http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/virginia/ en-us Mon, 6 Jul 2009 13:45:47 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286453/posts Utilities: Smart Billing By Staff Reports Published: July 6, 2009 A little more than a year ago, the Wilder administration and the City Council backed off a proposed stormwater fee to underwrite infrastructure projects, many of which the council killed off for financial reasons. This year the council decided it could put matters off no longer, and adopted a budget that included a stormwater fee. City residents have received brochures. In a few weeks, they'll receive the bills, which typically will run in the neigbhorhood of $50 for the year. Businesses will have to shell out, too. Although we're not... Richmond Times-Dispatch http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286453/posts#comment Mon, 6 Jul 2009 13:45:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2284067/posts President Barack Hussein Obama held a "town hall" meeting at Northern Virginia Community College in Annandale, VA today (just off the Beltway) to drum up support for his socialized health-care program. Along with attempting to scare Virginians and Americans into accepting more government control over our lives (as well as even higher deficits), the Obama camp is trying to tug at our hearts. That, being the most publicized moment of the town hall, as Obama hugged Debby Smith of Appalachia, VA, who is suffering from cancer and says she doesn't have health insurance. If the moment seemed too perfect, that's... Marooned in Marin webblog http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2284067/posts#comment Thu, 2 Jul 2009 14:26:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2283860/posts Last month, Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, revoked its official recognition of the student Democratic group on campus, saying that the Democratic Party platform conflicted with the university's Christian principles. Following purported complaints from trustees, parents, and (perhaps most significantly) donors, Student Affairs Vice President Mark Hine sent an e-mail to Brian Diaz, president of the College Democrats, saying that the university was "unable to lend support to a club whose parent organization stands against the moral principles held by Liberty University." "By using Liberty University and Democrat in the name," Hine wrote, "the two are associated and the goals... Christainity Today http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2283860/posts#comment Thu, 2 Jul 2009 04:31:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283610/posts VA State Senator and candidate Ken Cuccinelli speaks on the importance of state rights! The Tenth Amendment (Amendment X) of the United States Constitution, which is part of the Bill of Rights, was ratified on December 15, 1791. The Tenth Amendment restates the Constitution's principle of Federalism by providing that powers not granted to the national government nor prohibited to the states are reserved to the states or the people. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ID1_vO3cbTc&feature=channel Washington News Observer http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283610/posts#comment Wed, 1 Jul 2009 21:57:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2282188/posts Fauquier County is working to get funds from the Neighborhood Stabilization Program. The latest information says that they're seeking a grant of $2 million with which to purchase foreclosed homes. They also acknowledge that they're more likely to get only $1 million. There are certainly still a fair number of foreclosed homes around. Out of the 75 homes sold in Fauquier last month, 28 of them were foreclosures. Out of those 28, 15 would fall into the price range (130K to 250K) that the county is looking at. But the number of foreclosures in the lower price ranges is shrinking... Piedmont Real Estate http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2282188/posts#comment Tue, 30 Jun 2009 04:43:45 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2278039/posts A coalition opposing the expansion of the radical Islamic Saudi Academy in Fairfax County, Va., has filed a conflict-of-interest complaint with the Virginia state attorney general over the county government's role in distributing invitations to an Islamic dinner. Invitations to the free dinner – which is billed as, "Understanding Islam Conference: A Symposium to Promote Peace, Harmony, Understanding and Cultural Diversity" – were distributed by e-mail to county residents by Fairfax County official Sandra S. Chisholm, community interfaith liaison for the Department of Systems Management for Human Services. Local citizens trying to block the expansion of the Saudi academy, which... WorldNetDaily.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2278039/posts#comment Wed, 24 Jun 2009 02:31:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2278143/posts Jason L. Diedrich is a sworn Newport News police officer. He carries a gun, wears a badge and police uniform, and holds a police card saying he's vested under state law with the responsibility to enforce the law. But when he spotted someone driving recklessly on Jefferson Avenue last August and pulled him over — leading to that driver's conviction — Diedrich was reprimanded and warned never to do such a thing again. The problem stems from Diedrich's arrest 14 years ago on grand larceny and perjury charges. Though juries found Diedrich not guilty on both counts in 1996, former... Daily Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2278143/posts#comment Wed, 24 Jun 2009 06:28:20 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2277541/posts WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - The College of William & Mary in Virginia is looking for a mascot and ideas have ranged from a feathered horse to an asparagus stalk. The school said Monday more than 400 nominations have been submitted. William & Mary for decades was known as the Indians, but the school changed its nickname to Tribe in the 1980s. The NCAA ruled in 2006 that the college could keep the Tribe nickname but its feathered logo was demeaning to Native Americans and had to go. The school's athletic teams will still be called