Dominating second half propels JMU to win
Dukes take charge with 12-0 run to open second half
Staff Report
JMU sports: www.jmusports.com
James Madison opened the second half with a 12-0 run and closed with a 19-6 swing while outscoring Fordham 53-32 overall in the period en route to an 85-73 men’s basketball victory Wednesday night at the Convocation Center. Read more
Intensity leads to diligence
EMU field-hockey star wraps up stellar career
Story by James De Boer
EMU sports: www.emu.edu
“Natural talent can only get an individual so far. The rest comes from heart, desire and the ‘want’ to be better and the dedication to put in work behind the scenes, in the offseason, and before and after practice.”
While that may sound like a motivational poster on a locker room wall somewhere, the words of Eastern Mennonite University field hockey coach Brenda Bechler actually describe the inner drive and perseverance of EMU senior Alyssa Derstine. She has pushed through changes of athletic position, changes of academic major, and a debilitating medical condition. Read more
UVa.-UNCW game rescheduled
Game postponed due to blizzard
Staff Report
UVa. sports: www.virginiasports.com
The Virginia men’s basketball team’s game with UNC-Wilmington originally scheduled to be played on Dec. 19 has been rescheduled for Jan. 18 at John Paul Jones Arena. A starting time will not be set until after it’s determined whether the game will be televised. Original tickets for the game, including Family Package tickets, will be valid.
The UNC-Wilmington-UVa. game was postponed on Dec. 19 because of hazardous travel conditions caused by the recent heavy snowfall in the Charlottesville area. Read more
The camera
Column by Nan Russell
www.nanrussell.com
It wasn’t any camera. It was the revolutionary Kodak Instamatic, housed in a shiny black case, with a built in flashcube, using a 126 cartridge. All my high school friends had one, or so it seemed to me. I told my parents it was the only gift I wanted that Christmas.
I made certain they knew which one it was. On separate trips, I took my mother and father to the camera store to show them this new technology that excited me. I even tore an ad from a magazine and taped it to my wish-list so they wouldn’t make a mistake. Read more
Sports under the Christmas tree
Weekend Watchdog column by Mike Judge
WeekendWatchdog.blogspot.com
After Santa Claus finishes his run, there’s a few sporting events to catch as part of your Christmas fun.
The NBA has expanded its offerings to five for the day. The two big games are on ABC – Boston at Orlando at 2:30 p.m., followed by Cleveland facing the Lakers. After hours of having kids battle over their new toys, you can watch LeBron and Kobe battle.
ESPN opens the day’s activities at noon with the Heat visiting the Knicks. The primetime schedule has the Clippers meeting the Suns at 8 p.m., followed by Denver at Portland. Read more
The Most Precious Gift
Column by Marla Cilley
www.flylady.net
All of our lives we have spent putting out fires. These fires were started by our perfectionism and our procrastination. Along with panic of these fires come the squeals of martyrdom and yells of dissatisfaction. We have all done this, and it is our family who have had listen to it.
Why do we torture our family with hurtful words? I can tell you why! You are so stressed out and feeling like a martyr! This has got to stop! I can help you get rid of the stress, but it us up to you to curb those angry words. The first step is to follow our directions for your routines, getting dressed to shoes, hair and face. Read more
George Mason holds off Keydets, 89-86
Staff Report
VMI sports: www.vmikeydets.com
Freshman forward Luke Hancock hit a reverse putback layup with :50 remaining to put George Mason up for good, and junior guard Cam Long added a layup at the :09 mark to key a last-minute rally as George Mason defeated VMI, 89-86, Tuesday night at the Patriot Center.
The game featured only the second meeting between the schools in 30 seasons and saw 10 lead changes and 12 ties before Hancock’s basket turned the tide in favor of the Patriots (6-5), who jumped above the .500 mark on the season. Read more
Focus | McPadden: ‘(C)hange the party from the inside out’
Congressional candidate pushes back-to-basics GOP campaign
Story by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net
The tea-party protests of the summer motivated many on the right. It was another protest half a world away that motivated Mike McPadden to run for Congress.
“Those kids were out there in the streets fighting for their liberties. That was a watershed moment for me,” McPadden said of the student-led protests in Iran raising issue with that country’s controversial presidential elections. Read more
Morton offers free-market alternatives to health-care reform
Column by Feda Morton
www.fedaforcongress.com
I am deeply upset over the sweetheart deals that have been cut by the Senate’s Democratic leadership. At a time in our history when millions of American people are crying out for their voices to be heard around this great nation, our leaders are cutting back room deals with individual senators.
The most recent is Sen. Nelson of Nebraska, who has bartered the 60th vote for Obamacare in exchange for a guarantee that Nebraska will not have to make up any additional Medicaid cost from new recipients after 2017. This leaves Virginia and other states to foot the bill for additional cost to Nebraska. Read more
Heard of the First Amendment?
ACLU backs Gloucester residents in removal case
Staff Report
News Tips: freepress2@ntelos.net
The ACLU of Virginia and the Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression today filed an amicus brief in the Virginia Supreme Court on behalf of 40 Gloucester residents who were ordered to pay a total of $80,000 in fees after they attempted to use an obscure Virginia law to remove from office four members of the county’s board of supervisors. The brief claims that the sanctions chill the First Amendment right to petition the government for redress of grievances. Read more
Tucker dismissed from UVa. hoops team
Bennett cites academic issues as reason
Staff Report
freepress2@ntelos.net
Virginia men’s head basketball coach Tony Bennett has dismissed Jamil Tucker from the team for academic reasons.
“We expect our student-athletes to perform to certain standards academically and Jamil has not met those standards,” Bennett said. “We wish him well and will provide assistance where we can, but he is no longer a member of our team.” Read more
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Christmas Trees, Menorahs, and being apart (on Christmas)
Posted on December 23, 2009 · 2 Comments
Column by Bruce Sallan
www.brucesallan.com
I don’t care if you call it a Hannukah bush or an ordinary tree; it is a Christmas tree, pure and simple. It represents the birth of Christ and it’s not just a secular symbol. But, it matters to my wife, so we resolved the issue by agreeing, like so many mixed religious couples, to celebrate both Christmas and Hannukah. Since my boys were raised Jewish, and my younger son just became a Bar Mitzvah, it really isn’t an issue for me anymore. Read more
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