After President Trump’s speech at Mount Rushmore, media outlets such as the NY Times and Washingon Post accused the President of pushing racism, that the speech was racially divisive. The Mirror obtained a copy of the speech, and this is what we found in the text:

“Our Founders launched not only a revolution in government, but a revolution in the pursuit of justice, equality, liberty, and prosperity.”

“No nation has done more to advance the human condition than the United States of America. And no people have done more to promote human progress than the citizens of our great nation.”

“They enshrined a divine truth that changed the world forever when they said: ‘…all men are created equal.’”

“These immortal words set in motion the unstoppable march of freedom.”

“Our Founders boldly declared that we are all endowed with the same divine rights — given [to] us by our Creator in Heaven.”

“Seventeen seventy-six represented the culmination of thousands of years of western civilization and the triumph not only of spirit, but of wisdom, philosophy, and reason.”

“We will state the truth in full, without apology: We declare that the United States of America is the most just and exceptional nation ever to exist on Earth.”

“We believe in equal opportunity, equal justice, and equal treatment for citizens of every race, background, religion, and creed. Every child, of every color — born and unborn — is made in the holy image of God.”

“We embrace tolerance, not prejudice.”

“they would erase the memory that inspired those soldiers to go to their deaths, singing these words of the Battle Hymn of the Republic: ‘As He died to make men Holy, let us die to make men free, while God is marching on.’”

“They would tear down the principles that propelled the abolition of slavery in America and, ultimately, around the world, ending an evil institution that had plagued humanity for thousands and thousands of years.”

“Our opponents would tear apart the very documents that Martin Luther King used to express his dream, and the ideas that were the foundation of the righteous movement for Civil Rights.”

“They would tear down the beliefs, culture, and identity that have made America the most vibrant and tolerant society in the history of the Earth.”

“It is time to plant our flag and protect the greatest of this nation, for citizens of every race, in every city, and every part of this glorious land.”

“We will proclaim the ideals of the Declaration of Independence, and we will never surrender the spirit and the courage and the cause of July 4th, 1776.”

“We must demand that our children are taught once again to see America as did Reverend Martin Luther King, when he said that the Founders had signed “a promissory note” to every future generation.”

“Dr. King saw that the mission of justice required us to fully embrace our founding ideals. Those ideals are so important to us — the founding ideals.”

We are the country of Andrew Jackson, Ulysses S. Grant, and Frederick Douglass. We are the land of Wild Bill Hickock and Buffalo Bill Cody. We are the nation that gave rise to the Wright Brothers, the Tuskegee Airmen, Harriet Tubman, Clara Barton, Jesse Owens, George Patton — General George Patton — the great Louie Armstrong, Alan Shepard, Elvis Presley, and Mohammad Ali.”

Analysis: You can say the speech was insincere, or his tweets matter more, or he doesn’t have the credibility to make this sort of speech, but you can’t say it was racially divisive. Next.

As part of the Governor Northam’s Phase three guidelines for opening Virginia, stipulations for enhanced cleaning are being imposed:

Practice routine cleaning and disinfection of high contact areas and hard surfaces, including check out stations and payment pads, store entrance push/pull pads, door knobs/handles, dining tables/chairs, light switches, handrails, restrooms, floors, and equipment. Follow CDC Reopening Guidance for Cleaning and Disinfection and use an EPA-approved disinfectant to clean. For high contact areas, routinely disinfect surfaces at least every 2 hours. Certain surfaces and objects in public spaces, such as shopping carts and point of sale keypads, should be cleaned and disinfected before each use.

The Cape Charles Town Manager and the Citizens for Central Park have been working on a plan to begin the Summer Concert Series in Central Park on July 11. However, this latest cleaning requirement has thrown a small wrench into the mix.

The CCP have purchased numerous picnic tables to be used during the concerts. However, that means someone will have to clean each and every one every hour.

As of this printing, the concerts are still a go for July 11. The Town Manager and CCP are currently working out the details of how to make this happen.

Not All Heroes Wear Capes.

Don Blewitt, his daughter and grandsons, Amanda, Lochlan, and Cashel Crouch, rescued three (3) baby birds this week on Fig Street. 

Thursday, Town Council approved an ordinance to adjust non-conforming lots in the R-1 district.