the Tribe, but the college wants... philly http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2277541/posts#comment Tue, 23 Jun 2009 15:04:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2275217/posts CHESAPEAKE – A Chesapeake man is among four people charged in an eight-month moonshine investigation in North Carolina and Virginia. Larry Donnell Parker, 57, of Tournament Drive, faces 12 charges of sale of alcoholic beverages without a license, possessing and transporting untaxed whiskey and maintaining a common nuisance. Virginia ABC agents say they seized one vehicle and 72 containers of untaxed whiskey when they arrested Parker last Thursday. They say he would sell the containers for $45 each. At the same time in Northampton County, NC, three people were arrested on 11 charges total, including the manufacture and distribution of... 13News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2275217/posts#comment Fri, 19 Jun 2009 15:49:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2274586/posts Republican Bob McDonnell and Democrat Creigh Deeds are virtually tied in the race for governor of Virginia, according to a new poll from Daily Kos/Research2000 (June 15-17, 600 LV, MoE +/- 4%). The survey finds McDonnell leading by just 1 point, 45%-44%, with 11% undecided. McDonnell appears more well-known around the state, with 55% holding a favorable opinion of him, 36% unfavorable and just 9% with no opinion. Twice as many people have no opinion of Deeds, while 47% view him favorably and 35% unfavorably. President Obama, who won Virginia in the primary and general election last year, holds a... RealClearPolitics http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2274586/posts#comment Thu, 18 Jun 2009 18:45:45 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2273866/posts Video: http://www.fbi.gov/multimedia/bombs061509/bombs061509.htm "Post-Blast Training, FBI Training Academy, Quantico" SNIPPET: "FBI bomb technicians from the Washington Field Office conduct training to recognize attributes of specific bomb types and their aftermath. Transcript" # http://www.fbi.gov/multimedia/bombs061509/transcript.htm "Post-Blast Training, FBI Training Academy, Quantico" SNIPPET: "Our bomb techs are very, very experienced. They’ve deployed to Iraq. They go on 90-day tours. They deploy to Afghanistan--90-day tours. And there’s a reason for that. We want to see what they’re using our there. We want to see what sort of tradecraft, what sort of components. And we want to see if there’s any sort of migration into the... FBI.gov http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2273866/posts#comment Wed, 17 Jun 2009 21:28:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2272706/posts Two interesting notes regarding the activities of the Muslim Brotherhood-linked groups in the United States over the weekend. First, Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va), took the unusual and courageous step of directly tackling CAIR on the floor of the House last Friday. In his speech, also available on Youtube, Wolf laid out CAIR's history in some detail and asked the FBI and the main Justice Department to clarify the status of their relationships with CAIR. After reviewing the group's history, Wolf identified one of their most effective tactics and why it is so dangerous: COUNTERTERRORISM BLOG.org http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2272706/posts#comment Tue, 16 Jun 2009 08:34:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2270963/posts Danville Police say an officer was acting properly when he shot and killed a dog. "Killer" was a 12-year-old Dachsund known by many in his Berman Drive neighborhood. Officer Murrill McLean shot the animal Monday while trying to serve a warrant at a nearby home. McLean worried the dog had rabies and shot the animal in self-defense. Killer's owner Angela Harper says her pet did not have rabies and has never attacked anyone. "He was a little dog," says Harper. "So I think he was kind of careless in choosing to shoot." wdbj7.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2270963/posts#comment Sat, 13 Jun 2009 11:21:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2269580/posts Newly chosen Democratic gubernatorial nominee R. Creigh Deeds leads his Republican opponent, former Attorney General Robert F. McDonnell, by six points in the first poll of Virginia voters released since Tuesday’s Democratic primary. A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey taken Wednesday night finds Deeds with 47% of the vote and McDonnell with 41%. Two percent (2%) favor of some other candidate and 10% are undecided. Forty-two percent (42%) say Deeds, a state senator from Bath County, is also more likely to win in November, while 34% give the edge to McDonnell. Deeds scored a come-from-behind win in Tuesday’s primary, turning... Rasmussen Reports http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2269580/posts#comment Thu, 11 Jun 2009 15:15:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2269236/posts Debate Erupts Over Muslim School in Virginia By THEO EMERY June 10, 2009 FAIRFAX, Va. — For years, children’s voices rang out from the playground at the Islamic Saudi Academy in this heavily wooded community about 20 miles west of Washington. But for the last year the campus has been silent as academy officials seek county permission to erect a new classroom building and move hundreds of students from a sister campus on the other end of Fairfax County. The proposal from the academy, which a school spokeswoman said was the only school financed by the Saudi government in the... NYTimes http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2269236/posts#comment Thu, 11 Jun 2009 01:37:20 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2268850/posts Increased turnout helped Republicans in the 2002 and 2004 elections; it helped Democrats even more in the 2006 and 2008 elections. [snip] This low turnout is reminiscent of the low turnout—and especially low turnout of Democratic voters—in several special elections for the Virginia House of Delegates and to fill vacancies in the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors earlier this year. Turnout was down less in Northern Virginia (64%) than in Tidewater (down 70%) and metro Richmond and