Opinions for Lynchburg News Advance

Letters to the Editor for Saturday, May 17, 2008

Fri, 16 May 2008 22:51:01 EDT

Checking Up on Seven Terrific Odyssey Students

Fri, 16 May 2008 22:49:00 EDT

Letters to the Editor for Friday, May 16, 2008

Thu, 15 May 2008 22:19:00 EDT

A Region of Broadband Have-Nots

Thu, 15 May 2008 22:18:00 EDT

In this day and age, Internet access — fast Internet access — is almost an economic necessity. That’s what makes a recent study on broadband penetration rates so disturbing.

Falwell’s legacy larger than life

Thu, 15 May 2008 07:42:00 EDT

It’s hard to believe that the Rev. Jerry Falwell has been gone from us for a year now.

Letters to the Editor for Thursday, May 15, 2008

Wed, 14 May 2008 22:14:00 EDT

Holstered Guns Still Wrong in Restaurants, Bars

Wed, 14 May 2008 22:13:00 EDT

Have the people in Northern Virginia — Fairfax County in particular — become so inured to the presence of guns in their culture that no one raises an eyebrow over the guy in a restaurant with a holstered pistol on his hip?

Letters to the Editor for Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Tue, 13 May 2008 22:31:00 EDT

Critical Study Taking Shape for the Future

Tue, 13 May 2008 22:29:00 EDT

A regional plan for adequate future water supplies is taking shape exactly when it should — when supplies are relatively robust and the need for additional sources has not reached the point of a crisis.

Op-Ed: No Rush, Just the Best Time to Bring It to Market

Tue, 13 May 2008 16:38:00 EDT

Randolph College is moving forward to ensure a bright future and to honor the historic vitality and academic excellence of its founding as Randolph-Macon Woman’s College. We are committed to enrolling talented students who are eager to engage in all aspects of the educational experience. We owe these students an excellent faculty, up-to-date resources and facilities, and a thriving campus community. To this end, it is essential that the college act to maintain financial stability for future generations of students.

Op-Ed: Why the Rush to Sell the Maier Art?

Tue, 13 May 2008 16:34:00 EDT

Officials of Randolph College have become accustomed to thumbing their noses at alumnae, donors and public opinion. Now they’re thumbing their noses at the Virginia Supreme Court.

Politicians can’t always keep their preachers on a leash

Tue, 13 May 2008 13:15:00 EDT

Maybe there is something to this separation of church and state idea—especially if you happen to be running for president.

Ever since Richard Nixon embraced Billy Graham, it seems, there has been a temptation for nationally prominent politicians to seek out nationally prominent preachers. Perhaps they are hoping that a smile and a nod from one of them will be seen by the voters as an endorsement from God.

Burma’s Junta Adds to Depth of the Disaster

Mon, 12 May 2008 22:15:00 EDT

In the days following a cyclone of apparent epic proportions, how do the government leaders of Burma move to help the thousands of homeless, starving people?

Letters to the Editor for Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Mon, 12 May 2008 22:15:00 EDT

Letters to the Editor for Monday, May 12, 2008

Mon, 12 May 2008 09:50:00 EDT

RINOs, DINOs and Other Rare Species

Mon, 12 May 2008 09:49:00 EDT

We’ve had presidents caricatured as baboons (Abraham Lincoln), bigamists (Andrew Jackson), B-class actors (Ronald Reagan) and country hicks (Harry Truman). You get the picture, and it’s not a pretty one.

Jefferson’s note, other treasures

Mon, 12 May 2008 08:54:00 EDT

It’s appropriate that the Jones Memorial Library is on an upper floor of the building it shares with the Lynchburg Public Library. That’s because, as Lewis Averett says with a smile: “We’ve been called ‘Lynchburg’s attic.’”

Relay for Life offers mothers, daughters a chance to fight cancer

Mon, 12 May 2008 08:53:00 EDT

This will be a bittersweet Mother’s Day for the Spice Squirrels.

Letters to the Editor for Sunday, May 11, 2008

Sat, 10 May 2008 22:15:00 EDT

Lessons to be Learned From the Council Election

Sat, 10 May 2008 22:15:00 EDT

In the wake of Tuesday’s City Council elections in Lynchburg, there are some things that will change and some things that won’t.

