David Reynolds: Giving
Column by David Reynolds
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I will keep Part One short. Give. There are needs out there. It is the American way to take care of those needs. Whether you have fifty cents or a thousand dollars to spare for a good cause, do it. Just do it. Give it away. You and the world will be better off.
Americans have always been known, rightly so, as a generous people. We give freely to those in need. We give to protect our environment and ourselves. Each of us has our favorite charities. They need our help if they are to survive. And they need this help directly from us, whether it be in time, talent or treasure.
Come on, doesn’t it feel good to write a check for your favorite charity. That charity may not be my favorite. But it is yours. And it is your money. That is more important than whether your money goes to those less fortunate who live next door, or to those half way around the world who do not even have boots to strap on to pull themselves up.
Yes, needs are everywhere. And you get to pick where and for whom you wish to make a difference. Continue reading “David Reynolds: Giving” »
David Reynolds: A Reflection
Column by David Reynolds
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There are times when one must get away and reflect. For a couple of reasons this was one of those times. The man in the mirror had a milestone only days away. And he knew of too many friends who had left this paradise for another one.
No more sad funerals. My dark blue suit was wearing out. And so was I. Is there not a happy wedding somewhere that I can attend?. Yes, there was! We had received an invitation in the mail. Just the prescription I needed.
The wedding was a big out-of-town affair. Very big. And far from town. So we packed up the red wagon and drove away to see how new lives are celebrated – not how old ones end. Continue reading “David Reynolds: A Reflection” »
David Reynolds: The budget circus
Column by David Reynolds
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Whew! That was close. It’s a good thing that the local budget season is over. One of these years a budget will cause real damage. Or do real good. But not this year.
However, you would never have known it according to the local press. Each week there were doomsday stories of our three governments about to grind to a halt. And that life here would never be the same. It would be paradise lost. Continue reading “David Reynolds: The budget circus” »
David Reynolds: Births and boards
Column by David Reynolds
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“We held on as long as we could,” was the announcement. It came as no surprise. There were numerous warnings to soften this latest blow to our proud past. Still no one was happy. Parents, particularly mothers, were angry. They wanted time as much as money to work the whole thing out. Maybe a year would do it. After all, we spent millions fixing up the place. And why do those bean counters from out of town keep making our decisions? Continue reading “David Reynolds: Births and boards” »
Liberty outmuscles Keydets
Staff Report
VMI sports: www.vmikeydets.com
The Liberty Flames used a 66-32 advantage in points in the paint and a 53-25 rebounding margin to prevail, 91-73, over the visiting VMI Keydets Thursday night in a Big South contest played at the Vines Center in Lynchburg, Va.
Despite a 27-12 halftime rebounding edge, the homestanding Flames’ lead was just 42-37 at the intermission, but Liberty came out of the locker room with a 9-2 run to open the second half and take a 51-39 advantage with 17:05 to play.
VMI eventually rallied to climb back within nine with three minutes to play, but the Flames went on a 9-0 run to put the game away. Continue reading “Liberty outmuscles Keydets” »
VMI holds off game Southern Virginia
Staff Report
VMI sports: www.vmikeydets.com
VMI’s Stan Okoye posted his fifth straight game of at least 20 points and 10 rebounds, and the Keydets outlasted a strong Southern Virginia effort to earn a 99-87 victory over the Knights in a non-conference contest played at Cameron Hall Tuesday evening.
After battling through a close game all night, the Knights pulled to within three after a pair of Derek Cutler free throws with 4:49 to play. VMI launched an 8-1 run on the next possession, and SVU could not get closer than eight the rest of the way.
Okoye’s 24 points led all scorers, as the Keydets overcame an early SVU lead to win back-to-back games for the first time this season. The freshman also posted 11 rebounds, leading the home team in that category as well. VMI prevailed in spite of a double-double from the Knights’ Cory Evans, who nearly equaled Okoye’s effort with 23 points and 10 boards of his own.
With the victory, VMI moves to 7-12 on the season, while the Knights fall to 12-5.
2008 Waynesboro High School graduate played two minutes off the bench and did not score.
Helping disabled veterans
Column by David Cox
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As the General Convention goes about its business in Richmond, it’ll take up a matter that everyone voted for last time. Before they do again, I hope they’ll look at a better way of meeting their objective: helping disabled veterans.
