Sunday, April 7, 2013
Virginia's legislature passed an amendment prohibiting some insurance companies from providing abortion coverage.
This week, Virginia’s legislature approved a measure by Gov. Bob McDonnell that prohibits certain health insurance companies from providing coverage for women seeking an abortion. The exceptions to the insurance coverage rule are in cases of rape, incest or if the mother’s life is in danger. While the new Virginia legislation isn’t as restrictive of abortions as recent legislation passed in North Dakota and Alabama, critics are concerned about the financial effect the legislation may have on a woman’s decision. Sen. Mark Herring (D-Loudoun) said, “Women should be able to make decisions about their own health care without interference from politicians here in the state Capitol.” The Virginia Society for Human Life, an anti-abortion group, …
Friday, December 14, 2012
More than 20 dead, including young children, after incident at elementary school in Newtown, Conn., AP reports.
Gov. Bob McDonnell released a statement Friday about the school shootings in Connecticut: “It is with a heavy heart and the deepest of sympathies that I learned earlier today of the horrific shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. My thoughts and prayers go out to the families of those impacted by the events transpiring today, and to the teachers, emergency responders, and all others touched by this tragedy. Unfortunately, Virginia has our own painful memories of the tragic shootings at Virginia Tech in 2007. Those memories will never fade, and we continue to grieve for all those lost on that April day. We are all too aware of the impact that events like this can have on a community. If there is anything Virginia can do to assist Governor Malloy…
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
"Multiple internal control issues" prompt review of Virginia Railway Express management.
Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell has asked for a review of Virginia Railway Express relating to its goverance and management practices. "There are multiple internal control issues that have arisen recently which are summarized below, which call into question the management of Virginia Railway Express," wrote McDonnell in an Oct. 3 letter to Virginia Inspector General Michael Morehart and Auditor of Public Accounts Walter Kucharski. McDonnell said he'd learned of the issues in question "through multiple sources." At Tuesday night's Fredericksburg City Council Meeting, Ward III Council Member and VRE Board Member Fred Howe announced he was participating in the review process. "The Governor has undertaken a review of VRE based on some whistle …
Monday, October 29, 2012
Officials warn residents as the worst of Hurricane Sandy approaches.
As Hurricane Sandy batters the East Coast, power outages in Northern Virginia have been tame. But Gov. Bob McDonnell urged Virginians Monday to prepare for widespread power outages over the next 24 hours. “For most of the state, the worst part of the storm is still ahead,” McDonnell said during a press briefing in Richmond on Monday. “Prepare now for power outages.” About 57,000 Virginians have been affected so far by the storm, but response has been rapid and only 6,000 residents were without power as of 1:15 p.m. “We’d be shocked if those numbers don’t go up dramatically, especially in Northern Virginia, as the storm approaches,” McDonnell said. "We've been holding our own, but we expect the weather to become a challenge," said Rodney …
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Gov. Bob McDonnell reminded residents to prepare for power outages and cold weather in a telephone press conference Saturday afternoon. Dominion warns of prolonged outages.
(UPDATE 4:10 p.m.): Power outages for its customers could be "prolonged" in Northern Virginia due to outages from the coming storm, Dominion Virginia Power advised in a news release sent out Saturday afternoon. "This storm system will build in intensity over time and will remain a force for days, not just hours, causing major damage and extensive power outages," said Rodney Blevins, vice president of Distribution Operations, in a news release. "Its effects will be felt for days along much of the East Coast." Dominion noted that it will supplement its linemen and contractor tree trimmers with additional utility workers from other states. "When customers lose their electric service during a major storm, their primary question is when their …
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Virginia governor delivers prime time address Tuesday night.
The "American dream" is at stake in the November presidential election, said Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell in a prime-time speech at the Republican National Convention Tuesday night. "I don't have to tell any of you: this is a tough economy. We all have friends, family and neighbors who've lost their jobs and homes," McDonnell (R) said. "Worse, they've lost their hope. And their lost hope is why we need a big change this November. This election is about restoring the American dream." Like many of the convention speeches Tuesday, McDonnell's address criticized a remark made by President Barack Obama (D) during a July campaign stop in Roanoke that Republicans say suggested business owners did not build their success on their own. "We need a …
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan will join presumptive GOP nominee in bid for president instead of Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, who some say was on the short list.
Just more than two weeks before he's expected to receive a presidential nomination at the Republican National Convention, Mitt Romney announced Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan would join him on the ballot in the 2012 election, passing over Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, who had been on the short list of many political experts. Romney will be in Manassas this afternoon on a campaign stop and McDonnell is scheduled to attend. (Go to Manassas Patch for live updates starting at 4 p.m. Saturday.) Romney was scheduled to make the announcement Saturday morning before 9 a.m. in Norfolk as he starts a tour of Virginia, an important swing state in this year's presidential elections, but Romney's campaign sent a press release earlier in the morning. Just days…
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
The governor signed bills requiring ignition interlocks for drivers on a restricted license.
Gov. Bob McDonnell signed two bills in Virginia Beach Tuesday that require ignition interlocks for people convicted with a DUI for the first time. McDonnell spoke about the bills with reporters Tuesday in Dale City Tuesday, where he attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony for extended Express Lanes on I-95. McDonnell signed House Bill 279 (Iaquinto) and its companion Senate Bill 378 (McEachin), which requires "all individuals convicted of driving under the influence, including first-time offenders, to operate only vehicles equipped with an ignition interlock device when driving on a restricted license." "Ignition interlock devices will be installed and monitored at the expense of the offender," said a release from McDonnell's office. "Prior …
Thursday, July 12, 2012
As Virginia lawmakers disagree over Affordable Care Act provision, tell us: Would participating in the expansion help or hurt the state?
As Gov. Bob McDonnell considers opting out of the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion, Virginia lawmakers are divided on whether the program would help or hurt the state. In a letter to McDonnell on Thursday, Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling, a Republican who has announced a 2013 gubernatorial bid, encouraged the governor to reject the program, saying Medicaid expansion — which he says accounts for nearly 20 percent of Virginia's total general fund spending — would place "tremendous fiscal pressure on the Commonwealth and divert funds from other state programs, such as public education, higher education, public safety, natural resource protection and even other critically important health care programs." McDonnell sent a letter to Virginia …
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Ultrasounds and Personhood distracting from more important issues like economy, U.S. Senate candidate says.
Former Virginia Governor Tim Kaine (D) says the 2012 General Assembly's attention to divisive social issues is distracting the commonwealth from more important issues such as the economy - and turning Virginia into the butt of many jokes. Kaine, former Democratic National Committee chair and a candidate for U.S. Senate, in Northern Virginia for an economic roundtable on Wednesday, says citizens are voicing their concerns as the General Assembly prepares to move forward on bills that give full personhood rights from the moment of fertilization and mandate vaginal ultrasounds for women seeking an abortion. "What I hear from our business leaders and owners is that they are tired of partisan games and distractions causing uncertainty and …
Jackieh
11:51 am on Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Sure we are...maybe vasectomies too. These are the old white men making rules for the women of Virginia. We ladies have to rebel and make sure we throw them out of office. And make sure Ken Cooch doesn't get elected. He makes Trans Vaginal Probe Bob look like a flaming liberal. more ›