Yes Doctor Frankenstein, I'm ALIVE!

I apologize for my recent absence. Work and family life got in the way of my blogging for a while this summer.

As a token of my gratitude for the many emails I received while I was on hiatus, anonymous comments are once again allowed. Enjoy!

$400k More of Our Tax Money to the IDA

When will the madness that is the Halifax County IDA end?

Our knowledgeable Supervisors have decided to 'loan' the IDA $400,000. Keep in mind that 'loan' is a loose term with these people and we should go ahead and expect that repayment will never happen, or if it does happen the terms will be very different from what is printed in today's Gazette-Virginian. After all, all they have to do is have another vote later to change the deal.

The most interesting part is that the parties involved tried to receive some Federal money, but they didn't meet the requirements:

IDA Interim Executive Director Patsy Vaughan said the Riverstone tenants – Virginia Tech and Tetra Tech – were unable to meet certifications needed to borrow the federal funds.

Virginia Tech can't meet the requirements to borrow Federal money? HELLO???? Is anyone even listening or reading what Ms. Vaughan said???? Virginia Tech, a state supported school, can't borrow Federal money, yet we're willing to hand over $400k to them. Does that strike anyone else as odd?

I think we need to send our Supervisor's to Joe Gasperini's basic finance class at the high school.

Are You Ready for Your Water Bill Increase?

Just when everyone's budgets are already spread thin, our public servants are itching to hit us with another increase. If you read the article in Friday's Gazette (beware, you'll have to scroll down to find it*), you'll see how they're rationalizing it. What bothers me the most about it is that they have over $100,000 owed to them by people who's service hasn't been cut off! I don't know about you guys, but the last time I was late (by just a few days) they didn't have a problem shutting my water off. I would think that the 'sewage only' customers would be even more inclined to pay on time. If you have raw sewage backing up into your home, it's time to pay the darn bill.

But wait! What they don't tell you is that there is no way for them to shut off the sewer service. Once a home is connected to the sewer, it's always on. That's why they aren't disconnecting those people! There is no real incentive for those patrons to ever pay their bill if there is no chance of having the service disconnected.

Ahhh... the smell of free sewage service in the morning. There's nothing else like it.

*Note to the Gazette-Virginian: Please, please, please either make your articles have static URL's, or at least change the archive pages so that readers can click a link to auto scroll to the article they're interested in.

New Rules for the Comments

Congratulations. You've worn down my patience and comments can no longer be completely anonymous. You must now have either a Google ID or an OpenID account to post a comment.

I apologize to those who were posting and maintaining the proper level of civility. I really wanted to leave the comments open to anonymous posters because I thought it would be the best way to incite real, honest exchanges. Silly me, huh?

New New New New Cell Phone Policy in HCPS

So, the school board approved a new cell phone policy. You can check it out on the Gazette-Virginian website (don't expect the link to work past Friday morning).

Question:

What good is a new policy when the old policy wasn't being enforced, or at least it wasn't being enforced consistently?

Best quote of the entire article:

Board member Stuart Comer asked about text messaging, to which Randolph replied he is unaware of a significant amount of text messaging during the instructional day.

Is that man delusional or does he expect us to believe this crap?

Pay No Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain

Edit: Enough with the name calling in the comments. Say whatever you want, but keep jerk, idiot, and all other names out or your post and on the playground where they belong.

I have received several emails from readers that want to know who I am. For my own job security and safety, I cannot divulge that information. However, I will confirm the following facts about myself:

• I am a middle aged man.
• My political views typically align with the libertarians, but I lean to the left on a lot of issues.
• I am not employed in the law enforcement community.

Regardless, my identity isn't the important thing. It's the issues! I welcome anonymous posts for the simple reason that I respect everyone's right to privacy.

Keep those comments and emails coming, and recommend this blog to all your friends!

Right Wingnut Agrees With Left Wingnut

I read Tom McLaughlin's opinion piece with great interest every week. More often than not I agree with him, but I found this week's article especially interesting. He received an email in which an admittedly 'conservative' reader agreed with his previous article concerning the pending Ag Development tax cut.

