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Activists Take Issue With Proposed Virginia Hybrid Tax

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Protesters staked out in front of the capitol building in Richmond to protest proposed fees on hybrid cars.
Armando Trull
Protesters staked out in front of the capitol building in Richmond to protest proposed fees on hybrid cars.

Enviromental activists are in Richmond taking legislators to task for a series of measures that they say would harm efforts to protect the environment.

About a dozen protesters with the Chesapeake Climate Action Network stood outside the Virginia state capitol waving miniature windmills and signs that read "Tax Pollutions, Not Solutions." Their protests are punctuated by honks from hybrid car owners who are angry at Gov. Bob McDonnell's transportation plan that does away with the state's gas tax, but which would also impose a $100 tax on hybrid cars.

Picketers urged lawmakers to reject a plan that would dismantle the commonwealth's only broad clean energy law, known as a Renewable Portfolio Standard.

NPR

China Builds Museums ... But Will The Visitors Come?

China is on a spree to build world-class museums and has opened about 100 of them annually in recent years. Two of the biggest opened on the same day last fall on opposite banks of Shanghai's Huangpu River. But filling these museums — with both art and visitors — is proving more challenging.
NPR

Nutrition Group Says Chocolate Milk Is OK, No Need For Aspartame

The nation's largest group of nutritionists is urging the FDA to reject the dairy industry's petition to change the definition of milk. The petition aims to allow aspartame or other alternatives to be used to sweeten milk in an effort to boost consumption in schools.
NPR

Former IRS Head To Senate: It Wasn't My Fault

The man who led the IRS during the years when agency workers targeted tax-exempt applications from conservative groups did his best to deflect accusations from unhappy senators.
NPR

Microsoft Reveals New Xbox One Game System

Microsoft unveiled its new Xbox One Tuesday, displaying a device that takes new steps in game consoles' journey into becoming all-purpose entertainment and communication devices. The new console replaces the Xbox 360, which has been on the market for more than seven years.

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