Promotion ceremony lacks social distancing
I would like to commend the teachers of Mountainview Elementary School for finishing a challenging school year successfully. My daughter (and I) had a great experience with remote learning. The teachers were organized and accessible. The lessons and assignments were clear and well-planned. She learned new material and was engaged by some creative assignments.
Given this commendable response to the shutdown, I was surprised, disappointed and, frankly, horrified, when I arrived at the 5th grade promotion ceremony on May 22 and saw not one mask and no social distancing among the teachers and administrators as they handed out certificates and took photos. There was no hand sanitizer available. This is how a pandemic revs up again to full and lethal proportions.
Public health experts agree that we must social distance and wear masks, even as we relax the stay-at-home order. Only with these measures, plus hand washing, testing and contact tracing, will we prevent the need for another shutdown. Only with these precautions will we save lives.
Why reverse the success of the school closing with a lack of commonsense guidelines for resuming contact among families, students, teachers and staff? Mask wearing protects the wearer less than those around him or her. In not wearing masks, the teachers and administrators are putting my child, me, my family — and yours — in danger.
It requires a culture shift to regularize the protective measures needed to keep the curve flat and send it on a downward trajectory. The personnel of Monongalia County Schools can and must model this cultural shift.
Until there is a vaccine available to all, we must protect each other by observing the commonsense recommendations for engaging. I ask the school system to please put in place policies for safer student-teacher contact going forward.
Gwen Bergner
Morgantown
White-collar elitism against reopening
We pride ourselves in our rejection of prejudice and bigotry — at least politically incorrect prejudice and bigotry, but politically correct prejudice and bigotry is alive and well. Disappointedly, it shows up on The Dominion Post editorial pages all too frequently, like editorials from the elitist leftwing Leonard Pitts, who writes a column for the Miami Herald. Why The Dominion Post editors choose to publish this man’s bigotry and prejudice is beyond me.
Exhibit A is his editorial in the Tuesday, April 28, 2020, edition titled “I Will Not Die of Stupid.” The editorial was a very mean-spirited, ugly attack on people who want the country opened up as soon as possible.
He trashed blue-collar working people across the country, which includes most West Virginians. He showed no consideration or compassion at all for the economic suffering of so many blue-collar people who have been laid off and who genuinely want to go back to work. Instead, he called them “TV carnival barkers, political halfwits and goobers in MAGA hats.” The picture accompanying the editorial showed an old beat up truck with some rather overweight, ignorant looking “goobers” demanding we get the economy open again.
Mr. Pitts’ income may be secure as he (presumably) sits safely in his home, spewing his mean spirited bigotry, but blue-collar working people are suffering terribly.
One of the major problems this country faces is the bigotry of white-collar elitists who lack respect for blue-collar people who hold different cultural values. The question I have is: Why do the editors publish this white-collar elitist bigotry? Are they such progressive elitists that they don’t see the bigotry and prejudice in this man’s editorials that so frequently trash West Virginians who read The Dominion Post?
Michael K. Callen
Morgantown
Library provides books, activities for community
Pop Quiz:
What Morgantown institution received more visitors than the WVU men and women’s basketball games? The Morgantown Public Library. Yes, indeed. Nearly 227,000 people visited one of the Morgantown Public Library branches in 2019.
Where can you touch a sheep’s brain, pet a pony and observe an owl and a hawk in person? The Morgantown Public Library.
Where do Wonder Woman and Elsa make annual appearances in Morgantown? The Morgantown Public Library. Over 10,000 kids attended children’s events this past year.
Where can your teenagers play Dungeons & Dragons, learn how to write fanfiction and watch movies? The Morgantown Public Library. Over 1,000 teenagers attended events at the library this past year.
Where can you learn about local genealogy and history? Check out the Aull Center, a part of the library system.
What about audiobooks and
e-books? The Morgantown Public Library has them. The library has had an 80% increase in digital library materials usage since 2015.
Who partners with Monongalia County Schools, providing middle school students with the opportunity to get a library card? The Morgantown Public Library. In 2019, there were over 2,000 new library cards issued, in part, thanks to partnering with the school system.
What about the books? Yes, the library even has books. The annual total circulation, 320,000 items, is equal to every Monongalia County resident checking out three items every year.
In the midst of the pandemic, the library has continued to serve the community. Online access to digital books continues and library cards are still being issued. Children’s story times continue on Facebook every week.
How did you do on the quiz? There’s one final chance to win it all. Will you vote to support the library levy on June 9? For all we receive from the library, the levy costs only $5.40 per year on a house with a $100,000 assessed property valuation. That is it! I urge you to join me in voting to support the library levy.
*All the facts about the library were provided by the MPLS.
Audra Slocum
Morgantown
Fire levy is taxpayer money well spent
Once again, I am asking the voters of Monongalia County to support the Monongalia County Volunteer Fire levy. This fire levy supports 12 Volunteer Fire Departments, the Mon County Hazardous Incident Response Team, the Mon County Brush Fire Team and the Fire Association.
In 2016 when the coal severance tax was declining, the County Commission decided on levies to support the volunteer fire departments, county transportation, parks and recreation and the libraries. The voters were supportive and passed the levies. Thank you, voters!
