Sometimes I think I could just read reports/bulletins/periodicals/newsletters full time and still never get through all the reading.

The mail just keeps on coming.

Now sometimes it’s pretty interesting. I just received this month’s issue of Governing magazine that always has pertinent articles about state and local government. This issue has information about urban revival, restructuring government, state retirement systems, nuclear waste sites and roundabouts. You get the idea – a wide variety of articles of interest to government wonks.

Along with the magazine, here’s a sampling of this week’s mail:

The quarterly newsletter for small, minority- and woman-owned businesses from the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority.

Minutes of the board meeting of the Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation district.

The 2011 Assessment of the Disability Services System in Virginia – 419 pages (not yet read!) and the accompanying recommendations – only 25 pages.

Coal News – “Coal’s Foremost Publication” – with the Massey Company’s defense of the mining disaster that claimed so many lives last year at the Upper Big Branch mine in West Virginia
The periodical of the VCU Massey Cancer Center. Massey Cancer Center is a National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center.

A postcard report on Leisure-Time Physical Inactivity by County in the U.S. (we’re not bad.)

Virginia Tech’s Global University, a newsletter from the Office of International Research, Education, and Development with articles about work in Senegal, southern Sudan, Haiti, and Sri Lanka.

Another newsletter from Virginia Tech – this time from the Equine Medical Center – with a special story on their newly-acquired arthroscopic equipment.

Followed by TPB News, a publication of the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board. (I‘ve been getting this ever since I was chair of TPB in 1984.)

And two publications of the Southern Regional Education Board: “Strengthening Attend ‘n’ Drive Laws to Reduce Truancy and Dropouts” and “Transitioning to the New High School Graduation Rate”.

Finally this week’s mail brought the Virginia Legislative Record published by the Division of Legislative Services. This publication reports on the meetings of the various study commissions that meet outside of the regular session. This issue reported on the Code Commission, Housing Commission, Joint Commission on Technology and Science, the Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council, the Civil War Commission, the Manufacturing Development Commission, the Disability Commission, the Small Business Commission, and the Woodrow Wilson Commission. This publication is available online.

Some weeks bring even more mail, and this is just the snail mail. Most official reports from the General Assembly are sent electronically or, even more efficiently, we receive a list of titles and can download the ones of interest. Meeting notices are all sent by email.

Senator Whipple represents the 31st District in the Virginia State Senate. She may be e-mailed at district31@senate.virginia.gov