Friday, May 17, 2013
Marchex Institute says Ohio residents swear the most on consumer calls but Virginians are among the most courteous.
Virginia isn't just for lovers — it's also for nice people. That's the finding from the Marchex Institute, a data analysis firm. Just in time for National Etiquette Week, Marchex released findings on the most courteous and the least courteous states in the nation. The Institute examined more than 600,000 phone calls from the past 12 months. You know, the calls that "may be recorded for training purposes." The calls were placed by consumers to businesses across 30 industries, including cable and satellite companies, auto dealerships, pest control centers and more, says Marchex. The Institute scanned for curse words from A to F to S (use your imagination). Analysts then linked the frequency of those words with all 50 states. The data placed …
Monday, December 17, 2012
The magazine ranks Virginia highly thanks to a "pro-business regulatory climate."
Incentives and government policies make Virginia the second-best state in the nation to do business, according to Forbes magazine's new rankings. Virginia has ranked highly in Forbes' annual "Best States to Do Business" rankings for years. In 2012, for the second year in a row, the Commonwealth was topped only by Utah. "Virginia ranks No. 2 thanks to a pro-business regulatory climate that includes a top ranking in Pollina Corporate Real Estate’s study of the states with the best financial incentive programs and state economic development efforts. Utah nipped Virgina thanks to [Utah's] lower labor costs and stronger economic outlook," Forbes writer Kurt Badenhausen wrote. Just below Virginia were North Dakota and North Carolina—ahead of…
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Crime Commission to discuss making texting behind the wheel a reckless driving charge.
The Commonwealth of Virginia may be considering stronger penalties for texting while driving. The Virginia State Crime Commission will discuss Wednesday a draft of new legislation that would make texting while driving a reckless driving charge as well as a traffic offense, WTOP reports. The commission makes recommendations to the General Assembly. A Fairfax County judge ruled this year that the current texting-while-driving law precluded a reckless driving conviction against a man prosecutors said opened a text very close to the time he struck and killed a 19-year-old man on Route 7 near Dranesville in May 2011. The current law comes with penalties of $20 for the first offense and $50 for a second offense. When the case went to trial in a …
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Virginia's gas tax is a flat rate tax, but changes could be in the making.
Next year’s Thanksgiving road trip may be a little more expensive as Virginia officials grapple with how to adequately fund Virginia’s growing transportation infrastructure needs. Gov. Bob McDonnell said earlier this month that raising Virginia’s gas tax, tying it to inflation or otherwise adjusting it is not off the table. “I’m looking at a range of things,” McDonnell told reporters in Richmond. “I can tell you that every other major tax in Virginia—the sales tax, the corporate income tax, and the [personal] income tax—all fluctuate with economic activity because they’re a percentage. ... We’re looking at whether or not ... it should fluctuate with economic activity, like every other tax in Virginia.” Right now, Virginia’s state gas tax …
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Longtime politico from Mount Vernon tells Richmond Times-Dispatch it's time to get out of politics, after Nov. 6 loss.
A fixture in Virginia politics is hanging up his hat. George Allen, the former governor and U.S. senator who makes his home with his family in Mount Vernon, told the Richmond Times-Dispatch he has "no intention of running for office again." He and wife Susan “put our heart and soul into this campaign,” he told the newspaper. Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell said Tuesday he is "disappointed" to hear that Allen has taken himself out of the political arena after losing his Senate race last week to Tim Kaine. It was the second Senate race Allen lost, after losing his seat to Jim Webb in 2006. "Two big losses in a row make it tough for George Allen to try yet again to make a comeback," said Mark Rozell, professor of Public Policy at George Mason …
Friday, November 9, 2012
New Virginia senator says first order of business is to work on good solutions to nation's debt.
Tim Kaine (D), Virginia's newly-elected U.S. Senator, says his first order of business will be to lobby for longterm solutions for the country's fiscal situation. Kaine held a press conference in Richmond on Wednesday, one day after he defeated former Virginia governor and senator George Allen (R) in the general election. Kaine, governor of the state from 2006-10, earned 52 percent of the vote to Allen's 48 on Tuesday. McLean and Great Falls voters also favored Kaine over Allen. Find out how your precinct voted. Check out the results for this race, and all the other ballot questions, compiled precinct-by-precinct. Kaine takes over the seat vacated by Sen. Jim Webb (D), who is retiring after one term. Webb defeated Allen in a similarly …
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
The governor said power should be restored to all Dominion customers by Thursday.
Gov. Bob McDonnell said in his final press briefing for Hurricane Sandy that Virginia was "spared a significant event." “First responders and private partners, they have really done an amazing job preparing for the storm and applying lessons learned from previous storms and putting in an incredible amount of hours,” McDonnell said. McDonnell cited concerns about rivers cresting as flood waters go into the major arteries, and he expected an update on that later Tuesday. Virginia was awarded a federal disaster declaration yesterday, said McDonnell, noting he was “delighted” that President Barack Obama and FEMA were on it immediately. "That is only for federal direct assistance to allow them to provide resources directly and as we do our …
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Their campaign message Saturday morning was targeted to women voters.
Ann Romney, standing under the gazebo roof in McLean Central Park Saturday morning with a group largely made up of women, stressed that her husband cared about women and would take care of them if he is elected president on Nov. 6. Romney campaigned for her husband in Virginia on Saturday. The state's importance in the presidential race seems to grow as Election Day nears. "It's all about Northern Virginia," said Virginia-based GOP pollster Whit Ayres, in an interview Friday with CNN's John King. "So many people have moved into Northern Virginia, particularly from the Northeast -- Democratic areas -- that they've turned a solid red state into a purple state." Ann Romney's first stop was McLean Central Park on Saturday morning, where she …
Friday, October 12, 2012
U.S. Senate candidate responds to 10 questions posed by Patch readers in Northern Virginia.
A few weeks ago, we asked Patch readers in Northern Virginia to throw out some questions for George Allen and Tim Kaine, both vying for the U.S. Senate seat in Virginia. So you asked and the candidates answered. Read George Allen's responses here. Tim Kaine's answers, published below, are unedited. 1. There is considerable reporting in the popular media that Social Security and Medicare are in financial ruin and in need of a fix, but every time one person dares to speak-up and suggest constructive measures to save the system, the other candidate attacks that person for being insensitive to the needs of seniors and claims the proponent of modifications wants to dismantle the programs. How would you address these issues knowing full well …
Thursday, October 11, 2012
U.S. Senate candidates answer questions posed by our Northern Virginia readers.
Last month, Patch asked our readers in Northern Virginia for a favor. We wanted to submit questionnaires to both U.S. Senate candidates in Virginia and we wanted our readers to come up with the questions. You all delivered. Patch posed a list of 10 questions to former governors and U.S. Senate candidates Tim Kaine (D) and George Allen (R), ranging in topics from Social Security to drug abuse in high schools. The candidates responded and we've published their answers online.
Terrence Dankel
11:13 am on Saturday, May 18, 2013
I think there's also a difference when the swearing is used as a adjective for type of service given and a verb as in #@%& you! For some folks it may be more excusable in terms of vocabulary of description. In reality, it's definitely a case where better word choice exists. Hot heads or verbally challenged will drop in to the cursing pothole which makes a rough ride of the day. more ›