UNPUBLISHED
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT
No. 00-6243
GEORGE ALLEN WARD,
Petitioner - Appellant,
versus
COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA,
Respondent - Appellee.
Appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern Dis-
trict of Virginia, at Alexandria. T.S. Ellis, III, District Judge.
(CA-99-1897-AM)
Submitted: June 15, 2000 Decided: June 22, 2000
Before NIEMEYER and MOTZ, Circuit Judges, and HAMILTON, Senior Cir-
cuit Judge.
Dismissed by unpublished per curiam opinion.
George Allen Ward, Appellant Pro Se.
Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit.
See Local Rule 36(c).
PER CURIAM:
George Allen Ward seeks to appeal the district court's order
denying relief on his petition filed under 28 U.S.C.A. § 2254 (West
1994 & Supp. 2000). We have reviewed the record, the district
court's opinion, and Ward's informal appellate brief. Because Ward
failed to challenge in his informal brief the district court's
findings that his § 2254 petition was time-barred and that he
failed to exhaust state court remedies, he has not preserved any
issue for our review. See 4th Cir. R. 34(b). Accordingly, we deny
a certificate of appealability and dismiss the appeal on the
reasoning of the district court. See Ward v. Virginia, No. CA-99-
1897-AM (E.D. Va. Jan. 19, 2000).* We dispense with oral argument
because the facts and legal contentions are adequately presented in
the materials before the court and argument would not aid the
decisional process.
DISMISSED
*
Although the district court's order is marked as "filed" on
January 18, 2000, the district court's record shows that it was
entered on the docket sheet on January 19, 2000. Pursuant to Rules
58 and 79(a) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, it is the
date that the order was entered on the docket sheet that we take as
the effective date of the district court's decision. See Wilson v.
Murray, 806 F.2d 1232, 1234-35 (4th Cir. 1986).
2