Tuesday, December 18, 2012
In interview on WTOP Tuesday, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell says idea should be explored.
Gov. Bob McDonnell said on Tuesday that it may be time to explore the idea of arming teachers and other school officials. The Republican governor made his remarks in an interview Tuesday on WTOP. His remarks came during a discussion of the killing of 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, Conn., on Friday. The governor was asked: "What about the idea of allowing people — adults, supervisors, principals, teachers — to be armed inside the public schools of Virginia?" "I know there's been a knee-jerk reaction against that," McDonnell said. "I think there should at least be a discussion about it." "If people were armed, not just a police officer but other officials who were trained and chose to have a weapon, …
Friday, December 14, 2012
More than 20 dead, including young children, after incident at elementary school in Newtown, Conn., AP reports.
Gov. Bob McDonnell released a statement Friday about the school shootings in Connecticut: “It is with a heavy heart and the deepest of sympathies that I learned earlier today of the horrific shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. My thoughts and prayers go out to the families of those impacted by the events transpiring today, and to the teachers, emergency responders, and all others touched by this tragedy. Unfortunately, Virginia has our own painful memories of the tragic shootings at Virginia Tech in 2007. Those memories will never fade, and we continue to grieve for all those lost on that April day. We are all too aware of the impact that events like this can have on a community. If there is anything Virginia can do to assist Governor Malloy…
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Gov. Bob McDonnell reminded residents to prepare for power outages and cold weather in a telephone press conference Saturday afternoon. Dominion warns of prolonged outages.
(UPDATE 4:10 p.m.): Power outages for its customers could be "prolonged" in Northern Virginia due to outages from the coming storm, Dominion Virginia Power advised in a news release sent out Saturday afternoon. "This storm system will build in intensity over time and will remain a force for days, not just hours, causing major damage and extensive power outages," said Rodney Blevins, vice president of Distribution Operations, in a news release. "Its effects will be felt for days along much of the East Coast." Dominion noted that it will supplement its linemen and contractor tree trimmers with additional utility workers from other states. "When customers lose their electric service during a major storm, their primary question is when their …
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Virginia governor delivers prime time address Tuesday night.
The "American dream" is at stake in the November presidential election, said Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell in a prime-time speech at the Republican National Convention Tuesday night. "I don't have to tell any of you: this is a tough economy. We all have friends, family and neighbors who've lost their jobs and homes," McDonnell (R) said. "Worse, they've lost their hope. And their lost hope is why we need a big change this November. This election is about restoring the American dream." Like many of the convention speeches Tuesday, McDonnell's address criticized a remark made by President Barack Obama (D) during a July campaign stop in Roanoke that Republicans say suggested business owners did not build their success on their own. "We need a …
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan will join presumptive GOP nominee in bid for president instead of Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, who some say was on the short list.
Just more than two weeks before he's expected to receive a presidential nomination at the Republican National Convention, Mitt Romney announced Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan would join him on the ballot in the 2012 election, passing over Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, who had been on the short list of many political experts. Romney will be in Manassas this afternoon on a campaign stop and McDonnell is scheduled to attend. (Go to Manassas Patch for live updates starting at 4 p.m. Saturday.) Romney was scheduled to make the announcement Saturday morning before 9 a.m. in Norfolk as he starts a tour of Virginia, an important swing state in this year's presidential elections, but Romney's campaign sent a press release earlier in the morning. Just days…
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
The governor signed bills requiring ignition interlocks for drivers on a restricted license.
Gov. Bob McDonnell signed two bills in Virginia Beach Tuesday that require ignition interlocks for people convicted with a DUI for the first time. McDonnell spoke about the bills with reporters Tuesday in Dale City Tuesday, where he attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony for extended Express Lanes on I-95. McDonnell signed House Bill 279 (Iaquinto) and its companion Senate Bill 378 (McEachin), which requires "all individuals convicted of driving under the influence, including first-time offenders, to operate only vehicles equipped with an ignition interlock device when driving on a restricted license." "Ignition interlock devices will be installed and monitored at the expense of the offender," said a release from McDonnell's office. "Prior …
Thursday, July 12, 2012
As Virginia lawmakers disagree over Affordable Care Act provision, tell us: Would participating in the expansion help or hurt the state?
As Gov. Bob McDonnell considers opting out of the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion, Virginia lawmakers are divided on whether the program would help or hurt the state. In a letter to McDonnell on Thursday, Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling, a Republican who has announced a 2013 gubernatorial bid, encouraged the governor to reject the program, saying Medicaid expansion — which he says accounts for nearly 20 percent of Virginia's total general fund spending — would place "tremendous fiscal pressure on the Commonwealth and divert funds from other state programs, such as public education, higher education, public safety, natural resource protection and even other critically important health care programs." McDonnell sent a letter to Virginia …
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Governor says citizens should prepare for a multi-day power restoration and recovery effort.
UPDATE - Sunday, 7 a.m.: For a full update of conditions, outages, water restrictions and more across Nothern Virginia on Sunday, see this story: 290,000 Still Without Power in Northern Virginia Sunday Morning. --------- Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) declared a state of emergency Saturday morning as Virginia prepares for what he says will be a "multi-day event with the potential for further problems." At least 2.5 million people in the state lost power in the rare derecho storm, which ripped through the area with winds from 60 to 80 miles per hour around 10:30 p.m. last night. There were six fatalities - two in Fairfax County, the governor said. All were killed when trees fell on homes or cars. "This is the largest non-hurricane power …
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
After $300 million in metro funding stripped from state budget, Senator says Governor's office has sent mixed messages this session
Gov. Bob McDonnell's decision to withdraw support for $300 million in extra funding for the Silver Line last week is a departure from his previous offers to direct more of Virginia's spending plan to the project, says State Sen. Janet Howell, the latest in what she calls a string of "mixed signals" this session about the governor's position on the issue. The lack of support prompted state budget negotiators to strip the metro funding from the proposed plan, Howell (D-Fairfax) told the Washington Post, despite recent offers from McDonnell to contribute as much as $200 million toward the rail that will eventually run from Falls Church to Dulles Airport. Howell called the back and forth "galling," saying there had always been some offer on …
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Ultrasounds and Personhood distracting from more important issues like economy, U.S. Senate candidate says.
Former Virginia Governor Tim Kaine (D) says the 2012 General Assembly's attention to divisive social issues is distracting the commonwealth from more important issues such as the economy - and turning Virginia into the butt of many jokes. Kaine, former Democratic National Committee chair and a candidate for U.S. Senate, in Northern Virginia for an economic roundtable on Wednesday, says citizens are voicing their concerns as the General Assembly prepares to move forward on bills that give full personhood rights from the moment of fertilization and mandate vaginal ultrasounds for women seeking an abortion. "What I hear from our business leaders and owners is that they are tired of partisan games and distractions causing uncertainty and …
spriteorange
9:29 am on Tuesday, January 29, 2013
R u sarcastic? Or serious? more ›