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This past week, the House debated HR 1, the Full Year Continuing Appropriations Act. This bill would fund the government through September 30th of this year at $100 billion less than the amount President Obama requested in his Fiscal Year 2011 budget. Given the current fiscal crisis that faces the Fifth District and the nation,…
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After nearly 44 years in the same occupation – the secrecy of which didn’t permit me to know what I was doing – I decided to change jobs, not realizing what hard work that would be. In timely fashion, I started out as a watchmaker, which was great because I got to make my own…
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January revenue collections increased by 12.6 percent over the prior year – the 10th month in the last 11 in which state revenue collections exceeded the previous year’s amount, and the third month in a row in which year-over-year revenue growth was greater than 9 percent. “These economic indicators are showing a trend of progress…
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Next week, President Obama will release his budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2012. It is my hope that the proposal will reflect the clear message sent by the people on Election Day, that in order to create jobs and grow the economy we must get our fiscal house in order. Unfortunately, the Administration’s initial suggestions…
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Richmond has been named as one of the ten best cities in the country to “live, work and make movies” by MovieMaker Magazine, one of the country’s premier publications for filmmakers. This much-anticipated list of best cities for filmmakers has been published since 2000 and marks the second time that Richmond has received this honor….
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A road to somewhere, a “funky” downtown, a primary industry. Good advice from John Rhodes, a consultant hired by the city to assist in developing a new economic-development strategy. The good news is that we’ve already got a helluva base on which to build. The Waynesboro economy has nearly doubled in size in the past…
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Legislation named in honor of a Collinsville woman murdered at her workplace in 2007 by her estranged husband passed the House of Delegates today by a unanimous 99-0 vote. The Linda Bostwick Act, sponsored by Del. Ward Armstrong, allows judges to require Virginians who are facing criminal charges, have violated a protective order, or are…
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Today marked the launch of an enhanced Virginia Business One Stop website, a streamlined tool to serve the needs of new, existing and small business entrepreneurs. The new website, www.bos.virginia.gov, now propagates registration information to six state agencies that commonly serve businesses in Virginia including the Department of Taxation, Department of General Services, Department of…
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The midpoint in the 2011 session is fast approaching. Under the procedural rules adopted at the beginning of every session, the House of Delegates and the Senate must take final action on bills introduced in that body by crossover. The process would not work without self imposed time limits and rules, so by February 8…
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The Staunton Creative Community Fund, a provider of loans and assistance to empower small businesses, is launching a new outreach campaign targeting emerging businesses with the potential to spawn new industries in the Shenandoah Valley and beyond. With Virginia’s unemployment rate in November remaining at nearly 7 percent for the third consecutive month with traditional…
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