Governor Timothy M. Kaine today announced that the Commonwealth has submitted pre-applications for more than $2 billion of high speed rail projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s (ARRA) high speed rail program. The rail stimulus program will provide $8 billion in federal funds to support high speed and intercity passenger rail projects across the country. Virginia’s applications focus on the I-95 corridor between Washington, DC and Petersburg.

As part of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Project, on July 6, the Eisenhower Avenue Connector, its ramp to the Outer Loop of the Beltway and the ramp from Outer Loop to the Connector were closed to vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians. Vehicle traffic from Eisenhower Avenue to the Inner Loop of the Beltway is the only remaining movement allowed.

Governor Timothy M. Kaine today announced that the historic Virginia Freedmen’s Bureau records, the earliest major compilation of information on the African-American community, have been extracted and indexed, and are now available online to historians and family history researchers.

As summer heat intensifies, a dip in cool water becomes more inviting. Enjoy that refreshing swim safely. Fatal drowning remains the second-leading cause of unintentional injury-related death for children ages 1-14 years in the U.S.

“If you had two minutes with Governor Kaine — or your local government leaders — what would you recommend to reduce poverty and why? What should we start doing, stop doing, or keep doing to expand economic opportunity for all Virginians?”

In his weekly address, President Barack Obama celebrated the unyielding American spirit that has defined our past and will lead us into the future. Even as we face daunting challenges - two wars, a deep recession, skyrocketing health care costs, and a dependence on foreign oil, we have always overcome long odds and faced down our trials. We must remember and renew that spirit as we confront and meet our current challenges.

The City of Alexandria received the 2009 Virginia Sustainable Building Network’s (VSBN) Green Innovation Award for Most Sustainable Community Project. This award recognizes the City’s Eco-City Alexandria Initiative efforts toward creating a more environmentally sustainable community.