Council broke faith?

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Shame on you Roanoke Rapids City Council. The vote not to honor the contract you developed for Parks and Recreation Director Chris Wicker shows exactly what is wrong with this community and what is wrong with City Council. The contract was backed by the city manager you just hired and by all but one of you at the last meeting prior to the election. There is not a harder worker or more honorable person in this community than Mr. Wicker. The city would be lucky to have his services. Whether you meant to or not, your behavior and vote shouted out politics and behind-the-scenes deals and vendettas. You picked the wrong person to pick on this time. This reflects on you, not Mr. Wicker. It’s just poor leadership. No discussion. No reasons. Just a vote. What a way to go out. At least you gave the voters more reasons to realize how right they were in the election.

Thoughts on helping young people

I grew up on a farm and for the first seven years of my life attended a two-room schoolhouse with three or four grades to a room. I managed to get a college degree and eventually became a vice president of a major corporation. How could a child raised on farm, whose early education cast the town where he lived only a very small amount per year, have succeeded in his academic life? No question, it was his parents and grandparents who taught him to study, taught him the value of education and through their interest helped develop his mind. That is what we need in education today here in the Roanoke Valley, not more money for fancier schools, more teachers or more administrators. We need more interest and help from parents. But how do those parents learn what they need to do and how to do it? I recently read an article about an area where the local community college started evening courses for training parents on how to help and direct their children in education and life development. Based on my life experience, I can’t think of a more valuable evening course that our community college could offer. With loving interest from parents armed with how-to-do-it training from the college, the lives of many of our young people could be a boost to success.

Nice nurses

I would like to thank the nurses on the third floor for all the kindness and niceness they gave me.

Honoring our vets

It was a great idea for Applebee’s to honor our veterans and it would have been nice if other businesses had done the same … I am a veteran’s wife and am so appreciative of all the men and women who have served our nation.