A federal grand jury has subpoenaed from the Virginia House of Delegates documents related to former Del. Phillip A. Hamilton’s job at Old Dominion University. Bruce Jamerson, the House clerk, confirmed yesterday that he turned over to authorities Hamilton’s economic interest forms, travel vouchers and documents relating to the Old Dominion University teaching center.

Del. Phillip A. Hamilton, R-Newport News, under an ethics cloud and defeated for re-election, has resigned from the House of Delegates seat he has held for 21 years. The early resignation apparently takes Hamilton off the hook from a House ethics investigation. Paul Nardo, an administrative aide to Speaker of the House William J. Howell, R-Stafford, said the speaker interprets the reach of the House Ethics Advisory Panel as being limited to members of the House of Delegates.

HARRISONBURG - Justin Thorpe threw one touchdown pass and ran for another, helping James Madison score the game’s first 22 points en route to a 22-14 win over Maine yesterday. Thorpe was 9 for 13 with 133 yards and two interceptions for the Dukes ( 2-4 CAA, 4-5), and he added 83 yards rushing on 17 carries. The James Madison quarterback rushed for a 42-yard touchdown to put the Dukes up 9-0 midway through the second quarter after a getting a safety earlier in the frame. Dixon Wright kicked field goals of 23 and 38 yards to put the Dukes up 15-0 with 16 seconds before halftime.

Virginia Commonwealth University’s governing board is considering a change in its bylaws that would let the new president sign off on most hiring and compensation decisions—unless they’re politically sensitive or involve large bonuses. The proposed change taken up by the board of visitors executive committee last week is an effort to streamline the process, said university Rector Anne G. “Panny” Rhodes.

Six Virginia schools made the National Science Foundation’s rankings of the top 200 research universities in the nation. Virginia Tech ranked 46th in the 2008 list based on research and development expenditures. Tech reported expenditures of about $373.28 million for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2008. Virginia Commonwealth University was ranked 108th. It reported $148.65 million in expenditures, an 11 percent increase.

NORFOLK—Dennis Brown ran for three touchdowns and passed for two more yesterday to lead Norfolk State to a 46-6 victory over Hampton. Brown was 18 of 21 for 229 yards and threw scoring passes of 71 and 4 yards to Chris Bell, who finished with five catches for 108 yards. Brown set a school record by completing 85.7 percent of his passes.

President Barack Obama talked up his stimulus package yesterday in Northern Virginia, but he didn’t say a word about the fellow Democrat who could use a boost from the White House: gubernatorial hopeful R. Creigh Deeds. Obama visited the site of the Fairfax County Parkway extension, the biggest project in Virginia financed under the president’s plan to jump-start the economy through massive federal spending.

A new report says Hampton Roads should start planning a system of dikes and levees now to protect the region against rising sea levels over the next century. The 2009 State of the Region report released Tuesday also says the region should get serious about controlling carbon emissions. It recommends a state tax increase on gasoline and diesel to discourage motorists from driving as much.

George Mason apparently has edged past Virginia Commonwealth as the state’s largest university. GMU’s unanticipated growth this fall—amid state and federal campaigns to increase the number of college graduates—should be a good thing.

It’s clear that Del. Phil Hamilton badly wanted a job at Old Dominion University. Less clear is whether he actually performed it. The Newport News Republican sent or replied to 11 e-mails discussing possible employment at the then-proposed Center for Teaching Quality and Educational Leadership. Problem is, Hamilton sent these e-mails before, during and after a 2007 General Assembly session in which he secured $500,000 in startup funding for the center.

The internal ODU audit examined details surrounding the employment of Del. Phillip A. Hamilton, who was paid $40,000 to work in the teacher training center for which he helped gain startup state funding.

Some of the top Football Championship Series competition in the country happens in the CAA, and that’s both on and off the field. A mini arms race of facilities and stadiums is under way and will only be fueled when two new teams join the conference in the next two years. Meanwhile, the play on the field is as hot as ever. Eight of the schools in this year’s preseason top 25 play in the CAA, comprising nearly one-third of the list—and Delaware just missed the cut.

E-mails that went out last week told students they could beging lining up at 7 p.m. Sunday, but the line started forming at 12:30 p.m.

Old Dominion University and an influential state legislator are ending a relationship some viewed as a conflict of interest.

NORFOLK—Nearly 300 people hoping to get season tickets for Old Dominion University’s return to the gridiron have been turned away because there aren’t enough available seats at Foreman Field. This week, the school notified 296 people who had made down payments that they would not get season tickets. They had ordered a total 1,065 tickets.