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, …
Monday, October 8, 2012
What do you think of holiday items being displayed in stores in October?
Ahh, fall has begun. The leaves are starting to turn, kids are starting to think about Halloween costumes, Starbucks offers its pumpkin spice lattes, and…Christmas trees are in stores. No, we're not kidding. A Patch editor shopping at BJ’s in Alexandria last weekend spotted...Christmas trees being sold. Yes, big, sparkly Christmas trees. It was warm enough at the time to be wearing shorts. Retailers like Target are starting to sell Christmas trees online. It's easy to find Christmas countdowns on Twitter and even Christmas tree farms starting to peddle their wares. So, Patch readers, what do you think? The temperatures have started to get colder, but how early is too early to start thinking about Christmas or for stores to display holiday…
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 …
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 …
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 …
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Falls Church Councilman Webb calls clause unconscionable.
The Virginia Senate passed a bill Thursday that would allow adoption agencies to deny placements based on sexual orientation and other factors but not to discriminate based on other characteristics, such as race, color or national origin, which are protected under federal law, according to a Washington Times story. Senators approved House Bill 189 by a vote of 22-18. Senators Charles J. Colgan (D-Prince William) and Phillip P. Puckett (D-Russell) joined 20 Republicans in voting for the measure, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, The bill is known as the “conscience clause.” In a statement Tuesday, City of Falls Church Councilman Lawrence Webb said it’s unconscionable that people are putting their personal beliefs in front of …
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 ›