Governor McAuliffe Announces Eight 2015 Virginia Regional Teachers of the Year

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

State’s Top Teacher to be Named October 10

Eight educators today learned of their selection as 2015 Virginia Regional Teachers of the Year during surprise classroom visits and announcements made by their division superintendents — and in the case of a Chesterfield County chemistry teacher — Governor Terry McAuliffe and Superintendent of Public Instruction Steven R. Staples.

“At the heart of Virginia’s national and international reputation for excellent and innovative public schools are thousands of smart and dedicated teachers who are epitomized by the eight recognized today as best of the best,” McAuliffe said after announcing the selection of James River High chemistry teacher Tara L. Brunyansky as the 2015 Region I Teacher of Year.

The other seven 2015 Regional Teachers of the Year announced are as follows:

• Bevin K. Reinen, a first-grade teacher at Three Oaks Elementary in Virginia Beach (Region 2)
• Jennifer H. Worrell, a fourth-grade language arts teacher at Petsworth Elementary in Gloucester County (Region 3)
• Jaclyn M. Roller, an agricultural education teacher at Signal Knob Middle in Shenandoah County (Region 4)
• Gerin E. Martin, an early childhood special education teacher at Hutcherson Early Learning Program in Lynchburg (Region 5)
• Matthew T. Newton, a grades 3-5 special education teacher at Fishburn Park Elementary in Roanoke (Region 6)
• Mark T. Merz, a pre-kindergarten teacher at Oak Point Elementaryin Smyth County (Region 7)
• Kelly S. Jones, a World History and Sociology teacher at Greensville County High in Greensville County (Region 8).

“These teachers represent a cross section of the educators you will find in a 21st-century Virginia school division,” said Superintendent of Public Instruction Steven R. Staples. “All of these educators are dedicated to helping their students overcome challenges and achieve at their highest potential.”

The teachers were selected from among candidates nominated by school divisions in each of the state’s eight superintendents’ regions. The candidates submitted portfolios highlighting their accomplishments, educational philosophies and community activities.

A panel, including classroom teachers, representatives of professional and educational associations, the business community and 2014 Virginia Teacher of the Year and 2014 National Teacher of the Year finalist Melissa A. Porfirio of Fairfax reviewed the portfolios and selected the eight regional teachers of the year. The panel will interview each of the eight teachers next month to select the 2015 Virginia Teacher of the Year. The decision will be announced during an awards ceremony to be heldOctober 10 in Richmond.

The 2015 Virginia Teacher of the Year will be the Commonwealth’s nominee in the National Teacher of the Year Program. The recognition is given by the Council of Chief State School Officers, in partnership with the Voya Foundation and People to People Ambassador Programs. Two previous Virginia teachers — B. Philip Bigler, the 1998 Virginia Teacher of the Year, and Mary V. Bicouvaris, the 1989 Virginia Teacher of the Year — went on to be named as a National Teacher of the Year.

Governor McAuliffe Announces Virginia Oyster Harvests Continue to Climb

Chargrilled oysters (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

~Last year’s harvest increased to the highest level since 1987~

Newport News, VA. –Governor Terry McAuliffe announced that Virginia’s oyster harvest jumped another 25 percent last year, surging past 500,000 bushels, the most in nearly a generation.

“Over the past few years, Virginia has become the oyster capital of the East Coast, and that is great news for our Commonwealth’s economy,’’ said Governor McAuliffe. “The growth we’ve seen in the oyster harvest is extraordinary, but hardly a surprise. Virginia produces the best tasting oysters in the world, and every sustainably-harvested oyster helps clean the Chesapeake Bay and create good jobs in a tough economy. There is no question that Virginia is for oyster lovers.”

Over the past 12 years, the oyster harvest in Virginia has increased from 23,000 bushels in 2001 to an estimated 504,000 bushels last year. This is the highest level seen since 1987 and is 25 percent more than the 409,000 bushels harvested in 2012.

Preliminary harvest estimates show gains in both wild-caught oysters from public oyster rocks as well as from privately leased water bottoms.

Harvest from public oyster grounds grew from 150,534 bushels in 2012 to 213,152 bushels last year, and the harvest from privately leased growing areas continued six years of sustained growth, rising from 258,496 bushels in 2012 to 408,912 bushels last year.

“State investments in our oyster replenishment program are showing positive results,” said Molly Joseph Ward, Secretary of Natural Resources. “Keeping this momentum is vital to the growth of the oyster industry. Our comprehensive fisheries management programs, combined with private sector investments, are having a very positive impact for the Bay, consumers and the economy. We need to keep moving forward.”

