The Citizen of Chesapeake - February 2013 1

WorthMentioning

By Baxter ennis

I think you’re going to like this month’s issue of The Citizen. There is culture, local history, social events, self-improvement tips, politics and some in-depth feature stories. I’ll bet there are a few folks from Chesapeake who have never been to The Commodore Theater in Portsmouth. If you haven’t, you’re missing a wonderful treat. Be sure to read Ken Johnson’s article which begins on this page. The Commodore is an incredible place where you’ll want to take your friends and out of town guests.

By the way, if WCTV, Channel 48 is not a part of your weekly TV viewing routine, you should give it a look. Mark Cox, Rae Pearson Benn, Jen Bichara and all the crew are a hoot! They put together some excellent shows and have fun doing it. Check them out, they’re great.

Have you noticed? City Hall is Red!

The Commodore Theater: A Hampton Roads Treasure

WCTV Television – Chesapeake's Own Family Friendly Station

By KennetH JOHnsOn

While Americans like to boast of being rugged individualists, we still at heart possess a herd mentality. We may like our "me time," but consider that one of the worst punishments in the penal system is solitary confinement. Humans crave interaction with other humans. While we may want to get away from it all now and then, we can't seem to stay away for very long.

You can cook meals alone at home, but restaurants continue to thrive. You can shop online at home, but look at how crowded the malls and retail outlets are before Christmas. Major sporting events are available for viewing at home, but fans prefer to fill a stadium. We may complain about crowds, but we sure enjoy being a part of those crowds.

Where is all this leading? A look at one of the most popular shared experiences in modern times: movie theaters. While cinemas share an origin

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The Commodore Theater on High Street in Portsmouth is a restored 1945 Art Deco style theater. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Continued on page 6

Continued on page 3

By JOHn DOWns, sr.

It's 9:15 a.m. on a Thursday morning. Even though the taping for “Thinking Out Loud” won't begin until 10:00 a.m., the WCTV studio is a beehive of activity. Veteran director Richard Hutt is flitting back and forth from control room to the colorfully decorated set to check and double check every detail. Heath Covey is patiently adjusting camera angles while Jim Hazel, another WCTV seasoned pro, works the sound board. Rae Pearson Benn is dutifully providing patter into a studio microphone to check levels. Pat O'Malley is making last minute additions to her teleprompter script. Sitting alone, program host Mark Cox carefully applies a small amount of facial make-up to deflect the glaring studio lighting. He is also reviewing his script.

While NBC has Jay Leno and CBS has David Letterman, Chesapeake's own television station, WCTV, has Mark Cox. Mark is the Director of Public Mark Cox and Jen Bichara go over last minutes details

for the news show with director Bryan Barbee

2 The Citizen of Chesapeake - February 2013

A Night Among Superheroes

The Chesapeake Regional Health Foundation and TowneBank recently hosted the annual Gala at the Chesapeake Conference Center. Nearly 800 of Chesapeake’s political, business and government leaders turned out in formal wear, and some in Superhero costumes, to help raise money for the implementation of a da Vinci Surgical Robot program at Chesapeake Regional Medical Center. The da Vinci surgical robot program provides Chesapeake Regional the opportunity to provide minimally invasive surgeries in the areas of women’s health and prostate surgery. A portion of the funds raised also went to help support the Chesapeake Regional Health Foundation Endowment Fund.

Vonda Chappell served as the Gala Chairperson this year and will continue to serve as chair for the 2014 Gala. The theme the 2014 Gala will be “Run for the Roses” to be held on January 25, 2014. TowneBank will again be the Presenting Sponsor.

The annual Gala is one of the top social events in the Hampton Roads area. Make plans now to sponsor or attend next year’s event. To learn more about the gala, including sponsorship opportunities call 757-312-6314 or visit www.chesapeakegala.com.

Above: Mr. & Mrs. Robert Guanci, (Interim CEO,

Chesapeake Regional Medical Center)

Right: Don Buckley, President Emeritus was

recognized during the program

Above: John Maddux and wife, Lori

Below: L to R seated: Stephanie DeLoatche, Adrienne Danner, Scott Danner; Tara Preston and Valerie Rivera.

L to R standing: Jonathan DeLoatche, Kristi and Jeb Britt, Vonda and Joe Chappell, Brenda Kuntz, Ronnie Preston, Mike

and Mel Love, Errol Rivera, John Maddux, Jr. and Lori Maddux

Left: Fred and Joan Bateman (always the first to buy tickets each year!)

Right: Chesapeake Regional Health Foundation Board Chair,

Jorge Dabul, with wife, Lori

Right: L to R seated: Jenny O’Sullivan, Teresa Davis,

Roland Davis, Errol Rivera and Valerie Rivera.

L to R standing: Shirley Forbes, Vonda Chappell,

Gala Chairperson; Sheriff Jim O’Sullivan, Adrienne

Danner, Scott Danner and Congressman

Randy Forbes.

Left: Presenting SponsorTowne Bank, Table: Seated L to R: Dawn Glynn, Julie Anderson and Betsy TottenStanding L to R: Tim Glynn, Vonda Chappell, Ross Morgan, Jennie Morgan, Doug Anderson and Danny Totten

Below: Doug and Mel Howerton

Above:Gala emcee, Vanessa Coria and David Tomlin

Left: Gala Chair, Vonda Chappell, with husband Joe Scalco

Below: Denise and Jim Parroco with Cathy and Robin Tull

The Citizen of Chesapeake - February 2013 3

Continued from page 1

The Commodore Theater: A Hampton Roads Treasure

with live theaters, movies have become the primary entertainment venue for a variety of reasons. Some are obvious: it is less expensive to show a movie than put on a live show and live shows have limitations (imagine trying to do a stage version of "Star Wars"!).

I can think of no better way to tell a story to large numbers of people. If you combine the old proverb "One picture is worth a thousand words" with words and music, it becomes a total sensory experience - except for smell and taste, which might explain the popularity at movie theaters of fresh-popped popcorn......or dinner. More on that in a moment.

Over the decades, innovations in entertainment were touted as the "death knell" for motion pictures. First television and later VHS tapes, DVDs, and the Internet were all cited as "movie theatre killers"; but being the social creatures that we are, one of the most popular date night or family experiences is "dinner and a movie". Or both, at the same time.

Which brings us to a Hampton Roads landmark: The Commodore Theatre in downtown Portsmouth. Built in 1945, the theatre thrived for two decades. It was conveniently located on the main route for travelers heading east and west on the Southside of Hampton Roads. Until the early 1960s the trip required a ferry ride between Norfolk and Portsmouth at High Street. With construction of the Downtown Tunnel, which ended the ferries and bypassed High Street, attendance fell. Later, with shifts in population centers away from the cities to the suburbs and emergence of malls and retail centers around those suburbs, the old downtowns fell on hard times. Many retailers packed up and relocated to the malls. Others just closed up entirely. By the early 1970s, attendance at The Commodore was so low that the owners were forced to close.

For about 15 years, the theatre remained empty. The once-elegant interior fell into disrepair. The painted canvas wall murals disintegrated. Vagrants camped out, and debris filled the auditorium. The future of the once-elegant Commodore looked rather grim.

Fred Schoenfeld, who has been involved in movie theaters for over half a century and was operating the Plaza Theaters in the western part of Portsmouth, had a vision for the venue and believed it would lead to the revitalization of High Street – in much the same way that Thomas Vourlas and Tench Phillips sparked the revival of Ghent in Norfolk with the renovation of the old "Colley" theatre into the "Naro.” The mix of new movies and classic and foreign films was the perfect attraction for the eclectic Bohemian resident patrons, and inspired the renovation of nearby businesses. That Colley Avenue corridor section of Norfolk continues to enjoy success with a variety of restaurants and businesses, but the "Naro" was the spark that lit the rejuvenation fire.

Instead of subdividing the big High Street theatre building into two or more "mini theaters" with postage stamp-sized screens (as was done at other older

theaters across the country), Schoenfeld kept the single big Commodore screen venue; a risky venture. Multi-screen theatre owners spread their risk. If one movie doesn't do well, revenues are bolstered by others that are hits. With a single screen, if the movie is a "turkey," the owner is stuck with it - along with the accompanying reduced revenues.

To help offset the financial risk, and to offer a unique movie going experience, Schoenfeld decided to offer dinner with the evening shows and lunch for matinees. This was a first for the industry: a renovated classic theatre offering dining in the auditorium. Almost all movie houses stay on the positive side of the ledger through snack sales: it’s the popcorn, candy, and soft drink sales that pay the bills since most of the box office receipts go to the studios. The dinner profits at The Commodore also allow Schoenfeld to keep ticket prices low - half to a third of what most theater chains charge - as well as buffering the fluctuating box office returns.

Renovation of The Commodore began in 1986. The downstairs was converted from the standard rows of seats into a dining hall of tables with lamps and big comfy chairs. Each table has a telephone used to call the kitchen to place your order, which is delivered to the table prior to the start of the movie. Desserts are brought out a short time later unless you can't wait and want it immediately.

While there have been a few minor adjustments, the menu has changed very little since 1988. The fresh-baked bread, in-house award-winning chicken salad, made-from-scratch pizza, and even the BBQ nachos have proven very successful and popular. Annual Triple-A ratings are the norm. In addition to the fresh dinner items, served with coffee, espresso, wine, or tea, the traditional snacks are also available for diners. The popped-at-the-theatre popcorn (made in a gas-fired popping and heated storage unit designed by Fred Schoenfeld!) which can be served with hot, real butter, and an assortment of candies is available both downstairs and in the balcony.

