State |
|
| State News |
| Posts from October 2012 |
Mood of the Nation: Richmond
by AP
,
posted Oct 31 2012 9:34AM
|
<VIDEO> Vicki from Mechanicsville, Virginia talks about her life before and after the 2007-2009 recession, and how it has influenced her views.
|
|
| |
Minor Flooding in Old Town Alexandria
by AP
,
posted Oct 30 2012 12:22PM
|
|
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) - The Potomac River spilled from its banks and caused minor flooding in Old Town Alexandria.
The city frequently experiences coastal flooding after heavy storms, and Hurricane Sandy was no exception.
Tuesday morning's high tide brought floodwaters up onto King Street, putting the road under water on its easternmost block.
Most businesses were open Tuesday, and the waters drew a fair number of curiosity seekers.
City spokesman Tony Castrilli said the high tides on Thursday are expected to be the most challenging, as rainwater from the Potomac basin makes its way down river.
Still, while the city continues to make preparations and distribute sandbags, Castrilli said experts do not foresee major flooding problems in Old Town.
|
|
| |
Officials Blame Sandy for 2 Deaths
by AP
,
posted Oct 30 2012 11:53AM
|
|
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Virginia emergency officials are blaming two traffic-related deaths on superstorm Sandy.
The Virginia Department of Emergency Management said Tuesday that the medical examiner's office had confirmed that two traffic fatalities were caused by the storm.
Police say 52-year-old Keith D. Fordham and 51-year-old Michael T. Overton of Richmond were killed early Tuesday when a vehicle driven by Fordham crashed into a light pole in the city. Richmond police said speed, rain and wet pavement were factors in the accident.
The storm brought tropical-force winds and flooding to the eastern and central part of the state on Monday and dumped snow in southwest Virginia and along the higher elevations.
More than 177,000 statewide were without power.
|
|
| |
Amtrak Cancels Tuesday Service in Northeast
by AP
,
posted Oct 30 2012 11:52AM
|
|
WASHINGTON (AP) - Amtrak says it has canceled all Tuesday service in the Northeast due to high winds and heavy rain from Hurricane Sandy.
The railroad said passenger service between Boston and Raleigh, N.C., and between the East Coast and Chicago, New Orleans and Florida will be suspended for the second day in a row.
Cancellations include Acela Express, Northeast Regional, Keystone and Shuttle service, among other trains. Passengers were urged to follow developments on Amtrak.com and Facebook and Twitter sites. No decision has yet been made on when service will be resumed.
Amtrak said passengers who have paid but who didn't travel because of the service disruption can receive a refund or a voucher for future travel.
|
|
| |
Conditions Worsen on Island, Curfew Called
by AP
,
posted Oct 29 2012 1:23PM
|
|
CHINCOTEAGUE, Va. (AP) - A curfew is in place on Virginia's swamped Chincoteague Island as conditions are worsening amid a "superstorm."
The island's emergency management coordinator, Bryan Rush, said the 3,500 islanders who decided to tough out Hurricane Sandy have been told to keep off the streets under a noon Monday curfew. He said the entire 37-square-mile island is underwater, 3 feet deep in some places.
Some residents have had to be rescued from their homes and cars. There is no way off the island because a causeway to the mainland closed earlier Monday.
The island has no emergency shelter.
Rush said he expects conditions to worsen later Monday as winds of 50 mph lash the island. Winds could gust to 70 mph.
|
|
| |
National Guard Stages 600-plus For Storm Response
by AP
,
posted Oct 29 2012 12:27PM
|
|
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - About 630 members of the Virginia National Guard are getting ready to respond across the state to help with recovery operations related to Hurricane Sandy.
Officials say the Virginia Army Guard and Virginia Defense Force staged more than 500 people on Saturday in the Eastern Shore, Hampton Roads, as well as central and northern Virginia. Additional personnel began staging on Sunday and Monday in the areas around Woodstock, Winchester and Leesburg. Others have been alerted for possible duty.
Guard personnel also are on duty in Sandston at the Guard's Joint Operations Center, Fort Pickett and the Virginia Emergency Operations Center.
Those in the field are capable of performing high water transport, debris cleanup and other patrols.
|
|
| |
Raw: Sandy's waves pound Maryland boardwalk
by Reuters
,
posted Oct 29 2012 10:56AM
|
<VIDEO> Hurricane Sandy sent powerful waves crashing onto the boardwalk in Ocean City, Maryland.
|
|
| |
Weather Emergency Phone App
by Weather Channel
,
posted Oct 29 2012 10:19AM
|
<VIDEO> Charley Shimanski, senior vice president of the American Red Cross says his agency is ready for Sandy, and offers tips on how to plan ahead. He says the Red Cross phone app can come in handy during an emergency
|
|
| |
Raw: Sandy Bringing Snow to Virginia
by AP
,
posted Oct 29 2012 10:13AM
|
<VIDEO> As Hurricane Sandy bore down on the Eastern Seaboard early Monday, parts of Virginia were starting to see snow. Up to 2 to 3 feet of snow have been forecast for the mountainous parts of West Virginia.
|
|
| |
Superstorm Sandy Shutting Down East Coast
by AP
,
posted Oct 29 2012 10:09AM
|
<VIDEO> Planes are grounded, public transportation systems are shut, financial markets are closed and residents are evacuating, as Hurricane Sandy closes in on the east coast.
