The Virginian-Pilot

urn:publicid:pilotonline.com:1234 HamptonRoads.com | PilotOnline.com http://www.pilotonline.com The Virginian-Pilot 2012-02-08T22:33:37-05:00 Copyright The Virginian-Pilot urn:publicid:pilotonline.com:629612 ODU scorches the nets against W&M, wins 70-51 2012-02-09T00:15:13-05:00 2012-02-09T00:04:21-05:00 Copyright The Virginian-Pilot

WILLIAMSBURG Second shots? Old Dominion had no need. The Monarchs made so many of their first ones over several key stretches of a 70-51 win over William and Mary on Wednesday. ODU hit its first nine of the game to open a 21-7 lead. The Monarchs hit their last five of the first half, turning a shaky-looking seven-point lead into a 19-point halftime bulge. The outcome was typical Monarch-vs.-Tribe stuff. ODU (16-10, 11-3 CAA) has won nine straight in the series and remained a game behind conference leaders Drexel, George Mason and Virginia Commonwealth. The Rams come to the Constant Center on Saturday. The method was a departure from the norm, though. In many recent meetings, ODU has clobbered W&M on the offensive glass, scoring on second-chance attempts and wearing down the smaller Tribe over 40 minutes. On Wednesday, the Monarchs carved up W&M with crisp ball movement and the occasional outburst of transition baskets. "I just think the guys were real focused. This is the type of team we can be when we're all on our 'A' game," guard Kent Bazemore said. No run was as pivotal as the late first-half stretch. After weathering ODU's blistering early shooting, the Tribe collected itself and had a chance to cut the margin to five with 3:50 left and Quinn McDowell at the free-throw line for a one-and-one opportunity. McDowell missed. Then teammate Julian Boatner missed a 3-point attempt. ODU's Dimitri Batten answered with a trey. Nick Wright hit a hook, Batten another 3-pointer, Trian Iliadis a layup and Bazemore a jumper. The 12-0 run made it 41-22 at the half. "A really important spurt in the game," coach Blaine Taylor said. Tribe coach Tony Shaver agreed, pointing to a similar late-half run by ODU in the Monarchs' win in Norfolk on Jan. 28. "I really felt like we would play better," he said. "I really felt like we would show improvement from 10 days ago and we really didn't." W&M (4-22, 2-12) had its usual troubles against ODU's zone defense, and also struggled against man-to-man, shooting 29 percent. McDowell went 2 for 12 and freshman guard Marcus Thornton 2 for 11. It was the Tribe's defense that had Shaver frustrated early, though. Less than five minutes in, he pulled his starting five. If he was sending a message, McDowell said it wasn't one the starters haven't heard before. "For some reason, we can't get everybody to play well and hard all the time," he said. "We haven't done our jobs all year on defense - playing with consistency." ODU had much to do with the Tribe's defensive hand-wringing. Nick Wright led the Monarchs with 14 points, but it was Bazemore who set the tone with 10 points and nine assists. "Baze established early that we were going to share the ball and be smart," Taylor said. ODU shot 62.5 percent in the first half, 51 percent for the game. "The ball was moving around like it was in the popcorn machine, and it just led to very good shots in rhythm and it just all of a sudden became infectious," Taylor said. It was a game ODU needed to have a chance to pull even with VCU on Saturday. "We're definitely now a team on a mission," Bazemore said. Ed Miller, 757-446-2372,ed.miller@pilotonline.com Norfolk, VA Staff Writer ODU scorches the nets against W&M, wins 70-51 ODU scorches the nets against W&M, wins 70-51 The Virginian-Pilot urn:publicid:pilotonline.com:629612 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:pilotonline.com:629600 Chesapeake has taken no action on city manager search 2012-02-08T22:54:32-05:00 2012-02-09T00:00:00-05:00 Copyright The Virginian-Pilot

