Copyright @ Continental News Service. All rights reserved.
VOLUME X NUMBER 1 DECEMBER 1, 2019
San Diego News Edition
of Continental Newstime newsmagazine
Continental Features/Continental News Service
"The newspaper-feature super-channel"
Flying the Flag (Condensed and Reprinted) Steve Healey
What's in a name? A rose by any other name really does smell as sweet. Shakespeare, as so often, was right. But can the same be said of a corporate image or a country for that matter? Do your blue jeans feel the same or does your soft drink taste quite the same if the name has been changed or the label re-designed…. If those marketing men are to be believed, then branding is of supreme importance.
Flags, of course, are just about the biggest piece of branding that there is…. British Airways has almost furled the flag. Gone, they say, are the days of post-imperialist flag-waving. Not before time, some may say….
Now being a Brit, I remain a patriot. I follow my nation's sporting endeavors with interest, and I would hate to see the good old pound disappear from my pocket. And I would defend to the death my right to sink a pint of beer in my local pub, as opposed to swallowing a Continental half-liter in a cafe. And, I hate to say this, but we do drive on the right side of the road. That's the left, by the way. Why, I would even retain the monarchy. After all, they are good for tourism and the newspaper industry.
Question Time with Public Officials
The American public expects public officials to deal with, rather than dodge, difficult public-policy problems, to be transparent in their public-policy positions, and to state their views confidently, thoughtfully and boldly. One week was allowed to finalize the response, by E-mail, of each of the Presidential candidates listed below.
The Continental News Service had announced its intention to publish results of this multi-respondent poll in its on-line newspapers over the course of time, and these newspapers include its Washington D.C. News Edition, Chicago News Edition, Honolulu News Edition, Atlanta News Edition, Anchorage News Edition, Boston News Edition, Seattle News Edition, Miami News Edition, San Diego News Edition, Rochester (N.Y.) News Edition, Minneapolis News Edition, and Houston News Edition.
Would you, Senator/Representative/Governor, support legislation, or even sponsor legislation, ending all federal government grants to Planned Parenthood if it was conducted in an even-handed and non-discriminatory manner; that is, likewise ending all federal and federally-subsidized state grants to faith-based and all other non-profit groups, whatever their specific tax-code classification?
__ Yes. Uncheck "No Comment." My reasoning is ________________________________________________________________________________.
__ No. Uncheck "No Comment." My reasoning is _________________________________________________________________________________.
X No Comment. Senator Kamala Harris, Senator Cory Booker, Senator Bernie Sanders, Senator Elizabeth Warren, Representative Tulsi Gabbard, Washington Governor Jay Inslee.
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*Free
Union County News Edition
of Continental Newstime newsmagazine
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VOLUME I NUMBER 1 OCTOBER 14, 2019
What's new in Union County, Florida? Find out here:
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This is a Special Issue designed only to encourage a would-be editor-publisher in Union County, Florida to start a regular weekly or bi-weekly newspaper and to show that, using the structured format below, the proverbial wheel need not be re-invented—to eliminate the complexity in restoring newspaper coverage to Union County. Just as our Website indicates, Continental Features/Continental News Service is available to give guidance, to offer some cartoons/comic strips and other feature material free of charge, and to help a new local editor-publisher expand by 26 pages one time monthly for readers interested in receiving a general-interest magazine insert. CF/CNS desires more exposure for our cartoons, comic strips and newspaper columns, but we do not exist to compete with a local editor-publisher in Union County, Florida. We publish too many other newspapers and publications to regularly publish a Union County community newspaper, too. It is our hope, besides, that a local editor-publisher in Union County will not neglect to publish ads, so local businesses receive wider publicity for their products and services. Thank you.
Union County News Edition of Continental Newstime
Continental Features/Continental News Service
501 W. Broadway
Plaza A, PMB# 265
San Diego, CA 92101
E-mail: info@continentalnewsservice.com
* State Government News Briefs … Governor Ron DeSantis has announced that reforms at the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) have allowed hurricane-recovery funding to be distributed more quickly and, as a result, more than $1 billion in such funding has been awarded since January 8. Specifically, FDEM stopped requiring hurricane-recovery projects to be 100-percent validated before funds are awarded, instead releasing half the eligible funding when a project is 50-percent validated. The Governor says that this accomplishment is a "testament to our unwavering commitment to every community impacted by recent hurricanes" and to federal support, and he has vowed to "continue to examine every hurricane-recovery resource and every power in my executive authority to ensure that these communities continue to rebuild." FDEM Director Jared Moskowitz notes that putting in place new procedures to speed FEMA reimbursements to communities struck by hurricanes Michael, Irma, Matthew and Hermine has meant: "The days of counties and cities waiting years for reimbursement and having to pay costly loans are over." Meantime, the Governor says that the Trump Administration not only granted 45 days of 100-percent federal-cost share for Hurricane Michael debris removal and emergency-protection measures, instead of the usual 5 days, but increased the federal cost share for Hurricane Michael from 75 percent to 90 percent, saving the state and local communities hundreds of millions of dollars.