?
|
|
| |
East Coast Readies for 'Frankenstorm'
by AP
,
posted Oct 26 2012 9:32AM
|
<VIDEO> Forecasters expect a natural horror show of high wind, heavy rain, extreme tides and maybe snow to the west beginning early Sunday. It should peak with the arrival of Hurricane Sandy on Tuesday near New Jersey and linger past Halloween.
Experts predict at least $1 billion in damage.
Hurricane Sandy, having blown through Haiti and Cuba, continues to barrel north. A wintry storm is chugging across the country from the West. And frigid air is streaming south from Canada.
When they meet Tuesday, they could create a big, wet mess that settles over the nation's most heavily populated corridor.
|
|
| |
Police investigate Moran's son after video release
by AP
,
posted Oct 25 2012 4:58PM
|
ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) - Arlington Police have launched a criminal probe following release of an undercover video showing the son of Rep. Jim Moran, D-Va., discussing a plan to cast fraudulent ballots.
Patrick Moran resigned Wednesday as field director of his father's campaign, hours after Project Veritas, an organization led by conservative activist James O'Keefe, released the video.
It showed an undercover operative pitching a voter-fraud plan to Patrick Moran. The plan called for casting ballots in the name of 100 voters who were registered but rarely voted.
In the video, Patrick Moran expresses doubts about the plan but eventually tells the volunteer to "look into it."
Arlington Police said Thursday they've begun an investigation.
Patrick Moran says he thought the person who approached him was unstable and that he was only humoring him.
|
|
| |
Ex-financial adviser pleads guilty to fraud
by AP
,
posted Oct 25 2012 4:57PM
|
LYNCHBURG, Va. (AP) - A former independent financial adviser faces up to 40 years in prison for a fraud scheme that cost clients nearly $1 million.
Michael D. Leamnson pleaded guilty Thursday in U.S. District Court in Lynchburg to one count each of wire fraud and mail fraud. The 56-year-old Roanoke resident faces up to 20 years in prison on each count.
U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Heaphy says many of Leamnson's victims are elderly investors who trusted him with their life savings.
During Thursday's plea hearing, Leamnson admitted depositing clients' money into a checking account instead of investing the funds. He used the money for personal expenses, outside business interests and to make interest payments owed to clients.
|
|
| |
2 indicted in Henry County double slayings
by AP
,
posted Oct 24 2012 5:42PM
|
MARTINSVILLE, Va. (AP) - Two people face charges in the 2011 slayings of a man and a woman in Henry County.
Henry County Sheriff Lane Perry tells media outlets that a special grand jury indicted 21-year-old Darius Taylor on capital murder, robbery and firearms charges. Twenty-year-old Kayla Mae Bowman was indicted on charges of carjacking and concealing or compounding evidence of a felony.
The grand jury handed up the indictments Monday.
The charges stem from the deaths of 31-year-old Amanda Ann Massey and 33-year-old Robert Walker Lawrence, both of Martinsville. Their bodies were found inside a car that was set on fire in the Bassett area.
Bowman is being held without bond at the Henry County Sheriff's Office. Younger is serving a sentence in Virginia but Perry didn't say whee.
|
|
| |
Letter backs removal of Wolfe special prosecutor
by AP
,
posted Oct 24 2012 5:41PM
|
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Fifty-nine former judges, prosecutors and other attorneys have sent a Prince William County judge a letter advocating the removal of the special prosecutor in a high-profile murder-for-hire case.
A federal appeals court earlier this year upheld a judge's decision to toss out Justin Wolfe's conviction and death sentence in the slaying of his marijuana supplier because of prosecutorial misconduct. Those prosecutors relinquished the case to Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney Raymond Morrogh, who said he would retry it.
The letter-writers say Morrogh's retrial decision less than 24 hours after his appointment as special prosecutor suggests he failed to conduct a meaningful, independent review. The letter was filed Wednesday along with court papers by Wolfe's attorneys accusing Morrogh of collaborating with the disqualified prosecutors.
|
|
| |
Appeals court hears former lawmaker's case
by AP
,
posted Oct 24 2012 5:40PM
|
|
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - A federal appeals court is considering whether emails between a former Virginia lawmaker and his wife should have been allowed as evidence in his bribery and extortion trial.
A three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Court of Appeals heard arguments in Phillip Hamilton's case Wednesday. The court usually takes several weeks or months to rule.
