Changes in ownership of Channel 6 (WTVR) and 12 (WWBT) in Richmond

Richmond Times-Dispatch:

Today’s completion of the sale of WWBT-Channel 12 means the Richmond area has two TV stations with the same owner — temporarily.

Alabama-based Raycom Media Inc. bought WWBT for $583 million and already owns WTVR-Channel 6.

Owning two stations in one market is generally against federal regulations, but the Federal Communications Commission agreed last week to give Raycom six months to sell WTVR.

[…]

Tom Henson of Belmoro Corporate Advisors, which is handling the WTVR sale, said no changes will be made at WWBT in front of the camera or behind it. One exception, Henson said, is that the station will air editorials written and produced by the station staff.

Raycom Vice President Jeff Rosser said the company chose to keep NBC affiliate WWBT and sell CBS affiliate WTVR because WWBT’s has better ratings and financial numbers.

Now, where’s Caroline at?

From the City of Fredericksburg:

Beginning this year, the City of Fredericksburg will no longer require city-issued decals to be placed on the windshields of residents’ vehicles.

“We estimate the City will save approximately $10,000 per year in postage alone by not having to mail the annual decals,” Treasurer G. M. Haney said. “The $20 ‘registration fee’ will still be part of the personal property tax bill, but you will no longer be required to have the decal.”

A decal will still be available to residents who wish to have the city identification on their cars. City residents desiring to use the city-only VRE parking lot MUST display the City decal, and others may wish to keep the decal in order to regularly use the Belman Road recycling center.

Decals are available now and may be purchased from the City Treasurer’s Office for $2.

If it saves Fredericksburg $10,000 just in postage it would save Caroline County even more: Fredericksburg has an estimated population of 22,410 while Caroline’s population is 27,282 (probably more cars per person as well).

Also consider the overtime pay that the employees of the Treasurer’s Office received: The Treasurer’s Office stayed open an additional 11 hours over the past week with their employees presumably working overtime to handle the people getting decals. There were five employees (plus Ms. Curran) working when I was in there around 5:00 p.m. on Monday evening.

University of Mary Washington does “The Death Camp of Tolerance” routinue.

Reference to South Park there folks.

The Free Lance–Star:

Andrew Allingham felt like a spoiled white guy.

He’d just toured the University of Mary Washington’s “Tunnel of Oppression,” an event at Combs Hall that touched on courtroom discrimination, stereotypes, women’s rights, white privilege, gender identity, labor rights and animal rights.

Over the weekend, about 60 people visited nine classrooms with different themes–some interactive, some introspective. UMW students have been looking for ways to talk about race on the mostly white campus, said senior Kate LeBoeuf, chairwoman of the Academic Affairs Council, which hosted the event.

We can’t deport the criminals, but we can deport thousands back to a country controlled by a communist regime.

AP:

Washington has started deportation proceedings against thousands of Vietnamese living illegally in the United States under a pact between the two countries, a top U.S. immigration official said Tuesday.

Julie Myers, director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, eased the fears of some Vietnamese groups about the plan, saying those who have lived in the U.S. for more than 13 years would not be deported.

The repatriation pact applies to Vietnamese who entered the U.S. illegally after the former foes normalized relations in 1995. Some critics had expressed concern the agreement could include others who entered the U.S. in the 70s and 80s.

[…]

More than 1.5 million Vietnamese – the largest population outside Vietnam – live in the U.S. Many fled their native country in boats after the Vietnam War ended in 1975 and northern communist forces took control of the former South Vietnam, which the U.S. had backed.

Classy, ICE, Classy.

Wait a second, how can ICE say they’re going to be deporting people from a certain ethnic group without it being considered racial profiling?

Weekly News Media Briefs – Week Ending March 29, 2008

From the Caroline County Sheriff’s Office: Weekly News Media Briefs – Week Ending March 29, 2008:

On March 23, 2008, Deputy J. K. Miller stopped a vehicle for a traffic infraction.  After investigating, Travis S. Carter, 27, of Ruther Glen charged with driving on a suspended license – 3rd offense.  He was ordered held under a $1,000 bond and an arraignment date of March 26, 2008 was set.

On March 23, 2008, Deputy W. D. Lipscomb responded to a domestic.  After investigating, Maricha L. Jordan-Anderton, 42, of Milford was charged with domestic assault.  She was released on her own recognizance and an arraignment date of March 25, 2008 was set.

