Q: Are all the athletes at the military academies in school on congressional appointments or are they recruited?
—Frank Burnette, Decatur
A: Athletes are recruited, but every candidate to the service academies must be fully qualified by the admissions committee and have a nomination to receive an appointment, said Eugene L. McIntyre, associate athletic director for recruiting/admissions support at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. There are 541 congressional nominations accepted each year at the three major service academies (Army, Navy and Air Force): 435 representatives, 100 senatorial, one vice president, and five territories.
Q: I have been told that my plastic permanent MARTA card has expired. How often do plastic MARTA cards expire and is there some other way to get your rides on the card reinstated without going to a Ride Store?
—John Williams, Decatur
A: The original Breeze cards were scheduled to expire after four years. MARTA officials say this information was publicized as part of the initial Breeze launch and a comprehensive communications campaign, starting in October 2008, informed customers of their expiration. MARTA’s current Breeze cards are scheduled to expire in 10 years. Customers can check the expiration date and balance at Breeze machines in MARTA stations or at www.breezecard.com. To replace an expired Breeze card for free and transfer fare products from the expired card, a customer must visit a Ride Store at the airport, Five Points, Lindbergh and Lenox rail stations. Machines at MARTA stations also sell new Breeze cards for $5.
Lori Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or e-mail q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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