Do it like they do on the Travel Channel

Tomorrow, after court and in the middle of the day, I'll be driving up the road past Lexington and Berky's Restaurant at the Lee Hi truckstop, and I did see their story on the Travel Channel.

Crohn's patients' voices

I listened to everyone of these, patient voices on the New York Times website.

Fortunately, what similar tales I have mostly are no longer told in the present tense.

Knock on wood.

On the late Rogers Stuart

Here is the obituary for George Rogers Clark Stuart, a former VBA president and long-time Southwest Virginia lawyer.

It says in part:

"George Rogers Clark Stuart, age 83, a well-known Abingdon resident, died Aug. 23, 2008.

Mr. Stuart grew up in Abingdon, which was his lifelong residence. His college training was interrupted by three years of military service during World War II, including 18 months with the 1st Infantry Division in Belgium and Germany. During that time, his unit participated in the famous battles of the Bulge and the Bridge at Remagen. Returning home, Stuart completed his education at the University of Virginia Law School. He then engaged in the active practice of law for 40 years, first from 1950 to 1952 with the firm of Burns & Lively in Lebanon, and then with his family firm of Penn, Stuart & Phillips and successors in Abingdon. His specialty was litigation.

During his productive years, Stuart was very active in community affairs. He served as a member and/or officer of the following boards: Industrial Development Authority of Washington County, Barter Foundation, Washington County Red Cross Unit, Glenrochie Country Club, Johnston Memorial Hospital and Washington County National Bank. For 20 years, he was attorney of the Industrial Development Authority, which has been responsible for much of the industrial development in Washington County, Va.
Mr. Stuart served two terms (1970 to 1973) in the Virginia House of Delegates. In 1969, he was elected to the presidency of the Virginia Bar Association. He was a member in the American College of Trial Lawyers, the American Bar Foundation and the American Law Institute."

Two mysteries

Here are two things I wonder:

1. Why doesn't the website for the Attorney General's office have on it some convenient directory like this one?

2. Why is this directory of lawyers in the Attorney General's office in the local court rules section of the Richmond bar website?

From the archives

A real live e-mail exchange, with a member of the press from years ago:

From: O'Donna Ramsey [mailto:oramsey@coalfield.com]
Sent: Tuesday, March 27, 2001 3:24 PM
To: Steve Minor
Subject: Re: Monopolization on the Coalfields Expressway


Steve: Don't you have people to sue?
As you pointed out, monopolizing is probably not the appropriate word, but
that's what they say they are doing. At least that's how committee members
and the Lenowisco planner described it. Glad to hear you're still out
there, and you're still reading the world's best newspaper, even if we do
use the wrong words occasionally. . . .

---------------

O'Donna:

You wrote:

"Plans are to find ways of monopolizing on the expressway and to put those plans into action before the highway gets here, Pound Vision Committee member Kathy Roberson said following a recent meeting."

Are the people of Pound really trying to monopolize on the Coalfields Expressway? I'm not sure what that means. Perhaps the right word is capitalize, or maybe I missed the point altogether. When I was a kid, we monopolized on Mom and Dad's bridge table in the basement (I always wanted to be the banker.)

Still a dedicated reader in Bristol,

Steve Minor

Judge Williams in Travel and Leisure magazine

The September 2008 edition of Travel & Leisure magazine includes this article about Southwest Virginia, and the article includes some substantial reference to Judge Glen Williams.

The print version, just arrived, includes a fine picture of the Judge and his wife in Jonesville.

Evidently, this story was written right after our law clerk reunion in October 2006 - which, by the way, Senator Allen did not attend - but many others did. Maybe after two years it is time for me to hang the group photo on the wall in my office.

When is sugar not sugar

Yesterday's post resulted in the receipt of this story, said to be true:

"An ex-boyfriend was charged with putting sugar in his ex-girlfriend's gas tank. She saw him doing it and called the police. The police stopped his vehicle and found a gallon jug nearly full of sugar. Sugar was found in the girlfriend's gas tank, the car was damaged, sugar was spilt in the defendant's floorboard, etc.

During cross-examination, the clever defense attorney questioned the arresting officer about the gallon jug found in defendant's possession. Defense attorney asked if, in fact, any field tests had been done on the substance to prove that the white substance was sugar. The officer responded 'no, sir.'

The defense attorney, sensing a vulnerable prey, continued by stating 'That's right, officer. You really don't know what that substance is. For all you know, that white substance found in my client's car could be COCAINE, couldn't it?!'"

