Brian Miller: Hostage-takers and the Obama-GOP tax package

AFP

As millions of unemployed Americans struggle to make ends meet amidst an economy still in shambles, a note is quietly slid under the door: “Give us $800 billion in tax breaks or your unemployment benefits are history!” In a classic made-for-television cop drama, this is the part where the heroic police captain would emphatically declare,…

Cliff Lee=LeBron James?

Chris Graham

LeBron James: evil. Cliff Lee: lauded. Something isn’t making sense here. We all (me included) got on James’ case for signing with the Miami Heat with the stated purpose of winning six, seven, eight, whatever, NBA titles with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh instead of staying in Cleveland and trying to build a winner around…

Cliff Lee=LeBron James?

Chris Graham

LeBron James: evil. Cliff Lee: lauded. Something isn’t making sense here. We all (me included) got on James’ case for signing with the Miami Heat with the stated purpose of winning six, seven, eight, whatever, NBA titles with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh instead of staying in Cleveland and trying to build a winner around…

Dukes beat down Radford

AFP

JMU snaps two-game losing streak Sophomore guard Alioune Diouf‘s (Powder Springs, Ga./McEachern) career-high 19 points led a season high of 42 points off the bench as James Madison cruised to a 78-57 victory over Radford on Saturday night at the Dedmon Center. JMU improved to 7-3 overall, snapped a two-game losing streak, and evened its…

Tom Perriello: Permanent Medicare reimbursement fix

AFP

Last week, Congress took an important step to make sure that our senior citizens can continue to see their doctors for care by protecting the reimbursement rates for doctors who participate in the Medicare system. The House passed bipartisan legislation that blocks the 25 percent cut in Medicare payments to doctors that could have gone…

Ken Plum: it will take more than magic

Ken Plum

A hobby I pursue infrequently is performing magic tricks. Recently I did a magic show for preschoolers to help the United Christian Parish Preschool that my wife Jane directs raise money to improve the preschool library. As I explained to my eager audience, magic can make the seemingly impossible take place. When the children were…

VCU holds off VMI, 86-80

AFP

Keydets cut lead from 13 to 1 late Good senior leaders step up when their teams need them the most. That’s exactly what was on display for the Virginia Commonwealth University men’s basketball team on Wednesday night against in-state rival, VMI. Seniors Jamie Skeen and Brandon Rozzell combined for 37 points, 24 in the second…

Webb: Tax deal will reinvigorate U.S. economy

Chris Graham

U.S. Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., is on board with the bipartisan effort being led by President Obama to reach consensus on a two-year extenion of Bush-era tax cuts and an extension of benefits to the long-term unemployed. “The framework agreement for tax cuts and extended unemployment insurance shows great promise in reinvigorating our economy and…

FMS gives back

Chris Graham

Fishburne Military School senior J.P. Gonzalez was among a large group of cadets at the Waynesboro school to donate blood during a drive held in conjunction with Virginia Blood Services on Wednesday. “This is my first time,” said Gonzalez, of Washington, D.C. Asked if he’d had any trepidation about pain, Gonzalez said, “Not really.” He…