The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star, Norfolk, VA

Vote Today for Competition

Nine times in a row, the Republican candidate for president has won the day in Virginia. And given Virginia's voting trends, this November will almost certainly make it 10. But today, Democratic and independent Virginia voters will exercise their first act of democracy this election year, heading to the polls to pick a worthy adversary for President Bush. It's a rare event. This is the first Democratic Virginia primary in 16 years, and the second ever. And with an ongoing battle for nominatio...

Rather Than Rush Gala 4th, Beach Postpones

There will be fireworks at the Oceanfront on the Fourth of July, but don't count on star-studded beach concerts or military parades. Plans for a high-profile patriotic gala fell apart Monday after two groups helping to organize the event backed out.

Mayor Pro Tem Position for E. City Is at Impasse ; City Council's Third Attempt to Elect Someone Ends in Tie

The City Council is still at an impasse about who should serve as the mayor pro tem. On Monday, the council attempted for the third time to elect someone who could serve as backup to the mayor in his absence but ended in a 4-4 tie between Councilmen Kirk Rivers and Bill Leh- mann.

Vdot Weighs Hiring Firm to Manage Local Tunnels

State transportation officials are considering turning over the management of tunnels in Hampton Roads to a private business. Transportation Commissioner Philip Shucet told a panel of lawmakers Monday that the region is one of three in the state where he believes his department can trim its work force.

City May Raise Taxes to Fund Schools

The city may need to increase taxes or raise property assessments to fund ailing schools, several members of the City Council said during a rare joint meeting with the School Board on Monday night. After Superintendent David C. Stuckwisch presented a sobering look at the school system's financial future, three members of the council, including the mayor, said increasing property tax revenues may be the only cure.

Briefs

Earl Ruffin: Senate votes for $1.5 million compensation plan The Senate unanimously approved a $1.5 million compensation package on Monday for Earl Ruffin, a Suffolk man who spent 21 years in prison wrongfully convicted for rape.

Suffolk Developments Raise Concerns ; New Homes Could Cause Traffic Snals,School Congestion

Four proposed developments that could bring nearly 1,100 homes to the city's north have officials worried about choking roads and packing public schools. Of four nearby elementary schools, three are over capacity. A fourth has 15 seats left.

Bush Seeks to Halt Beach Funding ; Cities May Have to Pay the Cost of Replenishment

Five months after the city's bolstered beaches were praised for blunting Hurricane Isabel's waves, President Bush is seeking to end federal funding for similar shoreline protection projects in the future. The major policy shift could force the nation's coastal cities and towns to pick up the tab for beach restoration and replenishment projects.

Letters to the Editor - the Virginian Pilot

Gutless legislators add to fiscal unfitness

Beach Challenges Artist's Medium of Expression

John Belote says he's an artist just trying to make a living. Glass is his mode of expression, and he simply creates pieces that people love to collect - jewelry, figurines, ornaments and pipes. But in December, police charged Belote with selling drug paraphernalia, arguing that his glass pipes are intended for use by marijuana smokers.

First Colonial Teacher Faces 3 Sex Charges, Is Suspended

Police have charged a First Colonial High School teacher for what they say were repeated sexual relations with a 17-year-old female student. Police charged the teacher, Douglas A. MacDonald, 39, of the 2200 block of Hunters Wood Way with three counts of custodial indecent liberties, said police spokesman Rene Ball.

Norfolk Man Pleads Guilty in Starvation of Elderly Man

A man accused of starving to death an elderly man who was in his care pleaded guilty Monday to involuntary manslaughter. Bobby Peoples faces a maximum of 10 years in prison when he is sentenced in April.

Lesson in Civility Bodes Well for Future State Politicians

Adisa Muse, like me, is passionate about politics and public life. He is animated and argumentative, hands moving swiftly to punctuate his points, his eyes wide. He is wildly funny, wicked smart. I am genuinely delighted by his company when we meet, and it matters not a bit that he's a black, progressive Democrat from Petersburg, a former state Democratic official, and now a key state staff member for Sen. John Kerry's presidential campaign, and I'm a white, suburban Republican, Capitol Hill ...

Hotel Surcharge Back On Agenda for Chesapeake City Council

Two months after approving a $2.50-a-night surcharge on hotel bills, possibly to help fund school construction, the City Council tonight is expected to talk about how to spend the extra money. The talk, however, may turn to doing away with the tax altogether.

Downtown Tunnel to Be Gleaming Again Soon

Hey, Road: Can you tell me when the Downtown Tunnel tiles are going to be cleaned? They are beyond filthy. I travel the Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel and occasionally the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel. They are spotless compared to the Downtown Tunnel.

Mama Malkin Needs a Dose of Realism On Vaccines

I was amazed at the ability of Michelle Malkin, in "Beware of the vaccine bullies" (op-ed, Feb. 5), to predict that neither her 3- year-old nor her newborn baby will ever have unprotected sex or experiment with illicit drugs, both risk factors for acquiring Hepatitis B. I guess she plans to follow her children around and be there with a condom at the appropriate time.

In School, There's No Exception for Perfection

Dana Dunlop was in class at Chesapeake's Hickory Middle School yesterday. She sat through English, history, math, science, P.E. and band. She was there, all right, but the 14-year-old seventh-grader probably didn't have her mind on her work.

Chesapeake Links Sols to Promotions

Do not pass enough SOL tests, do not collect a senior's parking pass. Or attend the junior ring dance. Or escape the younger cafeteria crowd at lunch. That's the upshot of a new policy approved Monday by the School Board that links promotion in high school to passing certain numbers of state Standards of Learning tests. It, along with new state graduation requirements this year, also marks an expansion of accountability for education from the schools to the students.

Robber Involved in Death of Police Dog Pleads Guilty Monday

A man involved in a robbery that led to the killing of a police dog pleaded guilty to several crimes on Monday. James R. Davis pleaded guilty to robbery, abduction and weapons charges in Circuit Court. Prosecutor Linda Bryant said that during an Aug. 23 robbery on the 9300 block of 1st View St., Davis held a gun to a man's head while an accomplice, Patrick M. Davis, rifled through the man's car. The Davises are not related.

A Uso Holiday at the Beach

The worst possible weekend for Virginia Beach to say thanks to the Navy is the Fourth of July, right? The beach, hotels and parking already are crammed that long weekend, so why book top national acts and put them on the beach and give free tickets and room discounts to the military, as City Councilman Richard Maddox proposes? You can't add water to a full glass. But maybe you can refill the glass instead.