Service Above Self seeks nominations
We need your help in submitting nominations! Rowan County has many outstanding children and youth with great character! They perform untold hours of volunteer service, giving of themselves to help others. We need your help to show and tell others how important their contributions are to our community.
Each year Service Above Self (sponsored by the Rowan Rotary Club and Rowan United Way) seeks nominations of individuals and groups in the divisions of elementary school age, middle school age and high school age. It is not too late to nominate a student or group of students for this year’s awards. Our deadline has been extended to Oct. 30.
A Service Above Self awards ceremony is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Nov. 24 at Keppel Auditorium on the Catawba College campus. All nominees will be recognized and given certificates of appreciation for their service. In addition, group and individual awards will be given in each of the age groups for community service judged by an independent panel of judges to be exemplary.
We are currently accepting nominations for the 2009 Service Above Self Awards. I urge you to visit our Web site, www.rowanserviceaboveself .com, and submit a nomination form or call the Rowan United Way, 704-633-1802, for more information.
Come join us and help tell the story of our great children and youth in this community who are helping others. Help us recognize them by nominating an individual or group today. Thanks.
ó Jerry Chandler
Salisbury
Jerry Chandler is chairman of the Service Above Self Program.Support your school
I am writing in reference to the new proposed redistricting. I am asking the parents to come to the school board meetings on Nov. 2 and Nov.9 to support your child’s school.My daughter is devastated about this proposed change. She has been enrolled at West for two years and is supposed to be moved to the South district. Right now it takes me 10 minutes to get her to school. With this change, it will take an addional 15 minutes.
What about the kids who ride the bus? Look how much longer it will take them. My daughter’s band director, Daniel Trivette, will be losing so many students that he will only have two music classes. One of the agriculture teachers could lose his job! This is affecting everyone in a bad way. Please come to the meetings. For the next election, we should consider a change. See how well they like it.
ó Angela Shoaf
Salisbury
Alcoa issues
With all of the charges and counter charges these days over the state’s attempt to confiscate Alcoa property, it behooves citizens of the affected counties to be aware of a few “home” facts that we should ponder even if the politics don’t mean much or we don’t care how it goes.
In most of the affected counties, Alcoa is the largest property-tax payer. In Stanly, Alcoa pays more than $500,000 in taxes each year. If the state wins, there will no more property taxes paid on the confiscated property. The governor’s plan and the legislative bills have taken out any reference to reimbursement for taxes lost with the establishment of a state agency. Stanly commissioners have to date spent over $2,191,000 of our tax money. It most likely will approach $3 million for lawyers, commissioner travel, hiring folks to do publicity, con the legislature and to continue making misrepresenting remarks. If nothing else makes you mad, this spending of our tax money certainly should.
Next, the state simply cannot afford more deficit spending that will occur if they manage to get away with their plan. Alcoa/APGI has repeatedly stated that they have a net profit of $2.8 million-$3 million. The estimated money the state will have to pay if it succeeds in the confiscation: Over $500 million for the Alcoa/AGPI property and the budgeted $33 million in improvements under way to keep the hydropower plants operational.
This leaves negative state/county spending of $47 million-$55 million per year over 10 years. With the continuing deficit in the state and the affected counties struggling to provide services, it should give all pause to think about our representatives and those in the state trying to take private property and using our money to do it. If we believe in natural law and free enterprise, this boondoggle should be opposed.
ó Thomas M. McCluskey
New London
Title: TRU Week 2009
Letter: The NC Health and Wellness Trust Fund’s (HWTF) Teen Tobacco Use Prevention and Cessation grantees will showcase the work of the state’s Tobacco. Reality. Unfiltered (TRU) youth movement in schools and communities across the state during “TRU Week 2009.” Check out the activities your middle/high school’s TRU Club is doing for TRU Week October 25-31!
TRU Week events aim to encourage more NC teens to pledge to stay tobacco free and to join TRU, and activities will also highlight cessation resources such as the state’s tobacco use quit coaching service, Quitline NC. Expected to be an annual event, TRU Week will include such theme days as: “Cigarette Butts Pick Up Day,” “Wear Your TRU Colors Day” and “Tackle Smoking,” an event that will be held at the high school’s Friday night football game. TRU Week is also an opportunity for students to showcase their knowledge of tobacco prevention as well as provide information on their local TRU group.
Funded by HWTF, TRU is North Carolina’s first-ever, grassroots, statewide youth tobacco prevention initiative with projects working in every county of the state, including local TRU youth groups. The initiative also includes multi-media campaigns using testimonials of real North Carolinians suffering from the harmful effects of tobacco use.
Name: Tommie Estes
Address: 728 Laurel Point Circle
City: Salisbury NC
Campaign letters
Letters commenting on candidates in the Nov. 3 election must be received in the Salisbury Post newsroom by 5 p.m., Oct. 29.