Another Reason for School Choice

Our neighbors to the east are having school employee issues. This adds to my list for private schools. School employees suspended and fired.

Of the 36 employees suspended, 14 were service personnel, 21 were teachers and one was a principal. Those terminations included three service personnel workers and four teachers.

Why these actions?

Of those suspensions, eight were due to the employees having inappropriate physical contact with students. One employee was suspended for possession of child pornography, according to county records. At least one employee was suspended for distributing or using a controlled substance with a student.

But don't be alarmed.

School officials said they consider the number of suspensions and terminations to be somewhat low given the school system's size, and it illustrates their continued efforts to keep students protected.

I'm afraid I would not be too relieved with this explanation.

I want to move. Move away from Pembroke, Virginia. Pembroke is nice and so is Virginia, but I still want to move. Not just to the next town, say Blacksburg to the east, or Pearisburg or The Narrows of the New River or even into the “Open For Business” state of West Virginia, to the west. No, I am willing and ready to make a big, big move. I have a general are picked out. Its a place that is part of the United States, the state pays you to live there, the electricity is 110/120 volts, guns are in favor, Wyatt Earp live there, and the mosquitoes are huge and so are the fish. Yep, I am ready to move to Alaska. I would settle for Anchorage. Although the locals call is Los Anchorage because living in the big city (population of 250,000) ain’t really like living in Alaska.

I have visited once for a week. That was enough to convince me that I would enjoy it there. I figure, that since I am close to getting my AARP card I may have only 30 +/- 5 years left to enjoy the state. And there is a lot I want to see and do there.

My love of Alaska began when I watched the pilot episode for “Northern Exposure”. It was about a northeast city doctor who was transplanted to rural Alaska in order to pay off medical school debt. His experiences caused me to study up on Alaska and visit the state. Since then, I have read books, drooled over 1000s of Alaska Magazine, and watch lots of Alaska programs on the Travel channel.

I have supporters in the house. Son #2 and his girlfriend are ready. And the conversation with Little One goes like this when I ask her:

Me: Little One are you ready to move to Alaska with me?

Little One: Do they have candy?

Me: Yes

Little One: OK

I ask the Wife at least weekly if she is ready to move to Alaska. “Just give me the word and I’m off to find a job”, I tell her. She smiles at me like she does when she pets the dogs and says “We cannot take Little One that far away from her grandma and grandpa in West Virginia.” Drats, she’s right.

So, my next request will be a two week stint in Alaska sometime in the next couple of years.

NASCAR in Pembroke, VA

It was not a race or anything super big, but today, the Number 8, Budweiser, Chevy, Monte Carlo, was at Mike's Muffler in Pembroke. I saw no ads, but saw the car on one of my trips into Pearisburg. I came back home, got Little One and made a visit. Dale and Bud will part ways after this year.

Maybe, next time it will be the car of my favorite driver.

Around Giles county....

This is a close up view of Narrows of Giles county.

An upstream look toward the town of Narrows.

Looking across the face of the Narrows, from the 460 side.

The Narrows can even be seen from 460 East.

Pembroke has at least one train tunnel

A nice view from the new bridge across the New River at Pembroke

River flows from left to right. New bridge (left), Old Bridge (right).