House Dems denounce passage of ultrasound bill
On the final day for House bills to be considered before crossing over to the Senate, Republicans capped their divisive social-issue agenda by passing the physically intrusive HB462. The measure, sponsored by Del. Kathy Byron (R-Bedford), mandates women have an ultrasound performed – which includes the transvaginal procedure that requires a device to be inserted into the vagina – before they can undergo an abortion or medically-induced miscarriage.
“House Republicans have decided to pry even further into the private lives of Virginia women by requiring doctors to offer to perform an invasive medical procedure before they can exercise their constitutional right to terminate a pregnancy,” said Del. Charniele Herring (D-Alexandria). “House Republicans can no longer call themselves the party of ‘small government’ with a straight face after the passage of HB462.” Continue reading “House Dems denounce passage of ultrasound bill” »
NFL, PIFL announce agreement on development of game officials
The Richmond Raiders professional indoor football team announced today that the National Football League and the Professional Indoor Football League have recently completed a partnership agreement for the development of PIFL officials for the 2012 indoor football season beginning on March 10 in at the Richmond Coliseum and ending with a championship game in late June.
The NFL will recruit, train, evaluate and develop all PIFL officials as part of their comprehensive development process for NFL officials.
“We are looking forward to working with the Professional Indoor Football League,” NFL Vice President of Officiating Carl Johnson said. “This partnership provides another avenue for us to assist in the development of top officiating talent.” Continue reading “NFL, PIFL announce agreement on development of game officials” »
More than 2M Virginians can prepare, file taxes for free this year
Gov. Bob McDonnell said on Tuesday that the VA Free File program gives more than 2 million low- and moderate-income Virginia taxpayers the opportunity to prepare and electronically file their 2011 federal and state income tax returns for free this tax season.
VA Free File is a public-private partnership between the Virginia Department of Taxation and the Free File Alliance, a coalition of commercial tax-software companies. The 2010 General Assembly approved the partnership. VA Free File is modeled after the highly successful Internal Revenue Service Free File program used by millions of taxpayers since 2003 to e-file their federal income tax returns for free. Continue reading “More than 2M Virginians can prepare, file taxes for free this year” »
McDonnell, Warner meet in Richmond
Gov. Bob McDonnell and U.S. Sen. Mark Warner share a laugh during an impromptu morning meeting in the governor’s office in Richmond on Thursday.
The meeting took place following their joint appearance at a press conference announcing “My Digital Life,” a digital literacy and responsibility program for Virginia Public Schools.
Raiders announce four signings
The Richmond Raiders Professional Indoor Football Team announced today the signing of Andres Morales, a 6’ 2″ 250 lb fullback, Corey Alberty, a 6’ 1″ 190 lb wide receiver, Jonathan Briley, a 5’ 9″ 175 lb defensive back, and Elliott Moore a 6’ 3″ 200 lb wide receiver.
Morales, from Bethlehem, Pa., earned first team Class AAAA Associated Press All-Pennsylvania honors while at Liberty High and played college ball at Rutgers.
“Morales is a hardnose fullback who can block as well as run the ball. We look forward to having him as a productive part of the offensive unit,” Raiders head coach James Fuller said. Continue reading “Raiders announce four signings” »
Richmond Raiders sign three
The Richmond Raiders Professional Indoor Football Team announced today the signing of Kirk Belgrave, and a 6’ 1’ 205 lb defensive back, Brent Trice, a 6’ 3″ 214 lb linebacker, and Brandon Grier, a 6’ 5″ 270 lb offensive and defensive lineman.
Kirk Belgrave hails from Norfolk where he was named all-district on both offense and defense while at Granby High and led the Comets to a district championship. Belgrave played in college at Kent State and was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2011 by the Atlanta Falcons, but was released prior the season. Raiders’ Head Coach James Fuller said of him, “Belgrave is a talented defensive back who has had a couple looks from the NFL. We are always trying to improve as a team and on defense. Signing Kirk brings us closer to where we want to be.” Continue reading “Richmond Raiders sign three” »
ACLU asks Richmond to allow Occupy protests
The ACLU of Virginia has asked Mayor Dwight Jones of Richmond to reconsider his decision to toss Occupy Richmond campers from a Downtown Richmond public park.
In a letter faxed earlier today, ACLU of Virginia Executive Director Kent Willis notes that the Richmond police had originally told demonstrators they would be allowed to remain overnight. This is in keeping with many other cities, including Washington, D.C. and Cleveland, where campers have been allowed to camp overnight in public parks.
In D.C., campers in Freedom Plaza were told they may remain as long as four months. In Cleveland, protestors are not only camping overnight, but police have apparently distributed camping gear to demonstrators.
“There is nothing more American than the First Amendment right to protest in public, and it is incumbent upon public leaders to make sure that both the letter and spirit of that constitutional right are protected and perpetuated,” said Willis.
