WS Chronicle

Support John Larson for the South Ward of City Council

To the Editor,

I’d like to encourage everyone to support John Larson for the South Ward seat on the City Council.

Sorry as we all are to see Molly Leight retire, we are thrilled that her replacement will be someone so highly qualified by his professional and civic experience as well as his personal commitment, as a 40-year resident of South Ward, to the quality of life in Winston-Salem.

His years at Old Salem, from which he will retire in December, perfectly prepare him to serve on the Council.  Currently on the Board of Creative Corridors, John has long been involved with efforts to strengthen neighborhoods.

Winston-Salem will benefit from John’s expertise and energy and his wide knowledge of the city.  I hope you will join me in voting for John.

Katherine Tucker McGinnis

Delay in plan on clean power disappointing, and dangerous

To The Editor:

Mothers & Others for Clean Air, a program of the American Lung Association of the Southeast, was disappointed to hear the Supreme Court’s ruling to put the Clean Power Plan on hold as the courts review the legal challenges, delaying much-needed progress toward the reduction of harmful carbon pollution.

The decision does not necessarily need to delay real health benefits to our families and neighbors, as long as Gov. Pat McCrory chooses to move ahead with plans to reduce power plant carbon pollution in North Carolina.

Carbon pollution drives climate change that threatens lung health and safety today.  The Clean Power Plan, which is the first-ever national plan to reduce carbon pollution from power plants, is critical in our fight against climate change. Meeting the plan’s original, generous deadlines promises significant health benefits, including the prevention nationwide of up to 3,600 premature deaths and 90,000 asthma attacks in 2030, as well as 300,000 missed days of work and school. N.C.’s families, including our most vulnerable populations, cannot afford delayed protection.

Gov. McCrory, delay of these benefits would not only be disappointing, but dangerous. We hope you will continue to take steps to reduce carbon pollution from power plants by developing a strong state implementation plan, which N.C. can be ready to put in place when the litigation is resolved. Mothers & Others for Clean Air and the American Lung Association will continue to defend this critical clean air and climate protection and encourage neighboring states to make progress as well. The impacts of carbon pollution and climate change are not going away, and neither should our governor’s commitment to protecting N.C. residents.

Alison Lawrence Jones | North Carolina Project Manager

Mothers & Others for Clean Air

American Lung Association of the Southeast

Board needs to bring  Explorers Camp to Cook Elementary

To The Editor:

I find it both ironic and tragic that Cook Elementary School has been declared the “worst performing” school in the state of North Carolina during the past six years. As a parent of a former Cook student, I can say that I witnessed the school’s demise. After my daughter transferred to Cook from Forsyth Country Day in 2013, she was forced to endure two years of ineptitude before transferring prior to the start of the 2015-16 school year.

My daughter lost her zest for learning as a direct result of her experiences at Cook. She was totally unmotivated because of the distractions happening in and out of her classroom during her first year as a second-grader at Cook. However, after attending the Explorers Camp during the summer of 2014, her zeal for learning was restored. Consequently, last year she passed both parts of her end-of-grade tests and posted an impressive 99 percentile score in math.

The Explorers Camp offered a fresh approach to learning and the kids who attended were enthusiastic about learning. They arrived each day ready to learn and they had fun.

Last spring I suggested to the local school board that they bring back the Explorers Camp for the summer of 2015. However, it never got off the ground. The school board discussed the Explorers Camp briefly but let the idea quickly die.

Cook is now at a crossroad. It has been announced that all staff members will be released at the end of this school year. The school is scheduled for a re-start. The school has already wasted millions of Title I funds over the past six years. Wouldn’t it be a great idea to bring the Explorers Camp back and mandate that all students who do not pass EOG’s at the end of school year to attend it or not move on to the next grade?

Theresa Davis

Winston-Salem