Archive for Uncategorized
Listening forums planned
Posted by: | CommentsThe Older Americans Act, which has been in place since 1965, is about to be reauthorized . T h e OAA has gained recognition as a unique and h igh l y regarded statute that has stimulated th e development of a comprehensive and coordinated service
system. This system has contributed greatly to enhancing the lives of older individuals, family caregivers, and persons with disabilities.
In 2011 Congress will consider reauthorization and amendments to the OAA effective in FY 2012. In anticipation of this process, the Administration on Aging (AoA) is soliciting input concerning the reauthorization through three mechanisms:
1. A o A - Listening Forums; In Dare County:
Aug. 8, 1 p.m., Baum Senior Center /Senior Fellowship program
Sept. 13, noon Dare Center
Water plant gets award
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JOSEPH “MAC” MIDGETT WATER PLANT in Rodanthe was selected as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 4 2010 Safe Drinking Water Excellence Award Winner in the Small Water System Category. Region 4 includes the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, and South Carolina.
The Joseph “Mac” Midgett Water Plant began construction on October 25, 1994, and was completed and put in operation in March of 1996. It serves the villages of Rodanthe, Waves, and Salvo on Hatteras Island. The plant has won several awards including the Southeast Desalting Association Membrane Plant Award in 2000 and the North Carolina Rural Water Association’s Best Tasting Water contest in 2003 and 2008.
The EPA Region 4 Safe Drinking Water Excellence Awards program highlights highly effective operations and maintenance programs and recognizes commitment by local administration and plant personnel towards maintaining and protecting drinking water and public water supplies.
Awards are given to small communities with less than 3,300 served, medium communities with between 3,300 and 10,000 served, and large communities with greater than 10,000 served. These include surface and ground water systems.
Each year the North Carolina American Water Works Association, the North Carolina Water Environment Association, and the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources Public Water Supply all partner with each other in facilitating the review of applications and recommending systems in each category to be nominated in representing North Carolina in the EPA Region 4′s awards program. EPA region 4 then selects one winner for each category from all the nominees submitted by the states in their region.
Dare nursing home may close
Posted by: | CommentsA dispute between Nags Head and Britthaven/Colony Ridge Rehabilitation Center may lead to the closing of that facility,at least for a time. It is the only nursing home that can accept fully incapacitated patients in Dare County. The town has not been satisfied with the way the nursing home has maintained the facility for some time, and this has led to the current stand-off
Nags Head commissioners met Tuesday afternoon to consider a proposed lease for the facility. According to Nags Head Mayor Bob Oakes, the lease was presented to the town by the nursing home, and at Tuesday’s meeting, the town proposed several conditions, including a condition that the proposed $1.5 million to be spent on refurbishing the facility be done within 18 months and that improvements be made to facilitate quality of care. The town proposes to essentially charge Britthaven/Colony Ridge no rent ($10 per month).
The negotiations have gone on for some months now, and one of the sticking points, and perhaps the thorniest one, is ownership of the certificate of need (CON) which either entity must own to operate the facility. Both the town and the nursing home corporation claim the CON, and they are in litigation over this issue. A recent hearing appeared to favor the town, but no final ruling was entered. Oakes said it appeared to him that if the town owns the property (which it does) and the furnishings of the facility, then it owns the CON, but litigation over it will still take quite a bit of time. The town has proposed to essentially charge Britthaven/Colony Ridge no rent ($10 per month) if they accept the other conditions of the lease.
The nursing home was developed some 30 years ago as a partnership between the town and another company which later sold its interest to what was then Britthaven. This company has recently changed its name to Colony Ridge. The town bought and maintains ownership of the property, and backed the bonds to build the facility. The nursing home management was to maintain the building.
If it intends to vacate the facility, the nursing home has to give patients 90 days notice. Patients and their families have been anxiously awaiting word on the lease.
“I’m not encouraged that they will actually accept it,” Oakes said in a telephone interview Wednesday. “It looks like there will be a break in continuity.” He said the lease has been sent back to the nursing home management, and he spoke to Randy Uzzell, president of the corporation, who told him he has sent notice to the proper parties that the group plans to vacate the facility Oct. 1. The town wants to maintain continuity of service, but if Britthaven/Colony Ridge does not accept the conditions put on the lease Tuesday, the patients will have to move to another facility outside of Dare County. The closest one is in Currituck County. The town has been in talks with other interested groups, but little can be done until the CON issue is determined.
While the town and nursing home management are at odds and time is running out, the patients are the ones losing. Theresa Reddy, a beach resident, spends nearly every day with her husband who is a patient at the home. She says she believes her husband is getting good care and that the facility should be improved but not closed down. “I think it should stay. It’s not that bad,” she said. Reddy said if the facility is closed down, she will have to sell her house and move her husband to a facility nearer her children. She puts the blame for the situation on Nags Head, saying that the town has known about the impending end of the lease for years and should have had something in place for the residents by now.
