And they’ll appear on Christmas Eve.

Bring contributions to the Salisbury Post, 131 W. Innes St., between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays or mail them to The Salisbury Post Christmas Happiness Fund, P.O. Box 4639, Salisbury, NC 28145-4639.

Make checks payable to the Christmas Happiness Fund and indicate how you wish your donations to be listed.

Contributions Thursday:

In memory of Paul and Anne Adams by Darrell Adams..$1,000

In honor of Kurt, Marion and Adam Corriher, Marion Soler and my wonderful colleagues, past and present at South Rowan Regional Library in China Grove by Alicia Corriher $35

In honor of the Office Staff @ Wallace Realty by Linda Haynes..$25

In honor of our Tuesday Night Wine Tasting crowd and all our loyal patrons by The Blue Vine $150

In memory of Donald O. Byerly by Sarah Byerly and children; Lynn, Donald, Ashley, Paul, William, Leonard, D.J., Katelyn and Parker $50

In memory of Our Uncle and our friend, Justin Monroe and in honor of The Christ Child by Rob and Caroline Monroe and Corbin and Abby Smith $40

In honor of Best Friends: Jean, Peggy and Nancy by Peggy Jo.$25

In loving memory of Ethel Peeler by her family $25

In memory of Bill by Marian..$100

Walter and Hilda Ramseur...$50

In memory of Louise Tucker.$150

Rowan Doll Society $107

Anonymous $20

In memory of George A. Brown and in honor of Naomi Brown by Grand kids $120

In honor of Ronnie and Susan Loflin by Children and Grandchildren $50

In memory of Wilson Smith, Carr Brown and Mr. and Mrs. W. G. Marsh and in honor of Grace Brown, our children and grandchildren: Samantha, Josh and Chance by Ronnie and Bonnie $100

Caroline Gemmell $34.30

In memory of our loved ones by Darryl, Barbara, Claire and Addison Corriher $25

In memory of Betty Snider, Lawrence and May Snider, Jimmy Snider and Cecil Mulkey by Gene and Nancy $100

In honor of Cathy Goodnight by Philip Goodnight $40

In loving memory of Blanche and Quiller, Margie and Smit, Mabel, Bob and Marie and Bud-Love and Miss You $100

In memory of Robert E. Branch Jr. and Parnell and Louise Kelly $100

In honor of Mrs. Gilly Bost by Tom and Rochelle $25

In honor of Mrs. Kathryn Earnhardt by Tom and Rochelle ..$25

In honor of Jack and Minnie Lee by Tom and Rochelle $25

In honor of our parents Don and Lois Leonard and Jim L. Bost by Tom and Rochelle $50

In memory of John and Catherine Kirk and in honor of their children: Johnny, Mary Ann, Margie, Joy, Cathy, Rita and Betty by Joseph Kirk $25

In honor of the Greatest Gift, Jesus Christ $100

In honor of Alma Misenheimer by Dennis and Melissa Pethel $25

Rowan Salisbury Schools Curriculum Directors $290

In honor of Mrs. Virginia S. Wallace by Jeanne K. York $40

In memory of Leo Wallace, Jr. by Jeanne K. York $40

In memory of John and Stella Campbell and Robert and Marie Mills and in honor of Mike and Cheryl, Angie and Steve, Donna and Mike, James and Kathy and Richard and Robin by Richard and Shelia Gould $100

In honor of Mrs. Katherine Lyerly by Madeline and Linda $50

In memory of Mr. Leo Wallace, Jr. and in honor of Lee, Victor and Jason Wallace by The Office Staff @ Wallace Realty $65

Saturday Breakfast Brothers $100

Anonymous $100

In memory of Roger, Annie, Bernice, Euince and Wiley by Shawn, Lori, Heather and Courtney..$100

In memory of Dad- Buster Parnell $50

In honor of The Board of Social Services by The Staff of Social Services $300

Total $3,956.30

Grand Total $68,253.46

The KRC Donation Fund has been set up at Community One Bank on Jake Alexander Boulevard, according to Heather Drennan-Ribelin.

She and her husband, Kurt Ribelin, own KRC Building Solutions of Cleveland, the company for which the men worked. They were on their way home to North Carolina after completing a job for KRC in Williston, N.D., when the SUV they were in collided head-on with a Mack truck.

Killed were Derek M. Sorrell, 27, of Spencer; William M. Webb, 25, of China Grove; Scotty R. Eagle, 24, of Salisbury; and Julian G. Mazaba, 33, of Biscoe.

Drennan-Ribelin said she and her husband had received emails and calls from people asking how they could help the men’s families, so they set up the account.

Funds will be divided evenly among the four families, she said.

Drennan-Ribelin fought tears as she described the loss she and her husband feel after working side-by-side with the men.

In fact, her husband had worked on the Williston job with the men. He was not traveling home with them because he left the site to fly to New York on Sunday.

“I just wanted to let you know we thought of them as family; they were family,” she said.

KRC crews make steel-framed, fabric-covered structures, she said. The small business operates out of the Ribelin’s home, and the men who died in the accident comprise most of its workforce.

But she is not ready to think about what’s next for KRC, she said.

“That’s not even in our brains. ... Our only priority now is the families, reaching out and being there for them.”

nhardin@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — A Salisbury couple who celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary earlier this month died together in a fire at their home Thursday.

Authorities said an overloaded electrical outlet caused the fire.

Robert and Wanda Turner, both in their 80s, were killed in the fire at the intersection of North Church and West 12th streets, according to family friend the Rev. Dennis DeLong.

The fire started about 12:15 p.m., said Salisbury Fire Battalion Chief David Morris.

Several emergency departments assisted in battling the three-alarm fire at 1233 N. Church St.

Family members were on the scene Thursday afternoon, speaking with Salisbury officials.

DeLong said Wanda Turner, who was confined to a wheelchair, called him just after noon and was hysterical.

“She was screaming. You couldn’t make out on the phone what she was saying,” DeLong said. “We were not able to understand her, so we jumped in the car and put the flashers on.”

DeLong said he and his wife called 911 in the car, but dispatch told them emergency crews were already heading to the house in reference to the fire.

