Va News Monday, July 23, 2007
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1. KAINE PRESSING FORWARD WITH PREKINDERGARTEN PLANS
Joe Rogalsky
The ExaminerDecreases in Virginia's revenue collections will not stop Gov. Tim Kaine from proposing new government programs next year, the commonwealth's chief executive told The Examiner.
Virginia ended fiscal 2007 on June 30 with a budget deficit that "was closer to $200 million" than the $300 million that state finance officials had predicted last month, Kaine said last week in Springfield. The governor and his advisers are preparing to present an updated economic and revenue outlook to the General Assembly's budget-writing committees Aug. 20. The presentation will center on the health of the state's economy and whether the factors that caused the $200 million deficit will cause future shortfalls.2. COX CRITICIZES `ABUSIVE' DRIVER FEES
Candidate For 24th District Senate Seat Speaks At SpotswoodBy Jeff Mellott
Daily News RecordPENN LAIRD - A new set of fees for speeding violations recently generated a sharp reaction from Robert Wilson of the Massanetta Springs area. The General Assembly adopted the fee system earlier this year to help pay for Virginia's transportation needs. "They fussed and they fumed for two years and what did they come up with? Abusive driver fees. It highlights the whole nature of how the legislature can't do their job," said Wilson, an environmental consultant.
3. GIFT TO MORAN CALLED 'EXCESSIVE'
Watchdog group criticizes $5,000 trip congressman and wife got from developerBy Peter Hardin
Times-Dispatch Washington CorrespondentWASHINGTON -- A Virginia congressman's acceptance of a $5,000 Jamaica vacation from a developer friend is coming under question by a public watchdog group that called the gift "excessive." Rep. James P. Moran Jr., D-8th, and his wife received the round-trip gift last year. The value includes lodging, food and local travel, according to public documents. Moran, a ninth-term lawmaker who has weathered ethics controversies in the past, received permission in advance from the House ethics committee to accept the gift on the premise that it was made based on a personal friendship dating back 20 to 25 years, before he was elected to the House.
4. VIRGINIA LAUNCHES ONLINE DANGEROUS DOG REGISTRY
By Kevin Castle
Times-NewsIn Virginia, the question of whether or not Rover is as mean as he looks is a mouse-click away. The Dangerous Dog Registry of Virginia, an interactive Web site operated by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, became operational July 1 after legislation from this year's General Assembly session warranted the monitoring point due to various attacks and deaths that were caused by dogs. With an estimated 4.5 million Americans bitten by dogs each year, according to the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), the agency feels registries like this address the problem better than some pieces of legislation that have been drafted to ban certain breeds of dog such as rott- weilers and pit bulls.
5. WHERE'S THE BEEF?
Richmond Times Dispatch Editorial. . . In Tysons Corner, apparently. The steakhouse defines the so-called power scene, and according to The Washington Post, "A growing number of steakhouses in Tysons Corner cater to movers and shakers. It's see-and-be-seen dining, with big deals closed over big pieces of beef."
6. RETIRING STEREOTYPES
Richmond Times Dispatch EditorialYet another study has demonstrated lamentable racial disparity in the nation's prisons. A far higher percentage of some minorities are locked up than whites. Four-tenths of 1 percent of whites are in jail or prison. For Hispanics, the figure is seven-tenths of 1 percent. For blacks, 2.3 percent. So says the report from the Sentencing Project, a liberal advocacy group. Tough-on-crime types sometimes dismiss the difference as a function of criminality. That's one reason, but not the only reason. Other factors come into play, such as the ability to afford a high-priced lawyer, stiffer penalties for certain types of drug crimes -- and racism.
7. V FOR VALOR
While we debate, the warriors fight onDaily Press Editorial
The Senate filibusters. The public agonizes. The world criticizes. And on the other side of the world, men and women do what their country has asked them to do. They escort convoys and ferret out insurgents. They follow their leaders and lead their troops. They put themselves in danger in order to save their comrades.
8. TWO SEPARATE PATHS TO A NEW OLF
Virginian Pilot EditorialIF YOU LIVE IN Virginia, and you so desired, you could easily find maps of the 10 sites the state has recommended the Navy consider as a practice field for Oceana Naval Air Station's jets. If you live in North Carolina, and you so desired, you couldn't. The Tar Heel State apparently has such a list, and has even sent it to the Navy. But given the outcry during the past go-round, Carolina officials have decided to keep it all a secret. "We continue working closely with the Navy to find an outlying landing field site that meets their needs and North Carolina's," Gov. Mike Easley said in a statement. "At this point, to release a list of locations being discussed as options would be premature. I am confident that we will choose the best location for the OLF and that there will be adequate time to gather public input once we reach that decision."
