Some quickies

Webb fundraiser

Last night’s fundraiser for Jim Webb featured Mark Warner, Don Beyer and Harris Miller. I understand from the folks at Forward Together, Mark Warner’s PAC, that the event raised over $250,000 and that once pledges are collected, the amount is expected to exceed $300,000.

Stuff to do this weekend

The VB Dems blog has a list of events in the area for the weekend. Hope to see everyone, especially at the Marshall Newman Rally on Saturday. Of course, with all those events going on, don’t expect much posting from me 😉

$1 bil reading program a bust

Seems the Bush administration’s reading program has some problems:

The audit found the department:

-Botched the way it picked a panel to review grant applications, raising questions over whether grants were approved as the law requires.

-Screened grant reviewers for conflicts of interest, but then failed to identify six who had a clear conflict based on their industry connections.

-Did not let states see the comments of experts who reviewed their applications.

-Required states to meet conditions that weren’t part of the law.

-Tried to downplay elements of the law it didn’t like when working with states.

HRBT lanes to be closed

From midnight Friday to early Sunday, the westbound lane of the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel will be closed. They have to make some repairs. Seems there is always something that slows traffic in that tunnel – and why my mother doesn’t see me as often as I’d like.

Everybody give $8

That’s what Bill Cosby says we need to do to get the U.S. National Slavery Museum open. A new campaign has been launched to raise $100 million. Eight dollars sounds reasonable, although I’m not sure that I would have referred to it as the “price of two shots of Scotch.”

Nine months = get what you asked for

And, no, it wasn’t a baby. Norfolk School board member Jim Driggers finally got some information he requested back in January. In August, the board decided that all requests would have to be approved by the board chairman and the superintendent. Pssst – hey Mr. Driggers. Next time, just use FOIA 😉 The Freedom of Information Act requires a response within 5 business days.

Ford plant closing and “On the Record”

While the exact date is not known, the Norfolk Ford plant will be closing in the third quarter of 2007, a full year earlier than originally announced. Buyout packages, relocations, and other incentives are being offered to the workers. This Sunday’s “On the Record” with Joel Rubin will feature a discussion with a couple of the Ford workers. The panel will also include a participant from the ODU Career Management Center and Pat Gottschalk, Virginia’s Secretary of Trade and Commerce. Rubin will use his “My Minute” segment to talk about Peggy Fox, the reporter who asked Allen about his Jewish grandfather. The show airs Sunday at 10:30 am on WVEC.