On March 24, 2008, Deputy W. M. Jones encountered a subject in Ladysmith.  After investigating, Ishmail Rios, 33, of Midlothian was charged with being drunk in public.  He was released on his own recognizance and a court date of March 18, 2008 was set.

On March 24, 2008, Deputy C. M. Polliard stopped a vehicle for a traffic infraction.  After investigating, Fred C. Miller, 49, of Burlington, NC was charged with being a fugitive from Maryland.  He was ordered held without bond pending his extradition to Maryland.

On March 28, 2008, Deputy K. D. DiGravio-Ferguson responded to a domestic violence call which took place in Bowling Green.  After investigating, Timothy Tolson, 39, of Bowling Green was charged with two counts of domestic assault and one count of brandishing a firearm.  An emergency protective order was issued and an April 1, 2008 trial has been set.

On March 29, 2008, Deputy B. N. Doucet responded to the Howard Johnson’s in Ruther Glen in reference to a domestic violence call.  After investigation, Terrance Shawn Mosley, 43, of Ruther Glen, was charged with domestic assault and held without bond pending an April 1, 2008 trial date.

On March 29, 2008, Deputy F. L. Brennan stopped a vehicle on Rt. 639, driven by Debra D. Weinstein, 53, of Ruther Glen who was subsequently arrested for driving under the influence.  An April 4, 2008 trial date has been set.

On March 29, 2008, Deputy C. S. Wooldridge responded to an address on Cedon Road in Woodford on a reported incident involving an adult with a juvenile who appeared to be intoxicated.  After investigating, Russell M. Bowles, III, 24, of Woodford was charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor (17 years of age).

Caroline County Sheriff’s Office Wrap Up

According to Sheriff Tony Lippa, Caroline Deputies made 4 drug arrests, 1 driving under the influence arrest, 7 domestic violence arrests, and 40 other criminal arrests during the past week.  The deputies served 160 civil papers, issued 312 traffic summonses, handled 2 motor vehicle crashes, responded to 35 alarm calls, and dealt with 4 juvenile offenders.  The Sheriff’s Office Communications Center dispatched 414 calls for service and handled 1,682 telephone inquiries.  The CCSO also logged 31 calls assisting outside agencies and had 169 self initiated calls.

Ryan McDougle to run for Attorney General?

That would be your representative to the Senate of Virginia for you simpletons out there (you know I love you through). :)

The Shad Plank:

Sen. Ken Cuccinelli, a conservative Republican from Fairfax County, is holding a press conference at this hour to discuss his political future, and it looks like he’s running for attorney general in 2009.

A new web site is up and running to promote his candidacy. Next year’s race could attract a number of Republican candidates. Among those mentioned as possible contenders in the blogs and in the press are Del. Rob Bell of the Charlottesville area and Sen. Ryan McDougle of Hanover County.

Interestingly, Bill Bolling was the previous representative for the 4th Senate District before he ran for and won the Lieutenant Governor’s race in November 2005. McDougle won the senate race the following January in a special election (he had been representing the 97th House District [Chris Peace won another special election a couple weeks later for the 97th House District and is the current representative]). If both McDougle and Bolling win, that means there would be two statewide elected officials that have represented the 4th Senate District.

WUSA 9 News is a joke…

A few minutes ago (around 9:30) they made the comment that the “Chinese government is angry that the Dalai Lama is stirring up trouble” or something to that affect.

Yeah, nothing like stirring up trouble when the ChiComs have their police men dressing up as Tibetan monks and starting riots.

I’m sure “King George III was angry that Thomas Jefferson was stirring up trouble” too. Ditto for Samual Adams (and I’m not talking about the beer there folks).

I’m sure “Lord Willingdon was angry that Gandhi was stirring up trouble” as well.

More expert leadership in Virginia…

So much for Virginia’s prisons being overcrowded. NBC12:

Despite Virginia’s own corrections crunch, Wyoming is sending up to 300 inmates to the state prison system.

The transfer over two years is part of a contract that could pay Virginia $18.5 million.

The Wyoming inmates will be held at the high-security Wallens Ridge State Prison in Wise County and the state’s new medium-security Pocahontas State Correctional Center in Tazewell County.

