Kaine: 5,900 jobs created, saved through stimulus

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine noted today that state agencies have reported more than 5,900 jobs created or saved from American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds flowing through the State Treasury. To date, more than $5 billion in ARRA contracts, grants and loans have been awarded in Virginia, with more than half in the form of direct aid to localities and organizations outside of state government. Read more

The Pulse | Two-thirty in the mornin’

That’s what time Keith Jones has to get out of bed to get ready to host the “Daybreak” show on WHSV-TV3 every morning.

Which puts him in bed most nights at …

“About six, six-thirty,” Jones told me.

I had just told him that I have “Daybreak” on in the background every weekday morning getting ready for work.

Clarification: not the 5-7 a.m. live version of “Daybreak.” Oh, no. I’m aware that there is a 5-7 a.m. in the day because I read a lot, but I am never, ever out of bed doing anything at that ungodly hour. Read more

Stop the Presses | ‘Homosexual agenda’?

Republican attorney-general candidate Ken Cuccinelli’s recent nonsense about the “homosexual agenda” got me to thinking.

We hear from social conservatives all the time about the “homosexual agenda,” as if such a thing could be more than “economic prosperity,” “basic civil liberties” and “world peace.”

But that wasn’t what I was thinking. As a heterosexual, I was thinking, I wonder if we heterosexuals have a “heterosexual agenda.”

If so, I haven’t been made privy to one. Read more

Press Briefing | Press Secretary Robert Gibbs

Friday, Oct. 30

MR. GIBBS: Good afternoon. We’ll try to do this quickly so we can get to afternoon meetings with the Joint Chiefs. But let me start out with giving you guys a quick rundown of the week ahead.

On Saturday, tomorrow, the First Family will welcome more than 2,000 local area children from Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia schools, and their families for trick-or-treating at the North Portico for Halloween. In addition, the President and First Lady and the Vice President and Dr. Biden will host a Halloween reception for military families and children of White House and White House residence staff.

Q What are they coming as?

MR. GIBBS: All sorts of things. Read more

AFP Focus | Perriello still ‘undecided’ on health-care reform

Fifth District Congressman Tom Perriello has moved from “no” to “undecided” on the proposed health-care reform making its way around Capitol Hill.

“I think we’re moving in the right direction, but I’m not committed yet,” the Democrat told reporters on a conference call Friday morning in which he discussed the 1,900-page bill that is expected to come up for a vote in the House of Representatives next week.

Perriello is among a group of freshmen Democrats in the House who have pushed House leaders to bring down the costs of the reform package and to insert Republican-backed provisions on interstate competition and medical-malpractice reform into the final legislation. Read more

ACLU announces Election Day hotline

The American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia will answer questions from voters who encounter problems at the polls on Election Day, and is prepared to advocate on behalf of those whose rights have been abridged. The ACLU hotline number is 804.644.8080. E-mails sent to acluva@acluva.org will also be answered. The ACLU of Virginia has operated a joint Election Day hotline with the Virginia NAACP for the last 10 years.

“Voting shouldn’t be confusing,” said ACLU of Virginia Executive Director Kent Willis, “but problems crop up every year. Most stem from a combination of voters not knowing their rights and poll workers not being as forthcoming or knowledgeable as they should be.”  Read more

UVa.’s Landesberg on Naismith watch list

The Atlantic Coast Conference placed nine players on the Naismith 2009-10 preseason watch list. The ACC was represented by Florida State’s Solomon Alabi, Wake Forest’s Al-Farouq Aminu, Clemson’s Trevor Booker, North Carolina’s Ed Davis, Georgia Tech’s Derrick Favors and Gani Lawal, Virginia’s Sylven Landesberg, Duke’s Kyle Singler and Maryland’s Greivis Vasquez.  Read more