Photo Gallery: UVa-VMI
Photojournalist Mark Miller presents a cameraman’s view of the UVa-VMI football game on Saturday. UVa. won the game, 48-7.
Mark Miller Photography is online at www.markmillerphotography.com.
Live Blog: UVa. vs. VMI
VaSportsOnline.com editor Chris Graham is in the press box at Scott Stadium and will be live-blogging during today’s UVa.-VMI football game.
Join Chris with thoughts, observations, questions and whatever else regarding today’s game.
The politics of the VDOT audit
An audit should be, well, an audit – a review of facts and figures with a bottom line assessment.
When an audit is not an audit – when it involves the great political football in Virginia politics.
“We must demand better stewardship and utilization of existing funds. That is why I ordered this comprehensive performance and financial audit shortly after I took office, and why the findings are so important,” said Gov. Bob McDonnell, releasing on Thursday the details of the private audit of the Virginia Department of Transportation that found as its bottom-line conclusion that available transportation funding has been not been effectively used.
Which, of course, conveniently fits into the political argument of Republicans who have been saying for years that the problem with transportation funding in Virginia isn’t that there hasn’t been enough money for transportation improvements, but rather the efficiency of operations at VDOT.
“Money has been sitting in the state’s wallet while Virginian’s have been sitting in traffic,” McDonnell soundbited. “We will move immediately to put this funding to work building roads and reducing congestion statewide. VDOT will award $800 to $900 million in contracts by December 31st, and we will get long overdue construction underway. We will not tolerate inefficiency or mismanagement at VDOT or any other state agency.”
Not so fast, says Senate Democratic Majority Leader Dick Saslaw.
“While no one wants to see funds lying unused, I appreciate that the VDOT management employed a cautious approach during a period of great financial uncertainty and did not overobligate funds, as we saw under the Gilmore administration,” Saslaw countered in a statement on Thursday’s audit.
A 2005 resolution passed by the General Assembly with the support of then-state delegate Bob McDonnell required that adequate fund balances be accrued to projects prior to the authorization of contracts to prevent the abuses seen under the Allen and Gilmore administrations, Saslaw said.
“Until my colleagues and I learn more about the details in the audit, I am hesitant to affirm that there are in fact substantial new dollars for transportation,” Saslaw said.
“While I would be pleased to see additional projects go forward, we must understand that these are largely one-time resources. This audit demonstrates that the Commonwealth has yet to face the fact that it lacks a comprehensive long-term plan for solving its transportation problem,” Saslaw said.
Reporting by Chris Graham. Chris can be reached at freepress2@ntelos.net.
Chris Graham: Musings on NASCAR, UVa-VMI, Notre Dame, the Cowboys
NASCAR SNOOZEFEST: I’m listening to Denny Hamlin on “The Scott Van Pelt Show” on ESPN Radio driving around in the Valley today, and I hear Hamlin say something that to me explains what is fundamentally wrong with NASCAR right now.
Asked by Van Pelt if at this stage of the NASCAR season he’d rather win races or finish a consistent top-five or top-ten, Hamlin didn’t hesitate.
“Top five, top ten, no question,” Hamlin said. The points system, he went on to explain, rewards drivers for consistent good finishes at the expense of the occasional great day at the track.
There you have it. Competitors are hard-wired to do everything they can to win, and then NASCAR, with a points system that only gives a small bonus to the first-place finisher, says, Ah, hell, win, finish second, finish sixth, whatever.
Another reason for Dale Sr. to turn over in his grave.
Link to the rest of the column on VaSportsOnline.com.
EMU: Going solar
The largest deployment of solar power to date in Virginia is being brought to reality on the roof of the Sadie Hartzler Library at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg.
The project will begin producing electricity for use at EMU by mid-November, said Tony Smith, the CEO of the Staunton-based Secure Futures LLC and the co-chair of the MBA program at the university.
“We could cook a Thanksgiving dinner using the electricity generated by this project,” EMU president Loren Swartzendruber quipped at a ceremony held Thursday to mark the formal signing of the agreement between the school and Secure Futures.
