State closing pharmacy for the mentally ill

A Virginia program that provides prescription medication to thousands of mentally ill patients is getting cut because of a shrinking state budget. Read more

Millionaires, thank you very much

Virginians have deep pockets, according to Phoenix Marketing International.

That’s because in a recent survey the firm listed Virginia as the No. 5 state in the nation for number of millionaires. Virginia has 3,034,189 households; of those, 166,596 have more than $1 million in liquid assets, not counting those with retirement funds that put them over the $1 million line, the company said. Read more

Union battle heats up in Virginia

The battle over federal legislation that would allow workers to more easily unionize is rapidly heating up in Virginia. Read more

Gubernatorial candidates need jobs too

Campaigning to be the next governor of Virginia is a full-time job, but that isn’t stopping two of the four candidates from earning a salary.

Republican candidate Bob McDonnell and Democrat R. Creigh Deeds are both earning paychecks from separate Virginia law firms, according to a story in today’s Washington Post.

“I’m doing what I have to do. I’m doing enough work to pay my bills,” Deeds told the Washington Post.

Deeds is employed by the Framme Law Firm, based in Vienna, which specializes in personal injury, estate planning, and motor vehicles. He left the law firm of Hirschler Fleischer in 2006 because of conflict of interest questions surrounding lobbyists employed by that firm.

McDonnell has returned to the law firm of Huff, Poole, and Mahoney in Virginia Beach, where he worked for 14 years while serving in the General Assembly. Some of the firm’s clients include Cessna Aircraft, Hudson Insurance Group and Sentara Healthcare.

Neither firm nor candidate disclosed their salary or named clients they represent.

The other two candidates, Terry McAuliffe and Brian Moran, are reported to be living off of savings and investments. Both are Democrats and lawyers.