The federal economic-stimulus plan is working for small businesses in Virginia, a senior SBA official told the Virginia Asian Chamber of Commerce’s procurement conference here.

President Barack Obama says the public and private sectors must find more ways to create jobs to continue the U.S. climb out of an economic recession.

Former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney says the time has come to stop the economic stimulus program, contending that it has not worked as the Obama administration planned.

About 650,000 jobs have been saved or created under President Barack Obama’s economic stimulus plan, the White House said Friday, saying it is on track to reach the president’s goal of 3.5 million jobs by the end of next year.

An early progress report on President Barack Obama’s economic recovery plan overstates by thousands the number of jobs created or saved through the stimulus program, a mistake that White House officials promise will be corrected in future reports.

Chesterfield: $3,878,207
  Henrico: $2,845,348
  Richmond: $1,164,140
  Hanover: $1,108,848
  Petersburg: $341,147
  Hopewell: $307,365
  Powhatan: $282,608
  Colonial Heights: $161,888
  Goochland: $51,512

How the U.S. uses $8 billion in federal stimulus funding for rail projects will set the course for the future of the nation’s passenger train services, a top Federal Railroad Administration official said. “It’s about the future of passenger rail in the country,“ Karen Rae, the agency’s deputy administrator, said in Richmond yesterday.

The state will seek a waiver from the federal government that would allow Virginia to move forward stimulus funding to help offset more than $196 million in budget cuts to higher education this year. Secretary of Finance Richard D. Brown told the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia yesterday that it appears the state will qualify for the federal waiver that is required to use $91.5 million in stimulus money this fiscal year instead of next.

Goochland: $6 million to widen
U.S. 250 (Broad Street Road).
  Hanover: $4.8 million to replace the bridge over Interstate 95 at Lewistown Road.

The Richmond Area Metropolitan Planning Organization has allocated $20.8 million of federal stimulus money to three priority transportation projects in Chesterfield, Goochland and Hanover counties. “We wanted to get them the money as soon as possible,“ said Chuck Gates, a spokesman for the 28-member planning organization. The group, representing nine local jurisdictions, serves as the federally designated agency responsible for developing regional transportation plans and programs.

The Environmental Protection Agency has given Virginia $80.2 million in federal stimulus money for wastewater treatment improvements. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine accepted the money yesterday. It will be used to create jobs, improve aging water infrastructure, and protect human health and the environment. A news release says projects include work to eliminate sewage discharges from combined sewage overflow systems in Lynchburg and Richmond.

Dominion Virginia Power is seeking $200 million of federal stimulus money to help pay for installing 2.4 million “smart meters” at customers’ homes and businesses. The money would pay for one-third of the $600 million price tag for the project and would allow the electric company to finish the work a year ahead of schedule, in 2012, said Paul D. Koonce, Dominion Virginia Power’s president and chief executive officer.

Federal stimulus money allocated to Virginia’s public colleges and universities helped keep the average increase in tuition and fees for in-state undergraduates to about 5 percent for the upcoming school year. The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia released a report yesterday showing that the average annual in-state tuition and all mandatory fees at Virginia’s 15 four-year schools is $7,984, up 5.3 percent from 2008-09.

Talk about an extreme makeover. A year after many Virginia architecture firms were worrying about a war for talent, some practices have laid off staff because of a lack of work. As they try to survive the recession, architects are competing fiercely for scarce construction and renovation projects. And they don’t expect a quick rescue from the federal stimulus program, which will give priority to infrastructure projects that are well beyond the design stage.

Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. will appear at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College in Henrico County tomorrow afternoon to promote the federal stimulus package. “The vice president will discuss how the Recovery Act is building a 21st-century economy in the Richmond area and across the nation,“ according to a statement from Biden’s office.