As first reported by The Shad Plank, Richmond Mayor Doug Wilder will not be running for re-election. In response to this announcement, Dwight Jones, candidate for mayor, had this to say:

“Mayor Wilder has been an iconic figure in Virginia politics for many years.

“As the first African-American Governor in our nation’s history, Doug Wilder opened doors for many African-American candidates throughout the country. As the first directly elected Mayor of Richmond in over 60 years, Doug Wilder will be remembered for bringing Richmond into an executive form of government.

“Over the next several months I will be laying out my agenda to build a better Richmond, which includes creating a world-class education system and restoring financial accountability to city government. It includes sustaining Richmond’s reputation as a good place to do business and providing a safety net to protect the least among us.

“I commend Mayor Wilder for his service to both to the City of Richmond and the Commonwealth of Virginia, and look forward to the campaign to succeed him as the next Mayor of Richmond.”

The race in Richmond is wide open. Dwight Jones would make a fine successor.

A federal grand jury has indicted in the MySpace suicide case, according to this article.

In a highly unusual use of a federal law generally employed in computer fraud cases, a federal grand jury here on Thursday indicted a Missouri woman accused of using a phony online identity to trick and taunt a 13-year-old girl, who committed suicide in response to the cyberbaiting.

The woman, Lori Drew, was charged with one count of conspiracy and three counts of accessing a computer without authorization and via interstate commerce to obtain information to inflict emotional distress. Each count carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

This comes after Drew was not indicted under state laws. It will be interesting to watch this case and see if the charges stick.

Yep. You read that right. The California Supreme Court, which, according to this article is “Republican-dominated,” overturned the state marriage laws which prohibited same sex marriage.

The California Supreme Court has six Republican appointees and one Democrat. Scholars have described the court under the leadership of Chief Justice Ronald M. George as cautious and moderately conservative.

Wow. That’s pretty amazing, don’t you think?

Can we trade some of our Virginia Republicans for some California ones?

Governor Tim Kaine brings his transportation plan to Hampton Roads tonight with a town hall meeting at 7:30pm at the Hampton Roads Convention Center.

The Governor returns to Hampton Roads on Tuesday, June 3, with a similar meeting in Virginia Beach. That meeting will be held at the Virginia Beach Convention Center and starts at 6:30pm.

An outline of the proposed plan is here.

Last night, the three remaining contestants each sang three songs: one chosen by the judges, one chosen by the contestant and one chosen by the show’s producers. Wonderkid David Archuleta did a decent job with his three, although his own choice was a bit strange. Syesha - well, let’s just say she didn’t give me Fever David Cooke did the best of the three, but that ain’t saying much.

Before we could get to the results, though, we were treated to a performance by Fantasia. Now, I’m not a big fan, but even I have to admit that she put on one heck of a show.

Next up was a look at David A’s trip home. He is a kid, after all, and was overwhelmed by the turnout for him. Coolest part of the video? Seeing the moustache on the town mayor. Wonder how long it took him to grow that thing? AI then did a retrospective on David’s trip to the final three.

A trip Syesha’s home town was next. How about that handstand from that grey-haired lady? Wild. Syesha, too, was in tears, seeing the turnout for her trip home. Then we looked at Syesha’s journey to the top three.

Forty-three minutes in, we get to David Cooke’s trip home. And, yes, he cried, too. Gotta admit - him throwing a pitch in a KC Royals game was pretty cool. I’ll bet he really loved that. Of course, we also were shown his trip to the finals.

Believe it or not, the announcement of the results didn’t even start until 55 minutes into this hour-long show. Even then, they had to first hear from each of the judges. Finally:

After 56 million votes, America has decided that the two people going head-to-head in our finale next week are David Archuleta and going up against David Archuleta is David Cook.

At 9:57 EST. It was diva-wannabe Syesha who was eliminated.

Somebody tell me why this show was an hour long? Oh, that’s right - the ads.

According to this article, the Norfolk City Council informally approved the city’s $1.2 billion budget yesterday. As expected, th budget, which goes into effect July 1, does not include a reduction in the real estate tax rate. One change made by council was to increase the income eligibility for the Tax Relief Program for Seniors and Disabled, which I discussed here. The new income limit is $67,000, up from $62,000. That should help a bit.

