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Ready to work

Politicians need to focus on graduating career-ready citizens versus providing free college so 33% of college graduates can be underemployed competing for the 35% of new jobs requiring bachelor’s degrees or beyond. America is facing a shortage of career-ready citizens requiring a high school diploma, with a foundation in reading, math and science. Skills, not college pedigree, will be what matters in the future.

Colonial Williamsburg

So, Mr. Duncan wants to take 40 of the 48 busy parking spaces in the middle of popular shops and restaurants as “only” 40 spaces. They are for one-hour parking so, 40 times, say, 11 hours of usual parking equals 440, the actual number of patrons who are likely to have zipped in for quick pick up, look over, drop off. That is 440 drivers and likely passengers in and out of a small, but very much used and needed parking lot. That compares with how many people desperate to splash about when we’re not having a summer thunderstorm.

Binns, a draw for shoppers looking for upscale items, was pushed out of Merchants Square nearly two years ago? And sometime “this fall,” another light eatery is to open in a portion of the space. The larger, still-empty space is yet to have a name or even a start date for remodeling. The Goodwin building is still empty with no firm plans provided. Just seems a strange way to get dollars into CW coffers.

Colonial Williamsburg’s request to convert the P-3 parking lot into Goodwin Square or Goodwin Plaza is an act of discrimination against the older population in Williamsburg and shows a lack of diversity for those it wishes to attract.

Everyone who cares about the future of Merchants Square should attend the Planning Commission meeting at the Stryker Building at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 14. CW’s plan for parking lot P3 is directly aimed at visitors to Williamsburg with no regard to local residents who provide year-round support to all areas of the city.

Gender equity

Why is Athletic Director Samantha Huge concerned about gender equity in athletics at the College of William and Mary? The school is in Title IX compliance; the issue is a manufactured one. Apparently Huge has an unfounded agenda. The real gender equity issue to me is the fact that 58% of the student body is female. How does a sample of 100 applicants in a large population of those seeking enrollment to the college wind up at 58 women to 42 men? The college needs to address the gender equity problem in enrollment.

Recycling

I am dumbfounded! Just took my meager recycling items to the Convenience Center, along with some shredded paper. I was informed that shredded paper is no longer accepted. Unbelievable! We can recycle paper, but not if it’s shredded. Is there any place in Williamsburg that will accept it?

It saddens me that we are no longer able to recycle as much as we have in the past. I already did the experiment of collecting all the acceptable recyclables in small bins — it has been over a month and I do not have anywhere near enough to warrant paying $7/month to have it picked up. I will take mine to the Convenience Center. And it’s not because I can’t afford the $7 a month — the rolling cart is too heavy for me to haul up my driveway and it’s easier for me to take it to the Convenience Center on my own schedule.

Looking for …

Senior citizen needs a landscaper for seeding, fertilizing, planting and tree trimming. Please help. Thank you.

I am calling to ask for a recommendation for a plumber and for an electrician. Your recommendations for reputable people would be appreciated. Thank you.

I’m looking for the number of the person who wants bricks. Please call me at 703-434-9587. Thank you.

Lost: Men’s black wallet in the parking lot of the Governor’s Green Shopping Center near the Ace Hardware store on Saturday. Reward offered. Call 879-7990.

Looking for an auto body shop that is good, reasonable and within 40 miles. Scratches and some exposed rust spots. Prefer a small business owner versus high priced body shops. Contact: sebring8@cox.net.

Needed recommendations, ASAP please. An attorney who handles job harassment for individual employees — contractors for a federal contract. Please call 757-229-0306.

Can anyone suggest local charities that provide support and a sense of belonging for young people, particularly boys? I believe such groups are part of the solution to mental health issues that seem to be growing in our country. I would like to contribute to one, but it needs to have a tax-exempt ID number. Thank you.

Noisy restaurants

Some restaurants in town are designed for people who like it loud and lively, including the music. If you don’t like the atmosphere, pick another place.

Fresh produce

Jerry’s back! After a brief delay, Jerry’s Produce on News Road is back for the rest of the season. His produce is fresh and his prices are competitive. He is a kind man with a great sense of humor; it’s a pleasure to deal with him. Welcome back, Jerry!

Just wondering

What is going on with the Chestnut Bay furniture store on Richmond Road next to Wendy’s? Months ago, I saw a sign that it was for sale and then a sold sign appeared and now it sits idle. Did the sale fall through? Or are the new owners taking their time in clearing out the building and making it ready for something else? Does anyone know?

Minimum wage

I have a question for those advocating raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour: Do you pay $15 an hour to the people you hire to walk your dog, mow your lawn, babysit your children and run your errands? If not, then put your money where your mouth is. You don’t need to wait for Congress to pass the law.

Clear signal

I can now get a clear signal on WCVE, aka VPM, at 88.9, Richmond NPR’s news stream. They have more info and content about Williamsburg than WHRV; I just heard a short blurb about the programs at Colonial Williamsburg. It’s my favorite station now. When the signal gets choppy, I go back to WHRV temporarily.

Epstein’s suicide

Apparently, Jeffrey Epstein has cheated justice by committing suicide. His act stops him from being held accountable for his crimes, but it will not protect the others involved in his sordid behavior with children. I pray that the wheels of justice move forward and have his confederates pay for their sins.