“We’re asking Mayor Jones to listen to his police department, which apparently sees no problem with the overnight campers, and to his conscience, and to reverse his decision to throw out the campers,” added Willis. “It’s not too late to be a help to demonstrators, rather than a hindrance.”
Members of the Occupy Richmond group met with ACLU representatives today to report that they had first been told they could remain overnight but that the mayor had overruled the police department’s decision.
Fourteen drivers have chance in Richmond to qualify for Chase
When NASCAR announced its new-for-2011 Chase “Wild Card” element earlier this year, this is probably the scenario they envisioned heading into Saturday night’s “One Last Race to Make The Chase”—the Wonderful Pistachios 400 at Richmond International Raceway. An unprecedented 14 drivers have a shot at three remaining spots in the 12-driver 2011 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, which should make for some unbelievable beating, banging, flaring tempers and fireworks at America’s Premier Short Track.
Following Tuesday’s race in Atlanta, nine drivers are locked in, but an unbelievable 14 drivers still have a chance at racing their way into The Chase with just Saturday night’s Wonderful Pistachios 400 remaining before the field is set.
· Dale Earnhardt Jr.: A finish of 20th or better will lock him into The Chase. Even if Keselowski does knock Earnhardt out of the top 10, he could still earn a Chase berth if there is only one winner from spots 11th to 20th, a mathematical possibility.
· Tony Stewart: A finish of 18th or better will lock him into The Chase. Like Earnhardt, even if Keselowski does knock Stewart out of the top 10, Stewart could still earn a Chase berth if there is only one winner from spots 11th to 20th.
· Denny Hamlin: A win and he’s in. Hamlin doesn’t have to win, though. If he stays ahead of all one-win drivers, and there are no other two-win drivers inside the top 20, he’s in The Chase. Also, if Keselowski does vault into the top 10, Hamlin could still make The Chase if there is a two-win driver from 11th to 20th as long as he’s higher in points than any other one-win driver.
· AJ Allmendinger: Allmendinger is where the Wild Card drama starts to ratchet up. A win is the ONLY thing that matters for him, and a number of other drivers. He’ll need a win and movement up the points to nab the tie-breaker. He finished seventh at Richmond in April.
· Clint Bowyer: Of the winless drivers, Bowyer might be the best bet. Bowyer won here in 2008, and has an average finish of 9.5. He needs a win, and poor finishes by other drivers.
· Greg Biffle: One of six winless drivers who won in 2010, Biffle’s best Richmond finish was third in 2005. He needs a win, and poor finishes by other drivers.
· Martin Truex Jr.: Two of his last four finishes this season have been in the top five. His best Richmond finish is fifth in 2008. He needs a win, and poor finishes by other drivers.
· Kasey Kahne: Kahne, who needs a win and poor finishes by other drivers, won at Richmond in 2005, his first career victory.
· Joey Logano: Needs a win and poor finishes by other drivers; best Richmond finish: fourth in this race last season.
· Mark Martin: Needs a win and poor finishes by other drivers; won at Richmond in 1990.
· Paul Menard: Win, and he’s in. Pretty simple. His finishes at Richmond haven’t been so easy. His best: 16th in 2007.
· Marcos Ambrose: If he wins, and gets into the top 20, he’s in. Consider him a solid dark horse candidate. Two of his last three Richmond finishes were in the top 10.
· Juan Pablo Montoya: Needs a win and poor finishes by other drivers. Best finish was sixth in May of last year.
· David Ragan: If he wins, and gets into the top 20, he’s in. Ragan finished fourth in April and third in 2007.
McDonnell announces holiday hoops event to raise money for food banks
Standing on the Richmond Coliseum court, Gov. Bob McDonnell along with coaches, athletic directors and other officials from eight Virginia universities announced today the Governor’s Holiday Hoops Classic a basketball doubleheader to benefit Virginia’s Food Banks.
The Classic will take place in December 2012 and 2013 and feature in-state teams representing the ACC, CAA, MEAC and Atlantic 10.
Governor’s Holiday Hoops Classic Matchups
December 2012
- George Mason vs. University of Richmond
- The University of Virginia vs. Old Dominion University
December 2013
- Hampton University vs. James Madison University
- Virginia Tech vs. Virginia Commonwealth University
“Virginia has long been home to some of the nation’s premier collegiate basketball programs. Virginia teams have appeared in Final Fours, won conference championships and are regularly ranked in national Top 25 polls. Unfortunately, given scheduling constraints and conference affiliations, we too rarely get to witness our in-state teams competing against each other. The Classic will change that,” McDonnell said.