If you are not up for dinner the balcony, which looks much as it did in 1945, offers traditional movie viewing with a concession and restrooms.

Downstairs or upstairs, there is not a bad seat in the house. The huge screen

and Certified THX sound system (the only such system for 500 miles around) ensures full enjoyment of the feature. We have had patrons tell us that they heard sounds in movies at The Commodore that they did not hear at other movie venues. For instance, in Steven Spielberg's "War Horse" in the scene where animals cross the road, the THX system lets you hear them from off the left side of the screen before they appear, and then follows them across to the other side. In the first "Sherlock Holmes" when Lord Blackwood is circling and taunting Holmes and Watson, you hear actor Mark Strong's voice actually circling around the theatre. The THX also makes the music soar, whether it’s a lush Hans Zimmerman score or the cast of "Les Miserable". The sound system is checked and updated on a regular basis by George Lucas's THX team to ensure the sound is always at its best.

The latest, and perhaps most important, change at The Commodore has been the switch from celluloid film to digital projection. The change is not just an issue of picture quality; it is one of pure necessity. All theaters must make the switch to digital by the end of 2013 in order to offer first-run movies as the distribution of film will end by the first of 2014. While the digital picture is crisper and steadier than film, cost is also a factor in the change, at least for the studios creating and distributing movies. The cost of shipping a single hard drive, which can be loaded with the feature plus many other trailers or specials, is about a fourth of the cost of shipping four-to-six reels of film. Plus the hard drive can be recycled over and over. So, while some directors continue to use film while most others shoot their movies digitally, all the finished first-run features will be exhibited by digital projectors in theaters by next year.

Old movie nuts like me miss the "organic feel" of film; I actually liked the grain, fluctuations, scratches, and "reel change signals" in film projection. We have kept the 35, 16, and 70-millimeter projectors (you never know!), and with the digital system, there is now no format that cannot be exhibited at The Commodore. The digital projectors, by the way, do not come cheap. But you will not see an increase in ticket or

concession prices at The Commodore. Schoenfeld believes in providing a great value for guests at The Commodore.

The theatre also provides a venue for special events: an annual bluegrass festival and several companies hold meetings or celebrations at The Commodore, as well as private events. For information on booking The Commodore, be sure to access the website for information: www.commodoretheatre.com

The website also offers information on the history of the theatre, seating charts, the menu, current and coming features. The Commodore also tweets (@commodoretheatr) and like just about everyone else is on Facebook at "Commodore Theatre". Feel free to "follow" or join the group to offer your own reviews of films and for news from what is often referred to as "Hollyweird".

So, while you enjoy the historical aspects of the theatre, which has been placed on several historical registers, the movie technology - and the food - are always fresh! Don't sit there all by yourself; grab a friend or four and take part in an American entertainment tradition. We hope you will visit us soon for a fabulous dining and movie experience at the classic Commodore Theatre!

(Kenneth Johnson is a Hampton Roads native who has been involved in film, television production and radio broadcasting since the 1970s. When not promoting The Commodore or pushing popcorn in the balcony, Ken provides characters for video and audio productions at Studio Center Total Production and helps keep things going at WHKT AM 1650. He can be reached at whktam1650@gmail.com.)

The downstairs dining room features tables, lamps and extra comfortable chairs.

The ever popular BBQ nachos.

4 The Citizen of Chesapeake - February 2013

From The Pulpitdestinies, with hard work and fortitude. But a routine x-ray of our nation will reveal that we are sick. It is a serious but fixable problem. Children are being assassinated in mass shootings at school. Our land is sick! Marriages are being dissolved at alarming rates. Our land is sick! The institution of marriage is being redefined without any regard for faith. Our land is sick! We are in fact confused about rights and rites! Selfishness and personal agendas have crippled us financially until we have to coin new financial terms like the “fiscal cliff”. Our land is sick! Respect for leadership and authority is at an all time low in our society and community. Our land is sick! Seniors are attacked by youth, youth are attack by one another, and crime is out of control. Our land is sick!

Just as I had to change my behavior and allow the physician to give me assistance in establishing a process of healing, our land must be healed as well. The diagnosis is clear; we have a moral tumor that must be removed. Because God is omniscient and knows everything He planned for this moment by giving us a process in the scripture. It will take more than larger jails, more stringent laws, and increased police

personnel. While that all helps, they are not the answer. The answer and responsibility has in fact been given to the church. 2 Chronicles 7:14 reads, “If my people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and heal their land”.

The answer is found in four T’s. The four T’s are Testimony, Temperament, Talking, and Turning. The church must testify about Christ. “If my people who are called by My name”. The standard must be displayed by the church. The church must take the lead in modeling and reminding our land to live by faith. Those who follow Christ must live to be the witnesses in the earth. As well our temperament must be adjusted. God tells us to “humble” ourselves. Humility has to become a foundation of behavior. The church should be the beacon of humility as we serve, not just inside the walls of the sanctuary but at work and play. Thirdly, the body of Christ must refocus on prayer, talking to God. Our children are not allowed to pray in school, many are not taught to pray at home, and even in church, prayer has become a stepping stone or bridge

Kim W. Brown, D.MinMount Lebanon Baptist Church (The Mount)

THE CURE

between the more modern aspects of worship. Prayer must be given once again a central focus in the experience of our faith. And finally the people of faith must turn. As people of faith we have to maintain standards for the kingdom. We cannot allow the moral erosion of our society to creep into the church. We have to acknowledge the wicked ways of the believers and take a stand that causes the church to sustain moral boundaries and operate with integrity and accountability based upon the word of God. The word and only the word must be hailed as the standard of behavior and lifestyle.

Today, I feel great. I have a scar on my side that reminds me daily of the experience of surgery. But I am excited to know that I am healthy and whole. I have a new grandson that I will be able to teach how to pray and follow Christ. All because of a routine test that revealed a problem that was not visible. It’s time for our nation to pay a visit to the doctor. Our great nation has the potential for an incredible legacy to continue, but the church must take the lead by becoming the corporate portrait of Christ that she is called to be. Then God will hear the prayers of the church and heal our land.

By KiM W. BrOWn, D.Min

Recently I had surgery to remove a tumor. The interesting thing is that prior to my diagnosis I felt great and had no symptoms. Only after having a routine x-ray did it reveal the presence of a serious but fixable problem. As I was recovering, I could not help but think about our great land. We live in the greatest nation on earth and believe in a system of government that allows us to dream and pursue our individual

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The Citizen of Chesapeake - February 2013 5

Constitutional Corner

By BarBara CarraWaY

It was a sunny Sunday afternoon in late May 1989, sitting at the dining room table of my neighbors, Ben and Marilyn Hurr, discussing the other two candidates’ qualifications, when I decided to run for the office of City Treasurer. So the journey began and on November 7, 1989, I was elected Chesapeake City Treasurer, the first Treasurer of the City to be elected in a contested political race and the first woman elected to this position. I am Barbara Carraway and

have served as the Treasurer since January 1, 1990. I am a native of Chesapeake having lived in the Great Bridge/Hickory area of our city all of my life. My husband Kenn and I have one daughter, Morgan Paige, who is a graduate of The College of William and Mary and works for a company located in Chesapeake. Serving as City Treasurer is a wonderful experience and honor for me.

As City Treasurer, I am able to help many of our citizens with tax problems. I have an open door policy so citizens do not have to make an appointment to see me. Also, I believe citizens should hear a real voice when they call the office; therefore, I am not a proponent of voice mail. For the convenience of the citizens, there are four full service satellite Treasurer’s offices located throughout the City: Great Bridge, South Norfolk, Western Branch and Deep Creek. When I speak to groups, something I enjoy doing, I like to let them know that my office is 92% funded by the City and 8% by the State.

The Treasurer is the collector of the tax bills, while the Commissioner of the Revenue and the Real Estate Assessor are the assessors of those bills. The office of the Treasurer handles many responsibilities for our City. The primary function is that of collecting all the revenues that are due the City. In addition to collecting taxes and water bills, the Treasurer also handles EMS billing and collections, miscellaneous invoice collections, Public Utilities cost participation bills collections as well as

terminated water accounts, and collection of estimated State Income taxes. In addition to collecting the City’s money, the Treasurer is also responsible for the City’s investments, the reconciliation of its bank accounts, reconciling the Accounts Receivable to the General Ledger and processing bankruptcy claims. For our citizen’s convenience my office can also issue passports and hunting licenses, and in the very near future, will sell EZ Pass transponders for use over the Jordon Bridge.

I believe in automation and the use of technology. As Treasurer, I have provided alternative ways for taxpayers to pay taxes and fees. In addition to the traditional cash or check payments, debit and credit cards are also accepted at the customer service counters. On-line payment options include credit cards and e-check. A new service now available on-line is the ability to pay for events held at the Chesapeake Conference Center by credit cards.

Many functions in the Treasurer’s office are highly automated. The banking and investments are done electronically. One accomplishment I am proud of is the creation of a centralized invoice system. This system enables the Treasurer’s office to track and collect all miscellaneous charges and fees due the City. The warrant-in-debt and the lien processes are automated as well, so that these can be issued in large batches.

