Last Word
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Last Word, June 28
City taxes It amazes me the city is even still discussing raising the meal and hotel taxes and charging an admission fee to local attractions. There has been resistance from all those to be affected. Not once has the city of Williamsburg mentioned raising the real estate tax. The city of Williamsburg...
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Last Word on taxes, June 24
Affordable housing There is no affordable housing in James City County for most of the hospitality, tourism or retail workers. We desperately need some small, 1,000- to 1,500-square-foot homes without all the fancy amenities on lots big enough to plant gardens and for children to play in. City...
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Last Word on an exceptional idea, June 21
Exceptional idea I have a comment about the article in The Virginia Gazette about the Exceptional Games. I'm calling to commend Donnell Brown for an awesome idea, and I hope that what they end up doing when they sit down with some of the plans for next year is that they promote it to the community...
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Last Word on affordable housing, June 17
Affordable housing What are the JCC supervisors thinking? Despite what the median income from the Census states, the average job in the local hospitality industry pays about $9 an hour. So if a worker is lucky enough to get a real 40-hour-a-week job (few do) then that is $360 a week, minus 30 percent...
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Last Word on city taxes, June 14
Higher taxes We are glad the City Council has decided to further study the proposal to raise meal tax to 7 percent, up 2 percent from the current tax rate. The 5 percent meal tax currently generates close to $7 million. Kudos to Benny Zhang for speaking up and voting against the tax increase and...
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Last Word on Williamsburg taxes, June 10
City taxes It seems to me the city (elected officials?) wants to slaughter the goose that lays the golden eggs. In a number of cases, higher taxes are used to discourage an activity; conversely, lower taxes are used to encourage an activity. I have a proposal for CW on the admission sales tax:...
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Last Word on safety first, June 7
Meal tax The city proposes to make the the meal tax 7%, up 2% from current tax. The 5% meal tax currently generates close to $7million dollars. The Chamber of Commerce, Colonial Williamsburg and the Williamsburg Area Restaurant Association are all against this without a plan for the money. The...
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Last Word on flags and hats, June 3
Thank you Cedar Grove Cemetery was especially beautiful over Memorial Day weekend. A walk or a drive through the cemetery was a very moving experience. We are grateful to the caretaker, Bill Brown, and his crew. We appreciate those who distributed the flags honoring our veterans. These volunteers...
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Last Word on saying a prayer, May 31
In our thoughts Prayers are needed for the Warhill High School student critically injured in a recent car accident. Imagine if all of us stopped at the same time that the high school bells ring, 7:20 a.m. and 2:20 p.m. every day, and said a prayer for the recovery of this young man and for all...
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Last Word on Memorial Day, May 27
Memorial Day Memorial Day is Monday, May 29. It is a day to honor men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. Aside from the tradition of placing flags on all veterans' graves, we also raise the flag to full staff, but solemnly lower it to half staff until noon, then raise it to...
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Colonial Williamsburg to outsource jobs, 71 laid off
The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation will outsource a number of its commercial interests that will put 71 people out of work by the end of the year, with another 262 employees potentially affected by the changes announced Thursday by foundation president Mitchell Reiss. The outsourcing includes...
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Spring tourism gets boost from InvadR, Revolution museum
The crowds at the opening of American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, and the long lines at the opening of the InvadR roller coaster at Busch Gardens, were no aberration. Those lines have remained, and along with renewed museum programing in Yorktown and initiatives at Colonial Williamsburg, Historic...
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Police, fire buildings need repairs, firm says
Building are four decades old
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Is (AP) Latin dead in W-JCC?
Written into its mission, Williamsburg-James City County Schools arm students for 21st-century success, including achieving a "global awareness." With that comes a commitment to world languages, according to the division's strategic plan. Speaking at a School Board meeting June 20, 14-year-old...
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U.S. sets new visa rules under Trump travel ban: Grandparents and grandchildren are out, siblings are in
The Trump administration has set new criteria for visa applicants from six mainly Muslim nations and all refugees that require a "close" family or business tie to the United States. The move came after the Supreme Court partially restored President Donald Trump's executive order that was widely...
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Cardinal George Pell takes leave from Vatican after sex assault charges
Cardinal George Pell, one of Pope Francis' top advisers, took a leave of absence as the Vatican's financial czar on Thursday to fight multiple criminal charges in his native Australia that allege he committed sexual assault years ago.
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Ex-Israel Prime Minister Ehud Olmert granted early release from prison
The parole board of Israel's Prison Service on Thursday granted former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert early release from his 27-month corruption sentence, in perhaps the final chapter of a stunning fall from grace that forced him from office amid the last serious round of peace talks with the Palestinians....
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In Mosul, Iraqi forces take landmark mosque blown up by Islamic State
Iraqi forces on Thursday captured the compound of a landmark mosque in Mosul that was blown up last week by the Islamic State group — a hugely symbolic site from where the top IS leader declared an Islamic "caliphate" nearly three years ago. The advance comes as the Iraqi troops are pushing deeper...