows so well;
— Deborah Bender, for commenting early and often on the Old School cause dear to her heart;
— Don Riley, the Wave’s “Man about Town,” who tips us off whenever he spots something that doesn’t look right, or smells fishy;
— Donna Bozza, for featuring the Wave on her Facebook page way back in July — our first big break! — and for her ESO and other arts publicity;
— Mayor Dora Sullivan, for reading the Wave every day and even sending in a comment or two, in contrast to the one or two Town Council members who refuse to read us (they say); [Read more…]
Catherine Dunton Doughty, 89, Cape Charles Native
December 31, 2012
Catherine Dunton Doughty, 89, wife of George Nottingham Doughty and a resident of Cape Charles, passed away Sunday, December 30, at Heritage Hall Healthcare in Nassawadox.
A funeral service will be conducted 11 a.m. Wednesday, January 2, at Trinity United Methodist Church with Reverends Elizabeth A. Lutz and Jack D. Pruitt officiating. Interment will follow in Cape Charles Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Trinity United Methodist Church, c/o Mrs. Ida Robbins, 23089 Carr Lane, Cape Charles, VA 23310.
A native of Cape Charles, Mrs. Doughty was the daughter of the late Richard Eubank Dunton and the late Florence Lambertson Dunton. She was a retired office manager for Rite Aid Pharmacy in Wilmington, DE, a member of the Order of the Eastern Star Northampton Chapter #2, and a member of Trinity United Methodist Church. She was an avid bridge player. [Read more…]
Royce Spencer, 85, Former Cape Charles Postmaster
December 29, 2012
Royce Lee Spencer, 85, husband of Jean Gibbs Spencer and a resident of Cape Charles, passed away Saturday, December 29, at his residence.
A graveside service will be conducted 2 p.m. Monday, December 31, at Cape Charles Cemetery with Reverends Jeff Conrow, Patricia Money, and Judith Worthington officiating.
Memorials may be made to Hospice and Palliative Care of the Eastern Shore, 165 Market Street, Suite #3, Onancock, VA 23417, or to Cheriton United Methodist Church, c/o Jo Ann Heneghan, P.O. Box 297, Cheriton, VA 23316.
A native of Cape Charles, Mr. Spencer was the son of the late Royce Elwood Spencer and the late Margaret Horner Spencer. He was a retired Postmaster for the Cape Charles Post Office, member of the Pythian Lodge, and member of Cheriton United Methodist Church. [Read more…]
Bye-Bye Basketball: Town Removes Developer’s Hoops
Plenty of space to dribble, but nowhere to shoot: The Town of Cape Charles removed the hoops and backboards Thursday from what had been the Town’s only outdoor basketball court. The school building on the right also contains a basketball court, but the Town closed it in 2006. (Wave photo)
By GEORGE SOUTHERN
Cape Charles Wave
December 28, 2012
When the Cape Charles town maintenance staff returned to work Thursday following a 3-day Christmas holiday, their first job was to dismantle the basketball court at Central Park. That was accomplished by removing the backboards and hoops. Only the uprights remain.
The work by Town employees was not performed on Town property. Exactly one week earlier, Mayor Dora Sullivan signed over the park basketball court, the playground parking lot, and the old Cape Charles school to Echelon Resources, Inc., a private development firm.
According to nearby residents who watched the hoops being removed, it was a poignant sight. A young boy who lives up the street was shooting baskets, as he does almost every day, when the work began. When one goal was taken away, he moved to another, and then another. When time came to remove the last hoop he took a final shot, and went away with the distinction of being the last player ever to shoot a basket on the Town court.
No other basketball court exists either in the Town or anywhere nearby.
Since Echelon now owns the property, the question arises why Town employees were used to dismantle the basketball court. According to Assistant Town Manager Bob Panek, the Town did not want to represent that the park basketball court was available for use by the public. He feared that if someone were injured on the court, the Town could be sued, even though it no longer owns the court.
Panek told the WAVE that the Town has retained the backboards and hoops in storage.
Under the terms of the sales contract, the equipment belongs to Echelon.
Panek confirmed that no plans exist to build a new basketball court. “Talk to Town Council” — it’s their decision, he said. [Read more…]
WEATHER: Making Waves in a New Mercedes
December 26, 2012
Our intrepid photographer snapped this photo Wednesday morning BEFORE high tide. A late-model Mercedes attempted to navigate Plum Street at Central Park but thought better of it and turned around. If it keeps raining, and if anyone has an underwater camera, please email the WAVE a photo of road conditions on Thursday!
Jim & Jenni Potts Win 1st Place in Holiday Home Contest
December 25, 2012
Cape Charles Women’s Club awarded 1st Place in their annual Christmas Holiday Decorating Contest to Jim & Jenni Potts of 610 Randolph Avenue. Merry Christmas everyone! (Wave photo)