Other changes made to the budget:

• Pay for sheriff’s deputies by $1,000, in addition to the 3.5 percent general wage increase most employees will receive.
• Pay for city retirees, who will receive a 2 percent increase, double what Williams had recommended.
• Funding for the convention and visitors bureau by $150,000.
• Funding for a program to help lower-income city employees find housing by $100,000.
• Funding for an indigent care program at Eastern Virginia Medical School by $100,000.
• An increase of $500 to the starting pay for police and $695 for firefighters.

All told, the changes add $975,000 to the budget. You can review the budget on the city’s budget website. It will be formally approved May 22.

OK, so it’s not a surprise that Hillary Clinton has been projected the winner of the WV primary. But did you know that no Democrat has won the White House since 1916 without winning the WV? Democrats carried West Virginia in 1992 and 1996, but lost the state—and the White House–in 2000 and 2004.

Hmm.

Electability, folks.

Go Hillary!

Until mentioned in the Governor’s news release, I was quite unaware that a local income tax option existed. According to the Code of Virginia:

The Counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William, and the Cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas, Manassas Park, Norfolk, and Virginia Beach hereby authorized to levy a local income tax at any increment of one-quarter percent up to a maximum rate of one percent upon the Virginia taxable income

The tax, once approved by referendum of the local voters, would have applied to residents of the localties. This provision was dated in 1989 yet none of the localities has exercised the option. I suspect that has something to do with the reluctance of our local elected officials to impose taxes. The other thing is that this local option has a sunset provision of 5 years after the date of enactment. That makes it a relatively short term option.

I have often thought that a local income tax made sense. For one, it would reduce the reliance on real estate taxes that the localities have. And, if you recall the go-go 1990s, a lot of money flowed into the state treasury because of income but that money didn’t necessarily make its way back to the localities. As I read the code sections, the money generated would be returned to the localities.

Of course, I had envisioned the tax being based on where you work as opposed to where you live. That implementation is what I have seen in other states, since jobs tend to be in one place while people work in another. In Hampton Roads, for example, I think that would benefit Norfolk.

So my question is this: would you support or oppose a local income tax?

Governor Tim Kaine will propose his transportation plan in a press conference at noon today. The Daily Press has AP writer Bob Lewis’ report on last night’s conference calls with Senate and House Democrats. The Virginian Pilot also has an article on the topic.

According to my sources, the Governor’s plan takes a three-pronged approach to solving the problems facing the Commonwealth.

Safety first. Maintenance of the roads is eating up the transportation funds. Each year, the transportation trust fund (TTF) is being tapped in order to pay for the shortage of funds available for construction. The Governor proposes to cure the deficit by:

1. Increasing the auto titling tax by 1%
2. Increasing the annual auto registration by $10
3. Allocating 1% of the current auto titling tax (currently going into the TTF).

Combined, these items should generate approximately $440 million for maintenance.

Regional. Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads have needs that are not being met. In order to pay for the projects in these two areas, the Governor proposes a 1% regional sales tax, excluding food and drugs. The regional sales tax is expected to generate $300 million for NoVA and $168 million for HR. These amounts are expected to grow to $450 million and $228 million, respectively, by 2014.

Transportation change. Tackling the issue of transit, the Governor proposes a 25-cent grantor’s tax. These funds will be put into the TTF (replacing the auto titling tax being removed above) but will be allocated with a heavy focus (60%-65%) on transit. It is expected that this will initially generate $142 million.

The Governor will be taking his plan on the road over the next few weeks leading up to the General Assembly special session, which is scheduled to begin June 23. Already announced are town hall meetings in Woodbridge Tuesday and on the Peninsula Thursday. Additional town hall meetings will be announced later.

UPDATE: Forgot to mention that Sunday’s Pilot had two articles on transportation worth reading. The first was by House Democratic Caucus Chair Brian Moran and it discussed a sales tax proposal. The second was by HRCCE Chairman Jim Oliver and it talks about the need for dialogue on the subject. (Note: view the links in IE. They don’t play nice with FF.)

An article written by my father, the Rev. C. Thomas Paige, as it appeared in the Tri-State Defender on the date shown.

