Columns

Those who would deny climate change – or “global warming” as it’s sometimes called – already have a tough job, but it just got harder with the release of a new United Nations report.
    The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has won the Nobel Prize for its previous work. “Things are worse than we had predicted,” said a co-author of the report, referring to the group’s work in 2007.

On Tuesday, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers issued a proposed rule to “clarify” waters that fall under the jurisdiction of the Clean Water Act. However, this attempted clarification has made the issue murkier than ever. The proposed rule seeks to expand the term “waters of the United States,” which are those waters that are regulated under the law.

Lynchburg’s Timberlake Christian School has gotten national attention over its treatment of a female student who didn’t look “girly enough,” as one headline put it.
    Roanoke’s WDBJ, Channel 7, broke the story of 8-year-old Sunnie Kahle, who has short hair and prefers a boyish look.
    The Campbell County girl is being raised by her great-grandmother, who was surprised to get a letter from the school suggesting that the child go somewhere else.

By Congressman Robert Hurt

Over the past week, I had the opportunity to meet with local elected officials throughout Central and Southside Virginia who join me in representing the two cities, 21 counties, and 39 towns that make up Virginia’s Fifth District.  It is an honor to work alongside these state Senators, Delegates, members of Boards of Supervisors, City and Town Council members, School Board members, and other Constitutional Officers to serve the fine people we represent.