Checking Up on Tuesday’s Lazy Non-Voters

Fri, 09 May 2008 22:28:00 EDT

Letters to the Editor for Saturday, May 10, 2008

Fri, 09 May 2008 22:27:00 EDT

Letters to the Editor for Friday, May 9, 2008

Thu, 08 May 2008 22:38:00 EDT

Early-Learning Programs Get Needed Nurture

Thu, 08 May 2008 22:36:00 EDT

Although Gov. Timothy M. Kaine did not get all the money he proposed to the 2008 General Assembly to expand early childhood education across Virginia, he did get money to nurture early-learning programs around the state.

Miss Chase and other nurse lore

Wed, 07 May 2008 22:36:00 EDT

Hospitals are facing a shortage of nurses these days. Kim Price can’t figure out why.

Letters to the Editor for Thursday, May 8, 2008

Wed, 07 May 2008 22:24:00 EDT

Will Legislators Rise to Meet Virginia’s Road Needs?

Wed, 07 May 2008 22:23:00 EDT

Most Virginians say they want a solution to meet the growing needs of the state’s beleaguered transportation system. But are they willing to pay for it?

Letters to the Editor for Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Tue, 06 May 2008 22:33:00 EDT

Habitat for Humanity’s Future Is Green

Tue, 06 May 2008 22:31:00 EDT

With the cost of energy rising almost daily, it only makes sense to focus on energy efficiency in homes built for Habitat for Humanity families.

A young man honored by two tribes

Tue, 06 May 2008 11:24:00 EDT

One of the hardest assignments for a journalist is attending a funeral for someone you didn’t know, never met, and have no connection with. Will Branham’s funeral last Sunday was different, and I spent part of the next day trying to figure out why.

Letters to the Editor for Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Mon, 05 May 2008 22:01:00 EDT

Government Openness Not to Be Feared

Mon, 05 May 2008 22:00:00 EDT

If public interviews for School Board members are good enough for other city councils, why not here in Lynchburg?

Letters to the Editor for Monday, May 5, 2008

Sun, 04 May 2008 22:20:00 EDT

Issues to Think About When Casting a Vote

Sun, 04 May 2008 22:19:00 EDT

Tomorrow’s Election Day in the city of Lynchburg, and we hope thousands of voters in each of the city’s four wards will turn out to cast their ballots in the City Council races.

Nice guys finish last? Not here

Sun, 04 May 2008 21:29:00 EDT

I’ve lived here long enough to have learned a few things about Lynchburg City Council elections.

Risky, Private Projects and Public Bucks a Volatile Mix

Sat, 03 May 2008 22:15:00 EDT

For years, whenever architect Hal Craddock looked at downtown Lynchburg, filled with empty warehouses from the city’s past manufacturing era, he saw the city’s future. His dream was of a downtown revitalized and rejuvenated, building on the literal foundations of the past an edifice for Lynchburg’s future growth.

Letters to the Editor for Sunday, May 4, 2008

Sat, 03 May 2008 22:15:00 EDT

Not that young anymore

Sat, 03 May 2008 19:07:00 EDT

GREENSBORO, N.C. — There was definitely magic in the night on Monday, as Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band rocked the Greensboro Coliseum to its rafters.

Letters to the Editor for Saturday, May 3, 2008

Fri, 02 May 2008 22:15:00 EDT

Honoring Top Public School Performers

Thu, 01 May 2008 22:15:00 EDT

Public education in America is replete with problems; there’s no use denying that fact. Public schools in Virginia — and, yes, right here in Central Virginia — have their share of problems, too.
But there are also success stories as was the case earlier this week.

Letters to the Editor for Friday, May 2, 2008

Thu, 01 May 2008 22:15:00 EDT

A Baby Step on Loophole at Gun Shows

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 22:15:00 EDT

In Virginia, guns rule. The most recent General Assembly session proved that. How else can you view a legislature that would seriously consider mixing deadly weapons with whiskey in a bar? How else can you view a proposal that would allow people without a concealed-carry permit to stash a loaded weapon in the glove box of the car?

Letters to the Editor for Thursday, May 1, 2008

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 22:15:00 EDT

When a TV skit goes too far

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 21:40:00 EDT

The frontier between humor and cruelty can be a narrow and treacherous place, the border often vaguely defined.

Charlottesville Bypass Now a Critical Need

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 22:15:00 EDT

How refreshing. A Charlottesville business group has offered its support of the long-needed U.S. 29 bypass around the city. Most officials in Charlottesville and Albemarle County have done nothing but resist the bypass for years.

