A new Loudoun Government building? Again?

In this morning’s Washington Post, there’s an item in the Loudoun Section, the “In Brief” column, titled, “Task Force Will Look At Government Move.” (Scroll down for this specific item.) It notes a motion passed in the Leesburg Town Council this past week to create a task force to look at “the possible relocation of Loudoun County government offices.”

The county, the item says, is looking for proposals from developers to build a county government complex that would largely replace its building on Harrison Street in Leesburg. I am looking for links with the details now but isn’t this building they’re in less than 15 years old? Wasn’t it built with all the bells and whistles, and over the objections of the residents of Loudoun County to begin with? If I recall correctly, that action was a large part of the dissatisfaction that lead to the BoS at the time (Dale Polen-Myers, chairing) getting the boot out of office. And now they want to build another one?

Here’s an idea: lease or buy office space that’s currently available in Loudoun County. There’s a big building right over here next to Dulles Town Center mall that has a big, bright blue neon strip running from the ground to the roof on 2 sides – you can’t miss it – that has entire floors completely unoccupied. Put those agencies that need the space into existing offices around the county and then do what the county keeps telling local businesses to do: telework. Connect the various offices’ networks together across a WAN infrastructure and set up video conferencing in each site if you need to. The notion that our county government simply can’t do business unless everyone is under the same roof is ludicrous.

This idea should be gone over with the fine-tooth comb before any commitment to fund such a project – with any funding means whatsoever – is made.

Yet another fine example of lousy reporting

I noticed a story over on FoxNews.com where North Carolina prosecutor Mike Nifong, the guy pushing the “rape” case against 3 former Duke University lacrosse players, has been removed from the case. This announcement by the state’s attorney general came after Nifong requested to be removed.

This Associated Press report reads like a PR bulletin from Nifong central. Key item in the ethics charges and potential criminal trial against Nifong: the fact that he conspired with a lab manager to hide exculpatory evidence that the DNA tests showed no signs that any of the lacrosse team had sex with the accuser. In fact, the semen that was found most definitely came from other men. Nifong and the manager held that information away from the defense attorneys. Nifong even signed an affidavit that no such finding existed.

Go ahead and check out that story I’ve linked. You’ll find absolutely no mention of this critically important fact anywhere in the text. Read this from the story:

Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong, hamstrung by a flip-flopping witness — a black woman hired as a stripper — and dogged by allegations that he made inflammatory statements to the media, asked Attorney General Roy Cooper’s office Friday to appoint a special prosecutor.

Nifong was “hamstrung” by his witness. He is “dogged by allegations.” Allegations, note, of his speaking to the media, not allegations that he’s a perjurious jackass who’s darkened the reputation of every District Attorney in America. This reads like everyone’s being totally unfair to Nifong and that he’s having to ask for removal due to the vindictive smearing attacks on his character and a witness who’s just being flighty.

Nifong attempted to pump this case up to prop up his failing political career and the media was all too happy to be used in the effort. But the real crime here was Nifong’s conspiracy to keep evidence from the defense attorneys – evidence that point very convincingly to the innocence of their clients. That’s why he’s been removed and that’s why he’ll face censure and (hopefully) prosecution. That the AP would tender a report on this matter and purposefully leave that out is just more misconduct on their part.