Richmond Times-Dispatch's non-endorsement for Virginia governor 2013 - UPDATED

<blockquote><i>"This marks, we believe, the first time in modern Virginia that The Times-Dispatch has not endorsed a gubernatorial nominee."</i> -- Richmond Times-Dispatch (October 20, 2013)</blockquote>In an editorial that laid it on the line, the <a href="http://www.timesdispatch.com/opinion/our-opinion/our-choice-for-governor-in-none-of-the-above/article_6a2c5e41-20f3-561a-a25d-52eedf4741f3.html"><i>Richmond Times-Dispatch</i></a> refused to endorse Democrat, Republican, or Libertarian for Virginia's 2013 gubernatorial race. That news ricocheted around the internet as citizens woke on a Sunday morning, met with raised eyebrows and mild surprise from some while others nodded in solemn agreement.<br /><br />This has, indeed, been an odd election year in Virginia.<br /><br />The <i>Times-Dispatch </i>notes many of the issues in question and the final results are the same: they are not comfortable endorsing. Indeed, they note:<br /><blockquote>In the past, <i>The Times-Dispatch</i> has endorsed candidates with varying degrees of enthusiasm. We find it impossible to endorse any of the 2013 candidates with even minimal zeal.<br /><br />Elections make voters complicit in the government they receive. If we would not urge a family member to vote this way or that, then we have no business recommending Cuccinelli, McAuliffe or Sarvis to our readers.</blockquote>Interestingly, the <a href="http://m.dailyprogress.com/opinion/editorials/bill-bolling-for-governor/article_38a77d40-3930-11e3-91a7-001a4bcf6878.html?mode=jqm#.UmPLvqcRC4E.twitter"><i>Charlottesville Daily Progress</i></a>, finding itself in the same boat, endorsed Lieutenant Governor <a href="http://www.billbolling.com/">Bill Bolling</a> as a write-in candidate, noting, "Do the write thing. Put Bill Bolling’s name on your ballot on Nov. 5. Virginia needs him."<br /><br /><b>UPDATE October 28, 2013:</b> Another newspaper refused to endorse in the 2013 gubernatorial election. On Sunday, the <a href="http://www.newsadvance.com/opinion/editorials/article_b051cb8e-3dbd-11e3-bb5b-0019bb30f31a.html"><i>Lynchburg News & Advance</i></a> wrote, "<span class="paragraph-0">Put simply, not one of the three candidates for governor of Virginia deserves the office or has made a strong case that he is the best candidate. Not one of them, neither Democrat Terry McAuliffe, Republican Ken Cuccinelli nor Libertarian Robert Sarvis." And more.</span><br /><br /><span class="paragraph-0"><b>UPDATE October 31, 2013:</b> A third major Virginia newspaper has refused to endorse in the 2013 gubernatorial election. Is this unprecedented? The <i>Roanoke Times</i> editorial on Thursday noted, "... </span>an endorsement carries with it the credibility of this institution. When a candidate who receives our support visits ridicule or even shame on the commonwealth, we share in that disgrace."<br /><br />Then in a stunning reminder of the <a href="http://m.dailyprogress.com/opinion/editorials/bill-bolling-for-governor/article_38a77d40-3930-11e3-91a7-001a4bcf6878.html?mode=jqm#.UmPLvqcRC4E.twitter"><i>Charlottesville Daily Progress</i></a>' endorsement of Lieutenant Governor <b>Bill Bolling</b> as a write-in candidate, the <i>Roanoke Times</i> added, "<span class="paragraph-0">Those who cannot in good conscience vote for the official candidates should consider writing in Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling."</span><br /><br /><span class="paragraph-0">With five days left until election day, 2013 continues to be one of the oddest in my memory.... </span>

2013 gubernatorial election Bill Bolling Daily Progress Lynchburg News and Advance Richmond Times-Dispatch Roanoke Times Virginia Richmond Times-Dispatch's non-endorsement for Virginia governor 2013 - UPDATED

"This marks, we believe, the first time in modern Virginia that The Times-Dispatch has not endorsed a gubernatorial nominee." -- Richmond Times-Dispatch (October 20, 2013)In an editorial that laid it on the line, the Richmond Times-Dispatch refused t…

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LTE: 'Bill Bolling, we need you'

