VAR Newsroom
Editorial: Election a ?Vote of Confidence?
Thursday, 08 May 2008
Tuesday's election in the City of Falls Church was yet another watershed moment in the City’s on-going struggle to achieve a solid basis for its long-term viability while at the same time maintaining its unique identity as a special 2.2 square mile enclave inside the Beltway.
With the sound defeat of a ballot referendum that would have ...
Workshop Focuses On Ways To Prevent Foreclosure
SPRINGFIELD, Va. -- Fairfax County is teaming up with the Virginia Housing and Development Authority to help residents caught in the foreclosure wave.
County and community-based workers attended a free workshop on Thursday at the Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Springfield.
Kathleen Jones, a housing services specialist and foreclosure prevention counselor, made a presentation at the free eve...
Public makes case for the best way to slice up funds in Norfolk
By Harry Minium
The Virginian-Pilot
© May 9, 2008
NORFOLK
Nearly 400 citizens turned out Thursday night at Granby High School to implore the City Council to spend more money.
Some asked for higher salaries for employees.
Others asked for more spending for school construction. Many asked for improved retirement benefits.
The pleas, at the city's annual budget hearing, came one n...
Wilder abandons stormwater-fee plan
Richmond's new stormwater fee is a washout for now.
Mayor L. Douglas Wilder announced yesterday he's no longer recommending the fee because residents may also face higher bills for electricity.
The stormwater fee would have come on top of water and sewer rates and provided a new source of revenue to fix the city's old stormwater system.
City Council members laughed when Wilder's announcement ca...
As Norfolk residents’ outcry ebbs, so do likely tax rate cuts
By Harry Minium
The Virginian-Pilot
© May 8, 2008
NORFOLK
A year ago, the cries from irate taxpayers were unmistakably loud.
More than 16,000 people signed petitions demanding lower real estate taxes. And 700 showed up to a raucous town hall meeting staged by the Norfolk Tea Party 2, a watchdog group that lobbied for lower taxes.
The City Council responded by reducing the tax rat...
Board patches up transportation funding
Although a Virginia Supreme Court ruling eliminated the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority's ability to collect taxes and fees for transportation earlier this year, one local portion of last year's state transportation bill remains intact.In July, Fairfax County will begin charging an additional real estate tax of 12 cents per $100 of assessed value on commercial and industrial pro...
10 schools jobs are on chopping block
Charles City County school officials are considering cutting 10 jobs -- nearly 6 percent of all school positions -- because of decreased funding for fiscal year 2009.
School Superintendent Janet C. Crawley has proposed eliminating six instructional positions, an administrative food-service job, a central-office administrative position and two staff support positions, said Curtis Finney, director ...
Conner bankruptcy filing tossed out after unmet deadlines
By Sally Voth -- Daily Staff Writer
HARRISONBURG — A week after being sentenced to more than 10 years in prison, Edinburg sawmill owner Richie Hansford "Shag" Conner is facing some more bad news.
His petition for Chapter 13 bankruptcy was thrown out of U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Harrisonburg on Tuesday, according to...
Rezoning not cause of boom BIRTH OF A RIVALRY
The public is often quick to blame sitting government officials for allowing housing booms such as occurred in Culpeper between 1998 and 2005.
It turns out that the Culpeper County Board of Supervisors contributed little to the problem.
According to figures presented at yesterday's board meeting by County Planner John Egerston, only a handful of new residential units resulted from rezoning in ...
Town center bridge, raises agreed on for Virginia Beach budget plan
By Richard Quinn
The Virginian-Pilot
© May 7, 2008
VIRGINIA BEACH
The boat tax is out, the Town Center bridge is in, and the Consumer Affairs Program isn’t going anywhere.
The majority of City Council informally agreed to all that – and higher raises for city employees – at a budget meeting Tuesday. No decisions are final until the budget for fiscal years 2009 and 2010 is vote...
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