A bit of thisa dash of that By Cal Bryant 08/10/2006 Just catching up on a bucketful of news. I hope you#8217;re like me in the senseless murder of two elderly Emporia sisters in the fact that when th

Published 12:00 am Thursday, August 10, 2006

Just catching up on a bucketful of news.

I hope you’re like me in the senseless murder of two elderly Emporia sisters in the fact that when they catch the scum bag that committed this dastardly deed they ought to grab a rope and find the nearest tree.

Bet’cha that statement offends somebody as there are those who strongly believe that even the most hardened criminals can be rehabilitated.

I’m sorry…I just don’t agree in this particular case. Anyone with a mindset that leads them to commit not one, but two brutal acts of violence just doesn’t deserve to breathe the same air that law-abiding citizens do.

From what I’ve been able to learn about the victims, they were sweet, old-fashioned Southern ladies who would go out of their way to help someone. Now, instead of living out their few final years on this Earth with an opportunity to share their life-long stories with the younger generations of their families, those same relatives are only left to grieve and ask why.

I may be totally off base here, but my gut feeling is that this may not be a random act of violence. I think the killer knew his victims and had to know the lay of the land in order to figure out exactly where to dispose of the bodies.

Here’s hoping for a quick apprehension of the person, or persons, responsible for this hideous crime. I have complete confidence in Hertford County Sheriff Juan Vaughan, his deputies, the SBI and others involved in solving this case.

I would urge anyone that has any information, no matter how small they think the details may be, to call the Hertford County Sheriff’s Office immediately at 252-358-7800. Any information will be vital in helping to solve this crime and by finding the killer(s), we can all rest a bit easier in the Roanoke-Chowan area.

Hat’s off to that small army of volunteers who made the 21st annual North Carolina Watermelon Festival a huge success.

Although they are veterans at staging perhaps the biggest four-day festival in eastern ‘Carolina, this group faced a huge challenge this year n triple-digit temperatures coupled with stifling humidity.

They didn’t skip a beat, but they did wipe more than their fair share of sweat.

Despite the heat, which did cut into the 40,000 folks expected over the four-day event, the show went on and what a show it was. From Wednesday’s opening ceremonies to the final song performed by “Spare Change” on Saturday night, the 2006 Watermelon Festival was a hit in my opinion.

I was also impressed with Katie Mills, the 2006 North Carolina Watermelon Queen. Not only was she a beautiful young lady, her warm spirit and great personality were attractive as well. And I should mention that she’ll be entering her first year of college later this month at the greatest school of them all n NC State. Go Pack!

While passing out accolades, a tip of the cap goes out to David Lane and the 2006 Josh Lane Classic.

This annual fundraiser, always held the second Tuesday in August, raises money and awareness to juvenile diabetes. Josh Lane, the 14-year-old son of David and his wife Deborah, is a young diabetic, forced to take insulin daily just to live something close to a normal life.

As a parent, you do everything within your power…and sometimes beyond…to do whatever you can for your child. That’s exactly what David does for Josh.

Seven years ago, David picked up the banner of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and took off running. With this year’s effort, what started as a dream for David has now exceeded $200,000 used towards research in finding a cure for diabetes.

Insulin is not a cure….just a way of life for Josh and millions of others like him. This is one annual event that David hopes and prays will never see another year. When it stops, and hopefully that’s in the very near future, David will rejoice in the freedom his son will enjoy.

This world in which we live would be a much better place if there were more David Lanes out there. The love he has for his son and the passion he has for helping to find a cure for diabetes is unequaled.