DeLong said the Turners celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary on Dec. 7.

Across the street from the fire, the Cherry family watched from their front porch.

“Our neighbor came over and said she thought the house was on fire,” Breanna Cherry said. “I pulled the screen. I just tried to get back. The screen was popping and cracking, and I could see smoke.”

Salisbury firefighters said they are continuing to investigate the fire.

“It was pretty intense when I got over there,” Cherry said.

She said she was overcome with emotion when her neighbor yelled about the fire.

“As soon as she said it, I just screamed because I knew she was handicapped,” she said. “It’s always quiet over there. The lights are always off. It’s always the same.”

It was a somber atmosphere at the intersection as dozens of neighbors and bystanders congregated along with emergency personnel to watch as smoke billowed out of the structure.

Family members slowly appeared at the scene where they hugged and talked with each other.

Firefighters manned hoses at all sides of the house, breaking windows and spraying inside.

“Crews immediately responded. We found heavy fire involvement in the front left portion of the structure,” Morris said. “We also had reports that there were occupants trapped inside.”

Morris said crews worked to rescue those inside, but met heavy fire.

“The structure itself was compromised by the heavy fire involvement, which made it difficult for fire crews to continue their interior attack,” Morris said.

Firefighters then changed their mode of operation and pulled crews outside to begin attacking the front of the North Church Street home.

Firefighters on ladders used a chainsaw to help ventilate the roof. Other crews worked to put out the fire at the front right window of the home.

Salisbury Fire Marshal Terry Smith said in a press release that the fire was accidental and started in an overloaded electrical outlet.

DeLong said Turner was the former pastor of the First Church of Nazarene, which is about a block from the gutted-home on 12th Street.

DeLong said Turner was pastor of a church on East Bank Street previously. But in 1969, he started the First Church of Nazarene.

DeLong is the new pastor at the church and has been for about the last six years.

He said he has known the Turners for 22 years.

The church’s board of directors sent Rowan County Commissioners a letter of intent Wednesday, listing three possible purchase options ranging from $3 to $4 million.

That’s just two days after school board members agreed to consider other options if the quest for a downtown central office gets nixed.

And it’s one day after the Salisbury City Council agreed to donate a $200,000 parcel in the 300 block of South Main Street for a 62,000 square-foot building. A private developer would construct the facility, with the school system entering a lease-purchase agreement.

The donation of the land and $1.5 million in New Market Tax Credits would knock the estimated price tag of the project to $7.15 million.

This isn’t the first time, Cornerstone has put the property on the table.

The church offered to sell its business center, education center, child development center, a combined total of between 42,000 and 44,000 square-feet, as well as nearly nine acres of land, to the school system in November 2010.

At the time, the purchase price was estimated to be between $4.5 and $5.5 million, and the district could not afford it.

Bill Godair, the church’s lead pastor, said the offer reappeared after a meeting with commissioners Jim Sides and Carl Ford.

“They informed me that they were there as citizens not as county commissioners and they wanted to find out if there were any possibilities,” Godair said.

Gene Miller, assistant superintendent of operations for the school system, told school board members earlier this week that Sides and Ford agree about the need for a central office but will not support building one downtown.

Read the complete story in Saturday's Post.

kminn@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — When every second counts in an emergency, Rowan County is using wireless technology to speed up and improve its medical response.

The communication system, which was installed about two years ago, turns the county’s 11 ambulances and a few other vehicles into mobile hotspots.

Rowan County Emergency Services can now send life-saving information to hospitals, find a patient’s medical history and set up wireless Internet access points from anywhere in the county.

The onBoard system was developed by In Motion Technology, a mobile data communications company based in New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada.

T.J. Brown, a Rowan County paramedic, said the system helps make EMS response more efficient at all stages of a call.

When the call first comes in, the address and complaint is immediately sent to an ambulance’s computer aided dispatch system.

Paramedics used to have to wait for some information to be faxed, Brown said.

“We can look at the call history and see if we’ve been out at a residence before... and we may be able to see that they’ve been really sick recently,” he said. “Once we get a patient’s name, we can search through the Internet with a secure connection, and it pulls up medical history, medications and allergies for that patient.”

Before the ambulance gets to the hospital, it can transmit patient information directly to Rowan Regional Medical Center, which has installed compatible software on its computers.

For example, if medical personnel think a patient is having a heart attack, they can take a 12-Lead EKG — a diagnostic tool for the heart — and send it directly to the emergency room’s cardiologist.

Doctors then can prepare the catheterization lab, or cath lab, ahead of time and get ready to treat the patient. This saves critical minutes, which can help save lives, Brown said.

“Before, we would have to go to the hospital, and then the hospital would have to run their EKG and decide ‘Yes, this is a heart attack. We need to bring a cardiologist in,’ “ he said. “Now, that notification is made before we even leave the scene.”

After a call, EMS personnel can send the medical report to hospital doctors from the ambulance, even if they are out responding to back-to-back calls.

Before the new wireless technology was installed, Brown said, paramedics had to wait until they got back to a station to finish their reports.

The device installed in each vehicle is called the onBoard Mobile Gateway, according to a press release from In Motion Technology. A dashboard called the onBoard Mobility Manager lets the county analyze information from Gateways in the field.

Each vehicle’s GPS-calculated location, direction and speed is sent to the Mobility Manager. This helps the county dispatch the closest vehicle to the scene of an emergency.

Emergency Services Director Frank Thomason said the county’s emergency management and fire division also use the Gateway for wireless Internet access.

“When one of our vehicles pulls up on the scene of an event, that vehicle then becomes mobile hotspot,” he said. “If other agencies or personnel are there with computers that need access to the Internet, they can actually use this gateway to gain access.”

This also acts as a back-up communication method for the county’s 911 center, Thomason said.

“It gives us a lot of versatility and capability out in the field,” he said.

Contact reporter Karissa Minn at 704-797-4222.

Twitter: twitter.com/postcopolitics

Facebook: facebook.com/ Karissa.SalisburyPost

The truck was trying to make a turn, swung wide, and the cab of the truck slipped into a ditch, with the trailer blocking all lanes of travel.

Drivers should plan an alternate route.

