Should school administrators spend part of their time as substitute teachers?
For more than a month Newport News School Board member Betty Dixon has advocated having all administrators and supervisors, including school principals and assistant principals, serve at least two days each month as substitute teachers. Dixon said the plan would save the district more than $300,000 in substitute costs.
Same-sex marriage in Virginia?
Same-sex couples are picking up marriage licenses in Washington, DC, the first eligible day after the law changed last week. A courthouse spokesman says about 150 couples are eligible to collect their licenses today because they applied on the first day the licenses were made available last Wednesday. The District has a mandatory three-business-day waiting period. Some were married right away after getting their licenses this morning. The ceremony wording has been changed to pronounce the couple "legally married" as opposed to "husband and wife." They say "Virginia is for lovers," so should same-sex couples be allowed to marry in Virginia?
-
The Reverend in the story said that as long as you keep your personal life personal & not ask lawmakers & the government to make it polcy it is ok. If others felt like he does, then women wouldn't be allowed to vote, African-Americans wouldn't own land ...
Monica @ 11:22 PM EST, Mar 9, 2010
-
I don't need a piece Married. W of paper to say I am married what I want is my rights, not special rights. If I chose to pay for my partners health benefits why shouldn't I be able to? Would it cost any one else more from their taxes or faith to let me live my life?
Craig @ 11:19 PM EST, Mar 9, 2010
-
If it were intended for us to have same sex marriages we would all be the same sex. And if it is true that it is in "God we trust" then we should trust what he said about the garden of eden and Adam and Steve... NOTHING!
Bro J @ 11:19 PM EST, Mar 9, 2010
Should Weight Watchers endorse McDonald's?
McDonald's is hardly an ideal dining location for anyone struggling to stay slim. But the fast food chain scored a PR coup today when Weight Watchers agreed to endorse some of its products in New Zealand  a move met with outrage by nutritionists and obesity experts.
As part of the deal, which the company says is the first of its kind in the world, McDonald's will use the Weight Watchers logo on its menu boards and Weight Watchers will promote McDonald's to dieters.
The link-up is the fast-food chain's latest attempt to improve its reputation by securing endorsements. In January, to the horror of gastronomes, Italy's agriculture minister, Luca Zaia, helped launch the McItaly range of burgers. For a representative of one of the world's greatest culinary nations to do such a thing was "a sign of the moral bankruptcy of Silvio Berlusconi's government", wrote Matthew Fort in the Guardian.
Several items on the fast food giant's menu  the Filet-O-Fish, Chicken McNuggets and Sweet Chilli Seared Chicken Wrap  have been approved for the Weight Watchers diet in McDonald's 150 New Zealand restaurants. Each meal is worth 6.5 points on the programme, which assigns points to food items and allows dieters to consume 18 to 40 points each day to achieve their goal weight.
McDonald's New Zealand managing director, Mark Hawthorne, said: "We were able to include some of our most popular items because of the many changes we have made over the years.
"For instance, the switch to a healthier canola blend cooking oil means items such as the Filet-O-Fish and Chicken McNuggets contain 60% less saturated fat than six years ago.
Chris Stirk, Weight Watchers' director of business in Australia and New Zealand, said the partnership between the companies reflected "part of our philosophy that you can enjoy life Â
while still achieving your weight loss goals".
But nutritionists and obesity experts said the menu items were a marketing ploy to lure customers into the restaurant. "It's all about sales," said Jane Martin, senior adviser of Australia's Obesity Policy Coalition. "It implies this food is healthy Â
when often it is high in fat and salt. Chicken McNuggets are Chicken McNuggets whether it's got Weight Watchers on it or not."
Should nurses be fired when they can't come in through blizzard conditions?
WASHINGTON, DC (WUSA) -- Eleven nurses and five support staff at Washington Hospital Center are fighting to get their jobs back.
The hospital fired them because they couldn't make it in during the historic snowstorms. The hospital says they refused to come in. It's still reviewing the cases of other people who failed to get to work.
"Love what I do. I breathe nursing. I want my job back," says Geri Lee, who is looking for a new job at age 54. She was fired after more than three decades at Washington Hospital Center.
She says she could not get out of her Silver Spring neighborhood during the snow storm to get in to work.
