WHEN THE BAND STOPS PLAYING:
The Dark Side of PTSD
(EDITOR’S NOTE: Cape Charles resident Joe Vaccaro submitted this commentary with the request that it be published on Veterans Day. It is his latest article in observance of American Legion Post 56’s “Year of the Veteran.”)
By JOE VACCARO
American Legion Post 56
November 11, 2013
There are over 830,000 veterans residing in Virginia, and that number includes some 700,000 men and 130,000 women. Within those numbers are over 669,000 wartime veterans who have served their country in time of need. The Eastern Shore of Virginia lays claim to over 5,000 of those men and women living among us; also living among them is the dark potential of suicide.
According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, 22 veterans take their own lives every day. That data is from 1999 through 2011 and only contains information from 21 states, with large states such as California, Texas, and Illinois not reporting any information. Throughout the years combat veterans have been returning home seemingly unscathed by the battles they have fought, yet the suicide rate for our recently returning veterans continues to climb. The troops, especially the career minded, view any cry for help as a career blemish that could tarnish a record of valor and hard work, and halt an upward climb through the ranks. The attempt to gather facts to combat this national tragedy is too skewed to be of any solid value.
Part of the problem is that there’s no uniform reporting system regarding these deaths. So it’s up to a coroner or funeral director to enter a veteran status or note a suicide on a death certificate. This makes it extremely difficult to determine a veteran’s status unless the person is known to them, which begs the next question of how do they collect that data on homeless veterans? [Read more…]
LETTER:
Congratulations to ALL Candidates for a Clean Race
November 7, 2013
DEAR EDITOR,
I’d like to congratulate all the candidates in the local elections on running such a clean, respectable race. Despite sentiments running high on a number of issues, there was no mudslinging or backbiting, nor were accusations made by any of the candidates.
Whether they won or lost, our local candidates can be proud of the first-class manner in which they conducted their respective campaigns.
Thank you, candidates, for setting such an excellent example for others to follow!
DAVID BOYD
Letters to the Editor are welcome, and a diversity of opinions is encouraged. Send submissions to [email protected].
EDITORIAL: Voting Suggestions
A CAPE CHARLES WAVE EDITORIAL
November 4, 2013
Tuesday’s election is the most important in modern times for Northampton County. For the first time, voters have a chance to elect their School Board, which until now has been appointed.
Two of the Board’s seven seats are at-large, voted on throughout the County. For the four-year-term seat, Randall Parks is running against Delores Lindsay. Both candidates have decades of experience teaching in Northampton schools. Mr. Parks has the distinction of being the driving force behind the petition and referendum that resulted in an elected Board. His opponent, Ms. Lindsay, is currently an appointed School Board member. Voters happy with the current Board will want to retain Ms. Lindsay, while the rest have an opportunity to cast their ballots for Mr. Parks.
The other at-large seat is between Jo Ann Molera, who with her husband ran a Montesorri school in Nassawadox for many years, and Nykia Robinson, who graduated from Northampton High six years ago. We commend Ms. Robinson for her civic spirit, and also appreciate that a Board member not long removed from the student side of the classroom could contribute a unique perspective. That said, the current perilous state of County public schools cannot afford the luxury of on-the-job training, and thus we support Ms. Molera.
District 1, where Cape Charles residents vote, is contested by Shannon Dunham, an Eastville attorney and graduate of Northampton High, and Tamsey Ellis, a retired teacher with decades of local experience. The two candidates’ personal styles differ dramatically – the former feisty, the latter folksy – but we believe that either choice would make a good Board member.
The other District 1 race is for Board of Supervisors, where Granville Hogg is challenging incumbent chairman Willie Randall. We appreciate both candidates’ willingness to serve – especially since the incumbents in District 2 and District 3 are running unopposed.
In District 1, Mr. Randall is running on his record, while Mr. Hogg has raised serious issues with County policies. We note that Mr. Hogg served on the Public Service Authority until this year, but when he opposed the PSA proposal to nearly double property taxes for selected commercial properties to fund a sewer pipe, the Board of Supervisors replaced him.
District 1 voters (and only District 1 voters) have the opportunity tomorrow to send a message to the Board of Supervisors. If they agree with the direction the Board has taken over the past four years, they can vote for Mr. Randall. If they disagree, they can vote for Mr. Hogg.
LETTER: Why I’m Voting Granville Hogg for Supervisor
November 3, 2013
DEAR EDITOR,
I am supporting Granville Hogg in the upcoming Board of Supervisors election. Granville takes a sincere interest in all aspects of his community, and is always willing to give selflessly of his own time to better the community.
I have worked extensively with Granville on testing water quality in Kings Creek for a state and EPA mandated study. His extensive knowledge of local history, the physical terrain, and real, hands-on engineering contributed greatly to this study. His willingness to learn whatever aspects of the study he didn’t already know, and his devotion to give as much of his time as necessary to gather the data needed for an informed decision, were unparalleled.