For the Salisbury Post

I was about 9 years old, the oldest of three kids. It had to be close to morning, though it was still dark outside. On the other side of the bedroom door, Santa’s gifts were there!

The excitement was killing me, I couldn’t sleep, yet nobody else in the house seemed to be awake. I couldn’t see a clock, but it had to be at least 5 a.m.

Surely it would be fine to get up now and see what was there! What is the worst that could happen? They will just make me go back to bed, but how could they do it if I have already seen the gifts. I woke my brother, and told him, “Santa’s been here. Let’s go see what he left!”

We got up and quietly tiptoed to the door. I turned the doorknob, and opened it slowly. There in the glow of the Christmas lights was the nicest red Schwinn bicycle that I have ever seen. That bike was exactly what I wanted, and I knew immediately that Christmas day had begun!

That is my most vivid memory of Christmas, but there are lots more. Later that same day, I tried to ride the bike. It was just so big that couldn’t get my feet to the ground. So my dad ran along behind me holding the bike up as I struggled to figure out the balancing thing. I had never seen him run, but he kept up and kept me from falling. Finally, I rode back and forth on the dirt driveway. Could Christmas be any better than this?

Our Christmas trees were cedar trees from on the farm. They looked and smelled great. My brother and sister usually hiked along with my dad and me, looking for just that perfect one. Lots of cedar trees have two tops, so they had to be ruled out. Too short or too tall didn’t make the cut either. They had to be full in the right place, and any berries just added to the quality of the tree. Usually after a long hike, we found the perfect tree, and dragged it back to the house. The weather seemed always cold on that day.

Sometimes on that same day we might get to go shoot down some mistletoe. There were big old trees over in the deep woods that always had mistletoe. Dad took a rifle and would shoot down a big clump, but he had my brother and me use an old shotgun. This means of course that we couldn’t hit the mistletoe any other way. The kick of the gun on my little shoulder and the gunpowder smell of the shells were often rewarded by pieces of mistletoe, falling and tumbling through the tree to the ground. It was great fun to run around and pick it up, then taking it home in a paper bag. I still love the smell of gunpowder in woods.

When we got back to the house with the tree, it got put up right away. My mom stirred ivory snow laundry detergent in a bowl with just enough water. She then spread the mix on the tree, and soon with lights and ornaments, we had the perfect snowy tree.

A humorous memory from about 10 years ago might be the funniest. There were lots of women at our Christmas Day dinner. Every single one, including my 80-year-old aunt and my 10-year-old niece, got a brand new thong neatly wrapped. Most of these women were not the thong wearing types, but the joy and laughter of that moment won’t be soon forgotten.

That same day, one of my best friends joined us for most of the day. He had issues at home, and we all wanted him to come spend the time with us. Reaching out to good friends during the season just simply adds meaning to any celebration during the holidays. Just think that he got to see a whole bunch of women open their thong gifts at the same time.

I asked my oldest daughter, Ashley, to tell me her favorite memory. By the way, Ashley doesn’t like to be in the paper. Her favorite memory of Christmas is the year her mother and I got both our daughters a Mickey Mouse watch and sweatshirt apiece. They didn’t realize exactly what Disney World was, but they sure were excited to be told they were going. She also remembers Uncle Larry being late to our Christmas every year.

It is a day to celebrate and worship, to cherish and remember. Leave some time for your own special holiday memories, and those who make them so. I hope you add a few new ones too. For us, maybe Uncle Larry will be on time.

Things went downhill from there.

It took me 55 years, but I finally laid a finger to the side of my nose and dressed up as Santa Claus this week for a group of 2- and 4-year-olds at Liberty United Methodist Church.

There are good Santas and bad Santas in this world, just as there are good girls and boys and the naughty kind.

Me? Bad Santa.

For people who know me, the idea of my being a jolly elf is amusing at face value. I’m more than 6 feet tall, and I’m never jolly — quite the curmudgeon, in fact.

Rosy cheeks? That’s dry, winter skin.

Reindeer? I mow with a beat-up John Deere.

Milk and cookies? I’d rather have beer and pretzels.

As I slipped on each piece of Santa clothing, I gained deeper and deeper respect for the guys who make dressing up as Santa a holiday ritual.

After I was already in my velvety red pants and coat, Marti told me to try on the wig of wispy, white hair. She bit her lip, but I’m sure I looked like George Washington meeting Jerry Garcia on a bad LSD trip.

The beard came next, a brush pile of white hairiness that somewhere in the tangle had an opening for my piehole and an elastic band that I draped over my ears.

Marti pulled and tugged a couple of places until confirming that my own real mustache was not in view. My ears already hurt.

Dark-framed eyeglasses remained on my nose, and I decided they would stay there. I didn’t want to be both Bad Santa and Blind Santa in the same day.

Marti took me to a bathroom mirror so I could see the transformation. Now that’s a Bad Santa, I thought. She returned later with a stapler, and two strategic punctures secured my black vinyl belt.

I pranced up and down the hallway behind the sanctuary while Marti made sure the children and parents were in place for Santa’s arrival.

Just ring the bells in my hand and say “Ho-Ho-Ho” as I walk into the fellowship hall, Marti instructed. After that, it was a matter of greeting the kids, hearing some of the 4-year-olds’ songs and holding the children on my lap for memory-book pictures.

After my exciting entry, the first little girl whose head I patted cried out in horror. Bad Santa.

The next two guys, twins Dylan and Alex, were not big fans. They cried, too.

Working the room, I received a few timid handshakes from other 2-year-olds and a couple of high-fives, but I would say the consensus among the 2’s was, “Who Is This Weird Jerry Garcia-like Stranger in My Face?”

Now the 4-year-olds were better. After their songs, they came up individually to my throne — that’s what I’m calling it — and I handed them a candy cane before we looked into the various cameras of teachers and parents.

Visions of sugar plums danced in my head, but I was told later it was just the spots I was seeing from all the flashes.

I tried to chit-chat a little bit, asking the kids on my lap what they thought of the bad economy and how much confidence they had in a new North Korean regime, now that Kim Jong II was dead.

But they seemed to like it better when I asked whether their Christmas trees were up or when I advised them to leave me milk and cookies on Christmas Eve.

