COVID-19 is the third leading cause of death in the U.S. today. It’s not going away. New variants continue to emerge, and it seems as if COVID-19 will be included in our annual flu shot in the future.

Tuesday, May 3, 2022, marks the 9th year for Give Local Piedmont, a program from the Northern Piedmont Community Foundation, focused on highlighting the work our nonprofit organizations accomplish in our northern Piedmont region.

We would like to thank all of our friends and family for the outpouring of love and support shown to us in the loss of our beloved son, Jim. The prayers, visits, calls, cards and food were deeply appreciated.

It isn't often that I hesitate to express an opinion on Rappahannock doings, but a recent court case here left me feeling that an injustice had been done to a friend of ours, and that it might be wise for me to cool off, temper my anger and perhaps find more diplomatic phrasing of my concerns. So, "here goes":

John Krob, a teacher at Rappahannock County High School, is quoted as saying "We're all Trumpers here" to a Republican guest speaker who was addressing Krob's class (Rappahannock News, April 7).

Letters to the editor reflect the opinion of the writer(s), not the Rapp News. Comment below or by writing a letter to the editor: editor@rappnews.com. 

The Congressional primaries for the 10th District are fast approaching. Candidates from both sides of the aisle have started the race in earnest and are fervently making public appearances to get their message out.

Thanks for the article on Settle’s Cars and Trucks, where me and my family have been friends and customers almost from the day we arrived here many years ago. We have bought more vehicles there that I can recall but I do remember one special instance.

I seldom write letters to the editor but the events surrounding Charlotte Wagner’s fiasco moved me to contribute some thoughts. To begin with, I do not know Charlotte, but she has an excellent reputation. She applied to open a dog training facility, though the way the regulations are written, it was called a kennel. It was very clear from her application that this was not a boarding facility nor a breeding facility.

On behalf of the Rappahannock Lions Club, I would like to thank the community for their overwhelming support of our plastic bag collection. 

“Go fly a kite!” is an expression with special meaning to me, recalling very happy childhood days of kite flying. With the hugely blustery winds we’ve been experiencing here, perhaps they are presenting challenges because I haven’t seen any sky filled kites lately.

Some of you may recall that I wrote to the Rappahannock News regarding the article about the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. virtual celebration/Julia E. Boddie Scholarship fundraiser sponsored by the Scrabble School Preservation Foundation in January 2022, specifically criticisms that I expressed at the time.

In 9 AD the Roman Emperor Augustus sent his general Publius Quinctilius Varus commanding three crack legions into Germania to subdue the Teutonic tribes.

Katherine May’s “Wintering” is an interesting take about the power of rest and retreat in difficult times. However, reading it made me start to more fully think about those who were lucky enough to be able to shelter during the tumultuous years we’ve been living through the COVID-19 pandemic.

It wasn’t long ago there was a great hullabaloo about that “Welcome to Sperryville” sign. After much gnashing of teeth, it’s still there — possibly because the message is at worst, benign. But let’s imagine that the sign had said “F*** SPERRYVILLE.” Would it still be there? I think not.

I would like to thank everyone who helped me three weeks ago when I fell on the ice by our mailbox. It was very cold that morning and I was thankful for the blanket someone put on me — thankful for the first person to arrive who tried to get me up, but I broke my femur at the hip joint so I was unable to get up.

Though the holidays of 2021 are in our rearview mirror, we would like to send a huge shout-out to the amazing people of Rappahannock County who continue to support the Rappahannock Senior Center, one of five senior centers of Rappahannock Rapidan Community Services.

Remember when some businesses raised their minimum wage, and then installed automatic ordering to eliminate jobs? Actions have consequences and some quick bandaid approaches do more harm than good, in my opinion. 

With two weeks to go on the Lions’ Club six-month contract with Trex, I am pleased to report it has been more successful than we ever imagined.

Sure the Bible can be divisive. So was the Civil War, but we still teach that to kids. Children should read the bible! One day your kids may want to take something they learned from the Bible and start their own successful company! As well as a life more abundant!

In your Jan. 27 edition, we learned that Jackson District Supervisor Ron Frazier says the county can't wait another 36 months for the All Points broadband project, but offered no solution to the problems faced by residents across the county who lack access to high-speed broadband connections today. 

At the last Broadband Authority meeting on Jan. 26, Stonewall-Hawthorne Supervisor Ron Frazier expressed his opposition to the All Points Broadband effort because “we have an immediate problem” that needs to be addressed, while just last month in a letter to the Rappahannock News he said “Let’s slow down on Broadband and consider alternatives.” 

Are you a glass half full or a glass half empty person? Last week the Rappahannock News came out swinging for the cause of the half empties. Indeed at times it appeared to subscribe to the ‘absolutely nothing good in the glass whatsoever’ school of thought. It made for pretty dismal reading.

Snow and freezingly cold days spent indoors can lead to interesting thoughts. After the challenging times of COVID-19 worries, perhaps we can imagine a light at the end of the dark tunnel for 2022.

No doubt there are a whole bunch of dogs who live in Rappahannock County who are greatly loved by us. Susan and I have one of them; she is called Pepper.