Hamilton was vice chairman of the House Appropriations Committee when he secured a $500,000 state appropriation for a teacher training center at Old Dominion University while negotiating a job as its director. The former Newport News delegate claims that emails in which he and his wife discussed his efforts were protected by a legal doctrine known as marital privilege. Prosecutors say he waived the privilege by not deleting the emails from his employer's computer system.
|
|
| |
US Judges Hear Virginia Inmate's Sex-change Appeal
by AP
,
posted Oct 24 2012 11:38AM
|
|
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - A federal appeals court is considering whether a lower court should hear a Virginia inmate's request for a sex change.
A three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard the case Wednesday of Ophelia De'Lonta, who has been hospitalized in past self-castration attempts.
Attorneys for the convicted bank robber asked the judges to reverse a lower court ruling that dismissed De'Lonta's case. Arguments focused on narrow constitutional claims. Judges typically rule a month or two after arguments.
De'Lonta's attorneys want her case returned to U.S. District Court so they can argue for a sex change operation.
Attorneys for De'Lonta say a medical professional should decide whether the surgery is appropriate - not a judge or prison officials.
De'Lonta has received hormone treatments and psychotherapy.
|
|
| |
Traffic deaths, severe injuries decline
by AP
,
posted Oct 22 2012 5:42PM
|
|
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) - Traffic fatalities and severe injuries in Virginia are declining.
State figures show the number of traffic fatalities dropped from 1,026 in 2007 to 740 in 2010. During the same period, severe injuries fell from 19,796 to 11,664.
As of Friday, there have been 608 traffic-related deaths so far this year.
Safety advocates attribute the declines to several factors, including DUI laws, increased seat belt use and stricter licensing for young drivers.
Despite the improvements, Connie Sorrell with the Virginia Department of Transportation says that the state's numbers are still too high.
Sorrell says a new initiative aims to reduce secondary crashes at wreck scenes. Representatives of local law enforcement agencies are being trained to clear crash scenes faster.
|
|
| |
Fundraiser planned to restore battlefield
by AP
,
posted Oct 22 2012 5:37PM
|
WINCHESTER, Va. (AP) - Two groups are partnering to raise money to restore part of a Civil War battlefield in Frederick County.
The Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation and Ahyayha.com announced the fundraising effort Monday. They plan to raise $32,000 to restore the 30-acre Middle Field before the 150th anniversary of the Sept. 19, 1864, Third Battle of Winchester.
The Middle Field is part of the 575-acre Third Winchester battlefield, which the foundation plans to restore and interpret over the next two years.
The foundation says the Middle Field will be restored to its appearance in 1864. Thirty acres of non-native shrubs will be removed and the property will be converted to a forest meadow. Passive walking trails, historic fences and interpretive signage also are planned.
Individuals can contribute to the project through Ahyayha.com's website.
|
|
| |
Va reps partner to promote business, education
by AP
,
posted Oct 22 2012 5:36PM
|
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Virginia economic development and education officials are partnering to enhance efforts to promote business throughout the state.
The Virginia Economic Development Partnership on Monday signed a memorandum of understanding with Virginia's public institutions of higher education and the State Council of Higher Education. Virginia Commonwealth University President Michael Rao represented the state's public universities at the signing.
Officials say the agreement helps to underscore and unify ongoing initiatives to market Virginia to businesses that will create jobs and invest capital.
As part of the agreement, all parties will reach out to businesses and others to promote Virginia's assets and higher education institutions. The parties also will work to identify and support legislative priorities. They will hold regular meetings to align strategies and goals, as well as summarize results annually.
|
|
| |
Johns Hopkins Researchers Say Quick Treatment is Key in Meningitis Outbreak
by Associated Press
,
posted Oct 18 2012 7:48PM
|
|
BALTIMORE (AP) - Researchers at Johns Hopkins Hospital say quick diagnosis and treatment are important in preventing serious illness and death from meningitis from recalled medications.
An article published online in Annals of Internal Medicine Thursday says a 51-year-old woman went to an emergency room with a headache in August a week after getting an epidural cervical injection for neck pain. The researchers say the woman was released but returned the next day with vertigo, nausea and other symptoms and was admitted.
The article says the woman worsened and was transferred to Hopkins three days later. Despite treatment, the patient died 10 days after her first admission. An autopsy showed severe brain damage.
Health officials say one person in Maryland died and 15 have been sickened after receiving the steroid injections.
|
|
| |
Metro Falls Behind on Cellphone Service Expansion
by Associated Press
,
posted Oct 17 2012 4:44PM
|
|
WASHINGTON (AP) - Metro says it has fallen behind on its effort to expand cellphone service throughout the transit system and may not complete the project until 2015.
In a letter to Congress on Tuesday, Metro General Manager Richard Sarles says there is still much work to do to provide wireless access throughout the system. He requests for the project's deadline to be extended to December 2015.
