Va News Wednesday, July 25, 2007
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1. POLICY SOUGHT ON IMMIGRANT CRIMINALS
By Chelyen Davis
Free Lance-StarRICHMOND--Sen. Ken Stolle wants the state to have a uniform policy to deal with illegal immigrants who commit crimes, but says the State Crime Commission task force studying the issue needs more information from the federal government. The Virginia Beach Republican said Virginia police agencies need to all treat illegal immigrants the same way, instead of the current patchwork system in which some jurisdictions seek to turn illegal immigrants over to the federal authorities and others operate on something of a "don't ask, don't tell" policy.
2. IMMIGRATION PLAN WOULD FORCE VA. OFFICIALS TO INITIATE DEPORTATION
By Tim Mcglone
The Virginian-PilotVirginia sheriffs and jail administrators would be required to initiate deportation proceedings against suspected illegal immigrants under a proposal announced Tuesday by the State Crime Commission's illegal immigration task force. The plan, which would need the General Assembly's approval, would force jail officials to begin the deportation process instead of waiting for federal immigration agents to decide whether to take custody of a suspect. Currently, some jails are more proactive than others in alerting federal authorities of suspected illegal immigrants.
3. VIRGINIA EYES PLAN TO DEPORT ILLEGALS
By Natasha Altamirano
The Washington TimesRICHMOND - Virginia lawmakers yesterday proposed a mandate for state sheriffs and jail wardens to initiate deportation proceedings for illegal aliens. The proposal was one of several made by a State Crime Commission task force trying to crack down on illegal immigration. Right now, police and jail officials must wait for federal immigration agents to decide whether to take custody of a suspect. Task force members also recommended that Virginia adopt a uniform, statewide policy on dealing with illegal aliens but said they need a better understanding of federal law, costs and immigration statistics before making a final decision.
4. BIG FINES FOR BAD DRIVERS TESTED
Cases arrive in courts as public outcry rises over equity of new feesBy Bill Mckelway
Times-Dispatch Staff WriterA courtroom assault yesterday on the state's new fees for traffic offenses fizzled in a cloud of legal briefs and a no-show. After a Henrico County judge politely said he didn't have the authority to address the issue, a Henrico man portrayed as a test case to overthrow the civil remedial fees failed to show up for his court appearance. "Is Anthony Price here? Anthony Price?" defense lawyer Esther Windmueller asked unsuccessfully, scanning a General District courtroom.
5. JUDGE POSTPONES 'ABUSER FEE' CASE
By Seth McLaughlin
Washington TimesA Henrico County General District Court judge yesterday postponed a case that could determine whether singling out Virginia drivers in the state's new "abuser fee" program violates the U.S. Constitution. Judge Archer Yeatts shelved until Aug. 23 a court-appointed attorney's motion to dismiss the case against Anthony Price, who faced his fifth charge for driving on a suspended license, saying the constitutional questions will be considered when Mr. Price is present. The judge also said the proper venue for trying to block court clerks from collecting the fees is circuit court.
6. ATTEMPTS TO STOP DRIVER FEES FAIL
Joe Rogalsky
The ExaminerTwo attempts to have a judge declare Virginia's much-maligned abusive-driver fees unconstitutional failed Tuesday, but lawyers arguing against the expensive penalties said they would continue trying. In the first case, Henrico County General District Judge Archie Yeatts denied a motion filed on behalf of all Virginians that sought to eliminate the fees, which the state began imposing July 1 as a way to raise money for road maintenance. Yeatts told Richmond lawyers Esther Windmueller and Craig Cooley that they needed to file their petition in Circuit Court, which is one level higher on the judicial chain of command. Windmueller said after the decision she may file her petition as soon as today.
7. DELEGATE DOES U-TURN, NOW OPPOSES HIGH FEES
By Tyler Whitley
Times-Dispatch Staff WriterDel. L. Scott Lingamfelter, R-Prince William, now says he opposes increased fees on bad drivers. Del. L. Scott Lingamfelter, R-Prince William, who 12 days ago defended unsafe-driver fees, now says they should be repealed. In a telephone interview yesterday, Lingamfelter said he has knocked on 4,500 doors in the 31st legislative district. About 10 percent of the people have complained, he said, but they feel so strongly about the fees that they persuaded him to change his mind.
8. LINGAMFELTER CHANGES STANCE ON FEES
By Lillian Kafka
Potomac NewsDel. L. Scott Lingamfelter, R-Dale City, has joined the cry to repeal the civil fines that are now being imposed on bad drivers who live in Virginia. Lingamfelter, once a supporter of the fines, has made an about face after listening to residents in his district. "With respect to abuser fees, we made a mistake. It was a complex bill and there are likely other mistakes. We're going to go back to Richmond and we're going to fix them," Lingamfelter said in a telephone interview Tuesday.