A few days ago, a young man came to me. On his face was written all of the evidence of distress. He inquired of me if I had a few moments that I might unhurriedly spend with him. His conversation was of great concern to him, if no one else. I told him if the subject of his conversation was that important, I would sit down and offer whatever advice and consolation I could.

As time went on, the story opened up and he told me that he was most disturbed. One in whom he had placed all of his confidence had failed his expectations. The young man had adopted a person of his association as his idol. Day after day, he had looked forward to being just like this person.

His expectations had mounted as time went on. He had looked forward to being able to speak, to answer questions, to live, and eventually, to die, like his idol. Then one day he heard some very uncomplimentary things about this idol. He ignored these remarks and went on accepting him as his idol. But the uncomplimentary comments continued.

This great avalanche of comments finally had its effect on this young man. Now he stands in the shadow of what might have been. The question of the hypocrisy of mankind is plaguing him. This young man wanted to know if all people are like his idol. Are all young people brought face to face with this bitterness like that which started the wheel of doubt turning in the mind of this man?

Maybe this is what Paul had in mind when he stated, “I have fought a good fight, I have kept the faith.” To this young man, someone had broken the faith. Whenever we live in a world of hypocrisy we eventually lead someone to disappointment. It only takes a look at a really disappointed person’s face to see what breaking faith can mean to someone who has made you his idol.

I would like to make this casual observation here: everyone is someone’s idol. The responsibility of making this world better, then, lies with all of us. We do not know who has made us their idol so at this point, it behooves all of us to live as nobly as we can. Living any other way will cause all of us to not only falter ourselves but to cause others to fall.

How tragic it is that once this man looked upon a bright and shining jewel and now all of a sudden it is a pile of debris. It brings to each of us the question, “What are we doing to enhance the lives of those following us?” In far too many instances we build shabby bridges, walk crooked miles, utter unsavory statements, and live questionable lives - things that cause those who follow us to falter along the way.

We look at present world conditions and look around us, trying to find some place to hang the blame. But sometimes all that we have to do is to take a good look in the mirror. Many times we do not have to go any further than ourselves to find the answers to many of the problems of today. It is not something way off yonder, as many of us would like to place it, but it is right at our fingertips. The blame for much of the faltering in life today i snot because of some system failing but because many of us, in our personal smartness, are not nearly as smart as we think we are.

Lives and actions predicated upon personal smartness have never done anything to enhance the cause of noble living for our day and time - or any day and time. Not only must men know the best in terms of personal thinking, but they must do those things that will promote the best possible lives for all concerned. It is this that is most needed today in our society. This young man did not encounter something peculiar to himself — thousands of young people are being disillusioned every day in the same way with those they have taken as their idols. We who are more advanced in years and experience must light the way for those following us. At this point in human history, we can do nothing different.

Whatever many of us might think of it, the end is in sight. The day of accountability is just around the corner. Soon many of us will have to give an account of our stewardship. The best thing that could happen to any of us is to, in the words of Paul, be able to cry out earnestly and sincerely, “I have kept the faith!”

The writing of the obituary of the Hillary Clinton campaign for the Democratic nomination for president began in earnest on Wednesday morning. Her narrow win in Indiana coupled with the loss in North Carolina has all of the pundits weighing in.

I don’t think anyone can deny that the path to the nomination hasn’t narrowed. The argument that remains, and has been a consistent theme of the campaign, is electability. It is what drew me to her candidacy in the first place. Pragmatic? You bet. A win in November has always been what I wanted.

I never had any intentions of being involved in a national campaign. As time has gone on, though, something changed. Somewhere along the way, I became personally vested in this campaign. Maybe it was NH and her “finding her voice.” Maybe it was the knowledge of what it’s like to run a campaign when it seems that so many people - particularly the media - are aligned against you. Maybe it was the attacks that I have gotten for my support of Hillary, ones that have come face-to-face and via emails. Maybe it was the the email from the 76-year-old Alaskan caucus goer who felt completely disenfranchised by the process. Whatever it was, the effect was a strengthening of my support for Hillary, and an increased willingness on my part to do what I could to help her succeed.