Sarles says Metro has been focused on safety issues after a crash that killed nine people. So the wireless project has been a lesser priority.
Under a 2008 funding agreement with Congress, Metro was to have completed the project this week. A deal reached last month extended the deadline to March 2013.
Many stations have cellphone service, but connections through underground tunnels aren't complete.
|
|
| |
Virginia Man Sues Over Fungal Meningitis Infection
by Associated Press
,
posted Oct 17 2012 4:39PM
|
|
ROANOKE, Va. (AP) - An 80-year-old Virginia man who says he contracted fungal meningitis after he received an injection of a tainted steroid is suing the Massachusetts pharmacy that made it for $5 million.
Basil Proffitt's attorney filed the action Wednesday in Roanoke Circuit Court against New England Compounding Center. Attorney Will Moody claims the Framingham, Mass., pharmacy was negligent for failing to ensure the medicine was safe.
Moody says Proffitt received the injection Sept. 12 to ease his chronic back pain and became "deathly ill." Proffitt was hospitalized but has been discharged and is continuing treatment.
An outbreak of fungal meningitis has killed at least 15 people nationally, including two in Virginia. Thirty-seven have become sickened in Virginia.
The compounding pharmacy has not commented on its production process.
|
|
| |
Computers Hacked at Southern Environmental Law Center
by Associated Press
,
posted Oct 16 2012 8:25PM
|
|
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) - The Southern Environmental Law Center says its computer system has been hacked, compromising what it calls highly confidential information.
The Charlottesville-based organization says in a statement that it has reported the "major Internet security breach" to the FBI. The center said it believes the breach was an intentional effort to undermine its environmental protection mission in a region that includes Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama.
The center did not elaborate on the nature of the confidential information and urged anyone who receives an email about an "SELC security failure" to delete it immediately without opening it or clicking on any of the links.
Spokeswoman Kathleen Sullivan says the center is still investigating the breach.
|
|
| |
Virginia Eliminates Waiting List for AIDS Drug Aid
by AP
,
posted Oct 16 2012 11:27AM
|
|
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - In less than two years, Virginia has eliminated the waiting list for a program that helps low-income residents obtain AIDS medication.
The waiting list peaked at 1,112 people in December 2011.
In November 2010, the state restricted eligibility to children, pregnant women, and people receiving treatment for potentially fatal infections that exploit weakened immune systems.
The restrictions were imposed because of budget constraints. They were gradually eased as more money became available.
Brandon M. Macsata with the nonprofit ADAP Advocacy Association says elimination of waiting lists is welcome news. But he says there's no guarantee that there won't be a waiting list in three months.
|
|
| |
Testimony of Virginia Man Sought in Lesbian Custody
by AP
,
posted Oct 15 2012 11:22AM
|
|
MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - A judge says a Virginia pastor must testify before a grand jury investigating the kidnapping of a now-10-year-old girl by her mother, who refused to share custody with the Vermont woman who was once her civil union partner.
Court documents say 46-year-old Kenneth Miller of Stuarts Draft, Va., had asked a judge to quash a subpoena, but he refused. The judge says prosecutors have guaranteed Miller immunity for anything he says before the grand jury.
Miller was convicted in August of helping Lisa Miller flee the country with daughter Isabella in September 2009. The Millers are not related.
Miller's attorney says Miller is scheduled to testify Nov. 15.
There's no word on who the grand jury is investigating.
Lisa Miller and Isabella are believed to be in Nicaragua.
|
|
| |
Deadline Today for Virginia Voter Registrations
by AP
,
posted Oct 15 2012 10:00AM
|
|
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - A deadline is looming for Virginians planning to vote in the Nov. 6 election.
The State Board of Elections says Monday is the deadline for residents to register to vote and to make any changes in their voter registration record. Voter registration applications must be postmarked no later than 5 p.m. Applications are available at the local registrar's office, DMV offices or by downloading an application on the Board of Elections' website.
As for absentee ballots, they must be mailed or faxed to the general registrar's office no later than Oct. 30.
---
Online:
To obtain a voter registration application or an absentee application, go to the Virginia State Board of Elections website: www.sb.virginia.gov |
|
| |
Nearly 600,000 in Virginia Sign Up for Earthquake Drill
by AP
,
posted Oct 15 2012 9:57AM
|
|
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Nearly 600,000 Virginia residents are expected to participate in a multistate earthquake drill this week.
Gov. Bob McDonnell says many people didn't know about earthquake safety when a magnitude-5.8 quake hit Louisa County on Aug. 23, 2011. The governor is encouraging all Virginians to participate in the Great SouthEast ShakeOut and learn about earthquake safety.
