Expert: Virginia headed toward transportation ‘catastrophe’
Item by Robert Brickhouse
UVa. news: www.virginia.edu
Virginia is headed toward a transportation “catastrophe” if state political leaders don’t act, according to a former state transportation commissioner.
Ray Pethel made that assessment in a column in the latest issue of The Virginia News Letter published by the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service at the University of Virginia.
Pethtel, now director of the Transportation Policy Center at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, predicts increasingly severe congestion, deteriorating roadways, risk of bridge failures and possible loss of the state’s AAA bond rating if lawmakers don’t act soon to end a long-running funding crisis.
Pethtel, who was director of the Joint Legislative Audit Review Commission from 1974 to 1986, served as commonwealth transportation commissioner from 1986 to 1994 under governors Gerald Baliles and Douglas Wilder. Read more
State Police: Remains in Albemarle appear to be Harrington
Story by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net
The Virginia State Police is saying that human remains found on a farm in southern Albemarle County appear to be those of Morgan Harrington, 20, a Virginia Tech student who was reported missing after attending a concert at the John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville on Oct. 17.
“We’re fairly confident that the remains are those of Morgan Dana Harrington,” said Virginia State Police Superintendent Col. Steven Flaherty at a news conference in Charlottesville Tuesday afternoon.
The remains have been sent to the State Medical Examiner’s office in Richmond for identification and an autopsy, Flaherty said. “Until we receive word from the autopsy, we can’t say with 100 percent certainty that this is truly Miss Harrington. However, there were some significant items of evidence that makes us confident that that scientific procedure will confirm that ID,” Flaherty said. Read more
Job creation
Column by Sen. Robert Hurt
www.roberthurtforcongress.com
The first full week of the 2010 General Assembly here in Richmond has now concluded. The week began with the Gov. McDonnell’s first State of the Commonwealth address and the ended with committees getting fully underway in reviewing and taking action on individual legislation. In addition, because of the recent special elections of two new senators, Senate committee assignments were completed. My committee assignments have not changed, and I will continue to serve on the Courts of Justice committee, the General Laws committee, and the Rehabilitation and Social Services committees.
I look forward to continuing to working with our new Governor during this Session in promoting economic development here in the Commonwealth and in Southside Virginia, and I am proud to cosponsor of much of the legislation on this subject. In particular, I am proud to serve as the sponsor of legislation which would create a lower job creation threshold of at least 25 jobs for the Major Business Facility Job Tax Credit. In addition, I am proud to serve as the sponsor of legislation which would encourage veterans to start small businesses. Read more
EMU responds to need in Haiti
Staff Report
News tips: freepress2@ntelos.net
Touched by the news of the earthquake in Haiti on Jan. 12, Eastern Mennonite University is making several tangible responses. Collection boxes for financial contributions have been placed around campus, and the school took up offerings during halftime of two basketball games last week. A moment of silence was also held at both games.
Spectators donated $3,464.44 combined at the men’s game on Jan. 20 and the women’s game on Jan. 22. Along with the collection sites around campus, EMU has raised a total of $5,604.44 as of Monday, Jan. 25, to support Haiti relief efforts. Monies collected will benefit organizations such as Mennonite Central Committee, the relief, service and development agency with a long history in Haiti and with many EMU connections.
Collection baskets are located in the Student Life Suite (University Commons), Business Office (Campus Center) and front reception desk at Eastern Mennonite Seminary. Read more
Brown double-double fuels Liberty comeback win
Staff Report
Liberty U. sports: www.libertyflames.com
Liberty defeated Coastal Carolina for the 32nd consecutive time Monday evening at Kimbel Arena, but it wasn’t easy. The Lady Flames trailed by 10 points in the second half, but used a 24-2 game-closing run to pull out a 57-38 road win over the Chanticleers.
The Lady Flames improved to 14-4 overall and 5-1 in the Big South with their seventh consecutive win. Avery Warley and 2008 Waynesboro High School graduate Devon Brown both notched double-doubles, keying Liberty’s furious comeback.
Meanwhile, Coastal Carolina lost for the first time in nine home games, dropping to 12-6 overall and 3-3 in conference action. The Chanticleers owned a 28-18 lead with 17:06 left, but were outscored 39-10 the rest of the way.
Brown scored nine points in an 18-0 Liberty run that gave the Flames a 51-36 lead with 1:41 to go.
Brown finished with a team-high 17 points and 10 rebounds to record her fifth double-double of the year. Brown also paced all players with four steals.
Helping disabled veterans
Column by David Cox
Submit guest columns: freepress2@ntelos.net
As the General Convention goes about its business in Richmond, it’ll take up a matter that everyone voted for last time. Before they do again, I hope they’ll look at a better way of meeting their objective: helping disabled veterans.
Last winter, the House and Senate passed unanimously a constitutional amendment that would exempt veterans, who because of their service to the nation were 100 percent disabled according to the Veterans Administration, from paying local property tax. As a proposed amendment, it gets another reading this winter, and if passed again would go to us voters in November.
