Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Metro columnist Dan Casey: Readers weigh in on several recent topics
Dan Casey is The Roanoke Times' metro columnist.
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Dan Casey
Recent columns
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- Hey, winter, quit it already
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Read Dan's blog
We get lots of feedback here at column central. It comes as phone calls, voice mails, e-mails and, yes, in comments to the blog.
Certainly it's one of the most fun parts of this job. Today, we'll review some excerpts.
Many readers commented on my recent musings about upcoming renovations to the Roanoke City Market Building.
One of those bemoaned the onslaught of money-excreting tourists who followed "improvements" to the City Dock area of Annapolis, Md., my hometown.
That brought back both good and bad memories for Richard Anderson, an ex-Annapolitan who for the past 25 years has called Rockbridge County home.
"The resulting congestion [in Annapolis] of people and traffic, especially in the summer time, encouraged us, reluctantly, to relocate from Annapolis to the Shenandoah Valley," Anderson wrote. "And now, whenever we have an occasion to revisit Annapolis, we know we made the correct decision."
Al Milton, who lives in the Hollins area of Roanoke County, seemed overjoyed I finally wrote something with which he agreed.
"For the first time I see you are in touch with reality!" Milton wrote. "Of course we all know that the Roanoke City Government is not! Trust me it is inevitable the City Market is due to be ruined by the upcoming face lift."
Dick Howard of West Roanoke County agreed with Milton. He was even less charitable toward the folks in city hall:
"These are the folks who will chase away our local indoor and outdoor vendors then brag about how they 'improved' the Market," Howard said in an e-mail. "These are the people who will justify trying to build a restaurant and parking garage on the last shreds of green space on Mill Mountain simply because the space 'isn't being used.' "
Recent columns that defended the William Byrd High School teacher who loaned a copy of "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" to a student brought a blizzard of responses from two distinct camps.
One camp was highly critical. Barry Lubotta of Toronto represents that side. He is definitely no fan of those columns.
"You and that equally idiotic teacher who pushed this book are the source cause of what is killing America," Lubotta wrote. "I'm sure you don't believe it, but you and she are big parts of the problem."
But some local teachers praised my defense of teacher Kathleen Renard. One was Amy Tlockowski, who teaches at James Madison Middle School.
"Thank you for speaking out on behalf of Renard and other teachers who work for little, deal with much, and still decide to return for another year.
"If you find you've run out of thick skin, I'll get my husband to fashion some chain mail for you. It worked against swords way back when, right?"
Last but not least is a voice mail from Alyce Szathmary, who raved about Thursday's column on the testing scandal at Roanoke's William Fleming High School and the firing of Principal Susan Willis.
Szathmary was principal of that school from 1986 until her retirement in 1999.
"I just wanted to give you the highest kudos, the highest praise," she said. "You ought to be with The New York Times or with whomever. You are absolutely fabulous."
Shucks, Alyce -- I am blushing and my colleagues are tittering.
Thank you.
Even a blind pig finds an acorn now and then, you know?
Thanksgiving Day column
Dear readers: Please help me write Thanksgiving Day's column with your answer to this question:
What are you thankful for?
Compose a response as an e-mail to me or as a comment on my blog. Please give me your first and last names and locality.
The deadline is Friday; from those I'll cull a wide-ranging bunch of heartfelt stuff for the following Thursday's column.