That willingness has put me in a position that I’m sure others have experienced when working on a campaign. Probably the biggest thing is that you become privy to information that you cannot share, some of it things you’d just as soon not know. Yep, like watching sausage being made. I’ve seen sausage being made, both for real and in campaigns. It ain’t pretty.

In 2006, there was a great push to get Democrats in control of Congress. We did that and what has it gotten us? Are we still in Iraq? Have we rolled back the Bush tax cuts? Has the deficit gone down? In other words, are we better off today than you were before? Only the most biased among us would say yes.

Oh, I’ve heard all of the excuses. And that’s all they are - excuses. There is no political will in Washington to do the right thing by the people of the United States. It is business as usual, only the characters have changed.

We all want to believe that changing the president will change things in Washington. Nothing could be farther from the truth. As Hillary has been vilified in the press and on the blogs, one of the major memes has been that she represents the “old” way of doing things. Well, doesn’t saying one thing while doing another represent the old way? Isn’t having your surrogates do your dirty work the old way? Isn’t blaming your opponent for your own behavior the old way? And isn’t trying to not count votes that favor your opponent, most notably FL, the old way?

The old way can never be changed at the top until we change it at the bottom. More than 29,000 people (pdf p. 457) voted in Norfolk in February’s primary while just over 8,000 bothered to vote in last Tuesday’s council election. In a city that has more than 105,000 registered voters, that is pathetic. Given the chance to influence those politicians closest to us, the people punted. It is no wonder, then, that those in Washington, far removed from the accountability to the people, don’t give a damn.

The blame lies with us. Ours is a populace that fakes concern for what goes on in Washington, because we fail to look beyond the soundbites. Our opinions are not shaped by the facts - what exactly are the differences in the platforms of the candidates? - but by fear and innuendo. Lies and distortions spread faster than truth - no, Obama is not a Muslim - helped in no small part by the echo chamber that was once the independent media.

The choice of new versus old is a false one, because the political process is stacked against it and there is no will at any level to change it. So for me, I’d rather have someone who knows how to negotiate it (like LBJ) than someone who will be stymied by it (like Jimmy Carter). As long as she’s willing to run, I’m with Hillary.

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This Sunday’s On the Record will feature a segment with Gordon Robertson, son of Pat, CEO of CBN and co-host of The 700 Club.

In the other segment, host Joel Rubin is joined by Phil Shucet, former Commissioner of VDOT. Shucet has proposed a bridge to connect the Southside and Peninsula, rather than another tunnel.

And in his My Minute segment, Rubin opines on the meaning of superdelegate Jennifer McClellan’s switch from Clinton to Obama.

Catch OTR at 11:30am on WVEC. If you miss the airing, it will be available on the website on Monday.

The Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington DC was the setting for Wednesday’s gathering of some 1,500 women (and a few men ) who support Hillary Clinton’s presidential bid. I had not originally planned to attend this event but when contacted about it Saturday evening, I decided to go. After all, what better way to spend my birthday than hanging out with women from all over the country who shared a common goal?

I drove from Norfolk to Richmond and met up with three other women who were going to the event. The trip to DC was uneventful (except for getting lost once we got into the city, a situation remedied fairly quickly thanks to Google Maps that I have on my Blackberry). We chatted about Tuesday’s primaries and what that means for the Clinton campaign. I was, of course, disappointed with the results. Upon arriving at the hotel and seeing women streaming in, it was quite easy to forget about Tuesday

At registration, I was presented with a surprise: the person who had invited me to the event had arranged for me to have my picture taken with the Senator, something reserved for contributors at levels much higher than mine. To say that I was thrilled would be an understatement. I was walking on air as I entered the room where we were to have a campaign briefing at 3pm.

The room was almost full when I entered. Looking around, I saw women of all ages, shapes and sizes. Some of the younger women had brought their daughters. I spotted Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple, but she was about the only person I knew in the room. Shortly afterwards, the briefing started, by which time the room was crammed - standing room only.

If you ever need someone to rally a crowd, I suggest you hire Terry McAuliffe. As the first speaker at the briefing, the campaign chairman got the group riled up. He got off the podium and stood in front of the crowd and rattled off reason after reason why Senator Clinton should be the nominee. The crowd roared its approval. We also heard from finance director Jonathan Manz and campaign senior advisor Ann Lewis. Having participated in conference calls with these people in the past, not much of what they said was new to me; however, their comments were electrifying to the crowd. After hearing from them, they opened up the floor for questions. I listened for a bit before ducking outside.

