Annual tuition and mandatory fees for in-state students at Virginia Tech are rising by 3.9 percent next academic year. Meeting in Arlington on Thursday, Tech's Board of Visitors approved the increase, which translates to an annual cost of $10,923. That's up from $10,509 from the just-completed academic year. The Roanoke Times reports that room and board will also rise. Tech's Board of Visitors considered three tuition and fee options, and decided to go with the mid-range increase. Even so, President Charles Steger said his administration will have to cut or restructure the university's $1 billion-plus operating budget to reflect the 3.9 percent increase. Public higher education officials have been pressed by Governor Bob McDonnell to hold down in-state tuition increases for the 2012-13 academic year.

Tenth District Congressman Frank Wolf recommends that the U.S. Attorney General should convene a national summit on the growing problem of the prescription drug abuse, which Center for Disease Control describes as an epidemic. Wolf said the idea is included in the annual spending bill approved last week in the House that funds the Department of Justice. Wolf chairs the House Commerce-Justice-State Appropriations subcommittee. He said the measure also directs U.S. Attorneys around the country to step up investigations of so-called “pill mills,” pain clinics serving as fronts for the illegal distribution of addictive pain. Wolf exclaimed that the number of Americans abusing prescription drugs today is staggering, citing the 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health that said more Americans abuse prescription drugs than the number of those using cocaine, heroin and hallucinogens combined. Wolf said the summit should focus on reducing prescription drug diversion, including the establishment of prescription drug monitoring programs, proper drug disposal and increased enforcement of “pill mills” and doctor shopping.