WhenVirginiaWasBlue.com: Tom Perriello-A level playing field
For far too long, policies in Washington have been written for, and sometimes by, well-financed corporate interests. The result is a playing field that is tilted in favor of special interests at the expense of consumers. I have worked in Congress to return power to the consumer where it belongs. As a consumer, you should have the power and information to make decisions that affect you and your family, whether it involves your finances, your health care, or any other personal decision.
Last year, I supported a package of reforms known as the “Credit Card Holder’s Bill of Rights.” These common-sense reforms are putting an end to some of the most egregious practices we saw from credit card companies. Far too many Americans were getting trapped in a cycle of consumer debt because of dishonest, and in some cases, downright abusive business practices that were perfectly legal under the old regulatory structure.
Link to column on WhenVirginiaWasBlue.com.
WhenVirginiaWasBlue.com: Perriello goes after Hurt on jobs
Republican nominee Robert Hurt has a hole in his jobs platform on free trade.
“Robert Hurt is a typical politician who remains so out of touch with the experience of working families that he doesn’t even realize the devastating effects free-trade agreements have had on the Fifth District. Now he’s even pledging to continue supporting these bad trade deals and protecting corporations that ship good American jobs overseas,”said Jessica Barba, spokeswoman for the Tom Perriello campaign.
Link to column on WhenVirginiaWasBlue.com.
WhenVirginiaWasBlue.com: David Toscano-The privatization of ABC
During campaign season, voters frequently hear the statement, “government ought to be run like a business.” How many businesses do you know would be willing to eliminate a profit center that realizes some $118 million per year in net revenue and another $120 million in taxes for a price that is speculative and which may come with some undesired consequences? Well, that is exactly what the Commonwealth is considering doing if it embraces Gov. McDonnell’s proposal to privatize the ABC stores.
While the precise proposal has not yet been outlined, the general principle is for Virginia, one of only 18 states that now run liquor operations, to sell or license the ABC retail operations to the private sector in exchange for cash up front. Estimates of the revenue from the sale range from $150 million to $500 million. That one-time influx of money would be dedicated to transportation, a critical need in the Commonwealth.
Link to column on WhenVirginiaWasBlue.com.
House committee to initiate redistricting review
Del. Mark L. Cole of Fredericksburg today announced that the redistricting subcommittee of the House of Delegates Committee on Privileges and Elections has scheduled a series of six public hearings throughout the Commonwealth to encourage broad public input into the redistricting process.
The public hearings will take place in September, October and December in preparation for the redistricting process that will occur in 2011.
The House Committee on Privileges and Elections has jurisdiction over measures relating to redistricting. Del. Cole, chairman of the committee and the redistricting subcommittee, stressed that the committee wants the public from the outset to have input into the redistricting process. The subcommittee seeks public comment on the redistricting process, criteria to be considered in preparing redistricting plans, and potential district changes to legislative and congressional districts.
Estimates of the current populations of the present House, Senate, and congressional districts are now available through the Division of Legislative Services on the Internet in the August 2010 issue of Drawing the Line 2011, its redistricting news letter. The site for Drawing the Line 2011 is http://dlsgis.state.va.us/.
Questions may be directed to Jack Austin at the Division of Legislative Services at fjaustin@dls.virginia.gov and at 804.786.3591.
Schedule of Redistricting Public Hearings
Wednesday, Sept. 8 , 7 p.m., Natural Science Center, Virginia Western Community College (Roanoke)
Wednesday, Sept. 22, 7 p.m., Roper Performing Arts Center, Tidewater Community College (Norfolk)
Tuesday, Oct. 5, 7 p.m., Mason Hall, George Mason University
Monday, Oct. 18, 7 p.m., Regional Center for Advanced Technology and Training, Danville Community College
Monday, Dec. 6, 7 p.m., University Hall, University of Mary Washington (Stafford Campus)
Friday, Dec. 17, 10 a.m., 9th Floor Appropriations Room, General Assembly Building (time approximate, after governor’s remarks to the money committees)
Edited by Chris Graham. Chris can be reached at freepress2@ntelos.net.
ACLU asks U.S. Supreme Court to uphold freedom of the press on college campuses
The ACLU of Virginia today asked the U.S Supreme Court to review a ruling by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals that allows restrictions on alcohol-related advertising in college publications in Virginia.
In April, on a divided vote, the Fourth Circuit upheld the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Board’s prohibition on the advertising of beer, wine, and mixed drinks in college student publications (unless in the context of an ad for a dining establishment).
