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August 8, 2013
News Articles
Officials local and distant took time Wednesday to recognize a milestone in plans to improve and modernize more than 14 blocks of the city's downtown.

The nearly $2 million Virginia Street streetscape project's ribbon cutting ceremony drew attention to city development efforts for the second time this week -- the first being a grand opening ceremony at the nearby Temple Art Lofts project.

U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, commended the benefits of government public infrastructure investments "that help real people with real jobs and spur the economy."

August 7, 2013
News Articles
I live near Napa Creek in a house built in the early 1900s. My house has been home to three generations of my family since 1941. Ironically, my grandparents purchased this house to escape flooding.

Their decision to move to this neighborhood occurred after a particularly bad flood along the river. During that flood, my grandparents, along with my mother who was 5 years old, were rescued in a row boat from their home on Napa Street near Soscol Avenue.
Issues:Jobs & Economy

August 6, 2013
News Articles
At one time the old Masonic Temple was well on its way to becoming blight. But, after extensive renovation, the building is now Temple Art Lofts -- a project some consider proof that Vallejo is moving on to bigger and better things.

"A project like this is telling of a great city," said Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, during a ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday inside the building at Marin and Virginia streets in downtown Vallejo.

More than 100 people crowded into the former Masonic Lodge meeting room to celebrate the project and note its promise for Vallejo.

July 30, 2013
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A 100-mile stretch of Northern California back country may be one of the state's least noticed and appreciated slices of nature. Filled with steep mountains, seasonal creeks and wildlife including bears and elk, this land runs through five counties north of Lake Berryessa in Napa County.

It's a rugged region dotted with ranches, rural homes and hamlets. But it also contains 350,000 acres of land run by federal agencies that don't often coordinate policies on this wild area.


July 30, 2013
News Articles

A 100-mile stretch of Northern California back country may be one of the state's least noticed and appreciated slices of nature. Filled with steep mountains, seasonal creeks and wildlife including bears and elk, this land runs through five counties north of Lake Berryessa in Napa County.

It's a rugged region dotted with ranches, rural homes and hamlets. But it also contains 350,000 acres of land run by federal agencies that don't often coordinate policies on this wild area.


July 29, 2013
News Articles

Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, is gathering health and business experts to spread the word about the Affordable Care Act with a series of town hall-style meetings, beginning with an event in Santa Rosa last Friday for small businesses and nonprofits.

Not only is he seeking to inform residents of the Fifth District about the changes coming under the new health care legislation, he's hoping to dispel lingering myths that continue to confuse consumers.


July 29, 2013
News Articles

U.S. Reps. Mike Thompson (CA-05) and Gene Green (TX-29) have introduced H.R. 2791, the Responsible Electronics Recycling Act (RERA) of 2013.

The legislation promotes the U.S. Recycling industry by prohibiting the exportation of some electronics whose improper disposal may create environmental, health, or national security risks. This helps bring recycling jobs back to the U.S.


July 26, 2013
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Solano County's biggest conservation group is cheering a bipartisan push to continue a tax deduction for landowners who chose not to develop their property.

The current federal tax incentive for preserving farmlands and open spaces is set to expire at year's end, creating uncertainty for ranchers considering establishing a conservation easement.

Issues:Energy & Environment

July 26, 2013
News Articles

The Pathway Home and other centers treating military service members with combat-related brain injuries could become eligible for new federal funding under a congressional bill approved by the House of Representatives, Rep. Mike Thompson announced Thursday.

HR 2397, the Department of Defense Appropriations Act of 2014, includes $10 million for a five-year pilot program to support health care centers outside of the Department of Veterans Affairs that treat combat veterans with traumatic brain injuries and post traumatic stress disorder.

Issues:Veterans

July 24, 2013
News Articles

U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, and a Napa County rancher testified before a congressional subcommittee Tuesday in support of Thompson's proposal to designate 350,000 acres of Northern California wilderness as a national conservation area.

The area would stretch from Snow Mountain in the north to Lake Berryessa in the south, with portions of Napa, Mendocino, Lake, Solano and Yolo counties. Thompson has sponsored a bill that would create the designation.