Stimulus monies to help pay for solar panels

An $80 million grant from the federal stimulus will fund improvements to wastewater-treatment plants across the Commonwealth, including here in the Valley. Augusta County will get $364,964 to go toward the installation of solar panels at wastewater-treatment plant pump stations across the county, according to the office of Gov. Tim Kaine, who on Tuesday accepted…

Kaine touts green building

Contributors

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine on Monday toured the renovated, environmentally friendly Virginia Association of Counties headquarters where he highlighted the benefits of green construction and green roofs. The VaCo headquarters on Main Street in Richmond was built in 1866 and recently was completely renovated using LEED standards.

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Chris Graham

Griff Yancey was a second-team All-CAA tailback in the ’09 Phil Steele preseason magazine. Except that the redshirt junior from Glen Allen won’t be playing tailback this year. “It was a tough transition from the beginning, but I’m starting to get the flow of things,” said Yancey, who was moved to safety in the spring…

Don’t call it a comeback

Chris Graham

“Which one of your candidates is the one that fired his campaign manager?” I happened to be standing at the Staunton-Augusta Democratic Party booth at the Augusta County Fair last week when that question was directed at a volunteer. The reference was to a report from University of Virginia politics professor Larry Sabato from earlier…

House GOP calls for Kaine to make call on Secretary of Technology

Contributors

Citing the Aug. 14, 2009 opinion released by Virginia Attorney General William C. Mims, Virginia House of Delegates Speaker William J. Howell (R-Stafford), House Republican Majority Caucus Chairman and a senior member of the Joint Commission on Technology and Science Samuel A. Nixon, Jr. (R-Chesterfield) and House Science and Technology Committee Chairman Kathy J. Byron…

Earth Talk | Rooftop gardens

Roddy Scheer

Dear EarthTalk: I’m sure there are many good environmental reasons to build a rooftop garden. Can you enlighten? And also I’d like to know how to go about creating one and whether or not some municipalities might offer incentives to do so. – Linda, via e-mail Indeed there are many good reasons to build a…