Press Conference: Frank Beamer
Virginia Tech football coach Frank Beamer talks with the news media. Virginia Tech (9-2, 7-0 ACC) hosts Virginia (4-7, 1-6 ACC) on Saturday.
Opening Statement: I’m really proud of our football team. I thought we went down and played a pretty good Miami team. With how good they are and how physical they are, I’m happy we were able to come out on top. Looking at Virginia, they play hard. Defensively, they fly around and they’ve been in every ball game. North Carolina and Florida State got them pretty good, but other than that, they’ve been right there in every game. Their quarterback is playing well, completing a lot of his passes. I think [Kris] Burd has caught about 55; [Dontrelle] Inman has caught about 48. The two running backs average about 130 yards together, so they are moving the ball. I think they are a tough football team and they are playing very hard. Read more
Saxman on lifting of bottled-water ban: ‘There’s just no story here’
A report on a website for a Norfolk TV station last week brought back to life a summertime story on the lifting of a ban on the purchase of bottled water by the state by Gov. Bob McDonnell – and seemed to suggest that the move was done to benefit a Staunton-based water company whose general manager, former state delegate Chris Saxman, is a political ally of the governor.
This much is true: The governor did lift the ban, Shenandoah Valley Water Co. does get the bulk of the state’s bottled-water business, but the dollar value on the deal is relatively miniscule, and the bottler won the contract through a competitive bid process.
“Without any foundation in fact whatsoever, they just through this innuendo out there. Ooh, the mere appearance of impropriety. Well, we did a lot of business with the state when Mark Warner was governor, when Tim Kaine was governor. We’ve been doing business with the state since Chuck Robb was governor,” Saxman told AugustaFreePress.com. “It’s shoddy journalism that tries to create the appearance of impropriety, that we’ll take this long, in-depth look at potential corruption in politics. What’s corrupt about doing a state bid? The insinuation is that a political contribution to Bob’s campaign is going to have some sort of sway over people who wouldn’t even know that I know Bob McDonnell. That’s ludicrous.”
A report by the Boston-based Corporate Accountability International put the value of Shenandoah Valley Water Co.’s dealings with the state in fiscal year 2009 at $101,000. The state spent $158,000 on bottled water in the ’09 fiscal year, according to a separate report in the Washington Post.
McDonnell’s predecessor as governor, Tim Kaine, instituted the ban on bottled-water purchases by the state in 2009 as part of an overall conservation plan. McDonnell lifted the ban in July, citing the increased flexibility that move would give to state agencies and the impact that the ban could have on the bottled-water industry.
“Gov. McDonnell is committed to putting in place policies that advance and aid the growth of Virginia industries,” McDonnell spokesperson Stacey Johnson said in a statemetn e-mailed to AugustaFreePress.com in response to our query on the topic this week. “The bottled-water industry employs thousands of Virginians, and a state ban on the purchase of this product would unfairly penalize those workers, and negatively impact these businesses in a very tough economy. Lifting this one-year-old ban simply allows state agencies more flexibility to do what makes sense for their budgets and activities, while not penalizing Virginians who work in the bottled water industry.
“The governor is commitment to conservation and preservation and has directed state agencies and departments to do everything they can to conserve, be efficient and recycle at every opportunity. It is the governor’s expectation that they will be good and responsible stewards of our natural resources,” Johnson said.
According to data from the International Bottled Water Association, the bottled-water industry in Virginia had a direct economic impact in 2009 of $1 million in wages and spending and encompassed 3,719 jobs all told.
“When the ban came in from Tim Kaine, which we saw as an overt political tip of the hat to environmentalists, because they were on a rampage about bottled water – if he had been serious about plastic bottles, he’d have also banned sodas. We knew it was more of a tip of the hat to environmentalists who were obviously having influence over him and his decisionmaking,” Saxman said.
The bottom line, to Saxman: “There’s just no story here.”
Story by Chris Graham. Chris can be reached at freepress2@ntelos.net.
EMU team shines in accounting challenge
They came, they collaborated, they crunched the numbers and were rewarded for their efforts in a grueling regional business competition sponsored by Goodman & Company, a major Virginia accounting firm.
A team of Eastern Mennonite University senior accounting majors tied for fourth place in the final round of competition with a team from the University of Virginia in the ninth annual Goodman & Company Accounting Challenge.
Heidi A. Boese, Hesston, Kan.; Jason D. Ropp, Iowa City, Iowa; Brittany S. Snyder, Raphine, Va.; and Eric B. Yoder, Narvon, Pa., were one of 33 teams from colleges and universities from Virginia and Maryland who took a six-hour business exam the second week of October. The EMU team was one of only five to advance to the final round of the competition held Nov. 5 in Richmond, Va. Here, the EMU students took another intensive, six-hour exam of practical business questions.
