Month: December 2008

Once again, the Westboro Baptist Church (you know, the God Hates Fags folks) failed to show up in Charlottesville, despite (once again) scheduling the appearance on its website.

Westboro first promised to appear at UVA’s performance of The Laramie Project, a play about the Matthew Shepard slaying, on November 14. The picketers never made it, though the University community showed up in droves in case they did.

This time on its schedule, Westboro said it would come to the corner of West Main Street and Jefferson Park Avenue today at 3pm in order to picket “the mocking patriots of the whore monger, slave-raping, God-hater Thomas Jefferson.”

“You think you can thumb your nose at God by having that stinking pale of slime called ‘The Laramie Project,’” reads the schedule. “Then, when we tell you we will picket you – you threaten us, and come out with mob mentality to ‘get with’ the servants of God?! You are in big trouble, WITH GOD!”

(Thanks to Rick Sincere for first pointing this out.)
 

After losing yet again to the rival Hokies, Head Football Coach Al Groh will enter the 2009 season with a shorter leash. Athletic Director Craig Littlepage issued a statement last night explaining that Groh will not get a contract extension after the football team went 5-7 (3-5 ACC), failing to reach a bowl game for the second time in three years.

“In accordance with a specific clause in Virginia head football coach Al Groh’s contract, I have informed him that his contract will not be extended for an additional year,” said Littlepage. “Coach Groh has three years remaining on his current contract. I will be meeting with him in the next 48 hours to conduct a year-end review of the football program. I will have no further comment about coach Groh’s contract or the review process of the program.”

It does not seem likely that Groh will be fired. In early November, Littlepage issued a statement to the Richmond Times-Dispatch that said, “Al Groh will be our head coach.”

But it’s widely speculated that offensive coordinator Mike Groh (Al’s son) may lose his job. UVA’s offense ranks 106 out of 119 teams this year. It hasn’t ranked higher than 101 since Mike Groh took over the job from Ron Prince in 2006.

Al Groh won ACC coach of the year honors last year when his team (9-4, 6-2 ACC) defied expectation to finish near the top of the conference and play in the Gator Bowl. But his contract wasn’t renewed the year before, when the team finished 5-7.

“The expectations for our program are higher than a 5-7 season,” said Littlepage at the time.

The future of the Commonwealth is as bright as the sky on a cloudy day.

According to the 2008 Virginia Report produced by the Council on Virginia’s Future, the state has made progress in many of the 46 quality-of-life indicators, but rising infant death rate, consumer fraud and obesity spoil the taste of victory.

The Council reports that while Virginia improved its high school graduation rates, infant mortality in 2007 increased to a staggering 7.7 deaths for 1,000 live births, and counted for more than 800 deaths last year. The death rate for black infants was twice as high as the state’s overall rate.

According to the report, Virginia’s obesity rate also increased to 25.3 in 2007 from 25.1 percent in 2005, still lower than the national average of 26.3 percent. Child immunization fell to 30th in 2007 from fifth best in 2005.

Despite the bad news, the Council noted one interesting projection: The Commonwealth is said to become the 12th fastest-growing state in the country.
 

That’s right, boys and girls, it’s official! We’ve been in a recession for a year. Now, you didn’t really need the Feds to tell you what your FICO scores have been saying for quite some time — even if it did come as a stunner to Wall Street yesterday. No, what you need is good solid advice about how to make the most of these troubled times.

What do you have to look forward to as the economy tanks? How about good music, the end of flip-flops and sweet revenge on the credit card companies? All this and more, in Scott Weaver’s cover story.

What are you looking forward to in the brand new Depression?