The Fourth Circuit’s ruling overturned a 2008 U.S. District Court decision striking down the ABC regulation. The district court found no evidence that the advertising ban had any effect on underage drinking and that there were other legitimate ways the state could reduce student drinking – including increased taxation on alcohol and counter-advertising -without infringing on freedom of the press.
The district court’s decision relied on expert witnesses and an earlier case in which the University of Pittsburgh’s student paper, Pitt News, challenged similar state restrictions. In that case, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals held that the alcohol ad restrictions violated the freedom of the press because they did not have any effect on underage drinking and because they unjustifiably imposed a burden on media associated with universities and colleges that was not imposed on other media. That decision was written by then-Judge Samuel A. Alito, now a U.S. Supreme Court justice.
But the Fourth Circuit concluded that there was a “common sense” link between alcohol advertising bans in college papers and a decrease in demand for alcohol by college students, even if there was no evidence to support such an assumption.
“Under the First Amendment, the government may not restrict truthful advertising unless it can prove that the restriction directly advances important societal goals,” said ACLU of Virginia legal director Rebecca Glenberg. “In this case, there was no evidence that banning alcohol ads in college newspapers diminishes underage or binge drinking on campus.”
“College students are bombarded with alcohol ads everyday – on television, on the radio, on the Internet, on t-shirts, on baseball caps, and in magazines,” added Glenberg. “There is no reason to believe that banning the small fraction of these ads that appear in college newspapers has any impact on student behavior.”
“The Constitution does not allow government officials to infringe on freedom of the press on a hunch,” said ACLU of Virginia executive director Kent Willis. “They need a reason, and it needs to be a good one. In this case, there is simply no evidence that the ABC restrictions on alcohol advertising in college papers have any effect whatsoever, except to make it harder for those newspapers to bring in advertising revenues. ”
Petitioners in the case are Educational Media Company at Virginia Tech, the owner of Virginia Tech’s Collegiate Times, and the University of Virginia’s The Cavalier Daily. The case is Educational Media Company at Virginia Tech v. Swecker. ACLU of Virginia legal director Rebecca K. Glenberg and ACLU cooperating attorney Frank Feibelman of Richmond represent the petitioners.
A copy of the ACLU’s petition is available online at http://acluva.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/08-23-10.pdf.
Edited by Chris Graham. Chris can be reached at freepress2@ntelos.net.
Roads report
The latest updated list of road work scheduled in the local area from the Virginia Department of Transportation.
ROCKBRIDGE COUNTY
Interstate 64
* Mile marker 41 to 56 eastbound and westbound – Debris removal, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Interstate 81
* Mile marker 173 to 205 northbound and southbound – Debris removal, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
* (UPDATE) Mile marker 195.6 to 202.5, northbound and southbound – UPDATE: Blasting will take place on Aug. 24 and 26 at 1 p.m. Blasting will occur near mile marker 197.7 and the Route 712 bridge. Blasting operations will take place approximately two days a week between the hours of noon and 2 p.m. Monday to Friday. Both northbound and southbound lanes will have a rolling mobile lane closure. Signs posted. Blasting operations are estimated to continue through November.
* Mile marker 200 to 205, northbound – Ditch cleaning. Mobile right shoulder closure, Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Primary Roads
* Route 130 (Glasgow) – Bridge construction at Route 501. New traffic pattern. Periodic single-lane traffic with flagger traffic control, signs posted. Monday to Thursday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Friday, 7 am to noon. Use extreme caution as motorists become acquainted with new traffic pattern. Estimated completion is September 2010.
* (NEW) Various roads – Mowing and debris removal, Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Secondary Roads
* Route 603 – Bridges over Irish Creek. Bridge work from 1.40 miles east of Route 608 and 5.45 miles east of Route 608. Single lane closure with stop and proceed sign. Flagger traffic control as needed. Lane width restriction of 10-feet for superstructure replacement, 24 hours-a-day, seven days-a-week.
* Route 611 (South Buffalo Road) – Bridge replacement. Road closed from 1.15 miles south of Route 738 (Rapps Mill Road) to 0.25 mile north of Route 661 (Spring Branch Road). Single-lane traffic restrictions controlled by stop and proceed. Motorists must stop to ensure way is clear before proceeding. Lane will be restricted 24 hours-a-day, seven days-a-week. Estimated completion is Sept. 24.