Sitting on the bench outside of the hotel, I watched as women continued to stream into the building. I headed back in and the hallway leading to the room where the briefing was still going on was, by now, crammed with folks. People were sitting on the stairs, standing elbow-to-elbow in the hall. I tell you - it was amazing.

After the briefing was over, we headed to the room where the main program was being held. Acting as MC for the event was Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones. She was an excellent choice for this, alternating between being cheerleader and poet, something I haven’t seen in a while. It was about this time that I did something to my camera, so none of the pictures I took came out

After a bit, Chelsea Clinton and her grandmother, Dorothy Rodham took the stage. While Rodham didn’t speak, Chelsea more than made up for it. I can’t tell you how impressed I was with this young woman. Yes, she was born into a political family, but it was something more than that, something not quite tangible, that made her a terrific speaker. Not only was she smart and savvy, she exhibited what can only be described as a tremendous love for her mother. Speaking about how her mom wants to be a grandmother, she held her little niece and showed that, although she has no plans for a political life, she is going to be successful in whatever she choses.

Shortly thereafter, Senator Clinton entered from the back of the room, making her way through the throng. It took a while for her to get on stage but once she did, the crowd was on their feet. The senator spoke for about 35 minutes (and I recorded the whole thing - this photo was cropped from the video footage). Early on, some guy stood up on a table and displayed what looked like a sheet with something on it about Iran. He was quickly removed by the security detail. A few moments later, someone yelled something (inaudible to me) and they, too, were removed. The Senator made light of it, saying something about them having paid to be there. Speaking without notes, Clinton showed no signs of campaign fatigue, something I would have expected given her late night speech in Indiana Tuesday night and her morning trip to WVA. She was sharp, energetic and on point, talking mostly about what she has done as a Senator and what she hopes to accomplish as President. Her speech concluded the program.

Those of us with tickets to have our picture taken got in line to do so. The person who had arranged my photo is someone well known to the campaign so we were afforded a little bit of special treatment. First, we were ushered to a seating area. There, I was able to meet some of the campaign people that I’ve talked to on the various phone calls. Then it was arranged that the folks in our little group - there were 5 of us - would be afforded the opportunity to meet the Senator prior to her entering the room. We were stationed outside the door and shortly thereafter, the Senator came down the hall.

Each of us had a chance to speak briefly with the Senator, although I have to admit that I took more time than the others After wishing me a happy birthday, the Senator and I talked a bit something I’ll be working on for the campaign (more on that later).

All in all, a great time. Thanks to Sandy and Richard for sharing your photos. Thanks to Cathy for driving us back and forth from Richmond.

And a big thanks to Susan, who made my birthday such a memorable one.

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I’ve got a full day today with the funeral. More to come.

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Hanging out with 1,500+ Clinton supporters yesterday certainly was the spirit boost I - and probably all of us - needed. What was even more awesome was the opportunity to meet and chat briefly with Senator Clinton. And yes, she wished me a happy birthday

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Yesterday’s event raised over $1 million for Senator Clinton. Way to go women!

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I’m disappointed, but not surprised, at the defection of Del. Jennifer McClellan. Welcome aboard, Congressman Heath Shuler!

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I haven’t watched the AI results show but I am stunned that Jason was voted off. Not that he didn’t deserve it, mind you, but I just didn’t think that it was going to happen.

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The surprise in the local elections battles was the near-defeat of Portsmouth mayor James Holley. Have to agree with the challenger Martha Ann Creecy and Councilman Steve Heretick on this one: expect a crowded field in 4 years.

Applications are now being accepted for the Norfolk Real Estate Tax Relief program for seniors and/or the disabled. To qualify:

• You must be 65 years of age or totally and permanently disabled;
• You must live in the property to be exempted;
• Your combined income of owners and all relatives living in home cannot exceed $62,000 per year; and
• Your net worth, exclusive of the home, cannot exceed $350,000

The deadline for filing is June 1st. The application form can be found here (pdf) and the renewal form can be found here (pdf). If you have questions, contact Cheryl Spencer at (757) 441-1502 or by email.