Medical care

Consumer Reports has come out with a study that it’s a lot cheaper to pay upfront costs for medical treatments when doctors band together. In other words, you’re paying a monthly fee to the doctor. I’m aware of several doctors that have banded together. You pay $50 a month for whatever is needed. It’s cheaper than your deductible, it’s cheaper than your insurance. It’s a really good deal, and this has been going on for years. Yet we have candidates standing up there, saying, “Don’t you want Medicare for all?” You find good doctors that do good work that band together.

Boy Scout woes

I’m glad to see that after Catholic priests and athletic coaching staffs, people are starting to take a serious look at what has gone on for decades within the Boy Scouts of America. The first three things I learned in scouting 60 years ago were the Pledge of Allegiance, how to tie a square knot, and to stay away from the assistant Scoutmaster because he was more than a little strange.

History lesson

I read Dennis Montgomery’s critique of President Trump’s recent visit and speech, and some of it is on-target. However, the pronunciation of Powhatan was actually entirely accurate at Poe-et-n, according to leading Algonquian linguists, and I wish that other people around here would start pronouncing the name properly. This time, local experts must have given Trump and his speech writers an advanced “heads up” on the proper pronunciation.

Guns

When we make gun control suggestions, we need to step back and consider what effect it will have on violence, if any. For instance, the elimination of large magazines will not significantly decrease deaths, as the time to change a smaller magazine does not significantly decrease the number of shots per minute. True, certain ammunition does more damage than other, but all larger ammunition is deadly. What we have to solve is why these shooters believe that human life is not valuable. Is it not the same issue that is causing the violence in our cities? Isn’t it an issue of how society values human life rather than the weapon?

In addition to the terrorist charges the heavily armed man who walked into a Missouri Walmart is facing, it is sad he can’t be charged with public stupidity for “testing his right to bear arms in public.” Walking down a public street wearing body armor, carrying a loaded assault rifle, and a loaded pistol is one thing; walking into a Walmart less than a week after another identically decked out terrorist killed more than 20 people in a Walmart in El Paso is a totally different matter.

Road worries

As part of the Interstate 64 widening project at Lightfoot exit, I hope that the Virginia Department of Transportation intends to install signage similar to that at the Mooretown Road exit on Route 199 so that people know how to get onto I-64 without having to go up to Fenton Mill Road and make a U-turn.

Drivers making a left turn from Brookwood Drive onto Route 199 westbound should be aware that there are two left turn lanes. We have observed multiple instances of drivers illegally moving from the left lane to the right lane while making the left turn onto Route 199. We narrowly avoided a collision at 4:30 p.m. Aug. 11 when a careless driver in a red Chevrolet sedan illegally moved from the left to the right lane in the middle of the intersection.

Recommended

If you would like to have odd jobs done around the house, I recommend H.P. Pierce, a handyman who can do pretty much anything. He’s pleasant, competent and reasonable. His number is 592-1089. Thank you.

If you’re looking for an excellent oral surgeon, I highly recommend Dr. McAndrew at Patriot Oral & Facial Surgery. My senior husband recently had a tooth extracted. Dr. McAndrew met us twice at his office within 15 minutes after hours. He is very kind, understanding and patient. Thank you, Dr. McAndrew, for all you did for my husband. Phone number is 757-707-8414.

Up in Washington

The GOP spends an inordinate amount of time making excuses and devising ways to keep certain groups of people from voting. Largely controlled by old white men, they remind me of Berlin in 1945 when everyone waited for the lost battalions. They can try whatever they want, but this train has left the station. No one this side of God can change demographics, and that does not bode well for them. Just look around you at shopping malls, colleges, etc., and tell me who you see with kids in tow. If the GOP thinks after years of belittling minorities and immigrants that they are now going to vote for them, they are sadly mistaken.

Congratulations, Mr. President! China has raised you the total ban on American farm product imports. What do you have in your hand to call them on this latest move?

A reader writes that we shouldn’t criticize Trump for golfing at one of his golf courses because it doesn’t cost the taxpayers anything. Not true. The Washington Post reports that as of Aug. 4, the total cost to taxpayers for Air Force One, Secret Service protection and associated costs for Trump to visit his golf courses is approximately $107 million. The cost of 24 flights to Mar-a-Lago exceeds $47 million; for the 22 flights to his club at Bedminster, the cost is almost $17.5 million. Of course, every visit generates publicity and revenue for his clubs. The most outrageous example of this is the $3.6 million cost for Trump to stay at his money-losing club in Ireland and commute daily to France for D-Day ceremonies.

To the commenter that said President Trump should concentrate on the rats in New York City, not Baltimore: That’s the job of the useless Democrat mayor of NYC, same as it’s the job of Baltimore’s Democrat mayor. Want rats in your city? Vote for a Democrat for mayor. Will Democrats ever argue using facts to state their case?

There’s nothing funny about the NRA, but you do have to laugh at them for trusting Trump. They gave him $20 million in 2016 and that held off universal background checks till now. Now that they are broke, he’s going to turn on them.

Thank you

I just saw an announcement that the Bruton Parish Church has installed a loop system for hard-of-hearing people. Way to go! This is the same technology that the Williamsburg/JCC libraries have in their auditoriums. It’s absolutely the best system for hard-of-hearing people and meets ADA standards.