Last year, Virginia officials warned that the number of state prisoners projected to be added to the system would require a new 1,000-bed prison each year for the next six years.

Virginia corrections spokesman Larry Traylor says that forecast has not changed.

He says the alternative to contracting for out-of-state prisoners could be closing prisons and laying off employees.

No, the alternative should be putting more money into the “corrections” system and cut money for student centers or whatever pet (corrupt) project some Delegate or Senator has.

Privatizing the special tax on poor people?

That would be the Virginia Lottery by the way. Richmond Times-Dispatch:

The odds of winning the Virginia Lottery may be better than chances that the state turns it over to private business.

But that’s not stopping some politicians, policymakers and plutocrats from discussing the idea, particularly when the declining economy has Virginia scrounging for dollars.

“If we’re not going to raise taxes and we’re not going to cut expenses, then we have to find a third way,” says Del. David E. Poisson, D-Loudoun, a proponent of a privately run lottery.

Poisson’s legislation to put the 20-year-old lottery in private hands was ignored by the 2008 General Assembly. It went no further than a House committee, where it died without a public hearing or vote.

Poisson’s bill did not specifically mandate the sale or lease of the lottery; rather, it required the five-member board that oversees the game to study options for privatization by July 2010 and make a recommendation to the General Assembly.

Such a shift would be of particular interest to the lottery’s primary beneficiaries, the state’s public schools, which last year shared $437 million in game profits on sales of $1.3 billion. Educators and their allies in the legislature would likely demand guarantees that privatization does not threaten profitability.

So, only 33.62% of the money goes to education? I thought all the money was supposed to go to schools. I guess like any government agency 60% of the money goes to “administration”.

[…]

Paula I. Otto, the new director of the Virginia Lottery, says the reluctance of American lotteries to privatize may be rooted in an important selling point for players: that the games are public.

“Because lotteries have been operated by government, at least modern lotteries, there is a trust factor, there is an integrity factor that for the public feels right,” says Otto.

Yes, sure, we trust the government.

[…]

Virginia law prohibits the lottery from using promotions that could be seen as inducing people to play. Instead, radio and television commercials, bus and highway billboards and point-of-purchase displays can be only informational.

Um…yeah, sure, I’m buying that. Those Bacardi advertisements on your television are for “informational” purposes only too. Ditto for the Marlboro and Newport ads in magazines.

While we’re talking about privatizing stuff, why don’t we privatize Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC)? Why is the government in the business of selling booze in the first place?

And don’t give me the story about how the government is better able to stop underage persons from buying booze. I see just as many ABC employees getting arrested for underage sells as private employees when ABC does their sting operations.

Here’s my solution: Privatize the sells/business portion of ABC and move the enforcement portion into the Virginia State Police (VSP).

Of course, I’m sure the ABC agents would love that since they get along so well with VSP.

Tell ’em to “suck it up”.

RIP

Richmond Times-Dispatch: Vehicle accident fatal to Henrico firefighter:

A Henrico County firefighter died early yesterday after he became pinned between a tree and a vehicle at his home in what authorities described as an accident.

Joseph J. Ritzenthaler, 30, of New Kent County also was a paramedic in the Army Reserve who served in Iraq in 2003.

“He was engaged to be married in August,” Henrico fire Capt. Douglas Reynolds said last night.

Rescue workers responding to a 5:45 a.m. call in the 8900 block of Piney Branch Lane in Providence Forge found Ritzenthaler trapped. They pulled him out, provided medical care and took him to VCU Medical Center, where he later was pronounced dead, according to the New Kent Sheriff’s Office.

Ritzenthaler may have been trying to start the vehicle to go to work, authorities said. The vehicle lurched forward, trapping him against the tree.

The firefighter and paramedic would have completed his sixth year with Henrico Division of Fire this summer. He also worked part-time at the VCU Medical Center emergency room, Reynolds said.

Ritzenthaler enlisted in the Army Reserve at age 19 and was still active, Reynolds said. He was a paramedic sergeant with the military police.

Before coming to Henrico, he worked for Richmond Ambulance Authority and was a volunteer firefighter in his hometown of Williamsburg, Reynolds said.

“He was a well-liked person within the division [Henrico],” the fire captain said. “He’s certainly going to be missed by the people who worked with him.”