Buckles
FROM PAGE A4
strongly that a national memori-
al is needed and his efforts, his life
brought so much attention to the
cause" Fountain said. "What we
want to do now is simply add anoth-
er feature to that site so that people
who come visit it can also feel like
they've paid respect to all Ameri-
ca's veterans of World War I"
Leaders in Congress are
weighing whether to overrule
D.C. leaders' efforts to keep con-
trol of the memorial; Washing-
ton's mayor Vincent C. Gray,
Congresswoman Eleanor Hol-
mes Norton, D-D.C., and others
oppose HR 938, which would re-
dedicate the D.C. War Memori-
al as a national memorial to all
WWI vets.
In his efforts to see a nation-
al memorial for his fellow sol-
News/State
diers, Frank
Buckles spent
his final years
with his eyes
on the future,
and it's cer-
tainly fitting
and right for
the country to
honor those
who fought
with a nation-
alWWI me-
morial.
Future gen-
erations must
not lose sight SUBMITTED PHOTO
of the war in A young Frank Buckles.
which some
70 million fought - and some 9
million died - between its start
on July 28, 1914, and the armi-
stice on Nov. 11, 1918.
Allow World War II its Stone-
henge'of stttes and Vietnam its
wall of names,
each memori-
al fits perfectly
the marks left by
their respective
conflicts, but a
simple, humble
bandstand be-
speaks a young
nation on the
cusp of a great
war, a decade
into its own cen-
tury, and who
better to be put
to work restor-
ing it but a small,
blanket-draped
man, almost a
century removed from the strap-
ping youth who'd gone to join the
colours, and ever so strong?
That's what I took from one af-
ternoon with Mr. Buckles - that
his final years remaining were not
just his, but this country's too, that
they helped form a recollection
of a place we'd been to a much
younger nation and triumphed in
the trying to make the world a bet-
ter place, and he'd made of his
last years a pilgrimage to see a na-
tion's time and its sacrifice Over
There remembered.
And now, as the centennial of
the start of the Great War nears,
this cause is left in the hands of
those who took note of the work
and sacrifices of Frank Woodruff
Buckles, and who want to see his
hard work remembered for gen-
erations to come.
--Robert Snyder is managing
editor of the Spirit of Jefferson.
Portions of this column original-
ly appeared in the Spring 2011
issue of Panhandle magazine.
Christine Miller Ford contribut-
ed to this article.
Miller
FROM PAGE A4
55-cent per pack tax on ciga-
rettes to $1.55 and raise the
current tax rate on the whole-
sale price of smokeless tobac-
co products from 7 percent to
50 percent.
Two no-doubt sincere phy-
sicians who see the advantag-
es in public health by reducing
tobacco consumption -- Sen.
Dan Foster, D-Kanawha, and
Sen. Ron Stollings, D-Boone
-- are co-sponsors of the bill.
Senate Finance Chairman Ro-
man Prezioso, D-Marion, is the
lead.sponsor and his goal is to
find money to cover the addi-
tional $200 million the state
will need for the Medicaid pro-
gram next year.
But it is an election year af-
ter all, not only for legislators
but other state and local offi-
cers so these three realize they
face an unpopular uphill battle
despite prevailing public opin-
ion that most people prefer a
tax hike on tobacco to other
possibilities.
Finally, another indication
of the increasingly difficult
economic situation confronting
more and more people is the
fact that so many people are se-
cretly depositing their garbage
• in large private bins provided
for businesses with a high vol-
ume of refuse. The practice is
apparently so widespread that a
bill has been introduced at the
West Virginia Legislature to
allow county litter control offi-
cers to issue citations to those
caught in the act.
Delegate Daniel Hall, D-
Wyoming, the lead sponsor,
said this merely increases the
cost of garbage service for ev-
eryone because it means the
waste management firms must
make more frequent pickups,
increasing the cost of the ser-
vice for the commercial cus-
tomers who have one of the
waste bins on the premises,
which is already a crime. It
rfiay be preferable to throwing
it over the side of the mountain
but that's not a sufficient ex-
cuse.
Luse
FROM PAGE A4
make my way through to
the second ring of Internet
hell, which is similar to the
teeth gnashing associated
with voice mail hell. Prob-
lem is, this site was only for
my catastrophic policy and I
couldn't determine how to ac-
cess my medical, dental and
vision stuff. Of course I had
dropped that particular cover-
age earlier this year in favor
of one with lower premiums,
albeit with a sky-high deduct-
ible. Maybe that was why
I couldn't find anything on
the site, had it already been
purged? My first point to
raise with the next available
representative.
This one wasn't quite as
chipper as the last woman and
I could tell she wasn't getting
what I was asking for as she
tossed my call forward to an-
other woman who also did the
same thing so that I ended up
with the electronic voice tell-
ing me the wait time would be 28
minutes. I could, however, take
the option of leaving my num-
ber and someone would call me.
