Author Archive for Waldo Jaquith

Page 173 of 744

Whom Do You Endorse?

There are all sorts of elections on Tuesday. Statewide, we’ve got the governor’s race (Democrat Creigh Deeds vs. Republican Bob McDonnell), the lieutenant governor’s race (Republican Bill Bolling vs. Democrat Jody Wagner), and attorney general (Democrat Steve Shannon vs. Republican Ken Cuccinelli). There are also a pair of House of Delegates seats up for reelection for whom there are viable challengers: Republican Steve Landes vs. Democrat Greg Marrow and Democrat Cynthia Neff vs. Republican Rob Bell. In the county there are two Board of Supervisors races: Democrat David Slutzky vs. Republican Rodney Thomas in the Rio district, and Republican Duane Snow vs. Democrat Madison Cummings vs. independent John Lowry in Samuel Miller. In the city there are two City Council seats up for reelection, with four candidates on the ballot: Democrats Dave Norris and Kristin Szakos and independents Bob Fenwick and Paul Long. Also in the city is a sheriff’s race between independent Paul Best and Democrat James E. Brown.

The polls are open from 6 AM until 7 PM. If you don’t know where to vote, check here:

The Daily Progress has made their endorsements, generally endorsing the most conservative candidates on the ticket: McDonnell, Cuccinelli, Bell, Lowry, Toscano, Norris, and Williams (a write-in). The only surprise was their selection of Slutzky over Thomas. They had nothing negative to say about Thomas, but praised the Democrat, saying that “[i]t is rare to find someone so willing to try new approaches at the risk of public misunderstanding and disapproval.”

But now you can have your say. Who are you voting for and, more important, why? Try to convince people to support your candidate. You’ve got the opportunity to sway some votes here.

Baron Devere-Austin Caught Stealing Old Crap

An ostensible baron and director of crappy 70s TV shows has been charged with stealing stuff from the Antiquer’s Mall. Let’s keep an eye on this story—I think it’ll be fun.  #

Sun Rises in East; Pope Catholic

Bryan McKenzie, seeking reaction to Rep. Perriello’s move towards supporting the health care reform bill, interviews only Perriello’s political opponents. Get this: they oppose his move.  #

USPS Plans to Consolidate Local, Richmond Facilities

USPS Distribution Facility
The USPS Distribution Facility on Airport Rd.

As many people forecast, the USPS intends to scale back significantly their new processing facility on Airport Road, Bryan McKenzie writes in the Progress, moving that work to a newer facility in Richmond. The postal service announced in August that they’d be conducting a study on the topic, with the results due to have been announced a month ago. ( The Richmond facility opened in September, after the possibility of consolidation was mentioned; the notion that they would build the facility without first deciding what was to be done with it strains credulity.) They say that the study results support consolidation, but they’re not saying how many of the 181 jobs will be eliminated. That will presumably come out at the November 18 public hearing that they plan to hold.

What I haven’t yet seen addressed is what this will mean for our mail. Will all of our outgoing mail have to go through Richmond?

Progress Sends Reporter to D.C.

Three months after breaking the story that coal lobbyists forged letters to Rep. Tom Perriello, Brian McNeill headed up to Washington D.C. to cover a congressional hearing investigating the scandal. He was sent up to cover the story for the Daily Progress; Media General sent him up, rather than using somebody from the media conglomerate’s D.C. bureau. It’s a small thing, sending a correspondent two and a half hours north, but by sending the guy familiar with the story, they’re going to get better coverage. That’s good for the Progress, and that’s good for Media General affiliates around the country who are also following the story.