I'm glad both sides of the aisle are able to see this thing as a huge mistake, not only for the reasons McLaughlin pointed out (they have no idea how much it will cost), but for the reason his emailer brought up. Anyone that thinks this isn't a ploy by our Board to cut their own taxes needs to pull their head out of the sand. Tom should poll the Board members asking them how much they stand to save on their personal tax bill if this measure passes. Those numbers would probably astound Halifaxians to the point of revolt. I will go out on a limb and say that if all the supervisors who's tax bill would be lowered by such a change were forced to forgo their vote we would only have a couple of supervisors voting. I don't know about the rest of you, but that sounds immoral and illegal to me.

The problem is that no one will ever ask the questions that need to be asked. Neither of our newspapers will step up, and if we're waiting for our supervisors to forfeit their votes on the grounds of conflicts of interest we'd all be waiting until the end of time.

We've put the foxes in charge of the hen house, my friends!

Thine Supes Taketh Away, Then Giveth Back

What the Hell?

The Board of Supervisors originally cut the IDA's budget, but this week they decided to give them $43,000 back for the office manager position. What brought on such a unanimous decision?

You can read The News & Record's report here, but don't be expecting too many details.

A Picture Worth Sharing

I ran across this picture today and couldn't suppress a hearty belly laugh (and I have plenty belly). I don't think people want to somehow attach a grasp of the English language to citizenship. How many natural born Americans could pass the English portion of the GED test?

It's the Ecomomic Stimulus Check Again, Stupid

I've been ravenously reading the blogosphere for all opinions on the recent ecomonic stimulus checks being sent to almost all citizens. This essay seems to sum up the mess our economy is in, and how and why this band aid will not fix things:

Apparently, the U.S. Treasury’s gift is supposed to send my wife and me off to the nearest big box store for a flat screen TV. Or perhaps we’ll celebrate the bonus with dinner at a restaurant littered with black-and-white photos of yesteryear. Inspired by the Lassie-era pictures, we’ll toast to new beginnings, to economic stimulation — and to stuff!

Please go read the entire essay and the comments. I think most of it is right on target.

IDA, How Will Ye Screw Us This Time?

So the IDA is finally getting around to searching for a replacement for Mike Eades, who left April 2. Remember his exit? The county was contractually obligated to provide his family with health insurance after he left? With contracts like that, we'd all be better off without an IDA.

The board, in it's first stroke of common sense, considered performing the search for a new director without hiring a consultant. Too bad they ignored the common sense idea and decided to hire a consultant. I guess none of the members wanted to actually peruse the resumes to see who was qualified.

So far, they're holding on to their second stroke of common sense and insisting that the new contract include some performance parameters. Let's hope that they don't screw that up and dumb down the parameters so that a monkey could do the job.

My question to the board is this: What is Interim Director Patsy Vaughan doing so wrong and why can't she be given the full time job? True, she hasn't produced the jobs the IDA promises session after session, but their high priced hired guns haven't excelled at producing jobs, either.

My rating for the IDA so far this year: Zero stars. That old Janet Jackson song comes to mind, "What Have You Done for Me Lately?"

Happy (Belated) Memorial Day!

Happy Memorial Day! I hope everyone was able to enjoy the great weather we had yesterday. I wanted to post this yesterday, but the family and I had been on a short vacation for the last few days.

Take the time to let a vet know you appreciate them!

Commonwealth's Attorney Prosecutes a Case!

It's hard to believe that the ever politically minded Mrs. White didn't plead this one out. The Sheriff's Office must have handed her a slam dunk case on this one.

Economic Stimulus Check

What do you plan to do with yours?

Will this plan have any real effect on our local economy, or will it just help big box stores sell TV's and computers?

Vote!

If you reside in one of Halifax County's towns, get out and vote today!

Just think, if you want to complain, you need to be able to brag about voting for the idiots!

Moser leaves SBPD...

Edited for clarification. I read about Moser resigning on halifaxtalk. I didn't read that he was going to the HCSO on halifaxtalk. That was my own conjecture. Regardless, I wish him the best. Lord knows we need his canine unit on the force around here no matter where it is.

I read over on my favorite forum that Todd Moser has resigned from the South Boston Police Department. All the posters are stepping lightly around the subject, but I'll go ahead and say it.

Moser will go to the Halifax County Sheriff's Office to fill the position vacated by David Irby.