When is a firearm not a firearm

VLW Blog links here to this opinion from the Court of Appeals, in which the panel of Judges Kelsey and Petty and Senior Judge Bumgardner granted a writ of innocence.

And, the basis was evidence that the firearm was not a firearm.

Which makes me think of a case years ago, where a Bristol lawyer was defending somebody charged with transporting a truckload of marijuana, and he was going to try to prove that the stuff was not marijuana, and I think the plan was that since he had no expert witness he offered to prove this at trial by putting some in the Commonwealth's Attorney's pipe to see what would happen.

On trees and mining

The Bristol paper reports here on last week's proceedings in the Sierra Club case, including some quotes attributed to me.

Then, the same paper published a front-page story in the paper today, with the bold prediction that mountain-top mining will be outlawed by the end of 2009.

So long, Skip Caray

Who knows how many nights I've driven home from Bristol listening to the Braves on the radio, with Skip Caray making the call.

One of his calls that gives me a chill every time I see and hear it replayed on TV is described here, from the 1992 playoffs: "Here comes Bream! Here's the throw to the plate! He iiiiiiiisssssssss ... safe! Braves win! Braves win! Braves win! Braves win! ... Braves win!"

When he got excited, something exciting really was happening.

Fourth Circuit reverses NLRB on union decertification arising out of Wise County

In NLRB v. Mullican Lumber and Manufacturing, the Fourth Circuit in a published opinion by Judge Niemeyer, joined by Chief Judge Williams and District Judge Williams from Maryland, denied the NLRB's petition for enforcement and granted the company's cross-petition for review, concluding that the unfair labor practice charges against Mullican over its facility in Norton were deficient because the company had sufficient evidence that the majority of its employees there no longer wanted to be represented by the UMWA.

Oliver Hill's old home in Roanoke to become legal aid office

The Roanoke paper reports here that a childhood home of civil rights litigator Oliver Hill will become an office for Blue Ridge Legal Services.

More on the Dr. Shelburne case

Here is a anti-prosecution post about the Shelburne case, and here is the latest from the Bristol paper, about how the U.S. has noticed an appeal on the money laundering charges that were thrown out based on the Santos decision.

Just in case you were wondering

A panel of the D.C. Circuit has held in Adams v. Rice that "engaging in sexual relations" qualifies as a "major life activity" for purposes of the Rehabilitation Act.

Interesting

Here from the Chicago Tribune is another book review of Judge Martin Clark's latest book.

Here is a profile of Circuit Court Judge John Cook, after two months on the bench.

The Bristol paper has this report on the airport easement case that Jim Elliott and Lucas Hobbs from this office have appealed to the Virginia Supreme Court.

On the book by Judge Hudson of the E.D. Va.

Here on the VTLA website is a very interesting book review by Wyatt Durrette of the new book by his good friend, Judge Henry Hudson of the E.D. Va.

I have heard Judge Hudson speak only once, at the Judicial Conference.

Bad news

Colon cancer has taken away Tony Snow, who suffered for years from colitis, which poses the same cancer risk as Crohn's disease according to articles like this one.

One thing I would do if I had a motorcycle

I would join up with the first annual "Fire in the Hole" ride and rally, which covers this route:

• Highway 19 South to Alternate Route 58 West to Norton, VA.
• Highway 23 South to Big Stone Gap. VA.
• 1ft STOP: Powell Valley High School, Big Stone Gap. VA. (Rest/Fuel Break)
• Can you ride the TUNNEL? Must get through it to Highway 25E into Middlesboro, KY.
• 2nd STOP: Lunch break (several restaurants and gas stations).
• Route 119 North into Harlan and Whitesburg. KY.
• 3'd STOP: Letcher County Central High School. Stretch/Refreshments.
• Highway 23 South back into Norton. VA.
• Alternate Route 58 East to Moccasin Valley Rd. Route 613, Lebanon. VA.

And, I might pass the word to a few bikers I know, including Robbie Boggs, and Mike Abbott, and that woman lawyer down in Knoxville.

But then, I don't have a motorcycle, or even one of these.

LA Times review of third novel from Judge Clark

Here is a review in the LA Times of the latest from Circuit Court Judge Martin Clark, called The Legal Limit.

Interesting for other reasons

I have now read In the Kingdom of Coal: An American Family and the Rock That Changed the World, and it is not quite what I expected, but interesting nonetheless to the extent it is a history of Westmoreland Coal and the families behind it, including some history of their operations in Wise County, and of a family of miners whose later generations include the former Dodger and Red pitcher, Tim Belcher.

The book declares that one year Belcher made more money in major league baseball than the net of Westmoreland selling coal.