
Kaine casts first vote in U.S. Senate in favor of filibuster reform
U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine released the following statement following his first vote as a senator. Kaine voted in favor of the compromise reached to reform the filibuster:

U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine released the following statement following his first vote as a senator. Kaine voted in favor of the compromise reached to reform the filibuster:

The UVa. women’s basketball team defeated Boston College, 69-57, Thursday night (Jan. 24) in Charlottesville.

U.S. Sens. Mark Warner (D-Va.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) have reintroduced their legislation to make substantial improvements in the states’ administration of their elections and to make voting faster and more accessible to all voters.

A Shenandoah Valley Bloods gang leader was sentenced Wednesday to 53 years in prison for felony gang participation, aggravated malicious wounding, use of a firearm during the commission of the felony, and cocaine possession. He has also been ordered to pay the victim, a 22-year-old Augusta County man, $3,500 in restitution for medical expenses.

Child Care Aware® of America Parent Leader Elly Lafkin met with the chairman of the Virginia Senate Education and Workforce Committee, Steve Martin, recently to discuss the lack of quality in child care programs around the state. Lafkin’s daughter died in a Shenandoah, Va., child care program in May 2012.

Independent gubernatorial candidate and White House party crasher Tareq Salahi is the featured speaker at the SWAC Political Breakfast on Saturday, Feb. 9, at 8:30 a.m. at the Shoney’s in Staunton.

The Virginia baseball team is ranked No. 25 in the preseason edition of the USA Today Coaches Poll, which was release Thursday. The Cavaliers were tied for No. 25 with Louisville in the poll.

Just what is that strange shrub planted next to your new house? Or what are those trees in the park that are setting off your allergies? A new smartphone app for the Android operating system can help provide some answers. The Virginia Tech Tree ID app combines extensive online forestry fact sheets and photos with a smartphone’s portability and global positioning technology. Users can search for an identifying match or upload a photo and ask a Virginia Tech forestry expert for help.

Are you interested in improving the health and productivity of your forest land but don’t know where to start? The Virginia Department of Forestry (VDOF) and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) can offer expert advice and financial assistance to help you better manage your property.

Congressman Robert Hurt (R-Virginia) on Wednesday released the following statement after voting in favor of the “No Budget No Pay Act”:
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