JMU: Thorpe, Williams suspended indefinitely
JMU Director of Athletics Jeff Bourne announced today the indefinite suspension from competition of Justin Thorpe and Chase Williams from the football team for a violation of JMU Athletics policy.
Thorpe, a redshirt junior and the starting quarterback for Coach Micky Matthews, has thrown for 409 yards and three touchdowns for the 3-1 Dukes, who upset then-#4 William and Mary 20-14 in Williamsburg on Saturday.
Thorpe is also the team’s second-leading rusher with 163 yards.
Williams, a redshirt-junior reserve linebacker, has appeared in two games and recorded three tackles.
Due to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act there will be no further comment by JMU Athletics on the circumstances of these suspensions.
Chris Graham: Little things
Little things. Three interceptions. A fake punt that extends a drive that later results in a touchdown. Another punt downed inside the 1 that leads to another touchdown.
Little things can be and usually are big things in a game pitting two evenly-matched teams.
“You’ve got to do better. You’ve got to make those plays. You’ve got to get the coverages. You’ve got to stay onsides. It’s different things like that. We just wanted to reemphasize that preparation for this week’s upcoming opponent has to start in a film room, the practice field and everything that they do to rededicate themselves. These are close games, but you can be on the other side of a close game by just executing,” UVa. coach Mike London said after his team’s 30-24 home loss to Southern Miss Saturday night.
The three interceptions led to a Southern Miss field goal and snuffed out a Virginia scoring drive. The punt-team issues resulted in 14 USM points. The ‘Hoos also failed to convert a first-and-goal into a touchdown on a critical third-quarter drive and then failed to capitalize on a fourth-quarter Golden Eagles fumble around midfield.
Little things. Big things.
“Whenever we lose a game, we look at the little things and figure out what exactly it is that we need to work on. I’m pretty sure that tomorrow when we get in the film room, the coaches are going to break it down and let us know the small things we need to improve on,” said fifth-year senior wideout Kris Burd, who dropped a fourth-down pass in the final minute as the Cavs made a last-ditch effort at a rally.
London is still in the honeymoon phase of his tenure in Charlottesville. Year two of a rebuilding project is not the time to jump the gun. The London staff is obviously recruiting well, if not getting the fan base excited about where things are going. (Saturday’s attendance, 43,220, is barely above the capacity for Scott Stadium before the 2000 renovation that pushed the capacity to 62,500.)
Somebody needs to say this, and I guess it’ll have to be me, since few others who cover the team on a regular basis seem willing to go out on a limb – these little things that cost Virginia another game aren’t Al Groh’s fault. Two weeks running now, Virginia has outplayed quality opponents but failed to post Ws on the ledger because it couldn’t take care of the little things that so often mean the difference in the end.
And that comes down to the head coach and the staff.
Bottom line.
London acknowledged as much himself postgame.
“We just got to coach it up better and do better, still be aggressive, but at the same time be smart about how we do things,” London said.
Carly at the Movies: Show me the money(ball)
Arise, Computer Geeks! Your movie is here! After years of gradually replacing second bananas with Chubby Little Nerds, you’ve finally lured Brad Pitt to the cool side. From now on, the sky’s the limit in the new movie “Moneyball,” currently playing in neighborhood stadiums everywhere.
Considering how many times baseball has come to bat in Hollywood, there are really only a few solid hits in the genre. The Pitt-produced “Moneyball” is surely going to rank among the top five or six, right up there with “Pride of the Yankees” and “Bull Durham.”
Although the film is sometimes as long as a real baseball game (i.e. seemingly endless), the power and charm of Brad and his buddy fighting the powers-that-be carries the day. Jonah Hill, that “Superbad” guy, are the unlikely heroes in this movie based on the real story of the 2002 Oakland Athletics unlikely season.
Brad plays real-life Billy Beane in a Robert Redford Lite performance, with Philip Seymour Hoffman as real-life grumpola manager Art Howe.
