Tuesday, May 21, 2013
The Commonwealth's unemployment rate fell to 5.2 percent in April 2013, the lowest since 2008. But uncertainty around sequestration could slow job growth in coming months.
Virginia’s unemployment rate dropped to 5.2 percent in April, the lowest it’s been in more than four years. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports the rate is down from 5.3 percent in March and 5.9 percent in April 2012. It is the Commonwealth’s lowest since the 4.9 percent rate in November 2008. Virginia’s April rate is well below the national average of 7.5 percent. In March, Fairfax County had a jobless rate of 3.7 percent, according to the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA). The FCEDA helped bring more than 1,400 new jobs from 27 different companies to the county during the first quarter of 2013. Salient Federal Solutions, which provides information technology support to government and commercial customers, created the …
Monday, May 20, 2013
Chesapeake pastor and attorney E.W. Jackson is the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor of Virginia.
Pastor and attorney E.W. Jackson won the Republican nomination to run for lieutenant governor of Virginia on Saturday, and a YouTube video he made last year with strong words against Planned Parenthood is getting attention. Jackson, an African-American minister, lawyer and author from Chesapeake, posted the “message to black Christians” in September 2012, chiding African-Americans for their “slavish devotion” to the Democratic Party and saying that Planned Parenthood had been more lethal to black citizens than the Ku Klux Klan. "The Democrat Party has created an unholy alliance between certain so-called civil rights leaders and Planned Parenthood, which has killed unborn black babies by the tens of millions,” Jackson said in the video. “…
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Attorney general gets the nomination for governor.
Virginia Republican Party delegates officially nominated Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli to run for governor at its state convention Saturday in Richmond. See: VA GOP Nominates Ken Cuccinelli for Governor's Race The full text of Cuccinelli’s speech runs below: I think you now have a better sense of why I’m one of the luckiest guys in Virginia. I want to thank my wife, Teiro - who is such a great advocate for me and our shared principles - and my children who have stood by me every step of the way. I also want to thank my mother and father for being here today and providing great examples for me over the years. Wherever you are from in Virginia, Teiro and I are thankful you are here and we are humbled by your support. With today being …
The Chamber gave Albo and 28 other legislators an "A".
Del. Dave Albo (D-42) was given three awards last week for his 2013 voting record by the Virginia Chamber of Commerce. The chamber awarded Albo an the “A” with the Champion of Free Enterprise Award, a legal reform advocate award and an economic competitiveness award. “Businesses create jobs, and if we want more jobs and higher paying jobs, we need to help businesses thrive," said Albo. "I am proud to do my part to keep Virginia the best state to do business, and, therefore, the best place to raise a family." The Chamber hosted its 2013 Legislative Awards Reception and Dinner at the Ritz Carlton in Tysons Corner on May 8, 2013. Albo was praised for writing the state transportation funding bill, which will generate $880 million in new …
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Virginia Republican Party delegates officially nominated Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli as their candidate for Governor at its state convention Saturday in Richmond. E.W. Jackson was nominated as Lt. Governor and Sen. Mark Obenshain as Attorney General. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! The convention was held at the Richmond Coliseum on Friday, May 17 and Sat. May 18, and was attended by thousands. Read: VA GOP Nominates Ken Cuccinelli for Governor's Race Read: E.W. Jackson Wins GOP Lieutenant Governor Nomination
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Did false endorsements passed around convention floor tip the scales for Jackson in the final hour?
Chesapeake minister and attorney E.W. Jackson won the GOP nomination for lieutenant governor late in the night Saturday after a long afternoon of voting to narrow the field from seven candidates. Jackson joins gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli and attorney general contender Sen. Mark D. Obenshain, R-Harrisonburg, as the top Republicans in the upcoming election. According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, businessman Pete Snyder withdrew from the race for lieutenant governor late Saturday. At least one blog, bearingdrift.com, notes E.W.Jackson won the final vote with 58 percent. Endorsement Errors Jackson had led the voting throughout the day. He just narrowly fell short in the third vote of the 50 percent he needed to clinch the …
Cuccinelli formally received the nomination Saturday at the Virginia Republican Convention.
Virginia Republican Party delegates officially nominated Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli to run for governor at its state convention Saturday in Richmond. Cuccinelli, 44, essentially locked down the Republican nomination in November 2012, when outgoing Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling announced he wouldn’t be seeking the nomination. Bolling cited party officials’ vote to change the nominating method from a primary election to a convention as the main reason for withdrawing his hat. "I see a Commonwealth where our people once again lead in liberty and opportunity," Cuccinelli said in his address. "Where striving to achieve is respected, even when we fall short, and it’s celebrated when we succeed. I see a Commonwealth where we restrain our debt so we …
Fairfax County residents who want to vote in June 11 primary must register by Monday, May 20.
Residents who want to vote in the June 11 Democratic Primary to nominate candidates for Lt. Governor and Attorney General must be registered to vote by Monday, May 20. Voter applications submitted after May 20 will not be processed until June 12, a day too late to vote. Democrats Aneesh Chopra and Sen. Ralph Northam (D-Norfolk) will face off for the Democratic nomination on June 11. Chopra, 40, served as Virginia’s Secretary of Technology from 2006-2009 and was appointed by President Barack Obama in 2009 to serve as the nation’s first Chief Technology Officer. Chopra lives in Arlington with his wife and two daughters. Ralph Northam, 53, has served as a member of the Virginia State Senate since 2007. He lives in Norfolk with his wife and …
Ken Cuccinelli is expected to accept the gubernatorial nomination Saturday at the Virginia Republican Convention in Richmond.
Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli is expected to formally accept the Republican nomination for Governor on Saturday morning, delivering a speech at the Virginia GOP's convention. More than 13,000 delegates are registered for the event. As the Republican candidate, Cuccinelli will face off against Democrat Terry McAuliffe in the Nov. 5 general election. The address is scheduled to begin around 10:45 a.m. Saturday. You can stream it live in the video above.
Friday, May 17, 2013
Obesity is threatening the U.S. Military.
The Defense Logistic Agency at Fort Belvoir kicked off its year-long Healthy Base Initiative, a demonstration project designed to improve the health of federal employees and soldiers working at Government installations. “This initiative is probably one of the most powerful initiatives I believe the military has ever put in place,” said television host Montel Williams, who has multople sclerosis and spoke at the campaign kick-off on Wed., May 15. “This morning, at 5 a.m., I was in the gym. Don’t tell me you have no time. This is how you can change your life. My choice is, if I don’t, I can’t walk.” DLA has 27,000 employes, and the initiative includes a bike share program and a weekly farmer’s market. “What we really hope to get out of …
Chris Ambrose
8:14 am on Tuesday, May 21, 2013
There is no question that the Virginia GOP has nominated the most extreme team in the Commonwealth of Virginia's history. Just when we need to focus on jobs and the economy, they are going to make the focus on things like outlawing certain forms of birth control, making it a crime for women not to report miscarriages within 24 hours or face criminal prosecution, shutting down women's health care … more ›