The adults tried to bring Dylan and Alex over to see me at my throne, but just looking at this Yeti in a red-and-white cap sent the twins over the edge again.

Bad Santa made one more tour of the room. Several of the kids, who didn’t mind me lifting them up, wanted to know where my reindeer were.

I told them I had flown down in a helicopter that morning and left my reindeer team at the North Pole to rest and fatten up for the big trip Christmas Eve.

Marti looked at me as if my Bad Santa meter had edged a little toward a Fair Santa reading.

Marti also had a plan for getting me into a photograph with Dylan and Alex. She led me to a spot right behind their table.

While the boys focused their attention on the adults with cameras in front of them, I bent down and popped my head into the frame, like one of those renegade relatives who shows up in every wedding photo.

I think it worked, but one of the boys soon noticed the Elf Sasquatch behind him. I dashed toward the door, waving goodbye, ringing my bells and wishing everyone a Merry Christmas.

My helicopter was waiting — and Bad Santa had left some scars.

Contact Mark Wineka at 704-797-4263, or mwineka@ salisburypost.com.

He was arrested at Dollar General on U.S. 29 South. A citizen recognized him when he entered the store with his mother and sister.

Ramos, 21, has been on the run for two years. His mother, Emma Espinoza Lopez, was also arrested for obstructing officers while they were attempting to identify Ramos.

He was placed in jail under a $260,000 bond, according to the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office inmate list.

Lopez was put under a $300 bond.

Ramos, who previously lived at 1955 Grace Church Road, gave false names and birthdates in an attempt to thwart arrest. His mother went along with the fake names and did not tell the police who her son actually was.

By Sarah Campbell

scampbell@salisburypost.com

Rowan-Cabarrus Community College’s security set-up will be undergoing some changes at the start of 2012.

The college is currently in the bid process to hire a private, unarmed security force, an estimated savings of 15 percent in overhead costs, according to President Carol Spalding.

Right now, the college contracts private security through P&G Security, which handles security at the South Campus in Concord as well as the Cloverleaf Extension Center and the North Carolina Research Campus building in Kannapolis. That security is augmented by area law enforcement agencies.

Armed security cost the college more than $278,000 this year, with unarmed security ringing in at about $161,000.

Spalding said armed security comprises 64 percent of the cost of security for the college and 59 percent of the manhours. Unarmed security makes up 36 percent of the cost and 41 percent of the manhours.

But those ratios could be changing in the future.

“We are not certain of the future security set-up,” Spalding said.

That uncertainty comes with the hiring of Tim Bost as the director of safety and security.

Bost will be charged with streamlining the college’s security outfits, which could mean a shift in the amount of armed and unarmed security on each campus.

“We plan to be more strategic in our use of armed security,” Spalding said. “Parking cars and managing traffic is not a good use of off-duty police officers’ time on our campuses.

“We are analyzing our hours of operation, student demographics, neighborhoods and adjacencies, etc. to ensure that each site is appropriately managed.”

The college decided to create the position of director of safety and security after soliciting an evaluation from Risk Management Associates, a Raleigh-based security consulting firm, earlier this year.

“Fortunately, RMA’s comprehensive report found that Rowan-Cabarrus has very safe campuses,” Spalding said. “Even so, a systematic process of reviewing security is recommended by experts around the country and we feel it is important to improve and re-evaluate security in order to continue to keep the college safe.”

Spalding said Bost will be taking a situational approach to security.

“We plan to address each campus individually instead of a ‘one size fits all’ approach, which would not best serve each location’s unique environment and interests,” she said.

Rowan County Sheriff’s Capt. John Sifford has raised some concerns about the possibility of having fewer armed officers on campus.

In a memo to the college’s academic vice president, he stated that an active shooter on campus could “truly create a body count” before armed officers arrive at the scene.

“At present, with armed security, the college has trained officers, who qualify twice yearly and must meet a minimum score of 80 percent, to respond to a threat immediately,” Sifford wrote. “The officer can return fire to protect the lives of students, staff and himself and has a direct communication link, via his portable radio, with all area law enforcement agencies allowing a coordinated response to the shooter to be immediately formed.”

But college officials said it’s worth noting that the victim of the murder-suicide at Virginia Tech earlier this month was an armed officer.

“Unfortunately, in these terrible situations, the presence of armed versus unarmed officers is not always the deciding factor in determining the outcome of the situation,” Spalding said. “Nonetheless we are prepared for such incidents.”

After alerting law enforcement through 911, the college would notify students of the situation through the Campus Connect telephone system that can alert students, faculty and staff via text message, email or voicemail.

“We also routinely perform evacuation drills and train supervisory staff to deal with potential incidents,” Spalding said.

Student Jennifer Glover said she’s not worried about the possible use of fewer armed officers.

“Even though we have armed security guards now, they don’t use their weapons,” she said. “And I’ve never felt any threats.”

Glover, who has been attending the school for more than two years, said she feels like the college takes the necessary steps to keep students safe.

“I’ve never felt unsafe,” she said. “In fact, I feel safer now than I did when I attended the college back in the ’90s because the parking lots are better lit and there are more officers on campus.”

Contact reporter Sarah Campbell at 704-797-7683.

Twitter: twitter.com/posteducation

Facebook: facebook.com/Sarah.SalisburyPost

By Emily Ford

eford@salisburypost.com

Layaway angels have appeared at the Kmart in Salisbury, secretly paying off toys and bikes in a national phenomenon sweeping through the discount chain.

“We have had secret Santas come in and pay on people’s accounts,” said Ronda Rissew, manager of the Salisbury Kmart. “It’s great for our community. It’s so nice for people to reach out.”

Rissew wouldn’t say how much layaway angels have donated locally, but across the country, anonymous donors have paid off $426,000 worth of merchandise on layaway at Kmart.

As of Wednesday, the largest donation was $20,000, Rissew said. She said this is the first year she’s been aware of the Kmart Christmas miracles.

In Salisbury, secret Santas appear at the layaway counter and ask to pay toward accounts with toys, bikes or clothing, Rissew said. Layaway clerks put the donation toward accounts containing items the donor specifies, she said.

