The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: http://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1225452
The Press-Dispatch Opinion Wednesday, March 25, 2020 B- 3 Many questions are being asked about COVID-19 Letter to the Editor • Pray for healthcare providers, police, fire, emergency EMS and those who are tasked with re- sponding to emergencies. • Pray for those who are sick and in need of help. • Pray for those who are mourning the loss of a loved one. • Pray for our leaders. • Pray for those who are suffering severe economic stress because of job loss or hours cut because of the virus. As a disciple of Jesus Christ we await his Second Advent. We have a hope be- yond this life. Whatever the situation, we have assur- ance of Christ, and we will be forever in his presence. Paul wrote to the church at Rome "For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, wheth- er we live or die, we are the Lord's. For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living. Paul is not writing to en- courage one to be stoic and accept fate. The church has always rejected the concept of fatalism. Paul is encouraging us to LIVE! Live Christ and share his message! Think about it! Continued from page 2 DIFFERENCE Court Report TRAFFIC AND MISDEMEANOR Pike County Circuit Court Leslie Osborn, Jr. charged with op- erating a vehicle with and ACE of at least .08 but less than .15. Tammy S. Taylor charged with oper- ating a vehicle while intoxicated. Elizabeth Dean Grant-Kermode charged with disorderly conduct. Justin D. Downey charged with oper- ating a vehicle with and ACE of at least .08 but less than .15. Wade Hurdle charged with disorder- ly conduct. Christina J. Ashby charged with dis- orderly conduct. Wendy L. Kinman charged with pos- session of marijuana. Travis Glen Franklin charged with operating a vehicle with and ACE of at least .08 but less than .15. CIVIL Pike County Circuit Court Evansville Teachers Federal Cred- it Union sues James Cornwell on com- plaint. First Federal Savings Bank sues Matthew Willis and Mary Willis on complaint. SMALL CLAIMS Pike County Circuit Court Roger D. Uppencamp, Marjorie G. Padgett and Debra K. Wolf sue Cynthia Lou Wright on complaint. INFRACTIONS Pike County Circuit Court Mallory M. Haney charged with count I operating a motor vehicle with- out financial responsibility and count II driving while suspended. Jean Toledo charged with speeding, exceeding 30 mph. Angela D. Cummings charged with speeding, exceeding 55 mph. Keith Moore charged with count I operating a motor vehicle with a ficti- tious plate and count II operating with expired plates. Joseph Anthony Frank charged with disregarding a stop sign. Cole Yates charged with driving while suspended. Rose M. Padgett charged with speeding, exceeding 55 mph. Christian L. Nelson charged with speeding, exceeding 55 mph. David L. Yoder charged with count I driving left of center and count II un- lawful stopping/parking/standing of vehicle on traveled part of highway. Robert W. Gunn charged with oper- ating a motor vehicle with a fictitious plate. Nicholas Alan Rogers charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. Fabian Pjaka charged with speed- ing, exceeding 70 mph. Samuel D. Titzer charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. Sara Elizabeth Minner charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. Hunter L. Emmons charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. Robert L. Bierly charged with stop- ping, standing or parking where pro- hibited. Rebecca J. Miller charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. Ricardo J. Foulks charged with count I speeding, exceeding 70 mph, and count II driving while suspended. Bryce D. Bault charged with speed- ing, exceeding 70 mph. Chad M. Hopwood charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. Jarrod S. Glispie charged with speeding, exceeding 55 mph. David W. Wilson charged with speeding, exceeding 55 mph. Brittney E. Zakrjewski charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. Heather L. McCarty charged with speeding, exceeding 55 mph. Phillip Murray Roberts charged with speeding, exceeding 55 mph. Taylor F. Stephens charged with count I operating with expired plates and count II speeding, exceeding 30 mph. Jeffery D. McFarland charged with speeding. Matthew W. Byers charged with speeding. up decorating my pool ta- ble and sometimes furni- ture. Now I have to figure out how to erase them in places where they should not be. Now let's talk about food. They seem to always be hungry and when of- fered healthy food, they would rather have chips, cup cakes, cookies, etc and not the apples or bananas or oranges or grapes we al- ways have available. We try very hard to pre- vail and feed them healthy snacks and meals. We al- ways try to find ways to bargain and threaten to deprive fun stuff activities if they do not agree to fol- low our instructions. What about drinks — they pre- fer the sugary stuff, but we have rules in our house. Water or milk is what we insist they should drink. Most of the time we win, sometimes and rarely, we give in. Then you know what happens when they load up on sugary snacks. They become hyper and that's when you see them run instead of walk, shriek instead of talk, and peace and quiet disappears. De- spite all these slight in- conveniences, I still think grandkids are precious and make life delightful and memorable. I forgot to men- tion, since my letter writ- ing to my grandkids start- ed, they have responded in kind. They wrote letters back to me and it's so de- lightful to learn from them as well. They even includ- ed drawings and pictures