Arts Generosity, Cell Phone Rules & More Job Loss

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Hefty gift for regional art efforts

Alpha Natural Resources was recognized on Sunday for giving $25,000 to the William King Museum for two Dodge Caravans used to travel to coalfield counties and give art instruction to students who may not get other art classes. Mike Quillen, Alpha’s executive chairman, said his company which is headquartered in Abingdon, wanted to make the donation to give back to the communities where its local mining occurs.
Praise also is due to Family Ford in Marion that contributed to the gift by stretching Alpha’s $25,000 donation to cover the cost of two vans. The “Van Gogh” vans are frequently used to give art instruction to students in Wise, Scott, Lee and Dickenson counties.
Quillen said many people might not associate art with a natural resources company, but he wants to support arts instruction in the coalfields, particularly if it helps children of his company’s employees. “I don’t know if there is a Van Gogh” in the coalfield region, Quillen said, but he hopes the effort will encourage any budding artist to have more opportunity.
The William King Museum could not bring art instruction to these children without the support of companies like Alpha Natural Resources and Family Ford. For all the children who will learn something rewarding about art, and their own potential, we say thank you.

Bristol, Tenn., schools on cell phone use

It’s funny to think that the policy extends even to pre-K students, but this is the world we live in. The Board of Education approved a policy on Monday to continue allowing students in ninth through 12th grade to use personal cell phones at specified times, but ban their use for younger students. The older students can use cell phones before school during class changes and on personal breaks. Younger students cannot use cell phones at school.
And exceptions were included for students who are members of volunteer firefighting or emergency medical services.
We’re glad to see the board tighten rules on cell phones, which are an obvious distraction in the classroom. And despite what too many people believe, are not necessary to human survival – at least during the school day.
Who else remembers when you had to get change and go to the pay phone to call your mother when you were sick, forgot your gym clothes or had some other mishap? How many others remember when you couldn’t call home, period, and just had to deal with it?

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More Tri-Cities job losses on horizon

About 140 more people will be out of work when Bosch Braking System closes its Johnson City, Tenn., plant next year. Spokesperson Becky MacDonald said the shutdown is part of the company’s overall restructuring of its North American brake business and that the Johnson City site has not been profitable.
Employees had been warned of the closure possibility earlier this year, but even in recent weeks Johnson City leaders had been trying to convince Bosch management to keep the local plant open.
While we are told that the recession is ending, the loss of these higher-paying industrial jobs is troubling for the local economy and counter to signs of any serious local recovery.