Richmond announces 17-member signing class for 2011

Contributors

Richmond football head coach Latrell Scott announced Wednesday the signing of 17 student-athletes, who have submitted their intent to attend the University of Richmond and play for the Spiders next season. The class features one local standout, nine linemen, and 10 from the Commonwealth of Virginia. This marks the first class entirely recruited by Coach…

UVa. adds class of 26

Chris Graham

The Virginia football program signed 24 players to a National Letters of Intent (NLI) for the 2011-12 academic school year head coach Mike London announced. Two additional recruits enrolled at UVa in January, topping the class off at 26. Highlighting the nationally ranked class are five ESPNU Top 150 prospects, 17 signees from the state…

Festival features best of Virginia indie film

Contributors

The Virginia Film Office and the Virginia Production Alliance are cooperatively producing the fourth annual Virginia Indie Film Festival Feb. 26 and 27. The Festival features independently produced documentaries, short films and features from Virginia filmmakers. The films were selected by panels of industry professionals and come from Midlothian, Blue Ridge, Richmond, Virginia Beach, Roanoke,…

AG backs effort to clarify state gambling laws

Chris Graham

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli today announced his support for new legislation which clarifies Virginia’s gambling laws. Questions about the law arose in 2010 when a number of Internet gambling businesses started to appear around the Commonwealth. Companion bills, House Bill 1700 and Senate Bill 1195, patroned by Del. Clay Athey (R-Front Royal) and Sen….

Creigh Deeds: Session report

Letters

The regular 2011 session of the General Assembly began on the second Wednesday of January. The day was full of pomp and circumstance and some matters of substance. We swore in a new state senator, Bill Stanley, from Franklin County, who was elected to fill the seat of newly elected Congressman Robert Hurt. The Courts…

McDonnell adds to roads plans

Chris Graham

A key part of Gov. Bob McDonnell’s plan to get Virginia transportation moving would rededicate a portion of sales-tax revenues from the pot of money used to fund schools and public safety to roads projects in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads. McDonnell said today that he will back legislation to move about $140 million a…

State announces $100K in farmland preservation grants

Chris Graham

Gov. Bob McDonnell today announced the distribution of $100,000 in grants from the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to eight Virginia localities. Localities must use the grant monies to preserve farmland within their boundaries through local purchase of development rights programs. PDR programs compensate landowners who permanently preserve their land by voluntarily placing…

UVa. escapes with narrow win over Norfolk State

Scott German

Assane Sene tipped in a missed free throw with five seconds remaining to play Monday evening, and the Virginia Cavaliers survived a nightmarish effort to beat Norfolk State 50-49 here in John Paul Jones Arena. Virginia (8-3), winning for the fifth straight time, was again without the services of leading scorer and rebounder Mike Scott,…

Virginia fights bank scams

Chris Graham

A new program involving state government and a group of Virginia banks and credit unions aims at protecting consumers and financial institutions from fake-check scams. Sixty-one banks and credit unions participating in this effort will hand out a brochure created by Consumer Federation of America about fake-check scams and similar frauds to every consumer who…

Report: Link between sprawl, transportation issues, housing affordability

Contributors

Housing affordability is a critical challenge throughout Virginia—a challenge heightened by the recent recession and continuing economic turmoil, as well as problems with transportation and sprawl development, according to a report released today by Housing Virginia and the Southern Environmental Law Center. In addition to examining these problems, the organizations outline a range of practical,…