which according to a lot of psychologists tell so much about what they're think- ing. I'm pleased to report the faces they drew had plenty of smiles. Now I've built a folder file to store their letters for future pos- terity. • • • Wisdom of the week: When life's challenges get too hard to stand… kneel. Have a blessed week. Continued from page 2 SPRING Stalin's campaign didn't mention that he would en- act policies that would lead to the slaughter of 62 mil- lion people in the Sovi- et Union between 1917 to 1987. Mao Zedong didn't mention that his People's Republic of China would engage in brutal acts that would lead to the loss of 76 million lives at the hands of the government from 1949 to 1987. The late Professor Rudolph J. Rummel of the University of Hawaii docu- mented this tragedy in his book "Death by Govern- ment: Genocide and Mass Murder Since 1900." Because socialism is a fight against basic human nature, it requires brute force in the attempt to reach its goals. The best warning about socialism comes from Aesop, who said, "Those who voluntari- ly put power into the hands of a tyrant ... must not won- der if it be at last turned against themselves." We shouldn't ignore Martin Luther King Jr.'s warning, "Never forget that every- thing Hitler did in Germa- ny was legal." Walter E. Williams is a professor of economics at George Mason University. Continued from page 2 SOCIALISM In areas such as sick leave, business leaders should pick up the brunt. They should not forget that the same God that made employers made workers. Faith will play a key role in helping our nation through this crisis and emerge better for it. Star Parker is president of the Center for Urban Renew- al and Education and au- thor of the new book "Nec- essary Noise: How Donald Trump Inflames the Culture War and Why This is Good News for America," avail- able now at starparker.com. Continued from page 2 PANDEMIC providers have been doing this for a long time, and traditional school dis- tricts should look to either imitate them or work with them—so that dis- tricts don't try to create something from scratch and then realize it doesn't work. The list of online resources for fam- ilies and teachers is growing as social distancing becomes the necessary, new normal. But policy actions by of- ficials in school districts and state gov- ernments, as well as at the federal lev- el, can maximize health and safety and provide learning opportunities for stu- dents. DISTRICT AND STATE LEVEL POLICIES • States and school districts should put online learning resources on their websites. They could include links such as those above to existing private resources and tools, along with links to virtual platforms (such as Blackboard) enabling families to contact teachers directly, access lessons, and stay in touch virtually with classmates. • State restrictions on teacher cer- tification should be lifted temporarily to free up the supply of online tutors, allowing anyone with a bachelor's de- gree to provide instruction online. • States should restructure per-pu- pil K-12 education funding in the form of emergency or temporary education savings accounts for families of chil- dren with special needs, so that they may continue to receive the therapy they need. Five states currently have ESA options in place. (Parents receive a portion of their child's per-pupil pub- lic school funding in a restricted-use account that they then can use to pay for any education-related service, prod- uct, or provider of choice.) FEDERAL POLICIES • At the federal level, Congress should immediately but temporarily make funding authorized under the Individuals with Disabilities Educa- tion Act both student-centered and portable, allowing children with spe- cial needs to access learning services to which they're entitled under federal law. These IDEA funds could be used to pay for in-home tutors and behav- ioral therapies, among numerous oth- er allowable uses, to help children with special needs continue to have access to service providers that are so criti- cal in their lives. • The Elementary and Secondary Education Act requires every state to administer reading, mathematics, and science assessments annually to all students in tested grades, the out- comes of which are used in state ac- countability plans. Although the U.S. Department of Education currently is providing targeted waivers to federal testing provisions under ESEA, it tem- porarily should provide a blanket waiv- er to all states, enabling them to post- pone testing until this pandemic has subsided. The coronavirus pandemic has cre- ated unprecedented health challenges, which have affected schools from the earliest grades through college. These temporary measures can provide some relief and flexibility, helping schools to better meet the needs of families dur- ing this challenging time. And the growing body of online learning resources can help parents as they navigate this new normal. Lindsey Burke researches and writes on federal and state education issues for the Heritage Foundation. Continued from page 2 SCHOOL To the Editor: Many questions are being asked over this COVID-19 virus that is worldwide. Why did God do this? What does He want? Many talk about His love, His grace, gift of salvation, forgiveness, the rapture and the end time, but they do not talk much about the things that make Him angry. Our sins. Yes, He is giving the church a wake- up call. Terrible to say, but true, when man is forced to feel his wrath, he be- gins to consider the presence and real- ity of God. When times are good, God is forgotten. Look at the first things that we here in the United States did, shut