AFP.com Local/State

News Update: Monday, Feb. 8

- Waynesboro City Council meeting agenda
- Staunton City Council meeting agenda
- Supreme Court to hear UVa. Law School case

Edited by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net

Waynesboro City Council meeting agenda: Waynesboro City Council will hold a business meeting Monday at 7 p.m. at the Charles T. Yancey Municipal Building, 503 W. Main St., Waynesboro.

The agenda for the meeting includes:

1. Call to Order/Pledge of Allegiance.

2. Consent Agenda (any item placed on the consent agenda shall be removed and considered as a separate matter, if so requested by any member of Council, otherwise all items will be voted on with one (1) motion).
a) Consider approving the minutes from the December 16, 209 Work Session and the January 25, 2010 Regular Business Meeting, and dispense with the reading of the minutes. [Read more...]

Backhoe damages downtown business

  
Story by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net

A Downtown Waynesboro building is damaged after an accident involving a city backhoe that was clearing snow on Federal Street late Saturday night.

The back of the Augusta Cleaners building at 534 W. Main St. was left with an open gash two to three feet across and perhaps eight to ten feet high.

City Manager Mike Hamp was on the scene within minutes of the incident in the 10 p.m. hour. Hamp said there were no injuries associated with the incident.

There were no early estimates on damage to the building. Building Inspector Joe Honbarrier was called to the scene to survey the damage.

Property owner Dave Barrett was on the scene as well to move inventory stored in the back of the brick building.

Weather Blog: 20 to 30 inches or more of snow possible

 
Moderated by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net

The latest forecast from the National Weather Service has the Augusta County, Staunton, Waynesboro area in line for 20 to 30 inches of snow with this weekend’s winter storm, with localized amounts of 30 inches-plus possible in higher elevations in the area.

The snow began early Friday morning in the Shenandoah Valley, and is expected to pick up in intensity beginning in the late-afternoon hours through Saturday morning.

Visibilities will be in the quarter-mile-or-less range tonight and Saturday morning.

Winds will be sustained at 10 to 15 mph with gusts to 25 mph tonight and Saturday.

Check back to the Weather Blog for the latest on the winter storm. Updates will be posted by the AFP in the Comments section.

Feel free to share details on weather where you are in our Comments thread.

AFPBusiness.com

Unemployment rate takes unexpected dip

 
Story by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net

Don’t get too excited, but the nation’s unemploynent rate made a move in the right direction in January, falling to 9.7 percent from 10.0 percent in December.

“It is important not to read too much into any one monthly report, positive or negative. It is essential that we continue our efforts to move in the right direction and replace job losses with robust job gains,” said Christina Romer, the chair of President Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers, in a statement on the numbers released Friday.

There are still likely to be “bumps in the road ahead,” Romer warned, and the good news today itself came with some of the bumps, the most noticeable being the revised estimate that has the economy losing more than 1 million more jobs due to the recession than had previously been estimated.

But even slightly good news is good news in an economy that was in freefall for months since the start of the recession in December 2007. Today’s figures show employment in manufacturing in general and motor-vehicle manufacturing in particular on the increase for the first time since January 2007, and the unemployment rate that includes all persons marginally attached to the labor force and workers working part-time for economic reasons falling by a full percentage point.

Obama administration proposes $30B small-business loan fund

  
Staff Report
News tips: freepress2@ntelos.net

The Obama administration on Tuesday released plans for a Small Business Lending Fund that will transfer $30 billion from the Troubled Asset Relief Program to a new program supporting small-business lending.

The Fund would divert resources from the big-bank TARP bailout to community banks that have as their core customers small businesses.

Fifth District Congressman Tom Perriello backs the move. [Read more...]

AFP.com Op-Eds and Blogs

‘Found money,’ ’something necessary,’ the rebate, and stimulus

  
Column by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net

The so-called fiscal-conservative elected officials in Waynesboro are falling all over themselves to spend the $560,000 in “found money” resulting from last fiscal year’s budget surplus. Vice Mayor Frank Lucente has even suggested recently that he would like to see the city hold onto the money “until we need it for something necessary.”

“Something necessary”? That sounds to me like somebody wanting to spend my money on something that he wants to spend it on.

