Grover Norquist

All but two Republican members of Congress from Virginia have signed a pledge to never raise taxes. The Taxpayer Protection Pledge is vilified by critics who say its sponsor, Grover Norquist, now controls the Republican Party when it comes to tax policy. Correspondent Matt Laslo reports many Republicans in Virginia are now moving away from the Pledge.

When Teresa Sullivan was reinstated as president of the University of Virginia, many people who had protested her dismissal felt relief, but an uneasy tension bubbles below the surface in Charlottesville, as the board of visitors prepares to hold its annual retreat in mid-August.  Sandy Hausman reports that many faculty members and alumni want changes in the way the university is governed.

A new poll shows President Obama is ahead of former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney in the race to win over Virginia voters. Matt Laslo reports.

A follow- up on a story first brought to light when members of Virginia’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force conducted a media briefing, including showing a disturbing demonstration of sex crimes committed against children.  That report demonstrated how prevalent such crimes had become in Virginia and beyond. Virginia Public Radio’s Tommie McNeil has – since then – been speaking with investigators and advocacy groups tracking child sexual predators in an effort to close the loopholes that allow some offenders to continue abusing children.

The two mass shootings in recent weeks – first in Aurora, Colorado and then Sunday’s at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin – have only a few lawmakers on Capitol Hill floating ideas to tighten U-S gun laws. Critics say much like after the shooting at Virginia Tech the effort is going nowhere because of the powerful National Rifle Association. Matt Laslo reports some Virginia lawmakers won’t even speak about gun policy. 

A U-S Senate report gives a failing grade to the for-profit colleges that many veterans attend, which is spurring Virginia Senator Jim Webb’s reform effort.

For-profit colleges rely heavily on tax payer dollars…more than thirty billion dollars from the government keep them afloat annually. Yet the dropout rate for their associate degree programs sits at more than sixty percent, according to the Senate education committee. With so many veterans attending for-profit schools Senator Webb is calling for a veterans educational reform act. It would increase educational standards for for-profit schools receiving federal aid for veterans. Webb says it’s essential to raise those standards.

“We could see this coming. You didn’t have veteran’s representation on the college campuses to the same extent that we had in the past war years when we kicked in this program, so we need the administrative support and we need the standards as existed before.”

Webb’s legislation would also require schools to disclose their graduation statistics. It’s currently co-sponsored by 16 senators.

–Matt Laslo

Under the Affordable Care Act, 32 million more Americans are expected to get health insurance or coverage through Medicaid, and some critics wonder how the nation will pay for so many new patients.  Those who crafted the law say we can actually care for more people at less cost if we change the way medicine is delivered, and new data from Virginia Commonwealth University suggests that’s  true.  Sandy Hausman reports.

Political analysts may be holding their breath this fall, but it’s Virginia that’s turning blue.

So says an expert on demographic trends in the Commonwealth.

Dustin Cable works at the Weldon Cooper Center, where social scientists study population trends in Virginia.  He’s especially interested in partisan politics and sees two things that suggest the Commonwealth may be turning into a blue state.

“We’re looking at growing diversity and growth in Northern Virginia.”

Northern Virginians tend to vote for Democrats in presidential elections.  So do Asians and Hispanics living there and in other urban areas – like Richmond, Virginia Beach and Hampton Roads.

“The share of eligible voters is expected to increase by minorities even from two years ago. In a close race, that could make the difference.”

Cable says Democrats have made gradual gains here, and President Obama’s victory in 2008 was impressive, with blacks and young voters turning out in record numbers.

“So if Obama – and this is a big if – if he can match those turn out rate this November, he’s looking pretty good in Virginia, and he can probably increase his margins in Virginia. That’s not likely going to happen though.  We’re going to probably see turn out levels between what we saw in 2004 and 2008.”

The study says Mitt Romney has a more reliable base – white men, affluent voters and the elderly, who can be counted on to show up and vote.  The population of people over sixty is growing in Virginia, but Cable adds, Romney will need to make inroads with some Hispanics and college-educated voters in Northern Virginia if he wants to carry the state in November.

-by Sandy Hausman

Retiring Virginia Democratic Senator Jim Webb has bucked his party leaders and voted to extend tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans.