CHESAPEAKE It became official two weeks ago: City Manager William Harrell was leaving his post. The next day, Harrell tendered his letter of resignation: "As you know, I have been selected as the president and CEO of Hampton Roads Transit." Now, nearly seven weeks after it became apparent Harrell was a front-runner for the position and would likely resign during a difficult budget year, the City Council has taken no action - official or unofficial - to consider who might take over. Mayor Alan Krasnoff said because the council has not had a formal meeting since Harrell's resignation, the elected officials have not yet had a chance to accept it. "We still have time," Krasnoff said. Harrell's resignation calls for March 31 as his last day. With the city facing a nearly $13 million budget deficit for the next fiscal year, Harrell said he would stay on to present a balanced budget proposal at the March 20 council meeting. Councilman C.E. "Cliff" Hayes said the search discussions should have started at least the day that Harrell formally accepted the HRT position - if not when the council suspected he would be leaving. "I think the employees and citizens need reassurance that the process is beginning," Hayes said. "Something needs to be happening. To my knowledge, nothing has been done yet." Hayes, a member of the HRT board that voted for Harrell, said the City Council had at least a month in advance of the vote to prepare for the outcome. "It's the strangest thing to know that your chief executive has formally tendered his resignation and no discussions are being held around the matter," he said. When city managers have left in the past, it did not take the council this long to consider the next steps, Hayes said, although the actual search can take more than half the year. Councilman Rick West, who also sits on the HRT board, said this will be his first involvement in the search for a new city manager. He and Councilman Scott Matheson said they are waiting to learn how the search process works. Council members Suzy Kelly and Lonnie Craig also are new to this kind of search. "I'm anxious to get the process moving," Matheson said. "I want to make sure that we get the right candidate." The City Council will meet Tuesday for the first time since Harrell's resignation, and Krasnoff said he expects there to be discussion then. Marjon Rostami, 757-222-5207, marjon.rostami@pilotonline.com Norfolk, VA Staff Writer Chesapeake has taken no action on city manager search Chesapeake has taken no action on city manager search The Virginian-Pilot urn:publicid:pilotonline.com:629600 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:pilotonline.com:629601 Deal offered to Portsmouth lawmaker could ease tolls 2012-02-09T00:23:16-05:00 2012-02-09T00:00:00-05:00 Copyright The Virginian-Pilot

RICHMOND Gov. Bob McDonnell's aides have dangled millions in toll-reducing road funds in front of a local Democrat in hopes of avoiding a Senate stalemate over his proposed two-year state budget.

RICHMOND Gov. Bob McDonnell's aides have dangled millions in toll-reducing road funds in front of a local Democrat in hopes of avoiding a Senate stalemate over his proposed two-year state budget. During informal discussions, officials in the Republican administration have offered $300 million in transportation dollars to Sen. Louise Lucas of Portsmouth. That money could lessen the financial impact of coming tolls on the Midtown and Downtown tunnels. An impending $1.84 peak-hour fee on those tubes has elicited anger among local residents, including about 40 people who traveled to the capital Wednesday to lobby for state funds to bring down the toll rates. The tolls are part of a deal Virginia reached with a private group to build a new Midtown tube, rehab the existing tunnels and extend the Martin Luther King Freeway to connect with Interstate 264. Lucas has proposed a budget amendment calling for $500 million in state bond proceeds to be used for lowering by 50 cents the tolls motorists will face. She's also one of the Democratic senators who was approached this winter by administration officials asking what it would take to get their votes for the budget. Obtaining money to drive down tolls probably would earn Lucas plaudits from her constituents. It also would require political sacrifice. The threat of a budget showdown is one of the few trump cards Democrats hold over Republicans in the evenly split Senate because Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling's tiebreaking vote can't settle divisions on such financial legislation. Democrats have been seething since the GOP seized power in the 20-20 Senate and then muscled through legislation to restrict abortion and expand gun rights. They need a unified caucus to halt the budget and possibly win future concessions on power-sharing. Yet the conditions attached to transportation money discussed with Lucas - or offers to other Democrats - are almost certain to require a pledge for some cooperation on the budget. A spokesman for McDonnell declined comment on "any private conversations that may or may not occur regarding the budget" when asked about discussions with Democrats like Lucas. Lucas was similarly mum Wednesday when asked about the talks, though she was voluble about her proposed budget amendment at an afternoon subcommittee hearing. "These tolls just cannot be borne by the people in the area," she said, describing the rates as economically crippling for many in South Hampton Roads on fixed incomes. Backing for her proposal came from prominent groups of civic and business leaders with the Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Steering Committee and the Portsmouth Partnership, who took a bus to Richmond seeking toll relief. Testifying before senators, a stream of speakers said tolls would harm Portsmouth's economy. Others argued the state should pay more toward the tunnel project to bring down the price for passage. Portsmouth resident Joseph Boone just wants the prospect of tolls gone. "I think it's too bad we can't do a sonogram on the toll project so we can abort it," he said, referencing recent legislative action to require that women get an ultrasound before ending a pregnancy. Pilot writer Dave Forster contributed to this report. Julian Walker, 804-697-1564,julian.walker@pilotonline.com Norfolk, VA Staff Writer Deal offered to Portsmouth lawmaker could ease tolls Deal offered to Portsmouth lawmaker could ease tolls The Virginian-Pilot urn:publicid:pilotonline.com:629601 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:pilotonline.com:629582 Unwise expansion of death penalty 2012-02-09T00:21:31-05:00 2012-02-09T00:00:00-05:00 Copyright The Virginian-Pilot