The current fire levy ends on June 30, 2021. The fire levy that is being voted on now is for four years and would begin July 1, 2021, and run until June 30, 2025. Even though the fire departments requested a 3% increase for the second, third and fourth years, the rate to property owners has not increased.
The current fire levy has been so beneficial to all the volunteer fire departments, the Hazardous Incident Response Team, the Brush Fire Team and the Fire Association. It has helped finance the purchase of newer fire trucks, equipment, bunker gear, SCBAs, repairs and remodeling to department buildings. Fire levy money was also used to pay for insurance, utilities, worker’s compensation, communication equipment and training.
This money is essential for the volunteer fire departments to continue serving the residents of Monongalia County. I am asking voters to please vote for the fire levy. Help us help you!
Sandra Sue Christopher
Mon County Volunteer Fire Companies Association
Morgantown
In support of Sandy Holepit for Magistrate
The election season is upon us and the fury of political signage is at best litter on our beautiful landscape here in West Virginia, although an acknowledgeable necessity in some minds. The current display of bullying tactics regarding the placement of political signage is out of bounds for the good people of Monongalia County.
Most of us only want to know that their favored candidates are running but are questioning the need to intentionally bully other candidates. If you are going to sit in judgment of me, I want to vote for someone to judge me who displays a particular quality of being “above reproach” and honest and — equally important — self-controlled.
We all watched with confusion as it appeared the local authorities in Georgia displayed nepotism, privilege and prejudice against the black jogger, Ahmaud Arbery. Prejudice and harassment toward people including the elderly, LGBTQ+, minorities, the disabled and political candidates is with us today (take it or leave it, but it has no place in public office, especially with regards to our judges. Harassment, dishonest intent and corruption starts with bullying and goes on to damage our public agencies and cost huge amounts of taxpayers’ money.
If you are asking for my vote and to sit in judgment of me, answer the most basic question: Do you have the right to judge others based on examples you display for your own life? Do you respect the laws that keep us all safe and civil as we try to go through our lives? In other words, are you a model citizen, and can I trust and respect you if I give you my vote?
Sandy Holepit is running for Magistrate Judge for Monongalia County. I know Sandy’s character enough to say that she is honest, fair and trustworthy. She has no conflicts to compromise her judgments. We need to keep Sandy Holepit as judge of Magistrate Court, and she will continue to serve us all as she has in her past years of service.
Terry Bearce
Morgantown
In support of Michael Simms for circuit court
Michael Simms brings balance, experience and help and hope for veterans and their families. A Veterans Treatment Court will provide eligible veterans with evidence-based solutions that can keep them from re-offending, and help them transition back to living productive, healthy lives.
Balance is a must. Most judges have background in prosecution. Simms owns a solo practice in Morgantown. He stated that when we stack the bench with former prosecutors, we lose the diversity of perspective that is essential to equal justice under the law. A sound judiciary requires a wide range of backgrounds and experiences — it promotes public confidence in the legitimacy of the courts and enriches judicial decision-making. And I agree.
As an assessment conference specialist with the MESA Department of Labor, I conducted hearings enforcing the mining laws with attorneys for coal. Facts, transparency, rules of law, balance and experience matter.
I cannot vote for Scott or Scudiere — they are against bringing us a Veterans Treatment Court.
As a Vietnam veteran in 1968, I got my B.A. in psychology. I ask, why would anyone not bring hope and help to veterans and their families? Gov. Justice said, “We owe everything to our veterans and I mean everything!”
And for someone to steal the sign I put up “Elect Michael Simms Circuit Court Judge” is a crime against veterans and their families.
I cannot vote for Scudiere. In her The Dominion Post ad (DP-03-01-20), she named each member of the legal community who supports her for judge. She has taken the blindfold off Lady Justice. Is this “pay to play”? Do I have to hire one of these attorneys?
I urge you to vote for Michael Simms. He will bring transparency, an unbiased court, empathy, unity and moral integrity.
Jerry Cochran
Morgantown
In support of Ron Stollings for governor
I am happy to see Ron Stollings running for governor. He is not as accomplished a public speaker as his opponents but makes up for this with his commonsense, hard work, intelligence and commitment to West Virginia.
When he was my medical student, he stood out for those characteristics and his personal charisma. I’m sure his patients and fellow senators will support him warmly and enthusiastically.
John Pearson
Morgantown
In support of Sandy Holepit for Magistrate
I endorse Magistrate Sandy Holepit. For the last 12 years, Magistrate Holepit has proven her ability to proudly serve the citizens of this county. I have known Sandy for 30-plus years, and I know her first priority is the safety of the citizens and the need to reach out to young people. I met Sandy when she and her husband coached youth basketball and reached out to protect abused children. She even took in an abused runaway at personal risk.
Sandy and I talked often about her desire to make a difference. Magistrate Holepit is the most honest, fair and compassionate person I know. I am proud of the job she has done for 12 years, and excellence and experience is very much needed in such a busy court. I know for a fact, last year, Sandy was the only magistrate left in the county, and she worked 24 hours for seven straight days. Dedicated? Absolutely. She gives her all to us, and we need to give our all to her. Vote Sandy Holepit, Division 4.
A.P. Tony Barill
Morgantown