The dockside value of the oyster harvest increased to $22.2 million last year, up from $16.2 million in 2012.

The ripple effects through the economy from last year’s harvest resulted in an estimated $58.4 million in economic value, using a multiplier of 2.63 on a dockside value of $22.2 million, a formula established by the late Dr. James Kirkley, a well-respected Virginia Institute of Marine Science seafood industry economist.

The Virginia Marine Resources Commission’s management of  the oyster stocks includes rotational oyster harvest areas and deployment of fossil oyster shells mined annually from the beneath James River on to public oyster grounds. These fossil shells become home for naturally occurring oyster larvae that attach to them during spawning and grow to form new adult oysters that will reach market size in roughly three years.

This oyster replenishment program provides substantial ecological as well as economic benefits, as the oysters filter the water during growth to a market size of three inches. Oyster reefs provide important forage and refuge habitat for invertebrates as well as juvenile crabs and finfish species.

“Oysters are doing well right now. We are making tremendous progress,’’ said VMRC Commissioner John M.R. Bull. “But oysters are still susceptible to disease and other environmental factors outside of our control. A lot of people have put a lot of work into getting Virginia into this position and it is paying dividends. It is worth celebrating, but we need to keep in mind that oysters live in a dynamic, ever-changing ecosystem.”

Virginia’s history of oyster harvests can be found here

http://mrc.virginia.gov/SMAC/VA-Oyster-Harvests.pdf

Governor McAuliffe Announces Railroad Safety and Security Taskforce

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

~Taskforce follows Lynchburg Train Derailment ~ 

LYNCHBURG – Today, Governor Terry McAuliffe announced the creation of the Commonwealth’s Railroad Safety and Security Taskforce.  The Governor’s announcement follows the April 30^th derailment of a CSX freight train carrying crude oil shipped from the Midwest to Yorktown.  The accident occurred in downtown Lynchburg adjacent to the James River.

“The train derailment that occurred on April 30 raises important public safety and health concerns,” said Governor Terry McAuliffe. “While fortunately no one was hurt, it is critical that we determine the cause of this accident to help better protect Virginia’s families. The Railroad Safety and Security Taskforce will help ensure that the Commonwealth is a national leader in preventing, preparing for, and responding to these types of events.”

Earlier this week, Governor McAuliffe sent a letter to Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx highlighting his support to strengthen federal rules regarding the safety of rail cars carrying crude oil, as well as improved communication between the rail companies, first responders, and community officials.

The Governor’s new taskforce will include state agencies officials and subject matter experts. Members of the taskforce will be responsible for making recommendations—and taking action—to enhance Virginia’s capability to protect lives, property, and the environment along our many rail lines.

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Governor McAuliffe Statement on Lynchburg Train Derailment

Official seal of Lynchburg, Virginia (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Governor Terry McAuliffe released the following statement on the Commonwealth of Virginia’s response to the train derailment and fire in Lynchburg, Virginia:

“This afternoon my Public Safety team informed me of the train derailment and fire in Lynchburg. Immediately after those reports were received the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, the Virginia State Police, and the Virginia Department of Fire Programs were instructed to coordinate with local responders and mobilize the resources necessary to respond to this incident.

“Deputy Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security Adam Thiel has been dispatched to the scene and will provide my team and me with constant updates as this situation unfolds. I have also spoken with Lynchburg Mayor Michael Gillette and offered him any and all resources he needs to respond to this incident and keep Virginians safe.”

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Virginia First - Some History

Replica ship in port at Jamestown Settlement, a living history museum (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Virginia First:

 THE name First given to the territory occupied by the present United States was Virginia. It was bestowed upon the Country by Elizabeth, greatest of English queens. The United States of America are mere words of description. They are not a name. The rightful and historic name of this great Republic is "Virginia." We must get back to it, if the Country's name is to have any real significance. II. Virginia was the First colony of Great Britain, and her successful settlement furnished the inspiration to English colonization everywhere. For it was the wise Lord Bacon who said that, "As in the arts and sciences the 'first invention' is of more consequence than all the improvements afterwards, so in kingdoms or plantations, the first foundation or planatation is of more dignity than all that followed!." III. On May 13, 1607, the pioneers brought over by the Sarah Constant, the Good Speed, and the Discovery arrived at Jamestown on James River, and Founded the Republic of the United States based on English conceptions of Justice and Liberty. The story of this little settlement is the story of a great nation expanding from small beginnings into one of more than 100,000,000 people inhabiting a land reaching

