Public Policy Tipoffs Involving Virginia
'Young Artists' exhibition celebrates the talent and creativity of area students
BLACKSBURG, Virginia, Dec. 23 -- Virginia Tech issued the following news:
The Moss Arts Center celebrates the talent and creativity of New River Valley student artists with its newest exhibition, which features work from 42 students from Shawsville Middle School. "Young Artists: Layers of Me" debuts with an opening reception on Tuesday, Jan. 7, from 5-7 p.m. in the center's Grand Lobby. Open for a limited time, the exhibition runs through Saturday, Jan. 11.
Under the guidance of Shawsville Mid
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AAMVA: Now Available - Felony Convictions and CDL Sanctions Whitepaper
ARLINGTON, Virginia, Dec. 24 -- The American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators issued the following news:
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) promulgates Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) published in the Code of Federal Regulations, which are then adopted by each of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia. Mastering familiarity with all the relevant regulations may pose a challenge for those in the courts and in motor vehicle or driver li
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AAMVA: Now Available - Mobile Driver's License Implementation Guidelines, Version 1.4
ARLINGTON, Virginia, Dec. 24 -- The American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators issued the following news:
The AAMVA Joint Mobile Driver's License (mDL) Working Group (WG) has been active around mobile identification since 2012. As the mDL evolves, the mDL WG continues to identify and address topics on which guidance to Issuing Authorities can be helpful.
AAMVA's Mobile Driver's License (mDL) Implementation Guidelines, Version 1.4, represents the bulk of the current guidance, and poin
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AAMVA: Washington to Join State-to-State Verification Service Driver History Record
ARLINGTON, Virginia, Dec. 24 -- The American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators issued the following news:
Washington will begin using AAMVA's State-to-State (S2S) Verification Service Driver History Record (DHR) functionality on Tuesday, February 18, 2025. Tasks related to onboarding WA will be conducted on Sunday, February 16, 2025, during the regular scheduled maintenance window of 2:00 AM ET to 5:00 AM ET. AAMVA is taking all steps possible to minimize service interruptions and wil
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AFA Supports Inaugural Military Spouse Event at MacDill
ARLINGTON, Virginia, Dec. 23 [Category: National Defense] -- The Air and Space Forces Association issued the following news release:
AFA's Waterman-Twining Chapter in Tampa, Fla., partnered with the MacDill Family Readiness Center (FRC) to execute the first-of-its-kind military spouses' event at MacDill Air Force Base on December 12.
Bill Yucuis, the Waterman-Twining Chapter President, and Emily Farkas, the Chapter Treasurer, attended the event, providing food and door prizes for attending sp
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AFA's Top 24 Victories for Air & Space Power in 2024
ARLINGTON, Virginia, Dec. 23 [Category: National Defense] -- The Air and Space Forces Association issued the following news release:
For the Air & Space Forces Association and its 123,000 members around the world, 2024 was an extremely eventful year, one of growth, change, and mission accomplishment.
As a result, AFA is today better positioned than ever to ADVOCATE for air and space power as the foundation of a strong national defense; EDUCATE the public and inspire the next generation of aer
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AIA Proposes New Space Exports Controls Revisions to Advance U.S. Leadership in Space Technology
ARLINGTON, Virginia, Dec. 23 [Category: Aerospace] -- The Aerospace Industries Association issued the following news release:
Arlington, Va. The Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) submitted comments to key government agencies recommending updates to space-related export controls to make U.S. space technology more competitive on the global stage.
"Modern export controls are essential in advancing U.S. global space leadership. These efforts by the Department of State and the Department of Co
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ATA Reveals Five Finalists for National Driver of the Year Award
ARLINGTON, Virginia, Dec. 23 [Category: Transportation] -- The American Trucking Associations issued the following news release:
Today, the American Trucking Associations announced the five professional truck driver finalists for the 2024 ATA National Driver of the Year Award sponsored by DMC Insurance, one of the trucking industry's top awards.
The ATA National Driver of the Year Award sponsored by DMC Insurance acknowledges one notable professional driver for their career-long professional
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Congress Scrambles to Pass Year-End Legislation to Fund the Government
ALEXANDRIA, Virginia, Dec. 23 [Category: Health Care] -- The American Physical Therapy Association issued the following news:
On Dec. 19, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a slimmed down year-end legislative package to fund the federal government until March 14, 2025. The U.S. Senate subsequently passed the bill, and President Biden signed it into law on Dec. 20.