This week, as Virginia’s lawmakers debated whether to expand the death penalty, the state prepared to exonerate a 56-year-old man who has spent his adult life being punished for a 1978 rape in Williamsburg that he didn’t commit. Based on the victim’s identification, Bennett S. Barbour, then 22, was convicted and spent 4½ years in prison. DNA tests unavailable then – and denied to the man in 2004 – now show that he is innocent of the rape of a college student 34 years ago. Since 2005, when Virginia began testing old biological evidence, at least nine defendants have been found innocent of decades-old charges. Since the late 1980s, 289 defendants in the U.S. have been exonerated; 17 were on death row. Barbour’s case is the latest reminder that, sometimes with faulty eyewitnesses and sometimes because of corrupt police, our criminal justice system has convicted innocent people and sent them to prison or death row. It’s also a reminder of why the death penalty is a bad idea. It’s a sentence with no second guesses, no ability to acknowledge an error and correct it. Which is why, rather than increasing the chance of erroneously executing someone, Virginia should be working to eliminate the possibility of getting it tragically wrong. In most Virginia cases involving capital murder, only the person who did the killing – the “triggerman” – is supposed to be subject to the death penalty. Accessories to murder aren’t to be executed if they didn’t actually commit the murder. But the triggerman restriction is a misnomer because Virginia allows the worst of the worst to be subject to the death penalty, even if they didn’t kill. John Allen Muhammad, for example, was executed for his role in the 2002 sniper shootings though he wasn’t convicted of pulling the trigger. Despite that, Virginia’s General Assembly has tried for several years to repeal the triggerman rule to give prosecutors greater latitude to pursue death sentences for accomplices to murder. On Wednesday, a Senate committee, voting along party lines, defeated one effort to expand the number of criminals subject to execution. The issue is likely to be resurrected after the House passes its bill, as expected. Even though there’s no evidence that pursuing more death sentences will make society safer. Even though the costs of trying capital cases and maintaining death row are far greater. Even though the system is fraught with shortcomings and human error. Just ask Bennett Barbour. Norfolk, VA Staff Writer Unwise expansion of death penalty Unwise expansion of death penalty The Virginian-Pilot urn:publicid:pilotonline.com:629582 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:pilotonline.com:629586 'Mr. Marmalade,' a complicated - and dark play 2012-02-08T19:26:26-05:00 2012-02-09T00:00:00-05:00 Copyright The Virginian-Pilot

