By Jessica Porter
Capital News Service
RICHMOND - Delegate David Englin, D-Alexandria, wants Virginia to repeal its constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages.
He says the amendment, which voters approved four years ago, is unfair to gay and lesbian couples. So he's trying for the third time to repeal it.
Read the whole story in the San Diego Ranch Coast News
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Buddhism: Growing With Time
By Jessica Porter
With actors like Richard Gere and Orlando Bloom converting to Buddhism, the religion is becoming more main stream in American Culture. Considering many people in the United States grew up Christian, this new wave of Buddhism is taking many by surprise.
Read the whole story in Ground Report
With actors like Richard Gere and Orlando Bloom converting to Buddhism, the religion is becoming more main stream in American Culture. Considering many people in the United States grew up Christian, this new wave of Buddhism is taking many by surprise.
Read the whole story in Ground Report
Buddhism is an Eastern Way of Life Appealing to Westerners
By Jessica Porter
Scarlett Sams works in a Presbyterian Church during the day, but on Thursday nights she attends a meeting of Tibetan Buddhist’s at Ekoji Buddhist Sangha in Richmond, Va. She is a part of a growing Buddhist movement in the United States of every day Americans finding comfort in this Eastern tradition.
Read the whole story in Ground Report
Scarlett Sams works in a Presbyterian Church during the day, but on Thursday nights she attends a meeting of Tibetan Buddhist’s at Ekoji Buddhist Sangha in Richmond, Va. She is a part of a growing Buddhist movement in the United States of every day Americans finding comfort in this Eastern tradition.
Read the whole story in Ground Report
Bill Provides Fairness for Va. Fishermen
By Jessica Porter
Capital News Service
RICHMOND -- At the urging of legislators representing the Eastern Shore, the General Assembly seems likely to approve a law to ensure fair fishing rights for Virginia's commercial fishermen.
The Senate has unanimously passed Senate Bill 192, sponsored by Sen. Ralph Northam, D-Norfolk. And the House is considering final approval of the almost identical House Bill 1291, sponsored by Delegate Lynwood Lewis, D-Accomac.
The bills would address inequities in fishing rights along the East Coast.
In some states, fishermen cannot buy a license for certain types of commercial fishing, so they purchase it in Virginia, where it isn’t restricted.
The problem is that Virginians cannot use resources in the states those fishermen come from, because the license does not exist or because the state has a much higher non-resident license fee than Virginia.
“It’s a fairness bill. We want Virginia’s commercial fishermen to be treated the way we treat other state’s fishermen,” said John Bull, spokesman for the Virginia Marine Resources Commission.
For example, the sale of commercial gillnet licenses is closed in New Jersey, so many New Jersey fishermen come to Virginia to buy licenses, Bull said. However, Virginians cannot do the same in New Jersey.
Similarly, when Maryland fishermen cannot get licenses to crab dredge, they can cross the state line to Virginia, where crab dredging licenses soon will be available. Also, Maryland charges non-residents much more for licenses than Virginia does, Bull said.
SB 192 and HB 1291 states that “No commercial fishing license shall be sold to a non-resident whose state of residence does not offer for sale the same or substantially similar license to a resident of the Commonwealth.”
Ken Smith, president of the Virginia Waterman’s Association, said fisherman support the proposal.
“Maybe it will broaden the doors on what we’re able to do,” he said. “And if it doesn’t broaden our doors, maybe it will stop people from taking our resources. People come to our waters and catch our fish but they take them back to their state and sell them.”
Read the whole story at www.WTOP.com
Capital News Service
RICHMOND -- At the urging of legislators representing the Eastern Shore, the General Assembly seems likely to approve a law to ensure fair fishing rights for Virginia's commercial fishermen.
The Senate has unanimously passed Senate Bill 192, sponsored by Sen. Ralph Northam, D-Norfolk. And the House is considering final approval of the almost identical House Bill 1291, sponsored by Delegate Lynwood Lewis, D-Accomac.
The bills would address inequities in fishing rights along the East Coast.