EMU entered into a 20-year power purchase agreement to buy the solar-generated electricity at a “grid-parity” price equivalent to the rate that EMU pays for power from its current provider, the Harrisonburg Electric Commission. Also according to the agreement signed on Thursday, the university agrees to pay in advance for 10 years of the guaranteed solar electricity output at the outset of the project, which reduces project financing costs; in return, Secure Futures will pass savings back to EMU as an annual credit.
“This takes us into the next generation as an institution, and follows up on a long history of sustainability efforts and care for the environment at EMU,” Swartzendruber said, detailing efforts at the school dating back to the 1970s to promote environmental stewardship in facilities management and development.
The solar-energy system at Hartzler Library will have the capacity to generate 104.3 kilowatts of electricity, with enough power to supply the total average annual electricity costs for nine homes in Harrisonburg.
“This solar project will cut EMU’s usage and peak demand energy costs and thus reducing its reliance on power generated by coal and other fossil fuels. It will also eliminate more than 6,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions over the projected 35-year life of the solar panels,” Smith said.
The entire system – solar panels, inverters, conduits and monitoring equipment – will be installed and maintained by Southern Energy Management. Based in Morrisville, N.C., SEM is one of the largest solar integrators in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic, and has worked on other local solar projects in Virginia.
Community Bank, based in Staunton, is providing construction financing for the project. Secure Futures has formed a subsidiary company to be co-owned with investors from the Harrisonburg community and elsewhere, Community Solar LLC, to develop and operate the project.
With reporting by Chris Graham. Chris can be reached at freepress2@ntelos.net.
Report: Perriello expects NRA endorsement
Fifth District incumbent Tom Perriello will receive the endorsement of the National Rifle Association next week, the Perriello campaign reported today in an e-mail to members of the news media.
“Tom has strongly defended Second Amendment rights in Congress and will continue to be a voice for Virginia’s hunters and sportsmen. Tom hasn’t been afraid to stand up to members of his own party when it comes to fighting for the Second Amendment, and the NRA’s endorsement will signify to Virginia gun owners that they can continue to count on Tom to represent them,” said Jessica Barba, spokeswoman for the Perriello campaign.
In 2008, Perriello earned an AQ rating from the NRA, the highest rating possible for a non-incumbent. A member of the Congressional Sportsman Caucus, Perriello has been a strong supporter of gun rights in Congress, opposing the Obama Administration on its plans to reinstate the assault weapons ban and co-sponsoring key legislation like the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity bill. He also defended the NRA against liberal and conservative attacks during the debate on the DISCLOSE Act and joined the NRA’s amicus brief in the Supreme Court case McDonald vs. City of Chicago.
Report courtesy WhenVirginiaWasBlue.com.
Bruce Sallan: The family dinner
I had a discussion with some other dads the other day about “the family dinner.” To my surprise, many of these men described their family eating adventures as just that, an adventure. Or, more specifically: a circus, trial, ordeal, and other pejoratives.
My immediate thought was about the classic image of Norman Rockwell’s painting, “Freedom From Want” with the image of “mom” or “grandma” presenting the turkey at what is likely a Thanksgiving dinner, with the whole family eager, excited, and present. “Dad” or “grandpa” is looking on, with the expectation that he will carve the bird. How quaint; how lovely; how sadly antiquated, I fear.
What was evident in our discussion, as is so often the case, was that each man’s personal background and family experience, informed their own family experience. And, of course, their wife’s background also contributed to the ritual or lack thereof in the family.
I believe that the “family dinner” is an essential, valuable, and powerful ritual for every family unit, whatever it may be. It is even more important in our currently hectic times when each family member can pursue their own interests separately, alone, and with multiple technological tools at their disposal.
One wonders what happened to the whole family sitting around the one television in the home and watching, “The Ed Sullivan Show,” “Leave It To Beaver,” “The Donna Reed Show,” “The Bill Cosby Show,” as well as more contemporary examples. What happened to the shared experience of watching current events as I painfully remember watching Walter Cronkite cry on air when he announced JFK’s death (www.youtube.com/watch?v=2K8Q3cqGs7I) or when the whole family watched in wonder when Neil Armstrong landed and walked on the moon (www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMINSD7MmT4) and said those immortal words, “This is one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.”
