Gov. Bob McDonnell on Wednesday approved a bill to extend the 30-cents-per-100-pound excise tax on peanuts until July 1, 2016.

A radio advertisement sponsored by organizations opposed to uranium mining in Virginia cautions Gov. Bob McDonnell against using his power to put in place failed legislation by issuing regulations.

A House subcommittee Tuesday killed a bill that would have made it illegal to hold competitions in which dogs hunt foxes or coyotes in an enclosed area.

A Senate committee on Thursday killed the “Boneta bill,” which championed farmers’ rights and would have expanded the definition of agricultural operations.

It would be illegal to hold competitions in which dogs hunt foxes or coyotes in an enclosed area under a bill that recently won approval from the Senate and has moved to the House for consideration.

There’s bittersweet news for the Chesapeake Bay blue crab. The general crab and young blue crab populations are very healthy, the head of the Virginia Marine Resources Commission said. But the population of adult female blue crabs – which the crabbing industry relies upon for the next generation of stock – is low.

The grassroots-supported “Boneta Bill,” meant to protect farmers’ rights, won overwhelming approval from a House committee on Wednesday and moves on to its first reading in the full House of Delegates on Thursday.

Supporters of the so-called Boneta Bill, aimed at protecting the rights of farmers, came to Capitol Square wearing pitchfork buttons with stickers that said, “Stay out of grandma’s kitchen.” They lined the wall of a conference room where the House Agriculture Subcommittee met Monday to decide whether to recommend approval of the measure. Virginians in support of the bill and lobbyists against it came from all over the state to share their perspective. After an hour of debate, the subcommittee voted 6-1 in support of the legislation.

The Virginia House of Delegates has voted to extend the state’s excise tax on peanuts – a move that will help promote the sale and marketing of one of the commonwealth’s top cash crops.

Martha Boneta made headlines in August when Fauquier County officials fined her after she held a birthday party on her farm. She is now the face of Delegate Scott Lingamfelter’s House Bill 1430, which seeks to expand the definition of agricultural operations.