The fascinating story – as penned for the screen by heavyweights Steven Zaillian (“Schindler’s List”) and Aaron Sorkin (“The West Wing”) – concerns how the Oakland General Manager, Beane, changed baseball thinking by putting together a bargain basement ballclub through relying on statistics instead of the judgement of his scouts. He hired a Harvard economics grad (in the movie Jonah Hill says he went to Yale) and they used statistical data to pick their players. In a peanut shell, that’s it.
It’s basically the Bad News Bears. Except it really happened. And the stories of their various cut-rate players are sprinkled throughout the movie, always moving it forward. Beane had 40 million dollars to spend on the salaries for his team. The Yankees, by contrast, had 126 million, and could afford the “best” players.
Baseball fans will undoubtedly remember what happened. Not being one myself, I didn’t. But both groups will enjoy this film, including the brief cameos by 13-year-old Kerris Dorsey, playing Beane’s daughter, who virtually stole the off-the-field goings-on.
Computer Geeks, Statistic-Keepers and Numerical Nerds have been waiting for this movie to come along since the invention of the Abacus met the founding of baseball. Surprisingly enough, it’s interesting and charming and uplifting – basically everything you’d want in a movie about real life.
Brad Pitt should probably stick to roles like this, based on actual down-to-earth characters. He’s quite likeable, and a long ways from his “Troy” fiasco.
I’d hate to call this film “cerebral,” a tag that usually dooms a movie to oblivion, but it is so well written and directed and acted that you’ll find yourself siding with the brainiacs who, at least in this happy instance, turn out to be right.
Carly at the Movies column by Carl Larsen
Gas prices continue recent decline
Gas prices continued to decline for the second straight week, due to a combination of restored production, the switch to less-expensive autumn/winter blended gasoline and lower crude oil prices. The national average for regular grade gasoline dropped to $3.54 Friday, down 7 cents in the past week and down 4 cents in the past month. Prices remain 82 cents higher than year ago prices, yet 57 cents below the all-time high of $4.11 per gallon set in July 2008.
Crude oil dropped to its lowest level in six weeks following the Federal Reserve noting a bleak economic outlook and a warning of “significant downside risks,” followed by the Fed replacing $400 billion in short-term debt and long-term Treasuries in an attempt to spur growth. Also contributing to crude oil’s decline were recession fears around the world due to Chinese economic contraction and worries about stability in the Eurozone. A global recession would significantly affect crude oil demand, especially in theU.S., the world’s largest crude oil consumer. A strengthening U.S. dollar also fueled the commodity’s decline this week. As the financial climate overseas becomes more uncertain, U.S. dollars become a more attractive investment, driving up the value of the dollar. Commodities – including crude oil – are traded in U.S. dollars, and as the dollar strengthens relative to currencies abroad, the effective price of these products for those outside of the U.S. becomes more expensive. Oil futures become a less attractive investment and prices are pressured downward. Crude oil closed the week at $79.85, down more than 9 percent.
In its weekly report, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) data showed crude stocks dropped 7.3 million barrels, to 339 million barrels. Gasoline stocks rose 3.3 million barrels to 214.1 million barrels. Gasoline demand measured at 8.858 million barrels per day (bpd), up 10,000 bpd from last week and slightly above the 2010 pace. Most analysts believe demand is probably running about 2 percent behind last year, but they stress it has stabilized after a late-August plunge.
“Relief at the gas pump continues for motorists as crude oil prices drop and the change over to the less-expensive autumn/winter blended gasoline begins, helping to push gas prices lower,” said Windy VanCuren, Public Affairs Specialist for AAA Mid-Atlantic. “Wholesale gas prices have dropped 40 cents a gallon since September 1, which also bodes well for consumers.” How much longer will prices drop and how much lower will they go? Analysts believe gas prices will continue to fall in the coming weeks, into the $3.30 to $3.50 per gallon range, bringing even more relief to cash-strapped motorists. Also of note, thefederal tax on gasoline, which is 18.4 cent a gallon, is expiring next week, on September 30. Motorists won’t see or save a penny of that, though. If it expires, it could jeopardize the federal government’s ability to reimburse the states for projects already under way.”
