McDonnell launches teacher performance-pay initiative

Chris Graham

Gov. Bob McDonnell has invited 57 school divisions that may have difficulty attracting, retaining and rewarding experienced, fully licensed teachers to participate in his Virginia Performance-Pay Incentives initiative for hard-to-staff schools. The initiative — which was approved by the 2011 General Assembly — is a centerpiece of McDonnell’s “Opportunity to Learn” education-reform agenda. It provides…

Robert Hurt: The path to prosperity

Robert Hurt

This past week House Republicans continued to take action to bring real change to Washington by passing a long term budget plan for 2012 and beyond, which stops spending money we don’t have, lifts our crushing debt burden, and helps promote job creation. With $14 trillion in debt, $1.6 trillion in deficit spending, and the…

The AFP on WREL: Battle lines

Chris Graham

AFP editor Chris Graham talks Virginia news with WREL-1450AM’s “Online with Jim Bresnahan.” The segment begins with talk on legislative redistricting. Democrats and Republicans continue to squabble over how to redivide Virginia into legislative districts. Can Gov. Bob McDonnell serve as an arbiter for the two sides? Talk on the Virginia economy and budget woes…

Sanford D. Horn: The unfair and unbalanced media

Letters

While Congressman Jim Moran’s assault on the military and its veterans went viral Friday, April 8, one day following a town hall meeting held in Alexandria at Hammond Middle School, nary a word appeared in The Washington Post. Moran treated Wayne Tunick, a disabled 27-year veteran rudely following an important question regarding military pay in…

Chris Graham: Down the middle

Chris Graham

President Obama on Wednesday released a down-the-middle plan for dealing with the federal government’s deepening budget crisis. I meant the term down the middle to mean one thing – that it features some elements that appeal to the left and some that appeal to the right. But I full recognize that it can mean something…

EMU alumna in national spotlight on immigration issue

Contributors

Isabel Castillo, a 2007 Eastern Mennonite University graduate, has become a nationally recognized spokesperson for the plight of undocumented young people in the United States. Castillo was featured in a Feb. 20, 2011, New York Times article, “Dream Act Advocate Turns Failure into Hope.” This publicity led Jesuit-run University of San Francisco to invite her…

VCU researchers’ study finds major U.S. newspapers are warming up to Wikipedia

Contributors

Major newspapers in the United States are referencing Wikipedia more often and framing the online encyclopedia more positively in stories, according to a study by a pair of faculty researchers in the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Mass Communications. In the study, published in the April issue of “Journalism Practice,” researchers analyzed the framing of…

Robert Hurt: Continued focus on job creation

Robert Hurt

This past week in Congress we continued to focus on taking the necessary steps to help foster a better environment for job creation for the people of the Fifth District by shrinking the size and scope of the federal government, reducing unnecessary regulations, working to lower energy costs, and cutting spending. I was proud to…

Augusta Free Press LLC Business Notebook

Contributors

AFP Web: AFP debuts new website for Commonwealth Engineering Inc. Augusta Free Press LLC has launched a new website for Waynesboro-based Commonwealth Engineering Inc. Commonwealth Engineering is a full-service engineering firm with a licensed professional engineer, Class A contractor and experienced project manager on staff. The Commonwealth Engineering website – at www.CommonwealthEngineering.net – showcases the…