The collection of delinquent tax and fees is one of the most interesting facets of the office and also our most difficult task. Taxpayers are mailed delinquent notices throughout the year. If a response is not received or payment arrangements made, then we begin collecting

the amounts due through the legal system. To preserve the collection period on that hard to find taxpayer or for someone who has moved out of state, a judgment is obtained which extends the statute of limitations on a bill. If we receive no results from the warrant in debt, a distress warrant is issued. Distress is a process whereby the Sheriff’s office visits the taxpayer and places a levy on property owned by the taxpayer. If the delinquent account is not paid, then the Sheriff’s office sells the levied property for payment of the account. Employer, bank and rent liens are also issued to collect delinquencies. Other effective collection tools are the boot and seizure program, debt-in-equity real estate sales and the State Debt Set-Off program. Under the debt set off program, a treasurer requests that any state income tax refund be sent to the Treasurer rather than the taxpayer for payment of that taxpayer’s delinquent account. Whether the collection process is automated or manual, it is a very labor intensive process.

As Treasurer, I believe in giving back to the community. Since its inception, the “Treasurer’s Christmas for Children program” has provided Christmas for 662 children, provided sleeping accommodations for a few children and provided 42 seniors with gift cards or fuel.

I have enjoyed serving the Citizens of Chesapeake for the past 23 years and look forward to serving you in the future.

For a more in-depth description of the treasurer’s office, please visit the City’s website.

Making Congress Personally Accountable for Passing a Budget From Capitol Hill

One of a Congress’ most basic responsibilities is to pass a budget. Families and businesses all across America regularly make budgets, yet the U.S. Senate has failed to legislate one in over three and a half years. In fact, as many have pointed out, the last time the U.S. Senate passed a budget, we had never even heard of

the iPad. General Motors had never declared bankruptcy. No one had heard of Swine Flu. And the national debt was $4 trillion smaller than it is today.

Today, our national debt stands at over $16 trillion and we have racked up over a trillion dollars in deficits in each of the last four years. We can no longer continue on this path. As public servants, we have a lot of work to do to bring down our national debt and rein in deficit spending. It will not be easy. It will take hard work. It will not happen overnight. In the meantime, however, Congress can

make some important fiscal steps to show that we are committed to returning America to a firm fiscal footing.

Just like families and businesses across America, Members of Congress

need to be held responsible for their fiscal decisions. To add personal accountability into the process, I introduced the Congressional Accountability Pay (CAP) Act, H.R. 284, to break Congress’ addiction to spending by tying members’ salaries directly to spending. The premise of the bill is simple – the more Members of Congress spend, the less they make in salary. So, if Congress increases spending by 7%, their salaries would be cut by 7%.

This week, the House passed the No Budget, No Pay Act, H.R. 325, requiring Members of the House

and Senate to pass a budget, or have their pay withheld. I was pleased that this bill incorporates personal accountability of Members of Congress, in a similar fashion as the CAP Act. I am optimistic that this is

By COngressMan J. ranDY FOrBes

Just like families and businesses across America, Members of Congress need to be held responsible for their fiscal

decisions.

a first step toward getting spending under control.

In January of 1995, a constitutional amendment that mandated a balanced budget passed the U.S House of Representatives. Two months later, the balanced budget amendment was brought to the floor of the U.S. Senate where it failed by one vote. Since then, federal debt has more than tripled in size from $5.1 trillion to $16.4 trillion today. I continue to support a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution, but in the meantime, we must fix our broken budget process and prioritize spending.

Passing a budget, as called for under the No Budget, No Pay Act, is only the first step toward putting our nation back on a path of fiscal prosperity, but it would go a long way in holding Members of Congress personally accountable for spending decisions in Washington. The status quo is no longer acceptable – Members of Congress cannot remain immune from the economic challenges facing our nation.

6 The Citizen of Chesapeake - February 2013

Communications for the City of Chesapeake yet most regular viewers know him as the amiable host of the popular program, “Thinking Out Loud.” Along with Jen Bichara, he also co-anchors the WCTV news program.

Mark came to Chesapeake 23 years ago from Chula Vista, California where he also worked in Public Communications. He served a hitch in the United States Air Force and graduated with a Master's degree from San Diego State University. Under his leadership, WCTV television has expanded its 24/7 programming to include a line-up that appeals to a variety of tastes.

“Our programming is 100% family friendly,” Mark assures, “Chesapeake is a city of family values, and we want our shows to reflect that.”

While Mark's major responsibility as the city's Communications Director is the building and maintaining of informational relationships with key elements of the Chesapeake community, he is also responsible for WCTV. Mark looks forward to his brief time each week at WCTV. “I'm really not the type of person who seeks the limelight,” he shares, “but I do enjoy doing the news and interviewing so many interesting people on “Thinking Out Loud.” The staff here at WCTV always makes me look good. There's a lot of preparation and technical skills involved and, while it may look easy on TV, it's not. I'm very grateful to have such an excellent staff supporting me.”

WCTV Television first signed on the air in 1986 as “Access Cable Chesapeake.” In those early years, viewers were invited to produce their own television productions. Soon it became obvious that most Chesapeake residents took greater pleasure in watching good television shows rather than producing them. In fact the most requested service was the airing of our elected officials and specifically the City Council meetings. City officials began to realize the importance of the city run broadcast center, and the programming took new and improved turns. Citizens can now watch all the City Council meetings, the School Board meetings, and the Planning Commission meetings from the comfort of their own home.

If classic television is your cup of tea, WCTV will keep you sipping day and night. Whether you enjoy comedies, dramas, documentaries, or cooking shows, you're sure to find something to hold your interest. “We have so many treasured television series from TV's Golden Age” Mark says proudly. “On any given day, a viewer can watch a famous personality have his life retold on ‘This Is Your Life.’ If science fiction is your favorite, we have the eerie ‘One Step Beyond’ series.”

Mark continues, “Viewers needing a good belly laugh can visit with some of the great comedians of 50's television. Groucho Marx and Ozzie and Harriet Nelson are but a few of the legends WCTV features on a regular basis.”

A popular feature on WCTV is “The Grand Theater,” a reference to one of the grand old ladies of local, neighborhood movie houses. The original Grand was located in the city's South Norfolk borough. WCTV's “Grand Theater” runs such movie classics as the film “D.O.A.” with Edmund O'Brien and the zany and hilarious “Topper” with a youthful Cary Grant as a ghost and Roland Young as the befuddled title character. Saturday mornings on WCTV might feature beloved cartoons like “Popeye” or “Tom and Jerry,” or western favorites like “The Cisco Kid.”

It’s 10:00 a.m. and taping for “Thinking

Out Loud” is ready to begin. Rae Pearson Benn stands ready to cue Mark's entrance. Rae performs double duty for the show. In addition to the important task of managing the floor time for Mark and his guests, she also serves as his sidekick. Their playful banter is a trademark of the show. Rae is stunning and statuesque with an outgoing personality and an ever present smile. Mark is laid back and sometimes soft spoken. His

gentlemanly demeanor immediately puts both staff and studio guests at ease. Their personalities compliment each other nicely on air. Benn cues Cox, and he makes his enthusiastic entrance from the back of the studio. It's Super Bowl week and Mark does a mock pose of a Heisman trophy winner as he trots into camera range carrying a football.

Maynard Scales is the Television Operations Manager at WCTV and has definite opinions about the role of WCTV in the Chesapeake community. “WCTV is Chesapeake,” he says, “We try to bring every aspect of our city to our viewers. We

want to let the viewers know what's going on in the future, and we want to highlight what has already happened recently. Inform and entertain, that's a big part of our mission. We will always listen to what our citizens are saying. It's what we're all about.”

Scales sees a future in high definition for WCTV. “While our tiers on the cable networks won't allow us to broadcast in high definition at this time, we know it's popular with our viewers. Most television sets being manufactured now are high definition. We'd like to start maintaining a library of high def tapes such as our local football games. Major networks sometimes seek footage of our star local athletes and it's nice to be able to provide high def recordings.”

WCTV is family television at its best. No hands over the eyes or ear plugs for the little ones. Four letter words, suggestive language, or gratuitous violence play no part in the programming at WCTV. “We make sure families can sit around the television together and enjoy our shows without being wary of the content,” Mark assures, “Our movies, classic television, and all other programming will always be G-Rated.”

Heath Covey is technically the city's public information coordinator but like all his colleagues at WCTV, Heath wears many hats. “There’s great camaraderie at WCTV,” Heath explains, “No job is too big or too small. For example, I may be on the air filling in for Mark and reading the news. The next time, I'll be operating a studio camera. Our attitude here is 'whatever it takes.’ We all work so well together.”

It’s now 10:40 a.m., and Mark has finished an interview with City Councilwoman Debbie Ritter. Rae and news anchor Jen Bichara also appeared as guests to report on their coverage of the annual Chesapeake Health Foundation Gala ball. Now it’s time for the musical guests “Antwan Shepherd and Friends.” Contrary to appearances on the television screen, the “Thinking Out Loud” set is confined to a relatively small area. This necessitates a dismantling of epic proportion. Everyone pitches in to move the desk and chairs to the back of the studio to make way for the musical instruments including a large drum set. The hectic scene resembles a screen from the famous Frogger video game where everyone moves cautiously, frequently stopping to allow another to pass. In a matter of minutes, the set is stripped bare and Antwan and Friends begin to set up. After Antwan's smooth and mellow set, Marks ends the show with a brief interview of the musicians. After closing remarks from Mark, Rae signals that it's a wrap. The tape goes into editing now and the finished, polished product will soon be ready for public airing.

