Robert Hurt: The president’s health-care law

Letters

My many stops and meetings throughout the Fifth District have painted a clear picture of the concerns Fifth District Virginians have regarding the most pressing issues facing our country today. At the top of that list is the President’s health care law. These policies put forth in Washington have very real effects on Central and…

Obama talks gas prices with AAA

Chris Graham

With prices climbing more than 60 cents a gallon since Jan. 1, President Barack Obama discussed energy and rising gas prices—a top-of-mind issue for motorists across the country including AAA’s more than 53 million members—in a meeting with AAA on Thursday. Following his speech on energy issues in Cushing, Okla., the President spoke to a…

Robert Hurt: The president’s health-care law-two years later

Letters

As I continue meeting and talking with citizens across the Fifth District, it remains clear that too many are suffering not only from the President’s economic policies, but also from the budget-busting policies put forth in the government takeover of health care that was signed into law nearly two years ago today. Just this past…

DOJ clears Virginia’s redrawn congressional districts

Contributors

The United States Department of Justice informed the office of Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli on Wednesday that it had no objection to Virginia’s newly redrawn congressional districts, which were drawn by the General Assembly earlier this year. Virginia is one of 16 states required under the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to pre-clear (get federal…

Senate highway bill includes Warner proposals

Chris Graham

U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner, D-Va., on Wednesday joined colleagues in a bipartisan 74-22 vote to adopt the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21), which reauthorizes highway, transit, and safety programs for two fiscal years at current funding levels. The legislation is fully funded and maintains the solvency of the Highway…

State Senate defeats ‘fire the teacher bill’

Contributors

A bipartisan 23-17 vote in the State Senate on Thursday sends legislation dubbed by critics the “fire the teacher bill” to a Senate committee, effectively killing it for the 2012 General Assembly session. House Bill 576 was a cornerstone of the education reform agenda of Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell, who said the legislation would bring…

Earth Talk: Inside Solyndra

Roddy Scheer

Dear EarthTalk: What caused Solyndra, a leading American solar panel maker, to fail last fall and what are the implications for U.S. alternative energy industries? – Walt Bottone, Englewood, N.J. Solyndra was a California-based maker of thin-film solar cells affixed to cylindrical panels that could deliver more energy than conventional flat photovoltaic panels. The company’s…

Radtke raises issue with IRS actions

Contributors

U.S. Senate candidate Jamie Radtke has asked the chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform to launch a formal investigation into abusive actions by the Internal Revenue Service toward Tea Party and Patriot organizations. On Friday, Radtke sent a letter to Congressman Darrell Issa describing IRS actions toward conservative organizations currently seeking…