Ken Plum: Environmental scores and attitudes

Ken Plum

Among the groups keeping “score” on the actions of the General Assembly is the Virginia League of Conservation Voters. From among the thousands of votes cast by members of the House of Delegates and the State Senate the League chooses those votes of most importance to the environmental and conservation groups that make up their…

McDonnell announces ‘Orange and Blue Days’ to aid tornado-relief efforts

Chris Graham

Gov. Bob McDonnell announced today a new initiative to help raise funds for Virginians recovering from April’s devastating tornadoes while supporting the University of Virginia baseball team as it competes for a national title in the College World Series in Omaha. Starting tomorrow, and continuing every weekday in which the UVa team plays in the…

Draft Roundup: Five ‘Hoos, two Dukes, lead local MLB Draft selections

Chris Graham

Five Virginia baseball players were selected Tuesday in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. Rounds two through 30 were conducted Tuesday; Virginia’s Danny Hultzen (Jr., Bethesda, Md.) was selected in the first round Monday. Virginia had three of its starting pitchers selected in the first 10 rounds, as Will Roberts (Jr., Richmond, Va.) and…

‘Hoos to host Irvine in Supers

Chris Graham

The NCAA announced this morning that Charlottesville, Va., has been selected as one of eight super regional host sites for the 2011 NCAA Division I Baseball Championship. Virginia will play host to UC Irvine in a best-of-three series, which will run June 11-13 at UVa’s Davenport Field. The teams will play at 1 p.m. Saturday…

Senators urge implementation of safety regs for bus industry

Chris Graham

Following deadly tour bus crashes that claimed dozens of lives in New York, Virginia and Washington state this year, a group of six senators wrote to U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood calling for swift implementation of safety standards aimed at preventing driver fatigue. “The pattern of enforcement by DOT has been uneven, inconsistent…

Recent financial crisis rooted in politics of creditworthiness, new UVa. study contends

A common reading of the recent subprime mortgage crisis pins the blame on bankers and loan brokers who extended mortgages to those who could not afford them, thereby inflating a housing bubble that was destined to burst. While technically correct, that reading ignores the “politics of creditworthiness” that undergirded the rise of subprime mortgages, as…

Bridgewater professor receives “Top 5 Under 35” award

For her professional achievements and community contributions, Holly C. Ratwani, an associate professor of business administration at Bridgewater College, was awarded a “Top 5 Under 35” recognition from Disclosures, the bi-monthly magazine of the Virginia Society of Certified Professional Accountants (VSCPA). The recognition is annually awarded to five CPAs under the age of 35 who…

‘Long-awaited,’ ‘special,’ ‘surreal’ day for FMS grads

Contributors

The final order came down, and a flurry of hats flew into the air, marking the end of 35 cadet careers at Fishburne Military School in Waynesboro. “It’s been long-awaited,” said Alex Burkard of Stuarts Draft, who began at Fishburne as an eighth-grader, and for whom the graduation ceremony on Saturday was the end of…

City police joining Click It or Ticket patrols

Chris Graham

Waynesboro Police will join local and national law enforcement officers and highway safety advocates all across Virginia and the country for the 2011 national Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement mobilization that begins Sunday, May 22. During the mobilization, which runs through June 6, law enforcement throughout the Commonwealth will be cracking down on…