Granville doesn’t take a government recommendation at face value. He questions the methodology of the study, the data used, and the assumptions. If necessary he will collect his own data, run the necessary tests, and do his own analysis, as he and I did in the Kings Creek study. [Read more…]
LETTER: District 1 Needs Granville Hogg as Supervisor
November 3, 2013
DEAR EDITOR,
There are many people that meet the call for public service. Granville Hogg is one who has a long track record of initiating actions for the safety and benefit of the County to improve the community.
The residents of the Townfield Area, with Granville’s assistance, were able to get a posted speed reduction on Townfield Road toward Cherrystone Campground to 40 mph.
Granville observed a traffic safety problem at the median crossing between Shore Bank and Food Lion. He delivered a petition signed by 200 citizens to the Board of Supervisors to improve the level of safety at this dangerous intersection. VDOT responded by insisting that the current speed limits be enforced. Since then, there has been a significant speed enforcement increase on Route 13.
When the EPA made claims that the residential septic systems around Kings Creek were polluting the creek, a group of citizens, with Granville as one of the leaders, met with the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. The group conducted a bacteria survey on Kings Creek to determine sources of pollution that was restricting shellfish harvesting. It was determined that the Bayview trash collection site was a major contributor to the problem. Granville presented the facts to the County, but to date, the County, under Chairman Willie Randall, has not taken any action to correct the problem.
Granville learned that VDOT was in the process of replacing the steel stoplight poles and replacing guardrail supports at the Cheriton intersection but ignoring the potholes there. Through his efforts, VDOT fixed the potholes as the other items were being addressed. [Read more…]
LETTER: Former Superintendent Supports Dunham
October 31, 2013
DEAR EDITOR,
School Boards in Virginia are charged with three tasks: (1) Determine the policies that everyone must follow to keep the organization running smoothly; (2) Prepare and present to the public and Board of Supervisors a budget that will cover everything from pencils and erasers to salaries, buildings and equipment; and (3) Hire and supervise the Superintendent to manage the affairs of the organization.
Next week we will go to the polls to vote for Northampton County School Board members. I worked closely with school boards over 38 years in education in seven communities and two states, including 14 years as Northampton’s School Superintendent. I know what makes a school board work and what doesn’t.
The success of a school board depends on the support of the community it serves. It also depends on diversity among its members. That diversity allows for an exchange of views, a broader range of options, and extra security that issues are resolved in the most appropriate manner.
There have always been retired educators on the School Board. Many Board members have also come from the business community, and when we got really lucky we had an attorney on the Board as well. [Read more…]
LETTER: Why I’m Voting for Shannon Dunham
October 30, 2013
DEAR EDITOR,
I am writing in response to the recent letter in support of Tamsey Ellis for the School Board from District 1. Shannon Dunham possesses valuable attributes which none of the other candidates running for the School Board have. Namely, she has a vested interest in the school system in that she has three young children who are approaching school age. The need to have a balance on the School Board which would include young parents is essential for a board which should represent all of the community. The notion that she would not devote the necessary time to the School Board if elected is ludicrous.
The value of having a lawyer on the School Board cannot be overestimated, as Shannon would be able to make certain that policies and decisions made by the Board are in fact legal, and the Board would not have to go back and re-work decisions which would in fact be illegal without her guidance.
The writer is bothered by the request made by Mrs. Dunham to postpone the trial date for Tonya Bundick to allow more time to provide an adequate defense. In high-profile cases such as this one, it is common for defense attorneys to make such a motion. I believe such a request shows the due diligence which all of us would want if we were being represented by a lawyer in any legal case.
The writer also denigrates Mrs. Dunham for remarks she made concerning the ultimate use of the legal system against some parents. Evidently the writer cannot conceive of parents who cannot be bothered to get up in the morning to get their children ready for school, both dressed and fed. She does not understand that there are children of all ages who are basically raising themselves in our community. If it is necessary for the welfare of the children to involve the legal system with such parents, that path should not go unused. [Read more…]
LETTER: Why I’m Voting for Tamsey Ellis
October 28, 2013
DEAR EDITOR,
We face a choice here in District 1 for who will sit on Northampton County’s first elected school board. Shannon Dunham, a local lawyer, is running against Tamsey Ellis, a retired educator.
Having heard both candidates speak at the public forum at the old middle school a few weeks ago, I have made my choice. While I am sure that the dynamic Ms. Dunham is as smart as they come, and as ambitious, I have serious doubts about her ability to devote the time and energies to the enormous problems our schools face.
She is a full-time lawyer, currently defending the accused female Eastern Shore arsonist in a looming high-profile trial across the bay. She recently asked the judge for an extension, claiming she is not ready, to which the judge replied, essentially, “too bad.”
Then she asked to remove herself from the case. Again, the judge refused to let her off the hook from her obligation.
She herself made an issue at the forum of being the mother of three small children, caring for four dogs, and a full-time career. She also played the “outside the beltway” card, claiming that because she is in the law profession and has never been “in education,” she can see with clearer eyes the problems our schools face. [Read more…]
