David Sherfinski

Cuccinelli formally launches gubernatorial bid

Virginia Attorney General Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II announced that his campaign filed papers with the State Board of Elections Thursday to formally establish a campaign committee to run for governor in 2013.

March 22, 2012

Virginia Senate nears budget resolution

An amended Senate budget that provides $300 million in additional funds for the Dulles Metrorail project and millions more for K-12 and pre-K education passed the Senate Finance Committee unanimously Thursday, as Virginia's lingering budget stalemate took a step closer to resolution.

March 22, 2012

Bolling decision on ties led to Va. budget stalemate

The groundwork for a lingering budget standoff in the General Assembly might well have been laid Jan. 3 - roughly a week before lawmakers were scheduled to arrive in town.

March 21, 2012

Va. legislators see their job rating head south

A contentious legislative session has sent the Virginia General Assembly's approval scores underwater after months of positive ratings - a development that comes as lawmakers gaveled in a special session Wednesday to break an impasse on the state's two-year, $85 billion budget proposal.

March 21, 2012

Poll: Adding McDonnell to ticket won’t help Romney in Virginia

The rule for selecting a vice-presidential running mate is akin to the principal precept of medical ethics: First, do no harm. Should Republican front-runner Mitt Romney pick Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell as his running mate, "no harm" might be about all he can expect.

March 20, 2012

Report: Virginia among states most at risk for corruption

Virginia is among the states most at risk for public corruption, receiving a failing grade in a new report from the Center for Public Integrity, Global Integrity, and Public Radio International.

March 19, 2012

Arlington County again on HOT seat

Arlington County stands to lose $100,000 in road-maintenance funds as reimbursement — or, some would argue, punishment — for a contentious environmental lawsuit county officials filed against the state and the federal government.

March 18, 2012

McDonnell petitioned to veto Virginia voter ID bills

Activists on Thursday delivered more than 6,000 petition signatures urging Gov. Bob McDonnell to veto recently passed voter-identification legislation, the hot-button issue that has become a recent target of the U.S. Department of Justice and the courts.

March 15, 2012

Prince William’s request for data on illegals halted

A federal judge has blocked Prince William County's pursuit of information on the more than 4,000 criminal illegal immigrants the county has turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement since implementing its controversial crackdown in 2007.

March 14, 2012

DOJ OKs Virginia congressional redistricting map

The U.S. Department of Justice has signed off on Virginia's congressional redistricting plan passed earlier this year by the General Assembly after a months-long standoff in 2011 and multiple legal challenges.

March 14, 2012

Va. posts 17.2 percent revenue growth in February

Virginia posted a 17.2 percent year-over-year growth in revenue collections in February, Gov. Bob McDonnell said Wednesday — a day after the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a three-year low in the state's unemployment rate.

March 14, 2012

Virginia eating Maryland’s lunch for jobs?

Virginia's unemployment rate fell to its lowest level in three years in January, signaling that a nascent economic recovery in the commonwealth could be a harbinger of things to come.

March 13, 2012

Va. assembly session ends without budget

The report card for Bob McDonnell and the state legislature at the conclusion of the Virginia governor's legacy-making 2012 session might best be characterized as "incomplete" — for now.

March 11, 2012

Va. assembly to adjourn without passing a budget

The Virginia General Assembly plans to adjourn on time Saturday but without approving a spending plan for the next two years, lawmakers said Friday.

March 9, 2012

Virginia bill OK’d bucking U.S. law on citizen detention

The Virginia Senate on Thursday gave final approval to a bill that would prevent any state agency from assisting in the detention of U.S. citizens if it conflicts with the U.S. or state Constitution — a direct response to a controversial provision of President Obama's 2012 National Defense Authorization Act.

March 8, 2012

Va. Senate kills McDonnell-backed teacher tenure bill

A significant piece of Gov. Bob McDonnell's 2012 education agenda died at the hands of the Virginia Senate Thursday, as the body voted 23-17 to send a bill that would make it easier to fire new teachers and principals back to committee, killing it for the year.

March 8, 2012

No break in Virginia budget impasse as Democrats list demands

There is "zero" chance that the Virginia General Assembly will pass a new two-year budget by its scheduled Saturday adjournment, the Senate's top Democrat said Wednesday as the caucus laid out a detailed list of demands to Gov. Bob McDonnell before Democratic Caucus members will consider a vote on a spending plan.

March 7, 2012

McDonnell signs Virginia’s mandatory ultrasound bill

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell has signed a high-profile bill mandating that women undergo ultrasound imaging before having an abortion, his office announced Wednesday.

March 7, 2012

Romney’s Virginia faceoff with Paul not overwhelming

Mitt Romney won Virginia's Republican presidential primary on Tuesday but with less than overwhelming support, in a race that highlighted the difficulty the former Massachusetts governor has had in consolidating support among rank-and-file GOP voters.

March 6, 2012

Protests take focus off Virginia budget fight

Virginia Republicans were hopeful that a weekend away from Richmond would help thaw a stalemate over the state's proposed two-year, $85 billion spending plan. But the weekend arrests of more than 30 activists protesting anti-abortion legislation has only fueled the partisan flames that have engulfed the Capitol.

March 5, 2012