Today's News

A contractor has concluded several weeks of work to make the Bedford Museum present a prettier face to the public.

"This job has been 80 percent prep," noted Ivan Kirby, owner of Kirby Custom Painters, of Lynchburg. Kirby said he has been in business for 18 years.

He and Kenneth Burdette, who has worked for Kirby for 10 years, had to go over the window sills three times to seal the 110 year old wood. Kirby said that he found 2-inch gaps in them.

In recent months, we have heard about speculators being one of the things that has driven up the price of oil on the world market, resulting in higher gasoline prices in the United States. To address unbridled speculation, the House of Representatives has passed a bill called the Energy Markets Emergency Act. This bill passed 402-to-19; I voted for it.

Recently I was privileged to once again be a part of a congressional delegation to Iraq and Afghanistan to see firsthand the effort being made in the war on terrorism, to meet with members of the U.S. Armed Services serving in that troubled part of the world, and to ask tough questions of our military and civilian leaders about the progress being made. I returned with an even greater appreciation for the job they are doing and with optimism about our prospects for success and our ability to bring more troops home soon.

There’s a Bedford-born soon-to-be millionaire who doesn’t give a hoot about money, other than the cost of oats.

Tidewaterdragonfly, a four-year-old pacing mare, recently won the $400,000 Roses Are Red Stakes at Mohawk Racetrack in Ontario, Canada. The win pushed “Fly’s” lifetime earnings close to $900,000 with nine wins. The winning horse, or more accurately its owners, collects half of the booty at a stakes race.