Reminds me of my first sitdown at a meeting of the Waynesboro Citizens for Responsible Spending last week. I like the name and the aims, but I began to have issue with the group just a few minutes into the meeting, when a person described as one of the founding members of the group walked to the podium and spent the next several minutes rambling on and on about how “ObamaCare” was going to bankrupt the nation, then gave way to another founding member who spoke for close to 10 minutes on a local historic landmark that she thinks the city should commit time and money to repairing. [Read more...]

Letter | The pols and the BCS

  
Letter from Jack McClenahan, Lyndhurst
Submit letters: freepress2@ntelos.net

Well, it looks like the politicos in Washington are finally hearing the public outrage on a matter of significant importance. I am not talking about health care, record deficits, high unemployment nor an endless war in the Middle East.

I read they are going to possibly hold hearings in congress and the Justice Department on how the national champion in college football is decided.

I know I speak for millions of citizens in this country who are thrilled this troublesome problem has been put on the agenda of the pressing problems facing our country at this time in our history.

Let us hope it is moved to the front burner! Hopefully if our politicos can resolve this thorny issue, we can all get a better night’s sleep.

I say, let the circus continue.

AFP.com Health Desk

Profit motive is necessary for quality health care

 
Column by Donald J. Boudreaux
Submit guest columns: freepress2@ntelos.net

Not long ago my wife, Karol, and I flew from Bucharest to New York City’s JFK airport. We had two hours to connect to our flight to Washington’s Dulles airport. We missed our flight, and herein lies a lesson about today’s raging debate over government’s proper role in health-care markets.

Part of the reason we missed our flight is that, after landing on time at JFK, our plane sat for more than 30 minutes on the tarmac waiting for another jet to clear away from our gate. JFK International Airport is owned by government (the City of New York) and operated, under lease, by a government agency (the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey). Unlike Delta Airlines, the privately-owned and operated carrier that flew us comfortably, safely, and in a timely fashion over the 4,800 miles that separate Bucharest from New York, the government bureaucrats in charge of JFK airport seem to be short on an asset they control: airport gate space. [Read more...]

New regs boost treatment of substance abuse

 
Staff Report
News tips: freepress2@ntelos.net

New regulations requiring private group health insurance plans to offer benefits for treatment of substance abuse disorders that are comparable to benefits for other illnesses will help remove a barrier to treatment for millions of Americans, National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) Director Gil Kerlikowske said today.

The rules, issued Jan. 29 by the departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and Treasury, are expected to be finalized in the spring. They will take effect for plan years beginning on or after July 1, 2010. The rules prohibit group health insurance plans – typically offered by employers – from restricting access to care for mental health or substance use disorders by limiting benefits and requiring higher patient costs than those that apply to general medical or surgical benefits.  [Read more...]

AFP.com Entertainment

Parkway: Happy 75th!

 
Staff Report
News tips: freepress2@ntelos.net

The Blue Ridge Parkway’s 75th Anniversary is officially here with the advent of 2010. Construction of the 469-mile All American Scenic Byway began Sept. 11, 1935, at Cumberland Knob, near the North Carolina and Virginia border.

A celebration of this special American treasure and its importance as a cultural, historical, and natural resource includes events and activities throughout the year in communities that line the Parkway.

A list of events, which may be searched by community or region or by month, is on line at www.blueridgeparkway75.org and is updated regularly. To date, over 400 events have been identified as part of the year-long celebration. [Read more...]

ACV honors outstanding artisans

 
Staff Report
News tips: freepress2@ntelos.net

The Artisans Center of Virginia recently honored three Virginians for outstanding achievement by Virginia artisans, organizations or individuals who support and encourage the craft industry in the Commonwealth.

The 2010 ACV honorees were:

- Woody Crenshaw, Floyd, president of ‘Round the Mountain and Owner of Crenshaw Lighting. Crenshaw is a vital conduit for positive change, advancing Virginia’s craft industry. Crenshaw continues to be instrumental in developing the Artisan Trails of Southwest Virginia and is a voice for artisan entrepreneurs as important assets to the economic development of Virginia communities. [Read more...]