"I tried for for an hour and a half, and I never got out of my community," says Lee.
Lee is one of the nurses union negotiators. She was participating in new contracting negotiations at the offices of the hospital's lawyers even after her firing.
Her union president suspects the firings may be part of an effort to break the union.
"It's extremely unfair. It was an historic snowstorm," says Dottie Hararas.
But officials with the Washignton Hospital Center say the firings had nothing to do with the union.
Chief Medical Officer Janis Orlowski says those who were fired said, "I'm not coming in. I don't have to."
The union says that's ridiculous. It has filed a class action grievance in hopes of getting the nurses jobs back.
Geri Lee says, "It's not just me. How do you treat anyone like this in a record-breaking snowfall?"
Written by Bruce Leshan
9NEWS NOW & wusa9.com
No More Saturday Mail Delivery?
The Postal Service is considering a proposal to end Saturday mail delivery. Postal officials say Amercians' mailing habits are changing, and the Service needs to change with it to stop losing money. Do you think a five-day delivery week is the best solution?
-
Cut out Saturday delivery but have post office open from 10 to 2 on Saturday.
Carolyn @ 6:09 PM EST, Mar 10, 2010
-
No, it won't be convenient for anyone to drop by the postal office during lunch time considering the traffic. Maybe if business hours will be change on Saturdays from 10am-230pm.
concern citizen @ 11:52 PM EST, Mar 9, 2010
-
I say no because it is another way to crunch the employees now. Do you think that will keep the price of stamps from going up,think again. I think Saturday hour should be in the afternoon because many people have a hard time getting to the post office in the morning. Maybe 1p.m.-5:30p.m.
IP @ 6:06 AM EST, Mar 8, 2010
Should college professors be allowed to carry concealed guns on campus?
OKLAHOMA CITY -- The scare of a possible gunman at Oklahoma City Community College Friday is shedding light on one Oklahoma lawmaker's bill.
Representative Jason Murphy from Guthrie wants to allow faculty and those who are CLEET certified to be able to carry concealed guns on college campuses.
Representative Murphy said by allowing teachers who are trained to carry concealed guns, it could put enough doubt in someone's mind who may want to come to a campus like OCCC to do harm.
Murphy also said should the incident that happened at OCCC on Friday been real, than a teacher with a gun could have been the one deterrent to keep students safe.
How did that affect your household today?
Today was the first day of the extra 20 minutes on the school schedule in Virginia Beach. ItÂs how the district is making up for the snow days.
-
i think it is a great idea... The kids save four hours of make up and it won't affect our vacation times. It is a big whoop since it will give the teachers an extra five minutes of ongoing instruction. Five minutes can be a lot with minimal suffering.
Jenn @ 11:17 PM EST, Mar 1, 2010
Who do you think should have won?
ATLANTA (AP) - A fiery debate is raging after a white team from an Arkansas sorority took top honors in a recent step competition in Atlanta.
The rhythmic clapping and foot stomping routines known as stepping are thought to have started in black fraternities and sororities.
The uproar began when the Zeta Tau Alpha team from the University of Arkansas, whose members are white, won the national final in the Sprite Step Off competition last weekend. A YouTube video of their winning performance generated hundreds of comments, some of them inflammatory.
This week sponsor Coca-Cola announced "scoring discrepancies" and said the runner-up - the Alpha Kappa Alpha team from Indiana University, whose members are black - would share first place.
Zeta Tau Alpha Team
Alpha Kappa Alpha Team
-
Zeta Tau Alpha did a great routine and they deserved to won
Step fan @ 11:29 PM EST, Feb 26, 2010
-
The color of skin SHOULD NOT matter.If the white girls won it they SHOULD NOT have to SHARE IT!!!!!! If they are required to I WILL make it my goal for ANYONE I come in contact with to boycott COKE products. It is time for people to WAKE UP!!!! Thank you for allowing me to give MY 3 CENTS.
Mrs. Sawyer @ 11:29 PM EST, Feb 26, 2010
-
Someone under the comments asked "what is reverse racism?" what planet are they on. It's more and more becoming. Pathetic, but true.
Jrex @ 11:25 PM EST, Feb 26, 2010
Should customers be banned for bad tipping?