Sure, I'll play your little game.
Of course when my phone rang
it was instead a pitch for a do-
nation and I have to admit I was
not terribly charitable to the
woman on the other end.
While cooling my heels, I
decided to haul out my check
register for 2011 and see if it
wouldn't be easier to just go
through and add up all the fig-
ures myself of what I had paid
out. Good plan, because as
it turned out when the insur-
ance company rang me back I
was told to press one, hopeful-
ly to be connected to the person
who would solve my problem.
I heard the call going through,
then "do, do, do, do. The num-
ber you have reached is no longer
in service." •
-- Nancy Luse is a freelance
writer in Frederick, Md., and is not
a fan of the health insurance indus-
try. She may be reached at nluse(at)
Verizon :aet.
Career awareness camps for the deaf offered this summer
Deaf and hard-of-hearing students from
across the country are invited to.attend one
of three summer career awareness camps
focusing on science, technology, business
and art at Rochester Institute of Technol-
ogy's National Technical Institute for the
Deaf. Hundreds of students are expected.
Each program features hands-on activi-
ties during the day, social activities in the
evenings and accommodations in a college
dorm room. The programs are intended to
promote interest in specific fields and de-
termine what career options may interest
and motivate the students.
• Explore Your *Future is a six-day ca-
reer awareness program for college-bound
high school sophomores and juniors who
are deaf or hard of hearing. Students expe-
rience college life, enjoy hands-on activi-
ties, and get a taste of careers in the fields
of business, computing, engineering, sci-
ence and art. Choice of two sessions, July
14 - 19 or July 21 - 26, 2012. Registration
deadline is April 30. Details are available at
www.rit.edu/NTID/EYF.
• TechGirlz and TechBoyz are week-long
summer camps held July 28 -Aug. 3,2012,
for deaf and hard-of-hearing girls and boys
respectively, entering 7th, 8th and 9th grade
who are interested in careers in science,
technology, engineering and math. Camp-
ers build computers to take home, discov-
er the secrets of roller coasters, conduct ex-
periments in a high-tech lab and more. Reg-
istration deadline is May 31. Details are
available at www.rit.edu/NTID/TechGirlz
or www.rit.edu/NTID/TechBoyz.
• Steps to Success is a weekend mini-
camp on Aug. 3 - 5, 2012. for 7th, 8th and
9th grade African American, Native Amer-
ican and Latino students who are deaf or
hard of hearing. Campers enjoy hands-
on career-related activities and meet new
friends. Registration deadline is May 31.
Details are found at www.rit.edu/NTID/
StepstoSuccess.
RIT is internationally recognized for aca-
demic leadership in computing, engineering,
imaging technology, sustainability and fine
and applied arts, in addition to unparalleled
support services for students who are deaf or
hard of hearing. RIT enrolls 17,000 full- and
part-time students in more than 200 career-
oriented and professional programs, and its
cooperative education program is one of the
oldest and largest in the nation.
NTID, one of nine colleges of RIT, was
established by Congress in 1965 to pro-
vide college opportunities for deaf and
hard-of-hearing individuals who were un-
deremployed in technical fields. A record
1,547 students attend NTID; more than
1,350 are deaf or hard of hearing. Oth-
ers are hearing students enrolled in inter-
preting or deaf education programs. Visit:
www.rit.edu/NTID.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 A5
W.Va. Senior Sports
Classic June 21 - 23
The 19th annual WV Senior
Sports Classic will be held in
Charleston on June 21, 22
and 23. The events include
golf, tennis, bowling, bike
races, track and field, swim-
ming and 14 other sports. The •
events are open to anyone 50
or older.
The first four finishers in
each event qualify to partici-
pate in the 2013 National Se-
nior games to be held in Cleve-
land. The states qualifying
events are the only way to qual-
ify for the National games.
Participation is by age
group in five year increments
such as 50 - 54, 55 - 59 and
on up; so one will be compet-
ing with athletes in one's own
age group.
The racquetball event will
be held at the new state of the
art Shepherd University Well-
ness Center on June 23. This is
the only event not held in the
Charleston area.
One can sign up for any
event at the WVSSC web site
at www.wvssc.com.
The racquetball event is
not listed on the official en-
try form; write "Racquetball"
on your entry form. For ques-
tions about the Racquetball
event, contact Bill Cummings
at bill@cdawv.com or 304-
886-9075.
Contact information for all
other events is on the WVSSC
web site www.wvssc.com Na-
tional Senior Games or www.
nsga.dom.
W.Va. Senates passes
bill banning exotic pets
CHARLESTON (AP)
-- The West Virginia Sen-
ate passed a bill Friday that
would require owners of ex-
otic animals to obtain state
permits by July and ban all
future purchases or sales of
these animals.
