In an opinion last month (pdf), Attorney General Ken Cucinelli concluded that weekend-only sentences are not available for those convicted of a felony. The opinion was requested by Virginia Beach Commonwealth's Attorney Harvey Bryant, by way of Sheriff (and former state senator) Ken Stolle. According to this article, the ruling affects 229 people statewide. The … Continue reading Weekends-only jail time: a no-no for felons
The special election for the seat formerly occupied by the late Sen. Yvonne Miller will be held September 4. Unless I'm missing something, the only candidate on the ballot will be Kenny Alexander. (Seems to me there should be some mechanism for calling off an election when there is only one candidate.) Polls will be … Continue reading Special election: Senate VA-5
I'm not sure what woke me up Saturday morning at exactly 8:45. As exhausted as I was, I had planned to sleep in as long as possible, figuring I'd catch up with all the hoopla in Norfolk later in the day. But wake up I did. And as is customary, I rolled over to look … Continue reading A lightpole and a crow
I have to say that I was absolutely flabbergasted when a student last night - a senior in college, mind you - told me she didn't know how many days were in each month. To me, that knowledge is just basic, something you learned early. I was taught a variation of the nursery rhyme: Thirty … Continue reading Days in the month?
Last Thursday, George Allen announced that he had agreed to three more debates. I was quite surprised that none of them are in Hampton Roads. After all, Tim Kaine announced back in June that eight debate commitments, including one sponsored by the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce. So in my weekly column for The Virginian-Pilot, … Continue reading Allen needs to debate Kaine in Hampton Roads
The video below of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton dancing just brings a smile to my face. She looks like she's having a great time.
Campaign ads in the 2nd Congressional District have started to appear. Challenger Paul Hirschbiel was up first. Monday, his ad "Teacher" began running Today, incumbent Scott Rigell released his first ad, "Performance Review." The redrawn district retains most of its previous area and adds a portion of Newport News.
My first op-ed for the USA Today appeared in last Friday's edition. The release of information seems to me to imperil the right to a fair trial. The right to a fair trial is enshrined in the sixth amendment to the U.S. Constitution. It requires, among other things, an impartial jury. The courts have decided … Continue reading ICYMI: Try the Trayvon case in court, not in public
Haven't done one of these in a while. Sticking with the musical theme another day, here's a fun quiz 🙂 You Should Play the Piano You are a true music aficionado who loves many musical style and eras. You find music to be an escape. And you'd like to be relaxed and comfortable when you're … Continue reading Friday fun: what musical instrument should you play?
This is the image that greeted me when I finally found a few minutes to read the New York Times article about pianos being sent to the dump. The piano looked so much like my own - and I could never imagine that being its fate. My latest column, title above, appeared in Wednesday's Virginian-Pilot. … Continue reading ICYMI: For love of a piano
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 