Tuesday, November 13
Crack sentences may get reduced
 Julian Bond supports reducing sentences for crack-related offenses. |
After more relaxed guidelines for federal sentencing for future crack cocaine offenders were put in place last spring, an independent panel is today considering whether to retroactively reduce the sentences of federal inmates in prison for crack-related offenses. The Washington Post reports that, should the panel do so, the sentences of nearly 20,000 inmates would be reduced by an average of 27 months. Notably, nearly 86 percent of the inmates who would be affected by the reduction are black. "Making the amendment retroactive will…help repair the image of the sentencing guidelines in communities of color," University of Virginia professor and NAACP Chairman Julian Bond wrote to the panel. "It is cruel and arbitrary to fix this injustice for some, but not for others, solely because of the date they were sentenced."
Wednesday, November 14
Breaking tradition
 At Saint Anne’s-Belfield, the Saints’ football and baseball star, Kyle Long (front row, left), gets four cheers from his family—his mom, Diane, his father, Howie (back row, center) and his brothers Howie Jr. (back row, right) and Chris (front row, right)—after officially signing to play baseball for Florida State. |
It’s official. Kyle Long of the famous football Longs (his dad, Howie, is an NFL Hall of Famer and his brother, Chris, is a UVA standout defensive end) has decided to which college he will lend his sports prowess: Florida State. Kyle, who attends Saint Anne’s-Belfield, has had college football recruiters salivating for some time now (the fact that he’s 6’7" and weighs 240 pounds just might have something to do with that), but baseball is where is heart lies. And baseball is what he’ll be playing for the Seminoles. Boy, are they lucky: As a first baseman and pitcher for Saint Anne’s, Kyle has a career ERA of 1.81, and a .507 batting average.
Thursday, November 15
Above average
Inrich.com reports this morning on the findings of the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation: The average cost of a Thanksgiving dinner for 10 in the state—$40.74—climbed 5.4 percent from last year. The culprits are soaring livestock and energy prices. And guess who will pay the most in Virginia: Charlottesville-area residents. According to inrich.com, our average price for a dinner for 10 will be $49.92. The hippest always take it the hardest, don’t they?
Friday, November 16
Fighting foreclosure
Governor Tim Kaine announced on Thursday that he is forming a panel to help borrowers faced with subprime mortgage loans, the Washington Post reports today. "Many of Virginia’s working families are facing significant difficulty as mortgage rates adjust," Kaine said. "My goal is to have policies in place that will help Virginians before they are faced with foreclosure." The foreclosure rate in Virginia is more than double what it was a year ago, the Post reports.
