HOBSON NOT GIVING UP SAID MARY HILL

SUFFOLK, VA - The City of Suffolk watches the destruction of Hobson Village, a Historical  landmark. U. S. District Court Judge Friedman Order, “the City of Suffolk represented that demolition of properties at issue would not occur until this matter had been resolved or the Court had offered further guidance.” The City of Suffolk has defied the Order by demolishing historic properties within the Hobson Village community. According to historical rights advocate, Mary Hill, the City of Suffolk has ignored and defied the residents inheritance rights to preserve, protect and renovate Hobson Village which has a historical right to exist. Hobson Village residents will attempt to block bulldozing of their historic community today to make the public aware of their preservation and restoration efforts; the is community under siege. The residents oppose the utter destruction of their homes, their lives, and that of their children, and their livelihood. Hobson Village have enjoyed a long history of being a safe, drug free community. Home ownership has been passed down by their African Ancestors who were subjected to the inhumanity of the institution of slavery. Hobson Village is a valuable historical treasurer; not only to its’ residents but to the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is a moral shame to continue to demolish Hobson Village homes and deceive the general public about the City of Suffolk’s deliberate discrimination against and deprivation of Hobson Village residents and their right to exist as a historical landmark within the state of Virginia. Hobson Village residents are private homeowners and have enjoyed a long history of being a safe, crime free community which has made a great contribution to Suffolk community.  Instead of preserving our history and legacy the City of Suffolk has chosen to destroy it!

CITIES HEALTH RANKED AND EXPLAINED

The English word “rank” has two meanings. One is position in a list and the other describes its condition. I’d say a rank position would be in the middle and that is Suffolk’s overall physical health is when compared to all the other cities in Virginia. That’s impressive…we are 70^th of 132, in the bottom fifty percent. No, we don’t blame the health department because it is carefully watched by higher authority at state and federal levels. Fairfax is at the top of the list and has similar living conditions as in Suffolk.


The study appears to be based on a study of the rate of health issues such as low birth weight, sexually transmitted infections and rates of smoking The survey also examined environmental factors, such as air pollution and access to recreational facilities; social and economic data, such as education, poverty and the violent crime rate; and clinical care measures, such as the ratio of primary care providers to the population and the rates of screening tests for diabetes, obesity and teen births. Enough said but we could add non-prescription drugs.

ONE DOWN

This condemned in November heap, owned by a Norfolk firm, Suffolk Commercial Properties, can be viewed from City Hall. It has received penalties of $5000, probably never will be paid, and is an unsafe eyesore. SNH reporter Tracey Agnew  wrote the piece pointing out one thing wrong with downtown, too much of this stuff. Of course the Historic Landmarks Commission was 4-2 against demolition but the City will blow it up anyway...the city attorney’s office concurs with the recommendation to eliminate it. Thanks to the SNH for the courage to cover such  rare events and the picture used to prove the point.

REPRINTS OF OLD NEWS

Over on the right side of  "INSIDE SUFFOLK"  in  BOB'S  CORNER  you will find news that we wrote at least five years ago. A little history is good for the mind and history may be helpful understanding what is happening today. The first reprint is from March of 2006 when a group of alumni and others convinced themselves, and the city Council, that we were in need of  more culture than parents or teachers can provide. It started as a noble cause and deteriorated to the point where the majority of tax payers were ignored and our beloved city leaders, elected and appointed, gave away millions of our dollars without our consent. In  the same breath the administration adopted a Tourist Bureau as one more way to invest dollars for dimes.  They can't yet prove they can recover the rent money spent let alone the salaries and free donuts. It is a room full of pamphlets extolling the virtues of other places. The city couldn't stand to have that million for restoration available for times like  these. And what a terrible thing to do to an historical courthouse.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

AS BAD AS A WEALTHY BEGGAR ON THE STREET

We hear shrill claims from wounded local government budget facilitators and sponsors, that if you and I do not keep feeding it as we have for so many years, terrible things will happen. They will have to cut police and fire services first and crime will escalate making us all, less safe and less protected. Well that is not the only course to chart and in fact, it is time to break the learned behavior of City Staffers to always demand more, as the only way forward. Critical needs must be defined and strategic priorities set, over free spending and thoughtless actions.