9. TECH PANEL NOT SURE WHEN FINDINGS WILL BE MADE PUBLIC
By Carlos Santos
Times-Dispatch Staff WriterCHARLOTTESVILLE -- The leader of the panel reviewing the Virginia Tech massacre said yesterday that he is still uncertain when the panel's findings will be released to the public. "We're working on a sort of fluid timetable," Col. W. Gerald Massengill said after meeting with the panel in a closed session in Charlottesville. The meeting of the panel members, its staff and lawyers was a carry-over of last week's closed meeting in Charlottesville. "We basically continued the discussion toward the final report,'' Massengill said.
10. CHAIRMAN SAYS REPORT WILL ADDRESS 'ALL THE ISSUES' IN RAMPAGE
By Chris L. Jenkins
Washington Post staff writer
Wednesday, July 25, 2007; B06CHARLOTTESVILLE, July 24 -- The state panel investigating the April 16 massacre at Virginia Tech met in closed session for nearly nine hours Tuesday in preparation for issuing a final report next month. W. Gerald Massengill, chairman of the panel, which was appointed by Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D), said the report will fully explore Seung Hui Cho's interaction with the mental health system and "speak to all the issues" regarding the tragedy. Massengill also told reporters after the closed meeting at the University of Virginia that the panel had received all of the information and documentation it needed to produce a full report. He declined to say what was discussed during Tuesday's session, but he said the panel had begun to organize the overall structure of the report. He said the panel hopes to release it by the third week of August.
11. TECH STUDENTS, PROFESSOR TO PUBLISH BOOK ABOUT MASSACRE
By Matthew Bowers
The Virginian-PilotA Virginia Tech journalism professor and a group of his students began reporting on the spring mass shootings while huddled in other buildings during the campus lockdown. They didn't stop. On Aug. 28, their 300-plus-page book - containing stories from victims' families, survivors and others - will be published by Plume Books, a subsidiary of Penguin. The decision to publish "April 16: Virginia Tech Remembers" wasn't a given. But after some intense discussion, its young reporters voted to share the oral history rather than archive it in the university library, Virginia Tech professor Roland Lazenby said Tuesday.
12. STATE RANKS 14TH IN CHILD WELL-BEING
Advocates say that the ratings are positive sign but could be much betterBy Tammie Smith
Times-Dispatch Staff WriterVirginia ranks 14th best in the nation based on 10 measures of child well-being, according to the 2007 Kids Count Data Book. However, the picture is mixed, with Virginia showing improvement in some areas -- reducing teen births and child deaths -- but worsening in others -- infant mortality, for instance -- during the periods analyzed. "Overall, I think we are strong but not as strong as we need to be," said Suzanne Clark Johnson, president of the advocacy group Voices for Virginia's Children.
13. CONCERNS MAR IMPROVED CHILD WELL-BEING RANKING
By Elizabeth Simpson
The Virginian-PilotVirginia improved its overall ranking in an annual measure of child well-being across the country, but suffered setbacks in two key areas: babies who are born too small, and those who die within a year of birth. The Kids Count study, which has tracked 10 indicators of child well-being since 1990, ranked Virginia 14th in the country, up from 19th last year. The commonwealth had its poorest showing in its infant mortality rate, where the state ranked in the bottom half of the country, at 31st. Virginia ranked 30th on its rate of low-birth-weight babies. The study used statistics from 2000 through 2004. The more recent five-year rate shows the state's infant mortality rate staying the same from 2001 to 2005.
14. ROADS AUTHORITY INVITES RESIDENTS' INPUT ON PROPOSAL
By Tom Holden
The Virginian-PilotThe Hampton Roads Transportation Authority will hold two public meetings next month to take residents' comments on a proposal to raise taxes and fees for road-building projects. The first meeting will be Aug. 8 at the Hampton Roads Convention Center, followed the next day by a meeting at the Virginia Beach Convention Center. Both will start at 7 p.m. The authority, created by the Virginia General Assembly this year, has been set up to develop six major transportation projects in Hampton Roads that have been otherwise too expensive to build using existing state and federal money.
15. DRIVING US TO CHANGE
High Gas Prices Change Drivers' BehaviorBy Dan Wright
Daily News RecordHARRISONBURG - Gas prices are changing the way Americans drive - as well as what they drive, according to recent surveys. Surveys indicate that motorists carpool, limit their daily driving and vacation travel, and reduce spending in other areas to offset rising gas prices. And more motorists are taking a look at "hybrid" vehicles - those that run on an electric motor, in addition to the traditional gasoline-powered engine. Greg Jones, an independent delivery driver from Charlottesville, looks for the quickest routes.
