Darts & Laurels

Bill should never have been passed

Dart - To the state Legislature, for passing a bill to fix a problem that doesn't exist. This is what happens when legislators let one busybody lawmaker from Burlington with too much power and too little to exert it on push through a bill that restricts the release of information about Little League players. The bill by Rep. Alice Bordsen, D-Alamance, allows local parks and recreation programs to keep most identifying information about kids and their parents secret. While the bill doesn't make withholding the information mandatory, past experience tells us that once the state allows agencies to restrict information, they usually do. Supporters say the bill will protect children from predators. But we can't recall a single case where a child predator identified a potential victim from a recreation program by reading about them or seeing their photos in the newspaper. "This is yet another case of us trying to solve a problem that does not exist," said Sen. Jerry Tillman, R-Randolph. What the bill will do is make unnecessarily cumbersome getting information to newspapers for photo captions, stories or game summaries. Sen. Tom Apodaca, R-Hendersonville, said parents may have to sign permission forms to allow the release of their children's names. The bill went to Gov. Mike Easley, who should veto it.

Laurel - To Mary Merkle, for persuading the Flat Rock Village Council to donate $8,500 to buy a dog for the Henderson County Sheriff's Office. Merkle, 85, got the idea after seeing a Sheriff's Office demonstration of the police dogs. "I wanted to donate something for their cause," Merkle said. The office had been shorthanded - short pawed? - in the K-9 corps because three older dogs had to be retired. Sheriff Rick Davis said the department used drug money to replace two of the dogs, but the third one caught the department off guard. "Mary has been wonderful and she was instrumental in making this happen," Davis said.

Laurel - To Cindy Bock, for finding a fun way to raise money for Council on Aging programs. Bock, a board member, came up with the idea for a beach, soul and boogie music event Friday night at the Saluda Mountain Jamboree. When Bock was trying to think of a fun way to raise money, she remembered meeting Harry Turner, president of the Beach Music Association International. She got Turner to emcee a program that featured Billy Scott and the Prophets, Donald "Mr. Entertainer" Ceasar, Clay "Mr. Smooth" Brown and Larissa Holliday. Money raised from the event will help the agency serve more people. For example, the Meals on Wheels program serves 207 people but has 44 more on a waiting list. Other programs have waiting lists as well, just not as long as the one for Meals on Wheels. Complicating the agency's situation are falling sales revenue and donations to the agency's thrift store and the constant growth in the population the council serves.