VaPoliticsToday.com

Capitol Hill Notebook

- Taxpayer Fairness Act
- Stand on Social Security

Edited by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net

Webb, Boxer introduce Taxpayer Fairness Act: U.S. Sens, Jim Webb, D-Va., and Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., today introduced the Taxpayer Fairness Act, legislation that would impose a 50 percent tax on excessive bonuses paid by Wall Street banks and other firms that benefited from billions of taxpayer dollars in 2009.

“This is not class warfare,” said Webb. “This is not something that’s going to run the gamut of all executive compensation and bonuses. This is a one-shot deal. This is a tax on excessive bonuses of TARP recipients that received more than $5 billion from the American taxpayer in 2009.

“The Financial Times, a paper dedicated to the free market, editorialized in favor of this position at the end of last year,” continued Webb. “We believe this is a fair and reasonable approach. It offers equity and a level of fairness to the American taxpayers who bailed these companies out. [Read more...]

General Assembly Notebook

- ‘Triggerman rule’ repeal passes House
- McDonnell comments on conservation easement

Edited by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net

Repeal of “triggerman rule” passes House: A capital-murder bill sponsored by Del. C. Todd Gilbert, R-15th, passed the Virginia House of Delegates this afternoon by a vote of 74 to 24.

The repeal of the “triggerman rule” ensures that equally guilty co-defendants in a capital homicide will face the possibility of the ultimate punishment. It requires proof beyond a reasonable doubt that accomplices in a capital murder share the premeditated intent of the actual perpetrator.

The existing rule has had a number of implications for Virginia case law in recent years, including a narrowly decided issue in the John Mohammed sniper case. But for the creative efforts of Prince William County prosecutors, who showed Mohammed was acting as a scout to his young cohort’s role as sniper, he never could have been deemed an “actual perpetrator” of the capital murders he ordered and oversaw. [Read more...]

VaPoliticsToday.com Blogs

Big Brother and local education

  
Column by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net

Big government has no place in local education. Does us no good to be sending dictates down from Washingon and Richmond with all manner of strings attached.

No Child Left Behind - bad idea. Standards of Learning - bad idea.

Freshman State Del. Dickie Bell’s proposed state mandate that local school boards allocate 65 percent of its operating budget to instructional spending - bad idea.

The initiative isn’t Bell’s alone. Bob McDonnell had the 65 percent threshold as part of his ‘09 guberntorial-campaign platform. I can understand a pol like McDonnell getting something like this wrong, but not Bell, a public-school teacher when the General Assembly is not in session. [Read more...]

Fifth District Report

 
Column by Tom Perriello
www.periello.house.gov

In this economy, every dollar counts — and so does a tax credit worth up to $5,657.

Jan. 29 was designated by the Internal Revenue Service as Earned Income Tax Credit Awareness Day. More than 534,000 Virginia taxpayers took advantage of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and received more than $1 billion in refunds for the 2008 tax year.

However, the IRS estimates that 20 to 25 percent of qualifying workers miss out on thousands of dollars every year because they fail to claim their EITC. I encourage folks to find out more about the credit to see if it applies to you. Some of the workers that most often miss out on this credit are those who are living in rural areas, self-employed, disabled, childless, older, or recently experienced a change in marital status or employment status. [Read more...]

ACCVirginia.com

Wright’s 25 push UVa. past Clemson

  
Staff Report
UVa. sports: www.virginiasports.com

Senior guard Monica Wright (Woodbridge, Va.) moved into fifth place on the ACC’s all-time scoring list and No. 24 Virginia defeated visiting Clemson, 82-60, Thursday night at John Paul Jones Arena.

With the victory, Virginia improved to 16-6 overall and 5-3 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Clemson’s record fell to 11-13, 2-6 in the league.

Wright finished with 25 points, bringing her career total to 2,293. Already Virginia’s all-time leading scorer, Wright moved into sole possession of fifth place in the history of the ACC. She passed former North Carolina guard Ivory Latta (2003-07; 2,285 points). Fourth place on the league’s all-time scoring list is occupied by N.C. State’s Linda Page (1982-85; 2,307 points). [Read more...]

UVa. schedule features USC, two I-AAs

 
Staff Report
UVa. sports: www.virginiasports.com

A pair of games against I-AA opponents sandwich a trip to Southern Cal, and then it’s ACC time for Virginia, which released its 2010 football schedule on Thursday.

