After my first day at the state Capitol, I was ready to go back home to Roanoke. The House of Delegates was deadlocked on Jan. 14, 1998, so Republicans and Democrats spent the afternoon and much of that evening in separate huddles behind closed doors, occasionally emerging to yell at each other. I milled around outside the restrooms, hoping someone on a break would tell me what was going on.

A humble press release last week announced the retirement of Gloucester Republican Del. Harvey Morgan.

On Jan. 14, 1998, the House of Delegates chamber crackled as if it might explode. Republican victories in three special elections left the 100-member body deadlocked with neither party holding a majority.

ROANOKE Christina Nuckols, a Richmond-based editorial writer for The Virginian-Pilot, will become the editor of The Roanoke Times editorial page on May 31.

Nuckols, 44, brings a familiarity and fondness of Western Virginia to the job. She worked as a Roanoke Times reporter from 1996 to 2000, first covering Roanoke County government before moving to Richmond to cover politics.

I don't often go to meetings of the State Board of Education looking for excitement. They typically feature lengthy staff presentations interspersed by polite applause. Minimal debate. Zero drama. But I had my hopes up a few weeks ago. There's a new member at the dais, and if anyone can liven up the B-O-R-E-D of Education, it's Winsome Sears.

By Christina Nuckols By this time next year, the country will be in the throes of a presidential election with a staggering pricetag and overwhelmingly complicated issues at stake.

William Lind looked out of place Wednesday evening beneath a canopy of lace and twinkling lights. Instead of a bride, he was standing next to a poster promoting passenger rail. He didn't seem to mind the weird decor. He's accustomed to being out of place.

A few weeks back, columnist Vivian Paige made her case for why Virginia legislators should get bigger public paychecks, give up their outside jobs and spend more time in Richmond every year. Now it's my turn to be the contrarian.

Gov. Bob McDonnell has made it a top priority to promote all types of tourism, from family-oriented destinations to historic sites to Virginia wineries. However, he's overlooked a small but potentially lucrative niche market: treason tourism.

For weeks, lawmakers have politely pretended to care which species is designated the state's official saltwater fish. They've heaved heavy sighs when constituents visited to complain about budget cuts to public schools. They've knitted their brows over the ills of fake marijuana and Internet gambling.