Virginia Supreme Court Justice Barbara M. Keenan was confirmed by the U.S. Senate yesterday to fill a vacancy on the Richmond-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The 59-year-old Keenan, who has been on the Virginia Supreme Court since 1991, will be the first female judge from Virginia to serve on the 4th Circuit, which handles federal appeals from Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina and South Carolina.

Sen. Mark R. Warner, D-Va., who took office in January 2009 as a self-described “radical centrist,“ says he is trying to define a middle ground in partisan Washington.

A $21.5 million handout from Washington will pay for expanded broadband Internet service across a southern swatch of rural Virginia. The White House is issuing grants under the economic-stimulus program to finance improved service in Southside as well as portions of Southwest Virginia and the Blue Ridge Mountains. The awards were announced yesterday by Aneesh Chopra, President Barack Obama’s technology chief and a former Virginia secretary of technology; the state’s two U.S. senators; and two members of the House of Representatives.

The Obama administration this afternoon announced an additional $21.5 million in federal stimulus funds for Virginia—this time to expand broadband Internet service in rural Southside and portions of Southwest Virginia and the Blue Ridge. In a conference call, Virginia’s two U.S. senators, a member of the House of Representatives and the White House’s chief technology officer disclosed two grants—$16 million for southern Virginia and $5.5 million for the other regions.

Webb Warner Virginia’s U.S. senators are pushing for tax breaks for property developers who restore run-down school buildings. Democrats Jim Webb and Mark R. Warner say their proposal would generate jobs, attract businesses, and provide safe, up-to-date classrooms in cash-strapped communities. “Rehabilitating schools will drive revitalization in some of our most economically vulnerable neighborhoods, while providing our students access to safe, modern schools,“ Webb said.

Virginia’s U.S. senators are pushing for tax breaks for developers who restore old school buildings. Democrats Jim Webb and Mark R. Warner say their proposal will make for safe, up-to-date classrooms in often-economically distressed communities. “Rehabilitating schools will drive revitalization in some of our most economically vulnerable neighborhoods, while providing our students access to safe, modern schools,“ said Webb.

Virginia’s U.S. senators, Democrats Jim Webb and Mark R. Warner, called on the secretary of the interior yesterday to make sure that the Virginia Lease Sale, for developing oil and gas reserves off the coast of Virginia, remains on track for 2011. “If accomplished with a fair and equitable formula for sharing of revenues between the federal and state government, Lease Sale 220 will attract well-paying jobs to the commonwealth to support a range of projects,“ the senators wrote in a letter to Ken Salazar, the secretary of the interior.

Virginia’s U.S. senators, Democrats Jim Webb and Mark R. Warner, called on the Secretary of the Interior today to make sure that the Virginia Lease Sale, for developing oil and gas reserves off the coast of Virginia, remains on track for 2011. “If accomplished with a fair and equitable formula for sharing of revenues between the federal and state government, Lease Sale 220 will attract well-paying jobs to the Commonwealth to support a range of projects . . . ,“ the senators wrote in a letter to Ken Salazar, the Secretary of the Interior.

There’s really only one reason congressional leaders were so shy about televising the reconciliation negotiations over competing health care bills: It was revolting. Take the sweetheart deal cut with unions over “Cadillac” health care plans. Similar to the deal that Sen. Ben Nelson made to grant Nebraska a special exemption to Medicaid requirements, it exempts unions from having to pay the new tax on comprehensive insurance policies until 2018. That will leave plenty of time for the issue to fade from public consciousness—so Democrats can extend the exemption into perpetuity.

Marjorie Warner, the mother of Sen. Mark R. Warner, D-Va., died this morning after a long struggle with Alzheimer’s Disease. Mrs. Warner, 81, died at her Vernon, Connecticut home, where she was cared for by her husband of 60 years, Robert, and the senator’s sister, Lisa. Funeral arrangements have not been announced. The senator, who served as governor from 2002 to 2006, was unable to attend Gov. Bob McDonnell’s inauguration Jan. 16 because of his mother’s illness.

Virginians react to Massachusetts Senate vote"I’m proud of my 18-point victory in Virginia, but to have a 7-point margin in deep-blue Massachusetts is really outstanding. . . . When I campaigned, I talked about cap and trade, health care, the growing deficits; and I think it shows that people from Virginia to Massachusetts are concerned about these [issues].“—Gov. Bob McDonnell, a Republican “I agree with my Virginia colleague, Jim Webb, that the Senate should not take any further votes on health reform until Sen.-elect Brown is seated as a member. I believe a complete economic recovery, including deficit reduction, will not be possible until we reform our expensive and inefficient health-care system, and I hope we can move forward in a bipartisan way.“—Sen. Mark R. Warner, D-Va. “The American people, the people of Massachusetts [Tuesday] night have rejected the arrogance, they are tired of being told by Washington how to think and what to do. Much as we saw the elections in Virginia and New Jersey, the message has been sent to the Democrats. Listen to the people, heed their priorities.“

Mark Warner impressed much of Virginia’s business community and so-called old guard. During his campaigns for governor in 2001 and for U.S. senator in 2008, he brandished his credentials as a businessman. Warner spoke in measured tones and took positions often described as centrist. He earned a reputation as a can-do guy. Virginia did well during his gubernatorial administration, as the state won praise as the nation’s best managed state. When Warner ran for the Senate last year he enjoyed support from that mythical presence known affectionately (and derisively) as Main Street. Warner won handily in November. Since he assumed office, many have wondered how he would vote on health care, spending, card check, cap and trade, and other issues of abiding interest. Clues have emerged.

A story on Page B9 yesterday reported an incorrect name for the press secretary to Sen. Mark R. Warner, D-Va. The spokesman is Kevin Hall.

Sen. Mark R. Warner, D-Va., who pledged a tight-fisted approach to federal spending, is being criticized as anything but by a living symbol of Virginia fiscal conservatism. Former Sen. Harry F. Byrd Jr., I-Va., while describing Warner as “my friend,“ expressed dismay yesterday that the freshman senator backed on party-line votes spending and health-care bills that balloon the deficit by more than $1 trillion.

The Senate celebrated Christmas Eve by passing its version of health care reform. Although we readily confess that, like several hundred million of our fellow citizens and like just about every bloviating commentator on the left and the right, we have not read the legislation in its entirety, we know the bill is a monstrosity. And how is that? The shenanigans leading to passage make the point. If this bill embodied worthy reform, then senators would not have had to engage in pork-barreling or log-rolling or ear-marking or whatever one wants to call the process to secure passage.