Our family is planning a quick trip down to VA Beach for the Labor Day weekend to see friends and run in the annual Rock N Roll Half Marathon along the Boardwalk. It's a great race, perhaps my favorite in Virginia.

Of course, our plans are in the balance thanks to Hurricane Earl, which will be hitting on Thurdsay and Friday along the Eastern Seaboard. The storm may delay our departure by a day, which will give me one more day to contemplate the complete meltdown of our state's computer system (yet ... << MORE >>

Today a Circuit Court Judge for the City of Charlottesville rejected the position of the Attorney General seeking to subpoena via Civil Investigative Demand certain documents generated by Professor Michael Mann as a potential fraud against the taxpayers of Virginia.

The Court made several important rulings. First, it found that the AG does not have "unbridled discretion" to subpoena state agencies or universities anytime he thinks a fraud has been committed. Second, it found that the AG simply failed to articulate what Professor Mann did that was "misleading, false or fraudulent" in ... << MORE >>

Last night, I spoke at the annual "Iftar" dinner for the Muslim community and friends in Fairfax.  The event was organized by my friends at the Turkish-American Friendship Association and took place in downtown Fairfax City, about a block from my law office. There were several hundred in attendance.

Being of the Christian faith, I personally did not know much about Ramadan or Iftar growing up. Essentially, during the month of Ramadan, Islam prohibits eating during daylight. Iftar then becomes the first meal of the day at twilight. Often it can ... << MORE >>

I got back today from a 2-day trip to Wise County, located in the far southwestern corner of the Commonwealth. The trip was sponsored by Dominion Energy and was centered around a visit to the Virginia City Hybrid Energy Center, a 580 megawatt coal-fired air-cooled power plant costing $1.8 billion. It is set to open in 2012.

Before I recount my journey to Wise and my impressions of Virginia City, it's worth recounting that I always have been (and remain) a (1) proponent of a mandatory RPS standard in Virginia law, ... << MORE >>

Sorry for the delay on posting. I'm dealing with an avalanche of work and family obligations.

A few quick notes from the game on Saturday night:

1. Is there any reason for Blue Line trains to not run directly to FedEx Field on game nights?  Nothing is more useless than a six-car train packaged with 1,000 fans making 5-6 superfluous stops before the stadium?  On game nights, make the Blue Line an EXPRESS TRAIN to the stadium. Also, some of the trains are looking very ragged on the ... << MORE >>

... with my son. We'll be taking the Orange Line into the City, then switching at RFK. It's a mile walk from the last station to FedEx, which is about as "pedestrian friendly" as you can expect in the suburbs.

Starters are supposed to take 30-35 snaps tonight. First-team fans will likewise be limited 1-2 beers (or not!)

Always good to beat Baltimore.  Even if it doesn't matter.

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Got back today after spending 4 days vacationing in southwest Virginia. This is an annual trip for our family and every year it gets better. Here's a quick review and "greatest hits" ...

Day 1 (Roanoke) -- One of my favorite "small cities," Roanoke is actually an easy and scenic 4-hour drive down Rte. 81 from NoVA. With its antebellum decor and great service, the Hotel Roanoke is one of my all-time favorite hotels. It's also a 5-minute walk downtown, right over the Norfolk Southern railroad tracks. Lots of great places to ... << MORE >>

I've been out of town since Saturday. Got back today to find that the Governor has announced a $400M budget surplus for FY10, which is significantly better than anyone had projected. 

Still trying to figure out how our reveue projections can swing so quickly, when all seemed lost just a few months ago. In the meantime, the Assembly has borrowed money from our own VRS system for the upcoming fiscal year(s) in order to balance the budget. That transaction should not be forgotten before everyone rushes to spend this new money.
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Earlier this week, the Obama administration announced plans to reduce defense contracting costs by 10% a year for the next three years. At the same time, it announced that it would eliminate certain defense agencies such as the Joint Forces Command ("JFCOM"), which is based in Hampton Roads. That elimination alone represents 5,000 jobs.

In Nothern Virginia, a reduction in defense and homeland security contracting would be significant in impact. There is no doubt that defense largely drives job growth in in NoVA. There are literally thousands of companies based ... << MORE >>

To quote "Rapper's Delight" -- our AG's favorite rap group -- "well, it's on and on and on, on and on  .... and the beat don't stop til the break of dawn."  

The same themes have dominated this summer in Virginia:  privatize the liquor stores, crack down on illegal immigration, file suit against our universities. 
 
Yesterday marked the kick-off of the Governor's bid to privatize the ABC stores in Virginia. I have mixed thoughts on this and it's still early. I don't plan to bash the Governor's plan, which is not yet a tangible ... << MORE >>