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Latest Virginia Regional News

December 11, 2009
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RICHMOND, Va. (AP) Conservative legislative leaders have sent Gov. Kaine a letter warning him not to end some tax breaks in the budget he submits next week. The two-page letter from Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling, two Senate Republicans, the House speaker and the conservative independent who heads the House Appropriations Committee says a tax increase would be "counterproductive at best."

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) Corporate titans, well-connected lobbyists and staunch conservatives share Gov.-elect Bob McDonnell's transition team with some Democrats. McDonnell has 300 people on the team helping him put policies and appointees in place before his administration takes flight January 16th.

CHRISTIANSBURG, Va. (AP) A court hearing has been scheduled for a former Virginia Tech student accused of killing another student in a campus eatery, and the man is expected to enter a plea in the case. Haiyang Zhu is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Xin Yang.

ROANOKE, Va. (AP) Appalachian Power customers will pay about 15.5 percent more a month as two rate increases go into effect. A 12.8 percent interim base rate increase and a 2.7 percent hike that's tied to a transmission surcharge are effective tomorrow.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Arts & Culture

NPR

James Gandolfini Dies; 'Sopranos' Actor Was 51

Actor James Gandolfini, 51, has reportedly died. Variety magazine reports that he suffered a "sudden stroke." The cause of death is not yet known with certainty, but HBO says the actor may have suffered a heart attack.

Food

NPR

And The Winner Of The World Food Prize Is ... The Man From Monsanto

The prize is sometimes called the "Nobel Prize for food and agriculture." And this year's winners include Monsanto executive Robert Fraley, a pioneer in genetically engineered crops. If there's a single person who personifies the company's controversial role in American agriculture, it's probably Fraley.

Politics

NPR

How Ted Cruz's Father Shaped His Views On Immigration

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Technology

NPR

In More Cities, A Camera On Every Corner, Park And Sidewalk

A growing number of cities are using surveillance cameras in the hope of fighting crime, but all that video is almost useless without powerful search tools to sort the material. The municipal camera trend is proving to be big business for companies that design video analytics software.

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