"Mr. Marmalade," a play about a lonely little girl named Lucy, her imaginary friends and the real adults who live largely in her periphery, opens Friday at the Generic Theater's down-under venue at Chrysler Hall. It runs through March 4. The play, written by Noah Haidle, has been described as an outrageous and provocative black comedy. Director Donna Dickerson said it is both of those things, and shocking as well. "It's a play about children for adults. It's complicated," Dickerson said, which is exactly the word that Lucy, the 4-year-old heroine, uses to describe her relationship with the title character, her very-adult imaginary friend. The play covers a day in Lucy's life, with characters including her divorced working mother, a baby sitter and a 5-year-old boy named Larry whose claim to fame is that he is the youngest person to attempt suicide in New Jersey. Lucy watches a lot of unsupervised television, probably more "Law and Order" than "Sesame Street," contributing to a vocabulary and worldliness beyond her years. Lucy's imaginary friend, Mr. Marmalade, is something of an amalgamation of the men in her life, largely her mother's boyfriends and the men she sees on TV. He's a busy businessman with a personal assistant, anger issues and a cocaine addiction. Clearly, the show is not recommended for young audiences. Dickerson says she hopes the play will move the audience to think about children brought up in a less-than-perfect environment. "We want to make the audience think about how much kids actually absorb from their surroundings," she said. "When the adults are talking, they think Lucy isn't paying attention, but if you remember when you were young, you listen to everything adults say." Celia Burnett, who plays Lucy, loved the play at first reading and suggested it for performance. "It was just so unlike anything I'd ever seen before that I was amazed by it," Burnett said. "When I see or read plays I want to be surprised. I don't want to figure what's going to happen or see where it's going. I picked it up after reading the one-sentence synopsis - about a little girl's dysfunctional relationship with her imaginary friend - and I thought, hmm, is it a giant bunny, or a monster? Every scene surprised me." In addition to its surprising and humorous elements, Burnett said, "It's dark - dark in capital letters. Some parts are shocking and some parts are sad, but I don't think the overall tone is mean-spirited. I don't enjoy when you see a show that is hugely funny but mean-spirited. This play isn't." Burnett's Lucy will be costumed in a dress, unlike other versions that had her in pajamas and ponytails. Burnett said, "Lucy sees herself as a total grown-up, equal to every grown-up that there is. She's quite a sophisticated woman." While it may be sad for a little girl to have such a self-image, Burnett is convinced that Lucy is strong enough to succeed in life. "She's very resilient, incredibly intelligent, wonderfully imaginative, very romantic in some ways, and just tough in a way that's good to be tough," Burnett said. Dickerson agreed with that notion. The play presents "the idea that you can go through a bad place and everything comes out OK. It sounds sappy, but it's true." Dickerson said that skirting the line between the tragedy and comedy of "Mr. Marmalade" wasn't difficult for the cast. "We're going for an emotional roller coaster, so we cast mature adults who are emotionally secure and able to do things without flinching. We want the audience to understand why Lucy is the way she is. Some things are hilarious, and there are moments to feel the negative emotions, too. We want to take audience on a little ride in a little bubble." The theater's promotional synopsis about the play concludes with the following: " 'Mr. Marmalade' is a savage black comedy about what it takes to grow up in these difficult times." So what does it take? "It takes a little steel," Dickerson said. "Lucy is fierce. She's not a victim." Joy Vann, joyvann@cox.net Norfolk, VA Staff Writer 'Mr. Marmalade,' a complicated - and dark play 'Mr. Marmalade,' a complicated - and dark play The Virginian-Pilot urn:publicid:pilotonline.com:629586 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:pilotonline.com:629583 Once again, usurers escape 2012-02-08T19:07:41-05:00 2012-02-09T00:00:00-05:00 Copyright The Virginian-Pilot

Short-term lending companies will have at least another year to ply their destructive wares in Virginia, offering quick cash and an endless and destructive cycle of debt. Senators this week shelved a proposal from Hampton Roads' Mamie Locke and John Miller to rein in practices that have allowed companies to charge 300 percent or more in interest on short-term loans. The plan was built on the premise that interest rates should be capped at no more than 36 percent, whether for car title or payday or open-ended loans, and that those lenders shouldn't be able to tack on additional fees. Another proposal, offered by Hampton Roads freshman David Yancey and supported by John Cosgrove and Brenda Pogge, languishes in a House subcommittee. For the lending industry, those results should mark a satisfying return on investment. Short-term lenders have pumped more than $1.4 million into political action committees and campaigns between 2007 and 2011. Records posted at the nonpartisan Virginia Public Access Project (vpap.org) showed just last month that lending and consumer credit companies poured another $40,000 into influential committees, including $10,000 each to the Republican and Democratic Senate caucuses. Meanwhile, the industry's practices have allowed them to reap millions more in profits at the expense of the most desperate Virginians. A report commissioned in 2010 by the State Corporation Commission found the companies lent $170.5 million to 168,337 people in 2009. That produced $40.3 million in interest and loan fees. The average rate of interest on a payday loan that year? 290 percent. Laws approved in the past few years have tried to curb that kind of abuse, but instead created a statewide game of whack-a-mole. Payday lenders, once limited in their abuse of customers, simply became car-title lenders, or provided open-ended loans. The proposals offered this year would've brought uniformity and limits to an industry with a multi-year history of abusing Virginians, providing an overdue measure of consumer protection for people who need it. Norfolk, VA Staff Writer Once again, usurers escape Once again, usurers escape The Virginian-Pilot urn:publicid:pilotonline.com:629583 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:pilotonline.com:629591 Faith remains that troubled church could see revival 2012-02-08T21:16:40-05:00 2012-02-09T00:00:00-05:00 Copyright The Virginian-Pilot