The drill is scheduled for 10:18 a.m. Thursday. Residents in Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Maryland and Washington, D.C., also will participate.
| | | Tags : Topics: Disaster_Accident, EnvironmentSocial: Disaster_Accident, EnvironmentLocations: Georgia, Louisa County, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Washington, D.c.People: Bob McDonnell, Virginia Sign
|
|
|
| |
Train Fatal
by AP
,
posted Oct 15 2012 9:54AM
|
|
MADISON HEIGHTS, Va. (AP) - A man is dead after he was struck and killed by a train on a trestle in Amherst County.
The Amherst County Department of Public Safety tells media outlets that the man was pronounced dead at the scene after he was struck by an Amtrak passenger train. He hasn't been identified.
The accident occurred around 10:10 p.m. Saturday night.
In November 2011, a Liberty University student was killed by a train while walking on the same trestle over the James River.
|
|
| |
Controversial Signs Go Up at Metro
by Associated Press
,
posted Oct 12 2012 7:41PM
|
|
WASHINGTON (AP) - A federal judge is explaining her decision to order D.C.'s public transit system to display pro-Israel ads that equate Muslim radicals with savages.
U.S. District Judge Rosemary Collyer said in an opinion released Friday that she understood the safety concerns voiced by Metro officials who delayed putting up the advertisements in stations, especially in light of the violent reaction in the Middle East to an online video that denigrated the prophet Muhammad.
But the judge said Metro officials were "too open-ended" in delaying the ads and failed to consider alternatives that would have been less restrictive. She said Metro could have agreed to place the ads in a less visible location than Metro platforms.
The ads went up in several Metro stations this week.
|
|
| |
Virginia Voter Registration Deadline is Monday
by Deirdre Blake
,
posted Oct 12 2012 4:42PM
|
|
If you can't remember when or where you last voted, or if you think you registered to vote but you don't have a voter card, you may not be eligible to vote in November. You may also be ineligible if you have moved since you last voted but haven't updated your voter registration address. The deadline to do so is this Monday. If you are already registered to vote at your current address and you have not moved, your registration is still valid and you do not need to do anything.
Call your Office of Voter Registration to check on your current registration status. You can also check the status from the Virginia State Board of Elections web page.
|
|
| |
Autopsy: Virginia Man Died of Rare Meningitis
by AP
,
posted Oct 12 2012 11:26AM
|
|
ROANOKE, Va. (AP) - An autopsy has confirmed a 47-year-old Virginia man died Sept. 18 of acute fungal meningitis.
District administrator Tracie Cooper of the Roanoke office of the state medical examiner said Friday that Douglas Wingate of Salem was infected with the form of meningitis as the result of a spinal injection.
While state public health officials have not identified Wingate as one of hundreds who received a possibly tainted batch of steroids, they have acknowledged one death in Virginia as a result of wide outbreak of the rare, potentially deadly strain of meningitis.
The state Department of Public Health said nearly 700 people may have received steroid injections from a tainted batch. More than two dozen have become ill.
Nationally, 170 people have been sickened in the outbreak and 14 have died.
|
|
| |
Data On Hourly Workers To Be Released
by AP
,
posted Oct 12 2012 11:25AM
|
|
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Virginia is getting a better picture of hourly and minimum wage workers throughout the state.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics is set to release a report Friday on the number of hourly-paid workers in Virginia by gender, as well as how Virginia compares to other states and how the minimum wage situation has changed over time.
Officials say that of the 73.9 million American workers age 16 and over paid at hourly rates last year, 5.2 percent earned wages at or below the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour.
In Virginia, nearly 1.7 million workers were paid at hourly rates in 2011 and 7.1 percent of them were paid at or below the federal minimum wage.
|
|
| |
Kluge, Husband Move to New York City
by AP
,
posted Oct 12 2012 11:24AM
|
|
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) - Former socialite Patricia Kluge has moved from Albemarle County to New York City.
The Daily Progress reports that Kluge and her husband, William Moses, filed a notice in U.S. District Court informing bankruptcy attorneys of their change of address, which is effective immediately.
Moses told the newspaper Thursday that he and Kluge will reside at the University Club, a prestigious private club in Manhattan, while they look for a permanent residence. Moses said they decided to move because they're not in the wine business anymore.
Real estate mogul and TV reality star Donald Trump bought the Kluge Estates Winery and Vineyard in April 2011 after he went into foreclosure. He became sole owner of Kluge's entire estate last month when he purchased her 23,500-square-foot Albemarle House.
|
|
| |
State Appeals Wrongful Death Verdict in Virginia Tech Massacre
by Associated Press
,
posted Oct 11 2012 3:51PM
|
|
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - The state of Virginia is appealing a jury's wrongful death verdict on the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre that left 33 dead.
The attorney general's office filed the appeal Thursday in state Supreme Court.
In March, a jury in Montgomery County returned a wrongful death verdict against the state. Jurors awarded each family $4 million but a judge later reduced the damages to $100,000 for each family.
