SOCCER
Northampton Still in Finals Following Squeaker Loss
Number 13 Jesus Maldonado-Lopez drives past W&L’s Alec Westall and Jacob Daiger for a Jacket goal. (Photo: Chris Glennon)
By WAYNE CREED
Cape Charles Wave
June 8, 2015
With Northampton and Westmoreland County’s Washington and Lee both set to travel to Radford for the state 1A Soccer Championship, the seeding for the event was still not settled until these two teams met for a critical game Saturday night (June 6) on the Eastern Shore. It was a classic match up, with a W&L squad bringing a sturdy, conservative midfield attack, hoping to slow down the high flying, fluid style of the Northampton Yellow Jackets.
There was little feeling out, as from the outset, both teams attempted to set the pace early. Northampton made several early pushes to break the W&L defense, but were generally slowed by a much disciplined group of mid-fielders led by Senior Jacob Daiger. At 17:28, a misplay and lapse by the Northampton defense allowed for a quick rush and goal by W&L forward Tirso Artunez.
With a one-nill lead, W&L went into a classic defense posture reminiscent of old school Arsenal or the great Milan teams of the 1970s. With sometimes five men back, they were hoping to control midfield and thwart the Northampton rush. This was good in theory, until Northampton’s passing and speed began to get its rhythm. With articulate away from the ball movement, and constant pressure from mid Malik McCaskil, the Jackets kept up constant pressure. This paid off with a brilliant goal at 7:00 by Jesus Malando-Lopez. With the score tied at 1, and momentum clearly swinging their way, the Jackets continued to pressure and pound the W&L defense, clearly on its heels and not sure what to do about Northampton’s speed and attack. Despite strong pressure, and several dangerous attempts by Northampton, the first half ended 1-1. [Read more…]
WAYNE CREED: 96% Vegan, 2% Vegetarian, 2% Cheater
By WAYNE CREED
Cape Charles Wave Columnist
June 8, 2015
May was International Respect for Chickens Month, a short time when, I hoped, maybe a few would stop and see chickens (actually all animals) as someone, not something. Unfortunately, it seemed that everywhere I looked, there was some kind of poultry sale going on, from Food Lion to KFC to Popeyes, and Burger King even went big with its “chicken fries” campaign. It also seemed some of the foodie sites and magazines were abnormally meat heavy. My good buddy Karen Gay of the Wave’s “Alternative Table” even ran a story May 4 (Respect Chicken Day) promoting eating animals as a way to lose weight and be “healthy.”
Of course, people are free to make their own choices and eat what they want. This is America, and with Memorial Day and picnics and grilling season and all that, I guess this was to be expected.
That said, what kind of rubs many vegans the wrong way is that the subtext of this “meat-eater”-centric narrative implies that those who choose a plant power based lifestyle are somehow this odd group of stringy haired, Birkenstock wearing weaklings (adorned in unfashionable socks that hide neglected toenails), lost waifs, emaciated, and vulnerable wisps, wasting away and ready to be blown away by the wind. Truth: not only can you succeed athletically on a plant-based diet, it is the way to clean out, balance, and increase performance in every part of your of life.
Ultraman Race top finisher Rich Roll (Ultraman is a 10 K open ocean swim, a 261.4 mile cross-country bike ride, and a 52.4 mile ultra-marathon), Triathletes Brendan Brazier, Hillary Biscay, and Scott Jurek (Ultramarathoner) have proven that vegans can compete at the top levels of endurance sport. MMA/UFC fighters like Mac Danzig and Jake Shields are also athletes that use a plant based diet. This tennis season, take a few moments to watch the Wimbledon, French, or US Opens, and see how well the beautiful Serena Williams performs (arguably the most dominant athlete in her sport). After injuries, illness, fatigue, and trouble with muscle recovery, both Williams sisters switched to a plant based diet. (Venus went plant based after being diagnosed with Sjogren’s syndrome.) Serena, after going vegan, won her fifth US Open title. [Read more…]
Planning Commission Favors Tourism Tax Breaks
By WAYNE CREED
Cape Charles Wave
June 8, 2015
Cape Charles Planning Commission on June 2 again grappled with the details and implementation of Tourist Zone incentives which it hopes “will foster the town’s development, maintenance and expansion of commercial, tourist and industrial businesses engaged in the tourism industry.” Currently, the entire area of the Town of Cape Charles is designated a tourism zone pursuant to Virginia Code.