Prices at the pump have fallen in recent weeks and some analysts believe the trend is expected to continue into the fall, dropping to $3.30 to $3.50 per gallon nationally. A drop in gas prices is typical for the last 100 days of the year as demand diminishes slightly. However, as winter 2012 approaches, analysts warn of strong updrafts for crude oil and, in turn, gasoline. Continuing concerns in the Middle East and North Africa, coupled with the potential for tighter oil supplies due to global economic growth could send gas prices knocking on $4 per gallon by spring 2012.
Scott German: Loss to Southern Miss leaves UVa. with QB quandary
If suffering a home loss to non-conference foe Southern Mississippi 30-24 was not enough of a blow, the Virginia Cavaliers left Saturday’s game with a question at quarterback.
Sophomore signal-caller Michael Rocco threw three interceptions and limped to the sidelines near the end of the first half after being tossed to the ground by a Southern Miss defensive linemen. After starting behind center at the start of second-half action, Rocco was relieved by true freshman David Watford. After starting slowly, Watford showed glimpses of what might be in the future for Cavalier fans. Unfortunately on this day, it was not enough as Virginia suffered a damaging blow to its postseason aspirations, losing to a average Conference USA team.
On Watford’s fourth series of action in the second half, he led a 10-play drive that culminated with a touchdown pass to tight end Jeremiah Mathis that pulled the Cavalier to within 27-22 late in the fourth quarter. Then Watford displayed a glimpse of what made him a sought-after high-school standout when he completed a two-point conversion with a nifty pass on the run to wideout Kris Burd.
Southern Miss on its ensuing drive kicked a field goal for a 30-24 lead with 1:33 remaining on the Scott Stadium clock. Watford rallied Virginia to midfield, where two consecutive incomplete passes turned the ball over on downs, securing the road win for the Golden Eagles. Watford finished the game completing 10 of 20 passes for 81 yards and a score.
The Hampton High school product entered the contest with under four minutes remaining in the third quarter and facing an eight-point deficit. Rocco had minutes earlier had thrown his third pick of the game, and the Virginia sidelines determined a QB change was in order.
Now the dilemma arises as to how long will Virginia play the revolving quarterback game? Rocco, having suffered a severe hit on USM blitz late in the second quarter that left him dazed for a brief time on the ground, did return as the starter to begin second-half play. After Rocco threw his seventh interception of the season, he found himself a spectator on the sideline as Watford took his turn behind center.
After the game, Virginia Coach Mike London said Rocco was taken out of the game because of his injury, not his ineffectiveness. When Watford took the field early in the fourth quarter, it was the first time this season he had been behind center on consecutive series. That series the Cavaliers went three-and-out after two straight Watford incompletions.
To date, Watford’s playing time had been strictly scripted by the Virginia coaching staff with a specifically numbered series in which Watford would enter the game. On Saturday it was series number four.
Series number four found the Wahoo’s pinned on its own 1-yard line, and on came Watford. He gained two yards on a keeper up the middle to get a bit of breathing room, but then two incomplete passes later the Cavs were forced to punt from their own end zone. Leading 14-13, Southern Miss started the offensive series on the Virginia 35-yard line. The Golden Eagles scored on an eight-play drive that ended with a three-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Austin Davis. That score pushed the halftime lead to 21-13.
Davis would finish the game completing 27 of 41 passes, but his biggest completion came with less than 3 minutes to play -a swing pass that Southern Miss receiver Tracy Lampley took 41 yards down the left sideline to convert a crushing third-and-23 from the Golden Eagles’ 41 yard line.
Virginia (2-2) had closed to within three points at 27-24 but Lampley’s back-breaking catch-and-run led to a 27 yard field goal with 1:33 remaining. After picking up two first downs in the closing seconds the Cavaliers gave up the ball on downs.
The Cavaliers will be back at Scott Stadium next Saturday with another non-conference game against Idaho.