Midgets from coast to coast
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U.S. COAST GUARD MK3 Daniel Hockaday is shown next to a portrait of John Allen Midgett Jr. which is shown just above the silver loving cup presented to him personally by the British government. It remains the personal property of the Midgett family who have graciously allowed Chicamacomico to display it at the station.
THE U.S. COAST GUARD CUTTER MIDGETT, homeported in Seattle, Washington, is shown here. It is named for the famous John Allen Midgett Jr. who with his men of the Chicamacomico Lifesaving Station, saved most of the crewmen of the SS Mirlo, a British tanker that caught fire after Germans attacked it in August of 1918..
SURFBOAT NO. 1046 is shown here with Coast Guard MK2 Daniel Hockaday standing beside it. This is the actual boat, built in 1910, used in the famous 19188 SS Mirlo rescue led by Keeper John Allen Midgett Jr.
MK3 Daniel Hockaday of the U.S. Coast Guard recently visited his service’s history at the Chicamacomico Lifesaving Station Historic Site & Museum in Rodanthe on Hatteras Island. On the U.S. west coast is the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Midgett, whose homeport is Seattle, Wash. She was the twelfth and last of the 378-foot high endurance cutters in the Hero Class. Appropriately classed, for her namesake was CWO John Allen Midgett Jr., officer in charge of the Chicamacomico Station in Rodanthe. He was born and raised in a home still standing just a stone’s throw from the 1911 lifesaving station. His men affectionately referred to him as “Cap’n Johnny.”
On Aug. 16, 1918, after a six-and-a-half-hour ordeal, Midgett led his USCG rescue crew of five in their 26-foot Surfboat No. 1046 on a 14-mile offshore odyssey to save the crew from the British tanker SS Mirlo. The tanker was carrying over 6,500 tons of gasoline and petroleum products and had been torpedoed by German submarine U-117. The ensuing inferno was indescribable, and an ordinary rescue would have been impossible. But the “Mighty Midgetts of Chicamacomico” were far from ordinary and did the impossible by rescuing 42 of the 51 crewmen of the SS Mirlo. It became the most highly-awarded maritime rescue in the history of our nation.
Scammers pose as cops
Posted by: | CommentsTelemarketing scammers claiming to be law enforcement are threatening people to pay them money or face arrest. Attorney General Roy Cooper warns consumers, “Don’t let scammers intimidate you into paying debts you don’t owe.” Cooper added, “These calls come from crooks, not real law enforcement officers.”
Consumers in North Carolina and elsewhere have recently reported getting calls from the Federal State Bureau of North Carolina, which is not an actual law enforcement organization. The callers tell people they owe a debt and must pay it now or go to jail. The threatening calls come from 336-505-7092, a Google Voice number that could be used by scammers anywhere in the world.
Both the Attorne General’s Consumer Protection Division and the State Bureau of Investigation have received reports about the fraudulent calls. This is not the first time Cooper’s office has heard of debt collection scammers posing as police (http://ncdoj.gov/News-and-Alerts/Alerts/Don’t-Fall-For-Phony-Debt-Collectors.aspx).
Even though the fraudulent calls originate overseas, the scammers sometimes spoof the phone number of a real law enforcement agency to make their calls appear to come from a local sheriff or police department. Some of these collection calls are made to people who owe money on Internet payday loans, while other people who get the calls have never taken out a payday loan.
If you receive a similar call:
* Don’t give out your personal information, particularly your bank account and credit card information.
* Check your credit reports for free at www.annualcreditreport.com or 1-877-322-8228 to spot any unauthorized credit cards or loans taken out in your name.
* Consider a free security freeze to block unauthorized use of your credit. For information about how to place a security freeze on your credit card, visit www.ncdoj.gov or call 1-877-5-No-Scam.
* Remember that legitimate debt collectors will provide you with written proof of a debt. They are not allowed to use profanity or threaten you with violence or arrest, and they must follow rules about when and how they contact you.
Consumers can report debt collection scams to the attorney general’s office by calling 1-877-5-NO-SCAM or filing a consumer complaint at http://www.ncdoj.com/getdoc/fdbee1c7-c2a9-4f67-91b2-bb50beea1cOa/2-2-12.aspx. (Courtesy Gail Sonnesso, GEM director)
N.H. resident complains about police actions
Posted by: | CommentsLinda Sharp, a Nags Head resident, complained about police arresting her twice on a town ordinance violation of having dogs not on a leash at the July 15 meeting of the town commissioners, during the public comments portion of the meeting.
She said as her dog was giving birth one morning, before she had time to dress in street clothes, and two policemen knocked on her door and arrested her on the dog leash ordinance, handcuffing her and taking her to the county detention center. She said she was in night clothes and was not given a chance to change. She said they told her they had a warrant for her arrest but would not produce it. She said she called her attorney Linda McCown who said she was shocked that she was arrested and booked on a charge that would not usually be handled this way. She said the magistrate told her he had never seen such an abuse of power.