He’s one of a growing number of Democrats in the region breaking with the party on tax policy.

The Democratic Party isn’t portraying a unified message on taxes – at least not in Virginia. On Wednesday Senate Democrats voted to let tax cuts expire for wealthy Americans, but they did so without the help of Senator Webb. He wants to tweak the tax code so wealthy people can’t reap as much profit from investments, but he says other than that…the Bush-era tax cuts shouldn’t be touched.

“I just happen to believe we need to keep them in place for everyone who is making their income through what we call ordinary earned income.”

Webb is retiring and the Democrat vying for his seat is also breaking with party leaders on tax policy. Former Virginia Governor Tim Kaine says he only wants to let the tax cuts expire for people making half a million dollars a year. Still other Virginia Democrats are frustrated with the entire debate. Congressman Bobby Scott says the party should fight to let them all expire instead of agreeing to massive spending cuts.

“I will guarantee you that letting the tax cuts expire will look a lot less unpopular than the alternative.”

The debate will roll on through Election Day.

-by Matt Laslo

Anti-psychotic drugs are approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat schizophrenia and bi-polar disorder, but they’re widely used in American nursing homes to sedate people with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.  Critics say those drugs can be dangerous for the elderly, and experts here in Virginia are cheering a federal push to stop the abuse.  Sandy Hausman has more on that story.

An analysis of nearly 1,700 colleges and universities in this country suggests more than a third are on an unsustainable financial path, based on trends from 2005 to 2010, but  Virginia’s public universities fared well in the survey.

Two higher education consultants have issued a report suggesting many colleges and universities could run out of cash if they don’t change their ways of doing business.  Bain and Company and Sterling Partners drew conclusions from two key numbers.

“They looked at how expenses relative to revenues have changed over five years, and they’ve also looked at how assets have changed over five years.” That’s Goldie Blumentsyk, a senior writer at the Chronicle of Higher Education – one of two publications that got a preview of the numbers.  She says the time frame in question was tricky, because many school endowments lost money between 2005 and 2010.

“So when you’re looking at college assets, obviously that’s going to skew some of the figures a little bit.”
Nevertheless, the analysts say many campuses face a cash crunch.

“They found that more than a third of the institutions were on an unsustainable path, and another 28% were on the way.”
The study cited several factors contributing to shaky finances at places like Cornell, Harvard and Princeton.  Debt increased 11.7% on average, and spending to maintain property and equipment rose 6.6%   Instructional costs were up less than five percent over the five year period, but the analysts say universities are spending too much on middle managers.

Virginia’s public universities fared well overall in the survey.  UVA, Virginia Commonwealth, George Mason and Virginia Tech all saw declines in spending, although equity ratios were down 8% at Old Dominion  and 12% at George Mason.  The survey also showed the University of Virginia with a hefty cushion  against future costs — an endowment per student of more than $157,000 – compared with about $16,000 at Tech, $8,000 at VCU, $7,000 at ODU and $1,800 at George Mason.

–Sandy Hausman

In 2014, many states are expected to expand their Medicaid programs to help cover more people who now lack insurance, but in some states, Republican lawmakers contend it will be too expensive to do that.  Sandy Hausman reports that the federal government will pay most of the cost for Medicaid expansion, and states that refuse to go along may end up losing money.

The uproar caused by UVA’s board of visitors has brought new attention to the job of university presidents. UVA Law school Professor Jeffrey O’Connell and his brother – a retired community college president – dissected the job and made a surprising discovery – one which helps explain why today’s college leaders struggle to survive.  Sandy Hausman has that story.

Photos: Blue Ridge Institute & Museum of Ferrum College, Lloyd Ingram, Franklin County Bicentennial Collection

The 1935 Franklin County Moonshine Conspiracy Trial was the longest in Virginia’s history. More than 200  farmers testified about their role, producing  illegal whiskey under the guidance of some of the County’s most powerful men. Jesse Dukes of Big Shed Media produced this documentary and Scholar Charlie Thompson tells the story.

Funding for “The Great Moonshine Conspiracy” was provided by The Virginia Foundation for the Humanities.   www.moonshineconsiracy.org  “

Spend any time in a resort area or office supply store, you’ll see them for sale:  Lasers.  They’re seemingly innocuous enough, until you talk to a pilot. Sondra Woodward reports on a new Virginia law that prohibits pointing lasers at aircraft.

