SCALE BACK LAUREL’S JULY 4 EVENT

For some 20 years Laurel has sponsored an annual town-wide 4th of July event. Once the largest 4th of July celebration, the last years have seen a reduction in crowds and vendors.

A special seven-member committee that has been overseeing the coordination of the event is recommending several changes to include:

Eliminate the July 3rd Block Party; move the parade from morning to around 5 p.m.; have a band perform n Market Square Park following the parade until the fireworks begin around dusk; allow a limited number of vendors to set up in the area of Market Square Park and Central Avenue around 4 p.m. prior to the parade, and to end the evening with a fireworks display.

I don’t think the vendors are going spend the time and money to set up for a couple hours, even food vendors.

What the committee didn’t say, is most town employees had to give up the day to be with their families to make sure the all day event went well. Not fair to them.

The event has been a pet project of Mayor John Shwed, but even he had to admit attendance has been falling off, and in the past few years the heat on that day has been a killer.

I think the committee’s recommendation is right on target. Times change, unless someone has a better plan, Laurel’s Mayor and Council should heed the committees recommendations.

DEAR GOP IN CONGRESS

Dear GOP in Congress. I know you don’t like the president. Wait, let me rephrase that. I know you hate the president. He’s beaten you twice, but get over it, don’t punish America because of your hatred.

You’re holding immigration over his head because he made an executive decision to keep immigrant families living in American with American born parents or children from staying in this country and you are willing to tear apart these families because he signed an executive order?

Dear GOP, did you complain when Presidents, IKE, Reagan, Bush, G.W. Bush did the same thing by giving animosity to immigrants? Did you try to shut down the government during their administration?

Statistics show allowing these American born immigrant families amnesty as other Republican presidents did will fuel the economy by allowing them to come out of their shadow and be productive, working better jobs, and starting their own businesses.

God forbid if the GOP had acted this way when my illegal immigrant dad came to this country, where would I be today?

Have you ever tried to pass an immigration bill? One had passed the Senate when the Democrats were in control. Now you are in control. Pass a bi-partisan bill and the president will sign it.

You are willing to lay off 30,000 American workers and put another 100,000 working without pay. You work for nothing and try to pay your mortgage, a car, send your kids to college and buy food. See how you like it. You all say how much you love God and Country; well, protect us.

Homeland Security also includes DEMA. What are you going to do if their is a major disaster in this country? Oh I know, blame Obama for his lack of response time. You are so good at shifting the blame to the president.

Dear GOP; let’s stop the spiting, the hatred, and get on with business for all Americans not just your selfish interest.

SEVERE WEATHER CONDITIONS FOR SUSSEX COUNTY

HAZARDOUS WEATHER CONDITIONS
· Winter Weather Advisory in effect from February 25, 10:00 PM EST until February 26, 01:00 PM EST

· Hazardous Weather Outlook is in effect

Today Sunny, with a high near 38. West wind 8 to 13 mph.

Tonight Snow likely, mainly after 4am. Increasing clouds, with a low around 22. Light and variable wind becoming northeast 5 to 10 mph after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible.

Thursday Snow, mainly before 10am. High near 30. North wind 7 to 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible.

Thursday Night Cloudy, with a low around 18. North wind 5 to 7 mph.

Friday Mostly cloudy, with a high near 31. North wind 8 to 13 mph.

Friday Night Mostly cloudy, with a low around 14.

SECOND PERSON FILES FOR LAUREL SCHOOL BOARD

With the Laurel School Board Election almost 3 months away, two candidates have filed for the 5-yr seat now held by Brent Nichols.

Nichols has re-filed; today Kim Trivits also filed to challenge Nichols.

NO TOWN ELECTION IN LAUREL THIS YEAR

Again their will be no town election next month in Laurel as the filing deadline has closed.

Mayor for life John Shwed is again unopposed.

Only one vacancy existed, that of Council President Terri Wright who declined to run citing health reasons. She is being replaced by newcomer Cheryl Martin for the 4th ward seat. .

Randy Lee said he would not run again if someone qualified stepped up; no one did so he filed for his seat in the 1st ward.

Councilman-at-Large Chris Calio is once again unopposed.

LAUREL SCHOOL BOARD BUYS OUT EWALD’S CONTRACT

The Laurel School Board recently passed a resolution relieving John Ewald of Superintendent responsibilities effective March. His remaining contract time which expires at the end of the school year will be bought out by the district.

Current principal at Delmar High School, and local graduate Shaw Larrimore has been hired to replace Ewald. He will begin working part time while fulfilling the remainder of his Delmar contract and is already assuming some responsibilities.

Effective July 1, 2015, Ashley Giska, currently the Delmar H.S. principal, will become Laurel’s assistant Superintendent.

Effective March 2, two administrators will be relocated into different schools.