#10 JMU upsets #4 William and Mary
In front of a sold-out Zable Stadium crowd, #10 James Madison utilized a strong ground game, good defense overall and a key turnover conversion to come away with 20-14 at #4 William & Mary in the Colonial Athletic Association opener for both squads, Sept. 24. With the victory, the Dukes move to 3-1 on the year and 1-0 in league action, with the Tribe falling to 2-2 and 0-1 in conference play.
After a scoreless first period where both teams failed to convert fourth downs, including one deep in Tribe territory, the Dukes got on the scoreboard with the opening play of the second quarter. Redshirt-junior quarterbackJustin Thorpe (Richmond, Va./Varina) connected with redshirt-senior wide receiverKerby Long (Arlington, Va./Yorktown/Fork Union) for a 52-yard touchdown pass, which included Long hurtling a W&M defender at the Tribe 20 and breaking away from two others. Redshirt-sophomore kickerCameron Starke (Halifax, Va./Halifax County (West Virginia)) hit the point after and Madison had a 7-0 lead.
Madison again found the scoreboard on its next drive, moving the ball inside William & Mary’s 10. However, the drive stalled deep, forcing a field goal attempt from 26 yards out. Starke connected from the right hash on his fourth straight make, giving the Dukes a 10-0 lead with just under eight minutes remaining in the first half. The Dukes held through the remainder of the half and entered halftime with the 10-point advantage.
After being backed up to its own 1 on its second drive of the third quarter, William & Mary used three key pass plays to get on the board and complete a 99-yard drive. After a 34-yard completion from Michael Graham to Ryan Moody got them out of their own end zone, Graham connected two times with D.J. Mangas, including the final 38 yards for the touchdown. Drake Kuhn hit the point after and the margin was trimmed to three at 10-7 JMU with 3:52 to play in the third.
The Dukes’ defense made up for the previous drive the next time on the field, as redshirt-sophomoreStephon Robertson (Alexandria, Va./Edison) dislodged the ball from running back Keith McBridge and redshirt-freshman defensive tackleAnthony McDaniel (Upper Marlboro, Md./Dr. Henry A. Wise, Jr.) fell on it to give JMU the ball on the W&M 24. Thorpe made a key run by freezing a Tribe defender for a 15-yard pickup to the Tribe 11. From there, three plays later, the Dukes got in the end zone on a bootleg pitch to redshirt-sophomore running back Dae’Quan Scott (Staunton, Va./Robert E. Lee), who outran three Tribe defenders to the left corner. Starke hit the point after and the lead was back to 10 at 17-7 with just under 14 minutes left to play.
Another JMU drive chewed up yardage and time on the clock, as the Dukes went 60 yards in 12 plays and taking more than seven minutes off the clock. W&M’s defense held JMU out of the end zone bdut Starke added a 34-yarder and the margin grew to 20-7 JMU with 4:17 remaining in the game.
William & Mary would not give up though, getting on the board one last time with a late 12-play, 79-yard drive. Graham connected with tight end Alex Gottlieb in the flat and he scored from 10 yards out to cut it back to 20-17. The Tribe then went for the onside kick but redshirt-freshman wide receiver Daniel Brown (Windsor, Va./Isle of Wright) skied for the ball and came down with it safely. The Dukes got one first down to run out the clock and seal the win.
JMU outgained W&M 340-252, with 271 of the Dukes’ yards coming via the ground game while the defense limited William & Mary to just 37 yards on the ground in 34 carries.. Madison held a significant advantage in time of possession, holding on to the ball 35:16 as compared to the Tribe’s 24:44.
Scott posted his third-consecutive 100-yard rushing game, with 26 carries for 112 yards and one touchdown, while Thorpe had a career-high 81 yards on 14 carries. Latney also was effective, carrying it nine times for 66 yards, a 7.3 yards per carry average. Thorpe was also 3-for-4 for 69 yards and one touchdown through the air. Redshirt-senior defensive tackleLamar Middleton (Newark, N.J./Shabazz (Syracuse) had eight tackles and 2.0 sacks to lead the Dukes, while Robertson added six tackles, 1.0 tackles for loss, one forced fumble and two pass breakups in the victory.
