The Washington Post reports on the first statistical evidence of migration from Prince William County following its crackdown on illegal immigration.

Prince William County has seen a decrease of 759 students in its ESOL programs, with about 623 heading to Fairfax. Others have headed to Loudoun County, Alexandria and Arlington.

Under a resolution passed by the county Board of Supervisors, Prince William began denying some services illegal immigrants and requiring police to check the immigration status of crime suspects they think might be in the U.S. illegally.

This isn’t how it was supposed to be.

Just a year after the General Assembly passed the largest financial boost for state transportation funding in more than two decades, VDOT and the Commonwealth Transportation Board officials have had to cut 44 percent of highway construction funding.

On Wednesday, leaders from around Virginia told transportation officials of their regional transportation woes at VDOT headquarters in Richmond, one of six public hearings around the state held on the revised budget.

VDOT announced last week that a $1 billion shortfall over the next six years meant funding would be reduced by 44 percent for Virginia’s primary, secondary and urban roadways. Many projects across the state have been dropped or delayed in the six-year plan because of a weak economy and the General Assembly’s repeal of abusive driver fees.

“Unfortunately this year starts with a very grim revenue situation,” Virginia Transportation Secretary Pierce Homer said at the start of the Richmond meeting, the third of the six hearings.

Officials listened to regional leaders ask for additional funding for critical transportation needs in their area. Replacing bridges, widening roads and accommodating the anticipated explosive growth at Fort Belvoir and Fort Lee due to the Base Closure and Realignment Commission’s recommendations were among the requests.

Speakers remained cordial, understanding that VDOT did not have control over how much money the state raised for transportation.

“We are going to have to tighten our belt unless something happens on the supply side,” George McCarthy, CTB representative for the Richmond district said at the end of the meeting.

Ironically, those who control the supply side — state legislators — were just a few blocks away, caught up in a fight over judgeships.

It may be awhile before the there will be any new transportation money. Kaine is expected to call the General Assembly back to the Capitol in late June for a special session on transportation. But so far, opposing parties show no sign of compromise on boosting the money supply.

Luck Stone Corp. raised the bar last night for corporate soirees. To kick-off a new approach to its annual showcase of building products, this venerable, family-owned business came up with a fun and funky fashion party that drew about 300 people to the Charles Luck Stone Center in Goochland County. 

Billed as a celebration of stone and style, Elements 2008 didn’t disappoint. Guests could admire stone samples such as the Pietra Piasentina tile from Spain or the Saks Fifth Avenue models who strolled through the party wearing the season’s latest fashions. Music, lights, video, food, a bar made of ice and demonstrations by Italian mosaic artist Francesca Cestarollo all contributed to a hip, international vibe.

Charles Luck executives were on hand to chat with their guests. David Hisey, director of global sourcing, told of travels around the world in search of exotic stones for the company’s commercial and residential customers. While a housing slump has depressed sales of many building products, last night seemed like an anecdote to the gloom and doom.

CEO Charles S. Luck IV spoke proudly of his family’s legacy. He is the third generation to lead the family business, one of the country’s largest producers of crushed-stone products. “Tonight is all about stone, theatre, artistry and a New York style,” said Luck.  “My grandfather [Charles S. Luck Jr.] was a man of distinctive style and taste.”

He would have enjoyed this party. It continues for the next three days with a series of workshops on topics ranging from countertops to terraces and pathways. For more information, go to http://www.charlesluck.com/workshops2008.

Global ozone change. New avenues for drug development. Even a good fish tale.
Those are some of the topics being tackled by Virginia’s top scientists and industrialists. They were toasted last night during a gala at Richmond’s Science Museum. About 250 guests came to honor the state’s 2008 award winners.

Yet, it wasn’t a night for weighty speeches. The evening’s best line came from Jack A. Musick, winner of Virginia’s Life Achievement in Science. He told the audience: “My wife says she can’t believe that I get paid to go fishing.” Musick, a professor of marine science at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, College of William and Mary, has won international acclaim as an expert in the ecology and conservation of sharks and sea turtles.

Virginia’s Outstanding Scientist Awards went to James M. Russell III of Hampton University and Sarah Spiegel, chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Medicine.  Russell’s research is being used to understand changes in global ozone while Spiegel stood out for work on a signaling molecule that influences whether a cell lives or dies. 

In business, Virginia’s Life Achievement in Industry went to Charles H. Foster Jr. of Richmond, chairman emeritus of LandAmerica Financial Group Inc.  He is credited for leading a dramatic turnaround for Lawyers Title in the early 1990s and building it into the Fortune 500 that LandAmerica is today. Following a spin off from Universal Corp., a successful public offering on the New York Stock Exchange and corporate acquisitions, Foster transformed Lawyers Title into one of the largest title insurers in the U.S., with LandAmerica earning annual revenue of more than $3.5 billion. 

Virginia’s Outstanding Industrialist is Randal J. Kirk of Pulaski County. Kirk is senior managing director and CEO of Third Security LLC, an investment management firm he founded in 1999. One of his start ups, New River Pharmaceuticals — a company that was on the path to coming out with a new drug for attention deficit disorder — sold for $2 billion last year. The deal made Kirk a billionaire.  He serves as rector of the Board of Visitors for Radford University, where he earned his undergraduate degree.

Stripped of its money-raising powers, the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority is turning to YouTube to publicize the region’s traffic woes.

The authority has started a site on YouTube, http://www.youtube.com/group/NVTAPOMC, which encourages Northern Virginians to share how daily congestion affects their lives. The site asks commuters to tape struggles endured during their daily commutes, including traffic jams, crowded buses and packed parking lots at Metro stations.

It also suggests including interviews of friends and family describing how traffic affects their families and quality of life.

The group also is asking commuters to remain safe — telling commuters to avoid videotaping while driving and to not use a tripod in a Metro station. (It’s illegal).

The site asks commuters to share their stories by May 15, hoping to use it to boost their case for more transportation funding before the General Assembly meets this spring. 

Under the 2007 transportation plan, the authority would have been able to raise about $300 million a year for regional projects. The Virginia Supreme Court said it was unconstitutional for an unelected authority to impose taxes.