WCTV is available for viewing on both Cox Cable and Verizon FIOS as are two additional city channels. WCTV's regular programming is on Cox's channel 48 and FIOS's channel 41. Channels 47 and 42 respectively feature public information “bulletin board” type programming and channels 46 and 41 belong to the Chesapeake Public Schools. All live programming from WCTV is also available streaming over the internet, and selected past programs are available at WCTV's website in the On Demand section. A detailed programming schedule may be viewed online along with specific information about selected popular programming. Visit the site at www.cityofchesapeake.net and click on the “Government” tab and then “Public Communications”. Call (757) 547-1748 for questions, suggestions, and general information.

WCTV Television Continued from page 1

Right: Rae Pearson Benn reacts with a broad smile

to Mark's comments

Left: Set of the WCTV news show

Above: Mark Cox mimics the Heisman Trophy

Below: Mark interviews Jen Bichara and Rae Pearson Benn

Below: The Thinking Out Loud set is magicavlly changed into a performing area for Antwan Shepherd and Friends

Below: Veteran Richard Hutt direvcts

Below: Operations Manager Maynard Scales checks

transmitting center of WCTV

Below: Councilwoman Debbie Ritter is interviewed by Mark Cox

The Citizen of Chesapeake - February 2013 7

Children and Disaster: Is my child OK?

Celebrating Black History MonthCornland School: A Restoration Project Worth Supporting

By PaUL H. VanVaLin, PhD

Hurricane Sandy is called a “super storm” because of the devastating effect it had on so many people. Sandy’s impact is still being felt by many people. Over 3 months after the storm, there are 1900 homes that do not have energy and the Red Cross distributed over 36,000 meals in one day. After the cleanup, fix-up, and power-up is complete, there is the emotional recovery that may take a lifetime for some people.

Everyone in the world is at risk for disasters from man-made or natural events. Disasters are overwhelming events for everyone because of the impact on loss of life, property damage, negative economic impact, and life style changes. Disasters affect physical, mental, emotional, relational, and spiritual health. Disasters are so far out of the realm of our normal experience that they exceed our normal coping skills and resources.

Disasters can traumatize children. Emotional trauma is defined as a disordered emotional or behavioral state resulting from severe mental or emotional stress or physical injury. The threat or experience of death is one factor that impacts the extent of trauma for children. Witnessing death, having someone die, or the threat of death can be traumatic and result in a number of traumatic symptoms. Children are more vulnerable to the threat of death than adults because of their dependency. The loss of a parent for a child, or threat of losing a parent, is as devastating as the threat to one’s own life.

Children of any age can be traumatized, however, factors such as age, exposure and the amount and type of loss make a difference in the perception of threat. I was talking with a very distraught father October 10, 2001

in a church service in lower Manhattan. His 6 year-old daughter had watched the World Trade Center Disaster from her elementary school window. He was terrified that she would be permanently damaged by the event. She had a high level of exposure, she saw people falling to their death, and she had classmates that experienced significant losses.

I asked simple questions about her daily function in order to understand her experience. I asked about her sleep, appetite, playfulness, mood, ability to attend school, and willingness to share about her daily experiences. I quickly assessed the impact on her home, her schedule, and her social support. All “fine,” he said. She really had very little change, response, or impact from the event other than witnessing it, which for a sensitive, mature 6 year-old could have been traumatic. I then asked if she was a mature 6 year-old or seemed somewhat immature. He told me that she was quite immature, a little hyperactive, and rather irresponsible compared to other 6 year-olds. I also asked him if she knew how to tell time yet and his answer was “no.” You can imagine his relief when I told him that his daughter was functioning normally and probably would be relatively unaffected by the disaster.

I told him that there seems to be a relationship between understanding the

By BarBara rUsseL

If the mention of a one-room school house conjures up visions of “Little House on the Prairie” you may be surprised to know that one exists today on Benefit Road, in southern Chesapeake. It is Cornland School, built in 1902, and it was a school for rural African-American children for 50 years until it and several other rural schools were consolidated into Southeastern Elementary. The building has sat, basically unused, for the past 60 years, and now a group of interested citizens is trying to restore it.

Why is this building worthy of restoration? First, of course, it is an interesting historical relic which has been listed as one of Preservation Virginia’s most endangered historic sites. It is the oldest pre-Rosenwald school building in our area, a perfect, if derelict, example of the iconic one-room school house. It is small and simple. When it was built, it had no electricity and no indoor plumbing, and it was heated by a wood-burning stove in the middle of the floor. The teacher kept the fire going while teaching all seven grades. The students walked to school and studied from hand-me-down books. Many could attend school only when the weather was too cold

passing of time and understanding death. Around 7 years of age children seem to understand the permanence of death and often have nightmares for one to three months. This happy little girl did not yet fully understand what she was viewing that day. She was no more affected by it than a TV show. I am sure that she had classmates that became anxious and depressed, had nightmares, and would require treatment for acute and post-traumatic disorders, but this child was fine. Though she had to go to school in another building for a while, the most important parts of her world, her identity, and her security were intact.

I then talked to him for about 20 minutes about his own stress and stress management. I gave several suggestions for his own coping because his anxiety could affect her. Get back to a normal schedule as soon as you can. Sleep. Reduce alcohol consumption. Have fun. Exercise and eat good food. Be grateful. Stay connected with your social support. Social support is the single best buffer against the negative effects of stress. We need each other.

Paul VanValin, PhD, is founder and President of Eden Counseling Center and Eden Family Institute. He and Becky have lived in Chesapeake since 1997. www.edencouseling.com

or too rainy for farming, but they knew the value of an education.

Second, the building should be restored because of what it represents, the earliest efforts to educate African-Americans in our city. While the present building dates to 1902, we know that there was an earlier school building close by. Records indicate that there were three schools for African-American children in the Pleasant Grove District of Norfolk County as early as 1871; Cornland’s predecessor is believed to be one. Local legend says freed slaves who treasured the opportunity to educate their children built it on land donated by Israel Foreman. By 1885, official documents begin recording the names of the teachers in the school. A restored Cornland School would honor the roots of African-American education while reminding us of how far we have come.

Cornland School Foundation is a non-profit corporation whose members include retired and active school employees, members of Chesapeake Historic Preservation Committee, the owners of the property where the building is located, and other interested citizens. The committee welcomes new members and invites everyone to visit their web site: www.cornlandfoundation.com for more information.

8 The Citizen of Chesapeake - February 2013

By C.J. CHASE

Seaman First Class Eugene (Gene) Brewer was asleep in his bunk on the USS Dale when the bombs began to rain down. “I saw people grabbing ammunition and going topside with it,” he says about the fateful morning of December 7, 1941. “I went topside and saw the air full of Japanese planes.”

The son of a Kentucky coal miner, Brewer had “hopped” a train in 1940 to get to a recruiting station—only to discover he needed to gain one more pound to meet the Navy’s weight requirement. Once in, the Navy sent him first to San Diego, and from there to Hawaii and the Farragut-class destroyer, the USS Dale. He’d been at Pearl Harbor one and a half years when Japan’s surprise attack brought the United States into World War II.

Brewer, who moved from Chesapeake to Virginia Beach ten years ago, fought the entire battle of Pearl Harbor in his “skivvies” because there was no time to dress. “You didn’t have time to look around much. You just grabbed whatever was handy.”

On the night of December 6, the Dale had only one boiler in use to provide power to the ship. As the attack began, the crew fired up the other boilers and had her underway in 30 minutes. Because the commanding officer was ashore, an ensign and 30-year chief took the ship out.

The Japanese hoped to sink a ship in the harbor entrance, thereby corralling the entire fleet in the harbor, and the ship came under heavy fire as she left. “We had three airplanes come right down at us, and all of them missed us.”

Once away, she joined other ships in a task force, but a “wiped” bearing forced her returned to Pearl Harbor on December 8. Over 70 years later, Brewer even now vividly remembers the “real depressing” view of the still burning hulls of the damaged and destroyed ships.

Brewer served on the Dale for the entire war. Out of 22 battles in the Pacific, she participated in 18—and never lost a man. Brewer says he and his fellow sailors tried not to dwell on the battles. “We fought like tigers until it was over, and then when it was over, it was over.” At the end of the war, the Dale sailed to Tokyo Bay, making Brewer an eyewitness to both the war’s beginning and end.

After the war, the Dale traveled to San Diego and from there, New York for her decommissioning. Brewer, however, remained in the Navy, being sent to Norfolk temporarily while awaiting transport to his next station in Cuba. His mother wired some money to Norfolk, but no one could find the telegram. Brewer kept returning to the Western Union office until a pretty woman there offered to help by going through all the files.

Brewer not only got the money, he got the girl. They dated a few times before he left Virginia. Once in Cuba, he wrote and asked her to marry him. He and wife Florence will celebrate their 67th anniversary in April. During their stay in Cuba, Gene also found another love: golf. “He played very, very well,” says his son Joe. He was a three-

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bases for the next 14 years while Gene continued his military career, including service in the Korean Conflict. “After Pearl Harbor, I thought we were going to have peace for a while, and then Korea broke out.”

After Gene left for Korea, Florence had to get from Norfolk to San Diego. She had a car but didn’t drive at that point. She advertised in the paper and found an older woman who wanted to visit family and a sailor who could drive, and the three of them traveled across the country together.

In 1957, the Brewers returned to Norfolk, and this time they stayed. They settled in the area with their two children, first in Virginia Beach and then in Chesapeake. Gene retired with the rank of chief in 1960 and went to work for the base police force for another 23 years. Florence also got into police work as a store detective watching for shoplifters at Little Creek’s Navy Exchange.