* (NEW) Route 639 – Brush cutting and pipe replacement, Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
* Various roads – Patching, paving and mowing, Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
AUGUSTA COUNTY
Interstate 64
No lane closures reported.
Interstate 81
* Mile marker 210 to 230 northbound and southbound – Bridge deck maintenance on various structures. Possible single-lane traffic with flagger traffic control, Monday night to Friday morning, 8 p.m. to 7 a.m.
Primary Roads
* Route 42 – Mossy Creek project. Roadway relocation and bridge replacement with box culvert. Work will occur from 0.63 mile south of Rockingham County line to 0.90 mile south of Rockingham County line. Expect minor delays Monday to Saturday, 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Two lanes of roadway will be maintained.
* Churchville Avenue (Route 250, Staunton), eastbound – Road reconstruction activities. North Central Avenue is open to traffic. No left turn will be allowed from Churchville Avenue onto North Lewis Street. North Lewis Street is open to northbound traffic only. The eastbound lane will be closed from North Augusta Street (Route 11) to Albemarle Avenue 24 hours-a-day, seven days-a-week. The pedestrian detour is from North Augusta Street to North Lewis Street. Signs are posted. Expect intermittent delays from North Augusta Street to Albemarle Avenue due to utility installation work. Intermittent flagger traffic control for work in westbound lane. Speed limit in the project area reduced to 25 miles-per-hour. Four recommended detours for eastbound Churchville Avenue traffic heading into Staunton business district from Route 262/Route 250 interchange are to North Augusta Street: Take Route 250 and turn right onto Grubert Avenue and then turning left onto West Beverly Street, which intersects with North Augusta Street. Take Route 250 and turn right onto Thornrose Avenue and then turning left on to West Beverly Street, which intersects with North Augusta Street. Take Churchville Avenue and turn left onto Springhill Road to Route 262. Turn right onto Route 262 north to the Route 11 intersection. Turn right onto Route 11 and take Route 11 bypass (Commerce Road) into Staunton. At the Route 262/Route 250 interchange – take Route 262 north to the Route 11 intersection. Turn right onto Route 11 and take Route 11 bypass (Commerce Road) into Staunton.
* Various roads – Pipe installation, patching, brush cutting, shoulder repairs, ditching and grading. Work will occur on weekdays.
* Various roads – Bridge cleaning, litter and debris removal. Monday to Friday, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Single lane traffic with flagger traffic control or arrow board.
Secondary Roads
* Route 694 (Swartzel Shop Road) – Rustic road construction from Route 686 (Hill Top Drive) to Route 340 (Stuarts Draft Highway). Road closed 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Thursday.
* Route 699 – Paving from Route 646 to 0.09 mile south of intersection of Route 646. Intersection relocation project to improve sight distance. Flagger traffic control, Monday to Saturday, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
* Route 736 (Union Church Road) – Bridge work. Road closed from Route 42 (Scenic Highway) to Route 835 (Dudley Farm Road). Estimated completion is Aug. 25.* (NEW) Route 758 (George Walton Road) – Bridge work at Route 747 (Freemason Run Road). Road closed at this location.
* Route 907 – Bridge over Christians Creek is closed. No reopening date has been scheduled.
* Various roads – Pipe installation, patching, brush cutting, shoulder repairs, ditching and grading. Work will occur on weekdays.
* Various roads – Bridge cleaning, litter and debris removal. Monday to Friday, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Single lane traffic with flagger traffic control or arrow board.
ROCKINGHAM COUNTY
Interstate 81
* Mile marker 237.51 to 263, northbound and southbound – Debris removal, Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
* (NEW) Mile marker 230 to 263.9, northbound and southbound – Bridge washing at overpasses, Tuesday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
* (NEW) Mile marker 257, southbound – Delineator and ramp work, Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Primary Roads
* Route 33, eastbound and westbound – Bridge maintenance on bridges over I-81 and Norfolk Southern Railroad at exit 247. Single-lane traffic, Monday night to Friday morning, 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.
* Route 42 (Warm Springs Pike) – Aerial and buried optic cable work from Bridgewater Town limits and Route 42 south to Augusta County line. Right shoulder closure, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
* Route 253 (Port Republic Road) – Aerial and buried optic cable work from Route 825 (South River Road) to Route 655 (Lawyer Road). Right shoulder closure, Monday to Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
* Route 253 (Port Republic Road) – Road widening project from Route 704 (Boyers Road) to Harrisonburg City limits. Asphalt operations to occur on Port Republic Road, Boyers Road and Ridgedale Road. Be alert for possible lane closures, Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
* (NEW) Route 257/682 (Friedens Church Road) – Commercial entrance work from Route 950 (Walton Way) and I-81 interchange. Intermittent lane closures. Flagger traffic control. Monday to Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Completion is Sept. 20, 2010.