* County Government News Briefs … Union County is now operating under a 2019-2020 fiscal-year budget that projects total General Fund revenue and expenditures of $7,267,543. The Solid Waste Management account estimates revenues and expenditures totaling $1,333,773; the Animal Control budget, $14,100; the Mosquito Control budget, $102,009; the E-911 Fund, $478,383; the Emergency Management budget, $358,247; the Emergency Medical Services budget, $1,663,990; the Fire Department budget, $144,125; the locally-funded County Public Library budget, $206,493; the state-funded County Public Library budget, $115,405; the Transportation Trust Fund budget, $4,024,507; the SHIP (State Housing Initiatives Partnership) Local Housing Assistance Trust Fund, $350,228; and, among other budget accounts, the Special Law Enforcement budget, $1,309,323. County Commissioners, just days ago, held a meeting to discuss a proposal to use Florida Recreation Development Assistance Program grant money for improvements to the O..J. Phillips Recreation Park on State Road 121 and Southwest 84th Street. Besides, County Commissioners announced that they would receive Statements of Qualifications to furnish Professional Consulting Services no later than 4 PM on October 10. Likewise, the purpose of the meeting was to solicit Qualifications for Professional Engineering Services.
* City Government News Briefs … Lake Butler City Commissioners have scheduled a regular meeting for October 15 to take up an agenda including such items of business as approval of Financial Reports for September, 2019; purchase of a portable welder/generator; approval of Longevity Compensation for City employees; payment of Florida League of Cities annual dues; examination of a Codes Enforcement report; scheduling of a Public Meeting concerning a USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture) grant; consideration of a proposed Historic Preservation Ordinance; and review of a Department of Corrections contract for water and wastewater services. With respect to the Code Enforcement report of October 3, covering the month of September, City Code Enforcement Officer "Lyn" Williams reported on the status of 10 beautification and other issues and revealed spending approximately 20 hours in routine patrol of the City—apart from the patrols of the Union County Sheriff's Office—16 hours on meetings, on
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research of City Ordinances and property owners, and on follow-up and re-inspections of past property found in compliance and not listed on the report of October 3; and 24 hours on the active cases listed in the report. Concerning the Consolidated Vehicle Report for September, the nine drivers assigned various City vehicles logged anywhere from 215 miles to 748 miles, depending upon their work duties, while reporting use of anywhere from 21 to 118 gallons of fuel. The ending mileage on the City vehicles used ranged from 2,342 miles to 134,815 miles. Now, the Longevity Bonus draft prepared by the City Manager and Deputy City Manager, for review by Mayor Fred Sirmones and the City Commission, proposes payment of $200 to those employees with 4 to 7 years of City service; $300, for those with 8 to 15 years of service; $400, 16 to 20 years; $500, 21 to 30 years; and $600, 31 or more years. Payable each year on the third Tuesday in December, the City entertains what it considers a token of its appreciation for long-term employees' loyalty and dedication to learning their jobs. Since not all 11 City employees have established this degree of longevity in employment, the total that would initially be payable for 2019 under this plan is $1,300, five employees qualifying. Issuing his monthly report for October, City Manager Dale M. Walker, commenting on staff development, has recommended that employees read Stephen Covey's book, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. In addition, Walker reports that the City has received a $24,100 Hazard Mitigation Grant from the State Division of Emergency Management for purchase and installation of a large generator in the main lift station, the generator capable of withstanding 140-mile-per-hour winds in a building capable of withstanding a 500-year flood. Then, too, there are grant opportunities available through USDA for money to purchase a backhoe, and, although a prior City application was denied, the City will persist in its quest for a grant. In fact, the City has arranged a Special Public Meeting for 6 PM, on October 15, at City Hall, to discuss filing of a USDA Rural Development Grant Application, the funds to be used for purchase of a backhoe. Thirdly, there is USDA grant money available, as well, for welcome signage, so, with the object being to install a welcome sign in the triangle across from Hardee's before the close of the 2020 fiscal-year, the City will seek approval from the Florida Department of Transportation to erect a gateway sign.
* School District News Briefs … Union County School District Superintendent Carlton Faulk announces that the next School Board meeting is set for November 12 at 6 PM and that the Board will be conducting a Reorganization Meeting at that time. The District’s Athletic Department reports that the Union County High School Boys Varsity Football Team (3-4) attempts to even its win-loss record on October 18 in a 7:30 PM game at home against Hawthorne. Games against Jordan Christian Prep on October 25 at home and on the road against Keystone Heights on November 1 follow.
* Weather … The National Weather Service reports clears skies in Lake Butler, as of 12:18 AM Eastern Daylight Time, with an overnight low temperature of 64 degrees Fahrenheit, wind out of the south-southwest at 1 mile per hour, relative humidity of 92 percent, and a 10-percent chance of precipitation. The forecast for Monday calls for partly-cloudy skies, a daily high temperature of 89 degrees, wind out of the southwest at 3 miles per hour, relative humidity of 64 percent, and a 20-percent chance of precipitation.
To see David Illsley's cartoon gag on foreign cars, please send an E-mail to continentalnewstime@gmail.com
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