Local MMA Fighter, Cook Eyes Professional Debut

Tommy Edwards got into Muay Thai to lose weight but has gained a desire to become a professional MMA fighter.

Tommy Edwards picked up Muay Thai about seven years ago to shed some extra pounds. What he didn't expect was finding another career in the process. Somewhere between dropping nearly half of his body weight — going from a hefty 310 pounds to a trim 170 pounds — Edwards, 27, developed a passion for the mixed martial art. With a 2-4 amateur record, the former Yorktown High School football player is looking at his professional debut in Thailand next April. Wearing his lucky shorts Thursday and drenched in sweat, Edwards sparred for several rounds with Seth Batbayar inside the Alexandria MMA gym. The two went back and forth exchanging hits, kicks and the occasional headlock. Friends for three months, the former offensive and defensive lineman …

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Virginia Leaders React to Supreme Court Ruling on Affordable Care Act

High Court ruled 5-4 today to uphold what some call 'Obamacare.'

Area leaders were quick to react today to the news that the Supreme Court upheld President Barack Obama's health reform law. Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R): "Today's Supreme Court ruling is extremely disappointing for Virginia and for America. The PPACA will create a costly and cumbersome system that will impair our country's ability to recover from these challenging economic times, infringes on our citizen's liberties, will harm small businesses, and will impose dramatic unfunded mandates on Virginia and all states. Simply put, this is a blow to freedom. America needs market-based solutions that give patients more choice, not less." (For the governor's full statement, visit his Web site.) On his Twitter feed, the governor wrote: "Simply …

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Clarendon Cycles

Rolling Past Borders

Few DC-area cyclists stay within their own political borders – and neither can each jurisdiction's efforts to improve cycling.

Arlington is, like its neighbors, a relatively small jurisdiction with a population that constantly crosses borders. Some efforts to improve area cycling can take place wholly within a jurisdiction’s borders, such as getting the Columbia Pike Bike Boulevards in place. However, many of the most significant efforts benefit greatly from cross-jurisdictional cooperation between area counties, cities and the district. Arlington, by my experience, has expanded its cooperation with its neighbors over the years. The first Arlington Bike Map I ever saw (in the late 1990s) treated the other side of the Potomac as little more than an outline, with Fairfax County getting the same treatment. Now the map not only recognizes these places, but it shows …

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