4. VIRGINIA FIRST finally from ocean to ocean and abounding in riches and power, till when the liberties of all mankind were endangered the descendants of the old Jamestown settlers did in their turn cross the ocean and helped to save the land from which their fathers came. IV. Before any other English settlement was made on this continent, democracy was born at Jamestown by the establishment of England's free institutions—Jury trial, courts for the administration of justice, popular elections in which all the "inhabitants" took part, and a representative Assembly which met at Jamestown, July 30, 1 61 9, and digested the first laws for the new commonwealth. V. There at Jamestown and on James River was the cradle of the Union—The first church, the first block- house, the first wharf, the first glass factory, the first windmill, the first iron works, the first silk worms reared, the first wheat and tobacco raised, the first peaches grown, the first brick house, the first State house, and the first free school (that of Benjamin Syms, 1635). 

VI. In Virginia was the First assertion on this continent of the indissoluble connection of representation and taxation. This was done as early as 1624, and the connection was ever afterwards insisted on, till on May 29, 1765 it received a dramatic interpretation by Patrick Henry, rousing a country to resistance against the Stamp Act.

Read the rest below.

Virginia First from Chuck Thompson

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Field Days From The Past - Press Update And Directions

English: "Residence, cabin, on James River, Tuckahoe Plantation, Goochland County, Virginia," black and white photograph, by the American photographer Frances Benjamin Johnston.  (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

If you have picked up one of the free papers distributed throughout Gloucester, VA and are interested in attending the Field Days From The Past, you are asking yourself, where the heck is it?  The only thing the paper, in it's 44 pages ever manages to tell you is that it is 14 miles west of Richmond, VA. 

 That is a huge territory.  An oversight of the people putting together all the information, it was easy to look over when you look at the tremendous scope of the event.

  Not to fret, we looked up all the information and have it here for you.

The following is directly off of their site.

 DIRECTIONS:  The Field Day of the Past show grounds are located at the intersection of Rt. 623 (Ashland Rd.) and Rt. 622 in Goochland County, off I-64, Exit #173 (Rockville-Manakin) south. Grounds are located 1/8 mile from the interstate. Follow the signs. From the south take I-95 N to I-64 west and take Exit #173. From the north take I-95 S to I-295. Merge onto I-64W to Exit #173. From the west, take I-81 to I-64 E and take Exit #173. From those south of the James River, take Rt. 288 N to Broad Street Road West exit (Rt. 250) and go approximately one mile to stoplight at Rt. 623 (Ashland Rd.). Turn right and follow signs.

ADMISSION:  $10 per person/per day for adults on Friday; $15 on Saturday and $10 on Sunday. Children under the age of 13 are admitted free of charge. The admission charge does not include carnival rides, pony rides or anything you wish to purchase at the show. This year Senior Citizen passes are available all three days. All those 62 years or older will be admitted for $8.Two-Day passes are available at the gates for $20. Three-Day passes are available at the gates for $23. Block tickets can be obtained prior to the event for $75 for ten tickets. Call 804-741-8468 for details. Tickets can be purchased in advance by following the link on this site.

PARKING: Parking is available in the lot located on Rt. 622 across from the main Pedestrian Gate. Additional parking will be available on SATURDAY ONLY on Rt. 250 (Broad Street). Message boards will direct traffic to the parking lots. Parking is free.

FOOD:  Food is available on the grounds from more than a dozen food vendors.

THIS IS A FAMILY EVENT.  NO ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES ARE ALLOWED AT ANY TIME.

NOTE FOR VISITORS: Pets are allowed on the grounds ONLY ON LEASES. Pets must have all current shots and owners must clean up after them. If these rules are not adhered to, we must ask you to leave your pet at home. Be aware that there are large crowds on the showgrounds during show days. If you pet does not like to be in crowds, please leave them at home.  (We believe they meant to say leashes)

http://www.fielddayofthepast.net/index.html  Link to the site for more information on the event itself.

