Letter to the Editor:

To our many friends/members over the years, the Middlesboro Downtown Association is sad to announce that we are in the formative stages of disbanding. Due partially to the lack of participation and change in responsibilities of those members most active, we are unable to continue to provide the manpower for our endeavors. Therefore, the Middlesboro Downtown Association will no longer be hosting the “Heart of the City” concert series, nor the annual Downtown Christmas Parade.

We have a couple of small projects that we intend to finish and we wish to thank the Middlesboro City Council and local government officials for their assistance, especially in the last several years.

Fortunately, there is a new, similar group working hard toward the improvement of Middlesboro’s downtown area. Discover Downtown Middlesboro has been meeting for a couple of years and is now joining with the City of Middlesboro through the hiring of a full-time manager to assist in all things downtown. The Middlesboro Downtown Association has requested the Discover Downtown Middlesboro group consider taking over the two events mentioned above.

The Middlesboro Downtown Association has appreciated the opportunity to work with the downtown area and we feel personally enriched by the experience. We believe the attendance at the Heart of the City made a difference to the summertime entertainment of our citizenry. We wish Discover Downtown Middlesboro much success in their endeavors and believe they will continue what we have begun in this area. We urge all those interested in the success of “our downtown” to become involved with Discover Downtown Middlesboro and our local government to bring about a prosperous future for Middlesboro.

Sad to say good-bye!

Middlesboro Downtown Association

Members and Officers

PRIDE thanks local leaders

Dear Editor:

As the school year ends, I want to thank the following local leaders for supporting the PRIDE Environmental Education Outreach Program: Judge-Executive Albey Brock, the magistrates, Solid Waste Coordinator Joyce Hoskins, the Bell County 109 Board members, Bell County School Board and Superintendent George Thompson, Pineville Independent School Board and Superintendent Michael White, and Middleboro Independent School Board and Superintendent Darryl Wilder.

As a result of their leadership, over 600 local students now are better prepared to take care of our environment.

The PRIDE outreach program sends an Education Coordinator into schools to lead fun activities that prepare students for state science tests and life-long environmental stewardship. The program serves 3rd through 5th grade classes, with an emphasis on 4th graders who are tested on science in the state’s annual CATS testing.

This convenient program is available to the 38 counties served by PRIDE, but local leaders must pay a fee to enroll their schools. In Bell County, the fiscal court, 109 Board and three school boards showed that leadership by paying the program fee for the 2007-2008 school year.

As a result, 643 students in the local elementary schools enjoyed hands-on environmental lessons. They were led by PRIDE Education Coordinator, Sara Gilbert. Sara provided 34 instructional hours in local classrooms. She covered topics like botany, energy, solid waste and water quality.

The school systems were indispensable partners in this effort. In addition to the school board members and superintendents, I am grateful for the cooperation of the participating principals and teachers.

This was a very successful year for the program in Bell County, as well as the other six counties that participated. In all, 226 instructional hours were spent with 4,204 students. We hope to build on our momentum and reach even more students during the 2008-2009 school year.

I encourage Bell County residents to express their appreciation to the fiscal court, 109 Board and school boards. To learn more about the program, please call the PRIDE office at 888-577-4339 or visit www.kypride.org/educators/outreach.php.

Sincerely,

Tammie Wilson, Vice President and CFO

Eastern Kentucky PRIDE