In some states, fishermen cannot buy a license for certain types of commercial fishing, so they purchase it in Virginia, where it isn’t restricted.
The problem is that Virginians cannot use resources in the states those fishermen come from, because the license does not exist or because the state has a much higher non-resident license fee than Virginia.
“It’s a fairness bill. We want Virginia’s commercial fishermen to be treated the way we treat other state’s fishermen,” said John Bull, spokesman for the Virginia Marine Resources Commission.
For example, the sale of commercial gillnet licenses is closed in New Jersey, so many New Jersey fishermen come to Virginia to buy licenses, Bull said. However, Virginians cannot do the same in New Jersey.
Similarly, when Maryland fishermen cannot get licenses to crab dredge, they can cross the state line to Virginia, where crab dredging licenses soon will be available. Also, Maryland charges non-residents much more for licenses than Virginia does, Bull said.
SB 192 and HB 1291 states that “No commercial fishing license shall be sold to a non-resident whose state of residence does not offer for sale the same or substantially similar license to a resident of the Commonwealth.”
Ken Smith, president of the Virginia Waterman’s Association, said fisherman support the proposal.
“Maybe it will broaden the doors on what we’re able to do,” he said. “And if it doesn’t broaden our doors, maybe it will stop people from taking our resources. People come to our waters and catch our fish but they take them back to their state and sell them.”
Read the whole story at www.WTOP.com
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Lewis, Northam begin session
BY JESSICA PORTER • CAPITAL NEWS SERVICE • JANUARY 20, 2010
RICHMOND -- Sen. Ralph Northam and Delegate Lynwood Lewis, the state legislators who represent the Eastern Shore, say they will try to protect public services while the General Assembly makes billion-dollar budget cuts during its 2010 session.
Virginia state government already has cut about $7 billion. This session, lawmakers must close an additional budget shortfall of $4 billion. Minimizing the harm of budget cuts will be first and foremost on legislators' minds, Lewis said.
"We've made so many cuts as far as state employees cutting back on services for education,health care, law enforcement and others. We're making even tougher choices; it hasn't really been determined yet," said Matt Strickler, Northam's
legislative assistant.
Northam, a Democrat from Norfolk, represents Senate District 6, which includes both Accomack and Northampton counties.
Lewis, a Democrat from Accomac, represents House District 100. He said he will try to get relief for volunteer fire and rescue companies to help them raise money. He also wants to recalculate how Virginia distributes money for 911 services.
Northam will try to protect law enforcement and health care.
"As a doctor himself, he sees firsthand the difficulties of not only hospitals and doctors, but also the trouble low-income folks have now. Those are the kind of things they want to watch out for and make sure the services are protected," Strickler said.
Environmental protection also is on the agenda for both lawmakers.
Northam hopes to keep the Atlantic's menhaden fishery managed and sustainable because it is a critically important part of the Chesapeake Bay, Strickler said. Lewis will call for a study of the Eastern Shore's seaside to determine its best productivity and use.
Both legislators also have plans to strengthen the local economy. Lewis will try to expand the nutrient trading program to be better used by Eastern Shore companies. That program works this way:
"If an entity or company has sewage treatment discharge into the bay and are exceeding the guidelines, they can purchase credits from entities that are below their requirements," Lewis said. Since the Eastern Shore is sparsely populated, there is limited opportunity for the area to participate in the program. He will push to expand that opportunity so local companies can buy from other locations.
Northam is pushing to extend a state law regarding liability and immunity for the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's Wallops Flight Facility. As of now, the law is set to expire in mid-2013; that would make it hard for the Wallops facility to compete with programs elsewhere -- and this would hurt the economy on the Eastern
Shore, Strickler said.
He said Northam also wants to address Virginia's transportation problems.
"We have a transportation crisis in Virginia, and we have had to cut back a lot of transportation funding, so coming up with a way to finance transportation will be a big issue," Strickler said. However, Northam will not introduce his own transportation bill.