Attorneys claim several lower court errors should reverse that verdict. The state is seeking a new trial.
|
|
| |
Pittsylvania uranium resolution fails, vote split
by AP
,
posted Oct 11 2012 7:21AM
|
|
CHATHAM, Va. (AP) - A Pittsylvania County resolution calling for the state to maintain its 30-year-old ban on uranium mining failed on a split vote.
Media outlets say the county Board of Supervisors voted 3-3 with one member abstaining Wednesday on the resolution offered by Supervisor Marshall Ecker.
Several board members say they didn't have any input on the non-binding resolution.
Ecker says inaction by the board sends a message that Pittsylvania County doesn't care about the issue.
Virginia Uranium Inc. wants to mine a uranium deposit it estimates at 119 million pounds in Chatham.
The General Assembly is expected to take up the mining ban in its 2013 session.
|
|
| |
Amtrak Beats Ridership Numbers
by Deirdre Blake
,
posted Oct 10 2012 3:13PM
|
|
Amtrak carried more than 31.2 million passengers in Fiscal Year 2012 that ended September 30th. It marks the highest annual ridership total since America's Railroad started operations in 1971. Ridership grew by 3.5 percent from 2011 and ticket revenue jumped to a best ever more than $2 billion.
Ridership on the Northeast Corridor is also up, by 4.8 percent, to a record 11.4 million. Officials believe improved passenger services like Wi-Fi and eTicketing are combining with high gas prices and more business travel to result in the higher numbers.
|
|
| |
Suspected meningitis cases rise to 24
by AP
,
posted Oct 10 2012 4:29AM
|
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Virginia is reporting 24 cases of suspected meningitis among nearly 700 back pain patients who received steroid shots that may have been contaminated with a potentially deadly fungus.
Public health officials said Tuesday 689 people received back pain shots at two clinics - one in Roanoke, the other in Christiansburg. Officials are still attempting to reach out to everyone who received the possibly tainted shots.
Of the 24 suspected cases reported so far, one person has died. Three of the 24 are West Virginia residents who received the pain treatment in Virginia. The state reported five suspected cases last week.
The number of people sickened in the national outbreak now tops 100. Deaths have risen to eight.
|
|
| |
State to release results of new education benchmarks
by AP
,
posted Oct 10 2012 4:28AM
|
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Virginia is getting a better idea of how its public school students fared on new annual benchmarks.
The state Department of Education on Wednesday is set to release results of the annual measurable objectives in reading and mathematics.
The objectives replace the adequate yearly progress targets of the federal No Child Left Behind Act. In June, the state received a waiver from the U.S. Department of Education for certain provisions of the federal law.
Education officials say the new "ambitious but achievable" benchmarks are aimed at reducing proficiency gaps between low-performing and high-performing schools around the state.
Virginia failed to meet federal benchmarks in 2010-11 because black, Hispanic, economically disadvantaged students and students with disabilities failed to meet targets in reading and math performance.
|
|
| |
Va. launching CommonHelp only program
by AP
,
posted Oct 10 2012 4:27AM
|
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) - The state is rolling out a program to provide Virginians with hands-on access to various social services.
Called CommonHelp, the program being introduced Wednesday will provide online access to residents who want to know if they are eligible for energy and medical assistance, child care services and nutrition programs. It will also give Virginians the ability to update or renew their public assistance benefits online.
|
|
| |
Patrons flee mall after shot fired, 2 injured
by AP
,
posted Oct 9 2012 11:01AM
|
HENRICO, Va. (AP) - Police are looking for a man who fired a gun inside a Henrico County mall and sent dozens of customers fleeing.
Henrico County police tell media outlets that two people were slightly injured in the Monday incident. A 20-year-old man suffered what appeared to be a ricochet wound in a leg. A 74-year-old woman fell as she was fleeing and injured an ankle.
Police say the suspect fired one shot in a hallway outside public restrooms near the food court in the Regency Square mall.
Investigators also are looking for a second man who is believed to have argued with the gunman before the shot was fired.
|
|
| |
Police: Man charged in killing in Alexandria
by AP
,
posted Oct 9 2012 10:56AM
|
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) - Authorities have made an arrest in connection with the killing of a 30-year-old man in Alexandria.
Fairfax County police say Manuel F. Garces of Springfield was charged with murder in the death of Mark Earl Ives, whose body was found outside a home the 5400 block of Broadmoor Street on Sunday. Ives died of upper-body trauma.
Police spokesman Eddy Azcarate says Garces and Ives knew each other.
He could not identify a motive in the killing.
|
|
| |
Offshore winds focus of Virginia Beach conference
by AP
,
posted Oct 9 2012 10:55AM
|
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) - Energy providers, advocates and policymakers are gathering in Virginia Beach for a three-day conference on offshore windpower.
Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling and the director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Tommy Beaudreau, are the featured speakers Tuesday at the Offshore Windpower Conference and Exhibition, which runs through Thursday.
Advocates of offshore winds have said the industry could create a new industrial base and thousands of jobs in Hampton Roads. Proponents say Virginia has relatively shallow offshore waters and strong winds that make the industry a good fit for the state.
To help move along the green energy, Virginia is hoping to study the ocean floor and establish platforms offshore to monitor wind speeds, bird activity and other factors that are critical to the development off an offshore wind industry.
|
|
| |
Virgil Goode for President, but at What Cost?
by AP
,
posted Oct 8 2012 11:44AM
|
<VIDEO> Longtime Virginia politician Virgil Goode is running for president. His campaign could spoil Mitt Romney's aspirations to win Virginia, where the race is close. The AP's Lee Powell catches up with Goode in his hometown of Rocky Mount, Va.
?
|
|
| |
Both Presidential Candidates Visiting VA
by AP
,
posted Oct 5 2012 10:34AM
|
|
ABINGDON, Va. (AP) - President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney are set to campaign on different sides of the state.
Obama will speak at a campaign event in Fairfax on Friday, while Romney will be in southwestern Virginia rallying coal supporters in Abingdon.
Obama, who in 2008 became the first Democratic presidential candidate to carry Virginia since 1964, also campaigned with Vice President Joe Biden in the state last week.
Romney also has been a frequent visitor to Virginia. He appeared at a campaign event in Fishersville on Thursday and will be back in the state Monday to give a foreign policy speech at Virginia Military Institute.
|
|
| |
Virginia Voters Give Romney Rave Reviews
by AP
,
posted Oct 5 2012 9:32AM
|
<VIDEO> Voters in Virginia are giving GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney high praise, after his performance in Monday night's debate. Still, some voters want to watch the rest of the debates before locking in their votes.
|
|
| |
Reflecting Pool Being Cleaned in Front of Lincoln Memorial
by Associated Press
,
posted Oct 4 2012 7:35PM
|
|
WASHINGTON (AP) - The National Park Service has once again drained the reflecting pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington to clean up an algae buildup that formed after a $34 million overhaul.
Park service spokesman Carol Johnson says the pool was drained and was being cleaned Thursday. It will remain empty for at least a week.
Algae and scum have been covering parts of the pool since it reopened. It had been closed for a two-year renovation and was reengineered to draw river water from the Tidal Basin instead of city drinking water. The system is supposed to filter and circulate the water to keep it cleaner than in the past.
The park service says the system that fills the pool is being recalibrated to neutralize nutrients that feed algae.
|
|
| |
Virginia Outpatient Clinics Calling Patients Over Meningitis Scare
by Associated Press
,
posted Oct 4 2012 7:34PM
|
|
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - The state epidemiologist in Virginia says two outpatient clinics have contacted more than 500 people who received a medication that has been linked to rare, potentially deadly form of meningitis.
Dr. David Trump said Thursday the patients in two southwest Virginia clinics received injections of the now-recalled back pain medication since July. One person has died in Virginia and three have been made ill after receiving the spinal injections. The state is not identifying the clinics or the individual who died.
The Roanoke Times reported that Insight Imaging in Roanoke was one of the centers. A clinic statement requested by The Associated Press was not immediately issued.
Nationally, at least five people have died and 35 sickened with fungal meningitis that has been linked to steroid shots for back pain.
|
|
| |
State GOP fires vendor over Fla. issues
by AP
,
posted Oct 2 2012 3:33PM
|
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) - Virginia's Republican Party has canceled its contract with a company it hired to register voters after questions were raised in Florida over voter registration.
The state GOP paid $500,000 to Virginia-based Strategic Allied Consulting in August to provide new voter and absentee ballot registration services.
Virginia Republican Chairman Pat Mullins says in a statement that the state party takes any threat to the voting process seriously.
More than 100 suspect forms submitted by the company in several Florida counties have been turned over to local prosecutors.
Strategic Allied Consulting has said the problems in Florida were caused by a single rogue employee.
State Republican parties in North Carolina and Colorado also have canceled contracts with the company.
|
|
| |
Va. announces alternate fuel effort
by AP
,
posted Oct 2 2012 3:32PM
|
|
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Virginia has signed agreements with two private fuel companies and joined in a multi-state effort to convert the state's vehicle fleet to alternative fuels.
Gov. Bob McDonnell announced the development Tuesday to launch his conference on energy in Richmond. It runs through Thursday.
The agreements are with Clean Energy and Blossman Gas. They were among 14 solicitations for a public-private partnership to provide alternative fuel infrastructure and vehicle conversions to the state.
The multi-state agreement involves a coalition of 14 states working with vehicle manufacturers to drive down the costs of alternative fuel vehicles.