Let’s face it; those times are long past, at least in the shared television experience. But, they don’t have to be in the family-time arena nor should they be. Another thing shared by the men in the original discussion that motivated this column was the fact that their own best memories often took place around the family dinner table. I know that was so true for my childhood and I’ve worked very hard to create a similar experience for my sons, during the hard time and now, the happier ones.
Our ritual is Friday Night Shabbat dinner. Shabbat is the day of rest for both Jews and Christians however it is “celebrated” differently in each faith. As a Jew, we observe the Sabbath on Friday nights. I helped create our family Shabbat tradition and it’s been, truly, special and memorable for my boys, myself, my lovely new wife, and equally for friends. The boys are eager to invite their friends over for our Friday night dinners.
Why? Because, it is sadly unique among their contemporaries. Any family dinner seems unique to many of my boy’s friends. Ours is extra special because of not only the good meal, but also the rituals we observe each Friday night. They’re simple, they’re easy, they’re short, but they’re meaningful. This sticks with people and is one of my main reasons I’m advocating the family dinner. My recommendation is to start with a family dinner one night a week that is designated as sacrosanct and special.
What do you do that is different and special? First, I bake fresh challah each week. The smell of the bread baking in the oven fills the house and announces that this day is different from all the others during the week. My wife, who is a talented cook, makes an extra effort and we have a very lovely meal. But, it all starts with the simple lighting of candles and a blessings. It is followed by three other short blessings; one for the wine; one for the challah (bread); and one for the children present, boys and/or girls.
Our special Sallan family tradition goes one step further as we take turns going around the table with each person sharing the best and worst things that happened for them during that week. Only one “worst” is allowed to prevent excessive whining and complaining but there’s no limit on the “bests.” For new friends and guests, this is a wonderful way to share things about them we might not otherwise learn or know. For us, it’s an opportunity to be grateful, share the good news and also the bad news, and basically just get closer.
I look forward to our Friday night dinner with great anticipation each week. We also try to eat together other nights as well, but life and our individual schedules do intrude, yet I would estimate that we sit down to eat as a family at least four times per week. I heartily encourage you to do the same.
Column by Bruce Sallan. Bruce is online at http://brucesallan.com.
Book on history of Route 11 features work of BC prof
A new book that explores the history of U.S. 11 between the Potomac River at Williamsport, Md., and the James River at Buchanon, Va., has been published by the University of Virginia Press, and features the photography of Bridgewater College associate professor of art Scott Jost.
The Great Valley Road of Virginia: Shenandoah Landscapes from Prehistory to the Present, examines the road that has served as a thoroughfare for warring Indians, an avenue of conquest for Southern and Northern armies during the Civil War and – for many years – the only paved artery of note that could get you from place to place in a relatively short span of time.
“Photographing for this book is one of the most satisfying projects I’ve worked on,” said Jost. “When I would show up along Route 11 with my camera and tripod, people would come up to find out what I was doing. When I told them about the project, they started telling me their stories about the road and its history, all with plenty of suggestions for things to photograph.”
The 320-page book features 53 photographs of vernacular architecture and physical geography by Jost, as well as original text from six contributing writers. The book, which also includes engravings, line drawings and maps, focuses on four significant periods of the road’s development – from prehistory to the Colonial period, from the American Revolution to the early national period, from the development of the turnpike through the early 20th century and from the turnpike era to the automobile age and the prominence of U.S. 11 before and after the opening of I-81.
The Great Valley Road of Virginia: Shenandoah Landscapes from Prehistory to the Present was edited by Warren Hofstra and Karl Raitz.
Jost and Hofstra will participate in a reception and book signing on Friday, Oct. 1 from 5-7 p.m. at The Gaines Group, 107 S. Main St., Harrisonburg. Jost noted that the book signing will also feature an exhibit of photographs, some of which were not included in the book.
The event coincides with the October First Fridays Downtown gallery walk in Harrisonburg and is located at South Main and Water streets just above the Oasis Gallery. The entrance is on South Main between Oasis Gallery and Dance & Company.
Edited by Chris Graham. Chris can be reached at freepress2@ntelos.net.
Vanke defends release of push poll
Independent candidate Jeff Vanke is defending his campaign’s release of a two-question push poll that was touted in e-mail as showing him within four points of incumbent Sixth District Congressman Bob Goodlatte.