OK, so I’m not going to be able to do my results post at a reasonable time tomorrow so I’m sitting here watching tonight’s show. Each of the contestants performed two songs from the Rock ‘N Roll Hall of Fame catalog. You’d think that, given the size of that catalog, there would be some awesome performances. Well, that wasn’t the case.

First up was David Cooke. He sang “Hungry Like a Wolf” by Duran Duran. Boring, boring, boring.

Next was diva-wannabe Syesha. She tried to sing “Proud Mary.” I sometimes wonder if the judges are watching the same performance as I am. I have to agree with Simon on this one. Screechy.

I think I’ve been pretty nice to Mr. Laid Back, Jason. But tonight he sang a Bob Marley version of “I Shot the Sheriff.” About the only thing I can say about this performance was that he didn’t look stoned tonight.

David Archuleta’s first song was “Stand By Me.” While I don’t think his performance was as gushingly perfect as Paula and Randy, the other three were so bad that wonderkid easily won the first round.

For his second song, David Cooke sang “Baba O’Riley” by The Who. Better, but still not an outstanding performance.

Syesha chose Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come” as her second song. Honey, a change is gonna come but I don’t think it’s the one that you’re thinking of.

Jason then sang Bob Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man.” I guess saying “sang” is a bit of a stretch. The only thing that’s going to keep him around next week? VFW. (Note that they’ve changed the website name this week )

Finally, we had David Archuleta singing Elvis Presley’s “Love Me Tender.” Again, I think he won the round. He made the song his own.

=========

So, who’s going home tomorrow night? Well, Jason deserves to go home but I predict it will be Syesha.

With the local polls closed, the results are just starting to roll in. The Norfolk results can be found here, the Chesapeake ones here, and the Portsmouth ones here. (Sorry, Peninsula - three cities for me to follow is enough )

Early results in Norfolk show both incumbents - Daun Hester and Barclay Winn - comfortably ahead.

Over in Chesapeake it looks like the new mayor will be Alan Krasnoff. With 53 of 54 precincts in, he is leading Rebecca Adams by about 1,200 votes. I think there are going to be some folks in Chesapeake who are disappointed in this outcome.

For City Council, there will be 6 winners from the 15 candidates. Leading are Debbie Ritter, Rick West, Suzy Kelly Dwight Parker*, Patricia Willis*, Gene Waters and Cliff Hayes*.

For Chesapeake School Board, there were 6 candidates vying for 4 seats. Top vote getters are Thomas Mercer*, Jeff Bunn, George Van Laetham Tina Pullen and Brenda Johnson*.

Over in Portsmouth all 32 precincts have reported. James Holley has been re-elected mayor by a very small margin - less than 300 votes.

There were three seats up for Portsmouth council, with eight candidates. The top three were Charles Whitehurst, Elizabeth Psimas* and Steve Heretick*.

Seven candidates ran for the 5 seats available on the Portsmouth School Board. Garnering the most votes were Costella Williams, Elizabeth Daniels*, James Bridgeford*, Ned McCabe and Keith Nance*.

*-incumbent

Thanks to all of the candidates who put themselves out here and ran for office. My hat’s off to you.

==========

What’s really weird is that I can’t find any local TV coverage of these races. In the past, the local stations would have a crawl at the bottom of the screen with the info but I’ve checked the channels several times and found nothing. What’s up with that?

After working 15 hour days, 7 days a week since January 2nd, I was really looking forward to some time off this week. Typically, I try not to do anything strenuous and mainly just catch up on some sleep, especially since my birthday is this week.

To say that a restful week isn’t happening would be an understatement.

Thinking it was going to rain Sunday, I spent Saturday afternoon working in the yard. Probably not a good idea after sitting in a chair for four months but hey - can’t have an outdoor party without the yard being in shape.

Late Saturday evening, I got an email asking me if I wanted to attend a Hillary Clinton event in Washington. After thinking about it for all of about 30 seconds - after all, I was being invited to sit at a table with one of the superdelegates - I said yes.

Sunday afternoon, as I was nursing my aches and blisters, we got a phone call from the nursing home where my partner’s mother has lived for the last 2 1/2 years. Yeah - that call. By the time my partner arrived, her mother had died. At 92, she had lived a full life. Even so, the call was quite unexpected. The rest of the day was a bit of a whirlwind.