One administrators contractor was not renewed her contract remains through June 30, 2016.

Since the new Superintendent’s position was not advertised the question if often asked if it is a state requirement to advertise. The board put the question to their attorney who advised the board there is not a code section nor rule or regulation that requires any Delaware board of education to advertise for a superintendent position. It is the boards decision whether to advertise.

Larrimore is not being paid by the Laurel District for the time he is spending after his school hours at Delmar for working in the Laurel system until he comes on full time. He is working daily with administrators and has reduced the number of people working in the administrative office, and is currently working on a new organization chart to reduce duplication of administrators and in come areas putting a single person overseeing two areas of supervision to cut costs. Maybe some of the extra money can be used to hire more teachers or purchase more supplies for the teachers.

ARE YOU A CHRISTIAN OR THINK YOU ARE

I’m getting fed up with the many self proclaimed Christians who don’t know squat about Christianity.

I have been writing a series of columns for the STAR regarding my dads efforts to become a member of his community after coming to Laurel in 1934 and the obstacles he had to over come.

First he was an Italian Immigrant with a thick accent in a predominately white American community; strike number one.

And he was a Catholic in a predominately Methodist community where Catholics at that time were devils with horns; strike number two.

He even endured a brick thrown through his store window with a ‘get out of town’ note attached to it like in the old Western movies.

He over came all of that prejudice and became a successful businessman and community member.

This is 2015, 79 years after my dad settled in Laurel; you’d think people would be better educated. Well apparently not.

A TV anchor doing the news Wednesday evening bore a black cross on her forehead, ashes celebrating Ash Wednesday, a day of fasting, the first day of Lent in Western Christianity.

The next morning, like ground hogs who pop out of the ground not having a clue what is going on, so-called “Christians” on the popular morning talk show where idiots show their ignorance, made un-Christian remarks regarding her ashes, and proceeded to give their knowledge of what a ‘true’ Christian is.

Derogative remarks reminding me of 1934 were made of the Catholic faith. Some idiots proclaimed if you were a Catholic you were not a Christian. Apparently even the host of the show didn’t know because he made no attempt to correct the idiots.

For my idiot Christians who proclaim to know all, the Catholic Church was one of the first religions to be recognized as a Christians when such information was recorded in the New Testament 30 AD.

And to those idiots, try letting the motor in your brain, if you have one, start before the motor in your mouth.

JEB BUSH: I’M MY OWN MAN

Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, son to George Bush, Sr. and brother to Jr. Bush is trying to become the 3rd in his family to become President of the United States, as if we need another Bush in the White House.

Probably realizing the poor job they both did as President, Jeb is divorcing himself from the failed policies of his family members by saying although he loves them both…and his mom, he is his own man. That is supposed not to guarantee us another failed economy?

Young Jeb has forgotten an interview sitting with his brother during the Iraq fiasco when his brother was being criticized for the missing WMD’s and sending out troops into a conflict we had no business being involved in, the poor economy and Jeb saying he was not going to be one to be critical of big brothers failed policies but was supportive of Jr.

Yes Virginia, blood is thicker than water.

TIME TO DROP DELAWARE’S RACE TO THE TOP

Give it up Governor Markell, the Federal Governments educational Race To the Top is a failure and needs to be replaced with common sense education called, “Think out of the Box”.

The Industrial Revolutions and the greatest inventions have come from Americans who experimented, failed and tried again, not from men who were programed to take state tests and not think for themselves.

Besides like most Federal programs too much of Race to the Top’s millions have gone to state bureaucracy
and too little has actually helped teachers in classrooms.

Delaware was one of the first states to win Race to the Top money from the U.S. Department of Education , and received about $119 million for a host of educational initiatives.

The grant will soon expire and now DOE wants the already financially strapped state to kick in $7.5 million to keep the program going.

Maybe if we saw some results, but test scores are not much different than when the program began. Kids have become trained puppets knowing nothing more than what is on the state tests.

Time to move on Governor and go back to the basics of education; writing, reading and arithmetic. And add some programs for teaching respect and discipline.

A CURE FOR AGING?

I have read two articles in the past week of an experimental drug to prevent aging. An experiential mouse, God bless these rodents, called Mouse UT2598 has been taking a compound call rapamycin, appears to slow aging and the damage it can do, at least to certain cells.

Mouse UT shows his liver and heart function as if they were far younger, and his tendons have more spring and flexibility than they should at his age.

There’s also less evidence of tumors in his organs than is considered normal, so he cold be spared the effects of cancer for quite a while longer.

Placed along side or other mice his age, and the contrasts is unmistakable.

Like many inventions this drug came from testing for another use. How long it will take before the drug is tested on humans one can only guess, and then if successful testing my the FDA before it can be marketed. A good thing is rapamycin works no matter how old you are.

The downside is how much will this drug costs, covered by insurance, and can they make enough of it?