In 2019, applicants presented to the Town Planner a plat that proposed vacating and reestablishing property lines for Lots 336, 337, and 338B. This resulted in two property lines being vacated and two new property
lines put in place around Lot 337. This was approved by the Town Planner on December 30, 2019, and recorded in the county clerk’s office on January 3, 2020.

Unfortunately, Lot 337 is too small and becomes a non-conforming lot, and lot 336 now blocks access to an alleyway and becomes a non-conforming lot.

The ordinance allows for the approved Plat needs to be vacated in its entirety, thereby causing the lots to remain in their original dimensions prior to this Plat.

The Cape Charles Town Council approved a resolution that requests assistance from the Accomack-Northampton Planning District Commission in preparation and submission of a project application to the Virginia Department of Transportation through its SMART SCALE 2020 Application Process for construction of a multi-use trail between Mason Avenue and U.S. Route 13.

In 2018, Cape Charles Town Council signed a Memorandum of Agreement with Northampton County and Canonie Atlantic to participate with the Accomack-Northampton Planning District Commission (ANPDC) in applying for funding to construct Phase IV of the Southern Tip Bike & Hike Trail.

Phase IV would bring the trail into Town along the railroad right-of-way on the south side of SR 184, for a total of about 12.5 miles. It would connect to a
planned future phase of the Cape Charles Community Trail.

While the VDOT Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) funding has been on hold, there is now an opportunity to apply for VDOT funding under the Smart Scale program.

If approved, there would be no local funding match required. The application deadline is August 3, 2020.

The Eastern Shore’s first annual Homeschool Fair is open to all parents! Hosted by Quail Cove Farms and Cape Charles Classical Conversations, whether you are just considering home education or if you’ve homeschooled your kids for years this event is for you.

 The fair is at Quail Cove Farms on July 25th from 5-7 pm

We will have a variety of tables with resources for new homeschooling parents and all the information you need to get started. We will have a sample curriculum to view, the used curriculum for sale, and a FREE curriculum table with books and curriculum to take home.

There will be homeschooling parents and homeschool graduates available to answer any questions on how to get started and how you can teach your children successfully.

Network with other parents and learn more about scheduled social events and field trips happening this fall.

FREE DONUTS for everyone who stops by to get more information. Don’t miss out on this once a year event where you can meet other homeschooling families only available on the Shore!  

 WDVM.com – The Community Policing Act went into effect Wednesday in Virginia. The law requires local law enforcement agencies to collect and report a list of information during a traffic stop. The required data includes the race, ethnicity, age, and gender of the motorist, the reason for and the location of the stop, and whether the vehicle or person was searched. That information will be reported to the state.

Sergeant Jonathan Perok, spokesperson for the Prince William County Police Department, says the police department was already reporting this data if the stops resulted in an arrest or court summons; however, the data was never formally reported out. Now, if officers don’t make a citation and only issue a warning, officers will also have to issue that warning on paper and record the required data.

“They’re basically there to hold jurisdictions accountable for who they’re stopping and for what purpose and things like that,” Perok said. Sergeant Perok says it’s hard to determine whether the motorist was stopped on the basis of race.

Perok says Prince William County is a majority minority community. “I just hope, in the future, data is looked at broadly instead of just the numbers because it’s very important, especially in policing, to go beyond the number. To look at the actual context of situations and things like that.”

Although the police department was already collecting demographic information, it’s not available for public viewing. Perok says the only information available to the public is what is included in the department’s Daily Incident Reports, which don’t include every arrest – only those that are “significant” and of “media interest.”

“The fact that a police officer or police department says, ‘Yes we keep all of this but you can’t get it,’ I think says it all,” Haywood said. “We need to be able to get it. Like, why should that be a secret? Why should whether a police officer is producing stark racial disparities – why should that be a secret?”

In a press release, the police department said it “remains committed to ensuring all community members are treated fairly and impartially.”

“I mean, it’s good to make that public statement,” Haywood said. “You know, ‘We formally disapprove of this. Put this in your policies and procedures. Be aware. We’re on the lookout,’ That helps, sure. But in terms of giving ordinary people who are affected by racist policing, in terms of giving them a remedy, it doesn’t make the situation any better for them.”

The full list of data includes:

• The race, ethnicity, age, and gender of the person stopped
• The reason for the stop
• The location of the stop
• Whether a warning, written citation, or summons was issued and whether any persons were arrested
• If a warning, written citation, or summons was issued or an arrest was made, the warning provided, violation charged, or crime charged
• Whether the vehicle or any person was searched