Via Steve, it appears one attorney in the 27th Judicial Circuit may have upset Circuit Court Judge Joey Showalter.
“Showalter issued an order Sept. 13 barring Gerard Marks from practicing in the 27th Circuit ‘until further notice.’
The order gives no reason for Showalter’s decision.”
It seems like every county always has that one attorney who sends the last minute fax asking for continuances, always double-booked, or just always running late.
So far, I don’t think I have that reputation and hope I never get it.
According to this Appalachian News-Expressarticle, a native of Pike County and grandson of a coal miner named Scott Sykes and his company are planning to build the first wind farm in the Coalfields. He hopes to be able to deliver electricity to 65,000 homes within five years.
I can think of a few old reclaimed strip mines that are high, flat on top, and extremely windy around here.
The article, however, also included some concerning comments from a Kentucky state official, who said:
[James] Bush pointed to a map by the Department of Energy that classifies the strength of wind power, on a scale of 1 to 7, across different states and regions within the United States.
The study classified most of Kentucky as a 1, meaning it had little to no wind power. Southeastern Kentucky received a 2, and a thin area bordering Virginia (along the Allegheny Front) fared better with a 3.
Hopefully Mr. Sykes will be able to realize his dream and someday produce 100 megawatts of energy, but as they say, “he has his work cut out for him.”
Have you ever sit around wondering whether or not “a sitting governor is entitled to qualified immunity for allegedly threatening a political rival and prominent businessman during a press conference concerning a bond issue before West Virginia voters.” Those few people that have been following Blankenship v. Manchin have been curious about that exact issue.
The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the District Court’s ruling and held that U.S. District Judge John Copenhaver’s denial of Manchin’s motion to dismiss was proper.
Don Blankenship is the Chief Executive of Massey Energy Co. Joe Manchin is, obviously, the Governor of West Virginia.
The Huntington News Network has this article which provides a good background for the case up through this most recent ruling.
In Australia, they are serious about copyright infringement. It appears that the Federal Court of Australia has recently held that merely linking to the protected media was infringing on the owner’s rights.
The Defendant’s “website did not directly host any copyright-protected music, but the court held that simply providing links to the material effectively authorised copyright infringement.”
I know it has been a while since a house update, but here is a quick one.
I started off getting prices for re-doing the floors because I had heard all the horror stories of people doing it themselves and getting big waves, grooves, etc. After getting a few prices, though, I decided to try it on my own anyway and started gearing up do some floor sanding. Then, fortunately, I found another guy who was willing to do them for a reasonable price.
After he created about a ton of sawdust, did a little filling, and threw on a few coats of shine, the results were fantastic.
Here is before:
Here is after:
(click to enlarge)
Obviously doing it myself would have been cheaper, which would have been nice, but I think not having waves in the living room will outweigh the cost savings.
I just got around to watching Ken’s latest episode of CLTV, which includes commentary and photos of Wise County, parts of Kentucky, and places in between.
He has included some local landmarks such as the Wise County Courthouse and the Appalachian Law School.
Today, in New York, an elderly lady named Margaret Johnson left her apartment, in her wheelchair, carrying her dog, on her way to the local shooting range.
A fellow named Deron Johnson probably thought she was an easy target and tried to mug her.
Much to his suprise, Ms. Johnson was anything but an easy target.
Instead of sitting back in her chair, Ms. Johnson pulled out her .357 pistol and shot the mugger in his elbow.
I am glad everyone was ok and we can laugh about it now.
The funniest part is that I could see my grandmother doing the exact same thing, as she never leaves home without her “Saturday Night Special.”
If I had to make a list of places that one should visit while in Southwest Virginia and Northeast Tennessee, Pal’s would certainly be on it. I doubt there is any fastfood place out there that can beat a Sauce Burger (with cheese), fries, and a big sweet tea.
Via the KTN, I see that the chain is now 50 years old. A full history of Pal’s can be found here.
More than 50 environmental activists blocked access to Appalachian Power Co.’s Clinch River plant for several hours Monday to protest its use of coal to generate electricity, state police said.
The demonstration began about 9 a.m. when members of Earth First! and Rising Tide North America used ropes, chains and a human chain across a bridge to keep traffic from entering the southwest Virginia plant site, state police Sgt. Michael Conroy said. One man attached to a rope that was stretched across the bridge dangled about 25 feet down, he said.
The demonstrators also let the air out of the tires on a parked coal truck and one locked himself to its axle.
I am surprised, after hearing they let the air out a trucker’s tires, gun shots were not fired. The trucker must have already met his haul quota for the day or something.
In case anyone is wondering why it has been so quiet around here, I have been spending some quality time with a paint brush at “this old house.” All of the walls and ceilings, after being smoothed and patched up, are getting a fresh coat of primer and paint.
The hardest part, I think, is putting all that time into the primer knowing that we are just going to cover it up as soon as it dries. It is a necessary waste of time, I suppose. I keep voting to leave them in the primer - that odd shade of gray - but everyone else keeps demanding paint and actual colors.
Here are some photos of the early progress. I still need to take some of the finished product.
Nascar driver Kyle Busch appeared in the Henrico County General District Court today and was found guilty of improper driving and fined $150.00. The RTD story is here.
I kept waiting for Busch to call and ask me to take his case, but I guess he settled for someone else.
“American Idol” finalist Elliott Yamin’s return to his hometown of Richmond today included a meeting with Governor Tim Kaine at the executive mansion. Kaine clapped and grinned as Yamin hopped out of his stretch limo through the window and greeted the governor’s staff. Yamin hugged Kaine and said, “I feel like the luckiest person alive.”
Inside the mansion, Kaine presented Yamin with a T-shirt that read, “Virginia is for Elliott Lovers.” He also gave him one to help butter up the show’s most cantankerous judge. It read: “Virginia is for Simon Lovers.”
The video here also has shows Yamin meeting with former Governor Doug Wilder.
So the lesson here is one has to be a good singer to hang out with people like Kaine and Wilder. Although Jayne, an avid “Idol” watcher, just told me that Yamin was voted off the show tonight.
Former Virginia Tech Hokie and Clintwood stand out, Justin Hamilton, was drafted by the Cleveland Browns. Fellow Hokie, Marcus Vick, however was not drafted.
Paul Sullivan says “all the great canyons aren’t west of the Mississippi. There are some nearby as well.” I could not agree more.
Of particular importance, though, Sullivan said this about his recent trip to Dickenson County’s Breaks Interstate Park.
Oh, and anyone who thinks all the great canyons lie west of the Mississippi or in the Southwest–think again.
Just a few months ago, for instance, on a quick trip to Southwest Virginia, I stood on an overlook peering into the depths of the great gorge at Breaks Interstate Park, on the Kentucky-Virginia state line. It may not be a canyon in name, but a canyon it is for sure. Impressive, too.
Maybe I am bias, but I would take the Breaks over the Grand Canyon any day.
Via this RT article, I see that Virginia Tech went with a new unique tagline that turned out to be fairly common. VT ended up going with “Invent the Future,” which is also used by USC and UNLV.
My favorite and adopted by one of the Commonwealth’s best colleges, Emory & Henry, is “Increase in Excellence.” Here is the full Mission of Emory & Henry.