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- A woman who says Kampai Japanese Steak and Seafood House, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina refused her service has started a petition to boycott the establishment. But restaurant owners say they refuse to serve her simply because she is such a poor tipper.
-
YES! She should also have to do community service as a waitress for a month and see what kind of living she would make if no one tipped her. Besides, if she wants to complain about the bad service, why does she keep going there? I think I'm gonna try this place! I like how they operate!
Rosalie @ 12:38 PM EST, Feb 26, 2010
-
I am actually going to call the restaraunt owner and give him a hi-5 over the phone..we make 2.13 an hour. go to the grocery store if you dont want to tip! Its funny how people can give money to those they serve but not to those who serve them.
dan b. @ 12:37 PM EST, Feb 26, 2010
-
It's a business, not a charity. The owner should be able to pick his or her customers. The owner pays for all the expenses involved, therefore chooses who he or she wants in their restaurant.
kayla @ 12:34 PM EST, Feb 26, 2010
What do you think of Shucet's salary?
Philip A. Shucet, who recently signed a one-year contract to serve as president of Hampton Roads Transit, is being paid $40,000 a month for his services.
That is more than double the amount former HRT president Michael S. Townes was paid.
Shucet was brought in to replace Townes, who was forced into retirement largely because of cost overruns of more than $100 million on a Norfolk light-rail project, The Tide.
Shucet refers to the pay as his "fee" because he's not receiving any benefits from the company.
His contract runs 12 months with an option to extend for six months at the end.
Because of the Norfolk specific duties he has the city is chipping in $12,000 per month for his salary added to HRT's portion of $28,000.
-
HOW DARE HE TAKE THAT MUCH MONEY! HE SHOULD GIVE HALF OF THAT TO PEOPLE THAT TRUELY NEED IT. SHAME ON HIM!!!
JOANN @ 11:48 AM EST, Feb 26, 2010
-
That is very sad to see our money being used in just a way that will not even help our community! What about our school system...and the budget cuts? Lets take some of Shucet pay check and use it for our school system and children!
Adrienne Clark @ 9:55 AM EST, Feb 26, 2010
-
I am both saddened and disguisted at the fact that knowing how many people who dont have jobs or how our economy is going overall, how could anyone offer to pay someone $40,000 a month! Especially as being a president for HRT; knowing before that the HRT busline is not 100% suffecient and reliable.
Hannah C. @ 11:14 PM EST, Feb 25, 2010
Howard Stern to host beauty pagent for Tiger Woods alleged mistresses?
Howard Stern plans to host a beauty pagent March 10 featuring Tiger Woods alleged mistresses. So far 4 have signed on. The grand prize is $100,000. Would you watch?
Should you have to say where your last drink was if you're pulled over for DUI?
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Police officers could begin asking people pulled over for driving under the influence where they had their
last drink.
The Senate Courts of Justice Committee voted unanimously Wednesday to send the full Senate a bill that would require officers to ask where a suspected offender consumed his or her final drink. Officers would be required to pass that information along to the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board.
The bill's sponsor, Republican Del. John O'Bannon of Henrico, says it would help the board target establishments that violate alcohol laws.
In Virginia, it's a misdemeanor to serve alcohol to anyone who is intoxicated.
The bill already has passed the House. If passed by the Senate, it will head to Gov. Bob McDonnell.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
-
I am a Va Beach Poice officer for more than twenty years at the Ocean Front and I know it won't make any differance if you ask the driver this or not. The ABC hardly takes a bars license because the bottom line for the state is the taxes that will be lost.
M.Stark @ 6:45 AM EST, Feb 25, 2010
-
Many DUI's are repeat offenses. Why don't we ask for the judge's name who assigns a measly $200.00 fine and suspended jail time to do it all again. Make our court system accountable too!
Susan from Gloucester @ 5:36 AM EST, Feb 25, 2010
-
Isn't telling a police officer where you received your last drink admitting to possible guilt?
KS @ 11:17 PM EST, Feb 24, 2010
Should a school fire all of its teachers?
A Rhode Island school district has voted to fire all the teachers at an underperforming school.
The Central Falls School Committee voted Tuesday evening to fire every educator at Central Falls High School at the end of the school year.
It's the only school in the tiny, impoverished city north of Providence. Only about half its students graduate, and only 7 percent of 11th-graders were proficient in math in 2009.