9. GREASING PALMS, GETTING LEGISLATION
Virginian Pilot EditorialMORE THAN 950 businesses and organizations shelled out $16.1 million last year to persuade the Virginia General Assembly to their point of view. From their perspective, at least, it was money well spent. Corporations invested far more than citizen or local government groups, and many - particularly the big spenders - get to show something for their effort. Not for nothing did Forbes.com recently name Virginia the best state in the nation for doing business. While the Old Dominion performed well across the board in that survey, it scored particularly high in "regulatory environment," a category closely linked to legislative policy and the political winds.
10. <TALKING POINT
Roanoke Times Editorial"I am confident that the hottest places in Hell are reserved for the souls of sick and brutal people who hold God's creatures in such brutal and cruel contempt."
-- West Virginia Sen. Robert C. Byrd, denouncing the treatment of dogs used in illegal fights.11. LOCKING AWAY MINORITIES
Virginia lawmakers pretend racial disparity doesn't exist in the justice system.Roanoke Times Editorial
Results of an analysis recently released by The Sentencing Project are not at all surprising: Nationally, blacks are incarcerated at a rate nearly six times that of whites, and Hispanics at nearly double the rate. In Virginia, blacks fare even worse. But just because the study reflects what common knowledge and other reports have already said doesn't mean that it should be dismissed. "Racial disparities in incarceration reflect a failure of social and economic interventions to address crime effectively and also indicate racial bias in the justice system," said the project's director, Marc Mauer.
12. FREDERICK DEMOCRATS MEET GOALS WITH DINNER
By Angela Jones
The Winchester StarWinchester- The Frederick County Democratic Committee accomplished the two goals it set for it's dinner party on Saturday night. Chair Cary Kimble said the goals were to raise at least $1,500 and bring in about 100 people. In the end, the committee was able to raise $1,700 and had between 90 and 100 people at the event, which was held at the Whitesell's Barn on Middle Road. Candidates scheduled to attend the event included Frederick County Board of Supervisors hopefuls Doug Kiracofe, Boyd Pitcock, and Kirk Matthews, as well as Virginia State Senate candidate Karen K. Schultz.
13. CRITICS DOUBT SAVINGS FROM STRICTER IMMIGRATION POLICY
Groups Question Official's EstimateBy Delphine Schrank
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, July 22, 2007; LZ01As Loudoun supervisors took the first step last week toward limiting illegal immigrants' access to county services, advocates and critics of the move disagreed on whether such a policy would be mostly symbolic or would mean significant savings for taxpayers. The resolution, which the Board of Supervisors passed unanimously Tuesday, instructs the county's staff members to study what kinds of services could legally be denied to undocumented residents and how Loudoun could penalize employers who hire them. Staff are to report their findings in September.
14. FORESTRY DEPARTMENT PLANS TO TEAR DOWN FAMOUS FIRE TOWER
By Debra Mccown
Bristol Herald Courier
July 22 2007HAYTER'S GAP, Va. -- The air breathes differently from the tower atop Hayter's Knob, say those who once served there as fire lookouts. The tower commands a view of more than 60 miles on a clear winter day or fewer than 6 feet when fog settles over the mountain. It became famous with the publication of Jack Kestner's 1960 book "Fire Tower," which used it and nearby rock formations as a backdrop for a local adventure story and which just came back into print.
15. PAVING THE WAY FOR EASTERN SHORE MOBILE HOME PARK
By Marc Davis
The Virginian-PilotPAINTER
In June, a small miracle arrived at Linnhaven Circle and Renelda Lane - now officially known as state roads 888 and 889. For three decades, residents of this low-income mobile home park on the Eastern Shore lived on dirt roads. They dodged craters, some up to 4 feet deep. They lost mufflers. Often, they walked just because it was too hard to drive. The dirt roads became so impassable in bad weather that heating-oil trucks refused to deliver there in winter, and fire trucks and ambulances had trouble responding to alarms.
16. MILL MOUNTAIN ZOO WAS GIVEN A YEAR TO PASS ITS ACCREDITATION REVIEW. NOW IT'STEST TIME
The zoo staff and volunteers have been fundraising and tackling a hefty to-do list.By Pete Dybdahl
Roanoke TimesLast summer, two inspectors went up Mill Mountain and surveyed the zoo.
There was a lone prairie dog in the prairie dog pit. The barnyard exhibit was past its prime. The zoo's budget didn't look strong enough to make the improvements. These were some of the reasons why Mill Mountain Zoo didn't pass its requisite five-year review to maintain accreditation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Nor did it fail. The mountaintop attraction was granted a year's reprieve to address the AZA's concerns about its exhibits and finances. And today, an inspector returns to see if the Roanoke zoo still meets the association's approval -- a distinction that says to visitors, "I'm going to walk into a pretty nice zoo," said Sean Greene, the zoo's executive director.