Briefs

Local & VCU

U.S. budget plan would cut Amtrak funding for local routes

A new federal budget proposal threatens to end funding for regional Amtrak service at a time when Virginia is expanding passenger rail in the state and has no source of operating money for the trains.
State officials say it’s not clear yet how the measure would affect Virginia’s six regional Amtrak trains, including Newport News service and the anticipated Norfolk service that’s slated to start in two years.

But rail advocates interpret the proposal as ominous.

“If this legislation is enacted, Virginia will lose 64 percent of its Amtrak trains, including all of the services that start in Virginia,” Danny Plaugher, executive director of Virginians for High Speed Rail, said in an email to its members.
The House Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee wants to cut Amtrak’s budget by 60 percent, including all state-supported routes in 15 states, beginning with the new federal fiscal year on Oct. 1.

Amtrak runs two trains a day connecting Newport News and Richmond and beyond. The state is spending $101 million to upgrade freight tracks between Norfolk and Richmond in preparation for service beginning October 2013.

Brief by The Virginian-Pilot

Virginia jobless rate rises to 6.3 percent

Virginia’s unemployment rate rose for the second straight month in August, underscoring an anemic job market as the uneven economy continued to affect many industry sectors.

The state’s jobless rate stood at 6.3 percent in August, up from July’s rate of 6.1 percent, the Virginia Employment Commission reported Friday. The rates are seasonally adjusted.

Payroll employment fell by more than 9,500 jobs with industry sectors including government, leisure, and business and professional services shedding workers.

Virginia reflected a national trend, as unemployment rates increased in 26 states in August, the U.S. Labor Department said. Rates fell in 12 states and were unchanged in 12.

Employers in Virginia have added a net total of about 4,300 jobs this year, a growth rate of less than 1 percent.

Nevada had the nation’s highest state unemployment rate for the 15th straight month. The rate there rose from 12.9 percent in July to 13.4 percent in August.

North Dakota had the nation’s lowest unemployment rate at 3.5 percent.

Brief by The Richmond Times-Dispatch

Richmond universities ranked nationally

U.S. News & World Reports 2012 rankings of Best Colleges ranked VCUarts as the fourth-best Fine Arts program in the nation and ranked the whole university as the 170th out of the 194 schools ranked this year.

VCUarts’ sculpture program came in first in the nation while the fiber arts and graphic design programs were ranked fourth in the nation.

VCU’s Nursing-Anesthesia program was also ranked first in the nation. VCU was ranked 29th for best education schools, 74th for psychology and the 75th best medical school for research. VCU was also ranked as the 94th top public school in the nation.

University of Richmond also made the list, coming in 27th place for the best liberal arts program in the country. UR was also ranked as the third most up-and-coming school in the nation.

Virginia Union University was also ranked as the 65th best regional school in the South.

Brief by Mechelle Hankerson

National & International

Palestinians to request full U.N. membership

The Palestinian president said Friday that he would ask the U.N. Security Council next week to endorse his people’s decades-long quest for statehood, but emphasized that he did not seek to isolate or delegitimize Israel.

Mahmoud Abbas’ plan to seek full membership at the United Nations and bypass negotiations with Israel sets the stage for a diplomatic confrontation with Israel and the United States, which has indicated it would veto the measure in the Security Council.

Both the United States and Israel fear the U.N. move could lead to violence and other negative consequences, and stress that statehood should come about through negotiations, the cornerstone of Mideast peace efforts for the past two decades. The Palestinians already are planning two mass demonstrations in the West Bank next week.

The Palestinians say they are turning to the United Nations after concluding that peace talks will yield no breakthrough at this point.

Brief by The Associated Press

Spain court convicts Basque leader of terrorism

A Spanish court convicted a prominent Basque separatist of terrorism Friday and sentenced him to 10 years in prison for trying to resurrect the banned political wing of the militant group ETA.

Arnaldo Otegi, former leader of the outlawed Batasuna party, can appeal the conviction handed down by the National Court. Four other suspects were also convicted, and three were acquitted.

In this court case, Otegi was charged with trying to form an organization that would replace Batasuna. During the trial, which ended in July, he argued that it was this group which persuaded the pro-ETA Basque separatist community to reject violence.
But the court ruled Friday that Otegi was acting on orders from ETA to regroup pro-independence forces into a new political tool for ETA.

ETA declared a cease-fire in September 2010 and has not killed anyone in Spain in more than two years.

The government says the group has been weakened by arrests and dwindling grass roots support, but rules out negotiations and insists ETA must simply surrender. That would bring an end to Europe’s last major armed militancy.

Brief by The Associated Press 

NY attorney general asks court to toss anti-gay marriage lawsuit

New York’s attorney general has asked a state court to throw out a lawsuit challenging the gay marriage law signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo in June.

New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms and several other opponents of the law sued on July 25. They claim in part that the law should be nullified because the state Senate violated its own rules and the state’s open meetings law before the critical vote that led to its narrow passage.

Attorney General Eric Schneiderman argues in papers filed Friday that the opponents haven’t been harmed by the law, don’t have standing to challenge the actions of the Senate and any procedural actions of the Senate and governor aren’t subject to judicial review.

He’s asked for a hearing on Oct. 17 at the Livingston County Courthouse.

Brief by The Associated Press