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Perspective
Family Tradition
By C. Douglas Smith
From Inter-Session, the bi-weekly newsletter of the Virginia Interfaith Center between sessions of the General Assembly
 While travelling out of state recently, I found myself in an urban center where alcohol sales have been privatized. It was an ugly scene: corner stores selling liquor next to seedy bars; steel grates covering smokey windows lit only by the neon signs that beckoned people inside for cheap whiskey. The traffic was regular. Not far away a Salvation Army drop-in facility did its best to provide refuge for God's children afflicted with life's challenges -- abuse, mental illness, addiction -- and beset by struggle. ...
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The Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy is Virginia’s oldest faith-based advocacy group. We are a nonpartisan coalition of faith communities working to create progressive public policy by engaging people of faith, educating the public about social issues, the legislative process, and the call to advocacy.
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Why I Give to The Center
 The Virginia Interfaith Center is a prophetic voice, speaking truth to power. As a Christian, I believe this is what Jesus did, and as the body of Christ in the world, I believe The Center is helping us be this prophetic voice.
--Phyllis Albritton
Blacksburg, Virginia
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Political Headlines from Va. Press Assoc.
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Perriello’s local town hall to be webcast
The meeting is scheduled to take place from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday
UPDATE: McDonnell lays out concerns to Northrop Grumman
As state gets back to work following computer outage, McDonnell says contractor will pay for investigation into problems.
State launches review, extends DMV hours
Gov. Bob McDonnell and the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee are launching an independent review of the computer-system failures that affected operations at the Department of Motor Vehicles and 25 other state agencies – and Northrop Grumman is picking up the tab.
“I have spoken personally with Northrop Grumman CEO Wes Bush. I expressed to [...]
Northrop Grumman to pay for independent review of Virginia computer failures…
Northrop Grumman has agreed to foot the bill for an outside review of the computer breakdowns that crippled Virginia's online services over the past week. On Thursday Gov. Bob McDonnell announced that the investigative arm of the General Assembly - the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission - is working with state leaders and officials at Northrop - the defense contracting behemoth that runs the state's information technology. The Department of Motor Vehicles and the Department of Taxation…
Transportation group backs sale of ABC stores
A Northern Virginia transportation group threw its support behind selling the stateamp;rsquo;s liquor stores to fund road improvements.
Nye, Rigell and Golden face off in Norfolk forum tonight…despite Hurricane Earl
Democrat Glenn Nye, Republican Scott Rigell and Independent Kenny Golden share the stage for the second time tonight in Norfolk, during a joint forum at Second Calvary Baptist Church. The three congressional candidates are all running for Virginia's 2nd District, which includes parts of Hampton and Norfolk and all of Virginia Beach and the Eastern Shore. The three men shared the stage two weeks ago in a forum in Virginia Beach that drew nearly 600 people. Here's a full video of the first showdown…
Hurricane Earl delays Virginia efforts to rescue Joint Forces Command…
In response to the Pentagon's desire to shutter Joint Forces Command in Hampton Roads, Gov. Bob McDonnell put together a military affairs commission stacked with elected leaders and military veterans with deep Virginia roots. Dubbed the Commission on Military and National Security Facilities, the panel is designed to bring some added weight to Virginia's efforts to protect the military and civilian jobs at Joint Forces in Norfolk and Suffolk. Virginia elected officials blasted the move when Defense…
UPDATE: DMV resumes issuing licenses
Statewide 1,331 people applied for driver#39;s licenses and ID cards in the first hour of business today.
DMV extends licenses, hours after computer outage
Virginia expects to resume renewing driver#39;s licenses today after a giant, weeklong computer failure. But that may not be reason to smile. Because of continuing data headaches, the Department of Motor Vehicles still can#39;t match thousands of photographs with driver information, potentially rendering 10,000 to 16,000 head shots unusable.
DMV to be back in service Thursday
The agency has not been able to process license and identification card renewals and applications since Aug. 25, when the computer system failed. The DMV estimates the week-long disruption affected between 35,000 and 45,000 customers.
VRS reports investment gains, and one key loss
The Virginia Retirement System reports its market investments fared well in the past year, but now the $47.7 billion pension system is about to lose its chief investment officer, Charles W. Grant.
