More good news: Gas prices continue downward trend

Chris Graham

Gas prices continued their downward trend for the fourth consecutive week, which has been welcome news for cash-strapped motorists.  The national average for regular grade gasoline dropped to $3.39 Friday, down 6 cents in the past week and down 27 cents in the past month.  Prices remain 62 cents higher than year ago prices, yet…

Webb introduces legislation to stop technology drift to China

Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) today introduced legislation to stop technologies developed with the support of U.S. taxpayers from being given away to China or other countries. Many American companies operating in China are required to transfer their intellectual property and proprietary technology to China as a prerequisite for doing business there.  Many of these technologies…

Robert Hurt: Working to spur job creation

Robert Hurt

We spent this past District Work Week making more stops across Central and Southside Virginia to meet with, hear from, and talk to 5th District Virginians. To kick off the week, we held constituent office hours in Danville and Charlottesville. This gave me the opportunity to sit down and meet with constituents in their communities…

Robert Hurt: TRAIN ACT helps get the economy on the right track

Robert Hurt

With unemployment remaining unacceptably high across the 5th District and the country, the U.S House of Representatives has focused on promoting pro-growth policies that would remove the federal government as a barrier to job creation and help get our economy back on track. To that end, the House took action last week and passed another…

McDonnell announces access to online accident-info system

Chris Graham

Gov. Bob McDonnell announced on Wednesday the first phase of a new online interactive database of state crash information that is free and open to the public. The state-of-the-art automated Traffic Records Electronic Data System centralizes Virginia’s crash data and related information from multiple agencies into one location. Now, for the first time, the public…

AFP Business Notebook

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VirtualWaynesboro.com relaunched Augusta Free Press LLC is partnering with Waynesboro Downtown Development Inc. on the relaunch of www.VirtualWaynesboro.com. The website provides news, blogs and videos highlighting goings on in Downtown Waynesboro. The site was originally launched in March 2011 as a video-only site. Content from Augusta Free Press and from blogger Kathy Johnson will be…

ACLU seeks details on government’s phone tracking

In a massive coordinated information-seeking campaign, the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia and 33 other affiliates across the nation today are sending requests to more than 375 local law enforcement agencies large and small demanding to know when, why and how they are using cell phone location data to track Americans. The Virginia affiliate…

New BC residence hall features cutting-edge sustainability

The dedication of Stone Village – Bridgewater College’s new environmentally sustainable student residences – will be held Tuesday, Aug. 9, at 11 a.m. Featured speakers include representatives of the college and the United States government. The event is free, open to the public and will be held rain or shine. Refreshments and a tour of…

Kathleen Rogers: Don’t turn out lights on bulb innovation

In a close vote, the House recently passed a provision that undercuts one of the most successful environmental programs of the decade – one that requires all bulbs – including the incandescent – to achieve higher efficiency levels. The amendment, which was tacked on to the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act of 2012, delays…