Folks of a mature age know the term "bad penny." For the uninitiated, it means something negative that recurs way too often. Just when you think you've buried a bad penny, it pops up again. The saga of a church in downtown Portsmouth fits the moniker aptly. Fortunately, there's still a glimmer of hope that the building, in the shadow of Interstate 264, can be transformed into something special, something vibrant. The church anchors a corner at Washington and South streets. Its tall spire seems to rise ever upward. "It's a great church," Edward Perry, who lives in the same block as the structure, told me. "I would love to see it come back into the community." Virginian-Pilot writer Dave Forster relayed the latest developments Wednesday. Restoration work has been halted for years at the stone edifice, which is more than a century old. The building has housed various congregations. The lettering on one side reads "Central Methodist Church." It's also been known as Garden of Prayer Temple and Friendship Temple. The lack of activity hints at the trouble that city officials have faced in dealing with the site over the past half-dozen years. It's been a continuing, costly headache. A Suffolk-based congregation bought the long-vacant building around 2005. But a split City Council, rejecting the advice of its own city attorney, denied a permit request by the Rev. Joseph Chase and his wife, Katrina, to move their Friendship Temple congregation there. The council majority listened to some neighbors who opposed the reopening. Bill Moody, one of the members who voted against the permit, said he also doubted the Chases could complete the renovation. The Chases sued in federal court, contending that the council's decision violated their right to religious freedom. The ensuing settlement, finalized in 2006, cost city taxpayers $1.36 million. In retrospect, Moody was right about the Chases' ability to renovate the site. But the council majority miscalculated badly when it initially denied the permit. Lots of work has been completed at the church. From the outside, the stained glass windows are majestic. Earlier news articles said work crews took out old plumbing, plaster walls, rotted floorboards and ancient wiring. Ultimately, though, the owners lost it to foreclosure. The church is now in the hands of a bank and is back on the market. On Wednesday, a fence surrounded the lot next to the church. Chains hung around some door handles. A footprint on one door suggested somebody tried - unsuccessfully - to kick it in. So why do I have hope that something better is possible? I saw it in the life in the neighborhood. A bakery-cafe opened nearby on Washington Street a few months ago. Construction crews worked Wednesday on three side-by-side houses on formerly vacant lots. Ultimately, it will take much more cash for someone to finish what the Chases started at the church. It could be worth it. Or it may be that no amount of money can stop that bad penny from resurfacing. Catch Roger and other local pundits on "Another View," covering issues involving African Americans in Hampton Roads, on 89.5 WHRV-FM at noon Friday. Roger Chesley, 757-446-2329, roger.chesley@pilotonline.com, pilotonline.com/chesley Norfolk, VA Staff Writer Faith remains that troubled church could see revival Faith remains that troubled church could see revival The Virginian-Pilot urn:publicid:pilotonline.com:629591 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:pilotonline.com:629611 Scott is perfect in Cavaliers' victory 2012-02-08T23:55:59-05:00 2012-02-08T23:54:53-05:00 Copyright The Virginian-Pilot