Late Friday, when many journalists had gone home for the weekend, Governor Bob McDonnell announced he would re-appoint Helen Dragas to the University of Virginia Board of Visitors.  McDonnell said he was disappointed that the first female rector of the university had become the sole target of criticism, and he said her critique of challenges facing the university must be heard.

Helen Dragas was widely seen as the engineer of Teresa Sullivan’s ouster, and her critics were none too happy with the news she’d been reappointed.  Siva Vadyahnathan is chairman of Media Studies at UVA.

“It’s really unfortunate.  It’s, however, not surprising.  At the top levels of institutions and states, when you want to get things done, you have to cut deals,” said Vadyahnathan.

And faculty senate president George Cohen, who once demanded that Dragas resign, was willing to let the appointment ride.

“If the president feels that she is able to work with her, we ought to follow the president’s lead on that, and we’re going to do that in the spirit of cooperation.”

Other appointments include Frank Atkinson and Barbara Kilberg.  Atkinson is a lobbyist for corporations and university foundations who gave nearly $37,000 to McDonnell, Lt. Governor Bill Bolling, Attorney General Ken Cucinnelli and other Republican candidates since 2000.  Kilberg is president and CEO of the Northern Virginia Technology Council.  Her contributions to McDonnell, Bolling and other GOP candidates totaled more than $50,000 over the last 12 years.

Victoria Harker, chair of  UVA’s alumni association, Linwood Rose, former president of James Madison University, and  Ed Miller, CEO of Johns Hopkins Medicine also made the list, so faculty leader George Cohen said he was satisfied.

“I think we see the glass is half full, that the governor reached out to name a former university president, someone from the alumni association – and I think we have to look at that as progress.”

He was also gratified that UVA’s retired COO – Leonard Sandridge, had been named to one of two new seats reserved for senior advisors.  The other went to William Goodwin, Jr. of Richmond, a former member of UVA’s board of visitors and a generous donor to the GOP, having given more than $546,000 to McDonnell, Bolling, Cucinelli and other Republican candidates since 2000.

Cohen said the faculty senate would continue to press for someone to represent UVA’s professors on the board of visitors.     

UVA President Teresa Sullivan is back in the saddle this morning after a wild rodeo ride.  The board of visitors voted, unanimously, to reinstate her after protests erupted on campus and donors threatened to withhold money.  Sandy Hausman reports that Sullivan and the people who tried to push her out are now pushing ahead – together.

U-S House Republicans continue to try to pressure the Obama Administration to open up Virginia’s coast to offshore oil and gas drilling.

In Virginia the House of Delegates, the Senate and Republican Governor Bob McDonnell have all approved drilling for oil and gas off the commonwealth’s coast. Still, the Obama Administration has a moratorium in place blocking Virginia from leasing out the area for drilling, which is puzzling to Virginia Republican Congressman Scott Rigell.

“So here we have the express, collective wisdom and will and desire of Virginians and it’s being thwarted by the administration,” said Rigell, who
recently got the House to approve an amendment that would lift that moratorium, which he says would do well for the economy across the state.

“We are optimistic about this. It has tremendous job creating potential, not only Virginia’s second congressional district but the entire region.”

Environmentalists and people in the tourist industry vehemently oppose the plan to drill off Virginia’s coast, saying the potential harms far outweigh any new revenue.

— Matt Laslo

The University of Virginia Board of Visitors meets Tuesday, 6/26/12 at 3:00 p.m. in what could be the last chapter in a tumultuous tale.  Faculty and students have demanded the reinstatement of President Teresa Sullivan, and many expect that to happen, but Sullivan could refuse to return, creating a new crisis on campus.

Since the board of visitors asked for Teresa Sullivan’s resignation, students, professors and many alumni have been fighting to have her reinstated.  George Cohen heads the faculty senate.  He was relieved to hear the board might reconsider its decision. “We were grateful that the board did call for this meeting, but this is a crisis in which many unexpected things, so we will just have to wait and see what happens,” said Cohen.

Cohen said he was optimistic, but there are signs that Sullivan fans could be disappointed.  The man chosen to replace Sullivan, on an interim basis, has kind words for Rector Helen Dragas, who worked behind the scenes to push Sullivan out.