Now age 91, Brewer and his wife live in the Signature at West Neck, near their children Joe, of the Hickory area, and Sue Torbert, of the Tunbridge Station area. He’s just a wonderful man who worked hard all his life,” says Joe. “My sister and I are blessed to have a dad like that.”

Indeed, all of America has been blessed by Eugene Brewer’s service and sacrifice for our country.

Chief Eugene Brewer – The Citizen of Chesapeake salutes you and thanks you for your service to our nation.

Sgt. Major Schweers – The Citizen of Chesapeake salutes you and thanks you for your service to our nation.

Chief Brewer, Yokosuka, Japan in 1952.

Eugene Brewer (L) and his friend, Gooch, before he left

for Cuba in the spring of 1946.

Eugene Brewer, 91, holding a souvenir shell from the Battle of the Kommandorski Islands.

The Citizen of Chesapeake - February 2013 9

Chesapeake Veterans Serve the Community and Each OtherBy MJ KnOBLOCK

Military veterans are a strong part of the Chesapeake community. According to the National Census Bureau, there are 26, 949 veterans in Chesapeake. Many of them are members of four veteran-based organizations in Chesapeake. Disabled American Veterans (DAV), the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and the Marine Corps League (MCL) all have active posts in the city. Each group has different requirements for membership. In some cases, local veterans are eligible to be members of all four organizations. Each group has a different mission and vision, although all of them aim to serve and support their fellow veterans and contribute to the local community.

Many local associations and organizations, however, including the veterans groups, are seeing a decline in active participation, and in some cases in the number of members altogether.

The VFW SSG Jonathon Kilian Dozier Post 2894 is one of the groups hoping to boost its active membership so that it can better serve veterans and the Chesapeake community.

With about 65 members, but a core group of about 15 or 16 actively participating, many of the members aren't as active in the group for a variety of reasons. Others simply don't have the time or interest due to due to work and other commitments.

"Young people just aren't as inclined right now to join," said Carl Dozier, commander of the VFW Post 2894. "There is so much to do these days. There wasn't back then."

As an Army veteran of 27 years who served during Operation Desert Storm, Dozier remembers when people used to gather together to have fun and talk. Now, there are so many other activities for people to engage in, that club involvement has dropped off for many organizations.

Dozier said he hopes to change that, since the VFW has a lot to offer its members, especially camaraderie in meetings and social outings. One of Post 2894's next goals is to secure a facility where it can hang its flag; a place to call home, to hold meetings and have social gatherings.

For now, the group meets the Lighthouse Pointe Retirement Home on the second Wednesday of every month at 7 p.m. Some regular activities include sponsoring the Voice of Democracy essay contest and supporting the Samaritan House and Vets House. They will participate in the annual Bataan Death March Commemorative Walk which will be held on Saturday, April 27, 2013. The group also has a newsletter and supports disabled veterans through Buddy Poppy sales.

"It's a worthwhile organization that needs to stay strong and look after the needs of other veterans," he noted.

The Marine Corps League is another local group that serves the community. Joe Hoadley recently became the Commandant of Chesapeake Detachment 853, Marine Corps League. Although there are about 70 paid members, the number of those active in the organization has dwindled over the years.

A former member of the Marine Corps who served in the Vietnam War, Hoadley's goal is to reinvigorate the local chapter and increase

its active membership and service to the Chesapeake community. Some of the activities that Hoadley hopes to revive among League members is participation in parades, assisting with the Toys for Tots campaign, assisting the local Eagle Scouts and Boy Scouts of America and helping other veterans.

To be eligible to become a member of the Marine Corps League, individuals must have served in the Marine Corps or been a Navy Corpsman who served with the Marine Corps for at least 90 days. League members can be active, former or retired from service.

Locally, Detachment 853 is well known for its participation in the Chesapeake Jubilee. It sells and delivers the ice for the various events and merchants at the festival, sometimes moving up to 30 tons of ice during a single Jubilee. The group also participates in Memorial Day wreath laying ceremonies and donates food baskets to charity groups during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday seasons.

Hoadley noted that the favorite method of recruitment used by local League members is to simply open a dialogue with people.

"Anyone who wears a Marine Corps emblem, we talk to them and tell them what we're about and try to get them to join," he said.

The American Legion is another military veteran group active in the

Chesapeake community. While the national organization places restrictions on when local chapters can bring in new members from recent wars, the group always tries to help local veterans and has applications available for those who are eligible for membership and want to apply.

"We're available for people if we're needed, and if they want to join, they can," said Wayne Sarapata, commander of American Legion Post 280 and a Marine Corps Vietnam veteran and retired Air Force Reservist.

The American Legion recently honored local public safety and emergency service members of the Chesapeake community at Law and Order Night. Award recipients were chosen by their respective organizations as the Police Officer of the Year, Deputy Sheriff of the Year, Firefighter of the Year, Paramedic/Firefighter of the Year and Trooper of the Year. They were each recognized with a plaque from the American Legion and a gift certificate from local sponsoring businesses.

"As a veteran's organization, we try to work very hard with the rank and file of the community," said Sarapata. "The American Legion asks that we do this. It's part of their profile. It's our honor to recognize the men and women in our community that place themselves in harm's way. As some of us veterans are aware, we were not always recognized for what we've done when we got back, but it's gotten a lot better now. This gives us a chance to recognize our brethren for what they do."

The American Legion is also an active sponsor of the Concerned Veterans of America, a local baseball team and the Air Force Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC).

Post 280 has a general membership meeting on the second Thursday of each month at 7:30 p.m. at its headquarters, located at the corner of Kempsville Road and Battlefield Boulevard in Great Bridge.

There are 26,949 military service veterans living in Chesapeake. There are several organizations comprised of veterans who serve their fellow veterans and the local community. Among the many military veterans active in the Chesapeake community are (from left) Gary Sneed, Robert Fountain, Wayne Sarapata and Richard Seavers. Photo courtesy of Carl Dozier

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By JaYne tHUrBer-sMitH

What’s in a name? Buddy Bagley’s name says it all: he’s everyone’s buddy.

“I’m just a people person,” he smiles. “I’ve never met a stranger.”

He doesn’t answer to Robert. His sisters nicknamed him “Buddy” shortly after his arrival as the caboose to a South Norfolk family that already had twenty siblings.

“We learned how to share very early in life,” Bagley laughs, “but we were all happy. We have a family reunion every year, and there were 130 of us together last summer. We call it ‘Cousins by the Dozens’!”

Not only is Bagley a dedicated family member but he’s also dedicated to his neighbors and community, for which former mayor William Ward nicknamed him “Mr. Chesapeake.” He’s also been called “Chesapeake’s Cheerleader” for the tremendous pride he shows for his city.

Some of his friends call him the “Ticketron of Chesapeake.” His truck, to which he fondly refers to as “his office,” is overflowing with scholarship applications, sponsorship form, and upcoming event fliers for the various charities he’s promoting.

“My wife tells me to get out of the house, so I do,” he laughs, referring to his bride of fifty-six years, Peggy. He had served faithfully with the Chesapeake Fire Department for 38 years, 17 of those years as fire chief, and retired in 1986. He appears not to know the meaning of the word “retirement” because at the age of 82 he shows no signs of slowing down.

Included in his “office” paperwork, Bagley has handfuls of business cards; only three different ones bear his own name. When he officially retired, someone asked “How are we going to get a hold of you now?” so he had some personal calling cards printed. One of his three cards is a Consultant card, although he

doesn’t charge anyone for his consulting.The second card says “Robert G. ‘Buddy’

Bagley, Chesapeake Sports Club, President 2011.”

“I’m very busy now with the Chesapeake Sports Club,” he says proudly. “Our mission is to give $1,000 athletic scholarships to each Chesapeake high school, including Atlantic Shores and Greenbrier Christian. I served as the president for the first year in 2011 when we started it up. I didn’t have time to do that but I had to; we have some great athletic talent in our area.”

The third card is his Khedive Shriners card. Bagley has assisted his fellow Shriners in providing necessities, both medical and personal, to many hospitalized children.

“I’ve been very active in the upcoming March 30th Oyster Roast for the Shriners,” he says, always promoting. “We just want to provide children with leg braces, clothes, whatever they need. Those children are so happy when we visit the hospital! They say to me, ‘Thank you, Mr. Shriner.’”

The dozens of other business cards, overflowing his glove compartment, center console and Filofax, are for Bagley to be able to promote the companies who support his causes. If you ask him “Who can I hire to fix my roof?” he’ll hand you the card for a local roofer. If you ask him “Where’s a good place for seafood?” there’s a card for that.

“Altogether I have five different fundraisers going on right now, all good causes,” he says. “The business community is very gracious to support things we ask them to.”

As we get ready to photograph him in front of his namesake, the Buddy Bagley Stage in Chesapeake Park, he first walks over to stand by the sign that bears his name. Ignoring the name of the stage, he points to all the local businesses listed that have been and still are so very generous.

“I don’t have an ego - that’s long been gone,” he says. “I’ve had lots of recognition, more than anyone could expect, but I don’t do

anything for that reason. Naming the stage had nothing to do with me.”

Seventy Chesapeake businesses helped Bagley and his volunteers build the stage at a cost of $250,000.

“It made more sense to build a stage than to keep renting one, with so many occasions requiring it,” he says. “So ten years ago I raised the money for it over the summer. We conservatively estimated that more than two million people have been out here for summer concerts, the Chesapeake Virginia Wine Festival, the Chesapeake Jubilee, the nationally-recognized Barbeque Cook-off, Relay for Life, food festivals and horseshoe competitions.”