* Various roads – Pipe installation, patching, brush cutting, shoulder repairs, ditching and grading. Work will occur on weekdays.
Secondary Roads
* Route 613 (Jordan Hill Road) – Road widening and drainage work from Route 729 (Campbell Road) to Augusta County line. Intermittent shoulder closures. Estimated completion is Sept. 30.
* Route 682 (Friedens Church Road) – Entrance, utility and medial installation work from Route 950 (Walton Way) to I-81 Interchange. Intermittent lane closures with flaggers controlling traffic, Monday to Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
* (NEW) Route 704 (Cecil Wampler Road) – Railroad repairs between Route 705 (Cottontail Trail) and Route 704 (Osceola Springs Road). Road closed from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Aug. 19 and Aug. 23.
* Route 800 (Long Meadow Drive) – Columbia Gas work from Route 800 (Lone Pine Road) to Route 619 (Wampler Road). Monday to Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Intermittent lane and shoulder closure with flagger traffic control.
* Route 800 (American Legion Drive) – Columbia Gas work from Route 801 (Holsinger Road) to end of state maintenance. Monday to Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Intermittent lane and shoulder closure with flagger traffic control.
* Route 801 (Holsinger Road) – Columbia Gas work from Route 800 (American Legion Drive) to Route 619 (Wampler Road). Monday to Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Intermittent lane and shoulder closure with flagger traffic control.
* (UPDATE) Route 820 (Bergton Road) – Motorists should be alert for travel delays of up to 20 minutes for road construction and slope work. Work zone is 1.10 miles to 0.30 mile west of Route 259 (Brocks Gap Road). Single-lane closures with flagger traffic control, Monday to Friday during daylight hours as needed. UPDATE: Construction will be controlled by temporary traffic signals 24 hours-a-day, Aug. 16 to Oct. 16. The signals will be located at both ends of the construction area. Motorists are urged to drive with caution in the work zone and to only proceed when a green light is present. Blasting operations will also occur Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Delays up to one hour should be expected during these times. Estimated completion is Nov. 2010.
* Route 890 (Buckley Road) – Columbia Gas work from Route 619 (Piney Woods Road) to end of state maintenance. Monday to Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Intermittent lane and shoulder closure with flagger traffic control.
* Various roads – Pipe installation, patching, brush cutting, shoulder repairs, ditching and grading. Work will occur on weekdays.
Edited by Chris Graham. Chris can be reached at freepress2@ntelos.net.
Cuccinelli opinion pushes abortion clinics to the brink
Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli has issued a legal opinion that there is authority in state law to place greater restrictions on abortion clinics.
The opinion, issued late Friday, says the state “has the authority to promulgate regulations for facilities in which first trimester abortions are performed, as well as for providers of first trimester abortions, so long as the regulations adhere to constitutional limitations.”
The opinion, which pro-choice activists say could lead to the shuttering of most abortion clinics in Virginia, was met with praise from State Del. Bob Marshall, a social conservative ally of Cuccinelli who called the opinion “a victory for women and children across Virginia.”
“We should do everything possible to ensure that every woman’s life and health and their future pregnancies are protected by the Commonwealth of Virginia. To do otherwise is to shirk from government’s first responsibility,” Marshall said.
Tarina Keene, the executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia, told WashingtonPost.com today that pro-choice advocates had been expecting Cuccinelli to “take on abortion providers, and it looks like this is the first pitch.”
“These so called regulations are only an attempt to shut down abortion clinics in the Commonwealth of Virginia,” Keene told the Post.
Legislation aimed at giving the state moer authority to regulate abortion clinics has failed to win support in the Virginia General Assembly in recent years. Clinics are currently treated under state regulations the same as offices where patients can receive outpatient surgeries like oral surgery or plastic surgery.
Story by Chris Graham. Chris can be reached at freepress2@ntelos.net.
The World According To ChrisGraham.com: Nero and his fiddle
I, unfortunately, achieved what I’d set out to achieve with our efforts to get a local discussion going on the proposed New York City Muslim community center.
A discussion going we got, indeed, and it was revealing, all too revealing.
