Browsing: Commentary

This past weekend’s snowfall, like most significant snowfalls brings up questions for many gardeners about winter preparedness. One question that is often asked after a few inches of snow is “will it damage my plants”? Or “should I remove the snow from my plants”? The answer is not a simple yes or no. Many popular evergreens such as juniper, arborvitae, Leyland cypress, and some varieties of holly have multiple leaders or stems. Snow can accumulate on the individual leaders and cause them to be weighed down and disfigured or even break. This does not mean you need to rush around…

I know of three fires, in single-family dwellings with attached garages that have resulted in fatalities, in Chesterfield County alone. The fires that I am thinking about have spanned a number of years, the most recent was a few Sundays ago, but all had devastating results. Each one of these fires was horrific to the families that lost loved ones, so I will not speak of any one of these fires as being worse than any other. In addition to these fatal fires, there have been fires in homes, with attached garages, that have destroyed those homes. Do we stop…

Hi and welcome back to the wonderful world of the Dogpound. There is an old saying…that goes like this….”Everything changes but everything remains the same.” We are in a New Year but I still need to spend 30 minutes on the phone with my current television provider because they cannot leave my cable rates alone. Translation…they increased my rates….again…just like they have done for the past two years…every 6 months like clockwork. And likewise every, 6 months I challenge them. In this round….as usual…I ask them if there is anything they can do to keep me as a customer…or do…

As we approach January, I have been hit with a realization. My boy is going to be starting middle school this year. I don’t know how we got to this point. I truly feel like it was just yesterday that he was walking into preschool without me, and not looking back. I remember feeling bereft then, knowing that he was beginning his own journey, one that did not include me. I know that sounds very dramatic, but in reality it’s true. The minute they leave you behind at the door of the preschool, they are starting a life of their…

Christmas was on Sunday and there have been three kitchen fires that made the news, with more that we, the unknowing public, were not aware of. What will it take to get people to understand? I have commented, many times before, that the people who live through these fires have probably not read my articles, but that is not always the case. This time of the year offers more distractions, with the fact that more cooking than usual is taking place. Why are unattended, cooking-related fires the leading cause across America? The obvious answer is that the three necessary components…

Khris Lane, Basketball Meadowbrook High School R-Junior at Longwood University After starting his career high school basketball career at Meadowbrook, Lane ventured to Benedictine. Now he’s landed at Longwood by way of Drexel. The Big South and Lancers fans have been put on notice. Lane has averaged 14.2 points per game, a figure good for second on the team. The 6-6, 245-pound wing recently poured in 20 points in a Lan Kavon Waller, Basketball Thomas Dale High School Junior at Delaware State University Since roaming the courts for Thomas Dale and picking up All-Central District honors,…

Hello and welcome to the first edition for another new year from the Dogpound. As of this writing the ringing in of 2017 is still a week away but based on the crying and gnashing of teeth, you would have thought Armageddon had just been announced and we need to cancel the New Year. We have been through a lot worse things…so let’s all of us pull up our big girl and boy pants… generate positive vibes versus negative vibes…avoid all of the fake news [which there is a lot of] and strive to make the world a better place…

To the Editor: In reference to Gena Lashley’s Column “A Process” Dec. 14, 2016: My mom and I read your article. We wanted to let you know you are NOT alone in your thoughts and feelings about Mr. Trump. From the moment he announced his intention to run for president, we began to feel anxiety and dread. To this day, those feelings have not changed. We also fear for the future of our country. It is great that you are not standing by and doing nothing. By the way, you are not the only one with some Trump supporters in…

In defense of public schools To the Editor: I started reading with interest the Village News editorial about school vouchers. After making it all the way to the second paragraph, my interest quickly turned to disbelief. I’m not aware that you’ve actually visited many of the schools you grossly misrepresent, but the picture you paint through the statements you made do not represent the schools I see in your coverage area. Village News: “Currently we know that schools in areas with families of lesser incomes have children with less opportunities and poor grades.” I’ll start with a Title I school…

I have written many times about your need to have a practiced home escape plan. This article will address other exits for when the primary exit is blocked. We all want to use a doorway to enter and exit our home and we even have a particular door that we want to use. The point of this article will be to consider all exit points as viable ways of getting out of your house in a fire. Because it is Christmas, many people have added a larger fuel load, in the way of live trees and packages. We have also…

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