Showing posts with label McDonnell Aircraft. Show all posts
Showing posts with label McDonnell Aircraft. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Statement of Governor Bob McDonnell on the Retirement of Judge Larry Elder from the Court of Appeals of Virginia

Seal of Dinwiddie County, Virginia
Seal of Dinwiddie County, Virginia (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
RICHMOND - Governor Bob McDonnell issued the following statement regarding the retirement of Judge Larry G. Elder from the Court of Appeals of Virginia effectiveOctober 1, 2013:

“Judge Larry Elder’s life has been dedicated to serving the people of Virginia.  Judge Elder has served honorably on the Court of Appeals of Virginia since 1991, and he previously served as a Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court judge for over five years.  Prior to taking the bench, he served as Commonwealth’s Attorney and County Attorney for Dinwiddie County

“During his twenty-seven years on the bench, Judge Elder developed a reputation as a fair and knowledgeable jurist.  He exemplifies the best that Virginia has to offer—a heart for public service, a desire for justice, and a great love for the people and laws of the Commonwealth.  He will be missed on the Court of Appeals, and I wish him the best in his retirement.

“Given that the fall term of the Court of Appeals has already begun, I plan to fill this vacancy in short order.”

Due to the necessity of filling this vacancy, the Office of the Governor will accept applications until Monday, September 16th.  The Governor and his staff will then evaluate the applications, conduct the appropriate interviews, and make the appointment no later than October 1, 2013.  The application and information is available atwww.governor.virginia.gov/vacancies.cfm.
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NASA Successfully Launches the LADEE Mission to the Moon from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport in Virginia

English: LADEE lunar orbiter Deutsch: LADEE Mo...
English: LADEE lunar orbiter Deutsch: LADEE Mondorbiter (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
RICHMOND - Governor McDonnell tonight congratulated NASA and Orbital Sciences Corporation on the launch of the LADEE Mission to the Moon from Virginia’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) at Wallops Island.  The launch took place on September 6, 2013, from MARS Pad 0B, on the first Minotaur V launch vehicle built by Orbital Sciences, a northern Virginia corporation.  LADEE (Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer) is a robotic mission that will orbit the Moon to gather detailed information about the lunar atmosphere, conditions near the surface, and environmental influences on lunar dust. A thorough understanding of these characteristics will address long-standing unknowns and help scientists understand other planetary bodies as well.

            “Tonight the nation witnessed a tremendous event at Wallops Island,” said Governor McDonnell. “Virginia is honored to have played a role in this historic achievement and I commend the Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority (VCSFA), Orbital Sciences Corporation, and MARS for their efforts. The Commonwealth stands ready to continue its support of future missions.”

            Virginia Secretary of Transportation Sean T. Connaughton said, “Virginia strongly supports the aerospace industry and is very proud to have launched this historic mission to the Moon for the nation.”

            Dale Nash, Executive Director of the Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority (VCSFA), which owns and operates MARS, commented from the Range Control Center (RCC) at Wallops, “We are very proud to be part of the LADEE team, and I am pleased with the exceptional performance of the MARS personnel and facilities in supporting the first lunar mission launched from Virginia.”

            The LADEE spacecraft has a modular common spacecraft bus, or body.  This is an innovative way of transitioning away from custom designs to multi-use designs and assembly-line type production, which aims to dramatically reduce the cost of spacecraft development.  The LADEE Mission is the 24th overall launch of the Minotaur family of vehicles and the fifth Minotaur launch from MARS. The Minotaur V will boost the LADEE Spacecraft into a highly elliptical orbit of 200 km x 278,000 km around the Earth.  Over the next 23 days, as LADEE orbits Earth 3.5 times, the Moon's gravitational field will increase the perigee of its orbit.  The spacecraft will fire its on-board thrusters to alter its trajectory to allow it to enter orbit around the Moon.  The spacecraft is designed to conduct a 100-day mission to measure lunar dust and examine the lunar atmosphere from an orbit of 50 km above the surface of the Moon.

            Virginia plays a key role in National security, as one of only four states in the United States that is licensed by the FAA to launch to orbit.  Virginia will continue to strongly support the aerospace industry throughout the Commonwealth.  The next scheduled launch from MARS is on September 17, 2013 at 11:16 AM EDT for Orbital Sciences’ Antares COTS Demo Mission, which is scheduled to deliver their Cygnus spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS) for critical cargo delivery.
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Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Governor McDonnell Announces Winners of Governor’s Bowl Food and Fund Drive

65 Liberty Street
65 Liberty Street (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Competition raised equivalent of more than 1.1 million pounds of food in two years since launch

Governor's Bowl
RICHMOND – Governor McDonnell today announced the winners of the second annual “Governor’s Bowl Food and Fund Drive.”  The governor called each winning Chamber of Commerce and winning state agency this morning to express his gratitude personally. More than 100 Chambers across the Commonwealth and over 60 state government agencies participated in the five week competition that began on Memorial Day and ended on Independence Day. The 2013 competition raised the equivalent of over 400,000 pounds of food to benefit over one million individuals served by Virginia food banks. The summer season includes critical months when pressure on food bank resources is high and shelves need replenishing.