By Doug Doughty CHARLOTTESVILLE Virginia men's basketball coach Tony Bennett had no ulterior motives Wednesday night when he decided to rest center Mike Scott for the final 12:41 against Wake Forest. Up to that point, Scott had made all nine of his field-goal attempts, tying a school mark. "Looking at the stat sheet, I didn't realize he did not miss a shot," Bennett said following a 68-44 U.Va. victory. "... He was in the zone." Scott, who entered the game with an ACC-leading 58.8 field goal percentage, became the third player in U.Va. history to go 9 for 9 in a game. Neither of the other 9-for-9 performances, by Jeff Jones and Kenny Turner, took place in an ACC game. "He was just on fire," said second-year Wake coach Jeff Bzdelik, who had not previously faced Scott, who was injured last year. "So were the other guys." Wake (11-13, 2-8) had won the previous six games between the teams, and nobody on the Cavaliers' roster had ever beaten the Deacons. "Really?" U.Va. freshman Malcolm Brogdon said. "Oh, wow!" For the second game in a row, Brogdon had 10 points off the bench and the Cavs had five double-figure scorers for the first time all season. Scott led the way with 19 points in 26 minutes. Joe Harris, who had three 3-pointers in the first 5:42, was next with 11. The Cavaliers (19-4, 6-3) shot 70.8 percent from the field in the first half, which they ended with a 12-0 run. They stretched a 40-19 halftime lead to 56-23 with 12:33 remaining. Virginia was coming off a 58-55 loss Saturday at Florida State, where it overcame a 13-point second-half lead and took the lead for a stretch before falling in the final minute. "I thought our defense played well enough to win (Saturday) and we just tried to build on that," U.Va.'s Sammy Zeglinski said. Zeglinski missed his only two 3-point attempts Wednesday, but had four assists and no turnovers in 22 minutes. Backcourt partner Jontel Evans also had a 4-0 assist-turnover ratio to go with 10 points. Still, the night belonged to Scott, a 6-foot-8, 234-pound Chesapeake product. He served notice when he opened the night with a step-back jumper over 7-foot Ty Walker, best known as a shot-blocker. "We thought our length would at least bother him and it didn't," Bzdelik said. "You can't double him in the mid-post area. When he catches it and you run at him, he is used to that. He shoots it very quick." Scott had no qualms about his early exit. "It's about time-management and I knew we had a game coming up," said Scott, referring to a Saturday visit to North Carolina. "I'm not one of those selfish-type players." Norfolk, VA Staff Writer Scott is perfect in Cavaliers' victory Scott is perfect in Cavaliers' victory The Virginian-Pilot urn:publicid:pilotonline.com:629611 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:pilotonline.com:629610 Budget plan calls for Portsmouth to chip in more 2012-02-08T23:46:14-05:00 2012-02-08T23:44:49-05:00 Copyright The Virginian-Pilot

PORTSMOUTH The school budget would increase by $1 million and include a 1 percent employee pay increase under the proposal Superintendent David Stuckwisch will present to the School Board today. The $140 million budget for 2012-13 also asks the city to contribute $54.1 million, an increase of $2,492,593. The additional funds would help offset a likely loss of the same amount from a refiguring of a state-funding formula, the composite index, that calculates a community's ability to pay for education based on factors including real estate values. The budget also incorporates the elimination of federal stimulus money, which last year contributed $3 million to the division's revenue. In an email, Stuckwisch said the budget involves eliminating some positions through attrition but he did not say how many. "Keeping in mind that the General Assembly is still 'sitting' in Richmond, and the City Manager will not present his proposed City budget until March 21," Stuckwisch wrote, it is "much too early to take any reduction strategies off the table." Budget planners are anticipating cost increases for liability insurance, electricity and waste removal, as well as a decrease in the cost of health insurance. The division expects to have 14,465 students next year, up more than 300 children from the current year and the biggest enrollment since at least 2008-09. The board will discuss the budget proposal at 5:30 p.m. today in the sixth floor conference room at City Hall. It will hold a public hearing on the proposal at 7 p.m. in the City Council's chamber. Norfolk, VA Staff Writer Budget plan calls for Portsmouth to chip in more Budget plan calls for Portsmouth to chip in more The Virginian-Pilot urn:publicid:pilotonline.com:629610 Change 0 Usable