Read the whole story in the Eastern Shore News
RICHMOND -- Sen. Ralph Northam and Delegate Lynwood Lewis, the state legislators who represent the Eastern Shore, say they will try to protect public services while the General Assembly makes billion-dollar budget cuts during its 2010 session.
Virginia state government already has cut about $7 billion. This session, lawmakers must close an additional budget shortfall of $4 billion. Minimizing the harm of budget cuts will be first and foremost on legislators' minds, Lewis said.
"We've made so many cuts as far as state employees cutting back on services for education,health care, law enforcement and others. We're making even tougher choices; it hasn't really been determined yet," said Matt Strickler, Northam's
legislative assistant.
Northam, a Democrat from Norfolk, represents Senate District 6, which includes both Accomack and Northampton counties.
Lewis, a Democrat from Accomac, represents House District 100. He said he will try to get relief for volunteer fire and rescue companies to help them raise money. He also wants to recalculate how Virginia distributes money for 911 services.
Northam will try to protect law enforcement and health care.
"As a doctor himself, he sees firsthand the difficulties of not only hospitals and doctors, but also the trouble low-income folks have now. Those are the kind of things they want to watch out for and make sure the services are protected," Strickler said.
Environmental protection also is on the agenda for both lawmakers.
Northam hopes to keep the Atlantic's menhaden fishery managed and sustainable because it is a critically important part of the Chesapeake Bay, Strickler said. Lewis will call for a study of the Eastern Shore's seaside to determine its best productivity and use.
Both legislators also have plans to strengthen the local economy. Lewis will try to expand the nutrient trading program to be better used by Eastern Shore companies. That program works this way:
"If an entity or company has sewage treatment discharge into the bay and are exceeding the guidelines, they can purchase credits from entities that are below their requirements," Lewis said. Since the Eastern Shore is sparsely populated, there is limited opportunity for the area to participate in the program. He will push to expand that opportunity so local companies can buy from other locations.
Northam is pushing to extend a state law regarding liability and immunity for the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's Wallops Flight Facility. As of now, the law is set to expire in mid-2013; that would make it hard for the Wallops facility to compete with programs elsewhere -- and this would hurt the economy on the Eastern
Shore, Strickler said.
He said Northam also wants to address Virginia's transportation problems.
"We have a transportation crisis in Virginia, and we have had to cut back a lot of transportation funding, so coming up with a way to finance transportation will be a big issue," Strickler said. However, Northam will not introduce his own transportation bill.
Read the whole story in the Eastern Shore News
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Seniors seek calm through final dance projects
By Jessica Porter
Over the course of the semester Alyssa Crump has been planning and practicing for about 10 hours a week: five hours in class and five hours out of class. She has been perfecting all the details of her final project, fixing and re-working certain aspects and coordinating dancers in preparation for the big night.
Read the whole story in the Commonwealth Times.
Over the course of the semester Alyssa Crump has been planning and practicing for about 10 hours a week: five hours in class and five hours out of class. She has been perfecting all the details of her final project, fixing and re-working certain aspects and coordinating dancers in preparation for the big night.
Read the whole story in the Commonwealth Times.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
'Ain't Misbehavin' to bring action, melodies
By Jessica Porter
The theater department had a small spot to fill between the main stages productions this season and not much time to fill it. However, director Patti D'Beck knew just what to do.
Read the whole story in the Commonwealth Times.
The theater department had a small spot to fill between the main stages productions this season and not much time to fill it. However, director Patti D'Beck knew just what to do.
Read the whole story in the Commonwealth Times.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Starr Foster provides fun, emotion
By Jessica Porter
The small crowd at the Grace Street Theater on Oct. 8 saw enormously fun, innovative and beautiful tales during opening night of "Possessions" by the Starr Foster Dance Project.
Read the whole story in the Commonwealth Times
The small crowd at the Grace Street Theater on Oct. 8 saw enormously fun, innovative and beautiful tales during opening night of "Possessions" by the Starr Foster Dance Project.
Read the whole story in the Commonwealth Times
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