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May 20, 2013 | 08:38 AM
steve contorno
Washington D.C. weather

Steve Contorno

Staff writer - Virginia politics

Steve Contorno is the Virginia political correspondent for The Washington Examiner, covering state government and campaigns in a key battleground state. He joined the Examiner in 2011 after covering state politics and local government for the Green Bay Press-Gazette, winning statewide reporting awards. Prior to that, he interned for the Chicago Sun-Times in its statehouse bureau. Contorno holds a bachelor's degree in News-Editorial Journalism from the University of Illinois where he toiled at The Daily Illini for four years, and has a master's in Public Affairs Reporting from the University of Illinois-Springfield.
  • NRA vows to sue Maryland over gun ban

    Steve Contorno

    Published: Tue, Apr 9, 2013

    The National Rifle Association said Tuesday it will fight in court the new restrictions on so-called assault weapons that passed the Maryland General Assembly. NRA President David Keene told WTOP a lawsuit is "absolutely" inevitable, insisting that new bans on semi-automatic rifles violate the...

  • 3-Minute Interview: Cybersecurity educator Mark Ousley

    Steve Contorno

    Published: Mon, Apr 8, 2013

    Ousley is corporate training director of American National University's School of Professional Development, which recently opened a location in Tysons Corner. The school will provide professional training in cybersecurity, a rapidly growing career track for D.C.-area workers. What is the focus...

  • McAuliffe left electric car company in December but said nothing

    Steve Contorno

    Published: Sat, Apr 6, 2013

    Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe gave up his role as chairman in GreenTech Automotive in December, severing ties with the company he started and touts as part of his business background, Politico reported Friday. McAuliffe has been asked about the Mississippi-based electric...

  • Virginia, Maryland take very different paths on gun control

    Steve Contorno

    Published: Sat, Apr 6, 2013

    In the four months since a gunman massacred 20 children and six adults at a Connecticut elementary school, a deep national divide over how best to control gun violence left states scrambling in opposite directions to find a solution. No where is that division more pronounced than along the...

  • Cuccinelli steps away from case involving company he invests in

    Steve Contorno

    Published: Fri, Apr 5, 2013

    Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli on Friday recused his office from a state legal matter involving Star Scientific, a company in which he owns stock and whose founder has given Cuccinelli thousands of dollars in gifts. Cuccinelli appointed former state Attorney General Stephen...

  • Virginia Democrats targeting GOP House, Senate majorities

    Steve Contorno

    Updated: Thu, Apr 4, 2013

    Virginia Democrats are aggressively targeting Republican state lawmakers in this year's elections in hopes of breaking the GOP's hold on the General Assembly. Democrats are challenging 18 Republican delegates in the November elections, according to the Virginia Public Access Project, a...

  • Attorney General Cuccinelli fights court to keep Virginia's anti-sodomy law on books

    Steve Contorno

    Published: Wed, Apr 3, 2013

    RICHMOND - Republican Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli is fighting a U.S. circuit court ruling that last month overturned the state's anti-sodomy law. Cuccinelli, a candidate for governor, said a three-judge panel ruled erroneously when it struck down in a 2-1 decision the state's long standing...

  • Cuccinelli fights court ruling that overturned Virginia's anti-sodomy law

    Steve Contorno

    Updated: Wed, Apr 3, 2013

    RICHMOND - Republican Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli is fighting a district court ruling that overturned the state's anti-sodomy law last month. Cuccinelli, a candidate for governor, said a three-judge panel ruled erroneously when it struck down in a 2-1 decision the state's long standing...

  • McAuliffe stops by Va. Capitol to lobby for transportation bill

    Steve Contorno

    Published: Wed, Apr 3, 2013

    RICHMOND -- Democratic gubernatorial nominee Terry McAuliffe briefly dropped by the Virginia capitol Wednesday to meet with lawmakers before a key vote on a historic transportation package. A day after he was officially named his party's nominee, McAuliffe met behind closed doors with the...

  • Auditors: Insurance restriction unlikely to curb abortion in Virginia

    Steve Contorno

    Published: Tue, Apr 2, 2013

    Virginia state auditors in a new report warned Gov. Bob McDonnell and state lawmakers that the restrictions they want to place on insurance coverage for abortions are not consistent with "the role of health insurance" and would likely do little to curb abortions. The Joint Legislative Audit...