A Pike County WDA Publication

Volume 3, Issue 2

Page 10

Community Corner

Written by: Jeff T.

Written by: James B.

               If you want to be safe in a thunderstorm, there are certain things you should never do during an electrical storm:
1. Use a cordless phone
2. Take a shower unless it's 30 minutes after the storm
3. Stand next to windows
4. Stand under the tree
5. Stand in wide-open fields
6. Hold an umbrella.
               In the United States and average of 73 people a year get struck by lightning. In the whole world, lightning kills more than 1,000 people in a year, maybe more. 
              Lightning generates an incredible amount of heat. Lightning is a big charge of electricity that can reach from clouds to the ground or to other clouds.  There is also what is called "dry lightning." This is when lightning strikes from a cloud that is not making rain. Dry lightning often causes forest fires because there is no rain to stop a fire from spreading. There is a way you can tell how far a thunderstorm is: every 5 seconds equals one mile, so if you count 10 seconds from the time see the flash till the time you hear the thunder that means that the lightening struck two miles away.

             I am 15 right now, and this October is my birthday, I am going to try to get my drivers permit.  I think I might do a pretty good job.  I just need a little more practice on using the gas pedal, it is pretty difficult, but I'll get the hang of it. 
Driving a car is really hard when you first start.  You have to learn to follow directions. When you practice to get your permit,  you must learn to use your left and right signals, you must learn how to use the steering wheel, most importantly, you must learn how to use the gas and brake pedals. 
Learning to shift is also critical. The gears are park, drive, overdrive, reverse, neutral, and some have 1 and 2.  Park is used to leave the car in the position so that when you let your foot off the brake, the car will not move. 
When you put it in drive, be sure to step on the brake before you shift the gear to drive because if the car is on a hill, it will start to roll and when you have it in that gear, you can use the gas pedal to start moving.  Overdrive is used only on a highway because it allows the car to do more work but using less power. 
  Reverse allows you to drive the car backwards but this is only used when you have no choice, for example, you drive up of your one-way driveway and it is too narrow for you to turn around, use reverse to back out, when you back out, you use the mirror to see what objects are behind you and direction you are going, you should also look over your shoulder so you can see more clearly. 
  Now, when you shift to neutral, this will just allow it to roll down a hill and the steeper the hill,  the faster you'll go.  The 1 and 2 buttons are the shifts, 1 is a low shift. and 2 is a higher shift, the lower shift allows you to drive slowly, and the higher shift allows you to drive faster. 
   I want to try to get my permit on my birthday.  Driving is really dangerous, so you must be careful, there has been so many accidents around the whole world, remember, when you want to turn to the left or right, be sure to turn on your signals and look both ways.

By: Kevin Cunningham

             Young Erica Pratt, 7, was imprisoned in the basement of an abandoned house twelve miles away from her home.  She was bound with duct tape, and left with an unquenchable desire to escape and a thirst for freedom.  She chewed through the duct tape and made her way to a nearby police officer to report her experience.  Police reported that an arrest warrant had been issued for Edward Johnson, 23, a man who they believe had a connection to the kidnapping. Johnson is looking at a half-dozen charges including false imprisonment, kidnapping, and endangerment.  Erica's kidnapping possibly can be linked to a feud between rival drug dealers in the area. Officials mentioned that they were looking over the criminal record of Erica's uncle, Joseph Pratt, Jr. who was killed in March. Pratt was charged with drug violations, officials reported, and, at the time of his death, he was facing an attempted murder charge.