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THE TOP STORY: Valley loses native
son INSIDE ... House GOP leaders pledge support for bay cleanup By Chris Graham/AFP Ken Fanfoni's eyes are locked on the date ... 2010. It's not a space odyssey that the Augusta County Service Authority executive director has in mind, but rather a bay odyssey. Service-authority customers in Augusta are on the hook for $25 million in improvements to eight wastewater-treatment plants so that the county can reduce the level of nutrients that it discharges into the Chesapeake Bay ... INSIDE ... Making the grade  By Chris Graham/AFP The rumors of the demise of the traditional 0-100 grading scale in the Augusta County public-school system have apparently been greatly exaggerated. "The school board has not reviewed this proposal, and it's a long ways away from being in a position to review it and give it its blessing. If that ever happens," county school superintendent Gary McQuain said on Monday ... IN FOCUS: A halt to the I-81 project? By Chris Graham/AFP Ongoing negotiations between the Virginia Department of Transportation and a private consortium that has offered its services in accord with the Virgnia Public-Private Transportation Act as a contractor on the Interstate 81 improvement project that is currently under department review could be halted under the terms of legislation pending in the Virginia General Assembly. NOTES FROM THE PRESS: Virginia General Assembly notebook By Chris Graham/AFP Legislation authored by Del. Chris Saxman, R-Staunton, could extend protections afforded to big business and industry from the impact of sometimes overreaching government regulations to small-business owners and consumers. Saxman's House Bill 1948 would require the Department of Planning and Budget to conduct an economic-impact analysis ... EYE ON THE VALLEY: Like riding a bike  By Chris Graham/AFP How would improved bike facilities most benefit the Shenandoah Valley? How often do you ride a bicycle? Your answers to these and other questions will help local planners determine what needs to be done to make Western Virginia more bicycle-friendly. "The survey is designed for cyclists and noncyclists alike to be able to weigh in, and we hope that as many people as possible do ..." EYE ON THE VALLEY: Sub-way By Chris Graham/AFP Waynesboro officials are looking closely at what steps would need to be taken to complete streetscape improvements in the downtown-business district using the talents of the city public-works department. "We're continuing to develop plans to possibly do the work in-house," assistant city manager Mike Hamp told The Augusta Free Press on Monday. THE AGENDA: Waynesboro Planning Commission meeting tonight By Chris Graham/AFP The Waynesboro Planning Commission is hosting a work session tonight at 7 p.m. in the city-council chambers of the Charles T. Yancey Municipal Building at 503 W. Main St. to discuss the 2005 city comprehensive-plan update. The public is invited and encouraged to attend. The agenda includes ... ROCKINGHAM BEAT: From the WSVA newsroom ... By Karl Magenhofer McGrath reappointed despite allegations Unemployment a mixed bag, again Permits for home construction up OBITUARIES: Feb. 01, 2005 No obituaries were reported to The Augusta Free Press.
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Follow the money
Guest View Armond Simmons Special to The Augusta Free Press
The protection of our major national borders appears to be of continued concern to our nation's citizenry and confusing to the citizenry as to why border patrols continue to be expanded to prevent border crossings of those same illegal folks who, once across, are assured jobs of all description by a federal government who is expanding the border patrols (don't go back - you read it right). Well, it gets less confusing but more embarrassing as the citizenry begins to understand that there are already strict, detailed federal laws on the books that our leaders have taken an oath to enforce that mandate in unquestionable terms that no public or private employer shall hire illegal folks and that illegal folks shall be reported to authorities for deportation. Our citizenry is also becoming more familiar with the term follow the money. And as they curiously elect to follow the money trail, they are led from the illegal-folk dollars to his employer dollars to the employer's PAC dollars to the PAC's congressfolks' campaign dollars to national-media dollars that are used to convince the citizenry that these congressfolks should remain firmly ensconced in their seats of royalty. Well, what else is our citizenry left to believe except that it's obviously much more important that our elected leaders hold on to their term-unlimited jobs than risk losing them due to some silly border dispute. The citizenry sadly opines, "We have found the enemy, and he is us."
Armond Simmons resides in Pell City, Ala.
The views expressed by op-ed writers do not necessarily reflect those of management of The Augusta Free Press.
What do you think? Share your thoughts on this story at letters@augustafreepress.com.
(Published 02-01-05/Opinion) Click here to email a copy of this story to a friend |
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