At the time I groused about it as still yet another unfunded mandate by which the state, which usually insists local governments pay for some duty, in this case cuts into the revenues of localities: property taxes are among the few funding sources for cities and counties. I noted that all politicians oppose unfunded mandates…then all our Assembly politicians voted for one. Read more
VPAS benefits from new endowment
Staff Report
News tips: freepress2@ntelos.net
The Community Foundation of the Central Blue Ridge announced today the recent creation of the Valley Program for Aging Services Endowment Fund.
The estate of Leonard Penland, a Waynesboro resident who died in 2009, made the first contribution of $100,000. Mr. Penland wished to honor Lewis Coiner of Waynesboro (Coiner was the first executive director of the Foundation) in support of his work with elderly citizens.
Penland indicated that he hoped to provide a way for VPAS “to further its purposes.”
Paul Lavigne, President of the Valley Program for Aging Services, has been notified of the gift. Additional contributions to the VPAS Endowment Fund are welcome by check payable to the Community Foundation, P.O. Box 815, Staunton, Va. 24402.
Augusta County Board agenda for Wednesday night
Staff Report
News tips: freepress2@ntelos.net
The Augusta County Board of Supervisors is holding a business meeting on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
The meeting will be held at the Augusta County Goverment Center in Verona.
The agenda for the meeting includes:
7 p.m. PUBLIC HEARINGS:
1-33 OVERLOOK LAND COMPANY, LC – REZONING
Consider a request to rezone from General Agriculture to Single Family Residential approximately 96.5 acres and to add the Public Use Overlay designation to 2.4 acres to build a water tank. The Land is owned by Overlook Land Company, LC, located on the west side of White Hill Road (Route 654) approximately 0.2 of a mile north of the intersection with Stuarts Draft Highway (Route 340) in Stuarts Draft (Riverheads District). The Planning Commission recommends approval with proffers. Read more
Woodrow Wilson Library to host research workshop
Staff Report
News tips: freepress2@ntelos.net
The Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Museum today announced that it will host a class of 22 students from Southern Virginia University for a half-day workshop about public history on Thursday, Jan. 28.
The students are in Dr. Lora Knight’s historical methods course at SVU, which is in Buena Vista. The students are interested is seeing and using primary resources in research, hearing about the Presidential Library’s internship program, and exploring careers in public history.
The program will run from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. At 9:45 a.m., Director of Education Joel Hodson and Museum Educator Ellen Abernethy will discuss public history and how history is taught at the Presidential Library and other museums and historic sites. At 10:40 a.m., Director of Library and Archives Peggy Dillard will discuss the Presidential Library’s digital archive and the use of primary documents. Read more
JMU holds off Radford
Staff Report
JMU sports: www.jmusports.com
Senior guard Pierre Curtis (Denver, Colo./East) and freshman guard Darren White (Danville, Va./Dan River) hit four free throws in the final 16 seconds to push James Madison past Radford 67-63 in a non-conference men’s basketball game Monday evening at the Convocation Center.
JMU snapped a four-game losing streak to improve to 9-11 for the season. RU dropped to 10-9. The contest was originally slated for Dec. 19 but was postponed due to a severe winter storm.
The Dukes trailed 55-54 with 3:12 to go before reeling off a 9-0 run to take their largest lead of the night at 63-55 with 49 seconds remaining. However, the lead vanished in 32 seconds thanks to an 8-0 spurt by the Highlanders. Read more
EMU falls to #11 in poll
Staff Report
EMU sports: www.emu.edu
Saturday, Eastern Mennonite suffered its first loss to a D-III school. Monday night, the Royals slipped four spots in the D3hoops.com men’s basketball national poll, landing at No. 11.
EMU is one of four Old Dominion Athletic Conference teams ranked in the poll, all in the top 11 spots.
The men slipped from the No. 7 spot achieved in just their third week in the top 25. Guilford remained at No. 2. Virginia Wesleyan jumped from No. 12 to No. 7 after handing Randolph-Macon its second loss in seven days. The Yellow Jackets slid six spots to No. 9. Wisconsin-Stevens Point maintained the top spot for the second week in a row, taking all 25 first-place votes.
Rival Bridgewater knocked off the men 89-83 Saturday night before a capacity crowd in BC’s Nininger Hall. The Runnin Royals, now 14-2 overall and 8-1 in the ODAC, took their only other loss from NAIA Southern Virginia. Eastern Mennonite gets a chance to avenge that defeat when the Knights come to Harrisonburg this Thursday, Jan. 28.
Breaking: Human remains found in Albemarle
Staff Report
News tips: freepress2@ntelos.net
Virginia State Police and Albemarle County Police are currently on the scene of the discovery of skeletal remains in Albemarle County.
State Police were notified at 9:59 a.m. this morning by an Albemarle County resident of the discovery, according to a news release from the State Police.
At this time, the remains and scene are being evaluated by forensic technicians. There is no further information to release at this time, according to the State Police report.
Interest is high in the investigation with the possibility that the remains could be related to the missing-person case involving Morgan Harrington, 20, a Virginia Tech student reported missing in Charlottesville on Oct. 17.
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