Although I attended Warner’s kickoff Monday, as you can probably tell from my posting, my heart wasn’t in it. Monday afternoon was spent at the funeral home, getting the final arrangements made, writing the obituary and so forth. Some of this work had, thankfully, been done in advance. Nevertheless, when someone lives to be 92, just counting up all the offspring requires effort.

We had planned to sleep in today, our trip to the cemetary delayed until this afternoon. But phone calls awakened us fairly early and are just now letting up. Neighbors are stopping by to offer condolences. And I’m trying to get invitations for the party done and make arrangements for daylong trek to and from DC tomorrow. The funeral is Thursday.

So sleep will have to wait until Friday. Talk about a week of highs and lows.

Local elections are being held in Chesapeake, Portsmouth, and Norfolk today. In Chesapeake and Portsmouth, the elections include the mayor, some city council members and some school board members. In Norfolk, council members from superwards 6 and 7 will be elected.

The Virginian Pilot has put together a voter guide with links to the candidate’s bios and answers to certain questions. Video interviews of the mayoral candidates in Chesapeake and Portsmouth are also available. The polls are open from 6am to 7pm.

With all of the coverage of the national race, these local races have been pretty much under the radar, which is a shame. These are the folks who will be making decisions that effect your every day life. All politics is local. Sorry, but the next president isn’t going to be deciding what your real estate tax rate will be or what your water rate will be. The next president won’t be weighing in on a regional transportation authority. These women and men will. Given the dismal turnout for local elections, your vote really does matter. Don’t let the few make the decision for you. Go out and vote.

UPDATE: As NN Dem points out, there are races on the Peninsula, too! (Sorry) So check out the Daily Press voter guide and get to the polls!

The USS Wisconsin provided the backdrop for this morning’s campaign kickoff for Senatorial candidate Mark Warner. Here are some photos. As always, click to enlarge.

AP writer Bob Lewis did a decent job covering the event in his article here so I won’t repeat it. According to Lewis, there were about 350 people there, which seems a reasonable estimate to me. Elected officials from throughout the region were there as well, including at least a couple Republicans. I guess Warner’s “radical centrist” message is working.

We were treated to introductory speeches by Norfolk Mayor Paul Fraim, Sen. L. Louise Lucas, Congressman Bobby Scott, former Congressman Owen Pickett and two Admirals. The former governor met with a veterans’ group prior to coming on the stage. Accompanying him on this trip was his wife, Lisa, and two of his teenaged daughters.

All in all, it was a beautiful day in Downtown Norfolk and Warner got a great sendoff from Hampton Roads.

Just a bit over a month shy of the 41st anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court case, we learn that litigant Mildred Loving has died.

Loving and her white husband, Richard, changed history in 1967 when the U.S. Supreme Court upheld their right to marry. The ruling struck down laws banning racially mixed marriages in at least 17 states.

What the Richmond Times fails to mention was that the case originated in Virginia. The judge who convicted the couple was Harry L. Carrico, who served as Chief Justice of on the Virginia Supreme Court for 42 years, 22 years as Chief Justice, retired in 2003 and now has annual award issued by the Virginia State Bar in his “honor.”

The honor belongs to Mildred Loving and her husband Richard. Rest in peace, dear trailblazer.

Sunday’s Virginian Pilot had a story about a Norfolk State University professor who lost his job because he refused to increase the pass rates for his students.

At the end of this semester, Steven Aird will lose his job as an associate professor of biology at Norfolk State University for giving out too many F’s.

[...]

“It goes against our very mission, which is to provide an affordable high-quality education for an ethnically and culturally diverse student population,” [university spokeswoman Sharon] Hoggard said in an e-mail response. She pointed out that NSU is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, for which it must meet stringent standards.

Aird says he understands, and believes in, NSU’s mission. But he insists that too many of the university’s students are ill-prepared for college-level work. “I really care about my students,” he said. “That’s why I refuse to lower the bar. The objective should be competence, not grades.”