For finishing tied for fourth place, the team was awarded $750 for the EMU business and economics department, and each student received $250 from Goodman & Company. Another team from U.Va. finished first in the contest, followed by teams from William & Mary and James Madison University.
“Participating in the Goodman Accounting Challenge was hard work, but very rewarding,” said Eric Yoder. “We’re extremely excited with our accomplishment and the recognition we have brought to the accounting program at EMU.”
“I’m really proud of these students,” said Ronald L. (Ron) Stoltzfus, professor of business and economics and MBA program co-director at EMU. “It was definitely a team effort.
“It’s great to have this kind of external validation of our business program and our students, Dr. Stoltzfus added. “It’s an affirmation of our curriculum and says that our students are well prepared to enter the job market or to go on to graduate school,” he added.
EMU around 90 students currently enrolled in its undergraduate business and economics department, which offers majors in accounting, business administration, economics and international business.
Story by Jim Bishop. Jim can be reached at bishopj@emu.edu.
Credit union staff wins top honor
DuPont Community Credit Union’s staff development team has been awarded the coveted Training Professional of the Year Merit or Elly Award by the Credit Union National Association.
Exceptional credit union trainers and training programs were honored during an awards presentation at the 2010 CUNA Experience Learning Live conference recently in San Diego. The Elly (Experience Learning Live) awards are the only national awards presented to credit union trainers to recognize outstanding efforts and achievements in the area of professional staff development.
“We are very proud of our staff development team for being honored for their hard work by receiving this national recognition,” said Jackie Cason, DCCU’s vice president of human resources. “Our staff development coordinators play a vital role in DCCU’s success in serving our members.”
DCCU’s staff development mission is to partner and collaborate to develop employees to their maximum potential through training and development programs designed to meet the needs of the organization and employee to ensure member satisfaction. Staff development coordinators Bridget Wood, Heather May, and Sandy Griffin were recognized as a department with the award for their teamwork and innovative training program for 2010.
The Training Professional of the Year award recognizes achievements of a visionary credit union training professional or department for exceptional contributions to the learning and performance development of credit union staff.
DCCU is a not-for-profit financial cooperative and was founded in 1959. The Credit Union currently has over 56,000 members, and over $727 Million in assets. DCCU operates nine branches in the Central Shenandoah Valley region. Online at www.mydccu.com.
Edited by Chris Graham. Chris can be reached at freepress2@ntelos.net.
WMRA announces fiction winners
NPR’s Scott Simon found a comfortable couch and read a stack of short, short fiction submitted by WMRA listeners.
The winners he chose are now available for listening and reading at www.wmra.org.
The stories had to fit a five-minute window to air in WMRA’s twice-weekly interview program, “Virginia Insight.”
Fourth place went to Ming Ivory for “Music Lessons;” third place to Jack Greer for “Sunday at Walmart;” second place to Derek Kannemeyer for “9th Grade Diversity Workshop Report by Casey, Martha P,. Martha V., & Josephine;” and first place to Jason Barr for “Crows.”
WMRA Public Radio is a member of NPR and broadcasts a schedule of NPR news and talk programs, with overnight BBC news, evening classical music and weekend folk and blues shows. WMRA can be heard at 90.7 FM and online at www.wmra.org. The website has the complete weekly program schedule.
Edited by Chris Graham. Chris can be reached at freepress2@ntelos.net.
Organizations team up to promote community garden
With the epidemic of childhood obesity rising, local agencies have teamed up to create Project GROWS, a community garden to tackle the issue in our community.
The Boys and Girls Club, Augusta Health, Mary Baldwin College, Central Shenandoah Valley Department of Social Services, Central Shenandoah Valley Office on Youth, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Central Blue Ridge and Valley Community Services Board have joined forces, through the coalition Regional Partners for Prevention Services to implement Project GROWS which was recently awarded a $42,947 grant from the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth.
Currently one in three children in the United States is obese or overweight, a figure that has risen by almost 300 percent since 1980. This has led to an increase in serious health issues among children including type 2 diabetes and heart disease. It is estimated that in Virginia alone, obesity-related health care costs a total $1.6 billion annually.
Project GROWS mission is to inspire the community to “grow” in physical, emotional, and environmentally healthy ways through collaboration and education. Goals include preventing and reducing the incidence of childhood obesity, and therefore, the incidence of chronic disease, improving self-esteem and mental health by developing leadership and business skills in employed and volunteer youth, and providing equal access to healthy and affordable food.