“My campaign is not ’tilting at windmills,’ as one journalist asked me about,” Vanke wrote in an e-mail to members of the media Thursday morning in reference to the push poll, which presented more than 1,000 respondents with information about Vanke’s central campaign message of balancing the federal budget and criticisms of Goodlatte’s support from the agribusiness sector in terms of campaign donations and his support for the agribusiness sector in his voting record.
Given that information, respondents to the push poll still favored Goodlatte in the race, but only by a 46 percent-to-42 percent plurality.
Vanke said most of those polled knew little about him before receiving the phone call, “and yet nearly half were willing to support me against Goodlatte based on just a couple of facts that I selected, and that I represented accurately.”
“I won’t pull even with Goodlatte in neutral polling unless my current fundraising acceleration accelerates fast enough. But he is certainly beatable by an independent, based on his big-spending record, and he can be beaten on a fraction of his own funding,” Vanke said in the e-mail.
The Goodlatte campaign has not had any comment on the Vanke poll. The campaign of Libertarian Stuart Bain issued a press release on Wednesday offering the observation that the poll “mimics the same type of poll that telemarketers use when they are calling to ask you ‘Press 1 if you want a product that won’t leave you streaks when you mop the floor or Press 2 if you prefer streaks.’”
“Perhaps in his next ‘poll’ he should tell voters to ‘Press 1 if you want to vote for Jeff Vanke and receive an extension on your retirement age and a decrease in your Social Security benefits or Press 2 if you want to vote for Stuart Bain and shrink the size of the overbloated, overregulating federal government and take strong actions to cut the federal budget and growing federal deficit,’” the release continued.
“Stuart Bain has attended any number of public events. His public recognition and support has increased significantly after each event. At every event, Stuart or members of his staff have been asked, ‘Who is Jeff Vanke?’ Obviously Jeff has not polled any of these people,” the release concluded.
Story by Chris Graham. Chris can be reached at freepress2@ntelos.net.
Weekend Watchdog: Danica does Dover
How has Danica Patrick’s season been in the Nationwide Series? Been a long time since she’s raced there.
After appearing in just six of the first 27 races, Patrick heads to Dover Saturday for her fall tour on the Nationwide Series. She should appear in seven more races to close out the season, as the IRL has only one more race to run in 2010.
The flag drops on ESPN2 Saturday at 3 p.m.
Race two of the NASCAR Chase for the Cup will be at the Monster Mile Sunday at 1 p.m. on ESPN. Jimmie Johnson dropped four spots after struggling, but somehow, I bet he’ll be back near the top. Can’t say the same about Clint Bowyer.
Read the rest of the column at VaSportsOnline.com.
Weekend Watchdog: Danica does Dover
How has Danica Patrick’s season been in the Nationwide Series? Been a long time since she’s raced there.
After appearing in just six of the first 27 races, Patrick heads to Dover Saturday for her fall tour on the Nationwide Series. She should appear in seven more races to close out the season, as the IRL has only one more race to run in 2010.
The flag drops on ESPN2 Saturday at 3 p.m.
Race two of the NASCAR Chase for the Cup will be at the Monster Mile Sunday at 1 p.m. on ESPN. Jimmie Johnson dropped four spots after struggling, but somehow, I bet he’ll be back near the top. Can’t say the same about Clint Bowyer. Read more
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Chris Graham: Musings on NASCAR, UVa-VMI, Notre Dame, the Cowboys
Posted on September 23, 2010 · Leave a Comment
Asked by Van Pelt if at this stage of the NASCAR season he’d rather win races or finish a consistent top-five or top-ten, Hamlin didn’t hesitate.
“Top five, top ten, no question,” Hamlin said. The points system, he went on to explain, rewards drivers for consistent good finishes at the expense of the occasional great day at the track.
There you have it. Competitors are hard-wired to do everything they can to win, and then NASCAR, with a points system that only gives a small bonus to the first-place finisher, says, Ah, hell, win, finish second, finish sixth, whatever.
Another reason for Dale Sr. to turn over in his grave. Read more
Filed under Blogs · Tagged with brian kelly, dallas cowboys, denny hamlin, nascar, notre dame, sparky woods, the chase, the scott van pelt show, uva. football, vmi football, wade phillips