Chris Graham: Surprised by JMU sacking Mickey Matthews? Not at all

Chris Graham

One perspective on Mickey Matthews is that he should have been able to decide the day that he left JMU and even had a hand in picking the guy who would sculpt the statue to his tenure. You win a national championship and take a football program at a school that didn’t play football until 1972 to the precipice of FBS, and they eventually name the field after you.

mark herring

State Board of Elections certifies Mark Herring winner in attorney general race

Chris Graham

The State Board of Elections voted unanimously Monday to certify Democrat Mark Herring as the winner in the hotly-contested state attorney general race. Herring defeated Republican Mark Obenshain by 165 votes out of the more than 2.2 million votes cast in the Nov. 5 election, easily the closest margin percentage-wise in state political history.

UVA Athletics

UVa. women’s basketball suffers a 68-58 road loss at West Virginia

Contributors

The Virginia women’s basketball team (3-2) suffered a 68-58 road loss to West Virginia (4-1) at the WVU Coliseum on Sunday. The Cavaliers found most of their offense from beyond the arc, making 10 three-pointers, shooting 45.5 percent (10-of-22) from long range. Senior guard Ataira Franklin had the first 20-point game of the season for the Cavaliers, finishing with 23.

Bob Goodlatte: House Judiciary Committee to hold hearing on asylum system abuse

Contributors

According to an internal Customs and Border Protection document obtained by the Committee, and as reported by the Washington Times today, many people claiming a “credible fear” of persecution at our ports of entry have a direct or indirect association with drug trafficking and other illegal activity such as human smuggling.

Tim Kaine introduces Senate bill to boost tourism at national parks

Contributors

U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine introduced the Entrance Fee Suspension Act of 2013 today to encourage tourism at national parks and wildlife refuges and bolster local economies that were harmed by the 16-day government shutdown. The bill will assist businesses that lost revenue or were forced to close temporarily during the government shutdown because of national park closures.

Augusta County Historical Society program focuses on Jack Jouett

Contributors

On Saturday, Dec. 7 from 11 a.m. until noon, the Augusta County Historical Society is sponsoring Staunton storyteller and folk musician Bill Wellington in a program on the second floor of the R.R. Smith Center for History & Art. Wellington is hoping that his program, “Poetic Justice,” will finally give this Revolutionary patriot his just due.

UVA Athletics

UVa. women’s basketball escapes with a 61-60 victory at Liberty

Contributors

The Virginia women’s basketball team (3-1) earned a 61-60 victory at Liberty (0-3) Lynchburg. After Liberty tied the game with 38.2 seconds remaining, Virginia senior guard Ataira Franklin drove baseline with the shot clock winding down, getting fouled in the process. After missing her first free throw, she made the second to give UVa. a one-point edge with 11.3 seconds remaining.