I don’t see a way for us to ever be able to repair our broken relations with pretty much anybody in the outside world ever again. That’s how clearly isolationist we’ve become as a nation.
Think about it. It’s national policy (to 40 percent of our nation, anyway) to want to eradicate Islam and its adherents from the face of the earth.
(As if that could ever happen. Right?)
Link to column on TheWorldAccordingToChrisGraham.com.
WayneTheatre.org: A Night at the Wayne
Photographer Mark Miller filed a photo essay on the Aug. 20 River City Radio Hour outdoor performance for the WayneTheatre.org website.
Mark Miller Photography is online here.
Back to school: Adults hitting the books in search of new opportunity
For Sabrina Almarode, who was, admittedly, “scared” after learning that she was being laid off from Invista in 2009, the chance to go back to school under a federal education program was a lifeline.
And the Fishersville woman is taking full advantage, working toward a degree in business at Blue Ridge Community College in Weyers Cave, and thinking that she’ll continue from there in the adult-degree program at Eastern Mennonite University with the aim of launching a career as a business-operations consultant.
“The idea is to be able to go in and look at their operations and try to find cost savings that they can apply to their bottom line,” said Almarode, who was at Invista and DuPont in Waynesboro for 20 years, including a stint as an operations manager.
“A lot of companies have had these positions on their payrolls. More and more are moving to contractors to save on overhead. It’s an interesting field to be in, it’s growing, and it’s something that I’ve had an interest in,” Almarode said.
Link to story on TheNewDominion.com.
Adult learning in the Valley, Central Virginia
Lifelong learning at Mr. Jefferson’s University
An innovative program of university-level short courses developed at the University of Virginia will be offering classes in Staunton starting in September.
The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute offers classes in topics ranging from the modern presidency to the relationship between science and faith, the history of opera, memoir writing, genealogy and more.
Classes will be offered at the R.R. Smith Center for History and Art in Downtown Staunton. Coursework is not graded.
Classes are usually ninety minutes long and are held once a week during the day for three to six weeks.
“I can attend courses that are taught by people who love their subject the way I love mine and learn new things and broaden out my experience,” said Tom MacAvoy, a retired UVa. faculty member who teaches and takes classes through OLLI at UVa.
On the web: www.olliuva.org
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Freedom of food
Posted on August 23, 2010 · Leave a Comment
The presentation will take place from 7:30 p.m until 9:00 p.m at Gypsy Hill Place in Staunton.
Polyface Farm has been in Salatin’s family since 1961 when they moved to the Shenandoah Valley. The real question is what makes Polyface Farm so different from other farms and why would filmmakers venture all the way to Swoope to speak and observe the family and farm?
“We are pasture-based rather than grain-based, which is a huge difference, and instead of having huge barns, we have taken a portable route. Also our fertilizer is generated from composting as opposed to petroleum-based,” says Salatin.
“I never wanted to do anything but work on Polyface Farm. I wasn’t sure that the farm could pay salary, but my heart was always to be here full time,” says Salatin.
“Food Inc.” is a film that has reached an astounding number of people. The process of working on that film was much like any other documentary that has filmed at Polyface Farm. “We have people here all the time. Sometimes their film reaches only a small number of people. ‘Food Inc.’ just happened to be one that was a huge success,” Salatin says.
That particular summer, when “Food Inc.” was shooting, Polyface Farm had visitors from five different video companies all working on a film featuring the famous farm. Salatin says, “When people call us wanting to work on something like that, we always try our best to work out an agreeable schedule, and then they just come on over. Some of them end up working out, and then others will come and film, then we won’t hear anything else out of them because the company has shut down.”
Salatin’s presentation on Sept. 4 is entitled “Food Emancipation.” As Salatin reflects on his presentation, he says, “What it will be about is the hurdles in our culture that arbitrarily and capriciously keep the local economically sensitive food system from competing with the other larger food systems. I’ll be exposing what is holding us back.”
The evening with Joel Salatin will be at the new Shenanarts Ntelos Theatre at 300 Churchville Ave. in Staunton.
Tickets for an adult are $19.50, for Senior/Student $15.50 and for a child 12 and under $9.50.
More information is available online at www.transitionstaunton.org.
Story by Jenny Hypes. Jenny can be reached at jenny.hypes@emu.edu.
Filed under Blogs · Tagged with food emancipation, food inc., joel salatin, staunton virginia, transition staunton augusta