Dear Editor;
My family and I moved to Green Bank in 1961. It was the second week in June, and there were snow flurries the day we moved. I attended grades 7-12 at Green Bank, graduating in 1967.
Historical records for the area indicate that the 10-year period, beginning in 1960, was the coldest decade—before or since—for Pocahontas County since detailed scientific records first began to be documented.
Just having read the front-page story, “The steps to declaring a snow day,” on the front page of the January 4 edition of The Pocahontas Times, I thought readers might be interested in how this procedure was handled in Pocahontas County during the school years 1961-62 through 1966-67. Here was the procedure:
(1) It snowed. Sometimes it was just a skiff; sometimes there were drifts blowing across the road; sometimes it was 4 or 5 feet of snow, all at once.
(2) The bus drivers put chains on the buses.
(3) We went to school.
That’s it—the whole procedure.
To be honest, I do recall a few occasions when buses were not permitted to travel down the most isolated dirt roads, and some students had to walk to the paved road to catch the bus. But they walked, and we attended school.
Tom Brown
(GBHS ‘67)
Winston-Salem, NC
Dear Editor;
I appreciate your coverage of news and county organization’s meetings; it is hard to attend all meetings or to watch the live feeds. The convenience of being able to read about the actions taken during meetings is invaluable.
The January 4, 2024, paper reported on the December 19, 2023, county commission meeting.
I was very upset with the report that the old Howes Office Building is slated to be torn down. This is very underhanded manipulation for the county commission to get their way. I understand that the citizens who were concerned about saving the office building have not created a business plan for the building or a plan for rehabbing the building. I did reach out to organizations who could have helped but I am a very small voice, and I was not a “squeaky wheel” to be heard.
I am very disappointed in this county commission as they continue to grab all the money they can and build a mega center in Marlinton. They are all about self-interests, what about the rest of the county and constituents?
My trust in our county government wains.
Oh, a thought; the upstairs of the office building could have been converted into an apartment for the much-needed housing in our county.
Sincerely,
Judy Fuller
Durbin