The idea for the all-Virginia basketball doubleheader came from an appearance made by then Gov.-elect McDonnell on “Sports Phone with Big Al” on ESPN 950AM in Richmond in December 2009. During the segment, host Al Coleman mentioned the Richmond Times-Dispatch basketball tournament that existed from 1976-1991 and regularly brought top Virginia programs to the Coliseum.
Coleman noted the broad interest in getting such a tournament back in action, especially given the recent and historical successes of Virginia schools on the court. The Governor’s Holiday Hoops Classic is the result of that conversation.
Smart adds two to VCU staff
The Virginia Commonwealth University men’s basketball program welcomed two new members to its family on Wednesday with head coach Shaka Smart announcing the additions of Jamion Christian and Michael Morrell to his coaching staff.
Christian comes to the Black & Gold sidelines after spending the past three years at William & Mary, while Morrell will serve as the Director of Basketball Operations and joins the Rams after spending last year as an assistant coach at Charleston Southern.
“We are extremely excited about Jamion and Mike joining our staff,” Smart said. “Both are highly talented young coaches, who come from strong backgrounds of success.”
A native of New Kent, Va., Christian takes over for Mike Jones, who was named the Head Coach at Radford University last week. In three seasons with the Tribe, he helped usher in a new era of basketball. The Tribe made their second postseason appearance ever in 2010 and recorded the third most wins in school history with 22.
On the recruiting trail, he aided in the Tribe’s 2010 recruiting class that was ranked among the best in “Mid-Major” classes in the country and the best in the CAA by ESPN.com and Scouts, Inc. During his time with William & Mary, Christian’s main recruiting areas were Virginia, Texas and the Washington, D.C. region.
Prior to his time with the Tribe, he spent two seasons as the Director of Basketball Operations at Bucknell University and two seasons as an assistant coach at Emory & Henry. As a player, Christian was a three-year captain at Mount St. Mary’s, scoring nearly 600 points in 90 career games for the Mountaineers.
He earned his degree from Mount St. Mary’s in rhetoric and communications in 2004.
“I am extremely excited, yet humbled with the opportunity to join Coach Smart, his great staff and the VCU community,” Christian said. “I am looking forward to continuing in the mission and the standard of greatness that Coach Smart sets for our program each day.”
Morrell and Smart have a history together, working side-by-side during the 2007-08 campaign at Clemson on Oliver Purnell’s staff. This past season, the Tennessee native was Charleston Southern’s academic and scouting coordinator, and handled the recruiting duties in the southern part of the country.
As a part of the VCU basketball family, Morrell will handle the operations side, overseeing team travel, scheduling, supervising the graduate and student managers and much more. He takes over for Kyle Getter, who was named an assistant on Mike Jones’ staff at Radford.
Morrell served in the same capacity from 2008-10 at Clemson, helping the Tigers to three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.
Prior to Clemson, Morrell spent two years at Kings College in Bristol, Tenn. Serving as an assistant, he helped guide the Tornadoes to one of the best season’s in school history in 2006-07, posting a 23-11 overall mark.
Morrell was quite an athlete himself, playing four years of basketball and four years of golf at Milligan College in northeast Tennessee. He scored over 1,400 points during his basketball career, a number that still ranks among the top-10 in school history.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in history from Milligan in 2005.
“I couldn’t be more excited about the opportunity to come to VCU and rejoin Coach Smart,” Morrell said. “I have great respect for him as well as the entire VCU basketball program. I’m looking forward to getting to work and helping this program continue the great tradition that is VCU basketball.”
The duo joins Smart, assistants Will Wade and Mike Rhoades, strength coach Daniel Roose and video coordinator Donny Lind on the sidelines for the Black & Gold.
Wilmington edges VCU
VCU rallied from a run down to tie the score twice during the first six innings but a bases loaded walk eventually gave UNC Wilmington the lead for good in the eighth, and the Seahawks held on to defeat the Rams, 3-2, Thursday evening in the opener of a three-game Colonial Athletic Association series at Brooks Field.
VCU drops its third straight and slips to 21-31 overall with an 11-17 mark in CAA play. UNC Wilmington, which improves to 29-25, 17-11, moves a step closer to clinching a spot in next week’s four-team CAA Tournament. Continue reading “Wilmington edges VCU” »
Ken Plum: Grand illusion in Richmond
Posted by afp on December 14, 2011 · Leave a Comment
A ballpoint pen seems to stick a hole in a dollar bill, although no hole is found when the pen is removed. The peanut butter jar and the jelly jar seem to mysteriously change places. A string of bright beads is produced from an empty container. Magic and illusion are great forms of entertainment.
Unfortunately the agenda shaping up for the 2012 General Assembly session in Richmond includes some sleight-of-hand to make the state legislature look good in the short run but could leave local governments on the losing end of the trick. The Governor’s Task Force for Local Government Mandate Review is proposing the elimination of a number of existing mandates. Continue reading “Ken Plum: Grand illusion in Richmond” »
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