It must be great to be gay in Virginia these days, huh? Today we find that the march towards equality in our southern neighbor is taking a resounding step backwards, as the state Senate yesterday agreed to a November referendum that would amend the state constitution to ban gay marriages. It seems that traditional heterosexual unions weren’t standing up to the corrupting beat of gay rights, thus threatening the state’s delicately-woven social fabric and making Baby Jesus cry. The amendment would be added to existing Section 15, which, ironically enough, reads, “That no free government, nor the blessings of liberty, can be preserved to any people, but by a firm adherence to justice, moderation, temperance, frugality, and virtue…”

Group Expresses Opposition to Beltway Expansion: The idea of adding toll lanes to sections of the Beltway might seem like a life-saving proposition for the traffic-weary, but it isn’t sitting well with some. A group of Montgomery County residents calling themselves Citizens Against Beltway Expansion argue that a plan to add two toll lanes to the notoriously congested roadway will do little to solve traffic woes, because many residents will not be able to afford the tolls, reports WJLA. The group instead advocates putting more money into public transportation options, such as Metro’s Purple Line.

Statehood Box on District Tax Form Left Off: Chalk it up to one more obstacle in the fight for voting rights and statehood — the Post notes today that District tax officials forgot to include a box on 2005 tax forms that allows residents to donate to the city’s two shadow senators to cover administrative expenses. The law was unanimously approved by the D.C. Council in November 2004, but the box was left off 123,000 tax forms delivered in December. An additional 60,000 forms will include a special notice as to how residents can donate to the statehood fund.

Metro Introduces Hybrid Buses: You may still have to wait 20 minutes for those bunches of Metrobuses to appear, but at least now they’ll be polluting less. NBC 4 writes that Metro is rolling out six hybrid buses tomorrow, part of a 50 bus buy that will be fully functional by February or March. The buses are said to reduce emissions by 60 percent.

Briefly Noted: Mayor still on fence about smoking ban legislation … Fairfax County police officer under investigation for man’s death … Protestors sue over State of the Union security restrictions on Mall … Adams Morgan to get additional police patrols … Stadium lease to be submitted to D.C. Council on Friday … Washington area rich in wireless options … United plans expansion at Dulles.

Picture snapped by ambimb.