To the Editor: “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord. (Jeremiah 29:13-14) During the coronavirus pandemic, we constantly hear of the rapid spread of this disease and the problems it is causing throughout the world. We are now instructed to stay in our homes, if possible, then we must stay at least six feet away from anyone outside with us. Soon masks may…
Browsing: Commentary
As we journey forward in this “Stay At Home” initiative, I read a fire officer’s writeup stating that the number of residential fires could be on the increase. The pressure placed on properly operating equipment is greater than normal. Cooking at home has become the norm, rather than the exception. Curious children who may decide to experiment with fire must be watched 24-7. Houses burn at all hours of the day and night, but the probability goes up with these unusual circumstances. What this means is that during the day more fires are possible, but with people at home, the…
Hello and welcome back to strange new world of the Dogpound. If the virus bug has not gotten you yet (and we pray that it never enters your house), then you must have gone buggy by now with all the 24-7 news about the virus. You cannot turn on the radio or television or even look at your emails without virus this and virus that. With that being said, let’s jump ahead as to what our near future might look like. There was that terrible sound, the “whoop! whoop” followed by the red and blue lights flashing in my rear…
To the Editor: The middle of a global pandemic may not seem like the best time to open a bus route, but for many who live along Jefferson Davis Highway in Chesterfield County, GRTC’s new Route 111 between John Tyler Community College and Richmond is a lifeline, just when they need it most. The neighborhoods along Route 1 have some of the lowest rates of vehicle ownership in an otherwise car-centric county. Residents’ only option has been to walk or bike along the gutter of a treacherous four-lane highway. Commuting to and from work I witness such dangerous scenes every…
What a difference a few short weeks make. Their were rumors flying that we would not be able to leave South Africa on March 13, but we did with no incident. We then learned that they were going to close the South African border the following Wednesday, which I do not know that they did. What I do know is that South African Airways cancelled all international flights Friday, March 20. Our world, our nation, our state and our county have changed drastically, in a matter of days. I read an article from Swaziland, where nurses are protesting, causing patients…
Hello and welcome back to the wonderful world of the Dogpound. If my timing is correct, then we just passed April 1…”April Fool’s Day.” Did you get pranked? Did you prank someone? Seems to be kind of a dying art these days. However, I kind of got pranked, but not in the way you might think. At work I have a Flexible Savings Account, and each year we have to sign up. I dutifully submitted my claims, but after several weeks, there were no responses, which was unusual, then I got an email notice that my claims were denied. To…
By Del. Carrie Coyner Since the conclusion of the House Session, the Commonwealth of Virginia has been overwhelmed by the impact of the COVID-19 virus, and our office has attempted to respond quickly to anyone with questions or needs. We have also provided updates as necessary to those affected by closures or restrictions issued by the governor. Our House office will remain open to provide support to constituents. Our No. 1 priority is to keep people well. We are also very sensitive to the impact that this is having on families, individuals, businesses, and our local governments. We continue to…
When Chesterfield County schools announced recently that students would be out of classes for a month, several concerns crossed my thoughts. The coronavirus was a concern for elderly citizens in the community. The additional pressing matter of interest was that the education in public schools was at a standstill. Personally, for me, all of my extracurricular activities have been postponed for an undisclosed amount of time. In spite of my doubts, I was pleasantly surprised that those matters have not become a reality. My grandparents have remained healthy at this time. I have experienced less stress over academic due dates…
I have just returned from South Africa, where I led a team of six, including myself, through the journey. In many ways, this trip was easy because we went to a place that I had been many times before. My team was made up of two that had been before and four that had not. Our pre-trip planning was as much about sharing what they should expect as it was in training them about their task. I had one new team member tell me, while we were there, that I had done a good job preparing them for this journey. I…
Hello and welcome back to the Dogpound, where, if you are not sick, you are scared, and maybe you might be both. Please do not get me wrong, I am not dismissing the virus, but since I was a pup, we have always heard warnings about the yearly flu season, how we needed to be careful this winter season, and how the shots we got for the last flu bug will no longer protect us from the current flu bug that was making its rounds. This is how crazy it is getting. The leading news topic was that we reported…