To qualify for a tax break or incentive, according to Town Planner Larry DiRe, a business would have to make some form of verifiable capital improvement. The difficult part is coming up with actual dollar figures to be applied. “This all seems OK so far, but we really need to nail down the dollar amounts,” said Planning Commission member Joan Natali.
Commission member Andy Buchholz said, “We may want to look at a tier-based system based on net sales totals, and cap it based on that. The little guy doesn’t have that much capital — this would make it more fair for everyone, to put it on a scale so that everyone gets something instead of just helping out the big guy.”
“Is there going to be a gross cap on this,” asked Commission member Dan Burke. “I mean, how much is the town going to be in this for? What will the obligation be?”
“When you look at the big picture,” said Buchholz, “what we’re really talking about here is a big thank you to business for bringing revenue here. If we’re out some percentage, if you look at the amount of revenue that will be generated, it will more than wash out.”
“This really is to help the little guy — the little guys are the ones that make up this town,” said Natali. [Read more…]
TEELING: Community Involvement Can Save Schools
Andy Teeling: “We need to show these kids that there are people out there that care about them.”
By WAYNE CREED
Cape Charles Wave
June 1, 2015
In the Steve Jobs authorized biography by Walter Isaacson, Jobs relates a story about growing up with his dad outside of Palo Alto. When building things, even something like a fence, his dad always emphasized that every aspect of the project be done right — not just the parts you can see, but also the parts that are hidden.
I thought of this as Andy Teeling was telling me about how he builds furniture and cabinetry. “I want the piece to be finished and professional, the quality should be the same, no matter which way you look at it. From the back, bottom, top, or if you open it up and look inside, it should all be just as polished as the part you see,” Teeling said.
This level of care, professionalism, and ethics says a lot about Teeling, and is one of the reasons that, if there is ever going to be any progress in Northampton — from business to industry to the sustainability of the county economy — it may just begin right here with Andy.
From Teeling’s perspective, ground zero for economic recovery is our schools, and it all starts with one simple question: “What can we, each of us, individuals and businesses, do for our schools?”
Teeling understands that the situation in Northampton is daunting. The school population is shrinking, a reflection of the overall contraction of the county population. With that comes a leaner tax base, leaving less and less available for our schools. “This is an all hands on deck situation,” said Teeling. “Unfortunately, the county is so divided. The zoning issues have divided us. We need both sides, and they are both right — the ones that want to protect the environment are right, but those that are more business friendly and want to see things grow and develop are also right.”
Teeling believes this division has created a logjam, with the kids and the County’s economic health stuck in the middle. Businesses and families won’t move here because of the perception that Northampton schools are subpar. “The contentiousness, the division needs to end. We all need something that we can focus on, to work together on, and that is the schools. Committing ourselves to improving the schools, by putting our attention on our future citizens, will be good for business, be good for the economy,” he said. [Read more…]
$8 Million Town Budget Contains No Tax Increase
CAPE CHARLES WAVE
June 1, 2015
Owing to the untimely death of a computer software vendor, there will be no tax increase in the Town of Cape Charles next year. That’s because real estate reappraisals were postponed by Northampton County when the software vendor died, and the town relies completely on the county for property values.
If property had been reappraised in 2015 as originally planned, the values would have dropped and the tax rate necessarily would have increased. Virginia state law requires appraisals to reflect actual market value, and as the Wave has documented in its Real Estate page, most Cape Charles real estate is selling below appraised value — especially empty lots.