The tyranny imposed by taxes taken from the citizenry is both real and does harm the individual, but such harm can be offset if it is done to meet the common good. The real question is: What is that common good? If I cannot afford to live in the community is that equation in balance? No…

It is time to see if a critical juncture in time has come for our leadership to set priorities and take strong action to reduce government. Accept nothing less than the protection of your fellow citizens that look to you for leadership and deliver. It is your time to come forward and resist the easy methods, because not all can afford it any longer…

Roger A. Leonard

THIS NET CAN'T SAVE THE POST OFFICE

Nets are for fishermen, tennis players, circus high fliers, and computers. The internet has just about killed the Post 0ffice like cars  did the horse and wagon. My wife writes a letter to a cousin in Germany that we scan and send in  seconds saving expensive postage and stationery .. It is only when customers chose to physically move property across mega-miles that servers stand to gain and competition favors them over the mail. Running billions behind annually the only recourse is to raise  prices, again. They get no tax dollars even though thousands of employees pay into the system. We complain, unfairly, about Post Office slowness even  as we take our package "mailing" business, potentially profitable, elsewhere. We complain, unfairly, when ninety percent of the time mailings get where they are supposed to go in a reasonable time. Even when we get to know the person behind the window personally.  Ease up folks, like Don Slater often says,"Don't get your pants in a bunch."      

MOST COUNCIL MEMBERS AT A LOSS

Old Timers on Council pleaded with those who attended the Council meeting to help them find ways to cut operation costs of the city as if its were the responsibility of voters to see inside the labyrinth of computers and employees. Council members are paid to be next in line to comprehend what goes on inside city hall. If they don't know, and the high officials don't, and Seward can't come up with answers, then appoint some of those folks who were there with pretty basic ways like shrink the population of city hall, cut employee benefits, eliminate  assistant's assistants, and all employees drive their own cars. If cuts in service are necessary, grownups do not consider less police and firemen as the only solution. These are tough times and our beloved city hall sees the solution to be make it tougher for the tax payers. I remember when Presidents of this country and little town city managers were instructed by the Council "Go to go to your office, shut the door and don't come out until budget equals income. And start by cutting your own salary.                                                                                                                                                                                            

INSIDE SUFFOLK EXPANDS TO COVER SUFFOLK SCHOOLS

Dr. Debra Wahlstrom joined Inside Suffolk to provide you with accurate information about your Public School System. Info you may not have access to except through her effort to keep students, parents, and teachers informed about progress in the schools or lack of  it. Her expertise is well known in several states where her work in data gathering has reversed the downward direction many schools face. We are proud to have her on the "IS" team  and the public is fortunate to have a source of  in-depth "Suffolk School News."

Deborah Wahlstrom is founder and president of Successline Inc, a company that provides training and consulting services to school districts in the areas of student assessment, data-based school improvement, instructional strategies, and curriculum alignment.  Her practical hands-on workshops have been highly acclaimed.  As a past winner of two National School Boards Association awards for 100 Best Curriculum Ideas in the country, Deborah continues to design and deliver only the highest-quality training.  She has also received awards for her work in research and evaluation.  In addition to numerous other honors and recognitions, Deborah received a Distinguished Faculty Award from the Center for Global Business and Executive Education at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia.

Before opening her own business, Deborah taught at the middle school level for Norfolk and Virginia Beach City Public Schools; served as a science specialist at the elementary level for Virginia Beach City Public Schools; served as Director of Research, Evaluation, and Communications for Portsmouth Public Schools; and served as a regional staff development facilitator for the Virginia Department of Education.  Deborah earned her doctorate in Urban Services (Ph.D., 1988) from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia.

Deborah is the author of several books including Practical Ideas for Teaching and Assessing the Virginia SOL, Using Data to Improve Student Achievement, Designing High-Quality Paper-and-Pencil Tests and Designing and Using High-Quality Rubrics for 21st Century Skills.  Additionally, Deborah has produced custom software for high-impact data analysis for the states of Michigan (MI Tracker), Virginia (SOL Tracker), and Pennsylvania (PA Tracker), as well as SMART DATA Golden Packages nationwide.