16. WRONG WAY ...
The new regional transportation group can't be public-phobicDaily Press Editorial
Two things sure to get the public's juices flowing are roads and taxes. Surely the members of the Hampton Roads Transportation Authority understand that. But when the group waded for the first time into its assignment, which will immerse it neck-deep in those two public passions, its first step was a misstep. At its first meeting, the group failed to plan a time for public participation. It is inconceivable that members weren't aware that the public was itching to do just that. The 12 members who are mayors and chairs of the participating localities heard an earful from their constituents when they voted on whether to approve the new group, which will raise money (through taxes, fees, tolls and borrowing) to accomplish six major road, bridge and tunnel projects.
17. NO PLACE FOR GUNS AT HARBORFEST
Virginian Pilot EditorialYou know what Harborfest really needs, aside from tall ships and nutrition-free foods and copious amounts of beer? It needs more guns. Specifically, Harborfest needs a guy with a chip on his shoulder and a gun on his hip to use the festival to dare law enforcement to tell him that a weapon in a large crowd of revelers might not be a good idea. So thank goodness Chester Szymecki Jr. came all the way from Yorktown to Town Point Park, carrying a holstered .45, along with his wife and several children, to make a case for the inviolability of his Second Amendment rights.
18. UNIFYING PICK TO HEAD VIRGINIA GOP
Virginian Pilot EditorialA POLITICAL party that controls two of three state offices, both chambers of the legislature and nine of 13 seats in the congressional delegation is hardly on life support. Still, Virginia Republicans find themselves in a defensive crouch as November elections approach. The loss of the Governor's Mansion for two consecutive elections, last fall's high profile tumble by former Sen. George Allen and ongoing angst over the unpopularity of the Bush administration leave many in the party feeling threatened.
19. BROADBAND WON'T GROW WITHOUT HELP
As America slides in Internet service, Virginia should not abandon oversight.Roanoke Times Editorial
If, as Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska infamously described it, the Internet is "a series of tubes," then America's and Virginia's tubes are not as large as they should be. Following Stevens' obtusely simplistic analogy, there is a tube gap -- a shortage of broadband Internet access. Broadband refers to any sufficiently speedy Internet connection, measured in terms of how much data one can receive in a second. The average broadband subscriber in America can receive about 4.8 million bits -- 1s and 0s -- per second. That might sound like a lot, especially compared with the dial-up Internet service, but compared with other countries it is not much.
20. THE POOR STAND TO GET POORER
The most objectionable part of Virginia's abusive-driver penalties is the toll they will take on the lives of people who cannot pay.Roanoke Times Editorial
Virginians opposed to the state's new bad-driver fees sound most incensed by the fact they will not apply to offenders from out of state. We pay and they don't? And they're using our roads, violating our laws? How unfair. The most ill-conceived aspect of the fees, though, is the disproportionate impact they will have on Virginia's poor. That is evident from the unintended, undesirable consequences in states that have been levying similar fees for years. When the General Assembly convenes again in January, lawmakers should take a look at those consequences and reconsider their handiwork, with an eye toward repealing the fees or dramatically narrowing their reach.
21. HOT TOPICS
Free Lance-Star EditorialKEEP YOUR SUITS on, commuters, for a couple of more hours on either Thursday night or Monday night: State transportation officials would like to talk to you. Those officials are hosting public-information meetings on the Interstate 95 High Occupancy Toll lanes project. The Thursday night meeting is at the Wingate Inn in southern Stafford County beginning at 7. The Monday meeting is also at 7 p.m. at the Spotsylvania County School Administrative Services Building across from Massaponax High School.
22. NO RELIEF IN SIGHT FROM WASHINGTON-AREA DROUGHT
Kate Winston
The ExaminerThere will be no relief anytime soon for the drought that is impacting Washington, Virginia and Maryland, said Douglas Le Comte, a drought specialist at the National Weather Service. Only a half-inch to 1 inch of rain is expected in the region in the next five days, and nothing significant is expected for the next two weeks, Le Comte said. The drought will not affect the residential water supply in the near future, but water conservation is always a good idea, said Jim Shell, a water planner with the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.
23. HOW DRY WE ARE
Area crops aching for a cool drinkBy Ed Farrell
The Winchester StarWinchester - The area's need for a good rainfall is beginning to catch the attention of agriculturalists and government officials alike. According to the National Weather Service, the area has received less than 1 inch of precipitation in July, a month that averages 3.79 inches. For the year to date, the area has received 17.19 inches, compared with an average total of 20.9 inches. Perry Eisenach, the Public Works director for Winchester, said he is "closely monitoring" levels of the North Fork of the Shenandoah River, the city's source of water.