RI district fires all educators at underperforming high school
Should concealed-carry be allowed at restaurants that serve alcohol?
Virginia's General Assembly is expected to adopt a law that would allow anyone with a concealed-carry permit to take their guns with them to restaurants that serve alcohol. The bill would prohibit anyone with a gun from drinking. Still, is there any need for guns at restaurants? Do you support the legislation?
-
NO, this is a bad ideal. Years ago a dear friend had his throat slit removing a rully quest. Instead of stright razor, A gun would have taken our dear friend. Booze, anger, and firearms are a bad combo for unneccessay deaths
Brenda @ 12:30 AM EST, Feb 23, 2010
-
No! To even suggest such a thing is ridiculous. The right to protect one's self? Well if you feel your life is in that much danger at a resturant then maybe you should stay the hell home. I have rights too! I have a right not to agree with idiots! Where does all the insanity end?
Fran, @ 11:40 PM EST, Feb 22, 2010
-
I can see it now. Pass a bill allowing concealed weapons in restaurants and have the ambulance standing by. Someone pulls a gun, shoots another and then several people pull a gun to shoot that person to protect their selves. The result is innocent customers shot or killed while just trying to eat.
Russell @ 11:36 PM EST, Feb 22, 2010
Do you think Tiger's remarks were sincere? Post your 3 cents.
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) - Tiger Woods has apologized for having affairs and says he is unsure when he will return to competitive golf.
Woods spoke for more than 13 minutes Friday from the clubhouse at the TPC Sawgrass, home of the PGA Tour. About 40 people were in the room, including his mother. His wife was not obviously present.
Woods said he is solely responsible for his actions and was in treatment for 45 days. He said he will return for more therapy. He also insists there were no instances of domestic abuse in his marriage.
The world's No. 1 golfer had not talked in public since his traffic accident Nov. 27 triggered shocking revelations about Woods' infidelity.
-
Doing this has nothing to do with his abilities as a Golfer. Women chase celebrities. Ask Wilt Chamberlain! They are not innocent and led astray poor persons who should be held up as sorts of victims. I doubt one of them thought he was single or available!
Will @ 6:42 PM EST, Feb 19, 2010
-
I think he said whatever he could to regain his share of endorsements Sally Hogshead is silly for saying Tiger is to blame for "harming" the Women he cheated on his wife with. They knew he was married and went for the ride with their eyes wide open.
Will @ 6:36 PM EST, Feb 19, 2010
-
In my opioionthink he did the right thing to come clean and confess to say that he was cheating. Another thing is that he was right what he did was not right but then again GOD always give you a second chance...
AJ @ 6:36 PM EST, Feb 19, 2010
Should they have walked to his house to help?
Ten calls, and no one got to a Pittsburgh man's house in time to save his life. Emergency workers say they couldn't make it through the snow. Read the story below and let us know what you think. Should they have walked to his house to help?
(CBS) - Everyone relies on 911 in an emergency. However, in Pittsburgh recently, a man called 911 10 times over the course of a weekend, complaining of severe abdominal pain, without getting an ambulance. He died without receiving help.
Curtis Mitchell, 50, had severe abdominal pains during Pittsburgh's massive snow storm on February 5th, so he called 911.
His longtime girlfriend Sharon Edge says emergency medical technicians never made it to their house, despite 10 calls to 911 over the entire weekend.
Edge told CBS News, "He didn't have to die the way he died. He was in pain, a lot of pain. He shouldn't have to die like that."
According to 911 transcripts, in MitchellÂs first call, he said, "I need a paramedic man. I need 'em...bad. My stomach is messed up. It's killing me."
After the second call, an ambulance went, but stopped a half a mile from his home, unable to get through the snow.
"Tell him we're here," an EMS driver told dispatch. "If he can walk across the bridge, we'll be glad to treat him."
After a third call -- when Mitchell complained of shortness of breath -- an ambulance returned, and made it within four blocks.
The EMT said, "If he wants to ride to the hospital, he's gonna have to come to the truck."
After seven more calls, Mitchell died at home.
Mike Huss, Pittsburgh director of Public Safety, said, "It's unacceptable. You get out of the damn truck and you walk to the residence. That's what needed to happen here."