First-year coach Mike London makes his debut when Virginia kicks off its campaign at home against Richmond on Sept. 4. The game will mark the 30th meeting between the Spiders and Cavaliers in a series that began in 1893. In the last meeting between the teams, the Cavaliers defeated Richmond 16-0 in 2008 at Scott Stadium when London was the Spiders’ head coach.

Richmond finished the 2009 season ranked No. 5 in the final Football Championship Subdivision poll after an 11-2 campaign.  [Read more...]

AFP.com Sports

Sports Roundup

Hot-shooting VMI powers past Pres, EMU women sting Wasps, 10 and 6 from Brown helps Liberty to win

Edited by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net

Hot-shooting VMI powers past Pres: A 20-4 run midway through the first half gave VMI a lead it would not relinquish, as the Keydets powered by the Presbyterian College Blue Hose, 97-78, in a Big South contest played Thursday night at Cameron Hall.

After PC sprinted out to a 22-8 lead, a Joe Carr three-pointer at the 13:09 mark launched VMI on the spurt that gave the Keydets the lead for good. The run included twelve unanswered VMI points, and was helped by five Presbyterian turnovers.

VMI (8-14, 3-9) was led by Stan Okoye and Austin Kenon in the victory, as each player notched 23 points. The home team’s 18 three-pointers tied a season-high, and came after the squad misfired on its first eight treys. The Blue Hose were led by Chase Holmes’ 21 points, including 13 in the second half.

2008 Waynesboro High School graduate Nick Gore scored two points in 15 minutes off the bench for VMI. [Read more...]

XLIV

  
Column by Mike Judge
WeekendWatchdog.blogspot.com

Will the Saints go marching in?

Or is the Super Bowl Peyton’s place.

We’ll find out starting at 6:30 p.m. (or a few minutes later) Sunday, when the Saints and Colts meet at Joe Robbie/Dolphins/Sun Life Stadium on CBS. Both teams have already visited the facility and won this season - first time that has ever happened.

Some more fun facts from our friends at http://www.the506.com/. Impress your friends. [Read more...]

AFP.com Video

The Rant | The Winter of Our Discontent

  
Video Essay by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net 

And our discontent - that the city is doing a shoddy job of clearing city streets following winter storms. Which it is.

Keep in mind, AFP editor Chris Graham says in his Rant, that the city is dealing with a still-cramped city budget. And that the people who have been showing up for elections here the past few years have made it clear that they want the city run as a tight ship.

When you’re past cutting fat and muscle and are digging straight into the bone to make ends meet, some things suffer. And since City Council can’t legislate a mild winter, well, this is going to be a problem until the spring. [Read more...]

The perils of obstructionism

 
Video Essay by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net

Nice sentiment from Barack Obama in his State of the Union address the other night. Democrats and Republicans need to be more focused on getting things done than on the daily political scoreboard.

The problem is incentives. Republicans have no incentive to work with Obama and Democrats with the apparent success of their obstructionist policy in the polls. Democrats, down the line, will have another kind of incentive if and when the political pendulum swings them back into minority-party status.

Whither our republic, and our ability to keep it? Chris Graham addresses that question in today’s Rant. [Read more...]

AFP.com Podcasts

The AFP on WREL | Cold outside, heating up in the ACC

 
The AFP on WREL
www.wrel.com

Editor Chris Graham joins WREL-1450AM’s “Online with Jim Bresnahan” for their weekly sports chat.

Today the guys discuss:
- Virginia Tech’s thrilling 76-71 comeback win over UVa. last week, and the different directions the two teams took on Sunday on the road in the ACC.
- How the ACC is shaking out this year.
- The freefall that defending national champion North Carolina seems to be in right now.
- Super Bowl XLIV. [Read more...]

The AFP on WREL | Who wants it?

  
The AFP on WREL
www.wrel.com

ACCVirginia.com editor Chris Graham joins WREL’s “Online with Jim Bresnahan” for their weekly sports chat.

Today the guys discuss:
- Super Bowl XVIV, which Chris thinks will be an up-and-down-the-field slugfest.
- The wild and wacky ACC basketball scene, which has developed into a free-for-all without a clear, dominant #1.
- Thursday’s in-state clash between surprising UVa. and a veteran Virginia Tech team that will want to steal one on the road in Charlottesville. [Read more...]

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