There will also be an emphasis on nutrition education for people in all area communities regardless of income. Project Grows plans to be a strong business foundation resulting in a multi-faceted community garden that allows for future expansion with creative problem solving, addressing areas of community health needs.
Edited by Chris Graham. Chris can be reached at freepress2@ntelos.net.
Rusty E. McGuire: An unforgettable hero of a forgotten war
Over 50,000 Americans paid the ultimate sacrifice in the Korean War. For the first time, jets were used in war and integrated units fought together; however, Korea’s timing between WWII and Vietnam makes this war a footnote in history. On holidays to honor veterans, we think of men like PFC John Hubbard, who jumped into Normandy, or SGT Ray Thompson, who fought on Guadalcanal with Chesty Puller. While their generation is known as the “greatest”, we are constantly reminded that they are slowly fading away. We rarely think of the conflict that started the “Cold War” known as the Korean War – so rarely that it is known as the “forgotten” war.
Earlier this week, I was forced to forget about work for a while and remember a hero of this forgotten war. A family asked me to review the military records and prepare the uniform for the final inspection of Command Sergeant Major William “Bill” Lowe before he headed off the to post everlasting. CSM Lowe never wrote a book and Hollywood never portrayed his heroism; however, after reading the records of CSM Lowe, I knew his story needed to be told. While Korea may be the forgotten war, we cannot forget those who sacrificed so much for our country.
Following World War II, the Japanese Army left Korea with the country occupied by two foreign sovereigns: the United States occupying the South and Russia occupying the North. Lowe joined the Army as a teenager and found himself in Korea as part of this occupation force. When the North Korean Army invaded the South, Lowe’s girlfriend and future wife remained in enemy-occupied territory. Lowe fought gallantly and actually swam his way behind enemy lines to save her. He continued to serve the Army in Peace – including a stint working security for three presidents. Our country called on him and sent him to where he earned his second award of the Combat Infantry Badge. Along the way he also earned many of our nation’s highest combat decorations.
CSM Lowe’s greatest act of heroism did not occur under enemy fire. Instead, he placed his own life in peril running to the aid of soldiers who were involved in a terrifying helicopter crash. With the ‘copter rotor still spinning in a blaze of fire, he rescued the crew of four, earning the highest peace time award for heroism: the Soldier’s Medal. While the military has awarded over 3,400 Medals of Honor, CSM Lowe is one of the 655 soldiers to earn the Soldier’s Medal. This medal is awarded for acts of heroism that involve more than saving the life of another. If the same act took place in direct combat, the person would likely be awarded the Medal of Honor.
When He retired from the Army in 1967, CSM Lowe did not follow General MacArthur’s prediction that “old soldiers never die, they just fade away.” Instead, he headed to small town of Louisa located between Richmond and Charlottesville, Virginia, where he continued to serve his community in law enforcement. His service not only inspired his son to serve in that same capacity, but also his grandson. CSM Lowe exemplified the heroism of true heroes in combat and inspired two generations to serve our community. As our Korean War Veterans move on to the post everlasting, we should remember that their sacrifice is every bit as grand as those from other conflicts. Many of us hope to leave a mark on society making it a better place. CSM Lowe did just that, and his legacy continues with his descendants. Good bye, CSM Lowe. And thank you on behalf of a grateful nation and community. Most of all, thank you to our forgotten heroes of a forgotten war.
Rusty E. McGuire, the chief deputy Commonwealth’s attorney in Louisa County, is a major in the Army Reserves, and served in Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom.
The AFP on WREL: Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2010
Chris Graham joins WREL’s “Online with Jim Bresnahan” to talk sports.
The focus is on the annual rivalry game between Virginia Tech and Virginia. The Hokies are once again prohibitive favorites. Is there any hope for ‘Hoos fans out there for an upset? Chris doesn’t think so.
A wrap of the I-AA seasons for Liberty and JMU, a scan around the local teams still in the high-school football playoffs and a quick discussion of the recent struggles being endured by the UVa. basketball team take us to the finish line.
Press Conference: Mike London
Virginia football coach Mike London talks with the news media on Monday. Virginia (4-7, 1-6 ACC) travels to Virginia Tech (9-2, 7-0 ACC) on Saturday.
QUESTION: What is the game plan as far as Tyrod Taylor?
LONDON: I tell you what, you’ve seen a lot of people try to game plan him certain ways, but he’s such a phenomenal athlete that you’ve got to worry about doing some other things, but also being very conscious of where he is.
I remember when I was recruiting him, and knowing the family and what a great young man he is. It’s just really neat to see the way he’s blossomed into being a great person and a great player. But there’s no way you say you can defend him like this, like that, because he has all the tools, the arms, the legs to get out of it. He’s become a really good quarterback in terms of the passing game.