Letter to the editor in today's <a href="http://www.roanoke.com/opinion/pickoftheday/2268636-12/step-up-bill-bolling.html"><i>Roanoke Times</i></a>:<br /><br /><div id="storyDate">Friday, October 4, 2013</div><br /> <div id="storyBody"><div class="Editorial-LettersBIG">Bill Bolling, where are you?</div><div class="Editorial-LettersBIG"><br /></div><div class="Editorial-LettersBIG">I know that you have been lieutenant governor for two terms. You have served with a governor who has moved Virginia forward. You know what Virginia needs to stay the great commonwealth that it is.</div><div class="Editorial-LettersBIG"><br /></div><div class="Editorial-LettersBIG">We have no choice for governor this November. We need you.</div><div class="Editorial-LettersBIG"><br /></div><div class="Editorial-LettersBIG">You said yourself on TV that you should have run. It is not too late; run as an independent or write-in. </div><div class="Editorial-LettersBIG"><br /></div><div class="Editorial-LettersBIG">The people of Virginia don’t even know where the candidates stand on issues. All we have heard is negative commercials from both sides.</div><div class="Editorial-LettersBIG"><br /></div><div class="Editorial-LettersBIG">We need you to led Virginia for the next four years, so we can be proud of the wonderful state we live in. And keep Virginia moving forward.</div><div class="Editorial-LettersBIG"><br /></div><div class="Editorial-LettersSigTown">CHARLOTTE CREASY<br />ROANOKE</div></div>

2013 gubernatorial election Bill Bolling Roanoke Times write-in campaign LTE: 'Bill Bolling, we need you'

Letter to the editor in today's Roanoke Times:Friday, October 4, 2013 Bill Bolling, where are you?I know that you have been lieutenant governor for two terms. You have served with a governor who has moved Virginia forward. You know what Vir…

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Skyline Drive and Shenandoah National Park closed due to government shutdown

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjCRGWPtxU8G4VEir4MevRSp0Z9uM4vJqGUFNpR_rgk9M0BHH00q326EZPdw16IcVfqKrmTx3Ia7Cxh3cy11-H0iDRwrg00iryuLFTIsY1QPX-v3yvKBEhjs2Zzf4CS7EwItdPVdZtYrWu/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjCRGWPtxU8G4VEir4MevRSp0Z9uM4vJqGUFNpR_rgk9M0BHH00q326EZPdw16IcVfqKrmTx3Ia7Cxh3cy11-H0iDRwrg00iryuLFTIsY1QPX-v3yvKBEhjs2Zzf4CS7EwItdPVdZtYrWu/s400/1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> If the government shutdown that began today continues through October, these are scenes you won't see this year. Just as leaf season is about to arrive, Skyline Drive and Shenandoah National Park are closed to visitors. Peak weekend usually hits about the third week in October.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbyEMUNNIrIZU5Qzb1w_bF8uca_jfhCrmpfJZSFbY4H2yudWiA0sIAy4WPiPjYmipmEGy8CZSRkonagT01L4uvahhytOSp4uKymNYU9rarHaHulWRlpGXH59syjeGIY_FOms91mh5qW2l-/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbyEMUNNIrIZU5Qzb1w_bF8uca_jfhCrmpfJZSFbY4H2yudWiA0sIAy4WPiPjYmipmEGy8CZSRkonagT01L4uvahhytOSp4uKymNYU9rarHaHulWRlpGXH59syjeGIY_FOms91mh5qW2l-/s400/2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhry4AmNpopqRK-lVbme7e_uf9BJh8vT0d6uiW66heteNXygH_y44SLKvkdoxKu8CY6YC8krGNrvm0O4pgk41G2HRWrVOR7zm4Q6sFdQerc6qusUVXcAE87BYAnWTYhQZ8Q7gQW1wcnc2IZ/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjav5Ltx1ACdGPUIqPJvQXPCt9UorpPyz6yd2SJpZedbpScQEgbD8r4BUxUXqT8Lnl5k8hk60Vcceeg33mce-bfLa1YlK9bjuugRVTSkN1vmr4QC99zk9sZ0UWW3a7XVU7g_rDTMngTRIiO/s400/31.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><a href="http://www.dailyprogress.com/newsvirginian/news/local/shenandoah-national-park-to-close-if-shutdown-happens/article_37420cb0-2a29-11e3-a5d7-001a4bcf6878.html">Shenandoah National Park to close</a> by Bob Stuart <br /><a href="http://www.newsadvance.com/news/local/article_5e17bf58-2a4f-11e3-b9a9-001a4bcf6878.html">Area parks, services to close in government shutdown</a> by Ray Reed<br /><a href="http://www.roanoke.com/news/2265842-12/blue-ridge-parkway-will-allow-traffic-not-attractions.html">Blue Ridge Parkway will allow traffic, not attractions, in shutdown</a> by Ralph Berrier, Jr.<br /><br />Photos by Lynn R. Mitchell<br />Shenandoah National Park

Blue Ridge Mountains Blue Ridge Parkway government shutdown Lynchburg News and Advance Roanoke Times Shenandoah National Park Skyline Drive tourism Virginia Is For Lovers Waynesboro News-Virginian Skyline Drive and Shenandoah National Park closed due to government shutdown

 If the government shutdown that began today continues through October, these are scenes you won't see this year. Just as leaf season is about to arrive, Skyline Drive and Shenandoah National Park are closed to visitors. Peak weekend usually hits abo…

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Sunday's 41-vehicle pileup caused I-81 nightmare