SNH HAS COURAGE TO TELL IT STRAIGHT

“For years, the parade the city of Suffolk holds during the Christmas season has been the highlight of the city’s holiday events. Folks line the streets along the long parade route to get a look at the bands, the floats, the fire trucks and the other units as they pass by, while they clutch warm cups of coffee and hot chocolate in an attempt to ward off the brisk December temperatures. This year it will  be held at night. During discussions about the topic, the CITY still insists on calling the event a “Holiday Parade,” instead of actually referring to the holiday it has always been meant to celebrate, and that insistence represents a misguided sop to political correctness.”

And we all know that cities cannot speak so which frightened little city employee or weak kneed politically correct committee bowed down to calling it “Holiday Parade?” They join the cowards in this country that would take Christ out of Christmas and everywhere else. They still allow Christ in that den of iniquity called Congress allowing both invocation and benediction each day, even in local Council meetings. We hear nothing from local churches.

AN OLD ADMINISTRATIVE PLOY

There is a trick often used in budgeting. Maybe not a deliberate action, more just overlooked due to inexperience or incompetent auditing. Let’s keep an example of it very simple. A project that might improve the function or appearance of the city appears before Council. They vote for it and the necessary dollars are “budgeted” or “earmarked” by the Treasurer…common business practice. No checks are to be written against that account for anything else. Time goes by…the project never develops. An audit should reveal the projects budgeted dollars are intact. The money had been “earmarked” therefore is now available for some other expense. It might make sense for an auditor to determine if there are such budgeted funds lying around unspent. There is reason to suspect that various city administrations have in the past suddenly pulled rabbits out of a hat causing ripples of happiness among the taxpayers and applause for the administration. On the other hand what if checks had been written on that account for other purposes? There could be many bad reasons for that, all worthy of explanation.

INSANITY

I was unable to attend or watch the Council Meeting and one who did reports this morning that it appears the mil rate will jump 6 to 13 cents to continue the party downtown. This can't be possible except in Suffolk. The average citizen is hurting and it will get worse. Commuting costs are up drastically and will get higher. Everything in the stores costs more. Across the country people are finding ways to do with less. The intelligent side of Congress intends to cut taxes. There is no way to justify increases in the mil rate unless the  Council is out of its collective mind. Most Retirees are being clobbered now.

The above is the attitude to take to city hall next Wednesday when you offer suggestions to cut costs or eliminate jobs.  Ask what city services will be cut if city doesn't get more money, or what plans for costs can be curtailed, like the restored courthouse for the unneeded Tourist Bureau should have been. And the Phoenix bank.  Make them take a hard look at waste if  you can find some. It's your wallet or purse.

# 49 COULD USE SOME HELP

 Bar codes are suddenly an important tool. Perhaps you are fed up with China. Then don’t buy a product beginning with a bar code of 691, 692, or 693. It’s that easy. Feeling a little sympathy for Japan? Then only use barcodes beginning with 49.  Still love your country  United States and Canada? Bar codes beginning with 00 or 09 will get you their products. The rest is up to  you. Bar codes can't lie.                                                                   

691-690-692 ... then it is MADE IN  CHINA
00 - 09 ...   USA   &  CANADA
30 - 37 ...   FRANCE
40 - 44 ...   GERMANY
471  ...  Taiwan
49 ... JAPAN  
50 ...   UK        


So who knows how to read the first three letters without a scanner?

LET THE GAMES BEGIN

This week, the city will take up the task of redrawing its borough boundaries to reflect a dramatic change in its population in the past 10 years. The shifts have brought more people, power and prosperity to the north at the expense of older urban and rural areas to the south.

This week, the city will take up the task of redrawing its borough boundaries to reflect a dramatic change in its population in the past 10 years. The shifts have brought more people, power and prosperity to the north at the expense of older urban and rural areas to the south.

It's a good idea to read this twice (from the Pilot) because what happens here can affect your life. Do you know who is involved in making these important decisions, who elected or appointed them to do it, what info is used to determine the population of a borough, and do you know which borough you live in, many don't. Redrawing boroughs has been known as a cat-fight, and should be covered by newspapers daily .     

