Ken Plum: Virginia is shirking school funding responsibility

Ken Plum

In a recent column I questioned how Virginia could have hundreds of millions of dollars in budget surplus when the Commonwealth has “a responsibility to fund 55 percent of public education and is paying just 41 percent.”  The Truth-O-Meter column of the Richmond Times Dispatch decided to check out my statement.  It checked the report…

Economy focus of forum at BC

AFP

Troubling economic times and what they mean to Americans is the focus of a summit and public forum Sept. 20 in Cole Hall at Bridgewater College. “An Uncertain Economy: What it Means for the Country, Colleges and You” begins at 7 p.m. and features noted educators and economists presenting their views on employment, inflation, taxes,…

Arts Council presents new show

AFP

The Arts Council of the Valley presents Veiled: Recent Work by Lisa Tubach, a series of vibrant, paintings and drawings by Lisa Tubach.  The show opens on Friday, Sept. 2, with a public reception from 5-7 p.m. at the Smith House, 311 South Main Street.  The exhibit will remain on view until Sept. 30. Tubach’s…

Quake! Virginia hit by 5.8 magnitude temblor

Chris Graham

A magnitude 5.8 earthquake with an epicenter near Mineral in Louisa County was reported on Tuesday, causing tremors as far away as New York, Ohio, and the Carolinas. According to Dr. Alton Dooley, associate curator of paleontology at the Virginia Museum of Natural History, this was one of the largest earthquakes in Virginia’s recorded history,…

Carl Larsen: ‘One Day’

Carl Larsen

“Let’s go see the new Hugh Grant movie!” chirped Poppy, my movie buddy. It was a mistake. The film, “One Day,” had neither Hugh Grant or much of anything else to recommend it unless, like me, you just enjoy looking at Anne Hathaway. Poppy had been told by one of her myopic friends that “oh,…

Augusta Health to host Virginia Wounded Warrior Program

Chris Graham

Augusta Health and the Augusta Health Foundation will host a full-day program, Going to War is Easy, Coming Home is Not, on Friday, Sept. 9 at the Augusta Community Care Building. The program—targeted for active military, veterans, family and friends of veterans, professionals who work with veterans and community members—is free. Professionals can earn Continuing…

AFP on WREL: A GOP challenge for Goodlatte?

Chris Graham

AFP editor Chris Graham talks news and politics with WREL-1450AM’s “Online with Jim Bresnahan.” The segment begins with talk about Virginia’s $544 million budget surplus announced this week by Gov. Bob McDonnell. Democrats have pointed out that the surplus is far from being all good news – given the cuts in education, transportation and other…

McDonnell announces $544.8M surplus for 2010-2011

AFP

In his annual summer address to the Joint Money Committees of the General Assembly this morning, Gov. Bob McDonnell announced that Virginia has posted a surplus of over half a billion dollars for FY 2011. The $544.8 million surplus follows the Commonwealth’s $403.3 million surplus for FY 2010. The FY 2011 surplus consists of the…