The signed legislation unfortunately omitted two provisions advocated by APTA that had been included in an initial proposed p
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Credit Unions Not Included in Injunction Against Illinois Interchange Law
WASHINGTON, Dec. 24 -- America's Credit Unions issued the following news on Dec. 23, 2024:
Credit unions did not receive injunctive relief in an opinion and order issued Friday by the Illinois federal court hearing the challenge against the Illinois Interchange Fee Prohibition Act (IFPA). U.S. District Judge Virginia Kendall granted the injunction for banks and savings associations, but requested more information related to the Federal Credit Union Act. America's Credit Unions is working dilige
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Eva Collakova: A Fulbright journey in Israel
BLACKSBURG, Virginia, Dec. 23 -- Virginia Tech issued the following news:
A transformative experience in Israel connected Eva Collakova, an associate professor in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, with experts in food science to collaborate on innovative research and engage with diverse local communities.
Made possible through the Fulbright Distinguished Professor Fellowship, Collakova's four-month visit to the Gilat Volcani Institute for Arid and Semi-Arid Agriculture was centered
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Friends join together to endow scholarship to honor Virginia Tech alumnus
BLACKSBURG, Virginia, Dec. 23 -- Virginia Tech issued the following news:
Nate Williams approached death in the same way he approached life with love, laughter, and a longing to leave a legacy.
"He never wanted to be known as the 'sick' friend," Williams' wife, Faith, said. "He just wanted to be the friend."
Williams '09, who graduated from the university with a degree in architecture, passed away in 2020 after a two-year battle with colon cancer. But he was such a wonderful person that a gro
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Jewish CUNY Professors' Groundbreaking Bid at Supreme Court Challenging Forced Union Association Fully Briefed
SPRINGFIELD, Virginia, Dec. 23 -- The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation issued the following news release:
The final brief has been submitted urging the U.S. Supreme Court to hear six City University of New York (CUNY) professors' First Amendment case challenging the monopoly representation powers of Professional Staff Congress (PSC) union officials. The professors, five of whom are Jewish, want to dissociate completely from PSC based on public statements and other actions the pro
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John Gordon Casali honored with emeritus status
BLACKSBURG, Virginia, Dec. 23 -- Virginia Tech issued the following news:
John Gordon Casali, the John Grado Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering in the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech, retired in May and has been conferred the title of John Grado Professor Emeritus by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors.
The emeritus title may be conferred on retired faculty members who are specially recommended to the board by Virginia Tech President Tim Sands in recognition of exemplary
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Linda Yaccarino, CEO of X Corp, To Keynote CES 2025
ARLINGTON, Virginia, Dec. 23 [Category: Electronic Products] -- The Consumer Technology Association issued the following news release:
The Consumer Technology Association (CTA)(r) welcomes Linda Yaccarino, CEO, X Corp, the world's largest online news and social networking site, as a keynote speaker at CES(r) 2025. Yaccarino will join Emmy Award-winning investigative journalist Catherine Herridge in a keynote conversation on Tuesday, January 7, at 1:30 PM in the Palazzo Ballroom at the Venetian.
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Missouri Truck Driver Donates $5,000 to Domestic Violence Shelter
ARLINGTON, Virginia, Dec. 23 [Category: Transportation] -- The American Trucking Associations issued the following news release:
Dee Sova, a professional truck driver with Prime Inc., donated $5,000 to Harmony House, an organization that provides shelter and support services to domestic violence survivors in Springfield, Missouri.
Sova recently received the 2024 Trucking Cares Foundation's John Lex Premier Achievement Award, which was accompanied by a $5,000 check to be given in her name to a
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New Volunteers Join the APTA Media Corps in January
ALEXANDRIA, Virginia, Dec. 23 [Category: Health Care] -- The American Physical Therapy Association issued the following news:
Every year, APTA facilitates media requests from a variety of top-tier consumer and health policy-focused media outlets. To help ensure that the association has the capacity and expertise to educate the public about the profession and the work PTs and PTAs do to improve the health of society, members of the APTA Media Corps serve as volunteer spokespeople, complemented b
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Organic collaboration propagates National Science Foundation grant
BLACKSBURG, Virginia, Dec. 23 -- Virginia Tech issued the following news:
James Westwood has come to believe that parasitic weeds are not just cunning adversaries but also likely to be potential heroes in plant genomics.