This is just another step in Noblin's plan to offer jobs to those people who supported him in his election campaign. Anyone remember who else appeared in the campaign materials with Noblin?

I'm not sure how I feel about this turn of events. On one hand, I reeks of a 'good old boy's club' deal; and on the other hand if I were in Noblin's position I would probably surround myself with loyal deputies, as well.

Another question: Does anyone know of David Irby supported either candidate throughout the campaign?

Update on the Uranium Seminar

Well, well, well!

How interesting it is to read the comments from people that attended the seminar with open minds.

Check out the comments to my previous post for some comments, and check out this blog entry by Ophelia Ford for their blow by blow of the meeting.

Uranium Alliance Pow Wow

It looks like SCC and the No-Uranium crowd are happy with their recent back slapping pow wow. That, or the punctuation store was having a 50% off sale on exclamation points and periods. That meeting must have been downright orgasmic!(!!!!)

Pedestrians in Danger in the Town of Halifax?

The News & Record informs us that the Halifax Police Department will begin aggressively enforcing traffic laws at crosswalks.

Is this really a huge issue in the village? I realize that on court days the town is crowded with cars and pedestrians, but I've never seen anything close to the mayhem that is common in larger areas. Who has actually complained about the issue?

Is David Irby regretting his choice to join the HPD yet? To go from the front lines of the county's major crime fighting force to enforcing crosswalk etiquette and manning the town's speed trap has to be quite a blow to one's moral.

I know I'm full of questions, but inquiring minds want to know!

UPDATE:

Someone emailed me this link. It looks like Fairfax actually has a pedestrian safety problem. I wonder if they would find Halifax's press release humorous?

Halifax County Little Theatre - Smokey Joe's Cafe

I had the pleasure of attending the Halifax County Little Theatre's production of the musical revue show, Smokey Joe's Cafe. I really enjoyed the show. It showcased local talent in a very positive light. I commend the group for the courage to tackle a show that relies completely on music with very little dialog.

I'm a musical theatre fan, and while this production isn't on par with Broadway or any national touring company productions, it was an extraordinary performance for an amateur troupe.

Gang Awareness Presentation

I read over on halifaxtalk.com there there was a gang presentation tonight at First Baptist Church in South Boston. I'd be interested in impressions from anyone that attended the event. Email comments and/or audio video recordings to halifax.news@gmail.com.

I'm not completely convinced that Halifax County has a huge gang issue, but I am willing to take a look at the information presented with an open mind.

The Case for a Uranium Study

I happened upon a blog earlier this week that makes a good case for why we should allow and encourage an independent Uranium study to be performed. Take a look and let me know what you think in the comments.

Trouble in Noblin's Paradise?

I read in today's Gazette-Virginian that David Irby, an eleven year veteran of the Halifax County Sheriff's Office, is now a Sergeant with the Town of Halifax Police Department. One can only speculate about this change, but it could point to trouble in the Sheriff's Office since new Sheriff, Stanley Noblin, took over earlier this year.

On the other hand, if Irby's intentions were to leave the political brouhaha that is the Sheriff's Office, he might be in for a rude awakening in his new position. The Town of Halifax Police Department isn't known for being non-political. For verification just ask Devin Snead or Glenn Stanley.

Regardless of his reason for moving, I wish Sergeant Irby all the best in his new position. All indications are that he is a fine officer and we're lucky to have him at our service.

School Board Budget Discussion

Did anyone else find the article about the Halifax County School Board's budget discussion in today's Gazette-Virginian interesting?

My curiosity was really piqued by this:

Superintendent Paul Stapleton told the board seven central office positions have been cut during his tenure, and the proposed four cuts would make a total of 11 administrative positions cut.

I would be very interested to know the titles of the seven cut and four proposed cut positions. Anyone with that information should email it to me at halifax.news@gmail.com.

Welcome! Let's See Where This Leads

This blog will contain everything related to Halifax County, Virginia. It will point out greatness and stupidity in our local government and community in general.

If you have an idea for a story or are interested in submitting a story to be posted here, email it to us at halifax.news@gmail.com. All submissions will be seriously considered, but we cannot promise to post your submission. We will also honor your privacy if you want to remain anonymous. That being said, we will not publish any outlandish or libelous articles. Opinions are great, but if you are stating something as fact you need to be able to back it up with a verifiable citation.