Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Governor's five-year, $3.1 billion transportation overhaul aims to fund major road and infrastructure needs. Tell us: Do you think the governor's plan is a sustainable option for road maintenance and new projects?
Virginia residents could see a higher sales tax — and the state could become the first in the country to shed its gas tax — if a transportation plan unveiled by Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell passes the state's General Assembly during its 2013 session. The five-year, $3.1 billion transportation overhaul is the governor's attempt to address some of the state's major road and infrastructure needs in coming years; $14 billion in projects are already underway across Virginia. McDonnell said the 17.5 cent tax on gasoline — which accounts for more than 30 percent of Virginia's transportation revenues — was "dated," blaming inflation and better mileage on the dollar for making it a stagnant funding source. Raising sales tax from 5 to 5.8 percent, …
Friday, October 12, 2012
Rep. Paul Ryan, Vice President Joe Biden spar in fiery debate, talking economy, abortion, Iran and religion in Thursday night debate.
Vice President Joe Biden and Republican VP candidate U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin faced off Thursday night in a heated debate that covered foreign wars, tax reform, healthcare, abortion, and their shared faith in the Catholic Church. During the debate, broadcast live from Centre College in Danville, Ky., Biden flexed his experience with foreign policy when answering questions about ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, nuclear arms in Iran and whether to send troops to Syria. “The last thing America needs is to get in a ground war in the Middle East,” Biden said. Ryan called the Obama administration’s foreign policy “chaotic,” criticizing the lack of security present during the September attack on the consulate in Benghazi, Libya, …
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
NASA is looking to trade in shuttles for an Apollo-like space exploration vehicle with a $38 billion price tag.
With Discovery safely on the ground at the Smithsonian's Udvar-Hazy Center and retired after 28-years, the question is: What will NASA do next? According to NASA, they are designing and building a new space vehicle that will have the capabilities to send people into space to explore the solar system. The goal is to develop a vehicle that will one day land humans on Mars, according to NASA. The new space exploration vehicle, “Orion,” will be able to carry astronauts into space for 21-day missions, according to NASA. The new space vehicle would cost about $38 billion and only fly twice within the next 10-years, the Los Angeles Times reported in 2011. The L.A. Times also reported the multi-billion dollar price tag would also pay for a new …
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Hundreds protest both sides Tuesday outside the Supreme Court.
Hundreds of people gathered outside the Supreme Court on Tuesday to protest for and against President Obama’s health care reform. The high court is hearing arguments for the second of the three-day hearing. The case, according to the Washington Post, largely rests on the constitutionality of a provision that originated deep in Republican circles. "As Americans we all deserve affordable health care," said Allan Jordan, of Piscataway, N.J., outside the Supreme Court on Tuesday. "Health care is too high, and not everyone has the funds to pay for it. That's not right." The justices started zeroing in on whether Congress had the power to require most people in the U.S. to buy medical insurance, according to Reuters. The wire service also …
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Christian alliance says Fairfax policy to accept only volunteer activities with a secular purpose is unconstitutional. Tell us: Should religious activities count toward service hours?
Fairfax County's school board is facing legal action from a Christian group that said denying a student's church-related service hours for National Honor Society requirements discriminates against religious students. The Alliance Defense Fund, based in Arizona, is representing the student. A spokesman told the Washington Post excluding activities widely considered "community service" in non-religious contexts is "an unconstitutional policy that needs to be remedied." The student, an unnamed senior at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, submitted 46 church-related volunteer hours as part of a requirement for membership in the National Honor Society, which requires 12 hours per school year. The hours were spent as a …
Monday, March 5, 2012
Tell us: Were riot police, SWAT teams necessary for safety around Richmond or was it an overreaction?
At Monday's Virginia Senate session, Sens. Janet Howell (D-32nd) and Chap Petersen (D-34th) denounced the use of riot police, SWAT teams carrying automatic weapons, police dogs and helicopters in response to what they called peaceful protests in Capitol Square. Protest groups have gathered several times at the square this session in the wake of legislation aimed at limiting abortion rights. On Saturday, 31 protesters were arrested — mostly for trespassing or unlawful assembly — on the state capitol steps following a women's rights rally. Prior to some of the arrests, protesters were monitored by a fully armored police SWAT team carrying automatic weapons, riot police, and police dogs, the senators said. "They were chanting, 'Tell me what …
Friday, March 2, 2012
As gasoline approaches $4 per gallon, some commuters may consider alternative ways to get to work.
Living in the vicinity of a major city has a lot of perks, but a bumper-to-bumper commute isn't one of them. According to data released by the U.S. Census, it takes Fairfax County residents an average 31.3 minutes to get to work. In Arlington County, it's not much better — 26.5 minutes. Montgomery County residents have some of the longest commutes in the metro region, clocking in at 33.2 minutes. If you think moving into the city might help, think again. It takes D.C. dwellers an average of 29.3 minutes to reach the office. And for many people, this commuting time adds up to gallons and gallons of gas at the pump each week. That's why watching gas prices approach $4 per gallon is so painful. The Associated Press reported on Thursday that …
Thursday, March 1, 2012
The Supreme Court will hear arguments this fall that could change the way colleges and universities use affirmative action to accept students.
Several competitive colleges and universities in Virginia use affirmative action to help diversify their campuses. But that practice could change if the Supreme Court chooses to overturn the decades-old policy. Last week, the court announced it will hear the controversial Fisher v. University of Texas case in its upcoming fall session. The case's plaintiff Abigail Noel Fisher says she was "unconstitutionally denied admission to the school because she is white," according to The Huffington Post. In a Patch article, University of Virginia law professor Tomiko Brown-Nagin says data from California suggests campuses could become less diverse if affirmative action is overturned. On the other hand, demographer Qian Tsai says the general …
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Opponents of repealing the requirement say it is necessary preventive care for girls, but tell us: Is the General Assembly infringing on parental rights?
State senators postponed a bill Monday that would have repealed the law requiring sixth-grade girls to be immunized from the Human Papillomavirus (HPV). The Senate voted 22-17, with two Republicans joining 20 Democrats, to send the bill back to the Education and Health Committee for consideration in 2013. House Bill 1112, sponsored by Del. Kathy Byron (R-22nd District), passed the Republican-heavy House of Delegates 62-34 on Jan. 27. Byron also submitted a similar bill in the 2011 session, which the Democrat-controlled Senate rejected. "I am extraordinarily glad that the Commonwealth will continue to immunize young people against this deadly disease," Del. Barbara Favola said in a statement. "The best way to eradicate cervical cancer is …
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Committee says rail's approach to safety has improved since 2009 crash, but tell us: Do you agree or think system has a long way to go?
The group charged with tracking and analyzing the safety of Metrorail told the system's board this week there were no serious concerns about its safety operations and communication with its directors “has improved dramatically” in the past few years. The Tri-State Oversight Committee (TOC) said in its quarterly report this week it had gained confidence in the system, the Washington Post reported Friday. TOC officials said they had much better access to Metro documents and better faith in its safety practice then they did in the aftermath of a deadly 2009 red line crash. The relationship between TOC and Metro thereafter can be described as rocky at best: Metro blocked the TOC from documents and banned its safety monitors from its tracks. …
dawn auletta
1:02 pm on Friday, February 1, 2013
Gov. Bob McDonnell’s (R-VA) transportation bill passed the House of Delegates Finance Committee, moving past its first hurdle in the state’s 2013 General Assembly session. In a 14-8 vote along party lines, the committee passed McDonnell’s package, which calls for eliminating the state’s 17.5 cents per gallon gas tax and raising the state sales tax from 5% to 5.8%. more ›