Blue Ridge Leader News - June 27, 2010
Careful Where You Point that Thing
I imagine by now that you’ve heard about the sentencing of one of the participants in a somewhat recent local drive-by shooting. What struck me about the story was not the 12-year plus penalty for the guilty individual- Jose Enrique Gordillo Portocarrero- or the fact that he was found to have dropped off a couple of fellow MS-13 members so they could fire upon their victims that night- or even the simple fact that it happened on a September evening along a local street in Sterling Park.
What really impressed me about the whole thing was the level of fear and hatred the story set off in the strings of commentators on our local newspaper web pages.
Makes me wonder why we don’t have more murder and mayhem than we actually do these days.
If I’m reincarnated after I pass on, I certainly hope I don’t come back as one of these commentator’s dogs- man.
Thanks to Providence, the injured couple from that Sterling Park shooting did recover from their wounds, and the cooperative work from the courts and the Regional Gang Task Force at least put this participant behind bars for a long time.
You know, if some of these web commentators really want to leave a positive influence on this world, how about volunteering some time among the many youth organizations across the land?
If you get one kid to believe in him- or her-self and pursue their dreams, you might be steering them away from other, more destructive behavior.
Now I’m commenting.
Quite a Hat Trick
Well, here’s one folks will have no opinion about whatsoever: yeah, right. I guess most of us will go along with the notion that the good news is that School Superintendent Ed Hatrick didn’t get a raise this year- nor last year or the year before; on the other hand, he makes over $230K a year, so I don’t think we need to start up a collection any time soon on his behalf.
This decision by the School Board keeps Skip on the same level- in a matter of speaking- with other school employees- keeping salaries frozen and losing two pay days to furlough in the upcoming academic year.
Anyway, I imagine that most of us are just a little bit jealous of ol’ Skippy and his quarter-million-dollar a year pay.
That’s more than I make, if you’ll believe that.
But, from what I’ve seen, I always thought Doc Hatrick did a pretty remarkable job; that’s just my humble opinion- from having observed his actions and remarks over the past 13 years or so.
If someone else has a more informed opinion in variance with mine, so be it.
I figure he’s entitled to the little bit of my annual taxes that the County carves out for him every year.
We’ll miss him when he’s gone.
The Bulldozer’s Mightier than the Dais
And, we understand that one of our local Supervisors made a boo-boo in the series of votes on the recent Countywide Transportation Plan passage. Sally Kurtz of Catoctin reportedly discovered after the fact that her support for widening Belmont Ridge Road would actually expand that section to six lanes instead of four.
Her vote on the nay side would have defeated the measure.
Oh, well. It’s just money.
And, speaking of that subject, do you really think the County will ever find the scratch to widen Belmont Ridge Road to six lanes between Route Seven and Croson Lane?
Well, maybe they will.
And something tells me that they’ll have to decide all over again if they really want to implement that portion of the Plan.
They’ve got some time to figure it out.
Lost and Found
We have another resolution in one of those ‘missing person’ cases. Remember when we announced that police were interested in the whereabouts and welfare of one Douglas Hatch of Leesburg?
Well, he’s evidently been found- safe and sound- but that’s about all we know.
He’d been reported missing since the 4th of this month, after having been dropped off by his girlfriend at a Leesburg park and ride- ostensibly heading into DC for a job interview.
Well, he never showed up at that appointment and didn’t return, so the alarm was raised.
Police finally located him this past Thursday in DC.
He’s 23 years old and no crime was committed in the entire affair, so that’s the end of the road as far as public interest is concerned.
I guess you can make up your own version of just what went on between that park and ride drop off and his turning up- 20 days later- in DC.
The Chrysler Twilight Zone
These are strange times, indeed for the auto industry- particularly for those associated with the once-mighty American vehicle manufacture and/or sales business. Preamble aside, I guess one dealership’s loss is another’s gain, by the initial look of it; we hear that Dulles Motorcars scored a Chrysler Dealership and plans to start showing models in the conveniently (and ironically) empty former Pohanka Chrysler Dodge showroom location in Leesburg.
Wasn’t too long ago they were exhibiting their own wheels at the spot off Catoctin Circle.
Dulles intends to keep its Subaru and Kia sales going just down the street as well.
And we understand this latest deal with Chrysler went on the rocks for awhile- probably no surprise in the recent roller-coaster car sales saga.
But, what I’m wondering, is: why did Chrysler allow Pohanka to close down, only to have another dealership start up sales- in the same- exact- location?!
Now, I like the Dulles Motorcars folks- I bought both my Subarus from them and swear by those machines.
But this must leave a strange taste in the mouths of those formerly associated with the Pohanka Chrysler Dodge business.
I guess, in this day of nonsensical occurrences becoming the commonplace in American Economics, this now stands as par for the course.
Just Don’t Drink and Drive
Now, I actually feel a sense of guilt in ‘penning’ this story under the subject of news: if you haven’t already heard that the Commonwealth of Virginia has little or no money to spend on road repair and construction, you may as well pull the plug, because the oxygen just ain’t getting up to the brain cells. The Post had an article just yesterday that listed a figure of about $1,000 slated for secondary road improvements for Loudoun County for the next year.
How many potholes would that fix, about a half-dozen?
And how many miles of secondary roads do we have in Loudoun?
Yikes.
And, remember, secondary roads includes stretches like Belmont Ridge Road of our earlier Sally Kurtz story- a busy thoroughfare in the eastern part of the County.
And some of our Supervisors are upset by the fact that the state may have no more to offer little old Loudoun in the way of Road money.
You tell ‘em, County Board Members.
I’m sure Richmond just trembles when you speak.
I wish they did, believe me.
Well, the good news part of the story is that the Commonwealth is in the throes of privatizing the liquor sales industry in Virginia- which could end up precipitating up to $500 million dollars toward the highway industry- and, if that happens- drink up is all I can say.
Tim Jon- American Hero?
And, no, I’m not doing anything exciting for this year’s Fourth of July. That’s not to say I’ll be idle or immersed in anything unremarkable.
I derive all the activity and excitement a person could ask for in my daily job- six full days a week, I might add.
So I don’t really need to travel or see any fireworks.
I get all of that during the rest of the year.
No- for the Fourth of July for 2010, I plan to load my smoker-grill full of some kind of feathered friends- most likely chicken- or Cornish game hens, if I can find the right price.
The night before, I coat the birds with dry rub- a concoction of brown sugar, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, ginger and a bunch of other spicy ingredients to make the mouth water.
I also soak some wood chips overnight- and make sure the charcoal’s stocked and the grill’s otherwise ready to go.
Then, bright and early, light the coals, fill the drip pan (the humidity keeps the meat moist), oil the grill grates, and tenderly place the meat on the grill.
Add the wood to the coals, and then- nothing!
Maybe watch a formula 1 race.
Or sleep for a few hours.
Just leave the whole thing alone for at least 3 hours- at which point I check for doneness, and maybe turn the birds and add more coals ‘n soaked wood chips.
Another three hours, and viola!
A meal fit for a king.
Or an Independent American.
Now, that’s cause to celebrate.
Here’s to you, USA.
Who said I can’t create some fireworks?
Thanks for celebrating with me, and have a great, safe, wonderful Fourth of July!
Tim Jon for the Blue Ridge Leader