down the things that they idol- ized: basketball, baseball, NASCAR, river boat gambling, live entertain- ment venues, restaurants, schools, big churches, weddings, shopping, visi- tation of families and friends gather- ings, just to name a few. Yes, He's angry. He's a jealous God. Look at over 60,000,000 babies killed since abortions became legal. Mat- thew 24:12 says, "because of the in- crease of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold." We are living in the last church age. The Laodicean age, where the love of most will grow cold. The Lord says I am about to spit you out of my mouth. David Jeremiah says there are only three heart tempera- tures mentioned in Bible. The burning heart: "were not our hearts burning within us as He talked with us and opened the scriptures to us" (Luke 24:32). The cold heart: "be- cause of the increase of wickedness" (Matthew 24:12) and the lukewarm heart (Revelation 3). The clock is tick- ing, God's clock. We can survive this storm we are facing when we come to understanding of the Word of God. He who has ears let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches, repent and turn back toward Him. II Chron- icles 7:14 says, "If my people who are called by my name will humble them- selves and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and I will for- give their sin and will heal their land." Rick Cannon Katiedid vs... by Katiedid Langrock Sheltering in place with kids SOS from the front lines of Corona- virus Isolation with kids: 00 :01:00 The schools have been closed. The store shelves are empty. We've been shopping. We've been pre- paring for this. We are fine. We are safe. We are healthy. This is just an extend- ed vacation — an inside, isolated stay- cation. I vow not to leave the house for at least a week. 00 :01:20 My throat feels itchy. It's probably nothing. 00 :01:21 I look up symptoms on Web- MD. Death is imminent — but not from COVID-19. Apparently, I have cancer and/or a brain tumor and/or Lyme dis- ease and/or am having a stroke and/or am already dead. 01:15:00 The children are bored. We send them to play outside on their swing set. 01:45:00 The children are bored again. We send them to play at their friends' house. 01:45:13 I sprint down the street to stop the kids before they knock on the friends' door. I forgot about the whole isolation thing. 01:46:00 I'm out of breath. I check my temperature, convince myself I have COVID-19 and then remember my re- spiratory problems probably came about because I ran down the street af- ter my kids. 03:00 :00 I share a vibrant group text exchange with friends about all the free resources online for teaching school at home. I feel grateful to have so many amazing resources. I will be the best home-schooling mom ever! Feeling confident! 04:00 :00 Feeling confident I will nev- er use any of these resources. I turn on Netflix. School's out till fall. 06:30 :00 The kids are playing so nicely. It really is lovely to have this extra time with family, building memories and cherishing every mo- ment. 06:32:45 Both kids are crying. I apply a Band-Aid to my older kid because the younger one pushed him off the bed. I have a headache, but there is no aspirin in the house. My husband is pour- ing wine instead. I tell him to pour a small glass. We have to ration the im- portant stuff. 07:15:00 My sore throat has gotten worse. I inform my husband I have COVID-19. He informs me that a sore throat is a symptom of having yelled at the kids. I pour more wine. 08:30 :00 Giggles can be heard from the playroom. I thank the kids for play- ing so nicely. 08:31:00 The kids want Teddy Graha- ms. We don't have Teddy Grahams. We have never had Teddy Grahams. How do they even know about Teddy Graha- ms? Do Teddy Grahams still exist? The kids say it is an emergency. I remind them about the sickness. I remind them that we can only go out for something very important, that to go out is to risk spreading the sickness or getting very sick. The kids say they don't mind; they can risk my getting sick. 08:31:10 I remember that compli- menting kids for playing nicely always backfires. 10 :00 :00 The kids decide to become chefs. They play in the kitchen, creat- ing fun food concoctions. This is what family togetherness is all about. They ask me to try the "stew" they made out of mustard, grapes, milk, crackers, relish and hard- boiled eggs. If I die during the crisis, it won't be from COVID-19. 12:00 :00 It's the kids' bed- time. We made it through day one. I consider how the stress accompanying the day wasn't actually be- cause the day was stressful. It came from the expectation of home schooling and the awareness that there is something ugly spreading around the world that made the day feel heavier and more taxing than any other day spent at home. I just need to check my own anxiety and we will be fine. There's nothing actually difficult about staying in isolation. We've got this. 13:00 :00 The youngest child calls me in from her bed, as usual, to get a cup of milk. I walk to the fridge. The milk is gone. Where is all the milk? I stocked up to last us at least three weeks. My kid says the milk was used for stew. Did I like the stew? I tell the youngest that there is no more milk but she can drink stew. She cries. The stew is disgusting. She needs milk. I remind her we all have to make sacrifices. I say I am not going to the store. Abso- lutely not. 13:30 :00 I'm at the store buying milk. And Teddy Grahams. And ink to print out the resources for home schooling. And art supplies, board games and toys for when I give up on home schooling. And wine. So much wine. The essentials. Tomorrow is a new day.