Senator Mark Warner joined with other senators to introduce a bill focusing on creating energy efficient homes. Here is a press release from Warner’s office:

U.S. Senator Mark R. Warner (D-VA) announced today that he is the chief sponsor, along with Sens. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME), of bipartisan Senate legislation that will provide targeted incentives for homeowners who make energy efficiency investments in their homes. The Senate bill, which was introduced yesterday, is similar to legislation pending in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The HOMESTAR Energy Retrofit Act of 2010 will provide up to $6 billion in time-limited incentives to American homeowners, combined with private-sector investment, to retrofit an estimated three million homes over two years. Economists and industry experts estimate it also will create or maintain more than 150,000 U.S. manufacturing and construction jobs. Read more »

Representative Bob Goodlatte has introduced legislation to crack down on identity theft to Congress. Here is a press release from Goodlatte’s office:

Identity theft is a serious and growing threat.  The Federal Trade Commission estimates that as many as 9 million Americans have their identities stolen each year.  Identity thieves use identifying information such as a consumer’s Social Security number, credit card numbers, or other financial account information in order to conduct such fraud as opening up new credit cards and gaining access to bank accounts.  The ramifications can be financially disastrous for citizens and can be extremely difficult to resolve. Read more »

The Virginia Technical Institute is slated to receive $200,000 in federal stimulus money. Here is a press release from the Office of Tom Perriello:

Congressman Tom Perriello today announced additional federal funds for the Virginia Technical Institute (VTI) in Altavista. The Institute will receive a $200,000 grant to purchase lab equipment and classroom furniture through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Community Facilities program. The grant is funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, or stimulus bill, and will help prepare the technical and trade school for its scheduled opening this fall. Rep. Perriello personally introduced the VTI project to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, who then directed USDA state representatives to visit the site.

“This grant is great news for VTI and a huge win for workers in Central and Southern Virginia. Vocational and skills training is one of the most important investments we can make in our region’s competitive advantage,” said Rep. Perriello. “In January, I met with Dale at the future home of VTI and he made me a believer in its tremendous potential to train our workers for family-wage jobs in technical trades. I was pleased to introduce the project to Secretary Vilsack and he has taken a strong interest in the school, as shown by this grant. This is a great example of local and federal officials working together to produce results for Virginia.” Read more »

The Lynchburg Regional Chamber is  celebrating Small Business Week with its Small Business Awards ceremony. Here is a press release and list of nominees, with updates of winners to come soon:

National Small Business Week is May 23-29 and the Lynchburg Regional Chamber of Commerce will honor area businesses at the Small Business Awards that will be held from 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., on Wednesday, May 26, at the James River Conference Center, 400 Court Street, Lynchburg. Admission includes lunch and is $20 for Chamber members, $30 for non-members. Read more »

The first Dick Rakes Kiwanis scholarship has been awarded to Mary Ann Nguyen, a 2010 Northside High School graduate. Here is a press release from Gentry Locke Rakes & Moore:

Gentry Locke Rakes & Moore, LLP announces the first Dick Rakes Kiwanis Scholarship, awarded Wednesday, May 26 at the Kiwanis Club of Roanoke’s scholarship luncheon meeting held in downtown Roanoke.

The recipient of this newly created scholarship is Mary Ann Nguyen, a 2010 graduate of Northside High School in Roanoke. The one-time $1,500 scholarship, which was awarded based on academic performance, community service, and need, was presented to Nguyen by Kiwanians Dick Rakes and Bob Bersch. Read more »

The Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center has been awarded its sixth Pride Award, among other awards from the Doubltree hotel brand. Here is a press release from the Hotel Roanoke:

The Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center, a Doubletree hotel, was honored with four global awards within the Doubletree brand in 2009.  More than 220 hotels across the Doubletree brand were assessed and evaluated for each of these annual honors.

The Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center was presented with their sixth Pride Award (awarded to the Top 10 hotels within the brand),  as well as Awards of Excellence in Hospitality, Food and Beverage and Housekeeping. Read more »

Paul Curran of Edward Jones in Salem was invited to attend the Edward Jones’ annual conference in April. Here is a press release from Edward Jones:

Paul Curran a financial advisor for Edward Jones in Salem, VA was recently honored by the firm for his job performance.

Curran was one of only 330 financial advisors out of more than 12,000 Edward Jones brokers to attend the conference.

This recognition earned Curran an invitation to Edward Jones’ annual Managing Partner’s Conference in April at the firm’s Headquarters in St. Louis. The three-day meeting pools Edward Jones’ most successful representatives for a discussion with James D. Weddle, Edward Jones’ managing partner, on issues facing the firm and the financial services industry as a whole. Read more »

This spring, Virginia Tech launched the Hokies on the Hill internship program in Washington D.C., where students met with and learned from political figures on Capitol Hill. It is scheduled to take place again next spring. Here is a press release from the university:

“It has taken everything I’ve learned, both in class and extracurricular, and thrown it all together for an amazing semester.”

This is what Nicholas Jeffress of Midlothian, Va., who graduated this month with a degree in English and political science from the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, had to say about the Hokies on the Hill Internship Program launched in the National Capital Region this spring. Read more »

Virginia Tech’s Bioinformatics Institute is using a “tree of life” to study the  evolution of a large group of bacteria, which will help reveal ways to fight bacteria that cause food poisoning and deadly diseases. Here is a press release from the university:

A new “tree of life” has been constructed by researchers at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech for the gamma-proteobacteria, a large group of medically and scientifically important bacteria.

The group of bacteria includes Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium, and other disease-causing organisms.* By building powerful phylogenetic trees scientists are able to quickly identify similarities and differences between the make-up of many different organisms, crucial information in the search for treatments to fight anything from the bugs that cause food poisoning to the pathogens that cause life-threatening diseases such as cholera and the plague. Read more »

Lori D. Thompson is the second employee of LeClairRyan to be recognized by Virginia Lawyer’s Weekly as an “Influential Women of Virginia.” Here is a press release from the law firm:

LeClairRyan’s Lori D. Thompson was recognized as one of Virginia Lawyer’s Weekly’s “Influential Women of Virginia,” at an awards luncheon held at the Omni Hotel in Richmond on May 20. An executive officer of the Firm, Thompson serves as the Business Development Officer and maintains an active bankruptcy and litigation practice. This is the second year that the list has been created and Thompson is the second LeClairRyan employee to be named. In 2009, Debra Dowd, leader of the firm’s Immigration practice area, received the honor. Read more »