The Madison County Rescue Squad Inc. (MCRS) thanks the Madison County Fair Inc. and its board of directors and officers for sponsoring a first time ever Community Give Back Night at the county fair on Wednesday, July 16. We also thank the Madison County community for its support on July 16. Despite the price of fuel and the tough economy of late, you — the Madison County community — donated more than $4.600 to the rescue squad and the fire company, to be split in half, as your entrance fee to the fair. The volunteers of MCRS, from the bottom our hearts, thank you for your support to our organization. Your donations will go a long way and be a big help to our organization. Your donations will help fund improvements, purchase much-needed life saving equipment and provide training to our volunteers.

More should be done to protect trout fishing in Madison County’s Robinson and Rose rivers – the beautiful streams that tumble from headwaters high in the mountains surrounding Syria. Scientists say acid rain is sharply reducing numbers of the fish – it’s already said to have wiped out wild brook trout in a third of Virginia’s 500 trout streams. This is particularly alarming because brook trout – the Virginia state fish – are more pollution resistant than many other types of fish.

On June 23, the General Assembly will convene in special session to deal with transportation legislation, having been called back to Richmond by Gov. Tim Kaine. The original impetus for this special session was the decision of the Virginia Supreme Court to overturn regional transportation funding programs for northern Virginia and Hampton Roads that were included in House Bill 3202 which passed both houses and was signed by the Governor in 2007.

Inspiration can mean many things. What drives you? Motivates you? Keeps you going? What changes the way you view the world around you? I tried to figure out what inspired me in life, and what carried me through my high school years as I tried to become not only someone that my peers would look up to, but someone who Christ can be proud of.

Both the Madison County Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors approved 199-foot cell towers despite unequivocal language in the comp plan that should have precluded such approval.

Thumbs up to county officials’ idea to block access to the county’s shooting range to non-Madison County law enforcement officers. Madison officers do need a close-by range to practice shooting – and so do taxpayers, who would be hit with added expense if they have to keep paying hefty mileage fees for Madison deputies to use ranges in other counties. But letting outside agencies over-run the Shelby range apparently inflicted a good bit of unneeded misery for folks living nearby. The outsiders overwhelmed the facility, forcing expanded hours and even creating traffic problems as users sped to and from the site (we’re assuming the out-of-county lawmen were the ones reportedly speeding, since hometown “Madison Pride” likely keeps Madison lawmen more neighborly than outside ones).

The letter to the editor of May 22 alerting us to the “bear problem” and the dangers that attend their presence—particularly their predilection for feeding at birdfeeders—was quite helpful and reminded me that I’ve been meaning to talk to the board of supervisors to suggest they do something about all the wildlife, the prevalence of which [one infers from the increase in sightings] has greatly increased over the past 20 years or so. Perhaps a comprehensive zoning ordinance to manage it is in order.