Grimes led the Tribe rushing with 23 carries for 70 yards, while Graham went 14-for-26 for 215 yards and two scores. Mangas led the receivers with six catches for 102 yards and one score.
The Dukes return home for three straight games, starting with the Homecoming clash with Richmond on Sat., Oct. 1. Kickoff at Bridgeforth Stadium is set for 3:30 p.m., with the game to be televised on the CAA Television package on Comcast.
VMI loses at Akron to fall to 0-4
The Akron Zips rolled up 534 yards total offense including 359 in the first half to post a 36-13 win over VMI Saturday afternoon before a crowd of 14,257 at InfoCision Stadium.
The Zips won their first game of the year and utilized a balanced offensive attack to subdue the Keydets. Akron redshirt freshman running back Jawon Chisolm rushed for 154 yards on 20 carries in the opening half and finished the day with a career-high 188 yards and one touchdown, while sophomore wideout Keith Sconiers caught seven passes for 137 yards and two touchdowns. On the day Akron gained 294 yards on the ground and 240 through the air on 81 total offensive snaps.
VMI’s scores came on a 39-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Eric Kordenbrock to junior receiver Stefawn Ross late in the first quarter and a Chaz Jones 3-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
Akron controlled the ball for 37:44 of the game including nearly 12 minutes in the first quarter alone.
The Zips (1-3) threw long on their first play of the game as Sconiers hauled in a 41-yard reception from sophomore quarterback Clayton Moore to the VMI 37. After a pair of rushes by Chisholm for 16 yards, Bennett connected with Sconiers for a 31-yard touchdown strike. Placekicker T.J. Marchese missed the extra-point and the score remained 6-0, Akron with 12:45 left in the first quarter.
The Keydets’ Tracy Hairston took the ensuing kickoff to the VMI 43 and had an offsides penalty push the ball to the VMI 48 when VMI snapped its first play of the afternoon. Jones rushed 11 yards to the Akron 41, but an 8-yard sack and jarring hit on VMI quarterback Eric Korenbrock resulted in a fumble recovery by Akron’s Nico Caponi at the Zip 47 that squelched VMI’s first possession.
After an exchange of punts, Akron went to the ground and churned out an eight-play, 60-yard drive capped by freshman running back Karl Bostick’s 17-yard burst off tackle to the endzone. Marchese’s extra point made it 13-0 with 7:02 to go in the opening quarter. Chisholm contributed five rushed for 33 yards on the drive.
VMI responded quickly with its first points of the day set up by a Hairston kick return to the Akron 39. Two plays later, Kordenbrock floated a 39-yard TD pass to Ross down the right sideline for his third TD pass of the year and the first career scoring reception for Ross. After Jeff Sexton’s extra point, VMI cut the deficit to 13-7 with 6:04 left in the first quarter.
The score remained that way until 36 seconds left in the first quarter when Marchese booted a 26-yard field goal to cap a 12-play, 69-yard drive that was aided by a running into the punter penalty after the Keydets had forced the Zips to punt from midfield.
VMI moved to the Akron 37 on the ensuing drive, but Koredenbrock was sacked for a 10-yard loss by tackle Dan Marcoux and the Keydets were forced to punt. Akron failed to move the ball and after an exchange of punts, the Zips put together their longest drive of the day moving 72 yards in 10 plays utilizing two key third down conversion and a face mask penalty to set up a 10-yard touchdown pass from Moore to Sconiers with 6:34 left in the half. Akron’s run attempt for the two-point conversion failed and the Zips took a 22-7 lead with 7:02 left in second quarter.
VMI moved to the Akron 38 on the ensuing drive following an 11-yard pass from Koredenbrock to Hairston, but the drive stalled with a 2-yard loss sandwiched by a pair of incompletions to force the Keydets to punt to the Akron 15. Chisolm ripped off a 33-yard jaunt on Akron’s first play of the next drive that helped set up a seven-play, 9-yard possession capped by a Chishom touchdown run from 9 yards out. Marchese booted through the extra point at the 1:46 mark and Akron took a 29-7 lead into halftime.
