Three Up; Three Down

Three Up

REO HATFIELD III: A local guy has made good in Virginia Beach and across the world. Hatfield, an ex-Marine who has served his country in Iraq and Somalia, recently was named Virginia Beach Neptune Festival Hometown Hero. Earlier this year, he won accolades for fishing a robbery suspect out of the drink after the guy tumbled into a river while fleeing police. Hatfield is a Waynesboro High School graduate and the son of former city councilman and proud papa Reo Hatfield.

MOVIE MADNESS: For years, Waynesboro has wanted for a local cinema. Now there are two separate proposals for moviehouses in the West End. Work is expected to get under way next month on a cinema planned by Visulite, the company that operates popular cinemas in Staunton. Economic gloom might cling to the region, but not in Waynesboro’s bustling retail district. Roll film!

CHRIS GRAHAM: We may have our differences with the prolific online commentator and local Democratic chairman on political subjects, but we are of one mind with Graham when it comes to the greatness of the game of baseball. Graham this week was named president of the Valley League’s Waynesboro Generals. His passion for the team and the game are a boon for the club.

Three Down

LIBERALS’ POISE: Disagree with government? Protest? That’s cool if the thing government is doing is Vietnam or Iraq. Not so much when it’s an overhaul of the health care system. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Left Coast, makes allusions to Nazis when talking about people querying representatives about health care. The Obama administration asks for the names of people disseminating what it deems “fishy information” on the subject. Good Lord, people! Obama wants to do this health care thing, so sit down, shut up and take it. Where do you think you are? America?

SUPERPREZ: After floating on clouds through most of his first six months, Obama is watching his poll numbers plummet. His gift has become a curse: The more Obama talks, especially about health care, the worse it gets. Maybe remaking a world power isn’t quite as easy as the once-invincible president supposed.

SAY IT AIN’T SO, JOE: On Wednesday, Veep Biden declared, “I can tell you today, without reservation, the Recovery Act is working.” Two days later came word that the United States had lost another 247,000 jobs. Unemployment slipped to 9.4 percent from 9.5 percent. Yippee! The White House once predicted the rate wouldn’t top 8 percent, but never mind. The number of people who’ve given up hope of finding work rose. But, hey, at least Joe didn’t tick off the Russians this week.