Rissew declined a request to interview layaway clerks, and a corporate spokesman did not reply to a request for more details.

Kmart executives said the phenomenon appears to have begun in Michigan. They say they did nothing to instigate the secret Santas or spread word of the generosity.

“It is honestly being driven by people wanting to do a good deed at this time of the year,” said Salima Yala, Kmart’s division vice president for layaway.

Kmart may be the focus of layaway generosity, Yala said, because it is one of the few large discount stores that has offered layaway year-round for about four decades. Under the program, customers can make purchases but let the store hold onto their merchandise as they pay it off slowly over several weeks.

Editor’s note:In memory of longtime reporter Rose Post, who died this year, the Salisbury Post is reprinting some of her columns. This story first appeared in the Post on Dec. 25, 2002.

Young people know all about falling in love.

But old people know what love is.

And Albert Monroe admits he’s old. And, to tell the truth, brags about it a little, too, because he might as well.

“I’ll be 93 the first of March,” he says, and he thinks about his wife, Mary Henley, who died in May of 2000, pretty much all the time. How could he do otherwise, he asks, “after 63 years of a wonderful marriage?”

So when Christmas comes, he says, “I like to revive some of the things she did,” and one of the things she did was to pull out the red wooden shoes he brought her when he got home from World War II.

He bought them in December of 1944 in Antwerp, Belgium, “from a street vendor for $5,” he says,”and I must have overpaid him because he nearly shook my arm off. The city was being bombed at the time I made the purchase.”

He was Lt. Albert Monroe then, commanding officer of the Anthony Wayne, a ship the United States leased from an American corporation to haul cargo.

The cargo he was hauling on that trip was $15 million in currency. It was bound for the Bank of Belgium for international credit, and France sent an armored train from Paris to pick it up. It was all in $1,000 bills and in steel casks, “and it weighed almost a ton.”

When they were in port, he says, “we always went downtown to look around, but we were careful to get out of downtown Antwerp before 4 o’clock because the Germans were very methodical and started bombing at 4 o’clock.”

It was a beautiful city, and the shops were operating the best they could under wartime conditions, and people — children and women and men — actually wore these wooden shoes. I talked to people wearing them the best I could.”

That wasn’t easy. They spoke French and he spoke English.

But he learned some interesting things.

“If the shoes hurt,” he says, “they said they just did a little expert woodworking with a pen knife or a piece of sandpaper.”

The shoes went with him from Europe to the Philippines and finally came home to Mary Henley.

“And many times at Christmas,” he says, “she actually wore them because they were her size — and I never did have to wonder where she was because they made so much clatter.”

But most of the time they stayed in the attic until they brought them out at Christmas and put them on the coffee table or the mantle.

“They always did attract a lot of attention,” he says. “Everybody oohs and aahs.”

So, of course, thinking about Mary Henley, he brought them out again this year but added something new.

“This is the first Christmas they’ve had candy in them.”

In Belgium they didn’t have any candy around when he bought the shoes.

Or shoes, for that matter.

“Everything was so short, but people could go out and get a chunk of wood and make a pair of shoes,” he says, and figured that’s what happened often.

Not, of course, when he got them home. And they didn’t put candy in them either because there was no telling when company would come and Mary Henley would put them on.

But he’s put it there this year, and if that isn’t exactly following the Dutch tradition, it’s pretty close.

In Europe, St. Nicholas Day on Dec. 14 was the day to give gifts, not Christmas.

And tradition has it that hanging the Christmas stocking on the hearth on Christmas Eve now in the hope that it will be filled with presents the next morning is a custom that goes back about 400 years to those wooden shoes worn originally in Holland.

There children put their shoes next to the hearth the night before the arrival of St. Nicholas and filled them with straw and food for his donkey that carried the gifts.

In exchange, St. Nicholas would leave them a small gift such as a little cake or a piece of fruit or candy. Eventually stockings were substituted for the shoes in Britain, most of Europe and in North America.

But today a pair of red wooden shoes are on Albert Monroe’s coffee table, filled with candy and the memory of those other days when Mary Henley would slip them on and he could hear exactly where she was.

Editor’s note: Albert Monroe died in January 2004 — “a gentleman to the very end,” one friend said.

By Sarah Campbell

scampbell@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — Cornerstone Church leaders are again pitching their Webb Road property as an option for a Rowan-Salisbury School System central office.

The church’s board of directors sent Rowan County Commissioners a letter of intent Wednesday, listing three possible purchase options ranging from $3 million to $4 million.

That comes two days after school board members agreed to consider other options if their quest for a downtown central office gets nixed by commissioners during a Jan. 3 meeting.

And it’s one day after the Salisbury City Council agreed to donate a $200,000 parcel in the 300 block of South Main Street for a 62,000 square-foot building. A private developer would construct the facility, with the school system entering a lease-purchase agreement.

The donation of the land and $1.5 million in New Market Tax Credits would knock the estimated price tag of the project to $7.15 million.

This isn’t the first time Cornerstone has put its property on the table.

The church offered to sell its business, education and child development centers, with a combined total of between 42,000 and 44,000 square feet of space, as well as nearly nine acres of land, to the school system in November 2010.

At the time, the purchase price was estimated to be between $4.5 million and $5.5 million.

In February, Gene Miller, the district’s assistant superintendent of operations, said the school system would consider buying the property from Cornerstone at the right time, “if that right time ever gets here.”

“Right now, we don’t have any money to do anything,” he told the Post then.

That’s why the school board is interested in the current downtown proposal. The lease-purchase option would require no upfront funds.

Bill Godair, the church’s lead pastor, said the offer reappeared after a meeting with commissioners Jim Sides and Carl Ford.

“They informed me that they were there as citizens, not as county commissioners, and they wanted to find out if there were any possibilities,” Godair said.

Sides and Ford did not return phone calls for comment Friday.

Miller told school board members earlier this week that after touring the Long Street Administrative Office, Sides and Ford agree the district needs a central office. But they will not support building one downtown.

Safety concerns and infrastructure needs highlight the issues at the 88-year-old Long Street building, which needs an estimated $2 million in upgrades.

Godair said he agrees the district needs a central office.

“These folks do a great job. They need a good, safe place to work,” he said.

But he also opposes the downtown proposal.

“I understand the city wanting it downtown, but I don’t agree with it,” he said.

Godair questioned where the city would find the money to build a parking lot with 160 spaces for the facility, another term City Council agreed to Tuesday.

“I just don’t think it’s the wisest decision,” he said. “These are the same people who just gave us Fibrant. It is what it is, but now we’re stuck with it.”

Godair’s proposal includes a $3 million option for the district to purchase the buildings and land.

Another option would allow the district to buy the property for $3 million along with the opportunity to purchase furniture, equipment and technology at a fair market value.

A third option would allow the district to purchased the child development center and land as well as the event and business center as-is with all the furnishings for $4 million.

The letter states the church can vacate the business and education centers within 90 days of the purchase date.

Godair applauded commissioners Sides and Ford for seeking other options, saying there are a lot of questions and uncertainty about the downtown proposal.

“I think they’re just trying to find something that will work,” he said. “I don’t have any problem with the county commissioners trying to get the best deal they can for the citizens.

“I don’t have a problem with them building downtown. I just don’t know if they’ve considered the costs.”

A downtown central office could end up costing $9.5 million once interest is tacked on.

Miller has said the district will save $4.4 million during the next decade by consolidating its five offices into one. That figure includes eliminating additional rent and duplicated services such as utilities, Internet, cleaning and clerical.

The district also anticipates having to spend about $3.2 million for repairs and upgrades to Long and Ellis street administrative offices in the next 10 years.

“We would have to spend $7.6 million between now and 2021. That’s almost enough to pay for a new building,” Miller said during the November school board meeting.

During fiscal year 2015-16, the school system will complete its $2.2 million annual payments for the 1992 bond referendum, freeing up those funds to go toward a central office.

Godair said if the school system purchased the Cornerstone property, officials could begin the moving-in process within three months.

“Windstream just installed new wiring for the Internet and phones,” he said. “We don’t let anything get rundown. We are constantly upgrading. There is no wall right now that needs to be painted or carpet that needs to be replaced.”

Despite rumors, Godair said the church is not trying to sell the building because of financial hardships.

“I want to make it very clear, we didn’t go to anybody. They came to us,” he said, referring to Sides and Ford.

But Godair said at the end of the day, he just wants to see the school system with a central office.

“I think they deserve an adminstration building and it doesn’t have to be Cornerstone Church,” he said.

School Board Chairman Dr. Jim Emerson said he was surprised to hear about Godair’s offer Friday.

“I just find it interesting considering how opposed he was to us getting an education center back in (August),” he said.

Godair sent a letter to Superintendent Dr. Judy Grissom, county commissioners and the Post that month questioning the upkeep of Knox Middle School.

Members of Cornerstone volunteered to clean and paint the school after a plea from a teacher regarding the conditions. The church raised several thousand dollars for repairs at the school after hearing about its problems.

“As much as I’m in favor of those folks having good working conditions, I am also in favor of our children having a good, clean, safe working environment,” he wrote.

District officials responded by saying more than $1 million in repairs and additions had been done at Knox since 2006.

Emerson said Cornerstone’s proposal would have to be weighed by the entire board.

“We don’t have $3 million anyway. That’s been the whole idea behind the downtown office,” he said. “I just don’t know. I’m a little bit in awe right now.”

Miller and Chad Mitchell, chairman fo the Rowan County Board of Commissioners , could not be reached for comment about the new Cornerstone proposal Friday.

Contact reporter Sarah Campbell at 704-797-7683.

Twitter: twitter.com/posteducation

Facebook: facebook.com/Sarah.SalisburyPost

Posters

Deadline for posters is 5 p.m.

• Thanks to the supporters of the Smith Family Reunion fundraiser. First prize goes to Brittney Anderson of Charlotte, and second place goes to Robert Torrence of Mocksville.

SALISBURY — Two helicopters from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center were needed to fly out victims from an accident in the 600 block of Roseman Road on Friday night.

A car hit a house, leading to a call to emergency crews at 9:52 p.m. An infant was among the victims and was freed from the entrapment at 10:17 p.m.

Crews worked to get the other two people from the car, freeing the last one at 10:33.

The helicopters flew in to the Rowan County Airport to take patients back to the Winston-Salem hospital. Each could only hold one person, so the third victim was taken by ambulance to Rowan Regional Medical Center. Details on their conditions were unavailable at press time Friday night.

Generous donors made for a big finish to this year’s Christmas Happiness campaign.

On Friday, more than $4,500 came in, bringing this year’s total to $72,774.27. That was plenty to help everyone who asked.

Last year’s total was $78,255.97 and was the most ever collected in the 60 years of Christmas Happiness.

The Department of Social Services, which administers the fund, said fewer people applied this year because face-to-face interviews, as well as income verification, were required instead of mail-in applications.

Low-income residents who did apply got vouchers worth $25 for each child in their home, up to a maximum of $100 per household. And that means a lot of kids will wake up Christmas morning with something under the tree who otherwise may have gotten little or nothing.

Contributions Friday:

Charles and Carol Salisbury $500

Smith Family Reunion Salisbury Connection in honor of their mother, Lonnie W. Parrish $100

In loving memory of Howard Goodman by Virginia Goodman..$100

In memory of Robert Turner by Robert K. Dockham $20

In memory of My Son-Michael J. Pastor by Kimberly Pastor..$100

Hood Theological Seminary $53

In honor of our children and grandchildren by Jim and Barbara Norman $100

In memory of “Uncle Bill” Garvin, Ben and Lib Thompson, My mother-Frances Stanford Cauble, Clay Steele, Mary Woodbury, Floyd Hall, Melvin Bradshaw, Luther Collins, J.W. McIntyre and Michael Myers by Jean Waller $25

In memory of our deceased members by Salisbury International Women’s Club $100

In honor of Matthew Rouzer by employees of Rouzer Motor Parts $25

In loving memory of our sons, Sam Boyd and Randy Wagoner by Norman and Barbara Wagoner $25

