Both of Virginia’s U.S. senators say they will vote to allow debate on the Senate version of health-care overhaul legislation, but neither has committed to voting for the actual bill. Sen. Mark R. Warner, D-Va., got an earful on the subject from a group of small-business owners in Carytown yesterday while protesters rallied outside Warner and Sen. Jim Webb’s Richmond offices.

More than 100 people gathered outside the downtown Richmond offices of Sens. Jim Webb and Mark R. Warner today to protest the proposed health care plans pending before Congress. Neither Virginia Senator, both Democrats, has committed to vote in favor of the plan that was unveiled this week in the Senate. Richmond police officers stood by to make sure the protests were peaceful. Protesters held signs and shouted slogans.

About 23,000 of Virginia’s uninsured are getting continuous medical care through a program run out of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Health System. It’s designed to fill a gap in which uninsured people who lack continuous care often rely on emergency rooms for treatment. The program is an example of the right kind of health-care reform as it relates to service delivery, cost and compensation, says Sen. Mark R. Warner, D-Va., who recently took to the Senate floor to tout the program.

Virginia statements on the shootings at Fort Hood:
“I am truly saddened to hear of the tragic shooting at Fort Hood, home to thousands of our nation’s active-duty military and their families. My heart goes out to the military community at Fort Hood and the families of the victims. Until we learn the full scope of the events, I will continue to monitor the situation closely.“

Six Indian tribes in Virginia and the Lumbees of North Carolina yesterday took another step toward federal recognition, which would make them eligible for federal aid. The tribes would be eligible for up to $800 million in federal funds under two bills passed by the U.S. Senate Indian Affairs Committee. The bills, which bar the tribes from building casinos, already have passed the House.

The state of the nation’s prison system will be the topic of the Legal Aid Justice Center’s annual fundraising event tomorrow night. “Incarceration Nation” will feature a panel discussion about the prison reform movement and an episode of the documentary series “30 Days” featuring filmmaker Morgan Spurlock’s month in jail. The event, which will begin at 7 p.m. at Charlottesville’s Paramount Theater, features author John Grisham as master of ceremonies.

Nearly half of Virginia voters oppose President Barack Obama’s health-care initiative, according to a Richmond Times-Dispatch poll, which also shows his popularity here fading. Forty-nine percent are against the Obama program, while 39 percent favor it and 12 percent are undecided. The poll, conducted for The Times-Dispatch last Tuesday to Thursday by Mason-Dixon Polling and Research, indicates eight in 10 voters fear that a defining feature of the Obama proposal—a public option for health insurance—will drive up their taxes.

Iran’s missile tests demonstrate the importance of U.N. inspections and of muscular diplomacy by additional world powers, according to Virginia’s U.S. senators. “Iran’s latest missile test is part of a pattern of provocative behavior that underscores the need for Tehran to open up its newly discovered nuclear fuel sites to international inspectors,“ Sen. Mark R. Warner, D-Va., said in a statement.

Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., warned yesterday that an increased military presence in Afghanistan would risk a “tipping point” in which U.S. troops are viewed as an occupying force. He also questioned whether Afghanistan, without a viable national government, is capable of building its own security force of 400,000 troops as the top U.S. commander envisions.

President Barack Obama yesterday nominated Justice Barbara Keenan of the Virginia Supreme Court to the Richmond-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Virginia’s two U.S. senators, Democrats Jim Webb and Mark R. Warner, had recommended Keenan. “Her commitment to fairness and judicial integrity has been unwavering throughout her career . . . ,“ Obama said in a statement released by the White House.

A weary-looking John Yettaw — sitting in a wheelchair and wearing a face mask to prevent against infection — left Thailand on Wednesday, finally heading home after his secret swim to the home of Myanmar’s detained democracy leader landed them both in prison.

Myanmar’s government-controlled newspapers today lauded the visit of Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., who secured the high-profile release of a jailed American, as “the first step” toward improving relations with Washington.

Virginia senator tells reporters in Thailand today it is his “clear impression” that there are some sanction areas that Myanmar’s democracy leader would be willing to consider.

White House OK’d visit that follows Tuesday’s conviction of democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi along with an American citizen, and the beginning of another 18-month house arrest stint for the Nobel Peace Prize winner.

Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., plans to visit five nations in Asia and meet with government officials and industry leaders.