On the late Harry Hall

This morning, Dana spotted a brief notice in the morning paper that Harry Hall has died.

Harry Hall is just about the best guy from Bristol I ever met. The deacon at St. Anne's, he was part of our marriage preparation, way back when, and a good friend of mine ever since. When he ended a mass, it sounded like the voice of Moses. He worked all the time, even when he was sick, like when there was a fire at the church and he just laughed at the idea that he should just be a cheerleader on the sidelines. He laughed at most everything, and made everyone else laugh with him. Seeing him in the church or out and about always lit me up.

I'll miss him.

Best U.S. Open story

I still like the story reported here and here and elsewhere about Tony Romo, Matt Lauer, Justin Timberlake, and a fellow from Nebraska with cancer, trying to break 100 on Friday at Torrey Pines. The dude from Nebraska shot 114 and savored it all, sounds like.

I probably can't break a hundred anywhere that doesn't have plastic grass and windmills. The last round of golf in May, though, playing captain's choice in Nancy Dickenson's Relay for Life tournament we made a lot of lengthy par putts and finished 10 from the back and 10 from the front (i.e., next to last at +1). Tim Hudson from over on the Tennessee side was playing behind us and said he thought we were going to break out the champagne when we got up and down for par on our first hole (from the wrong side of the creek).

And, the horse you rode in on

Here and elsewhere it says that Andrea Mitchell, from the gang of happy idiots at MSNBC, has apologized for her characterization of the people of Bristol, Virginia, on the occasion of the visit by Obama last week.

Another of that sorry bunch, Chris Matthews, will be at the Bristol library a few weeks before the election. His rant this morning, as I understood it, was that the United States is like the sinking Titanic, and voters will have to decide whether to stay on the ship with McCain or jump into the life boats with Obama.

The Fourth Circuit: fewer judges equals fewer arguments

Here is the take of one of the Volokh Conspirators on the state of the Fourth Circuit, still missing too many judges, and the subject of the cover story in this month's ABA Journal.

Sell assets, not stock?

In Andrews v. Browne, the Virginia Supreme Court held that the sale of 100% of the stock of a closely-held corporation is subject to the Virginia Securities Act.

That other Buchanan County case

The Supreme Court decided on Friday in Levisa Coal v. Consolidation Coal that Consol's lease did not give it the right to "store excess water" on the leased premises from coal mining on other property, reversing the Buchanan County circuit court.

The case was argued for the appellant by Scott Sexton from Gentry Locke, with Monica Monday and some lawyers from the Street Law Firm on brief. Well done.

On the Tennessee side

The Kingsport paper has this disturbing story about a good lawyer who made one or more bad mistakes.

It begins:

"A former Johnson City attorney who pleaded guilty to attempted forgery for signing a client’s name to a probation hearing waiver ended up losing his law license, his practice, his home and cars."

Judge Weckstein a candidate for Virginia Supreme Court

The Roanoke Times has this article that says Judge Clifford Weckstein is a candidate for the vacant position on the Virginia Supreme Court.

The article cites Steve Emmert who bemoans the circumstances that might reduce the field of candidates, but if Judge Weckstein is in the running, that's evidence that there may be quality if not quantity.

The same circumstances cited by Steve might prevent anyone from being selected as the juvenile and domestic relations district judge to succeed Judge Farmer in the 29th district - rare is the lawyer willing to chuck in his or her practice for what may be a very temporary judgeship.

No kidding

I just saw this picture that my dad posted somewhere.

Some people are (still) surprised to learn that the proprietor of Appalachian Resources, also the Rose Hill blogger, is my sister.

Last week's case

Here are the stories from the newspapers:

Daniel Gilbert, Bristol Herald-Courier -

Buchanan County Seeks To Recover Money It Says It Lost Due To Bribery Scandal

Federal Jury Is Deciding Liability In Buchanan County, Va., Bribery Case

Contractors To Pay $500,000 To Buchanan County In ‘Coon Dog’ Case

Laurence Hammack, Roanoke Times -

Big Coon Dog lawsuit trees little cash