"I've come from the background of trying to think about practical control of parasitic weeds, and now I've come around to thinking about it as a tool where it's used for something good," said Westwood, professor in the School of Plant and Environmental Sciences. "I was not pr
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Paper Urges Leaders to Embrace Nontraditional Commands
ARLINGTON, Virginia, Dec. 23 [Category: National Defense] -- The Association of the U.S. Army issued the following news:
Army leaders selected for command positions can set themselves up for success both prior to and while commanding, regardless of the type of unit they're tapped to lead, according to a new paper published by the Association of the U.S. Army.
"All officers have an unspoken level of nervousness and apprehension going into their command positions--and fears and uncertainty are l
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Scuba diving shapes Virginia Tech engineering student's path
BLACKSBURG, Virginia, Dec. 23 -- Virginia Tech issued the following news:
Adelai Silberberg, a Virginia Tech senior studying civil and environmental engineering, embodies the spirit of adventure and purpose. Balancing her passion for scuba diving with her engineering pursuits, Silberberg has developed unique perspectives that guide her academic and professional journey.
Her strong leadership capacities and academic accomplishments earned her the College of Engineering's Warren F. Cline schola
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Seven Virginians receive the FFA's highest honors for contributions to agricultural education
BLACKSBURG, Virginia, Dec. 23 -- Virginia Tech issued the following news:
Seven Virginians earned the FFA's highest honors for their longstanding contributions to agricultural education at the 97th National FFA Convention & Expo, held in Indianapolis, Oct. 23-26.
The Honorary American FFA Degree, which recognizes individuals who have provided exceptional service on a national level to agriculture, agricultural education, or FFA, was awarded to the following Virginians:
Philip Haynie II, the f
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Signal Knob Middle School named the nation's top middle school FFA chapter
BLACKSBURG, Virginia, Dec. 23 -- Virginia Tech issued the following news:
Signal Knob Middle School's Virginia FFA chapter was named the 2024 National Middle School Model of Excellence winner during the 2024 National FFA Convention & Expo in October in Indianapolis. The chapter beat out more than 9,000 other middle schools to be recognized as the best in the nation for its efforts to grow leaders, build communities, and strengthen agriculture.
"I'm incredibly proud," said Dakota Stroud, an agr
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Virginia Tech mathematicians target data center inefficiency
BLACKSBURG, Virginia, Dec. 23 -- Virginia Tech issued the following news:
The manic pace of sharing, storing, securing, and serving data has a manic price power consumption. To counter this, Virginia Tech mathematicians are leveraging algebraic geometry to target the inefficiencies of data centers.
"We as individuals generate tons of data all the time, not to mention what large companies are producing," said Gretchen Matthews, mathematics professor and director of the Southwest Virginia node o
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Virginia Tech research partnership with Amazon Web Services highlighted at artificial intelligence conference
BLACKSBURG, Virginia, Dec. 23 -- Virginia Tech issued the following news:
Virginia Tech faculty and student expertise was recently on display for government and industry leaders brought together by Amazon.
"It's always good for us to be able to get the word out about the research we're doing," said Alyse Jones, research associate in the Virginia Tech National Security Institute. "Especially when we're being highlighted by Amazon as an example of a great partner to work with."
Jones was among
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VT Engage pairs purpose with partnership
BLACKSBURG, Virginia, Dec. 23 -- Virginia Tech issued the following news:
The call came at 8 on a Monday morning.
"Izzy, I got a problem," the voice of Charlie Herbert, founder of the Giles Community Garden, cracked through Izzy Largen's phone speaker.
It was Sept. 30, just two days after Hurricane Helene had caused devastating flooding throughout the southeast, including Giles County.
Largen, assistant director for food access initiatives with VT Engage, met Herbert through Thrive, a netwo
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Why Blacksburg is the 'perfect place' for Fulbright scholar exploring language learning
BLACKSBURG, Virginia, Dec. 23 -- Virginia Tech issued the following news:
At the Virginia Tech Language and Culture Institute, Maria Prawati, a Fulbright scholar and an English literature professor at Indonesia's Bina Nusantara University, found what she describes as the "perfect place" to do her research.
The institute's diverse international students, experienced faculty, and commitment to cultural exchange provided an ideal laboratory for her to study intercultural communication and languag
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