She said on another occasion she was having dinner with a friend and police came to her door and arrested her again, taking her to the detention center another time. She said the dog they described this time was similar to hers but this time it actually belonged to tourists who had been renting a cottage near her home. She said she thought the incidents came about because of a personal matter involving the police chief’s mother. Calling the arrests harassment, she said, “This is an abuse of power.” She added that she did not feel safe in her home.
She said she occasionally saw Mayor Bob Oakes walking his dog, not on a leash, as she was walking her dog, so this is not unusual.
Sharp also said she called the town manager, but he did not return her call.
The town attorney had advised that the board should go into closed session for another matter, and a motion to do this was made. Then Com. Anna Sadler said she thought they should discuss Sharp’s comments in closed session and made a motion to amend the earlier motion to go into closed session. There was some discussion as to whether they should consider a criminal item at that time, but the motion to consider it passed on a 4-1 vote with Com. Cahoon voting against it.
Seniors-helping-seniors group started
Posted by: | CommentsMost seniors want to remain independent in their own homes but as age and infirmity increase, many find the daily requirements of taking care of themselves harder and harder.
Helping each other out is not really a new idea, but doing something about it is. A group of seniors on Roanoke Island have formed a group, OBX Village Association, and have developed a website, www.obxvillage.org, to facilitate their group and to pass along some of the information they have gathered. Though this has not been made public yet (it may be in the future), the group is sharing among themselves the names of contractors and other businesse that they have found helpful, with these enterprises being vetted by the group. The group has also accumulated the names and contact numbers of many county and other governmental groups that serve seniors, local, state and national health resources and more. “It is our intention to advocate for continued improvement in the utilization of these resources,” said member Dick Welch.
The association members are offering each other aid such as sitting with an ill member for a short period of recuperation or to give family and other care givers a break and do such jobs as cooking for them when possible. The association will also respond to members’ needs for small jobs that are burdensome for older seniors, such as changing light bulbs, and other small household or yard chores, going with a member to the doctor to provide help communicating with health personnel and helping remember and interpret to the patient what is said or prescribed, and sometimes advocating for the patient, as well as providing transportation to medical appointments when needed. Members offer services and volunteer to help each other in ways that they can, according to their ability. Members can post a request for these services on the site. Members can post to communicate with those who are interested in such things as book clubs, fishing, sailing, kayaking, attending an event, shopping and more. They are also posting information about an upcoming College of the Albemarle, Patient Advocacy Training.
The association is also focusing on transportation and plans to post information on public transportation, lists of schedules, commercial companies and local organizations which provide transportation.
The association had a goal of a maximum of 25-26 members, and is almost there now. Though they are keeping their group small, they hope that other senior groups will form in response to their initiative. They have set their dues at $15 per year, paid to Club Express, an online company that manages financial affairs for such groups. It is governed by a board of directors.
Again, the website address is www.obxvillage.org.
RIFP events for June
Posted by: | CommentsRoanoke Island Festival Park announces events for June.
Photojournalism of Chris Bickford, June 3-28, art gallery
RIFP Performance Series
N.C. Dance Theatre, June 10 and 11, 8 p.m., outdoor pavilion – The company is presenting four ballets: Salvatore Aiello’s Satto, Sasha Janes’ Kinetic Energy, Jacqulyn Buglisi’s Requiem 9, 11and Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux’s Shindig.
Second Saturdays – Carol Trotman/Watercolor Techniques class, June 11, 10 a.m. to noon, to sign up call Mary Ellen Riddle at 252-475-1500.
RIFP Perfornance Series
NC A&T University:
Cinderella, June 14, 15, 16, 10:30 a.m.
Broadway Unleashed, June 14, 15, 16, 8 p.m., outdoor pavilion
The Country Mouse and the City Mouse, children’s show, June 21, 22, 23, 10:30 p.m., indor theatre
Cabaret, June 21, 22, 23, 8 p.m., outdoor pavilion
African Animal Tales/Dance and Drum Workshop, June 28, 29, 30, 10:30 a.m., indoor theatre, free and open to the public, 252-475-1500 or www.roanokeisland.com.
The E. Gwynn Dancers (African and Caribbean), June 28, 29, 30, 8 p.m., outdoor pavilion, free and open to the public.
Pirate’s! A Boy at Sea!, presented by the Lost Colony June 22 and 23, 29 and 30, 2 p.m. Tickets are $12 and can be purchased online at wwwthelostcolony.org or call 252-473-3414.
Try herb gardening
Posted by: | CommentsThe Dare County Center invites participants to try their hand at herb gardening Thursday, June 9, 3 p.m., cost $8 per person.
Plant some herbs in small pots to put on your window sill. With a little love, water and sunshine your herbs should grow and you will be able to use them in your favorite recipes. The cost includes pots, seeds and potting soil.
Please sign up by June 8 at the front desk or call Maria at 475-9271.l
Lego Club to meet
Posted by: | CommentsThe first Lego Club meeting will be held at The Dare County Center Tuesday, June 14, 3 p.m.
The group asks children of 6-11 to bring as many Lego pieces as they can contribute. This club is for ages 6-11.
For information, call Julie at 473-3180.