Welcome to Cannonball City.

The history of Norfolk as an incorporated town begins in 1682, when Lower Norfolk County purchased 50 acres from Nicholas Wise, a shipwright, for ten thousand pounds of tobacco. A military stronghold called Halfe Moon Fort had sat at Foure Farthing Pointe since 1673, when the Virginia Assembly built one to protect the lower Chesapeake Bay from attack by the Dutch. At the time of its founding, Norfolk Town stretched from the fort at Foure Farthing Pointe to Dun-in-the-Mire (roughly from Nauticus to Harbor Park). In that same year, Robert La Salle claimed Lower Mississippi (Louisiana) for France, William Penn founded Philadelphia, and the English astronomer William Haley first saw his namesake comet.

Cannonball!

An excellent series of informative signs, markers for a walk dubbed “The Cannonball Trail” decorate the waterfront downtown. They describe such seminal moments as the first battle of ironclad ships, the sacking of Norfolk by the British in 1776, and the use of port facilities in Norfolk to smuggle escaped slaves to freedom in the north. We live in a city rich with stories. Visit the Moses Meyers House or The Hunter House Victorian Museum or Fort Norfolk, all small but facinating museums in or around downtown, to get a sense of the depth of our history. And of course, the MacArthur Memorial presides over the square at the heart of the city.

When the designers of Norfolk’s historical waterfront walk picked the name “Cannonball Trail,” I think they were on to something. There’s always been a seafaring and a military flavor to this city, a spirit of adventure and a whiff of danger. The cannonball can be our symbol, our calling card, our link to our history. Norfolk is Cannonball City.

T-shirts, snowglobes, and cannonball-shaped candy will be available in the AltDaily store soon (if I have my way).

Now, on to the news.

Failure to Regulate

Once again the Assembly has dropped a series of bills that would have attempted to regulate the menhaden fishery, a rapacious extractive boondoggle controlled by a Texas-based company called Omega Protein. Omega pours cash into campaigns, and the result is a protected status for their destructive practices: menhaden is the only major species of commercial fish that is NOT regulated by the Virginia Marine Resources Commission. This absolutely has to stop. The taking of more than 100,000 metric tons of menhaden annually from the Bay is unsustainable, and a collapse of that species would lead to a collapse of other species that depend on eating menhaden. It is criminally irresponsible to continue to allow Omega to run their business without regulation, and everyone in Richmond knows it. They’re just afraid to do anything about it. The effort to move menhaden management into the realm of the VMRC failed this year. It cannot be allowed to fail again.

By the way, I love the Pilot‘s coverage of this issue. They have taken a pro-science stance, and are working to confront the power of Omega’s money by exposing the extent of their influence, and making a strong case for regulation. Truth to Power, baby, done the right way.

Red light cameras

They’re watching you in Virginia Beach. Here’s a report on whether they decrease violations, or just generate revenue.

Florida judge declares health care bill unconstitutional

Now the score is two to two. This will be settled in the Supreme Court. Personally, I’m over the health care reform bill. I can’t tell if it’s really helped anyone. It has certainly pissed a lot of people off. I wish Obama had concentrated on getting a cohesive energy strategy in place instead. Maybe we’ll get that this year.

Carpooling down 50% since 1980

We need a coherent energy policy, clearly, because Americans seem to be getting less mindful of the environment, not more. One indicator is this recent report that shows that the popularity of carpooling is down 50% since 1980, when high energy prices drove the practice up. You know what might encourage more carpooling? A higher gas tax. Let’s do it.

FREE Wheelchairs

The Foundation for Rehabilitation Equipment and Endowment (FREE) is a group that refurbishes used walkers and wheelchairs and gives them to the needy. They’re coming here. That’s heartening.