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Governor Bob McDonnell Announces New $31 Million Investment in Clean Water

English: The state seal of Virginia. Српски / Srpski: Застава америчке савезне државе Вирџиније. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Deposit to Water Quality Improvement Fund Result of Fourth Straight Surplus During McDonnell Administration

Total investment in Water Quality During Administration Exceeds $430 million

RICHMOND – Just prior to embarking on the first day of his “This Commonwealth of Opportunity” statewide tour, Governor Bob McDonnell announced this morning that a new deposit of over $31 million will be made to the Commonwealth’s Water Quality Improvement Fund (WQIF) as a portion of the most recent budget surplus, the fourth in the four years of the McDonnell administration.  The total amount that will be deposited to the WQIF during the Governor’s term is more than $218 million, with a cumulative investment in all water quality programs now reaching $430 million over the last three and a half years. The governor will announce Virginia’s total surplus amount and discuss the uses of the funds at his annual fiscal presentation to the Virginia General Assembly money committees on August 19^th.

            Speaking about the new funding for clean water, Governor Bob McDonnell stated, “Over the course of our administration, we have made a strong commitment to improving the health of Virginia’s waterways and the Chesapeake Bay.  Together with the General Assembly, we have invested hundreds of millions of dollars to this end and the citizens of Virginia are enjoying cleaner water as a result. Clean water and environmental conservation are crucial to a strong economy and robust private-sector job creation.”

            In addition to the deposit to the WQIF, the 2013 General Assembly supported the Governor’s $221 million water quality bond fund to improve wastewater treatment plants across the state, combined sewer overflows, a drinking water facility, and to fund a new urban stormwater investment program.  These monies are currently available for critically needed infrastructure improvements.

            “We commend and thank Governor McDonnell and the members of the General Assembly for their leadership and continued stewardship of our critical water resources.  The bond funding represents a huge victory for the James River and will help improve long-term water quality as well as the health of local streams and creeks,” said Bill Street, Chief Executive Officer of the James River Association. “The additional funds announced today will help even more.”

            The water quality bond fund includes $101 million to support projects in roughly 30 localities across the state for upgrades to wastewater treatment, and $35 million for a new stormwater grant program for localities.

            “Due to strategic investments and smart state policies, Virginia is shining brightly in the Chesapeake Bay cleanup,” according to Chris Pomeroy, who represents the Virginia Association of Municipal Wastewater Agencies and the Virginia Municipal Stormwater Association.  “Our local agency members will build on the significant achievements they have already made to clean wastewater to higher levels and remove more stormwater pollutants as a result of the Commonwealth investing $101 million in treatment plant upgrades this year and launching the Stormwater Local Assistance Fund with $35 million.”

            As part of the bond fund, the City of Richmond will receive $45 million and Lynchburg will receive $30 million for improvements to their Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) facilities.  The Hopewell Wastewater Treatment Authority will receive $5 million for upgrades to its waste water treatment plant and the Appomattox River Water Authority will receive $5 million for upgrades.

            “We are grateful to the Governor and the General Assembly for this investment in improvements for our combined sewer overflow,” Richmond Mayor Dwight Jones stated.  “This funding will help us complete the next phase of work and to continue to do our part to improve the health of the James River.”

            The Mayor of Lynchburg, Michael Gillette said, “The City of Lynchburg is extremely pleased to accept the $30 million grant from the Commonwealth and appreciates the support of the Governor and General Assembly.  It will fund up to half of the City’s revised Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) program.  This along with the City's contribution will greatly accelerate the completion of this important program ultimately leading to the achievement of water quality goals.”

            Deposits to the WQIF, the clean water bond, general fund appropriations, and deposits from the recordation tax will all add up to over $430 million in state support for clean water programs during the McDonnell administration.

            In addition to these significant monetary investments, there have been some major accomplishments in improving the overall health of the Bay during Governor McDonnell’s tenure. 

·         Approval of Virginia’s Phase I and II Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP) by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

·         Legislation passed removing phosphorus from usable fertilizer beginning December 31, 2013.

·         Exceeding the 2011 EPA Pollution reduction milestone goals for wastewater treatment plants by 2,000 percent which exceeds 2013 nitrogen reduction goals by more than 680,000 pounds.

·         Receiving the EPA’s “Biggest Loser Award” for reducing non-point source nitrogen pollution more than any other state in Region 3.

·         The highest blue crab population that Virginia has experienced in twenty years in 2012, along with a historic comeback of the oyster population, with the highest harvest numbers seen since 1989.

·         Legislation expanding the nutrient credit exchange program, a key tool in meeting and maintaining water quality in the Bay.

            “Virginia has been a leader in pollution reduction activities,” said Anthony Moore, Deputy Secretary of Natural Resources.  “We have won awards from EPA and are consistently exceeding pollution reduction goals set out in the Watershed Implementation Plan.”