Letters to the Editor for Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 22:15:00 EDT

A Chance for Expanded Train Service

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 22:16:00 EDT

If elected officials in the region are serious about adding an Amtrak daily passenger train from Lynchburg to Washington, D.C., they need to let the state know — and soon.

Letters to the Editor for Tuesday, April 30, 2008

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 22:16:00 EDT

‘Madame Butterfly’ for a crowd of two

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 22:31:00 EDT

It was nearly two and a half hours into the San Francisco Opera Company’s filmed production of “Madame Butterfly” one night earlier this month, and still no fat lady.

Rush Homes Is Meeting a Critical Need

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 22:15:00 EDT

A critical need exists across Virginia for accessible, affordable housing for the disabled. But in Central Virginia, Rush Homes is meeting that need — as quickly as the nonprofit organization can refurbish homes for them.

Letters to the Editor for Monday, April 28, 2008

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 22:15:00 EDT

Letters to the Editor for Sunday, April 27, 2008

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 22:20:00 EDT

Op-Ed: Bluffwalk Developer Asks for More Time

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 22:16:00 EDT

There has been a lot of controversy swirling around our Bluffwalk Center Development in the last several months, partially due to the political season and certainly due to the considerable financial challenges we continue to face as we grow and stabilize the project.

States Bearing the Brunt of Slowing Economy

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 22:15:01 EDT

As the national economy slows, the effect is being felt most acutely in state capitals across the nation. In a report released Friday, the National Conference of State Legislatures (NACL) paints a bleak picture of the situation the states are facing today.

Letters to the Editor for Saturday, April 26, 2008

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 22:15:00 EDT

LU Program Will Benefit State’s Inmates

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 22:15:00 EDT

A prisoner-education proposal by Liberty University is now the model prototype for a statewide program. The governor recently amended the state budget to expand the program to every public and private college in the state.

Letters to the Editor for Friday, April 25, 2008

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 22:15:00 EDT

Regional Trails for an Already Great System

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 22:16:00 EDT

Lynchburg has one of the best trail systems for a city its size in the nation. That trail system for hikers and bikers could get even better if recommendations offered for the region by the 2007 Virginia Outdoors Plan are implemented.

Letters to the Editor for Thursday, April 24, 2008

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 22:16:00 EDT

Epitaph for a pure shooter

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 21:58:00 EDT

I felt bad. Not only was I the person who had to tell Robert Flood that Kenny Ray Smith was dead, but I had to wake him up to do it.

APCo’s Gift Will Give for Years to Come

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 22:15:00 EDT

Smith Mountain Lake is one of the natural, man-made gems of Central Virginia that makes the region such a great place in which to live and work.

Letters to the Editor for Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 22:15:00 EDT

Lynchburg’s Downtown Is Worth the Time, Effort

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 22:15:00 EDT

In the upcoming City Council elections, one of the issues that has arisen as a dividing line among the candidates and, by extension, city residents is the worth of the ongoing efforts to revitalize downtown Lynchburg.

Letters to the Editor for Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 22:15:00 EDT

Letters to the Editor for Monday, April 21, 2008

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 22:15:00 EDT

Lessons to be Learned From the Civil War

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 22:15:00 EDT

For more than a century, The Museum of the Confederacy’s home was in Richmond, the capital of the Confederacy during the Civil War.

Things to ponder on a slow Monday

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 22:09:01 EDT

A fellow named Gary Hall called me last week with an interesting question.

Letters to the Editor for Sunday, April 20, 2008

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 22:15:01 EDT

Amherst County Deserves Explanation in Taylor Death

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 22:15:00 EDT

To function properly with a democracy, a law enforcement agency needs to have the trust, confidence and support of the community it serves.
The Amherst County Sheriff’s Department needs to remember that in the days ahead.

Letters to the Editor for Saturday, April 19, 2008

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 22:15:00 EDT

Checking Up on a Family and Seat Belt Safety

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 22:15:00 EDT

Cho case highlights knee-jerk laws

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 13:59:00 EDT

One of the most disturbing pieces of information that dribbled out from the flurry of “first anniversary” stories on the 2007 Virginia Tech shootings was this: Apparently, Seung-Hui Cho’s parents weren’t told by school or public health officials that their son had been deemed a “danger to himself and others.”

