Government

    Tim Kaine was in town Saturday afternoon for a fundraiser, but you won’t see any stories about it in newspapers. That’s because the event, which took place at the local Democratic Party campaign headquarters on West Main Street, was closed to the press.

    “Generally the campaign fundraisers we hold are not open to the press,” said Lilly Adams, Kaine’s press secretary.
    Why is that?
    “Most fundraisers are in peoples’ houses,” she said.

    Two newly appointed members of the Bedford County Planning Commission do not intend to take the Virginia Certified Planning Commissioners’ Program, even though a provision requiring that remains in the planning commission’s bylaws.
    County Attorney Carl Boggess has written a legal opinion stating that the planning commission has no mechanism to enforce this bylaw.
    Here is why the two men aren’t going to attend the program.

    A provision in the Bedford County Planning Commission’s bylaws that requires all commission members to complete the Virginia Certified Planning Commissioner’s Program within one year of being appointed to the commission remains in force.
    But don’t look for all of the commissioners to comply.

egistrars reported light turnout for Tuesday’s Republican primary.
    By 10 a.m. only 1.58 percent of Bedford County’s registered voters had turned out to cast ballots, according to Barbara Gunter, the county’s registrar. She said that Forest Elementary school had the largest voter turnout with 2.8 percent of that precinct’s voters turning out.
    Gunter believes that rain in the morning discouraged many early voters. Furthermore, some county precincts historically don’t get a large early bird turnout.