In memory of some of my best friends, Leo Wallace, Jr., Lonnie Baker and Joe Bradford by Victor Wallace $200

In honor of Betty S. Cruse and in memory of Charles Cruse by Jack and Peggy Swicegood $50

In honor of Rev. Sandy and Dave Kern of Thyatira Presbyterian Church by James and Ruth Albright $25

In honor of Henry Kluttz and Jim Pope by Jesse Carson High School $687.81

In honor of Harry and Nancy Hipp by Jim and Dawn $100

In honor of our patients and in hopes that all children have something to smile about this Christmas by Busby and Webb Orthodontics $300

In memory of Betty Gore, Lib McCullough and Lucille Moriff by Benny and Phyllis Hendrix ...$50

In honor of Granny Rose by Sugar Foot $50

In loving memory of Sheila Hoffmeister by Frank $1,000

Bob Yount’s Sunday School Class $100

In memory of Wanda Parson by Store Sales Acct. Food Lion..$20

Thinking of Jimmy by Hen and John $25

In memory of Cody Ludwick by Mike, Linda and Dalton Ludwick $50

In memory of our son, Randall Gore by Steve and Malynda Peeler $25

In honor of Ruth Agner the best Mom, Mom-in-law, Grand Maw Maw and all around angel by Patrick and Linda Broadway $100

In memory and in honor of Family and Friends by Joseph, Janet, Haley and Sydney $100

In honor of Wanda Hall and Debbie Upright by Store Sales Acct. Food Lion $40

In loving memory of my dear friend, Beatrice Blount by Helen Robichaud $25

In memory of Rose Post $100

In memory of Josephine August Tucker by Suzanne Blunk and Lorraine Reidda $150

In honor of our many friends and in lieu of Christmas Cards by Clarence and Ann Bostian $100

In honor of my Wednesday night pool shootin’ buddies: Chris Bradshaw, Clay Burleson, Eric Clark, Doug Glasgow, Lonnie Goodman, Jim Hunter, Steve Hunter, Jim Nichols, Henry Smith, Jay Whittington and Bobby Williams by Bob Lewis $50

For a little boy by Michael Robichaud $25

Total $4,520.81

Grand total $72,774.27

scampbell@salisburypost.com

ROCKWELL — Little eyes lit up as teachers placed small balls of sugar cookie dough in front of students at Rockwell Elementary School on Thursday.

As their small hands flattened the dough and reached for cookie cutters in the shapes of stars and bells, Catherine Gilbert quizzed them on what they learned while reading “The Baker’s Dozen: A Saint Nicholas Tale.”

In union, several children replied, saying “there is always more to give.”

Gilbert said the books, about a shrewd businessman who receives a visit from an old woman who insists a dozen is 13 rather than 12, teaches students about the spirt of generosity.

Although Amsterdam is known for being honest, giving customers exactly what they pay for, he never gives more.

But during a dream in which Saint Nicholas pulls gift after gift out of his bag to give to others, he realizes maybe he has more to give as well.

Gilbert, a language arts teacher, said her third grade students read the book while learning about different holidays and traditions around the world.

Lani Isley, 9, said she enjoyed reading “The Baker’s Dozen” and making her own cookies Thursday.

“It’s really a lot of fun,” she said. “I like that the baker learned a lesson to always give.”

Students also read several different versions of Stone Soup. The folk story is about how three soldiers trick villagers, who hide away their food in a greedy manner, into sharing.

After making their cookies Thursday, students got a chance to sample Stone Soup and wassail, a hot punch often enjoyed by the English as they carol from house to house.

Earlier this month, students also read books about Christmas traditions in countries like Poland and Germany as well as the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah and Kwanzaa, a weeklong celebration of African-American culture and heritage.

Gilbert said it’s important for students to gain that exposure.

“We’re trying to prepare them for the future and provide lifelong awareness so they’ll be accepting of different cultures and traditions,” she said. “We are all different and they need to be able to embrace that.”

Across the hall, students in Amanda Henke’s third-grade class used gumdrops, M&Ms, lollipops and icing to make gingerbread houses, applying geometry skills to build the foundation.

Leading to the activity, students used dreidels — spinning tops used to play a game during Hanukkah.

Henke said students spun the dreidels 20 times, recording which symbol they landed on in a chart. After they finished, they made a bar graph with the data.

She said graphing will be an important skill as they move into high level math courses. The assignment was also a lesson in probability.

Diane Smith, Lani’s grandmother, provided the materials for the gingerbread houses, giving each student a kit. She thought it would be a fun way to wrap up class before the break.

“I just like working with the children,” she said.

Contact reporter Sarah Campbell at 704-797-7683.

Twitter: twitter.com/posteducation

Facebook: facebook.com/Sarah.SalisburyPost

Among the animals waiting for adoption at the Rowan County Animal Shelter:

• Lucy, a well mannered dog, has already been housebroken by her previous owner. She is an older female Jack Russell terrier/hound mix and needs help finding a loving home. ID 45050.

• This gray and white tabby cat is as sweet as they come. He loves to be petted and would love to find a warm lap to curl up on for the holidays. ID 44983.

Shelter hours are Monday –Friday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.; Saturday, 8 a.m.-11 a.m. The shelter is at 1465 Julian Road; 704-216-7768.

Adoption fee: $70.

The shelter will be closed through Tuesday for Christmas and Dec. 31 through Jan. 2 for New Year’s.