In May Bagley is looking forward to putting on the largest fireworks display Chesapeake Park has ever seen.

“I’ve been doing the fireworks since the Chesapeake Jubilee was first held at the Greenbrier Mall in 1983,” he says. “The mayor at the time wanted fireworks for the 20th anniversary celebration and I just laughed because I put out fires, I don’t build them! But then I said, ‘I don’t know anything about it, but I’ll do it.’”

The Jubilee outgrew the mall after the first three years. Buddy and his volunteer party then looked into acquiring a parcel of land further down Greenbrier Parkway that was by the correctional center, where the dog park is now. Then they got to work clearing Chesapeake Park, where the Jubilee has been celebrated ever since.

“We’re doing it big for the city’s 50th anniversary celebration at this year’s Jubilee,” he says. “We’re calling it Thunder over Chesapeake.”

He never fails to steer the conversation back to where he thinks it deserves to be: the sponsors who make his efforts all worthwhile.

“I really want to thank the business community for what they do for this city,” he says. “I don’t like to use the word ‘I’ because there’s no I in the word team and I’m a team player. All I do now is volunteer work. I really enjoy what I’m doing. I do it for the city because I love it.

“Chesapeake is a caring city: if someone needs help there’s help.”

Thanks to caring people like Buddy Bagley.If you are interested in supporting

Chesapeake’s up-and-coming high school athletes’ bright futures, you can email support@chesapeakesportsclub.com.

Congratulations Buddy Bagley on being named Citizen of the Month. We appreciate your dedication to public service. The city of Chesapeake is incredibly fortunate to have you as a leader in our community.

The Citizen welcomes your recommendations for Citizen of the Month. Help us recognize and honor outstanding community leaders who are making a difference in our city—and the world. Email your nominations to: info@thecitizenofchesapeake.com.

Citizenof the Month:

Robert G. "Buddy" Bagley

The Citizen of Chesapeake - February 2013 11

First Steps to Getting Organized!

Amy started Simplified Living, LLC eight years ago when she wanted to stay home with her kids but still make money. It has grown to include not only home organizing, but corporate organizing and productivity training. Amy regularly speaks to large groups, has a TV segment on the Hampton Roads Show called Organize Your Life, and blogs about how to Live Better on her website, AmyVolk.com.

BY aMY VOLK

Was your goal for 2013 to get organized? With the first month of the

New Year behind us, it’s easy to feel frustrated and throw in the towel if you haven’t made any progress in your organizing goal.

Fear not. Doing any organizing project, whether it’s a spice rack or a whole room, there are some basic elements that need to happen before you actually start the organizing.

Below are three basic tenets of organizing any space. Do these first, before ever diving in to reduce the clutter! Consider these your three most crucial steps - they will be. When looking at any given area of your home or office there are some basic assessment questions that are important to ask:

1. What is in this room? Sounds silly doesn't it? But, it's important to really identify the contents of a room and make a list. Almost like an inventory. Physically write down what you think is in the room and what you know is in the room. We have seen many spaces where no one can see the bottom of the piles, but guess at it and get a clear picture of the volume of stuff in the area.

2. What do I want this room to be? Just because you have a dining room by design doesn't mean that it has to stay a dining room. We have had several

Report From City Hall

By Dr. eLLa P. WarD

I am Dr. Ella P. Ward, and I have served as a member of your Chesapeake City Council for the past seven years. Prior to my election as a City Council member in 2006, I had been elected to the Chesapeake School Board for two consecutive terms beginning in 2000. I also received appointments for 4-year terms to the Virginia State Board of Education by

former Governors Mark Warner and Tim Kaine. I was elected vice-president of the State Board of Education for 5 terms, and the decisions we made had an impact on both the School Board and the City Council.

Members of Chesapeake City Council are elected to represent the entire city, and we all have liaison assignments that require us to meet with groups outside of the regular City Council meetings. The liaison assignments also help to keep us engaged with citizen groups who work together to help make our city more productive. My liaison appointments for 2012 to 2014 were selected based on my experience with having served with many of these groups prior to my election to City Council and they are as follows: School Board, Libraries, Fine Arts Commission, Sister Cities, Public Utilities, Volunteers for Youth

Advocacy, Cable TV, and the Virginia Municipal League. I also serve as City Council representative to the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission and the Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization.

My experience on the School Board, the State Board of Education, and my 35 years in public education were the reasons I wanted to have the School Board as one of my liaison appointments, while public

utilities and cable TV are challenging for me. Public Utilities has broadened my perspective of our citizens’ needs with respect to water, whether it’s lobbying the General Assembly to keep the ban on Uranium Mining which could potentially damage our water supply, especially the Northwest River, or working to help our citizens get linked to the city water system. In addition to attending meetings with members of the above groups, City Council members are expected to attend as many Civic League meetings as possible.

Chesapeake is celebrating 50 years of existence as a city this year, and milestones have been made. We have kept taxes low, maintained a triple A bond rating, and we made significant progress that will help solve some of our transportation woes in the region as well as spur economic growth in Chesapeake and the region. The South Norfolk Jordan Bridge has been built (with no costs to the city), and the Gilmerton Bridge is expected to open in 2014. We’ve also secured funding to widen Dominion Blvd and replace that bridge. Our Council is working hard to complete the revitalization of South Norfolk, the Poindexter Street Corridor Improvements, and the new South Norfolk Library.

We are happy that we were able to hire a new City Manager, Mr. James Baker, who will help the city move forward in 2013, and it has been my pleasure to have served you for seven years as a member of Chesapeake City Council.

Worth mentioningContinued from page 1

February is National Heart Disease Awareness month. In honor of raising awareness, the City of Chesapeake is lighting City Hall red from January 22, through the end of February. This is also the 10th Anniversary of the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women campaign, and Chesapeake City Council is showing their support.

On a recent freezing Saturday night, the Chesapeake Conference Center was the site of the social event of the season when the Chesapeake Regional Health Foundation hosted their annual Gala. The theme was “A Night among Superheroes.” Nearly 800 of the city’s leading citizens attended attired in formal wear and superhero costumes. Hope you enjoy the photos on page 2.

Chesapeake’s Martin Luther King’s Breakfast is always a wonderful event. This year’s keynote speaker was Bishop Anne Jimenez of Va. Beach’s Rock Church. She shared a gripping story of her near death experience and amazing recovery. The annual breakfast is put on by Chesapeake’s Bishop E.W. Jackson. In my opinion, he is one of the best orators in the region, always inspiring. The event was attended by more than 400 people.

If you like sports plan now to attend the Chesapeake Sports Club Jamboree Banquet on March 21. Joe Theisman, former Washington Redskins great, will be the speaker. See the ad on the back page for more information. The Chesapeake Sports Club meets the second Monday of each month at the CCC. It’s a great club with about 300 members.

Speaking of the Sports Club, one of the founders, Buddy Bagley, is our Citizen of the Month.

It’s always exciting to see a new entrepreneur start their own business. Congratulations to Scarlet Byrd on opening her new salon, “La Bella Chic” on Cedar Road. We wish Scarlet the best of luck.

We’re pleased to welcome a new columnist to The Citizen this month. Amy Volk, organizational guru, will teach us how to organize our homes, offices—maybe even our lives. You are guaranteed to pick up some helpful tips.

And finally, congratulations to Faye Mitchell, Clerk of the Chesapeake Circuit Court, on being named “ 2012 Woman of the Year” by the Women’s Division of the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce.

We hope you enjoy The Citizen of Chesapeake. Please tell your friends about it. If they don’t receive it in the mail, it is available at more that 30 stores and restaurants throughout the city including all Food Lion, Farm Fresh and Harris Teeter grocery stores. It may also be viewed online at www.thecitizenofchesapeake.com.

Send your story ideas, photos or comments to : info@thecitizenofchesapeake.com.

clients turn their dining rooms into music rooms, offices, and toy rooms. Decide what works for your family and your needs, but get clear on what the function of the room will be when you are done. And no room should have more than two functions. More than two will lead to more clutter down the road.

3. Make a plan. This is where rubber meets the road. How will you get this project done? Do you need help? Who can help you? How much time do you think you will need? What resources will you need? Call a handyman, a painter, a junk removal service, Salvation Army pickup? Be realistic about your ability to make objective decisions about your stuff. You may need either a Professional Organizer or a gut-honest friend to help you out.

As a word of caution: Paperwork takes twice as long as you think it will, so double the amount of time you estimated it will take. Be ruthless with paper - it's the biggest monster lurking out there! Invest in a great shredder and burn it up clearing the paperwork clutter.

The Citizen is building a sales team!

If the challenge and rewards of sales excites you and

you’re looking for an income opportunity with a flexible schedule, we would love to

hear from you.

Email Baxter Ennis for details. baxterennis@cox.net

12 The Citizen of Chesapeake - February 2013

Citizen Talk

WORDS FROM WOODS

Retirement Income and The New Normal

There are three ways to look at how to generate retirement income. The Bank Way, the Wall Street Way and the Insured Way. Market conditions have rendered two of the three irrelevant.

The banks had us putting our retirement dollars into CD’s then removing the interest earned annually. Works great as long as interest rates were up. The early 70’s and early 80’s saw double digit interest rates. In reality, the average interest rates historically hover around 4- 5%. How long has it been since we’ve seen those rates? How long will it be before we see them again? Can you wait that long?