“The Rector has been villifed, has been the subject of a lot of abuse, and Helen Dragas is not an evil person.  She has given so many years of service to this university, and I honestly believe that she thinks the decision they made to ask President Sullivan to resign was the right thing.”  Carl Zeithaml, Dean of UVA’s undergraduate school of business, criticized the way Dragas handled this matter but agreed with her assessment of university problems and would not say whether he supports Sullivan.

“I want the board to engage in a thorough and appropriate process and make the best decision for the university.”
And then there’s billionaire alumnus Paul Tudor Jones – a major donor to the university — who has publicly expressed support for replacing Sullivan.

For her part, Sullivan says she will not remain in the presidency if Dragas is on the board. Students and faculty rallied over the weekend – showing support for the president and urging the Rector to resign.  “Please, Helen,” said one sign. “Don’t Dragas Down.”  But late last week, Dragas issued a lengthy defense of her actions – written with the help of a high priced public relations agency.  Her term expires at the end of this month, but she could be reappointed by the governor who has praised her as an “incredibly good leader and strong participant on the board.”

So what will Bob McDonnell do?  State Senator Dick Saslaw, a Democrat from Northern Virginia, says it’s a no-brainer. “The governor would have to be out of his mind to reappoint her as a result of all of this chaos.”

Even if Sullivan remains, Saslaw says UVA can expect hard times ahead, because all public schools in the Commonwealth have one big problem. Teresa Sullivan saw that when she took the job, nearly two years ago, and went straight to Richmond.

“We’ll get about $8,400 per student from the state.  At Michigan where I was last, we got $17,600.” Yes – Michigan, in the midst of a depression, was giving more than double the per student aid to its public universities.  Maryland provides $17,620 and North Carolina sends its premiere state school – UNC-Chapel Hill – more than $26,000 per student.

“The reason is that they have higher taxes in that state.  Their roads are far superior to ours.  They’re able to do a lot of things we can’t do, because there’s a flat refusal to make anybody pay for anything in this state,” said Saslaw.

Students and faculty at UVA have remarked about the surprising degree of agreement in the battle to reinstate Sullivan – the ability to bring more than 2,000 people out for a rally.  Organizers hope that energy can be harnessed to demands for voting faculty and staff representation on the board of visitors and for more state money to fund UVA and other public universities in Virginia.

— Sandy Hausman

The University of Virgnia’s PR office has introduced the man chosen to serve as its interim president, but the faculty seems determined to save Teresa Sullivan, and the Washington Post quotes sources who say Sullivan would stick around if Rector Helen Dragas resigns.

UVA’s Faculty Senate sent an e-mail yesterday, urging professors to attend a silent vigil at the Rotunda, and concluding: “It’s not over.”  After the vigil, the group’s president told us why.

“We are still seeking the reinstatement of President Sullivan, the resignation of Rector Dragas, and I think this really gives us a chance to re-examine the whole structure of the board of visitors, the method of selecting board members.  I think everything should be on the table now for examination and debate.”

But Geroge Cohen, a mild mannered professor of law, was not prepared for confrontation.

“We are trying to be as respectful and rational as possible.  We want to convey through our words and our actions our concern about the university.”

Sullivan herself sent an e-mail scolding those who had used abusive language or graffiti during an emotional week on campus.  “Civility is an important hallmark of our university,” she wrote.  Joe Szakos agrees but says the professors will have to step up their game if they want to win.  He has spent 33 years fighting for underdogs, from the slums of Chicago to the coalfields of Kentucky, and is now executive director of Virginia Organizing.  He’s not speaking for the group – just offering a little friendly advice to the faculty.

“It’s obvious from the news accounts that this was as premeditated … talk about this nicely.”

Szakos says the faculty must be strategic and direct – working every possible channel to persuade the people empowered to reinstate Sullivan — the governor and the board of visitors.

“You really have to think, do we know anyone who knows them … what’s going to make them move?  You have a tremendous advantage, because there are UVA donors, UVA graduates, UVA students everywhere in the state.  There’s no way this is going to change unless it becomes personal.”
He’d even to talk with the governor’s kids, who are students at UVA, and in every conversation, he’d  lay it on the line.

