Daniel Brindis: A nudge in the right direction

AFP

If you blinked, you might have missed Sen. Blanche Lincoln change what your child likely eats for lunch at school. Recently, in the wake of Elena Kagan’s confirmation, the Senate quickly and unanimously passed Lincoln’s Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act. After years of negotiations and a recent push from Michelle Obama, the proposal received 30 seconds…

Text of McDonnell budget speech

AFP

Gov. Bob McDonnell addressed the joint Senate Finance, House Appropriations and House Finance Committees in Richmond on Thursday. Below are the governor’s remarks as prepared for delivery. Thank you. Chairman Colgan, Chairman Putney, Chairman Purkey, members of the General Assembly money committees, ladies and gentlemen: good morning. As is the custom each summer, I come…

Challenging nonconference hoops schedule for VCU

Chris Graham

Seven postseason qualifiers and a possible trip to The Mecca of Basketball, Madison Square Garden, highlight the 13-game 2010-11 non-conference schedule for the Virginia Commonwealth University men’s basketball team. “Overall our schedule presents a wide variety of challenging opponents,” head coach Shaka Smart said. “We’ll have the chance to test ourselves in extremely hostile environments…

Tom Perriello: Level the playing field

AFP

As we fight through this deep recession, we must start manufacturing, building, and growing things in America again. For too long, elites in both parties have pursued policies that ship our jobs overseas and undermine the middle and working class. Manufacturing, construction, and agriculture cannot be treated as yesterday’s news but rather must be part…

Busy building at EMU

Jim Bishop

A quiet campus at Eastern Mennonite University? Not at all, especially this summer, with outside groups and auxiliary programs stretching the facilities non-stop from early May through mid-August and several major capital improvement projects happening simultaneously. The biggest project: what is being called “Phase II” of the University Commons, a $2.4 million funded project that…

John Castellaw: Listen to the military leadership on START

AFP

President Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev recently signed the New Strategic Arms Reductions Treaty (START), a measure designed to mutually and verifiably reduce U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals. Specifically, it would reduce U.S. and Russian warheads by approximately one third and would continue and strengthen the verification regime that has allowed the inspections and…

Tom Perriello: Focus on job creation

AFP

My top priority as your representative has been finding ways to encourage job growth and economic recovery in Central and Southern Virginia. We have made smart, strategic investments in infrastructure and workforce that position our area to be leaders in alternative energy production, advanced manufacturing, and other industries of tomorrow. But while we are working…