A tight state budget left little for lawmakers to spend on new programs, but amendments approved by the General Assembly on Sunday do include some additional funding for central and western Virginia.
Take passenger rail for example. House and Senate negotiators included 150- thousand dollars for the bus service between Roanoke and Lynchburg, that supporters hope will demonstrate the need for additional rail service.
"And if we can get the bus connector going and show there's a market," said Roanoke Senator John Edwards, "I feel confident we can get a train, a passenger train going west from Lynchburg to Roanoke and then maybe later further down to Bristol."
More than two million dollars goes to Radford University for the new Doctorate in Physical Therapy program that will be located in the Carilion Roanoke Community Hospital buildng.
And funding for public broadcasting that Governor McDonnell wants to eliminate will be cut by ten percent. The Governor says he might propose additional cuts before lawmakers return for the veto session in April.
The picture is not as promising for public radio. Roanoke public radio station WVTF now expects to lose at least half of its state funding, a figure that could top 50- thousand dollars.
