As we enter the Christmas season of carols singing the praises of peace, it’s disheartening how little harmony one may find.
Nationally, the Senate gears up for a week preparing for a vote on health care. One can be sure partisans on both sides of the aisle and both sides of this issue will enter into plenty of angry exchanges that will include very few greetings of Merry Christmas.
Locally, two days prior to Christmas, the Valdosta City Council will address a plan to condemn Five Points. Don’t be surprised if City Hall isn’t filled with heated words rather than warm wishes for the holidays.
Though these issues will fill newspaper columns and the airwaves for the next few days, we should strive to remember the blessings in our lives. We should take a few moments to give thanks for these blessings and to share with family and loved ones, not just our time this holiday season, but what they mean to us.
Past political bickering, we should remember those who will not be with family this year. We should remember those who know better than words the never-ending hope for peace on earth and the brutal reality of how difficult it is to achieve.
We should remember our fellow Americans overseas, fighting wars in faraway places. We should remember those military personnel who cannot come home for Christmas. We should remember those who will face danger this Christmas.
Before railing against one another in the heat of politics, we should remember those who will not be with their families. And though we may disagree on issues, we should remember the true meaning of Christmas.
What We Think
What We Think: Walk the talk: peace and harmony
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Grading policy: A second chance?
In clarifying the Lowndes County Schools’ controversial grading policy, Superintendent Dr. Steve Smith spoke of second chances.
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Be up to any weather challenge
Georgia’s Severe Weather Awareness Week starts today and runs through Friday. The idea behind the week is to prepare Georgians for weather emergencies and how to keep these situations from becoming tragedies.
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Parents and schools
There is a lot of talk lately about school systems and grading policies, and how all of a child's problems come back to a lack of parenting. But is it really that simple? Can it be a case where the school systems are so focused on the problem few that the majority of students are ignored?
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Thumbs up, thumbs down
THUMBS UP: To Brooks County High School engineering and technology teacher Don Morgan and his students. They recently received national attention for their work with biodiesel fuel. They collect used cooking oil from area fast-food restaurants then process this oil into biodiesel. Morgan hopes to next interest the Brooks County school buses into running on the fuel created in his class. This classroom not only prepares students for the future but may prepare all of us for an alternative energy source.
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Take me out to the ball park
The Valdosta State baseball season begins today. The Blazers host Lindenwood at 2:30 p.m. Nothing beats quality baseball played in warm weather with a great venue like Billy Grant Field.
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What We Think: Signing Day
Wednesday was National Signing Day, the day when high school athletes across the country make official announcements about what school they’ve chosen to sign with.
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School policy fails expectations
Lowndes County Schools recently implemented new grading guidelines for students. These guidelines have left many parents upset ...
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Just the facts, please
The Times has taken some hits this weekend following the reporting of the Rev. Floyd Rose’ rally on Saturday concerning the car which drove into a home, killing an infant on New Year’s, and an incident at Pinevale Learning Center. Some police officers think the VDT is not being fair, and Rose accused the VDT of not printing the facts, but the facts are as follows:
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Fathers teaching daughters
It began as a small gathering for fathers and daughters. It has become one of Valdosta’s most popular social events of the year.
Several years ago, Jeff Stewart co-founded the event with his wife, Becky, as a way for him to give a special night to his two daughters. Other fathers of First Presbyterian Church liked the idea and the Father-Daughter Valentine Dance was born. -
Sports tourneys: They will come
More than 20 years after its release, “Field of Dreams’” mantra, “If you build it, they will come,” has possibly become one of the most overused lines from any movie. Yet, it seems all too fitting for what’s been happening lately within the Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks and Recreation Authority.
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Grading policy: A second chance?
