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Va. State Police Superintendent: Staffing Shortage Puts Troopers' Lives At Risk
As of Jan. 1, Virginia State Police will be down 249 sworn officers. State police superintendent Col. Steven Flaherty says the money is there to pay their salaries, but $52 million in budget cuts since 2006 held up schools to produce new troopers.
Flaherty says the officer shortage means many rural districts don't have any state troopers patrolling overnight -- and troopers in many others cover wide areas without backup.
"When something happens in those jurisdictions, we're responsive rather than being able to be proactive because of the manpower shortages," Flaherty says.
Gov. Bob McDonnell on Friday asked legislators for funding for three new trooper schools over the next two years to replenish the agency's thinning ranks. The General Assembly convenes Jan. 12.
Fictional 'Mothers' Reveal Facts Of A Painful Adoption Process
After years trying to conceive, novelist Jennifer Gilmore and her husband decided to adopt. What they thought would be a relatively simple process was instead a long and painful one. In her latest novel, Gilmore channels these autobiographical experiences into fiction.In Raw Milk Case, Activists See Food Freedom On Trial
Activists say the case against Wisconsin dairy farmer Vernon Hershberger is about raw milk — and much more. His supporters have turned the case into a rallying cry for personal food freedom and the rights of farmers and consumers to enter into private contracts without government intervention.Lois Lerner's Brief And Awful Day On Capitol Hill
The IRS bureaucrat showed up long enough at a House hearing into the scandal engulfing her agency to declare her innocence and her constitutional right to say no more.How That 'Nigerian Email Scam' Got Started
You've probably seen it in your inbox before: Someone who claims to have come into a fortune needs your help. You can share in the profits — if you send along a deposit or your bank account number. Boston Globe correspondent Finn Brunton talks about the history of the "Nigerian prince" or "419" scam, which actually got its start long before email.Leave a Comment
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