Rowan Superior Probation Court week of Sept. 26

Disposition of cases heard the week of Sept. 26 in Rowan Superior Probation Court by Judge Beverly T. Beal:

Felony probation violation – Derrick Dashawn Brown, 13-to-16-month sentence invoked at defendant’s request, jail credit, court recommends assessment for educational opportunity and training for employment and life skills; Morgan Elizabeth Cole, two charges, willful violations, 6-to-8-month sentence invoked in each case, jail credit, pay any outstanding money due, condition of work release is to pay any money due, notice of appeal in both cases; Cristal Degraw, willful violation, 45-day sentence invoked, jail credit, court recommends defendant be assessed for alcohol and drug abuse, pay $180 court-appointed attorney fee, condition of work release is to pay any money due, also misdemeanor probation violation, willful violation, 45-day sentence invoked, court recommends defendant be assessed for alcohol and drug abuse, condition of work release is to pay any money due; Joshua Michael Gilbeau, willful violation, 6-yo-8-month sentence invoked, jail credit, court recommends work release, condition of work release is to pay any money due; Adam Jay Hahn, continue on probation and transfer to unsupervised probation, provide DNA sample, $240 court-appointed attorney fee to be entered as civil judgment; Susan Leigh Hicks, willful violation, 6-to-8-month sentence invoked, jail credit, court recommends drug and alcohol treatment program, pay $60 court-appointed attorney fee, condition of work release is to pay any money due; J.P. Hill, probation terminated successfully, civil judgment to be entered for $240 court-appointed attorney fee; Jessica Jean Jackson, willful violation, extend probation 36 months, complete Black Mountain treatment facility, 90-day intensive probation suspended while in treatment, submit to curfew, perform 20 hours community service work per week until she finds employment but suspended while in treatment; Lauren Marie Jackson, willful violation, perform 8 hours community service work within 14 days, fee waived, pay $270 court-appointed attorney fee, probation may be terminated when conditions are met; Jacob Andrew Kaiser, two charges, willful violations, two 6-to-8-month sentences invoked with second at expiration of first, jail credits, condition of work release is to pay any remaining amounts owed, pay $108 court-appointed attorney fee, court recommends defendant to be considered for youthful offender status; James Ashley Kincaid, two charges, willful violation, 6-to-8-month sentence invoked in first case, jail credit, continue on probation in second case with probation suspended while he is serving active sentence, probation to be extended for total of 36 months, six months intensive probation, perform 50 hours community service work, submit to curfew, perform 24 hours community service work each week until he obtains suitable employment, pay $210 court-appointed attorney fee; Eddie Mark McLain, willful violation, probation to be extended to 36 months, attorney fees to be entered as a civil judgment, perform 48 hours community service work at the rat of 8 hours per week, any attorney fees submitted to be entered as a civil judgment; Oscar Lenio Sanchez, defendant to serve seven days for contempt due to testing positive for drugs; Keeley White, willful violation, comply with probation requirements; Anthony Eugene Williams, defendant to be released from jail and to report immediately to probation officer, comply with probation conditions, not leave Rowan County, submit to curfew; Joshua Michael Winecoff, willful violation, 6-to-8-month sentence invoked to be served at expiration of any sentence he’s presently serving, jail credit; Mandrail Jamar Woodberry, willful violation, 24-to-38-month sentence invoked, jail credit, court recommends alcohol and drug treatment, condition of work release is to pay any remaining money due and pay $240 court-appointed attorney fee; Heath Jonathan Culp, two charges, 3-to-4-month sentence invoked in each case at defendant’s request, jail credit, condition of work release or parole is to pay any money due; Bryan Allen Robinson, willful violation, 30-day sentence invoked, pay $270 court-appointed attorney fee.

Misdemeanor probation violation – Karri Michelle Burrell, willful violation, perform 36 hours community service work within 35 days, probation to be terminated upon completion of community service work; Maurice Dirton Jr., willful violation, 120-day sentence invoked, also felony probation violation out-of-county, willful violation, 60-day sentence invoked at expiration of first sentence; Donald Lee Duff Jr., two charges, willful violations, two 45-day sentence invoked, jail credit; Christy Cauble Gilbeau, two charges, willful violations, two 45-day sentences invoked with second at expiration of first, jail credit, pay $240 court-appointed attorney fee; Quamaine Deshaw Patterson, 45-day sentence invoked at defendant’s request, jail credit; Milton Chanta Ware, three charges, willful violations, 120-day sentence invoked in first case, 45-day sentences invoked in other cases with each to be served at expiration of previous, condition of work release is to pay any money due and court-appointed attorney fees, notice of appeal in all three cases.

Felony probation violation out-of-county – Lorri Blocker Cowherd, willful violation, 6-to-8-month sentence invoked, jail credit, condition of work release is to pay any outstanding money due, $450 court-appointed attorney fee to be entered as civil judgment, also misdemeanor probation violation out-of-county, willful violation, 45-day sentence invoked, condition of work release is to pay any outstanding money due; Hersel Nathan Davis III, willful violation, 7-to-9-month sentence invoked, jail credit, condition of work release is to pay any outstanding money due, court recommends substance abuse assessment and treatment for alcohol and drugs; Samuel Gillenwater, six charges, willful violations, 10-to-12-month sentences invoked in five cases and 8-to-10-month sentence in one case with each at expiration of previous, jail credits, work release recommended, any earnings to be applied to remaining money owed; Jacinto Elroy Henderson, willful violation, probation to be terminated unsuccessfully, remaining money due to be entered as civil judgment; Joey Dwayne Justus, four charges, willful violations, 8-to-10-month sentence invoked in first case and 6-to-8-month sentence invoked in other three cases with each to be served at expiration of previous, jail credits, condition of work release is to pay any outstanding money due and jail fees; Christopher Scott Parson, dismissal without leave by district attorney; Anthony Ray Perkins, probation terminated unsuccessfully, $180 court-appointed attorney fee to be entered as a civil judgment; Wilbert Purcell Powell, may transfer to unsupervised probation if all money due is paid by Sept. 30; Matthew Reynold Roig, probation extended for a total of 36 months, six months intensive probation, perform 16 hours community service work per week until suitably employed.

Scripps Howard News Service

Editor’s note:The following editorial, among the most famous ever written, appeared in The New York Sun in 1897 and remains appropriate for this holiday season 114 years later.

IS THERE A SANTA CLAUS?

We take pleasure in answering at once and thus prominently the communication below, expressing at the same time our great gratification that its faithful author is numbered among the friends of The Sun:

Dear Editor! I am 8 years old.

Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus.

Papa says, “If you see it in The Sun it’s so.” Please tell me the truth: Is there a Santa Claus?

— Virginia O’Hanlon.

115 West Ninety-Fifth Street.

Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except (what) they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men’s or children’s, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias.

There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal life with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that’s no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.

You may tear apart the baby’s rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernatural beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.

No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service.)

The Associated Press

12/19/11 11:36