“You can do that in many ways … and tell them you don’t like it.  I mean, it’s almost … just not right.  Now there are a lot of cases … really easy.  They did some really nasty things in the last couple of weeks, and you have to bring that to light.”

And there’s one other thing Szakos says the faculty must be prepared to do.  This could go on for some time, so they’ll have to be persistent.

— Sandy Hausman

In the nation’s capital, locals are racing  to protect and preserve the oldest federal monuments: its boundary stones, placed along the original D-C border in 1791. Rebecca Sheir brings us the story.

More than a thousand people rallied on the lawn outside the Rotunda at the University of Virginia today, as the board of visitors met to hear from President Teresa Sullivan and to choose a temporary successor.  Sandy Hausman was on hand and filed this report.

The Board of Visitors is meeting behind closed doors at the University of Virginia this afternoon.

Earlier today, the faculty senate’s executive council had a private meeting with Dragas to discuss Sullivan’s resignation.

In a written statement, faculty representatives described their meeting with Rector Helen Dragas as cordial – an opportunity to ask questions about recent events and to hear the board of visitors’ perspective.  Faculty members also wanted to know what role Dragas saw for them in governing the university and why the board of visitors acted in what the statement called a “speedy and secretive way.”

The executive council representing teachers and researchers then shared a list of possible actions.  First, the faculty proposed a delay in naming of an interim president, so they could be consulted on the decision.  Second, they asked that President Sullivan be reinstated and that the board recommend adding UVA faculty as voting members.  Finally, the group suggested Dragas and Vice Rector Mark Kington resign in the best interests of the university.

About 13% of the nation’s public universities include faculty as voting members of their boards.  Another 10% have representatives as non-voting members – among them Virginia Tech, George Mason, Virginia State and Radford universities.
— Sandy Hausman

In light of the chaos caused by a few members of the board of visitors at the University of Virginia, Delegate David Toscano has announced plans to introduce a bill that would change the way board members are chosen.  Sandy Hausman has that story.

The University of Virginia’s board of visitors  meets this afternoon (06/18) at 3:00.
Rector Helen Dragas has promised a statement, and University President Teresa Sullivan will address the board in closed session.  Last night, more than 500 people came to a meeting of the faculty senate to affirm their strong support for Sullivan and their lack of faith in the board.  Sandy Hausman was there and filed this report.

Less than two years after her selection, the University of Virginia’s Board of Visitors has accepted Teresa Sullivan’s resignation and is calling for a bold new leader who can resolve tough financial issues.

When Teresa Sullivan was chosen by a unanimous vote of the board of visitors, there were rave reviews.  Rector John Wynne called her a person of integrity, experience and vision, while board member W. Heywood Fralin said, “She is as knowledgeable about the issues facing higher education as anyone I’ve met in the last 20 years.  She will be an outstanding president in every respect.”

On Sunday, the curtain came down on Sullivan’s show, and the critics were not so kind.  Rector Helen Dragas held a quickie news conference on the steps of the administration building to explain why the well-liked leader of UVA was leaving.

“We had a philosophical difference about the vision of the future of the university.  We are living in a time of rapidly accelerating change in both academia as well as in healthcare.  That decision has – excuse me – that environment has — we believe calls for a different approach to leadership.  We know that the university has exceptional potential, and the board of visitors wants – believes that we need a bold, strategic, visionary leader to take us to the next level.”

Reporters asked Dragas to explain what had changed so much, in less than two years, to warrant Sullivan’s departure.

“There’s lots of news that you can read about the external environment.  Can you be more specific?  I believe I’ve answered the question.”

And she was equally evasive when asked when this decision had been reached:

“It’s been something that’s been evolving over a period of time, but I won’t speak to the specifics, and I do need to go to a 2 o’clock meeting, so thank you all for your time.”

Students, faculty, alumni and staff were notified by e-mail, and in a statement to deans and vice presidents, the board of visitors said, “We know this news is a great shock to the institution.”  Still, the board offered only vague explanations.  “We have calls internally for resolution of tough financial issues,” the statement said, citing declining federal support, state support that will be flat at best and pressures on health care payors.”