UPDATE: DMV to resume normal operations tomorrow
Gov. Bob McDonnell says computer functions have been restored across state government after outage started a week ago.
DMV expected to be back online by Thursday
Department of Motor Vehicles locations in Virginia are expected to be fully operational on Thursday – and Gov. Bob McDonnell has directed the department to extend its hours in the weeks and weekends ahead to process the backlog in applications due to a failure in the data-storage system serving offices statewide.
“From this office to our [...]
Rights groups urge feds to reject 287(g)
A coalition of faith groups, civil and human rights organizations, and government officials have asked the Department of Homeland Security to reject Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell’s request to allow the Virginia Department of State Police to enter into a 287(g) agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
A 287(g) agreement, named after a provision of federal law, [...]
McDonnell declares state of emergency in advance of Earl
Gov. Bob McDonnell today declared a state of emergency in the Commonwealth of Virginia, a step authorizing state agencies to take precautionary action to prepare for any potential impacts in eastern Virginia from Hurricane Earl. A state of emergency must be declared under state law so that additional resources are available and positioned for use [...]
Tax department computers operating; DMV still out
Tax agency#39;s quot;core functionsquot; restored following massive outage in state information technology network.
Ethics probe sought on 1st District Democratic candidate
The 1st District Republican chairman wants an ethics investigation of Democratic congressional candidate Krystal Ball after personal financial-disclosure forms she filed last year and this year showed her going from a net worth of $100,000 to more than $1 million. Ball attributed the sudden increase in wealth to stock options ...
Computer outages persist at Virginia agencies
If you#39;re driving on an expired license because of Virginia#39;s massive, weeklong computer failure, you won#39;t be ticketed.
In Bristol, McDonnell vows to back rail efforts
BRISTOL -- Gov. Bob McDonnell pledged further support for efforts to expand passenger and commercial rail yesterday.
UPDATE: Lawmakers want to handle investigation of state computer problems
Department of Motor Vehicles, Virginia State Police make adjustments as many motorists still cannot renew driver#39;s licenses.
GOP asks ethics probe of Wittman’s challenger
1st District GOP leader seeks House of Representatives ethics investigation into alleged financial reporting problems.
Odd turn in Clark bankruptcy story
A story in The Daily Progress reporting the personal financial struggles of Fifth District independent congressional candidate Jeffrey Clark has taken an interesting turn.
Clark sent out a news release on Tuesday offering to drop out of the Fifth District race if the person who made the information about Clark’s past available to the paper will [...]
Kinser becomes first woman to head Va. Supreme Court
Cynthia Kinser,amp;nbsp; a native of Lee County in Southwest Virginia, was appointed to the Supreme Court of Virginia in 1997.
UPDATE: State computer problems enter 6th day
Problems remain at departments including Motor Vehicles, Social Services, Taxation and Juvenile Justice.
Governor pushes liquor-store plan at town-hall meeting
More than 400 people turned out yesterday to hear from Gov. Bob McDonnell at his seventh town-hall meeting.
McDonnell moves ahead with seeking police role in enforcing immigration law
Gov. Bob McDonnell rejected a request by Latino and other organizations that he not go ahead with a proposal to let State Police pursue civil immigration law-enforcement powers.
Judge dismisses Cuccinelli demands in U.Va. case
An Albemarle County judge yesterday dealt a serious blow to Ken Cuccinelli#39;s attempts to gather evidence from U.Va.
Tea-party candidate in 5th offers to withdraw if tipster comes forward
Fifth District hopeful Jeffrey A. Clark says he is willing to abandon his campaign for Congress if the person who tipped off the press about his long history of personal debt admits it publicly. Clark, a conservative tea-party member from Danville, is taking on first-term Rep. Tom Perriello, D-5th, and ...
McDonnell seeks independent probe of computer outage
Gov. Bob McDonnell wants an quot;independent third partyquot; to investigate the collapse of a state government computer system.
Clark offers to withdraw if leaker surfaces
Fifth District hopeful Jeffrey A. Clark said today that he is willing to abandon his campaign for Congress if the person who tipped off the press about his long history of personal debt admits it publicly. Clark, a conservative Tea Party member from Danville, is taking on first-term Rep. Tom ...
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Public News Service (National)
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