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX53BEHMV8Hoplnk2DFIWNExymOaid5la-pVERbiUMhIjikU0wDJfk2Q50_WPwM5OJM6VZvJeiFY2MLwiKsLY7V4IuVY-yx9O8AqNoeQNLn2iZHaG5YXRfhLw4f92czA1L0zkTs-tsUovp/s1600/_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX53BEHMV8Hoplnk2DFIWNExymOaid5la-pVERbiUMhIjikU0wDJfk2Q50_WPwM5OJM6VZvJeiFY2MLwiKsLY7V4IuVY-yx9O8AqNoeQNLn2iZHaG5YXRfhLw4f92czA1L0zkTs-tsUovp/s400/_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <i>Congested traffic detour on Rt. 11 in Rockbridge County during a 2012 incident on I-81.</i></div><br />It was a <a href="http://www.roanoke.com/news/2143352-12/41-vehicles-involved-in-wreck-in-rockbridge-co.html">recipe for disaster</a>. As rain and fog moved into the Shenandoah Valley Sunday afternoon, driving conditions deteriorated for travelers along the rural, hilly Interstate 81 and eventually resulted in a devastating 41-vehicle pileup in Rockbridge County near Lexington that included six tractor-trailers and took hours to clean up.<br /><br />Most areas of I-81 are two lanes wide with passenger cars and 18-wheelers jockeying from lane to lane in a sometimes-white knuckle drive while trying to make it safely to destinations. Many who travel the route regularly have tales to tell about nightmarish wrecks, weather conditions, crazy drivers, tail-gating, and tractor-trailers. Jersey concrete barriers along construction zones add to the hazards, and may travelers have sat in stand-still traffic at one time or another. <br /><br />Sunday was one of the worst. Thankfully, no lives were lost although more than a dozen injuries were reported, and travelers sat parked on the interstate for seven hours while emergency personnel cleared debris.<br /><br />Reporter Zach Crizer with the <a href="http://www.roanoke.com/news/2144584-12/dangerous-conditions-spawned-41-vehicle-wreck-on-i-81-in.html"><i>Roanoke Times</i></a> wrote:<br /><blockquote>Sgt. J.F. Murphy, also of Virginia State Police, was among the nine troopers who dealt with the pileup Sunday night. He said it's unlikely investigators will ever determine exactly what or who started the crash, but he suggested the common practice of tailgating may have been a factor.<br /><br />He said brakes were applied at the front of a pack of cars, setting off a chain reaction that rippled a mile and a half down the road.<br /><br />Murphy said speed was not a factor, as most of the cars were traveling at less than 50 mph because of the rainy conditions. Still, he said the tightly packed traffic on a wet road was a recipe for disaster.</blockquote>State Police Sgt. A.D. Nicely <a href="http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2013/08/12/2629628/41-vehicle-pileup-in-virginia.html">said it could have been worse</a> but that some truck drivers made split-second decisions to steer their vehicles off the road:<br /><blockquote>The officer said some truck drivers veered off the road and overturned to avoid hitting other vehicles, likely saving lives.<br /><br />"I believe that decision on their behalf saved us a lot more injuries or fatalities," Nicely added. "You don't know what would have happened when you start having 80,000-pound vehicles slamming into 2,000-pound vehicles."</blockquote>Waynesboro reporter Chris Graham, owner of the <a href="http://augustafreepress.com/update-41-vehicles-in-i-81-crashes-in-rockbridge/?fb_source=pubv1"><i>Augusta Free Press</i></a>, began reporting on the accident Sunday afternoon as he posted on <a href="https://twitter.com/AFPChrisGraham">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AugustaFreePress">Facebook</a> and it was quickly picked up by Valley residents who passed the word along by social media.<br /><br />Quite frankly, as one who lives here and often drives I-81, I'm surprised accidents don't happen more often although they certainly happen enough. Sunday's wreck was just one more incident and proved to be a rough way for many travelers to end the weekend.<br /><br /><i>Photo by Lynn R. Mitchell </i>

41-vehicle pileup bad driving conditions I-81 Interstate 81 J.F. Murphy Roanoke Times Virginia roads Virginia State Police Zach Crizer Sunday's 41-vehicle pileup caused I-81 nightmare

 Congested traffic detour on Rt. 11 in Rockbridge County during a 2012 incident on I-81.It was a recipe for disaster. As rain and fog moved into the Shenandoah Valley Sunday afternoon, driving conditions deteriorated for travelers along the rural, hi…

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The race for Governor: The silly snark over Rt. 58

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Ken Cuccinelli Roanoke Times Rt. 58 Terry McAuliffe Virginia politics The race for Governor: The silly snark over Rt. 58

"Instead of wasting time with snarky videos and scripted statements of indignation from surrogates, maybe both candidates should spend a week traveling U.S. 58 to see it for themselves. ... It’s about time for them to run campaigns worthy of the titl…

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