Browsing: Commentary

My wife and I were out and about the other day, and she wanted to go to Marshall’s. As we were sitting at the light, on Meadowdale, I noticed flowers and what not, on the other side of the intersection, indicating that someone had probably lost their life. I said to Becky, “I wonder what happened there?” Becky had actually seen this on the news, and knew the details. Let me start by saying: I did not know the people involved in this horrific crash, but I took time to pray over everyone involved. As I heard the story of…

Hello and welcome back to the wonderful world of the Dogpound. If my calendar is correct, which it is sometimes, we have a holiday coming up, Labor Day.  The really good news is that there are some places that are actually open this time, even if they are only partly open. I think it would be a great time to go to places that are usually packed wall to wall with people, like Disneyland. The last time I was there was so long ago. I think it was in July because it was very hot and they had these mist…

To the Editor: Flooding at Chester Road and Centralia has occurred twice in recent weeks. Run-off on the Great Branch Creek on the lower part of my property in Wellington Farms has doubled since the construction at Iron Mill. This month another large development on Womack Road of at least 70+ single family homes (with future potential of many more) is coming before the PC, which could lead to additional runoff into the Great Branch Swamp area. One home that backs up to this swamp has lost most (96% RPA) of its lot to the increased water levels. How can Environmental improve controls…

As some may still be dealing with the flooding that occurred over the weekend of Aug. 15, I would ask, did we learn anything? Anytime that 5 to 10 inches of rain falls in a relatively short period of time, there will be flash and/or long-term flooding. It is not often that we experience this heavy amount of rain, but it has happened, meaning that we must always be prepared for it. Prior to this weekend, the last big rain event was during Tropical Storm Gastone, which stalled over Central Virginia. We saw some of the same effects on that…

Hello and welcome back to the wonderful world of the Dogpound. If my calendar is correct, sometimes it is, we are almost ready to celebrate Labor Day; however, unfortunately, at this time, there will not be a lot of labor to celebrate. We are coming back from COVID 19 and it will take time and we will have to show some patience. So anyway, what else is going on? Well, I can add a new critter to my list…I have a mommy possum running around by the apple trees.  I am guessing she is going after the apples that have…

To the Editor: The 7000-plus registered watercraft owners in Chesterfield have tolerated a dangerous, antiquated open river ramp at Dutch Gap for too many years! Plans for a replacement ramp, per Chesterfield County Parks and Rec supervisor Stuart Connock, are for the Falling Creek entrance on the James River directly on the open water of the James. Most Chesterfield boaters desire a safer downriver location, away from the Osborne ramp, closer to Hopewell. We also want an off-main-river loading ramp like Osborne. The Capitol Region Land Conservancy and Chesterfield Parks and Rec have 153 acres on the James at the old Brown…

You may say, “Pete, you are a day late and a dollar short,” but I thought that I would write about tropical systems that occasionally visit us in Central Virginia. The rains of Hurricane Isaias are falling, as I write this. While serving as a firefighter, I always wanted to be on duty when a weather event was occurring. I cannot remember all of the named storms that I worked through, but the most memorable were Fran and Isabel. Both of these were 30-call days, running every type of call that you can imagine. As I watched the path of…

Hello and welcome back to the wonderful world of the Dogpound. I just finished my last week of furlough No. 4 from my job, which started back in April. Each week that I was forced off, I picked a major project to do. During the first three weeks, I have painted both of the small bedrooms, the hallway and kitchen, then the master bedroom. Obviously, painting has been my main theme so far, and to finish up I decided to also paint my deck.No surprise here! I have a rather large deck, probably about 30 x 50, so that is…

As I was thinking about reminding my readers about the dangers of leaving a child or pet in a hot car, I read about an 8-month old died in a hot car. People in Chesapeake do not read my articles, so I can only impact the ones who do. My heart breaks over a death of this nature. It was completely and unequivocally preventable. There is no excuse for leaving a child or pet in a non-running vehicle ever. Temperatures have been soaring, making the temperature in a non-running vehicle high enough to kill a person or a pet. There…

Hello and welcome back to the wonderful world of the Dogpound. It seems there is never a dull moment around here. If it were dull, then these articles would be very boring. At least, I pray, they keep you awake long enough to finish the article.  It is very difficult to get newsprint off your face. Trust me! LOL. Anyway, I fell into the bathtub the other day. Yes, “into,” is correct. My master bathroom is pretty large; it has a double sink, linen closet, a huge shower, and a large bathtub located right behind the double sinks. I was…

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