REVIVING DOWNTOWN SUFFOLK

Whenever the people of Suffolk talk seriously about restoring or retivalizing our downtown area, a section of Suffolk that has seen more genteel times, they mention restaurants, stores, theatres, bowling alley, quality merchandise, and safe pedestrian traffic on the streets after dark.  Lack of the latter is probably why we don't have more of the former. There are more reasons not to go downtown than reasons to open your wallet there, especially at night, although there is new effort to clean up the dark.

Jump in your car and drive the perimeter of what Andy Damiani calls Washington Square. The financially unfortunate citizens who occupy nearby substandard dwellings are themselves fearful of what might even befall them. The disintegration of those living quarters are the result of time and negligence by the more-often-than-not financially successful owners. The City drags its feet enforcing codes, shutting its eyes to the gradual decline; the beautiful churches and new courthouse in the Square can't offset the intimidating landlord alleys.  It's too late to give existing retail stores a facelift.

No need to discuss parking; we all agree Downtown won't come alive without enough slots handy to whatever could attract more customers. One hope was that Main Street restaurants would benefit from the Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts - show-goers would walk gaily up to Main for a late repast or cocktail.  Try it in broad daylight: if you are old enough to afford tickets, you are probably too old to climb that hill.  So drive up and park where?

Recognizing the folly of, as they say, "putting lipstick on a pig"  - quite honestly and sensibly, might not the efforts of our City Mothers be better directed towards promoting a new shopping, dining and entertainment experience further north in our city - despite the efforts of the struggling merchants who believe they have in spirit been abandoned?

QUAYLE NAMED FIRST CITIZEN

State Sen. Frederick M. Quayle has been named the 2011 First Citizen by the Suffolk ROTARY CLUBS. There’s the rub, probably a committee in each organization met in the corner of the room and decided it had to be someone, “Hey, how about Fred Quayle? Did anyone ask you? Don’t get me wrong, I like the guy, sense of humor, knows his job and a lot of people, wears only tailor made suits. Does his title have everything to do with it? Was Fred the only one that was astounded by the choice? I wonder what the folks in the rest of his jurisdiction think, Chesapeake, Franklin, Portsmouth, Hopewell, Isle of Wight, Prince George, South Hampton, and Surry County. How can he be much beneficial to Suffolk when spread so thin? Past named Suffolk Citizens make up an impressive list of well known and if that were the only criteria Fred had that nailed by 1992. He was due to win; his name appears on important Organization Board of Directors, such as the Cultural Center and of course a member of the Suffolk Rotary. Congratulations big guy, the people’s choice.   

CAREFUL KEVIN HUGHES - PEOPLE CAN BE FIRED FOR LESS

I come from a different time, back when if I could save a dime I would, you know, do it myself. Even laying out a quarter for a three-hour baby sitter was a factor for an evening out, small local restaurant and a movie. Paying someone to wash your dog never crossed anyone’s mind. That was an outdoors Saturday event involving catching the dog, soap and a garden hose. No sane dog would allow a wash in the winter months but today Pet lovers, and sports aficionados will be thrilled with new developments in the Harbour View East shopping center in North Suffolk. Note that now saying “North Suffolk” is acceptable. Saturday and Sunday at Horsespa, you see five-foot-tall women lovingly wash their 1300 pound horses, some little girls standing on a stool to reach and clean “Nightwind’s” ears. Seems to me that grooming is part of having a pet. But for those with a job and money there is Pet Smart, smart being the owners who can supply anything required to raise anything but a dinosaur, illegal in Virginia. And two other stores will require the Mayor’s ceremonial ribbon cutting. Dick’s Sporting Goods and T.J. Maxx from where my wife comes home with only God knows. I’m a bit worried about the effect of Kevin Hughes, Director of Economic Development, statement, “When I look at that entire development, it’s coming together for us,” said Kevin Hughes, director of economic development. “It’s becoming a retail destination for us in Suffolk.” How will the downtown retailers interpret that?