Letters to the Editor for Friday, April 18, 2008

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 22:15:00 EDT

Everything on the Table for Energy Needs

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 22:15:00 EDT

With a barrel of oil trading at more than $100, gasoline closing in on $4 a gallon and energy experts positing that production in the world’s oil fields has plateaued, you would think there would be a rush to new sources of power.
Think again.

A love affair with the piney woods

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 22:36:00 EDT

Even the middle of nowhere has to be somewhere. It all depends on your perspective.

Master Plan Crucial for LU’s Future Growth

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 22:15:00 EDT

Though they’ve sometimes talked at each in years past, Lynchburg and Liberty University officials are now talking to each other as LU continues its phenomenal growth.

Letters to the Editor for Thursday, April 17, 2008

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 22:15:00 EDT

State Shows Its Disdain for Municipalities

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 22:30:00 EDT

When the General Assembly slashed $100 million in aid to local governments from the new state budget, lawmakers didn’t bother to consider that some of that money was to pay for state mandates.

Letters to the Editor for Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 22:30:00 EDT

Letters to the Editor for Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 22:26:00 EDT

Intermodal Yard in Montgomery Will Benefit State

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 22:25:00 EDT

An increase in the number of tractor-trailer sized containers could be moving through the area in the next year or so — without an increase in the number of tractor-trailers.

Letters to the Editor for Monday, April 14, 2008

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 09:31:00 EDT

Privacy Laws Change After VT Massacre

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 09:29:00 EDT

In the aftermath of the Virginia Tech massacre, one of the most frustrating revelations to emerge was the inability of officials to communicate with the parents of Seung-Hui Cho about his mental
illness.

Seeing banks through Glass

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 22:11:00 EDT

What’s that you say, Senator Glass? I’m sorry, but you’re spinning so rapidly in your grave that I can’t quite make it out.

Community Viewpoint: Ex-POW Still Grateful After 35 Years

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 22:20:00 EDT

Bedford City, County on the Right Path for the Future

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 22:18:00 EDT

To say that Virginia has a quirky local government structure is to put it mildly. No other state in the country has a system in which counties and cities are separate entities, with different and conflicting powers.

Letters to the Editor for Saturday, April 12, 2008

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 22:13:00 EDT

Checking Up on Lynchburg’s Dialogue on Race

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 22:11:00 EDT

Wyoming Adds to the Crowds in State Prisons

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 15:30:01 EDT

If Virginia’s prison system is crowded, why would the state be inviting the transfer of 300 inmates from Wyoming? If that’s the case — and it appears to be — someone in the state Department of Corrections needs to upgrade his calculator with special emphasis on the addition and subtraction functions.

Letters to the Editor for Friday, April 11, 2008

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 15:28:00 EDT

Moving without going anywhere

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 22:17:00 EDT

People sometimes ask me why I’ve stayed at The News & Advance so long.

Letters to the Editor for Thursday, April 10, 2008

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 14:43:01 EDT

Keep Politics Away From VT’s April 16 Events

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 14:42:00 EDT

In just a few days on April 16, the Virginia Tech community will mark the somber one-year anniversary of Seung-Hui Cho’s massacre of 32 people on the Blacksburg campus

Letters to the Editor for Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 16:32:00 EDT

FDA Deserves Oversight of Big Tobacco

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 16:31:00 EDT

If the federal Food and Drug Administration can regulate everything from toothpaste to the latest drugs designed to combat cancer, why shouldn’t it be allowed to monitor tobacco products?

Letters to the Editor for Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 16:57:01 EDT

The American Dream Is Dying at the Pump

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 16:56:00 EDT

Ten years ago, the cost of a gallon of regular gasoline in the Southeastern United States was slightly more than 98 cents. For those who keep stretching the family budget to pay for gasoline and independent truckers trying to make a living delivering freight, that was a long time ago.

Kaine correct to halt state’s executions

Sun, 06 Apr 2008 21:47:00 EDT

Since 1976, when the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty, Virginia has executed 98 men, second only to Texas, with more than 400.

Letters to the Editor for Monday, April 7, 2008

Sun, 06 Apr 2008 21:44:00 EDT

The dreamer died, but not the dream

Sun, 06 Apr 2008 21:36:00 EDT

The Rev. Martin Luther King could not have planned it any better.