Wall Street would have us put our hard earned retirement dollars into stocks,

bonds, mutual funds, variable contracts and brokerage accounts. This works well as long as the markets’ horsepower and returns are positive. What they don’t talk a lot about is the risk. Do 2001 or 2008 bring back any bad memories for you? I know folks who are still not totally recovered from those two collapses! Some have had to return to the workforce… some have had to postpone retirement plans altogether!

So what is this NEW NORMAL? What makes it so appropriate these days? It’s the Insured Way, using life insurance industry strategies and their guarantees. First of all it incorporates the safety of a legal reserve system with the horsepower and return potential of our markets…the features we want and need in a plan…while eliminating the potential for loss of capital that we don’t. It has built in industry, State and Federal safety regulations that aren’t available with the other plans. It relies on the same markets we look to for growth potential on our accounts but stops short if there is a market correction or collapse. In other words, there can be no losses due to market gyrations! And it can insure one thing that no other strategy in the country can…guaranteed, contractual, lifetime income. A virtual Personal Pension Plan! Opportunity and safe growth on the same dollar at the same time. Insured . It’s the New Normal and it’s one of the strategies we use here at Woods Financial. Let us show you how it will work for you.

As always, I wish you Good Fortune.Bob Woods, President

The Necessity of Accounting...and Accountability

In my Financial Accounting class this semester, I learned that every single publicly traded company has to publish a full annual report on its assets, liabilities, revenues, expenses, and cash flows at the end of every fiscal year. In my business class, I learned that the federal government was in fact, a business, which has revenues coming in as taxes, and expenses, like welfare programs, funding for infrastructure, and salaries for its employees (ie: Congressmen). As “shareholders” invested in our government, we should demand that our leaders be accountable about what exactly they are spending our money on, to whom, why, and when. It is indeed true that our Congress has not published a real budget for the last three years.

This is ridiculous, when one thinks about the nature of our government as a business. It would be unethical, for example, if Apple or Bain Capital were to fail to draw out a budget and report its financial information to its owners. The government needs to be held accountable and more open about how it is doing financially. I applaud Rep. Forbes for introducing the Congressional Accountability Pay (CAP) Act that would cut the salaries of Members of Congress

proportionally by how much they increase government spending. Hopefully it will be passed, and hopefully, there will be real motivation for a true bipartisan effort to fix our messy finances.

Maralei BunnChesapeake

Zero Tolerance for Crime

I have been pretty quiet with my opinions about the assault currently underway on our 2nd Amendment right to bear arms. But while listening to the Senate hearings on gun violence last week I had a thought... Let's start parading people in front of the media who have stopped rapes, murders, home invasions, child and adult abductions, car robberies and the likes because they were armed. Let's have zero tolerance for committing a crime with an illegally possessed gun. Let's have zero tolerance for possessing an illegally obtained unregistered gun. Let's have zero tolerance for those who steal registered guns from family members or others. The gun stores and gun show merchants follow the law; many people break them due to the lack of an immediate forbidding consequence.

Courtney WolfeSuffolk

Woods Financial • 482-0291 • www. chesapeakewoodsfinancial.com

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The Citizen of Chesapeake - February 2013 13

Opinions . . .

Tale of Two Cities

Fewer Dollars and Babies Threaten Social Programs

By MICHAEL BARONE

Our major public policies are based on the assumption that America will continue to enjoy growth. Economic growth and population growth.

Through most of our history, this assumption has proved to be correct. These days, not so much.

Last week, the Commerce Department announced that the gross domestic product

By MONA CHAREN

It isn't often that you get reading suggestions from a United States senator, but that's what happened this past weekend for those who attended the National Review Institute's summit meeting in Washington, D.C.

The three-day conclave, part election post-mortem and part revival meeting (that

shrunk by 0.1 percent in the fourth quarter of 2012. And the Census Bureau reported that the U.S. birth rate in 2011 was 63.2 per 1,000 women age 15 to 44, the lowest ever recorded.

Slow economic growth and low population growth threaten to undermine entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare. Despite contrary rhetoric, they are programs in which working age people pay for pensions and medical care for the elderly.

When Medicare was established in 1965 and when Social Security was vastly expanded in 1972, America was accustomed to the high birth rates of the post-World War II baby boom. It was widely assumed that the baby boom generation would soon produce a baby boom of its own.

Oops. The birth rate fell from the peak of 122.7 in 1957 to 68.8 in 1973 and hovered around that level until 2007. The baby boom, it turns out, was an exception to a general rule that people tend to have fewer babies as their societies become more affluent and urbanized.

Social Security had to be tweaked in 1983 when it became clear there weren't enough working age people to fund benefits promised to the elderly. It needs tweaking again today for the same reason.

Medicare presents even greater problems. Health care costs have generally been rising at rates above economic growth.

By itself this is not necessarily a problem. Economic growth and market competition

is, reviving conservatism and America), featured a bracing dose of conservative intellectuals along with activists, campaign professionals and office holders. Newly minted Senator Ted Cruz of Texas spoke in his characteristic fashion — fluidly without notes or podium.

Cruz, while praising Mitt Romney in general and acknowledging that anyone can have a slip of the tongue, zeroed in on the 47 percent gaffe. It is precisely to those who are striving for something better, Cruz argued, those who are poor or unemployed, to whom Republicans should aim their message of opportunity and growth. They are the ones who stand to benefit most from policies that promote growth.

I was sitting near Mario Loyola of the Texas Public Policy Foundation as the senator spoke, so I caught Loyola's surprised expression when the senator quoted him. We should reflect, the senator suggested, on an article Loyola wrote for National Review in 2011. It's a tale of two cities — Houston and Detroit — symbols of two radically different governing philosophies.

Both cities were once dominated by one industry — autos in Detroit, oil in Houston. Both grew robustly during the Second World War, but the cities responded very differently to setbacks in the years that followed. Detroit and Michigan attempted to favor and coddle their big industry and the big unions associated with it. Houston went for competition.

Both cities (and most of the country) had histories of racial strife. Detroit

have enabled Americans to spend smaller percentages of their incomes on food and clothes, with more left over to spend on other things.

Spending more on health care is a sensible thing for an affluent society to do -- especially as new medical procedures and drugs mean that health care can deliver more than it used to.

But in a society in which the elderly are an increasing share of the population and working age people are a decreasing share, it becomes increasingly difficult to fund these programs.

These problems are exacerbated when the economy fails to grow as rapidly as the working age population.

Birth rates fell sharply during the Depression of the 1930s. They have fallen significantly since the housing collapse, from 69.3 in 2007 to 63.2 in 2011. The steepest decline in births since 2007 has been among Hispanic immigrants, who were also hit hard by housing foreclosures.

We don't know whether this trend will continue. But if it does, the consequences will resemble the subtitle of Jonathan Last's newly published book, "What to Expect When No One's Expecting: America's Coming Demographic Disaster."

Last points out that our fertility rate -- the number of children a woman has over a lifetime -- has been below the replacement level of 2.1. Over time, a below-replacement-level fertility rate means population decline.

To see what that means, look at Japan.

unfortunately elected a leader in 1973, Mayor Coleman Young, who stoked racial animosity rather than attempting to unify the city. This accelerated the white flight (and capital flight) that had begun after the 1967 riots.

When the auto industry faced global competition starting in the 1970s, Michigan and big auto sought protection from Japanese imports. President Reagan extracted "voluntary" quotas from Japanese carmakers.

The big three were thus shielded from the consequences of their own bad labor and management decisions. This permitted them to stagnate. They failed to adjust to market pressures and have continued to collect government bailouts to the present.

Michigan and Detroit used "targeted" tax credits and other incentives to lure jobs to their region — more than $3.3 billion over 15 years. The government has often intervened to help favored industries — condemning, for example, 1,300 houses, 140 businesses, 6 churches and a hospital to make way for a General Motors plant in the early 1980s. City and state taxes are high, and strikes have damaged the school system.

Between 1900 and 1930, Detroit was the fastest growing city in the world. Today, many of its buildings are abandoned. The illegitimacy rate is 80 percent. Half the city's population is functionally illiterate. During the recent recession, the unemployment rate reached 30 percent. Detroit is one of the most dangerous cities in America.

Its fertility rate is 1.4, its population is declining, and it has had essentially zero economic growth since 1990.

We are not in such a bad position, yet. Since the end of the recession in June 2009, quarterly GDP growth has averaged 2.1 percent.

That has left job growth way below the historic trend line. Four years ago, the incoming Obama administration's economists promised that we would be heading back up to the trend line, with unemployment down to a little above 5 percent now.

Instead, it was 7.9 percent in January, and that's with millions no longer even looking for work. Labor force participation is the lowest it's been since 1981.

The danger is that all this can come to seem the new normal. Low birth rates, as Last argues, can persuade others to want fewer children.

Low economic growth or even decline can shape expectations and become a self-fulfilling prophecy. "An economic recovery has begun," Obama said in his inaugural speech last month. The implication: This is all you're going to get.

In the 1990s, Canada and Sweden faced economic crises similar to ours. In response, they sharply cut public spending. Their economies have done well since, and their governments have been running budget surpluses.

We did something like the opposite. The consequences could be enduring.

Houston roared to life as the oil capital of America. But because oil was extracted by hundreds of independent operators, the industry never consolidated as the auto industry had. Producers competed with one another, and with the world, rather than colluding to get protection and special breaks from the state.