24. PRINCE WILLIAM SUPERVISORS SAY MEASURE ON ILLEGALS GAINING MOMENTUM
Dan Genz
The ExaminerPrince William County supervisors said a movement initiated there to crack down on illegal immigration is rapidly spreading around the state. Ten Virginia counties have contacted Supervisor John Stirrup, the resolution's author, for details about how the resolution was written to deny services to illegal residents and make it easier to deport ones who break the law, he said Tuesday. Stirrup, who would not make the list public, said the board's unanimous vote July 10 has "emboldened an entire movement."
25. AMID IMMIGRATION DEBATE, COUNCIL PONDERS PEDDLER ISSUE
By Christy Goodman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, July 25, 2007; B05A debate unfolding before the Manassas City Council about limits on street peddlers has become a subplot in a larger regional controversy over proposals to restrict illegal immigration. This summer, Manassas council members and police began to receive complaints about certain vendors who push freezer carts full of popsicles or other frozen novelties through the city. Many of the vendors happened to be Hispanic, and their supporters said the complaints showed an anti-Hispanic bias.
26. TAX RELIEF FOR ELDERLY AT HAND, WILDER SAYS
Mayor takes a swipe at Richmond council while announcing directiveBy Olympia Meola
Times-Dispatch Staff WriterPersonal property tax relief for Richmond's elderly is imminent, Mayor L. Douglas Wilder said yesterday while accusing the City Council of acting "contrary to the whole-cloth needs" of the city. Wilder said in a news conference that he was authorizing Chief Financial Officer Harry E. Black to implement four items included in a budget amendment that Wilder submitted to the council. The amendment would change the way the city pays for tax relief; expand transit service between the city and Henrico County for people with disabilities; increase retiree pensions; and add a police cadet program.
27. FAIRFAX COUNTY SUPERVISORS DEMAND FEDERAL HELP FOR BASE REALIGNMENT, WILL SUBMIT PLEA TO ARMY
William C. Flook
The ExaminerWith an influx of 22,000 military workers looming over Fort Belvoir, Fairfax County supervisors are demanding that the federal government help plan the move and provide hundreds of millions of dollars in road and school improvements. The board on Monday voted to send Secretary of the Army Pete Geren its most recent plea ahead of the 2011 deadline for the massive job relocation. Congress mandated the move two years ago as part of the most recent round of Base Realignment and Closure actions. The army is expected to produce a final blueprint for BRAC next month in a document known as a record of decision.
28. 'PHOTO RED' CAMERAS UNLIKELY BEFORE 2008
By Seth Rosen
Potomac NewsCameras that catch red-light runners should be installed at some of the area's busiest intersections, Albemarle County and Charlottesville officials are recommending, but such a monitoring system likely wouldn't be up and running for another year. Localities across Virginia are considering instituting "photo red" programs now that a law giving them permission to do so took effect July 1. The cameras photograph license plates of red-light runners, and $50 fines are then mailed to the vehicle owners. The police department and staff in the county and city support "photo red" programs and are evaluating potential proposals.
29. RED-LIGHT CAMERAS CONSIDERED
By Michael L. Owens
The News VirginianA July 1 law allowing cameras at Virginia intersections has cops wondering if their streets have enough traffic woes to justify an automatic shutterbug. Already, Waynesboro and Staunton police have asked an Arizona-based company to count red-light runners at the cities' most traveled intersections. The Augusta County Sheriff's Office is considering whether to request a study. "We want to do this study to see if we do have a problem," Waynesboro Police Chief Doug Davis said Tuesday. Major intersections on Lew DeWitt Boulevard and Rosser Avenue are among those Davis is considering for cameras. Street signs would warn of the cameras' presence.
30. TRACK CHANGE FOR NICKEL PLATE 763
An engine's time at the transportation museum comes to a close.By Sheila Ellis
Roanoke TimesRailroad fans gave a bittersweet farewell to the steam locomotive Nickel Plate 763 as it began its journey from the Virginia Museum of Transportation to Coshocton, Ohio, on Tuesday morning. "I'm glad to see it's going to run again," Lawanda Ely, former employee of the Roanoke Transportation Museum at Wasena Park. "But I'm sad to see it go. It has been part of the exhibit for a number of years." More than 100 rail fans came out to witness the move and final act in the sale of the locomotive to the Ohio Central Railroad System, a network of short-line railroads in Ohio and Pennsylvania.
31. SALAMANDER HOSPITALITY BUYS FLORIDA RESORT FOR $35 MILLION
Leesburg TodayMiddleburg-based Salamander Hospitality has purchased the Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club, a 900-acre destination resort featuring four championship golf courses including the Copperhead, where the PGA TOUR's PODS Championship was played in March. The sale was completed July 16; Golf Trust of America agreed in late June to sell the property to Salamander for $35 million, according to an SEC filing. The company, owned by billionaire entrepreneur Sheila Johnson, is developing Salamander Resort & Spa, a 168-room ultra-luxury resort on 340 acres in Middleburg. The Loudoun resort is scheduled to open in fall 2009, according to a company press release.