By WILSON BUTT
Bluefield Daily Telegraph
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Princeton has a new student. Lara Roessler of Odense, Denmark, (also the birthplace of Hans Christian Anderson) is adopting Princeton as her new home town, at least temporarily. The “straight A” tenth grader came here as an exchange student with Youth for Understanding, a non-profit international educational organization with programs in 64 countries.
Exchange Parents Bill and Pat Akers have welcomed her into their home. Last Saturday, the Akers treated Lara to her first outing at a Japanese restaurant, the Kimono, in Princeton. When asked what activities she had enjoyed since coming here, she said, “The pep rally and the football game.” She apparently enjoyed the restaurant as well.
The Akers have been working with the organization since 1999, have served as exchange parents for several students who have made their home with them and where each student has, in reality, become a member of the Akers’ extended family. Lara brings with her a big smile and a warm heart. We are indeed fortunate to have her in our midst. Lara, welcome to southern West Virginia and these mountains. We hope you enjoy your stay.
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I couldn’t help but notice the news stories that show Bluefield is cracking down on prostitution. For some reason I had always connected prostitution with women or as these ladies are called — “working girls.” In a recent sting, police arrested men soliciting prostitutes. It sounds more like the crackdown is on the buyers rather than the sellers.
There are other matters concerning the city’s fine government. A few days ago I mentioned that the city had problems scheduling special trash pick-ups. What was supposed to be a $15 fee for trash pick-up turned out to cost more than $200. How that happened I don’t know, but rest assured the city was a whole lot faster to send the bill than they were to schedule the pick-up.
The part that is irritating is that the small cedars that were cut down and needed to be hauled away were being used by local drug dealers as cover for their drug deals. Those dealers were trespassing upon private property. Drug deals take place regularly and the city, apparently either does not have the ability or the desire to do anything about it.
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Another thing I noticed is that the city is looking to hire some policemen. The city needs some tough and seasoned officers. Nothing is going to change as long as our police force is out numbered. Two officers per shift is simply not enough manpower. Last Monday evening College Avenue was blocked for a period of time. Several fire trucks and ambulances responded to a call. While the emergency personnel tried to sort out the problem, both of our city police officers were relegated to traffic control.
The officers should have been on the immediate scene and in charge of the situation rather than left to direct traffic.
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The West Virginia Coal Association, Citizens for Coal, the Federation for American Coal, Energy and Security (FACES of Coal), several allied citizens groups, and coal advocacy groups, will participate in a press conference and gathering on Sept. 15 on the grounds of the United States Capitol. The gathering will celebrate the American coal miner and the contribution coal and coal mining makes to our nation’s energy security and economic stability.
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There you have it, a few comments on items of interest to the area. I hope that you are enjoying these last few days of late summer, the cooler mornings and cooler evenings. On this date in 1974 President Gerald Ford pardoned former President Nixon of all federal crimes. During a press conference Ford was asked about the possibility of pardoning Nixon. Ford replied, “I’m not ruling it out. It is an option, and a proper option for any president.” In the end it was the right decision, a decision to speed the healing of the nation.
Wilson Butt, a resident of Bluefield, is a retired Department of Highways official.