After a scoreless third quarter, both teams managed one score in the final frame as Moore connected on his third TD pass of the afternoon on a 23-yard pass to Jerrod Dilliard with 8:28 left in the game. VMI capped the scoring when Jones slammed in from three yards out to give the Cleveland native his fourth rushing touchdown of the year.
Moore completed 13 of 28 passes for 223 yards and three scores to help the Zips even the gridiron series in just the second ever meeting between the schools.
Kordenbrock connected on 13 of 29 attempts for 133 yards while Adam Morgan came in the fourth quarter and completed one of two passes for six yards. Defensive back Micheal Johnson led the Keydets defensive charts with a career-high 12 tackles including five solos and safety Demetrius Phillips added a career-high nine tackles in his first college start. VMI racked up six tackles for loss for 16 yards. Hairston finished with 162 all-purpose yards including 131 on kickoffs.
VMI (0-4, 0-0) will have an off-week before resuming action at Coastal Carolina in Saturday, October 8 at 7 p.m. in a televised Big South Conference opener in Conway, South Carolina.
QUOTES – VMI Head Coach Sparky Woods
“Akron did a good job of controlling the ball on both sides of the line of scrimmage. We had trouble protecting for the downfield pass and they batted down a bunch of the short passes. On defense, we have to play the run better and we got hurt early on double moves – our corners have to play man on that. We had a couple of turnovers on offense and we didn’t get any on defense – we’ve got to get some of those. We’ve got to control the ball to get the defense off the field, but the defense has to get itself off the field, too. They had too many third down conversions that went for big plays. Credit Akron, they had a big strong football team and they stayed with their game plan and as the game went on they had the clock on their side.
“I think we will find later in the film that we executed a little bit better than we thought, but we just got beat in individual battles at times. It’s been hard for us to put together more than a 1-2 plays together at a time. We’ll go back to try to evaluate where we are and get those guys back healthy and ready for conference play.”
Late rally falls short for #5 Richmond
Senior WR Tre Gray had a career night with 16 catches for 194 yards, but No. 5 Richmond’s furious fourth-quarter comeback fell short in a 45-43 shootout loss to No. 11 New Hampshire Saturday at Robins Stadium.
The Spiders (3-1, 0-1) put three touchdowns on the board in a frantic fourth-quarter but were back-broken when UNH QB Kevin Decker hit R.J. Harris for a quick-strike 47-yard touchdown that put the Wildcats (2-1, 1-0) up 45-36 with 2:45 left.
Richmond, though had one more answer as senior QB Aaron Corp, who also posted career numbers, marched the Spiders downfield with a 12-play, 77-yard drive, capped by a Kendall Gaskins one-yard touchdown with 28 seconds remaining that pulled Richmond within 45-43.
An onside kick ensured and Richmond kicker Wil Kamin blasted a line-drive that ricocheted off a UNH player and into the arms of diving Tre Gray. But the ball changed hands in the scrum and the officials ruled it belonged to the Wildcats, sealing the thriller at sold-out Robins Stadium in the CAA Football opener for both teams.
Corp finished the game 35-of-50 passing for 351 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The senior was a spotless five-for-five on the Spiders’ opening drive, passing for 53 yards and putting Richmond up 7-0 with his one-yard toss to Stephen Barnette. Corp completed his first nine of the game.
Two possessions later, Corp moved the Spiders into field-goal range following a Darryl Hamilton interception and Kamin drilled a 36-yarder that made it 10-0.
Richmond dominated the stat sheet, out-gaining the Wildcats 475-368 in total offense, owning a 13-minute advantage in time of possession and scoring points on all seven of its Red Zone trips (five touchdowns).
But things unraveled quickly and the Spiders went from up 10 to down 15, thanks in part to a pair of Corp interceptions on tipped balls that were returned for touchdowns. Randi Vines rumbled 60 yards for a score that gave the visitors a 14-10 lead early in the second quarter. Ten minutes later, Matt Evans swiped the ball out of the air and his 31-yard interception return gave UNH a 28-13 advantage.
