Farmers pleased about withdrawn youth labor regs

Farm families and their relatives across Virginia are welcoming the recent decision to withdraw proposed federal restrictions on underage farm employees. “Agriculture is something that is learned” at the side of an older farmer, said Jonathan Cavin, a Lee County beef, produce and tobacco grower who recalled helping his father plow fields when he was…

Bridgewater College approves strategic plan through 2020

A strategic plan to guide Bridgewater College through 2020 has been approved by the college’s board of trustees. “BC 2020: The Strategic Plan for Bridgewater College” identifies key areas that are critical to the success of Bridgewater in the next eight years and presents strategies for achieving goals within those areas. Areas addressed in the…

Karen Kwiatkowski: A happy marriage between democratic socialism and corporate capitalism

Complaints are rampant about the draft 2012 federal Farm Bill.  Farm subsidy recipients are enraged about proposed cuts, even as the same benefits would flow to them through direct payments and insurance offsets.  Sustainable small farm and local food efforts complain that they are getting short shrift, and corporate agriculture is busily lobbying for its…

Earth Talk: How green is your cloud?

Roddy Scheer

Dear EarthTalk: Why is Greenpeace upset with some leading tech companies for so-called “dirty cloud computing?” Can you explain? – Jeremy Wilkins, Waco, Texas Leading tech companies like Google, Apple and Microsoft are now offering unprecedented amounts of data storage and access to “apps” on huge Internet-connected servers, saving consumers and businesses the hassle of…

Belchem to establish new operation in Alleghany

Gov. Bob McDonnell announced today that Balchem Corporation (NASDAQ: BCPC) will make an initial investment of approximately $10 million to establish an operation in Alleghany County. The company will manufacture encapsulated ingredients for global applications in animal nutrition and health products, creating 55 new jobs over the next two to three years.

National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day is April 28

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and its community partners will hold the third annual National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturday, April 28. Collection sites, where unused, unneeded or expired prescription medications can be turned in, will be available across the nation. Unused or expired prescription medications are a public…

Virginians overwhelmingly support ban on gas drilling in national forests

Contributors

Seventy percent of Virginians who sent comments to the U.S. Forest Service support a ban on horizontal drilling for natural gas on the George Washington National Forest, according to an analysis released Monday by the Shenandoah Valley Network and the Bergton-based Land, Air, Water Stewardship Action group. The report documenting broad public support for the…

Staunton gets $209K river-restoration grant

Contributors

American Rivers and the Environmental Protection Agency today announced that a creek restoration project in Staunton will receive a $209,244 grant, as part of a comprehensive initiative to protect and restore rivers in the Potomac Highlands region. The grant will help the City of Staunton implement its project to restore Peyton Creek. Peyton Creek serves…