Kaine: State intends to develop offshore wind

Contributors

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine today announced the Commonwealth’s intentions to develop offshore wind resources. Following a multi-year study by the Virginia Coastal Energy Research Consortium, a number of offshore wind developers have contacted the Commonwealth to share their plans to lease federal waters off Virginia to develop wind power.

State, Dominion partnering on electric-vehicle charging stations

Chris Graham

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine today announced as part of his Renew Virginia initiative a partnership with Dominion Virginia Power to install electric vehicle charging stations at certain state rest areas. These charging stations, installed at no cost to the state, are designed to accommodate most of today’s hybrid electric vehicles and use of the stations…

Chamber prepping for Business Expo

Contributors

Exhibitors ranging from financial institutions to hospitality businesses will showcase their latest products and services at the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Chamber of Commerce’s ninth annual Business Expo. The Expo will take place on Wednesday, Nov. 4, from 3-7 p.m. at the JMU Festival Conference & Student Center. This year’s theme is “Survive and Thrive in 2010.”

Tom Perriello | Fifth District Report

Contributors

I’m proud to report that last week the U.S. House passed an amendment I offered to address early childhood education in rural areas as part of the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act. The legislation creates an Early Learning Challenge Fund, which would award competitive grants to states that implement improvements to the state’s early…

Unemployment down in Virginia for second straight month

Contributors

Gov. Tim Kaine today highlighted a second consecutive month of declining unemployment rates in Virginia. The Commonwealth’s August seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell to 6.5 percent, following rates of 7.1 percent in June and 6.9 percent in July. The August rate makes Virginia fifth lowest among unemployment rates nationally and maintains the Commonwealth’s ranking as…

Public-private partnerships to fund green-energy projects at state agencies, universities

Chris Graham

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine announced today that the Commonwealth will move forward with almost $25 million of green energy projects for state agencies and universities through the Public-Private Educational Facilities Infrastructure Act (PPEA). Funding for the projects will come from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and some of the projects will result in renewable…

Earth Talk | Energy-efficient appliances

Roddy Scheer

Dear EarthTalk: I am considering upgrading some older appliances in my home. Where can I find information on which models are the most energy efficient? – Jonathan Duda, Olivebridge, N.Y. There has never been a better time to upgrade some of those older creaky appliances that are gobbling up much more energy (or water) than…

House passes Perriello early-childhood-ed amendment

Contributors

Today, the U.S. House passed an amendment offered by Rep. Tom Perriello to the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act that seeks to address geographic disparities in early childhood education. Perriello supported the overall bill, which will expand access to affordable college education, increase early education opportunities, and build on a first-class community college system—while…

EMU welcomes more freshmen

Contributors

Fall semester 2009 enrollment numbers at Eastern Mennonite University reveal a strong upturn in first-year student numbers. EMU has 219 first-year students enrolled the fall semester compared to 185 last fall. Traditional full-time undergraduate enrollment – first-year through seniors – totals 847 students, compared to 831 last fall.