Last winter, the House and Senate passed unanimously a constitutional amendment that would exempt veterans, who because of their service to the nation were 100 percent disabled according to the Veterans Administration, from paying local property tax. As a proposed amendment, it gets another reading this winter, and if passed again would go to us voters in November.
At the time I groused about it as still yet another unfunded mandate by which the state, which usually insists local governments pay for some duty, in this case cuts into the revenues of localities: property taxes are among the few funding sources for cities and counties. I noted that all politicians oppose unfunded mandates…then all our Assembly politicians voted for one. Continue reading “Helping disabled veterans” »
VMI holds off High Point
Staff Report
VMI sports: www.vmikeydets.com
VMI junior guard Austin Kenon converted six straight free throws in the final 14.1 seconds of regulation to hold off the High Point University Panthers and give VMI a 94-91 win before a sellout crowd at the Millis Center Saturday night.
VMI won its first road game of 2009-2010 and handed High Point its first home loss of the season. The Keydets improved to 6-12 overall and 2-7 in the Big South Conference. High Point dropped its third game in its last four contests and now stands 10-9, 5-4 Big South.
Kenon finished the night a perfect eight-for-eight from the stripe and scored 20 points. He connected on a pair of free throws at the 14.1, 6.6, and 4.0 marks on the clock to preserve VMI’s second-half lead, which had withered away from 19 points earlier in the half. Continue reading “VMI holds off High Point” »
‘Y’ not?
Column by David Reynolds
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The times are tough. And local budgets will be as tough to balance as having an elephant walk across a balance beam. Where do we begin?
Cut spending and raise taxes are the answers usually given. The right says cut; the left says raise. But such conventional methods usually involve the old meat ax approach – one fueled by anger.
But this is not the time – it never was – for crude instruments to satisfy mob mentality. It is time for better medicine, to use a scalpel to carefully trim away low priority programs. While never a popular procedure, such trimming allows us to get to a balancing point without falling off. It is not only favored by the people, it is required by law. Consider a scalpel as a seat belt, one that prevents budgets from serious crashes.
So, if we carefully trim when deciding how best to spend our local tax dollars we will be ahead of the game. And we will not foolishly cut out the heart of government. Continue reading “‘Y’ not?” »
Radford gets 30 from Parakhouski in win over VMI
Staff Report
VMI sports: www.vmikeydets.com
Center Art Parakhouski scored 30 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead Radford to a 109-91 win over VMI Thursday night at the Dedmon Center.
VMI was led by freshman forward Stan Okoye, who produced his third consecutive double-double game with a career-high 23 points and 10 rebounds.
2008 Waynesboro High School grad Nick Gore scored six points in 11 minutes of action off the bench for VMI, which dropped to 5-12 overall and 1-7 in the Big South Conference. The Highlanders now stand 10-7 overall and 6-2 in the league.
What should it do?
Column by David Reynolds
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That’s the multi-trillion-dollar question. It is that big a question because it is one that requires all of us to answer. Yet it is directed to only one segment of our economy, the one with an obesity problem. The “it,” of course, is government.
What should government do? And are we willing to pay for what it does? Or do we prefer to use our grandkids’ weekly allowance?
Please be consistent and logical, as the Greeks taught us. Those ancient Greeks were smart. They advanced civilization. But they might not make it in today’s America. Still, I will go along with them. After all, the Greeks thought of government as a fee for service operation, that whatever government wishes to do, it – meaning we – should pay the bill. Continue reading “What should it do?” »
David Reynolds: So long for awhile, that’s all the songs for a while
Posted by afp on July 16, 2010 · 1 Comment
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So long for a while. That’s all the songs for a while. So closed the old “Your Hit Parade” radio show every Saturday night. This might also be a good way to say that until its proprietor and the weather cools off, this marketplace of ideas is closed.
How does after Labor Day sound? Labor Day is the true start of the new year, not that pseudo date that serves only to stretch out the holiday season. Or maybe October? The Supreme Court always rules in favor of October’s first Monday.
As you suspect, there is a real reason behind every one given for public consumption. Let’s try this one: You don’t need me to tell you how off course government has sailed. You already know about the big tanker stuck on the shores on the Potomac. It can’t turn itself around. And you know about the boats in our local waters. They are stuck in personality conflicts. Continue reading “David Reynolds: So long for awhile, that’s all the songs for a while” »
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