CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK P A Wild Allstars Circle of G E Ways fourth Friends PAGE 12A PAGE 1B 2 PAGE 7B 75¢ WEDNESDAY, July 22, 2009 / 26 PAGES, 2 SECTIONS • fbnewsleader.com Death of a hero News-Leader men were fighting against Japanese forces to capture an airstrip. The cita- When President Harry Truman Marine Corps Capt. tion, which was signed by President presented Marine Corps Capt. Everett Everett Pope received the Franklin D. Roosevelt, states, “Capt. Pope with the Congressional Medal Pope rallied his men and gallantly led of Honor in 1945, Pope told him he Congressional Medal of them to the summit in face of machine- would rather have that medal than be Honor in 1945. gun, mortar and sniper fire. Forced president of the United States. by widespread hostile attack to deploy “I will never forget that,” Pope told the remnants of his company thinly in veterans and residents of Osprey during their retirement years. order to hold the ground won, and Village in a Veterans Day tribute in Pope enlisted in the Marine Corps with his machineguns out of order and 2004. in 1941, six months before the attack insufficient water and ammunition, he And America, and Amelia Island, on Pearl Harbor. He said he was one of remained on the exposed hill with 12 should never forget Pope – a true war the 15 million “citizen soldiers” who men and one wounded officer deter- hero whose valor earned him the served their country when they were mined to hold through the night.” nation’s top military honor. called upon and went home to their Roosevelt died before he could FILE PHOTO Pope was 90 when he died families when the war was over. present Pope with the medal, so the Everett Pope holds an American flag that once flew over the Capitol Thursday in Bath, Maine. Pope and He received the Medal of Honor duty went to Truman, who presented in Washington, D.C., at a reunion of U.S. Marine World War II veter- his wife Eleanor, who died in January, for his bravery on the Island of Peleliu ans on Oct. 14, 2006, in Fernandina Beach. lived in Maine and on Amelia Island in the western Pacific, when he and his HERO Continued on 3A County may trim expenses by 15%, hold line on tax RYAN SMITH not really interested in wish lists. News-Leader “We made some serious cuts to get where we are,” Selby added. Nassau County Commissioners “Some of your department heads are have received a proposal to cut the not happy, and you may be hearing county budget for fiscal 2009-10 by from them – but we think it’s livable.” 15 percent. Property taxes would not The budget cuts should not mean go up, but some services will be cut. additional layoffs with the exception The Nassau County Libraries, for of the Building Department, which example, could have hours of opera- is reducing its staffing because of tion reduced. Employees there and in reduced building activity, and the other county agencies, with the excep- West Nassau Landfill, which is being tion of the Building Department and closed. There are not yet any final landfill, would not be laid off but work totals on job cuts in those depart- hours might be cut. ments. Budget Director Ted Selby pre- “Other than the departments sented the budget July 15 calling for we’ve already talked about, we’re not spending of $142 million, compared to going to need to lay anybody off, $167 million this year. He said the right?” said Commission Chairman reduction would mean the county Barry Holloway. could only spend money on essen- “That’s correct,” Selby said. “... JASON YURGARTIS/NEWS-LEADER tials in the coming year. We’re not anticipating having to let Ron Kurtz, a local historian, points out historical landmarks and unique architecture on Centre Street to “Most counties around the state anybody go.” students from the Oceans of Fun Reading Camp on June 26. are faced with severe personnel cuts. Holloway agreed that in the cur- ... Fortunately, we’re not quite in that rent economic climate, the county situation. My only caution is that we needed to focus on necessities. may have a whole different story next “We’ve been able in our county to ‘Oceans of Fun’ for young year,” he told the commission. finally implement a capital improve- “We’re trying to convince (depart- ment plan and fund it,” he said. “But ment heads) that we’re looking at hard-core necessities this year. We’re BUDGET Continued on 3A scholars at reading camp JASON YURGARTIS News-Leader Add Intracoastal ‘Everything we’ve done here is to help t first glance it might seem like a typical build- ing on a church campus – quiet and unassum- build confidence, encourage them to ing – but a booming voice with an official tone have a good attitude toward reading A filled an auxiliary room at St. Peter’s Episcopal to no-wake zone? A and to want to read a little better.’ Church on the corner of Atlantic Avenue and Eighth Street with the announcement, “Will the meeting of the MYRA DAVENPORT believe it or not, give off almost no ‘Oceans of Fun Reading Camp’ please come to order.” RYAN SMITH CO-CHAIR, OCEANS OF FUN News-Leader wake at all,” he said. “Our biggest If that phrase sounds governmental, it’s because it concern is the small sport fishermen was uttered by Fernandina Beach Mayor Susan Steger to The possibility of extending the going really fast – and not only caus- open a question and answer session in news conference certified teachers, mostly of the retired variety and most county’s no-wake zone into the ing damage, they’ve caused injuries. format with queries submitted by young scholars as part with a reading or English background, shared their Intracoastal Waterway was discussed “Each boater is responsible for of a summer reading program the last week of June. expertise in an intimate setting where these young schol- at a joint meeting of the Nassau their own wake, but when they’re The mayoral visit was a final reward of sorts for the ars received valuable one-on-one attention. County Commission and the Ocean, going so fast that by the time any- weeklong “Oceans of Fun Reading Camp,” along with a “Kids move through six stations with four kids per Highway and Port Authority. thing happens they’re a quarter-mile historical learning walk down Centre Street that culmi- table – each developed by the teacher at that station,” Although both boards agreed that a away, it’s nearly impossible to hold nated with a boat ride on the Amelia River. But aside Schlenker said. “It is not supposed to look like school. no-wake zone is an important safety them responsible,” he added. from this finale and the fun of normal camp fare like arts We wanted it to be a camp setting and the teachers have consideration, they are handcuffed “I think it is time we go forward and crafts, sing-a-longs and games, Oceans of Fun served been unbelievably creative, coming up with games and by state rules limiting local govern- with this through the state,” said Janie as a supplemental learning opportunity for a group of 24 all kinds of different ways of learning.” ments’ rights to regulate waterways. Thomas, executive director of the soon-to-be fourth graders from the former Atlantic The stations – which looked like, and were arranged In April, the county established a Shrimp Producers Association. “Take Elementary. in a way that might usually be befitting of a wedding no-wake zone in the waters around it on, challenge it. ... We’re tired of our The idea for the camp was conceived by organizers as reception – featured names that might serve to disguise the North End Boat Ramp. However, people getting hurt and our boats get- a result of 30 locals who came together through a nation- their overriding educational benefits. “Bingo Lingo” many citizens told commissioners ting beat up.” al organization called Study Circle (studycircles.org) to focused on vocabulary, “Crack the Code” dealt with July 15 that the ordinance didn’t go far Though the county has no author- discuss diversity issues within the community. After a encoding and decoding, “Write On” featured a focus on enough, and that the waters of the ity to set limits in the Intracoastal, six-week study together, education became an area of pri- improved writing skills, “Mapping Your Way” was creat- state-controlled Intracoastal the commission instructed County mary interest, especially among rising third- and fourth- ed to teach reading strategies, “What was that?” sought Waterway also need speed limits. Attorney David Hallman to research graders regarding their reading abilities. to boost reading comprehension and “Giggle Bunch” Jim Corbett of Nassau Fertilizer the process for asking the state to do “These kids are tested each year on the FCAT and increased skills and confidence in reading aloud. and Oil Co., which operates from the so. there’s a range from bottom to top.” said Oceans of Fun “For the activity side, we brought in different presen- former pogy plant property on the “If there’s a desire from citizen co-chair Paige Schlenker. “The bottom end (of achieve- ters each day,” co-chair Myra Davenport said. “A local Amelia River, said larger vessels aren’t complaints to set speed limits in the ment) get to go to a summer academy, the rest of the author, Carlla Cato, came in Monday to read her first a problem.