When the last reappraisal occurred in 2013 the town was forced to raise tax rates from 18 cents per hundred dollars to 27.6 cents. That rate will continue to 2016. [Read more…]
WAYNE CREED
Backwards Parking, Chimneys, and Wee King Neptune
By WAYNE CREED
Cape Charles Wave Columnist
June 1, 2015
In last week’s Wave, it was reported that a smaller version of Virginia Beach’s giant Neptune sculpture had been donated by patron Wyndham Price, and would be placed on the boardwalk. What seemed like a very generous offer was instead attacked by some as being utterly inappropriate, almost an insult to our refined sensibilities. One critic said that the work should instead be “a more appropriate symbol signifying who we are.”
My first impression was that the town should immediately commission an artist to create a work to symbolize the “New Cape Charles,” one that conveys a narrative of who we are. Maybe a work comprised of a pig, a bird, and a snake to symbolize the three Buddhist poisons of ignorance, attachment and aversion.
But then I stopped: Is “who we are” a question we really want answered?
A case in point: Over at the old library, now arbitrarily called the “Civic Center” instead of what it really is, the Town Hall, the Historic District Review Board recently voted to remove the chimneys because they were leaking. After several anemic attempts by Public Works to repair them, the town decided it would be easier to just tear them down.
It seems the town is always quite ready to hang its hat on the historical integrity of Cape Charles when it suits them (usually when developer tax credits are on the line), but when it comes to maintaining the integrity (historical character) of a true historical structure they seem more than willing to rape and violate it, generally out of nothing more than sheer laziness and incompetence.
For years, the town allowed the old school to fall into a state of disrepair. This was a willful and illegal act, and instead of making simple, inexpensive fixes, like new windows to keep out the water, they instead amused themselves by making up the most fraudulent stories about the place’s ultimate demise. Carpet baggers from Richmond have recently exposed those tall tales as nothing but silly little lies. [Read more…]
ALTERNATIVE TABLE: Strawberry Fields Forever
By KAREN GAY
Cape Charles Wave Columnist
June 1, 2015
Last spring while my friends were gorging on juicy, sweet strawberries I was supine on my zero-gravity recliner recovering from 35 years of sitting at a desk. This year, feeling much better, I determined to find that farm that everyone talked about but no one could quite explain exactly where it was. Asking one friend, I heard “Oh, it’s just a ways up 13.” Another friend looked at me blankly when I asked whether it was north or south of OBS Building Supply. Someone told me it was before you hit Exmore. “Well, is it before or after the Machipongo Trading Company?” She couldn’t say.
So on a sunny Saturday I set off north from Cape Charles to find these ephemeral strawberry fields where everyone in town went, but where no one could identify its location. Lo and behold, just a short distance north of Eastville the fields appeared just after Union Baptist Church. I swung right into Bell Lane and parked in the grassy lot to the side of the farm stand. As soon as I opened the car door I could tell there were strawberries nearby. The scent wafted over me as I approached the stand and then it only got better as Janice Giddens welcomed me with a huge smile and bright pink stained hands. She and two others had been in the back of the stand packing strawberries into quart containers. I bought two quarts and asked if I could interview her. She deftly pointed me out to the fields to question the boss who was in a red shirt. [Read more…]
Cape Charles Gets A Radio Station (Internet, That Is)
CAPE CHARLES WAVE
June 1, 2015
Radio without the antenna — that’s the miracle of the Internet, and now little ol’ Cape Charles has its own radio station: WCCR (Cape Charles Radio, we assume).
AM or FM? No, you don’t get it. It’s Internet exclusive: Click here: http://www.wccr-theresort.com/music.html. If all goes well you’ll find yourself listening to light jazz while continuing to read the Wave.
“We created WCCR-The Resort to emphasize the ‘Resort’ aspects of the lower Eastern Shore,” said founder David LaBonte, whose DJ moniker is “David Bayside.” “Cape Charles is a wonderful small town with beautiful beaches, and multiple surrounding resorts like the Oyster Farm at Kings Creek, Bay Creek Golf Resort, Cherrystone, and Kiptopeke State Park just to name a few — all with their own unique offerings. What we bring you is music to go along with your resort experience,” he said.
LaBonte’s online resume shows him headquartered in Bethany Beach, Delaware, and how he happened to focus on Cape Charles is not stated. LaBonte previously worked for Clear Channel (now iHeart Communications), the country’s largest radio broadcaster. [Read more…]
