Tuesday, October 30
Mr. Vice President?
 Our next No. 2? Virginia senator Jim Webb’s name is being tossed around as a potential vice presidential candidate. |
As reported by The Roanoke Times, U.S. Senator Jim Webb told a group of Democratic supporters on Monday that "the country is watching Virginia" to see who wins in next week’s state legislative races. "We are showing the right kind of momentum in terms of where the American political process needs to go," Webb said. If anyone is showing momentum, however, it is the freshman senator from Virginia who, according to Sunday’s Washington Post, is being mentioned as a possible running mate for the 2008 national presidential election. For his part, Webb has responded with a less than clear denial, saying he is not "actively interested in doing that."
Wednesday, October 31
Last-minute contributions roll in
 Incumbent David Wyant recently raised $12,500 for his Board of Supervisors campaign. His challenger, Ann Mallek, netted $5,500. |
It’s five days until city and county elections, and last-minute contributors to candidates are rolling in from private donors and special-interest political action committees (PACs). Charlottesville Tomorrow, via the Virginia Public Access Project, reported the most recent donations to Albemarle County Board of Supervisors candidates. White Hall Republican incumbent David Wyant racked up $12,500 in recent donations. The bulk of that comes from—who else?—business and developer PACs. His Democratic challenger, Ann Mallek, netted $5,500 in new donations, two grand from the Democratic Road Back PAC and the rest from her husband. Rivanna Republican incumbent Ken Boyd got a whopping $9,000 check from the Monticello Business Alliance, a pro-business and economic development PAC.
Thursday, November 1
Left behind
Looking for further evidence that the U.S. is lagging behind other industrial nations when it comes to education? Daily Progress staff writer Barney Breen-Portnoy reports today in an article for Media General News Service on a study by UVA’s Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service that found that in 2005 almost 43 percent of Virginia’s 105,000 4-year-olds were not enrolled in preschool. The director of the Center’s demographics and workforce section, Qian Cai, quoted in the article, zeros in on the disturbing, if not surprising causes: "Kids who are not enrolled are typically kids living in poverty, in single-parent households and with a mother without a good eduction."
Friday, November 2
To execute or not to execute
The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports today that Virginia Attorney General Bob McDonnell opposes the call by the American Bar Association (ABA) for a halt on executions. The ABA asserts that there are flaws in the nation’s death penalty systems, while McDonnell spokesman J. Tucker Martin says that McDonnell believes the death penalty is constitutional and effective. Richard Bonnie, a UVA law professor who recently received the University’s prestigious Thomas Jefferson Award for his work in mental health law, told the Dispatch that the ABA’s study "reveals that there is still quite widespread concern about the fairness of capital punishment adjudication and sentencing practices across the country." Executions have been put on hold throughout the nation since a challenge of lethal injection procedures reached the Supreme Court on September 25.
Saturday, November 3
Not very appealing
.jpg) You got served: Andrew Alston, sentenced to three years in jail for voluntary manslaughter, is stuck on supervised probation for another three years, despite his effort to appeal. |
In November 2003, Andrew Alston, a third-year student at UVA, crossed paths with 22-year-old local firefighter Walter Sisk at the corner of Wertland and 14th streets, an encounter that ended with Sisk on the receiving end of a knife and Alston getting the business end of a jury nearly a year later. Alston served 19 months of a three-year sentence for voluntary manslaughter and was released in June 2006 to serve three years of supervised probation, a condition that Alston considered a violation of his constitutional rights and appealed. The Daily Progress reports that Virginia Supreme Court Justice G. Steven Agee denied Alston’s appeal, ending Alston’s appeals process for the time being. Alston still faces a $3 million wrongful death lawsuit filed by Walter Sisk’s parents, a case for which Alston has prepared by filing for bankruptcy.
Sunday, November 4
Add an hour (and some change)
In the wee hours of Sunday morning, America’s clocks officially moved back an hour, ending daylight savings time for 2007. This is the first year that the extended version of daylight savings has been in effect, as per legislation passed by Congress in 2005. By starting daylight savings three weeks earlier in the spring and ending it one week later in the fall, the thinking goes, the country will enjoy more daylight in the evening hours, thus saving $200 million annually, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune.
Monday, November 5
At least no heart attacks from basketball
Cavalier fans still trying to catch their breath today after the umpteenth cardiac roller coaster performance by the football team on Saturday can at least breathe easy for now about the men’s basketball team. Unlike Michigan State, a top 10 team that lost an exhibition game, UVA wrecked tiny Division II school Carson-Newman, 124-65. Adrian Joseph led all scorers with 22 points—Sean Singletary had an uncharacteristic shooting game, going only 2 for 9 with 9 points. Freshmen Jeff Jones, Mustapha Farrakhan and Sam Zeglinski made promising contributions.
