It's 4:30 pm on Sunday, May 11th and the rain is pouring down.  My wife Sharon is out doing errands and I'm home with the three kids. 

My 9 year old daughter Eva is working on a puzzle, my 6 year old daughter Mary Walton is painting on the kitchen floor, and my three year old Thomas is throwing things down the steps.

It's nice to be home. 

This weekend is the tail-end of a frantic eight weeks since the legislative session ended on March 13th.  Since that time, I've tried six cases (including a jury trial last week) and argued countless legal motions.  Basically, all ...<< MORE >>

OK, this week has been crazy.  I've been in a week-long jury trial in Ellicott City, Maryland.  Just concluded today, at least for my client.

In the meantime, Fairfax City had its municipal elections on Tuesday.  About 2800 City residents voted, which is not quite a 25% turnout. 

The City elected three newcomers to the Council:  David Meyer, Steve Stombres and Dan Drummond.  I know all three of these gentlemen and am pleased to see them take over the leadership of the City.  We will be in good hands, I believe.

To the number crunchers, Steve and Dan tied for the #1 ...

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This morning was the annual "Patriot's Cup 8K" at George Mason University to benefit the ARC of Northern Virginia, an advocacy group for mentally disabled and their families.

It was a sunny but windy day.  Several hundred local runners participated and families filled up the concourse along Mason Drive, where the runnners finished.

ARC has been a great advocacy group for the years I've been in Richmond.  They have a positive image in the community and are well-known for working with legislators on both sides.  I've had the privilege to speak at their annual meetings and get to know their leadership ...

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/30/AR2008043001674.html?hpid=topnews

Well this is the story of the day in Fairfax County.  I was very surprised to see this headline when I picked up the Post this a.m.  Personally, having read the FTA's opinion from January 25th, I did not expect to see this announcement. 

I did talk to a senior Kaine administration official this morning (about the time of the conference call).  He confirmed the details reported by the Post.  

I asked whether the modifications made by the administration -- which apparently met FTA concerns -- included any review of the "above-ground" rail proposal.  He told me that it did not.  That is still ...<< MORE >>

The 34th State Senate district may look comparatively small on a map.  But it's got a lot of great neighborhoods and localities.

This weekend I spent most my time in Vienna, which is a small town (approx. 14,000 citizens) just north of Rte. 66 with a lot of history and community identity.  I knocked on every door there last summer

This morning Vienna Elementary School had its annual 5K race.  It's become a staple for local electeds, as it occurs late in the spring, just before the Town Council elections. 

The route is simple -- straight out Cottage Street a residential street stretching between ...<< MORE >>

We're back in Richmond for the reconvened session today.  We have been in and out of recess all day today.

What happened?

The Governor's amendments to House and Senate bills were largely passed without comment.  Two were rejected.  Each is noteworthy:

On SB 596, the Governor proposed an amendment which limited the jurisdiction of the State Corporation Commission over transmission lines and conservation issues.  A lot of issues there.  The Kaine administration pulled back and the amendment was defeated.

On HB 30, the budget bill, the Governor proposed a bill to reduce funds for drug treatment programs and shift it to compensate ambulance providers.  ...<< MORE >>

It's an unusual Earth Day this year.  Awareness of global warming and other enviro trends is at an all-time high.  Pressure to "be green" in the marketplace is more intense than ever.  The fuel-guzzling SUV or mega-mansion is increasingly part of a bygone era.  Live simply seems to be the new standard. 

There is also a change on the corporate front.  Everywhere, states are pushing for stronger clean energy standards and investor-owned utilities are showing they can meet that.  Witness today's Post article:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/21/AR2008042103004.html

The problem is that, despite the hype, overall energy use continues to increase.  There are many reasons.  Increasing population, ...<< MORE >>

A couple weeks ago I posted about my trip to Wise, specifically about our flight to the Lonesome Pine airport which sits up in the hills, a few miles above the town of Wise.

I noted the fact that there was no one there when we arrived, but that's often how it goes at rural airports.  What is unusual is that the Chairman of the Cumberland Airports Commission took the time to call last week and follow up with me about the flight. 

I learned a lot about managing an airport, namely that the commissioners are volunteers and always accommodating to folks (like ...<< MORE >>

Last night I moderated a panel on energy before the Prince William County Committee of 100, a non-partisan group that meets to review and discuss political issues.  Here's an article in the Potomac News today:

http://www.insidenova.com/isn/news/local/article/panel_discusses_future_energy_needs/14019/ 

There were representatives there from Dominion Power, the local electrical co-op,  an independent energy producer and also an energy economist.

It was a good panel and the crowd was active with questions.  Every panelist, of course, pledged fealty to increasing renewable resources and reducing consumption to fight carbon output. 

It's a question of economics:  rising gas prices are building interest in alternative forms of ...<< MORE >>

I didn't post yesterday about VA Tech and the one-year anniversary of the April 16th tragedy for a couple reasons:  1)  I didn't know quite what to say and 2) I figured I'd wait til today and see what everyone else said.  Maybe I'd steal a good idea.  But no such luck. 

April 16th, 2007 is one of the days that every Virginian remembers where they were and what they were doing when the reports started trickling in from Blacksburg.

The tragedy and its aftermath represented a weird confluence of events involving mental health, guns, higher education, immigration, privacy and other issues that we see every day in ...<< MORE >>