Houston fell on hard times in the mid-1980s when oil prices suddenly declined. Rather than intervene to protect the ailing industry, government did nothing. Layoffs were massive and painful. Unemployment shot up to 9.3 percent. But within a couple of years, employment snapped back. Whereas before the shock, oil had represented 80 percent of Houston's economy, it dropped to 50 percent after. Left to its own devices, the economy diversified, expanding to include computer makers, airlines, retailers, utilities, food and grocery companies and medical centers. They were lured not by special tax incentives or breaks from the government but by a low tax environment, cost-conscious environmental regulation, right to work laws, and tort reform.

During the first Obama term, fully half of all the jobs created in America were created in Texas.

Senator Cruz mused that if government had been as intrusive in the early 20th century as it is now, the automobile itself would have been delayed. "We would have been subsidizing all the buggy makers." When Democrats say they have the answers, he advises to remember Detroit.

Michael Barone, senior political analyst for The Washington Examiner (www.washingtonexaminer.com), is a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, a Fox News Channel contributor and a co-author of The Almanac of American Politics. To find out more about Michael Barone, and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com. COPYRIGHT 2013 THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS.COM

To find out more about Mona Charen and read features by other Creators Syndicate columnists and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate web page at www.creators.com.COPYRIGHT 2013 CREATORS.COM

14 The Citizen of Chesapeake - February 2013

By stePHanie iaQUintO

I am a South Florida native. You might assume that having spent my formative years in that tropical paradise, where water sparkles and palms sway under a neon blue sky, where tourists flock to boat and fish and sunbathe, that I would be a real nature girl.

You would be completely wrong.Behind its picturesque façade, you

see, Florida harbors a sinister reality. Its heat and humidity are, of course, notorious. Travel ads show folks floating around swimming pools because really, nobody can manage anything else most of the time. Until they’re scrambling for their towels because a monsoon has just appeared over the Everglades and will soon unleash upon them a billion volts of electricity.

Far more daunting than the weather, though, is the wildlife. I say “Florida” and you think pink flamingos, but be assured, flamingos are strictly reserved for tourists who visit botanical gardens. Residents must contend with beasts whose images aren’t so postcard-worthy. Giant poisonous toads eating kibble right out of dog bowls. Water moccasins slithering through neighborhood canals. Mosquito swarms so thick you’re sneezing them out. And worst of all, alligators gobbling little pooches during their daily walks.

Is it any wonder I retreated indoors until graduation?

After I moved to Virginia and got married, my husband – another avid indoor enthusiast – never tried to

change my ways. Then we had three boys. Boys meant catching frogs. And spending days at the beach. And, of course, camping. So purchasing Harvey the RV was really an act of self preservation. It’s the only thing that stood between me, a leaky tent, and the not-so-great outdoors.

Our first night in Harvey was spent at a KOA near Charlottesville. The minute we parked, the boys bounded out the door and through the trees. I sent their dad to supervise.

“Aw, c’mon, mom!” seven-year-old Alex pleaded. “You gotta go

with us on our hike.”I shrugged. I wasn’t going to be one

of those prissy mothers who are afraid to get dirty. Besides, it was only a hike. Hiking is just walking, except with boots. And as luck would have it, I was wearing my Uggs. I totally had this.

Turns out, the boys and I had different expectations of proper hike conduct. I envisioned a stroll through level, marked trails, punctuated by bird watching, and culminating in a photo opportunity at the pond.

Their version didn’t require an actual path, or even an upright position, as evidenced by their simultaneous descents down the muddy stream bank on their posteriors. They forged ahead through prickly brush. They stopped only to chuck rocks against trees. They sucked our single water bottle dry, leaving me parched.

The highlight for them was crossing a murky, stagnant creek on a fallen log, their arms outstretched as they swayed precariously over the muck below.

Mine was the more cautious technique, which I highly recommend for anyone whose center of gravity exceeds two feet. But even so, as I gingerly scooted across the log on my bottom, collecting splinters in my jeans, it occurred to me that I hadn’t yet gotten the hang of the whole outdoorsy lifestyle.

But by taking it in small doses, I am pleased to report that Mother Nature and I are getting along much better now.

A few weeks after Charlottesville, we drove Harvey through Virginia Safari Park and got licked by an elk with halitosis, fed love birds perched on our heads, and fought for, then relinquished,

a feed bucket to a pushy camel. On the Eastern Shore, we rented

a canoe, and after an awkward predicament in which strangers extracted us from the tall grasses near shore, ten-year-old Nicholas and I managed to circle the inlet by ourselves, getting caught by the current under the pier only twice.

In Shiloh, North Carolina, I fished with live crickets and caught three small bream. It didn’t matter that the pond was so well stocked that we could see fish colliding under its surface. I was triumphant. Later, we nursed a turtle’s punctured neck with only minor injury (to us, not the turtle) and warmed an egg that had fallen from its nest.

And in the Shenandoah, exactly one year after our first hike, we attempted another. This time, I got a trail guide at the visitor center. I wore suitable boots. I brought a water bottle for each of us. And when a family emerging from the

trail cautioned us that the path ahead was challenging, I waved off their concern. I had this.

They were right, it wasn’t easy. The path was rocky and steep. It was hard to keep up, but Alex hung back and steadied my arm when I stumbled. Eventually, we arrived at our destination, beautiful Lewis Falls. We caught our breaths, enjoyed the view, and I even got my photo opportunity. On the way back, our efforts were further rewarded when a deer family crossed our path. I was probably the most delighted of us all.

I guess I’m starting to appreciate our local flora and fauna. Especially since I just read about Florida’s most horrifying wildlife challenge: frozen iguanas dropping from trees onto unsuspecting passersby. I’m sure we won’t encounter anything like that on our camping trips in Virginia. If we ever do, though, you’ll know just where to find me.

Travels with HarveyMy Truce with Mother Nature

When he finally poked his head out, the turtle was probably just as surprised to see Alex as Alex was to see him.

Left: Many of the animals at Virginia Safari Park liked Harvey so much they wanted the inside tour.

Above: Our nearly three-and-a-half mile hike through rocky terrain was a little ambitious, but we were rewarded with spectacular views and an up-close encounter with a family of deer.

The Citizen of Chesapeake - February 2013 15

Congratulations on Your 50th Anniversary.

Many blessings for the future.

A member of the Chesapeake Communitywww.CBN.com

16 The Citizen of Chesapeake - February 2013

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The Citizen of Chesapeake - February 2013 17

INSIDE:

A Night among Superheroes ...................... 2 From The Pulpit ................. 4

Cornland School: A Restoration Worth Supporting .............. 7

Veteran Spotlight ............... 8 Chesapeake VeteransStill Serving ........................ 9

Citizen of the Month ........ 10

Getting Organized ........... 11 Opinions .......................... 13

Travels with Harvey ......... 14

October 1, 2012 Volume 1, Issue 1

Ci t i zenThe

Of ChesapeakeFebruary 2013 Volume 2, Issue 2

WorthMentioning

By Baxter ennis

I think you’re going to like this month’s issue of The Citizen. There is culture, local history, social events, self-improvement tips, politics and some in-depth feature stories. I’ll bet there are a few folks from Chesapeake who have never been to The Commodore Theater in Portsmouth. If you haven’t, you’re missing a wonderful treat. Be sure to read Ken Johnson’s article which begins on this page. The Commodore is an incredible place where you’ll want to take your friends and out of town guests.

By the way, if WCTV, Channel 48 is not a part of your weekly TV viewing routine, you should give it a look. Mark Cox, Rae Pearson Benn, Jen Bichara and all the crew are a hoot! They put together some excellent shows and have fun doing it. Check them out, they’re great.

Have you noticed? City Hall is Red!

The Commodore Theater: A Hampton Roads Treasure

WCTV Television – Chesapeake's Own Family Friendly Station

By KennetH JOHnsOn

While Americans like to boast of being rugged individualists, we still at heart possess a herd mentality. We may like our "me time," but consider that one of the worst punishments in the penal system is solitary confinement. Humans crave interaction with other humans. While we may want to get away from it all now and then, we can't seem to stay away for very long.

You can cook meals alone at home, but restaurants continue to thrive. You can shop online at home, but look at how crowded the malls and retail outlets are before Christmas. Major sporting events are available for viewing at home, but fans prefer to fill a stadium. We may complain about crowds, but we sure enjoy being a part of those crowds.

Where is all this leading? A look at one of the most popular shared experiences in modern times: movie theaters. While cinemas share an origin

Continued on page 11

The Commodore Theater on High Street in Portsmouth is a restored 1945 Art Deco style theater. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Continued on page 6

Continued on page 3

By JOHn DOWns, sr.

It's 9:15 a.m. on a Thursday morning. Even though the taping for “Thinking Out Loud” won't begin until 10:00 a.m., the WCTV studio is a beehive of activity. Veteran director Richard Hutt is flitting back and forth from control room to the colorfully decorated set to check and double check every detail. Heath Covey is patiently adjusting camera angles while Jim Hazel, another WCTV seasoned pro, works the sound board. Rae Pearson Benn is dutifully providing patter into a studio microphone to check levels. Pat O'Malley is making last minute additions to her teleprompter script. Sitting alone, program host Mark Cox carefully applies a small amount of facial make-up to deflect the glaring studio lighting. He is also reviewing his script.

While NBC has Jay Leno and CBS has David Letterman, Chesapeake's own television station, WCTV, has Mark Cox. Mark is the Director of Public Mark Cox and Jen Bichara go over last minutes details

for the news show with director Bryan Barbee