The Pulse | The politics of health care
Column by Chris Graham
Health-care reform opponents speak as if it’s a given that the passage of reform including a public option and new mandates for private insurers will be an act of political suicide by Democrats.
Take comments from Bill Wilson, the president of the advocacy group Americans for Limited Government, released today on the topic of the U.S. Senate vote to move forward with debate on a reform bill under consideration in the senior chamber of Congress.
The vote was “completely out of step with public sentiment about the legislation,” said Wilson, citing a poll conducted by the right-leaning pollster Rasmussen Reports that suggests that 56 percent of likely voters now oppose the legislation. Read more
Focus | Stuart Hall works through the recession
Plan includes sale of property, renewed fundraising efforts
Story by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net
Rumors were swirling among students at Stuart Hall for weeks that the 165-year-old Staunton private school might not even make it to the second semester of the 2009-2010 school year due to a run of budget issues related to the ongoing economic downturn and the 2007 merger of Stuart Hall and Hunter McGuire.
Good news came Friday with the announcement that the Board of Trustees of the Church Schools in the Diocese of Virginia, the nonprofit corporate parent of Stuart Hall, had approved a plan from the Stuart Hall Board of Governors laying out how the school will make it through the tough times. Read more
Economic issues for average Virginians bad, and going to get worse
Staff Report
Struggles to date for average Virginians since the start of the recession in December 2007 are “just the tip of the iceberg,” said Michael Cassidy, the executive director of The Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis, which released a report today detailing the present and near-term future impacts of the economic downturn on workers and their families.
“Sharp increases in unemployment, wage declines for most workers and continued deterioration in workers’ health-insurance coverage has been coupled with the fact that Virginia workers pay the greatest share of insurance premiums in the country. As the effects of the recession drag on, these challenges will only increase,” said Cassidy. Read more
Strengthening the health-care bill
Column by Mark Warner
Saturday evening, my Senate colleagues and I were given an opportunity to take the next step in fixing our nation’s health-care system.
I voted in favor of bringing the health-care reform bill to the Senate floor because I want an opportunity to work on strengthening and improving the legislation. Read more
Fifth District Report
Column by Tom Perriello
Medicare is a critical part of our promise to our seniors and it must be protected. I want to clear up some misinformation about recent changes to Medicare and explain some recent victories for Virginia’s seniors that I have been working for in Congress relating to health-insurance and prescription-drug coverage.
Recent health-care reform proposals significantly extend the financial solvency of Medicare. Without reform, the quickly rising cost of health care will bankrupt the Medicare trust fund, possibly in less than 10 years. One of the reasons why health-care reform is urgently needed is to guarantee the long-term solvency of Medicare. I supported the Affordable Health Care for America Act, which will extend the life of the Medicare trust fund by five years or more as the reforms in the bill bring down health-care costs across the board. Read more
JMU rallies to knock off Virginia Tech
Staff Report
Junior guard Dawn Evans (Clarksville, Tenn./Northeast) had 14 points during a 27-9 James Madison scoring run to end the game as the host Dukes defeated Virginia Tech 66-59 in non-conference women’s basketball at the JMU Convocation Center Sunday.
Virginia Tech went in front 28-24 with the final five points of the opening half and led 50-39 with 8:55 left and 54-44 at 7:45 before JMU controlled play the rest of the way. Evans, who finished with a game-high 27 points, had four two-point field goals and two three-pointers during the final 8:21 and put the Dukes in front to stay, 58-56, with a layup with 1:58 left. Read more
Vols knock off UVa. women in front of record crowd
Story by Scott German
A combination of two Hall of Fame basketball coaches and free hotdogs and sodas helped the University of Virginia establish a new women’s single-game attendance record of 11,895 here Sunday afternoon in John Paul Jones Arena.
Unfortunately most of fans went home disappointed as No. 6 Tennessee Vols (3-0) rode the sharpshooting of Angie Bjorklunds’ 24 points to a 77-63 victory over No. 12 Virginia.
Bjorklund made the big shots when Tennessee needed them most as the Lady Vols, making only their second ever visit to Charlottesville, avenged last season’s home loss to the Cavaliers. Read more
Sunday Morning Quarterback
Unstoppable Force, meet the Moveable Object
Column by Chris Graham
WILLIAMS SCORES FOUR, BREAKS TECH FRESHMAN RUSHING MARK: Nice stat line for Virginia Tech freshman running back in the Hokies’ 38-10 win over N.C. State on Saturday – 32 carries, 120 yards, four touchdowns.
Williams has 16 touchdowns on the season, tying the ACC record for touchdowns in a season by a freshman (Leon Johnson, UNC, 1993). Williams now has 1,354 yards rushing in 2009, breaking Darren Evans’ 2008 Tech record for yards rushing by a freshman running back set just last year. Read more
Dukes win fourth straight
Staff Report
Redshirt freshman quarterback Justin Thorpe (Richmond, Va./Varina) threw for 259 yards and a career-high three scores and James Madison had five touchdown plays of 31 yards or longer in a 43-12 Colonial Athletic Association football victory over Towson at Bridgeforth Stadium/Zane Showker Field Saturday.
Thorpe hit on 14 of 21 passes, and the Dukes compiled 471 yards of total offense (212 rushing, 259 passing). JMU led 19-6 after one quarter, 26-6 at halftime and 33-12 after three quarters. Read more
Brown leads Liberty to Navy Classic title
Staff Report
Waynesboro High School alum Devon Brown scored 19 points to lead Liberty back from 16 points down early as the Flames dispatched host Navy 55-43 to win the Navy Classic on Saturday.
With the win, Liberty improves to 4-0 to start the season, after claiming its fourth regular-season tournament title in the last three campaigns.
Brown, a 2008 graduate of WHS, recorded her second double-double of the tournament with her 19-point, 11-rebound effort.
Navy led 20-4 early and 32-24 at the half before Liberty rallied with defense in the second half, limiting the Midshipmen to 11 second-half points.
Focus | Cavs grow in 76-55 win over Oral Roberts
Story by Chris Graham
With AFP Audio
Virginia and Oral Roberts traded baskets for 10 minutes. Then the Cavs put the clamps down.
“I think the adjustments were solid. The guys played a little harder and smarter,” coach Tony Bennett said after UVa.’s 76-55 win over Oral Roberts on Saturday in Charlottesville.
It was the second win in three nights for Virginia in the Cancun Challenge, which shifts to Cancun, Mexico, next week, where the Cavaliers will take on Stanford on Tuesday with a possible matchup with fourth-ranked Kentucky on Wednesday looming. Read more
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Holidays with brain injuries
Posted on November 23, 2009 · 6 Comments
Column by Chris DeWald
Things change with a stroke or a brain injury. or those who have not had anything change, you are very lucky. To those who are caregivers, friends and family of those with brain injuries, I commend you. I started doing some research as it pertains to me and I found such a similarity to an already printed article that I must share this with you. Read more
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