In a rare show of dis-
sension, one senator voted
against the bill because of
concerns about how quickly
it would go into effect and
which animals it would cov-
er.
West Virginia joins a string
of states looking to regulate
or ban private individuals
from owning dangerous ani-
mals like tigers and chimpan-
zees following the release of
dozens of wild animals in
Zanesville, Ohio, last year.
The state could confiscate
animals if the owners vio-
late the proposed law or if
the animals pose a threat to
humans or other animals.
Owners could be subject to
inspections. Zoos, circuses
and sanctuaries would be ex-
empt.
The bill would also re-
quire the Division of Natu-
ral Resources to draft a list
of which animals would be
banned. The House version
lists specific types of animals
that would fall under the ban,
like constricting snakes.
Sen. Dave Sypolt. R-Pres-
ton, voted against the bill be-
cause it is too broad and gives
the DNR too much discretion
to decide what animals end up
on the list. He said the rules
could restrict owning a parrot
or a goldfish.
Sypolt also questioned the
July 1 effective date of the
proposed law. He said the
DNR should not be required
to draft emergency regula-
tions in the next few months
but should undergo the normal
yearlong rule-writing process
that involves public input.
"Why are we in such a hur-
ry?" Sypolt said.
Existing state law provides
pet permits for some native
animals and commercial per-
mits for captive deer. State
law also prohibits keeping
some animals like raccoons as
pets because of the risk of ra-
bies.
But officials have no idea
how many people own exot-
ic animals because state law
doesn't require owners to re-
port them.
Bill would allow donation of prescription drugs
CHARLESTON (AP) AWest
Virginia lawmaker wants nursing
homes to be allowed to donate pre-
scription drugs from deceased pa-
tients to flee clinics.
Democratic Del. Richard Iaquin-
ta of Harrison says that the drugs are
currently either returned to the phar-
macy for a refund or destroyed.
The Charleston Daily Mail re-
ports that Iaquinta re-introduced
House Bill 2014 last month. It
would allow nursing home direc-
tors to donate unused, unexpired,
non-narcotic drugs from deceased
patients to free health clinics, as
long as family members of the de-
ceased gave consent.
This is the third time Iaquinta has
tried to get the drag donation bill
passed.
The bill failed to make it out of
committee during the previous two
legislative sessions.
W.Va. Northern draws drilling-industry job seekers
NEW MARTINSVILLE
(AP) West Virginia North-
ern Community College says at
least one-third of the students
who took December training
classes are now working in the
oil and gas industry.
New Martinsville Campus
Dean Larry Tackett says anoth-
er rig hand class and a welding
class are in the works.
The Intelligencer says about
25 students turned out this
week for a free class on gen-
eral safety, first aid, CPR, an
overview of the drilling pro-
cess and career opportunities
in the field.
Iraq War veteran Greg Star-
key says he hopes the classes
he's been taking will help him
get a foot in the door.
The Sistersville, Ohio, res-
ident says the rush to tap the
Marcellus shale reserves has
created a lot of opportunities
for people who need jobs.
+ ..... Kabletown
iii%
%' United Methodist Church
Fundraiser
Minimum Donation. ................. $7.00
Children under 12 yrs. ......... :..$3.00
Carry-Outs ................................ $7.00
(Carry-Out Tickets Available at Door)
Pancake Breakfast
Please Mail Payment and order form to:
Mark Grimmell, 80 Martin Payne Rd, Kearneysville WV 25430
Saturday, Feb. 25, 2012
7:00 A.M. to 11:00 AM.
__._Jgg: pancakes, sausage gravy, scrambled
eggs, sausage, fried potatoes, coffee, orange
juice, iced tea and milk.
FROM Rt. 9 - "rum onto Kabletown Road south 4 miles.
Chumh is on right. FROM Rt. 340 - Turn onto Meyerstown
Road east. Go 2-1/2 miles• Turn left onto Kabletown Road.
Go 1/2 mile. Church is on left.
Tax Prep?
WASHINGTON HIGH FOOTBALL BOOSTERS 2012
Selling BrownPremium Shredded Mulch in 3 cubic
from Potomac FarmsNursery Cost," $3.25/bag
Buy 10 or more baqs and order will be to your home/
Orders less than 10 bags can be picked up @ WHS on
April 21, 2012 between 9:00 am & &O0 pm.
Make checks payable to WHS with "football boosters"in the memo line.
Bags of Mulch:
Name:
Amt due:
Address:
Phone:. Email:
Please write directions to your home on back of form.
Orders and Money due
by April 7, 2012
: uld iike tO :i
serM:::i/&
:::Slzi FoMball
: ............ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::
i c/oGdi/imell
8:iMan Paynei::Ro:
Questions? Contact Mark Grimmell at 540-974-9930 or send emall to: mgrimmell@#ontiemet.net
I