rural Virginia (down 69%) [snip]. McDonnell has been leading all three Democrats in polls, and while I expect Deeds will get a bump... Washington Examiner http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2268850/posts#comment Wed, 10 Jun 2009 16:47:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2268796/posts It's a reasonable question. When Bill Clinton left office in 2001, it was widely assumed that he would remain a powerful force in American politics, largely despite the fact that his legacy was largely responsible for Al Gore's loss in the 2000 election. Hillary became a U.S. Senator, and her destiny to eventually take up her own spot in the Oval Office seemed pretty secure. Fast forward to 2008. Political Castaway http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2268796/posts#comment Wed, 10 Jun 2009 15:48:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2268665/posts How does the GOP candidate for governor in Virginia, Bob McDonnell, stack up against last night’s Democratic primary winner, Creigh Deeds? At first glance, terrific. McDonnell has led every poll taken in 2009 that puts him in a head-to-head matchup with Deeds. McDonnell’s favorable rating has been called “Obama-esque.” He begins the general election way ahead in fundraising, and has a nearly 10-to-1 advantage in cash on hand. Deeds has a net unfavorable rating among independents (30 percent favorable, 36 percent unfavorable), voters between ages 45 and 59 (35 percent favorable, 37 percent unfavorable), voters above age 60 (28 percent... National Review http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2268665/posts#comment Wed, 10 Jun 2009 12:50:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2268382/posts State Senator Creigh (CREE) Deeds has won Virginia's Democratic primary for governor. Deeds beat former Clinton White House insider Terry McAuliffe and former state Democratic legislative leader Brian Moran on Tuesday. The victory sets up a Deeds rematch with Republican Bob McDonnell, who beat him in the 2005 attorney general election by 323 votes. McDonnell is a conservative with strong ties to religious broadcaster Pat Robertson. He was unopposed for the GOP nomination. Deeds was the only Democrat in the race not from the Washington, D.C., suburbs. Primary rivals criticized him for legislative votes supporting Virginia's broad, pro-gun laws, actions... Google News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2268382/posts#comment Wed, 10 Jun 2009 00:20:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2268121/posts These signs have been popping up all over northern Virginia. I thought the press was not supposed to be biased nor actively campaigning for a particular candidate? Me http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2268121/posts#comment Tue, 9 Jun 2009 17:21:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2267977/posts Virginia voters — bombarded by mailers, television ads, door knocks and phone calls — will pick a gubernatorial nominee Tuesday from a crowded field of challengers, each hoping to extend their party’s control of the executive mansion into a third term. The commonwealth’s first Democratic gubernatorial primary in more than three decades is expected to be decided by a few hundred thousand Virginians, who in recent months have been inundated by pitches from former Del. Brian Moran, state Sen. Creigh Deeds and Terry McAuliffe, a national Democratic fundraiser making his first foray into state politics. The three together raised more... Washington Examiner http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2267977/posts#comment Tue, 9 Jun 2009 14:24:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2267507/posts Should there be more restrictions on conditions for concealed weapons permits? Yes No No opinion Hamptonroads.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2267507/posts#comment Mon, 8 Jun 2009 22:06:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2267364/posts Archaeologists have pulled a 400-year-old slate tablet from what they think was an original well at Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in North America. The slate is covered with faint inscriptions of local birds, flowers, a tree and caricatures of men, along with letters and numbers, according to Preservation Virginia, which jointly operates the dig site with the National Park Service. It was found at the center of James Fort, which was established in 1607 along the James River in eastern Virginia. Research director William Kelso said the inscriptions were made with a slate pencil on the 4-inch-by-8-inch slate.... AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2267364/posts#comment Mon, 8 Jun 2009 18:42:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2267352/posts Although eyes of the national media last week were fixed on Cairo and the looming Supreme Court confirmation battle, the real political action in 2009 is in two state gubernatorial races which may signal the direction of the 2010 congressional races and test whether Barack Obama reset the country’s political dial. As Dan Balz of the Washington Post put it: A lingering question from the 2008 election is whether the enthusiasm surrounding Obama’s candidacy was singularly focused or transferable to other Democrats when he is not on the ballot. His candidacy was fueled by the passions he engendered among his... Pajamas Media http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2267352/posts#comment Mon, 8 Jun 2009 18:29:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2267194/posts State Sen. Creigh Deeds appears to be further separating himself from the other two contenders in the June 9 Democratic gubernatorial primary, according to a Public Policy Polling survey released two days before the election. A Democrat from rural Bath County, Deeds now holds a double-digit lead (40 percent) over rivals Terry McAuliffe (26 percent) and Brian Moran (24 percent) for the party nomination. The poll results follow a recent trend that has shown Deeds surging to the lead of the pack just weeks after earlier polls listed him third in the field. Deeds current lead is beyond the poll's... Virginian Pilot http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2267194/posts#comment Mon, 8 Jun 2009 15:17:33 GMT