He’s an athletic guy that makes things happen for him. We’ve got enough to worry about with not just him, but the running backs and wide receivers. They have a host of players that are the reason why they’ve had success – it is not only because of Tyrod – but some of the other guys on the team as well.
Dukes stymie Princeton en route to upset
James Madison’s defense turned Princeton’s 62 percent first-half shooting into 16 percent in the second half while rallying from a 20-point first-half deficit to record a 65-64 win on Monday night in the Harrisonburg Subregional of the O’Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic at the JMU Convocation Center.
JMU improved to 2-1 and won its home opener while Princeton fell to 1-2. Earlier in the day, Bucknell (2-3) defeated Presbyterian (1-3) by a final count of 71-47.
Senior forward Denzel Bowles (Virginia Beach, Va./Kempsville) was nearly unstoppable throughout the night for the Dukes with a double-double of 29 points and 10 rebounds. He hit 11-of-14 field goals, 7-of-9 free throws and added four blocks and two assists in 38 minutes. His two free throws with 28 seconds remaining proved to be the game-winning points.
ACC football players of the week
Virginia Tech sophomore tailback Ryan Williams and NC State junior wide receiver T.J. Graham headline a list of seven players honored as the Atlantic Coast Conference Football Players of the Week announced Monday by the ACC.
Williams accounted for two touchdowns as the Hokies topped Miami, 31-17, clinching the Coastal Division title. His 84-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter was the fifth-longest in school history. Graham returned a punt 87 yards for a touchdown, giving the Wolfpack its first lead en route to a 29-25 victory over North Carolina. He also became the program’s career leader in kickoff return yardage.
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Linda Tarr-Whelan: A New START for women around the world
Posted on November 23, 2010 · Leave a Comment
CEDAW is a landmark international agreement that affirms principles of fundamental human rights and equality for women and girls around the world.
Our role as a human rights defender would be improved mightily by ratifying CEDAW, reasserting the United States as a strong global leader in standing up for women and girls in countries worldwide. The resulting glow of praise for the Senate from half the planet would result in more positive action.
Advancing women’s human rights worldwide is fundamental to America’s national security interests and a cornerstone of our foreign policy. CEDAW ratification would amplify the U.S. voice in defense of women and girls at a time when their rights, even their clothing, are a global battleground. It would send the strongest possible signal that America is back as an international team player on the one hand, while reasserting our proud bipartisan tradition of promoting and protecting human rights on the other.
At the moment, only seven of the United Nations’ 193 member countries have not ratified CEDAW – Iran, Sudan, Somalia, three small Pacific island countries (Nauru, Palau and Tonga), and the United States. Such embarrassing bedfellows! And being in their company weakens our impact in calling for women’s protections in other nations.
CEDAW offers a practical blueprint for action that every country can use to make progress toward ending discrimination – even ours. American women enjoy opportunities and status not available to most of the world’s women, but few would dispute that more progress is needed here, such as in ending domestic violence and closing the pay gap between men and women.
Importantly, CEDAW would not lead to any automatic changes in U.S. law, and at a time when we are worried about the deficit, there is no additional cost. This treaty provides a framework for the continuing national dialogue on women’s equality, as it does in every country. Similar treaties outlining global consensus on genocide, torture and race relations won ratification under the leadership of Presidents Reagan, Bush and Clinton.
Every country has a different starting point, and CEDAW offers governments and women alike a view of what non-discrimination looks like. Many countries have overhauled their laws and policies because of CEDAW. Mexico City, for example, responded to a destabilizing epidemic of violence against women by using CEDAW terms in a General Law on Women’s Access to a Life Free from Violence, and all 32 Mexican states have now adopted it. Kenya used CEDAW to address differences in inheritance rights, eliminating discrimination against widows and daughters of the deceased. Kuwait recommended changes to its electoral law extended voting rights to women in 2005 based on CEDAW, and Bangladesh broadened access to education and vocational training for girls. Such examples are legion.
Basic health care, education, the right to work, to vote, to own property – it’s not news that girls and women are still denied those in too many places, or that they are forced or sold into marriage to much older men, or that violence against them is rampant, especially during conflict situations. Yes, some countries have ratified CEDAW and still discriminate against women – Saudi women still cannot drive cars, for example – but women in ratifying countries can and do demand that their governments live up to their CEDAW commitments.
That pressure would be much stronger if the United States joined the CEDAW community. The American public strongly supports the principles of education, equality, fairness, and basic human rights. CEDAW ratification requires 67 Senate votes. So please, senators, as you debate the New START, remember that women worldwide would get a new start as well from U.S. ratification of CEDAW.
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