RICHMOND, Va. -- Virginia will do less for its residents, and expect local governments and private charities to do more, under a new state budget likely to have an impact for years to come.

As lawmakers defeated a renewed effort yesterday to include sexual orientation in state anti-discrimination policies, about 1,000 students and faculty turned out at Virginia Commonwealth University to assail an attorney general's opinion that targets campus diversity policies.

Virginia's failure to protect gays and lesbians against discrimination has become a national embarrassment and could hinder the state's economic development, several lawmakers charged Tuesday on the floor of the House of Delegates.

A company that sells online education programs gave Virginia lawmakers more than $57,000 this past year and then helped develop legislation to regulate and expand virtual schools. The bill passed both the House and Senate this week.

RICHMOND, Va. -- The Virginia Senate on Tuesday passed Gov. Robert F. McDonnell's proposal designed to expand the number of the state's charter schools.

Senators are retreating somewhat on fattened court fees to help balance Virginia's recession-wracked budget, but delegates aren't impressed. Ahead of the General Assembly's scheduled Saturday adjournment, the 13 budget negotiators missed their first deadline to reach a deal -- last night at midnight.

No joke -- Gov. Bob McDonnell wants a deal with Northrop Grumman before April Fool's Day that could mean more money for the beleaguered information-technology contractor.

Videos of hamburgers, scrolling interest rates and flashing Bible study ads would be out. But a City Council proposal floated Tuesday would allow electronic signs that are toned down.

The city spent only 4 percent of nearly $12 million in federal stimulus grants awarded in 2009, according to an internal audit released Tuesday.

A study released on the eve of the 2010 Census has some eye-opening news about the count's importance for Floridians: In a national ranking, the amount of Census-based aid flowing to the state and the three-county South Florida region puts both in the bottom five.

In Michigan, where many enterprises are struggling to survive, the renowned University of Michigan is in the midst of a construction boom and hiring spree. Michigan State University, on the other hand, plans to lay off faculty and cut programs, blaming state funding that is lower than it was a decade ago. Flagship universities in other states are also prospering, while their lesser-known counterparts suffer from vanishing state appropriations. 

So, why not change the arrangement and require big-name universities to take responsibility for their own financing, leaving more state money to support the other state schools? As legislatures face their toughest budget year since the recession began, the idea of giving a few universities autonomy to control their own finances has some appeal.

Gov. Bob McDonnell is strengthening largely symbolic anti-bias protections for gay state employees, attempting to douse a political firestorm set when his attorney general decreed such safeguards don't exist.

More than three months after Virginia's new restrictions on smoking in restaurants went into effect, about 88 percent of restaurants in the state have gone smoke-free, the state Health Department says.

Then-Gov. Timothy M. Kaine's office was involved in discussions that led to the suppression of findings that a state children's hospital he wanted to close provided an essential service.

Gov. Bob McDonnell has added his signature to legislation intended to further his goal of making Virginia the East Coast's energy center.

Sen. Ralph Northam's bill that would bench student athletes who suffer concussions, until they have a medical clearance, is on its way to the governor's desk for his signature.

Belinda Dexter was more than a little surprised to learn that her immigration activism group - Help Save Hampton Roads - is among dozens of groups labeled "extremist" in a new report by the Southern Poverty Law Center.