THUMBS UP TO:
Growth at regional arts center
The William King Regional Arts Center has bought the final piece of property it needs to build an entry road to open the arts campus to Abingdon’s downtown.
“I’m really glad to see it in place, secured, ready to go,” Betsy K. White, the arts center director, told the Herald Courier this week. “We’ve been working toward this for three or four years.”
“It’s really my belief that an organization cannot remain at a standstill,” White said of the arts center, “and when the project comes to fruition, the project will help the economy in Southwest Virginia.”
The first phase of the expansion will begin in the spring and be finished within a year. It will include a new entry road, new landscaping and construction of an artisan courtyard with working studios. It is expected to cost $4 million.
The second phase, which could be completed by 2012, will include a new entry building with a rooftop garden overlooking the town. The preliminary cost estimate is $3 million.
Some relief at the pump
In July, regular unleaded gasoline set a record national average of $4.11 per gallon.
High prices kept people at home and drove down demand; industry analysts say there has not been such a drastic shift in driving behavior in decades. The Associated Press reports that demand for gasoline dropped 6 percent over the summer and prices began falling in late September.
On Oct. 10, gas prices fell to a national average of $3.35. Prices dipped below $3 a gallon on average in Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma and in this area (one station is offering it at $2.78 a gallon). If crude oil keeps falling, the rest of the country should see gasoline selling for less than $3 in the next few weeks or sooner, analysts told the AP. Locally, some stations are selling unleaded gasoline at $3 per gallon or just below. It is a welcome change, but prices could jump again if oil prices rise again.
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Banning political clothing at polls
The State Board of Elections adopted a ban this week on clothing, hats, buttons or other items that directly advocate the election or defeat of a specific candidate or issue.
The ban is effective inside polling places or a perimeter of 40 feet from polling place entrances.
The American Civil Liberties Union argued the ban violates First Amendment rights.
The State Board of Elections said it has to weigh the right to free speech against the right to vote free of undue influence.
We say stop the people from handing out sample ballots on Election Day. Honestly, there is nothing more annoying. But wearing a hat, T-shirt or button to the polls on Election Day is protected by the First Amendment.
Naming your child after candidates
Mark Ciptak of Elizabethton, Tenn., has been in the news this week for naming his daughter Sarah McCain Palin Ciptak. He said he decided to show his support for his favorite candidates by naming them after Sen. John McCain and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. “I’m totally McCain all the way,” he said.
But Sarah McCain Palin is not the name Ciptak and his wife, Layla, originally agreed upon. He admitted to sneaking and filling out a second birth certificate form. The couple initially agreed to name the child Ava Grace. Ciptak has gotten plenty of attention for this stunt, but it’s his daughter who will have to go through life explaining her name. Foolish to name your child after political candidates; more so to do it without consulting the mom. The family has a year to file an affidavit requesting a name change. Let’s hope they go back to Ava Grace.
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