Gaskins, who finished with 81 yards rushing and a career-high three touchdowns, got the first of his three scores on some trickery as he took a pitch on a fake field goal try and scored from six yards out, breathing life back into the Spiders late in the first half and cutting the deficit to 28-20.
Decker threw for 239 yards and two touchdowns and also rushed for 48 yards and two more scores, scampered in from 12-yards on the opening possession of the second half to give UNH its 15-point advantage back.
The teams traded field goals before the Spiders 20-point fourth-quarter uprising. Kamin matched his career-high of three field goals made (36, 45 and 37 yards) and set a career high with 13 points scored.
For Gray, his 194-yard effort stands as the seventh-best single-game performance in school history and is the most yards by a Richmond receiver since Rod Boothes had 197 versus James Madison in 1992. His 16 catches ties the second-highest single-game performance in school history (16 by Walker Gillette vs. Mississippi State in 1969), only trailing 20 grabs by Gillette vs. Ohio in the 1968 Tangerine Bowl.
Gray is averaging 126.0 yards receiving this season and is now just 17 catches and 252 yards shy of the respective UR career records.
The loss snapped a six-game home winning streak for the Spiders, who hit the road next Saturday for another key CAA Football tilt at James Madison. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. Bridgeforth Stadium.
Augusta County Sheriff’s Office goes green
The Augusta County Sheriff’s office announced this week the conversion of eight Ford Crown Victoria police cruisers currently in their fleet to propane autogas.
Conversions are being made through funding from the Virginia Department of Mines Minerals and Energy as well as the United States Department of Energy.
Grant funding is managed by Virginia Clean Cites at James Madison University and is part of the Southeast Propane Autogas Development Program. The grant not only provided conversions, but the installation of the propane tank and dispensing equipment. The grant is valued at $46,000.
- Converting and utilizing propane autogas produces many benefits including:
- Reduced maintenance time and costs per vehicle
- Reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent
- Approximately 90 percent of propane autogas is made-in-America
- Onsite fueling versus traveling to a different location
- Ongoing safety training and technical support
- A savings of approximately $15,000 per year
“In today’s world we not only need to reduce our costs, but be environmentally friendly as well” said Sheriff Fisher. “We are helping to create a cleaner living environment, preserving jobs in the USA and creating savings to the taxpayers of Augusta County.”
ACLU encourages non-disruptive protests at Va. high school
The ACLU of Virginia has informed school officials at Colonial Forge High School in Stafford County that they must allow students to wear “Free Banana Man” t-shirts to protest the suspension of a fellow student who sprinted around the football field wearing a banana costume last Friday night.
The student, Bryan Thompson, apparently did not interfere with the game or any other official activity, but according to press reports was suspended by Principal Karen Spillman for 10 days. Spillman is recommending that the suspension be extended until the end of the school year.
The ACLU received inquiries today from students who were affected by, or knew of, the ban on the t-shirts. Students wearing or carrying the t-shirts were told to remove them or had them confiscated by school officials.
“It is well established law that students do not lose their free speech rights at the schoolhouse door,” said ACLU of Virginia Executive Director Kent Willis. “Students are not permitted to engage in an activity that disrupts the educational process, but they can express their views in school.”
In 1968, the Supreme Court in Tinker vs. Des Moines Independent Community School District upheld the right of junior high school student Mary Beth Tinker to wear to school an armband protesting the war in Vietnam.
“If the Supreme Court says the First Amendment allows a student to protest a highly controversial war by wearing an armband to school, then Colonial Forge High School students can certainly wear t-shirts demonstrating their displeasure with the school’s decision to suspend a fellow classmate,” added Willis.
In a letter faxed to Spillman, ACLU of Virginia Legal Director Rebecca Glenberg wrote: “Based on our understanding of the facts, it appears that some students at your school have strong feelings about the discipline of a fellow student, and that they have chosen to express those feelings in a passive, non-disruptive manner. We ask that you respect their constitutional right to free speech.”