"SUFFOLK LIVING" A GREAT LOCAL MAGAZINE

 Sporting a new hat the editor of the Suffolk News Herald, Res Spears III. said this. “It was nearly two years ago that I heard for the first time about plans for the Suffolk News-Herald to begin publishing a magazine. As a longtime newspaper journalist, I knew approximately nothing about publishing a magazine — except that there was no way we’d ever be able to pull it off.” But this week, the sixth edition of Suffolk Living magazine began appearing on newsstands all around the city. And a quality product it is with great coverage of many interesting subjects. Like most parents we are proud of our kids. Not exactly kids, none of them will ever see 55 again. We were amazed that two of them managed to gain space in Suffolk Living. Daughter Wendy Parker saw her dream pictured in the fifth edition, her 160-acre Horsespa at the bottom end of Crittenden Road where 33 horses live like horses should. Then daughter Leslie Peterfeso, turned up in the sixth edition as the result of head trauma at her home in Russell Point caused by a large falling oak limb. Quick acting husband and local rescue squads decided a ride in the famous Nightengale to Norfolk General was necessary. It is only coincidence that she is employed there. Plenty of drama that day ending when the flying ambulance landed next door in Councilman Duman’s yard. Leslie is nearly fully recovered. No way to get third daughter in Suffolk Living, unfortunately Heidi lives in Virginia Beach.

SO SAYS ABC

In 1952 President Truman established one day a year as a " National  Day of Prayer." In 1988 President Reagan designated the First Thursday in May of each year as the National Day of Prayer. In June 2007 (then) Presidential Candidate Barack Obama declared that the USA "Was no longer a Christian nation."  This year President Obama canceled the 21st annual National Day of Prayer ceremony at the White House under the ruse of "not wanting to offend anyone." BUT... on September 25, 2009  from 4 AM until 7 PM, a National Day of Prayer FOR THE MUSLIM RELIGION was held on Capitol Hill, beside the White House. There were over 50,000 Muslims in D.C. that day. HE PRAYS WITH THE MUSLIMS!  I guess it doesn't matter if "Christians" are offended by this event - we obviously don't count as  anyone" anymore. The direction  this country is headed should strike fear in the heart of every Christian, especially knowing that the Muslim religion believes that if Christians cannot be converted, they should be annihilated. This is not a rumor - go to the website to confirm this.

ANOTHER SIMPLE ANSWER

My god no, do not allow city officials, or any new body they may create, take over administration of our airport. Let an investigation take as long as the ten years it has operated in the red but do not allow the current distaff  "leaders" any where near such a power grab. Their attention has obviously not been focused on the airport or the hapless situation Kent Marshall has been forced to endure. Is there no way to determine why the airport pens contain only red ink. There have been, over those years, personnel changes in the commission with a few internal arguments but scant improvements. It appeared for years that our Council did not realize we had an airport. There have been  a few changes but up until recently the main effort has been to keep progress even for blacks and whites. Perhaps Duman, a businessman can breathe some life into the airport. Perhaps Council will allow the airport manager to speak his mind. Roger Leonard tried his best to make a difference but found a stone wall in his path. There are no chapters in the books read by our City Manager and Mayor about how to run an airport. City officials dilly dallying  allowed us to lose an airplane museum to Va.Beach. And the Fighter Factory.         

A SIMPLE ANSWER

An “IS” reader asks if there is some way to honor veterans before they have died. I would suggest a visit to any veteran hospital that allows the public to talk to patients. It might be too much for some folks to see World War II veterans that have been patients since 1941. Or talk to young military men whose lives were changed forever when a sliver of metal entered their body in a battle fought somewhere.  These unlucky persons sometimes “pay” for the rest of their life.

Another way to reward old veterans is to encourage conversation. Many have seen or been to hell and may now be ready to talk about it. Some never will but give them an opportunity. When I came home from Europe not one person asked where I had been for three years, what I had seen and done. Now no one can shut me up. I’d be delighted to address high school classes or any group that had an interest in history. Many still doubt that that chapters of the bible were written by the disciples. Our blog/website “IS” contains several War stories I have written to provide a non-technical story of an eighteen-year old boy’s war experience. My mind is still crammed with accounts of how it really was but the words will probably never make it to paper. I am honored whenever anyone expresses an interest in what our generation accomplished. I believe any veteran feels the same way. Time is slipping away: 3724 are now at rest in the Horton veteran cemetery.