On "The Early Show", Mitchell's girlfriend Sharon Edge said she didnÂt think her call was taken seriously.
"I was calling because he was in a lot of pain," she said. "And I just think that they just didn't pay us attention because they couldn't get through."
Bey said the city has not given any kind of explanation for why -- after 10 calls -- no one came to the house.
"The thing that disturbs me the most is the response from the paramedic. When he made the comment, 'If he wants a ride, then he'll have to walk to us,' I've never -- what are they running -- a transportation system? I thought it was medical. I thought it was to save lives," she said. "First responders. Dedicated people would go beyond the call of duty to make sure that they get to where they need to be to take care of someone, to serve someone."
As Mitchell got worse, Edge said a neighbor offered to take him to the hospital, but couldnÂt get his car out of the snow.
"Curtis didn't have to go like he did," Edge said. "The paramedics should have came down. It wasn't far from up there, only up the street from my house. And they could have walked down there and seen about him."
Government officials say this deliberate plane crash into the IRS building was not connected to terrorism. Do you think it should be defined as an act of terrorism?
AUSTIN, Texas - Authorities say a small private plane has crashed into a seven-story office building in Austin, Texas. One person is reported missing, two were transported to hospital. The building's offices include the local branch of the Internal Revenue Service. Latest reports indicate that authorities are investigating this incident as an intentional act.
CNN is reporting that the pilot - who has not been identified to the media - burned his house down and stole the plane used to crash into the building.
Dozens of windows were blown out of the hulking black building and smoke poured from it as vehicles traveling on a nearby highway paused to look at the damage. Thick black and gray smoke was billowing out of the second and third stories of the building Thursday as fire crews using ladder trucks and hoses battled the fire.
Dawn Clopton, a division chief with the Austin Fire Department, says two people from the building are unaccounted for. She says it was a small private plane that crashed. The building is located on a major highway in the city.
-
The pilot may or may not have been a terrorist, but what he did was an act of terrorism, just by definition.
Kent @ 11:14 PM EST, Feb 18, 2010
-
No! I do not think it was an act of terrorism. I think it was an individual case of a mentally deranged man! Mary in Virginia Beach.....
Mary Doerr @ 5:07 PM EST, Feb 18, 2010
-
No, I don't define it as terrorism because he wasn't on some bigger mission, he was just crazy and wanted to commit suicide. Kamakazi yes, terrorist no.
Adam @ 5:05 PM EST, Feb 18, 2010
Your 3 Cents: What do you think about Governor Bob McDonnell's proposed cuts to Virginia's budget?
Gov. Bob McDonnell has proposed deep, unprecedented cuts to public schools, the state government work force and health and welfare safety net programs in a $2.1 billion bid to balance a critically troubled state budget.
The Republican governor, who ruled out any tax boosts before he took office a month ago, sent shock waves across a General Assembly struggling with its own budget plans and through teachers, state workers.
-
What does Bob McDonnell have against education? I am a high school business teacher in Norfolk. We are always in desparate need of textbooksm computer equipment, etc. How are we to help students succeed? The national dropout rate is at 50%!
Keva Bagwell @ 9:21 PM EST, Feb 17, 2010
-
I remember when Gov. Kaine cut education programs too. Was that ok because he was a Democratic Gov.?
Wayne McFatter @ 8:57 PM EST, Feb 17, 2010
-
No, but the school system has gone to pot anyway by lowering grade standards. Why don't they just mail the kids their diplomas and we won't have to worry about school budgets
Wayne McFatter @ 8:31 PM EST, Feb 17, 2010
Would saying "I'm Gay" on your license plate be offensive or is it just free speech?
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- A Norman resident has sued to get a proclamation of his sexual preference on the Oklahoma license tag he displays on the back of his car. But state officials have declined to provide 28-year-old Keith Kimmel with a vanity tag that says 'IM GAY', and now he's suing to get it. The Oklahoma Tax Commission turned Kimmel down last year because of an internal rule against special license tags that "may be offensive to the general public."The political science-pre-law student at Oklahoma City Community College filed suit Wednesday in Oklahoma County District Court. His suit asks District Judge Noma Gurich to order tax officials to grant his application for the 'IM GAY' tag.
