Kaine assumes office in Virginia
Williamsburg, Va. For the first time since Thomas Jefferson became governor, Virginia on Saturday celebrated the inauguration of a new chief executive with volleys from Revolution-era cannons and fife-and-drum flourishes on the grounds of the state’s colonial Capitol.
Timothy M. Kaine followed in some historic footsteps as he took the oath as the state’s 70th governor. Patrick Henry was also sworn in here as the first governor of an independent Virginia in 1776, and Jefferson followed in 1779, the year the government moved to Richmond to elude British capture.
In a short speech to nearly 5,000 guests standing in the cold rain, Kaine evoked that history, exhorting residents to pursue “the promise of Virginia.”
“Let us rise to the leadership example of Virginia’s first 400 years,” he said. “Let us affirm and carry forward our values of courage, opportunity and community.”
He also signed his first directive as governor: an executive order barring employment discrimination in state government on the basis of race, gender, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation or political affiliation.
Saturday’s inaugural ceremonies were moved to Williamsburg for the first time in 227 years because of extensive renovations at the 200-year-old state Capitol that Jefferson designed in Richmond.
Augustine Volcano still active in Alaska
Homer, Alaska Snowflakes laced with fine, gray ash fell on communities south of Anchorage as a series of volcanic eruptions continued early Saturday on an uninhabited island dozens of miles away.
Plumes of ash from the volcano drifted across Cook Inlet and into Homer, 75 miles to the east, halting air travel and closing schools in some Kenai Peninsula communities Friday.
The 4,134-foot Augustine Volcano began erupting Wednesday after a 20-year lull. By Saturday morning, it had erupted at least eight times, and scientists at the Alaska Volcano Observatory said they expect more eruptions over the next several days or weeks.
The ash clouds can pose a health risk, especially for people with respiratory problems, and they can damage the engines of aircraft and vehicles on the ground. Alaska Airlines, which canceled 28 flights into Anchorage and Fairbanks on Friday and early Saturday as a safety precaution, resumed its schedule Saturday morning.
Vatican affirms closure of Boston parishes
Boston The Vatican has rejected the appeals of 10 parishes in the Boston Archdiocese that had petitioned to remain open after being shuttered as part of Archbishop Sean P. O’Malley’s reconfiguration plan.
O’Malley announced in January 2004 plans to close more than 80 parishes in response to a decline in the number of priests, changing demographics, and financial troubles brought on in part by the clergy sex abuse scandal.
“We appreciate the disappointment that this news brings to those who submitted the appeals and all who are saddened by the parish closings,” O’Malley said in a statement Saturday.
The Council of Parishes, a coalition that includes eight of the parishes that lost appeals, plans to weigh its options, which could include further appeals to the Vatican, said co-chairman Peter Borre. The group also discussed filing a lawsuit in civil court.