I HOPE YOU WILL PARTICIPATE AND DO YOUR PART

The President ordered the cabinet to bite the bullet and cut $100 million from the $3.5 trillion federal budget. I'm so impressed by this sacrifice that I have decided to do the same thing with my personal budget.  I spend about $2000 a month on groceries, household expenses, medicine, utilities, etc, but it's time to get out the budget cutting axe, go through my expenses, and cut back. I'm going to cut my spending at exactly the same ratio, 1/35,000 of my total budget.  After doing the math, it looks like instead of spending $2000 a month; I'm going to have to cut that number by six cents.  Yes, I'm going to have to get by with $1999.94, but that's what sacrifice is all about.  I'll just have to do without some things, that are, frankly, luxuries. (Did the president actually think no one would do the math? As I said before, the man is an IDIOT!!) From AC 

ANTI-POVERTY STOP ORG STOPPED

Doors sealed, business closed as investigators study corruption. STOP  is broke. The largest anti-poverty agency in the area is gone except for uncovering the financial mess. STOP was recently named as the agency to occupy the Norfolk approved Midtown office complex, a black developers dream. It was to be subsidized by Norfolk if Stop became a major tenant. It appears corrupt black managers have cost Norfolk over $l00 million but, strangely the failure has not stopped Norfolk from offering very nice “Golden Parachutes to leaving employees. So the needy went without but some ex-employees gained a $100,000 each.

THE LAST OF THEIR KIND

WASHINGTON — Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., released the following statement upon the death of Mr. Frank Buckles.  Until his death at age 110, Mr. Buckles was the oldest surviving U.S. World War I veteran, having entered the Army at age 16.  He served in England and France during the war; first as a car and ambulance driver and later as an escort for returning German POWs.  Frank passed away in his hometown of Charles Town, West Virginia located in Congresswoman Capito’s Congressional District:

“Mr. Buckles represented the very best of this great country — service, determination and patriotism.  His life spanned over some of the greatest victories and tribulations in American history, from the Great Depression to two World Wars to the invention the internet, reminding us of the immense progress we have made as a nation.  The last ‘doughboy,’ Frank will continue to inspire future generations as history will remember him as a humble and compassionate public servant.  For the last decade, Frank dedicated his life to ensuring all those who served in the ‘War To End All Wars’ were properly remembered through a national memorial in Washington, DC.   He will always have a special place in the hearts of West Virginians.  Charlie and I send our thoughts and prayers to his daughter, Susannah, and the Buckles family.”

Capito plans to introduce legislation later today to authorize Frank Buckles to lie in honor in the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol.

Why not? His family already has special permission to bury his remains at Arlington. He represents the last of the best.

They went with songs to the battle, they were young.
Straight of limb, true of eyes, steady and aglow.

NOT FAR FROM THE TRUTH

Some time this year we are expected to receive another Stimulus check from Obama. Some ask, “Whatthehellisastimuluscheck?” Well, its money that the Federal government will send to taxpayers. Where will the government get this money?  From the taxpayers, silly. So the government is giving me back my own money. Only a smidgen of it. What is the purpose of this money? The  purpose of this plan is to get you to purchase a high-definition TV set thus stimulating the economy. But isn’t that stimulating the economy of China?  Shut up. No, I won’t, if I spend the money at Walmart it will go to China or Sri Lanka. If I spend it on gasoline it will go to the Arabs, If I buy a computer the money goes to India, Taiwan, or China. If I buy fruit and vegetables it goes to Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala. If I buy an efficient car it will go to Japan or Korea. If I buy useless stuff it will go to Taiwan. If I pay off my credit cards or buy stock it will go to management bonuses and they will hide it offshore. I’ll just spend it at local yard sales, ball games, maybe a fancy lady, or beer, maybe even a tattoo. These are the only American businesses still operating in this country. Hey, come to think of it I could take that tattooed prostitute I saw at the yard sale to a ball game, have a beer or two and be a real patriot.
From AC