McDonnell announces local-government task force
Gov. Bob McDonnell announced this week the creation of the Governor’s Task Force for Local Government Mandate Review. The five-member Task Force is a result of legislation introduced during the 2011 General Assembly session by Sen. Steve Newman (R-Bedford County) to review state mandates imposed on localities and to recommend temporary suspension or permanent repeal of such mandates as appropriate.
“I understand the challenge local governments face when trying to balance their budgets during complex financial times,” McDonnell said. “This difficulty is exacerbated when the state places burdensome mandates on localities. As part of my continuing effort to support only justifiable and reasonable mandates on localities, I am pleased to create the Governor’s Task Force for Local Government Mandate Review. This group will identify mandates that are overly burdensome or unnecessary and recommend appropriate changes, providing relief to local governments.”
The governor appointed the following citizens to serve on the Governor’s Task Force for Local Government Mandate Review:
· The Honorable Bob Dyer, Member, Virginia Beach City Council
· The Honorable Pat Herrity, Springfield District Supervisor, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors
· The Honorable Shaun Kenney, Vice-Chair, Fluvanna County Board of Supervisors
· Kimball Payne, City Manager, City of Lynchburg
· The Honorable Joan E. Wodiska, Member, Falls Church City School Board and President-elect of the Virginia School Boards Association
Additionally, City Councilwoman Alicia Hughes of Alexandria and City Councilwoman Suzy H. Kelly of Chesapeake will serve as the Government Reform Commission liaisons to the Task Force.
Sen. Steve Newman said, “I am pleased that Gov. McDonnell has decided to use the new legislation to gather feedback from local government professionals to reduce mandates on localities. When the state asks local governments to right size their organizations we need to provide them the tools to accomplish that goal. The governor’s actions today could lead to a better relationship between state and local government and more cost cutting decisions being made at the level that is closest to the citizens, local government.”
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Robert Hurt: TRAIN ACT helps get the economy on the right track
Posted on September 24, 2011 · 1 Comment
To that end, the House took action last week and passed another bipartisan bill that would rein in the job-destroying regulatory agenda that has been imposed by the Administration, particularly the Environmental Protection Agency.
H.R. 2401, the Transparency in Regulatory Analysis of Impacts on the Nation (TRAIN) Act would require the examination of the cumulative economic impact of more than a dozen EPA regulations in an effort to better understand how these policies affect American manufacturing, global competitiveness, energy prices, and jobs.
Analyzing and measuring the overall economic impact of environmental regulations put in place by the EPA is a commonsense process and will help ensure that our small businesses, farmers, and job creators are not overburdened with unnecessary, costly regulations at a time when they can least afford it.
As a part of the House’s jobs agenda, the TRAIN Act is another step in our continued efforts to reduce the crushing regulatory burden that stifles job growth and help restore economic certainty to the marketplace to provide our true job creators with the confidence, freedom, and opportunity necessary to grow their businesses and put people back to work.
Another piece of legislation that is advancing as a part of the House’s jobs and regulatory relief agenda is H.R. 1633, the Farm Dust Regulation and Prevention Act, which I co-authored with Representative Kristi Noem (R-SD). H.R. 1633 is a bipartisan bill that would prohibit the EPA from burdening farmers and small business owners in rural America with additional dust regulations.
I am glad to see that support and momentum continue to grow for H.R. 1633 and that Senator Mike Johanns (R-NE) has introduced a companion bill in the U.S. Senate.
It is my hope that the Senate will take quick action on these bills that will reduce unnecessary regulations as well as on the dozens of other commonsense, House-passed jobs bills that currently remained stalled in the Senate so that we can move our economy forward and get Americans working again.
If you need any additional information on these or any other issues, please visit my website at http://hurt.house.gov or call my Washington office: (202) 225-4711, Charlottesville office: (434) 973-9631, Danville office: (434) 791-2596, or Farmville office: (434) 395-0120.
Filed under Blogs · Tagged with Economy, economy jobs, robert hurt, TRAIN Act, us jobs