Three up, three down

Three up

Term limits: Taking on a stalwart incumbent such as Rep. Bob Goodlatte isn’t an easy task, but Shenandoah County resident Karen Kwiatkowski signaled Friday that she’s serious about an intraparty challenge to the longtime congressman, who represents this area.

Kwiatkowski’s also serious about term limits, apparently. The Republican pledged to fork over $100,000 if she is elected in the 6^th Congressional District and serves longer than a self-imposed three terms. She signed a notarized $100,000 promissory note to a North Carolina organization, Bonded Term Limits, at a ceremony in Harrisonburg.

Kwiatkowski said Congress should be more of a citizen legislature than a place for politicians to have long careers.

“What I want to do is make a statement to show I’m serious,” she said. “Bob has misled us. He is a career politician who is out of touch.”

Goodlatte originally proposed a six-term limit for himself but is now in his 10th term.

Nod from Bob: Mitt Romney got an Old Dominion boost one day before today’s South Carolina GOP primary as Gov. Bob McDonnell endorsed the former Massachusetts governor Friday.

“When I look at the lack of leadership out of this [presidential] administration,” McDonnell said on CNBC, “and I look at the key issues in the race, which is creating jobs, doing something about this horrific national debt and having a strong leader who will turn America around and regain our confidence around the world, Mitt Romney is clearly that guy.”

Giant streak: Waynesboro High School’s boys basketball team now has won 11 straight games after a 68-49 routing of Turner Ashby on Friday night.

The Little Giants split the first two games of the year, and the squad hasn’t lost since. A chance to make up for that single blemish is coming soon, too. Broadway, the only team to best Waynesboro, heads back to River City on Tuesday.

Three down

School funding: The Augusta County School Board’s Thursday gathering was called a retreat, but the tranquil air the term connotes didn’t exactly fit a meeting in which members discussed how they may have to close a nearly $5 million budget gap.

The school system will receive more than $1 million less in state revenue in the next fiscal year, and a combined increase in life insurance and retirement contributions will cost the district more than $3 million.

That means school board members may have to eliminate programs, or, worse, jobs, as they seek to balance the budget.

“Unfortunately, we will have to look at some things that are not very palatable,” said Middle River representative David Shiflett.

Expensive campaign drivers: Some U.S. Senate candidates may pay for campaign aides to shuttle them around from stump speech to stump speech. But not Kevin Chisholm.

The Arlington resident plans to take a walking tour of the Valley next month. The 55-year-old wants to start his trek in Front Royal and head south, visiting Rotary and Kiwanis clubs, businesses and schools, if possible.

Along the way, he plans to collect signatures to get his name on November’s Virginia ballot against the likely major-party nominees, Democrat Tim Kaine and Republican George Allen.

Chisholm aims to average 15 to 20 miles a day and stay in motels at night, but he’ll carry a sleeping bag with him, just in case.

Rick Perry: So it didn’t matter that the Texas governor didn’t make it onto Virginia’s March GOP ballot after all. He dropped out of the presidential race Thursday and endorsed former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich.