People & politics.

• Position: TRENDS AND TRANSITIONS

Maine Representative Abigail Holman, a "tremendous political force, died in a ski accident in April. She was participating in an annual charity race and had crossed the finish line when she hit a tree. The first-term, 45-year-old legislator was a lawyer who had served as former Governor John McKernan's legal counsel and legislative director in the early 1990s. Following that she was director of the Maine Forest Products Council. "Abby was a woman of phenomenal principle, strength and talent," said Speaker Glenn Cummings. "She did her homework. She truly loved being in the Legislature." A rose was placed on her desk for a week, following a tradition when someone dies in office. Holman's husband, a respected writer, died in 2005. She is survived by her daughter, who turned 8 the day after Holman's death.

Colorado legislative leaders have launched an ethics investigation of a lobbyist for Colorado Concern, a lobbying group. Representatives Alice Borodkin and Nancy Todd accused William Mutch of orchestrating calls to their constituents saying they sponsored a bill that would increase taxes on their homes. Todd said there is no such bill. The calls were made while the legislature was considering a bill to make it easier for home buyers to get warranty repairs from builders. Colorado Concern has placed Mutch on paid leave until the matter is resolved.

Senator Vic Heinold has resigned from the Indiana Legislature to take a job with the Consolidated Grain and Barge Company in Mandeville, La. Hienold was first elected in 2004. The Republican precinct members from his district will select his replacement. "I know of no one who has worked any harder and accomplished any more in the time he's been here," Senate President Pro Tem David Long said of Heinold.

Queen Elizabeth II, accompanied by Prince Philip, addressed a special session of the Virginia General Assembly in May to help commemorate the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown. The queen toured the newly restored Capitol, designed by Thomas Jefferson, and met with all the living Virginia governors. She visited Williamsburg following her address and toured the Historic Jamestowne archaeological site on Jamestown Island. In 1607, 104 English explorers founded the first English settlement in the New World at Jamestown. Twelve years later they created the House of Burgesses, which became the Virginia General Assembly, the oldest legislature in the country. The queen is not the first British...