Editorial: Three up and Three down

Three up

The Wayne: The Virginia Tourism Corp. has awarded the Wayne Theatre Alliance a $5,000 grant through the Fall 2011 Marketing Leverage Program. It was one of 35 tourism outfits from across the Old Dominion chosen for funding. 

The idea is that the grants help local and regional operations to attract more visitors by leveraging local marketing dollars. The Waynesboro grant application was a partnership among the theatre alliance, the city tourism office and Stone Soup Books and Café to promote tourism in the municipality generally and the WTA’s Gateway specifically. The local partners provided a $5,000 match for the grant.

Here’s to this funding bringing even more folks to River City’s downtown.

Checkmate: Kudos to Berkeley Glenn Elementary School, where a chess club is booming. It’s got 18 members and is guided by Phil Hartzler, a chess player who has been ranked nationally.

It’s a great social and recreational outlet for the youngsters, and it’s benefitting that all-important gray matter, too.

“Statistics have shown that kids who play chess score better on their SOLs and SATs,” said Talented and Gifted teacher Jenna Frank, who organized the group. “It’s an inexpensive way to help kids grow mentally.”

W&L: Washington and Lee University has been hosting a mock GOP political convention since Thursday, drawing heavy hitters from the ranks of government and punditry.

It’s great to have big names such as Mike Huckabee, James Carville and Ann Coulter in the Old Dominion, but it’s a good learning experience for the students involved, as well. Today they’ll make their pick for who should be the Republican presidential nominee.

Three down

Del. Rob Bell: The gentleman from Albemarle County was caught “Tebowing” on the House floor recently.

The Republican has introduced legislation to allow home-schooled students to be on public-school sports teams, and it’s understandable that Bell was pleased when his bill passed the House. But Tebowing, striking a prayerful pose like that of Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow (a former home-schooled student), seems to have gotten out of control — and, we fear, away from Tebow’s actual shows of gratitude to God.

However, we do applaud Bell for helping to ensure that the environment in the legislative chamber didn’t get too formal or stale.

Tom Brady: Oh well. So the New England Patriots quarterback didn’t win another Super Bowl. He’ll just have to go back to waiting for the Hall of Fame to come calling, maintaining his movie-star good looks and cavorting with strikingly attractive women.

It must be an onerous existence.

Josh Hamilton: Unlike the less-than-serious comments above about Del. Bell and Mr. Brady, this is actually terrible news. The Rangers’ slugging outfielder, notable for not only his talent but also for his celebrated kicking of a drink-and-drug habit, recently had a relapse with alcohol.

Hamilton’s comeback was inspiring, probably even to those who will never touch booze or other mind-altering substances. May he find his way again.