The president of the faculty senate at UVA, law professor George Cohen, was on vacation in San Diego when the e-mails began to fly.  Cohen said he was greatly surprised:

“The faculty has been very supportive of President Sullivan.  We’ve been very excited by the changes that she has implemented and the direction that she seemed to be going.”

And while he was aware of financial problems, Cohen added, he thought Sullivan was taking care of business.

“We just had a new provost who just came in in the fall, we have a new chief operating officer, and so we had a new administrative team, and we thought that there would be time for them to work toward a strategy for dealing with these issues.”

In its statement, the board of visitors listed a range of concerns: lagging pay for faculty and staff, the need to make star hires as senior professors retire, the possibility of expanding the university’s educational mission online and the need to effectively obtain gifts. UVA fell $400 million short of a $3 billion fundraising target last year.

Observers also note substantial turnover on the board.  With new appointments every four years, nearly half of those who chose Sullivan are no longer there.

Rector Dragas said an interim president would be in place when students return this fall, and UVA would begin the search for a new president as soon as possible.  Sullivan issued a statement acknowledging philosophical differences with the board and expressed gratitude to the faculty, students,  alumni and administrators.

— Sandy Hausman

Photo: Virginia Public Access Project

There’s a quote that, “The odds are against getting even with people because the odds are they’ll get even with you”. It’s hard to say whether “roasters” at a Virginia Public Access Project fundraising event honoring one of the most outspoken names in Virginia politics were keeping that in mind, but political reporter and columnist Jeff Shapiro may have gotten off easy. Or perhaps just one hour of payback from some of the state’s leading politicians just wasn’t long enough to rebut 30-years of Shapiro’s scrutinizing stories and editorials.

Last summer Virginia almost lost its AAA credit rating because of partisan sniping in Washington over raising the nation’s debt ceiling. Matt Laslo reports that Republican leaders are drawing their line in the sand over that debate once again, which could disproportionately hurt Virginia.

Virginia has long provided a route for felons to restore certain civil liberties that they forfeit upon conviction. The governor controls the process, and the current and past two administrations have reduced the hoops that felons must jump through so they can once again vote and have the civil rights that the public often takes for granted. But as Virginia Public Radio’s Amanda Iacone reports, a growing number of felons are successfully seeking their rights as part of their effort to move beyond their crimes, find jobs, and make a better life for themselves.

If the Supreme Court says health care reform can proceed, 32 million more Americans are expected to get health insurance, putting new demands on the nation’s nurses and doctors.  At the same time, millions of baby boomers are retiring – but some would like to keep working in a meaningful way.  Those trends have led to a remarkable marriage in the field of healthcare, as Sandy Hausman reports.

Photo: http://www.clawville.org

A ladies arm wrestling league that started in Charlottesville, VA has spread throughout the country.  On June 16th, the national league is coming together for its first ever tournament.  Allison Quantz has the story.

It’s been nearly a week since Virginia legislators made headlines by refusing to put a Richmond prosecutor on the bench.  Tracy Thorne-Begland is a decorated fighter pilot who was honorably discharged from the Navy, and he’s openly gay.  Some said this was a case of bigotry, but it may also be a case of intensive lobbying by a conservative Christian group.  Sandy Hausman has that story.

This week, the American Institute of Architects will honor a surprising structure.   Named for the power of light, Lumenhaus beat more than 500 other entries from professional architects nationwide.  It was designed and built by students and faculty at Virginia Tech, and has since been displayed in Blacksburg, Chicago, New York and Madrid.    Sandy Hausman took a tour and filed this report.

President Obama is chiding Congress for not acting on his slimmed down plan to spur economic growth in Virginia and elsewhere.

Election year politicking is expected to derail this latest effort to get the economy moving.

The president has laid out a “to do” list for Congress. He’s asking for lawmakers to help him lower interest rates on mortgages for millions of homeowners who are struggling with their payments in the midst of this sluggish economy. And he wants to entice U-S companies with holdings overseas to invest that money here at home. Virginia Republican Scott Rigell says he isn’t too impressed with the president’s “to do” list.

“The sum of everything that the president has proposed is minimal and really de minimis.”

But Virginia Democratic Congressman Gerry Connolly says the president has every right to highlight inaction by the Republican controlled House.