Having taught at ODU, I understand the professor’s frustration with dealing with students who are ill-prepared. I don’t see this as an NSU problem, but rather an overall problem that colleges and universities face. Far too many students are being taught to “take the test” and not to think critically. Poor study habits abound.

Yet I always felt that my role as a teacher was to try to get the students to understand the material. Different students learn differently, and when I was teaching, I’d say things different ways until I saw the lightbulbs go off over every head in the class.

So my question: should the professor have lost his job because he gave too many Fs?

An article written by my father, the Rev. C. Thomas Paige, as it appeared in the Tri-State Defender on the date shown.

“We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren.” – I John 3:14

BROTHERHOOD

How glorious it is that in this life we are able to see growth in ourselves that warrant us being the type of person that will enable us to move to a fuller realization of the real meaning of our existence here.

This week our thoughts are directed toward that time of the year known as “Brotherhood Week.” It is at this point that the whole thing shows up as a mass farce. Deep down within the heart of every normal individual should be - or is - that something that makes him want to be brother to all with whom he comes in contact.

Yet as one looks about, he see any number of forces at work which prevent him from actually being the person of which he is capable. Ofttimes as we look about ourselves we see within ourselves things with which we are deeply disturbed. We see ourselves being slaves to customs, cultures, social patterns and the like and ofttimes these do not lend to the fullest growth of the person.

A NEW LIFE

Try as we may, we cannot refrain from these forces. Within, there is something at work, something that plagues us day after day. But we would rather not adhere to this voice. We want to satisfy the voices without and feel that at this point, we are making our contribution to our day and time. In vain this voice beckons us to reach for the better things of life. Constantly we allow the outer voice to have greater impact upon us.

The one day, a new sense breaks loose in us. A new vision is evident in our ears. The outer voice loses its glow. Hour by hour, day by day and week by week the things that used to bring us such great pleasure now leave us cold and we finally conclude that a phase in life has changed. Our whole outlook on life has taken on a new glow. The things that used to fill us with such great joy are no more. We see life in an entirely new perspective. We wonder about ourselves! We join that great host of men who have come to the point of wonderment. We search and ofttimes, search in vain. Then something dawns upon us. We have found the answer!

LOVE ENTERS

After a chance of outlook, we finally conclude that a change has taken place because we love. The power of love has taken hold of us. No longer are we content to do the little mean things we did yesterday. We look at ourselves in disgust when we think of the smallness we have exhibited. We try hard to account for what has happened to us and we find that we have learned to love. It is at this point in life that we change.

John said that he knew that he had passed from death into life because he had learned to love the brethren. Only to the extent that this becomes a part of each of us will we ever be able to see the real value of life. The social, cultural, and economic barriers that keep us from being the persons we should be must be moved.

The things that have blinded us over years and decades must fall with the onslaught of a new and better way of life. Something must happen to us to make us new persons. Sometimes this is a slow process but it must be a process that moves us to a state that we know we are traveling the upward road.

We must not confine brotherhood to a period of one week — one hundred and forty-four hours. This state of mind must extend to the end of our days. We must dedicate ourselves to the highest and noblest being of which each of us is capable. Something must change on the inside so strong that a permanent change takes place on the outside. We must lift ourselves beyond the confines of this world and move to a fuller and more meaningful way of life. We must be able to say in the words of John, “I know that a change has taken place because I love.”

In the 6th Congressional district in Louisiana, Democrat “Don” Cazayoux is battling Republican Louis “Woody” Jenkins for the seat vacated by Republican Richard Baker. According to this AP story, Cazayoux has been leading in the polls. The seat has been in Republican hands for 34 years. Jenkins sounds a little bit like Virginia’s own Bob Marshall:

Mr. Jenkins, a champion of religious-right causes for decades, achieved notoriety in the State House 18 years ago when he brandished plastic models of fetuses on the chamber floor to bolster his anti-abortion arguments.

Cazayoux is a conservative Democrat and has distanced himself from national Democrats while his opponent has tried repeatedly to associate him with them.

“The overall message is that it’s not so much tying him to a particular person, it’s tying him to the overall big picture. People across the country are campaigning on solutions. Whose solution do we want? Nancy Pelosi’s or the Republican Party’s?” said Jason Dore, Jenkins’ campaign manager.

Some have seen this race, along