Unemployment up slightly in May
Unemployment ticked up a bit across the Valley in May, though the slight increases were called seasonal by a Virginia Employment Commission economist today.
Waynesboro still has the highest unemployment rate locally, at 9.1 percent, up from the 8.8 percent mark in April, according to VEC data released today. Staunton was up from 6.9 percent in April to 7.0 percent in May. Augusta County went from 6.4 percent in April to 6.9 percent in May. Read more
Money, money, money
How can you tell that we’re near a supposedly critical political fundraising deadline? By checking your e-mail.
“May I have just five minutes of your time?” one in my in-box yesterday from Republican guberatorial nominee Bob McDonnell asked, then got to the point. “In just 36 hours, I reach one of the last critical benchmarks before the November election – the June 30th fundraising deadline. This deadline is important as it will help set the tone for the remaining four months of the campaign.” Read more
Earth Talk | Insulating paints
Dear EarthTalk: Do insulating paints actually insulate and save energy? If they do, are they environmentally friendly to use?
- Bob Dibrindisi, Easthampton, Mass.
Paint additives that claim insulating qualities have been marketed since the late 1990s, but energy research organizations have not confirmed their insulating value. For its part, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) does not recommend using paints or coatings in place of traditional bulk insulation. “We haven’t seen any independent studies that can verify their insulating qualities,” the agency reports. The federal government does rate roofing paint for its energy efficiency, but such findings only take into account a substance’s ability to reflect heat off the roof—not its insulating properties per se—to keep the building cooler. Read more
Two Tellys for local video company
Harrisonburg-based DIGICO is now the proud owner of two 2009 Telly Awards.
DIGICO won a silver Telly for a 60-second kiosk video created for Rosetta Stone, the leading language-learning software company in the world, titled “Best Gift.” The video depicts a family using Rosetta Stone software for the first time, and ends with branding animation created specifically for the video. Read more
A clear direction on energy
We may not yet have a firm grasp on exactly what we need to do to merge the words clean and energy in perfect harmony, even with the 219-212 vote of the House of Representatives on cap-and-trade legislation last week. But we do at least have direction, and considering how much muck was thrown into the works in the environmental arena in the Bush years, movement in the direction of reducing greenhouse-gas emissions has to be considered progress. Read more
Signer looking ahead to political future
I caught up yesterday with Mike Signer, and realize even more now what I like about the guy who I endorsed in his unsuccessful bid to become the Democratic Party lieutenant-governor nominee.
“I’m just calling to say thanks for all of your hard work, and to get your input on what you think I ought to be doing next,” said Signer, who told me that he’s planning to get involved with the Creigh Deeds gubernatorial effort this fall as one way of staying busy, but as for his next step, well … Read more
