This is the readers’ column. In that spirit, here are some interesting ideas suggested by readers.
Dennis Tonetti, who is disabled and uses a wheelchair, said he wanted to ride a bus to the Fernandina Beach Shrimp Festival. He learned there was no regular bus service from Jacksonville to Fernandina Beach, nor any special service to the event.
Tonetti wrote: “It seems that for a city that is constantly pushing the use of public transportation, there was no way to get to one of the biggest events in the area except by using the only mode of transportation that everyone is constantly complaining about — cars. And there is plenty of coverage on where to park once you get there. Can you get better irony?”
My comments: The JTA offers some inter-county services, but it would make an interesting story to examine the state of bus service, not only in Duval County, but the metropolitan area.
Dear Reader Advocate: ” I’ve noticed that news stories on automobile accidents always include whether or not the persons involved were wearing seatbelts. I would like to start seeing in articles about motorcycle accidents whether or not the persons involved were wearing helmets. I know it’s now legal to ride without a helmet, but I still think this information should be included.” — V.A.
Dear V.A.: Some stories have mentioned injured riders were not wearing helmets when the information was available. Of course, mentioning the helmet would only be relevant if the rider died of head injuries. This subject is controversial, especially among the motorcycling community.
Dear Reader Advocate: “I just wanted to express my thanks to the Times-Union for the excellent coverage of Memorial Day. As the son of a veteran, I was raised to understand the importance of Memorial Day and Veterans Day, but I have seldom seen the quality of media coverage that the holiday received this past weekend. Not only was the history of Memorial Day explained, but the importance of the sacrifices made in times of war was repeatedly made clear in written word and wonderful photojournalism.” — J.L.
Dear J.L.: We receive more compliments than I normally use in this column. More military stories are being planned for June 6, the anniversary of D-Day.
Ovaltine in tax code?
Did you know there is a sales tax exemption in the state of Florida for Ovaltine? So said an Associated Press story on May 14.
Well, there is no specific exemption for Ovaltine in the tax code. The reporter was taking poetic license, if you consider the tax code as poetry, said a spokesman for the Florida Department of Revenue. Actually, the code exempts food products from the sales tax. Anything meant to be mixed with milk is exempt. That would include Ovaltine, Hershey’s Syrup, Nestle’s Quick and so forth.
Of course, there is a line at which food becomes candy, and candy is not exempt. Peanuts, for instance, are exempt. But cover them with chocolate and enclose them in a wrapper, and they become taxable.
High school graduate section coming
Class Acts, the annual section that includes lists of high school graduates, valedictorians, athlete-scholars and other achievers, will be published next Sunday.
