At a Virginia Tech agricultural research center here, in this small town west of Fredericksburg, the switchgrass plot is an unruly, waving thicket of seven-foot-tall green stalks. ORANGE - When it grows high and thick in midsummer, the crop that might fill Virginia s gas tanks, revitalize its farm belt and keep its mud and manure out of the Chesapeake Bay looks like. The state has relatively little switchgrass planted - fewer than 20 farmers are thought to be growing it on less than 1,000...

Mathiason said more than 300 companies have sought advice on creating more aggressive wellness programs since the firm released a study in April on legal issues and trends associated with requiring healthy practices. Now companies are penalizing workers who have high health risks, such as obesity and high blood pressure or cholesterol, as insurance costs climb. Employee advocates worry that other anti-discrimination laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act won't cover the person...

The state's delegation has a full plate, including Mount Hood, uninsured kids, rural counties and infrastructure Monday, September 10, 2007 O regonians have a mountain of needs to be met by their congressional delegation after an August recess filled with town hall meetings and hobnobbing at county fairs. The state's delegation has a full plate, including Mount Hood, uninsured kids, rural counties and infrastructure Monday, September 10, 2007 O regonians have a mountain of needs to be met...

Pitt County's extensive experience with the cultivation of tobacco provides it a unique perspective in regard to the rising tide of discontent against the crop. Residents know that smoking is a harmful habit that kills thousands each year, but also recognize that numerous farming families here continue to depend on tobacco for their livelihood. Wastewater that's inadequately treated can wind up in ocean and sound waters, which is an environmental disaster in the making and could hurt...

Mathiason said more than 300 companies have sought advice on creating more aggressive wellness programs since the firm released a study in April on legal issues and trends associated with requiring healthy practices. Now companies are penalizing workers who have high health risks such as obesity and high blood pressure or cholesterol as insurance costs climb. Employee advocates worry that other anti-discrimination laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act won't cover the person who...

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