“I think the president is right to chastise the Congress for not doing its job and for calling us to recalibrate and focus on job creating initiatives instead of wedge issues that divide us just because it’s a political year.”

The president is also asking Congress to renew tax breaks for clean energy firms. Environmentalists say thousands of jobs are at stake in Virginia and across the U-S if Congress allows them to expire. And Connolly says many businesses in his northern Virginia district are worried those tax credits will sunset at the end of this year.

“Well we certainly have a lot of firms that, if they’re not directly involved in renewable energy, they’re involved in the technology that undergirds it. So a lot of our firms have a direct interest in the whole issue of the renewal of the energy tax credit.”

But Republicans argue this is another example of the president giving a lofty speech without sending Congress specific details. Virginia Republican Congressman Morgan Griffith says he may be able to support extending the renewable energy tax credits, but as of yet he hasn’t seen anything concrete proposed.

“This is one of those I have to go through one by one. I don’t want us picking winners and losers. I do think we have to be careful.”

And Griffith says the mountainous ninth district he represents is already having a dubious relationship with some government tax credits. He points especially to the tax credits that are incentivizing the building of wind turbines on the top of mountains.

“In our area that just doesn’t make sense. You can’t get enough energy on a consistent basis and get it into the grid where it makes sense. And yet they’re going to put these things on the top of the mountains and we don’t know what the consequences are until we get them up and running to the environment and to the folks that live near them and what it does to property values, yet we’re just charging full steam ahead because there’s a tax incentive for them to put them up.”

There are some areas where the two parties may be able to work out compromises though. The president wants to give tax credits to small businesses who hire new employees and the House has already acted on a bill to ease the tax burden on small firms. The president also wants a new Veterans Jobs Corps. That could help Virginia’s veterans get training to go back into the work force when they return from duty. Congressman Rigell says helping veterans is a no brainer for him.

“I do believe that with respect to veterans it’s very appropriate to have incentives to hire our veterans. They have a disproportionately high unemployment rate, so I support efforts like that.”

The president has floated this “to do” list before as a part of his Jobs Act, but congressional Republicans never acted. Virginia Democratic Congressman Jim Moran says there’s a reason House Republicans are refusing to hold votes on the president’s proposals.

“Even if it was something the House majority had planned to do the fact the president asked them to do it they wouldn’t do it. The principle objective of the Republican majority in the House of Representatives is to defy and defeat the President of the United States.”

The partisan tit for tat is nothing new, and analysts expect the gridlock to persist through November s elections. That means the president and House Republicans are both likely to continue to see their agenda’s blunted. Voters will then be left to decipher which party is to blame for the sluggish economy.

-by Matt Laslo

More than 5,000Virginia Tech students are now graduates.  They achieved their milestone with the encouragement of First Lady Michelle Obama, who delivered the commencement speech .  Connie Stevens has more.

Mental illness and developmental disabilities are sometimes hard to diagnose and treat, because there’s no way to actually test for them in a lab.  Psychiatrists make educated guesses, based on a patient’s behavior, but often what they do is more of an art than a science.  Sandy Hausman reports that could someday change as a result of revolutionary research in Roanoke.

Experts say a majority of the world’s languages will disappear before the end of the century. But when a language goes, cultural traditions often go with it. Jessica Gould visits one Northern Virginia family determined to bring its ancestral language back from the brink.

There are perhaps 2,400 roadside markers around the state – telling visitors about historic places in Virginia.  On May 5, VDOT will erect one more –a surprising tribute to the enemy — about 4,000 prisoners of war.  Sandy Hausman has that story.

For the first time in Virginia’s history, the majority of younger physicians are women. But men still dominate the overall ranks of medical doctors. Connie Stevens has more. For the first time in Virginia’s history, the majority of younger physicians are women. But men still dominate the overall ranks of medical doctors. Connie Stevens has more.

A giant facility in Culpeper, Virginia, is collecting and preserving the largest assortment of audio, video and film recordings on the planet. Rebecca Sheir  journeyed to this special branch of the Library of Congress and brings us this story.

It’s official.  The state has cut all funding for public broadcasting, and Virginia’s stations are  trying to figure out how they’ll pay for programming and operations.  As Sandy Hausman reports, those hardest hit will not be viewers or listeners but kids in public schools.