McDonnell says the state has thousands of vehicles powered primarily by gasoline or diesel fuels blended from foreign oil. He says the agreements will ease the state's dependence on foreign oil and reduce pollution.
|
|
| |
Panel examining officer decertification law
by AP
,
posted Oct 2 2012 3:31PM
|
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - The Virginia State Crime Commission is considering strengthening the law that governs the decertification of bad police officers.
The issue arose Tuesday when the commission heard a report on law enforcement training academies. The commission was told that state law allows decertification of an officer for a felony conviction, failing to meet training requirements and failing or refusing to submit to a drug test.
Only four officers have been decertified over the last two years, apparently because police chiefs and sheriffs often simply allow the offenders to resign and don't report them to the Criminal Justice Services Board for decertification.
The report suggested making reporting mandatory, and expanding the criteria for decertification to include certain misdemeanors and acts of moral turpitude.
The commission will revisit the issue at a future meeting.
|
|
| |
Virginia GOP Fires Vendor Over Fla. Issues
by AP
,
posted Oct 2 2012 9:58AM
|
|
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) - Virginia's Republican Party has canceled its contract with a company it hired to register voters after questions were raised in Florida over voter registration.
The Virginian-Pilot says the state GOP paid $500,000 to Virginia-based Strategic Allied Consulting in August to provide new voter and absentee ballot registration services.
Virginia Republican Chairman Pat Mullens says in a statement that the state party takes any threat to the voting process seriously.
More than 100 suspect forms submitted by the company in several Florida counties have been turned over to local prosecutors.
Strategic Allied Consulting has said the problems in Florida were caused by a single rogue employee.
State Republican parties in North Carolina and Colorado also have canceled contracts with the company.
|
|
| |
New Obama Ad Running in Virginia
by Associated Press
,
posted Oct 1 2012 5:34PM
|
|
HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) - President Barack Obama's campaign is stepping up criticism of rival Mitt Romney's past investments in China.
In a new television ad, the campaign accuses the Republican nominee of investing in a company that maximized profits by paying Chinese workers "next to nothing" to manufacture appliances. The ad aims to discredit Romney's assertion that he would take on China's trade advantage over the U.S.
The narrator says, quote, "Mitt Romney, tough on China? Since when?"
China has emerged as a key economic issue in the election. Romney is running ads saying Obama has been too soft on China and let U.S. jobs move overseas. Both campaigns see the issue as an appeal to undecided working-class voters.
The ad is running in New Hampshire, Virginia, Florida, Ohio, Iowa, Colorado and Nevada.
|
|
| |
County at epicenter of uranium debate to vote
by AP
,
posted Oct 1 2012 10:19AM
|
CHATHAM, Va. (AP) - Leaders of the Virginia county that is home to one of the world's largest uranium deposits are set to debate the state's 30-year ban on the mining of the radioactive ore.
The Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to vote Monday on a resolution introduced by Supervisor Marshall Ecker. He's urging residents to attend the meeting in Chatham to signal their support of the ban.
Ecker says he's opposed to mining a 112-million-pound uranium deposit because he says it would forever change a beautiful, rural landscape.
Ecker says the resolution will be a stronger than one proposed about one month ago. It did not call for a permanent ban on uranium mining and milling.
The General Assembly is expected to take up the mining ban in its 2013 session.
|
|
| |
Va., feds to test dam's effect on water quality
by AP
,
posted Oct 1 2012 10:16AM
|
|
COVINGTON, Va. (AP) - State and federal agencies plan to simulate a storm event on the Jackson River to test a dam's effect on water quality.
The test is set to begin at around 6 a.m. Wednesday at the Gaithright Dam near Covington.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says water will be gradually released from the dam to a maximum surge of 3,500 cubic feet per second. The controlled release will test whether simulating a storm event can remove algae and improve water quality as effectively as a real storm.
The test is part of a study by the corps to determine whether changing the dam's low-flow augmentation operations can improve the lower Jackson River's water quality and ecological resources without affecting fisheries in Lake Moomaw and a trout fishery below the dam.
|
|
| |
Va. seeks public input on transportation projects
by AP
,
posted Oct 1 2012 10:15AM
|
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Virginia residents will have an opportunity to examine and comment on the state's transportation projects and programs during a series of public meetings.
Nine public meetings are scheduled around the state in October and November. The first meeting will be held Oct. 25 in Chesapeake.
Other meetings are scheduled Oct. 29 in Fredericksburg, Oct. 39 in Fairfax, Nov. 1 in Culpeper, Nov. 5 in Verona, Nov. 7 in Christiansburg, Nov. 8 in Lynchburg, Nov. 14 in Bristol and Nov. 15. In Richmond.
Secretary of Transportation Sean T. Connaughton and the Commonwealth Transportation Board announced the schedule Monday.
Residents can submit oral or written comments on the board's current Six-Year Improvement Program and the development of the next improvement program.
Information also will be available on the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program.
|
|
| |
|