            Over 1.1 million pounds of food were raised in just two years of the Governor’s Bowl competition. The 2013 Governor’s Bowl public-private partnership supports the mission of the Virginia food banks that serve over one million individuals each year.

            Both chambers and state agencies were organized by size with small, medium, and large entities competing with their peer groups. The Greater Augusta Regional Chamber is the 2013 overall winner with the equivalent of over 115,000 pounds raised. All of the 2012 winners were repeat Governor’s Bowl champions. Back-to-back Chamber winners are Buchanan County, Greater Augusta, and Greater Richmond. The Virginia Board of Accountancy also defended its title in 2013.

            Speaking about today’s announcement, Governor McDonnell said, “Earlier this summer I renewed my challenge to Virginia’s business community and state agencies to compete in good fun for a worthwhile cause. We could not do it without our partners at each Virginia Chamber of Commerce, the Federation of Food Banks, and our teams of state employees.  And, I have to say, I’m very pleased to see that the coordinated and focused effort of our summer fellows led to the Office of the Governor winning one of these great awards!”

            Lisa M. Hicks-Thomas, Secretary of Administration, said, “As always, our Virginia communities responded with passion and purpose to lift up those in need. I am grateful for the hard work, service, and commitment Virginians exude each day, and am particularly proud of the thousands of state employees who demonstrate their generosity year after year.”

Leslie Van Horn, Executive Director of the Federation of Virginia Food Banks said, “Our heartfelt thanks to the  Chambers and state government agencies that supported their local food banks during this summertime competition  for truly making a difference in the lives of so many in need.”

Barry DuVal, President & CEO of the Virginia Chamber of Commerce, said “On behalf of the Virginia Chamber of Commerce and our 15,000 member businesses I would like to thank the Governor and his staff for their commitment to ensuring that the shelves of Virginia’s Food Banks are stocked during the summer months. We are thrilled to see such a great response from Virginia’s business community to the Governor’s challenge and would like to thank all of the local chambers that participated in this year’s competition.  I especially applaud the Buchanan County Chamber of Commerce, the Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Augusta Regional Chamber of Commerce, and the Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce, and all the state agency winners for raising the most food in their respective categories for their regional food banks.”

            The Office of the Governor also earned an award this year for most total pounds for a small agency. The Governor’s Fellows Class of 2013 led the executive staff and Cabinet in its efforts to drive greater donations this year. The Class consisted of 16 talented future leaders from Virginia’s colleges and universities who designed an intra-office competition including bake sales, canned food drives, and special prizes to increase participation. The Fellows Class also led by example, spending their personal time volunteering as a group at FeedMore in Richmond. Special thanks go to our partners in the Department of Planning and Budget for their participation and assistance. 

The 2013 winners are:

Chambers

Buchanan County Chamber of Commerce (small)                            
·         18,995 pounds, exceeding its winning 2012 total of 17,694 pounds, benefiting Feeding America Southwest Virginia

Greater Augusta Regional Chamber of Commerce (medium)    
·         115,529 pounds, exceeding its winning 2012 total of 105,315 pounds. benefiting the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank               

Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce (large)                           
·         17, 296 pounds benefiting FeedMore, Inc. (aka Central Virginia Food Bank)

Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce (large)
·         17 pounds per person

State Agencies

Office of the Governor (small)
·         9, 096 total pounds

Virginia Board of Accountancy (small)                                                                   
·         337 pounds per person

Department of Motor Vehicles (medium)
·         28,560 total pounds

Department of Environmental Quality (medium)
·         21 pounds per person

Department of Corrections (large)
·         19, 698 total pounds and 1.71 pounds per person
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Friday, August 30, 2013

Governor McDonnell Orders Full Inventory of All Existing Virginia School Buildings and Facilities

English: Governor of Virginia at CPAC in .
English: Governor of Virginia at CPAC in . (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Directs Secretary of Education to Conclude Report by November 1st
Results Will Determine How Changes to Federal Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit Could Benefit Commonwealth; Will Help Virginia Leaders Advocate for Change to Law to Improve Virginia’s Aging School Buildings

RICHMOND- Governor Bob McDonnell has directed Virginia Secretary of Education Laura Fornash to put together a comprehensive inventory of all existing Virginia public school buildings, including those not currently being used for instruction. The governor has asked for the report in order to gain a more accurate picture of the current state of the Commonwealth’s educational infrastructure, and to demonstrate how a change to the Federal Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit, to allow for its use in the renovation of older school buildings for continued service as public educational facilities, could benefit the Commonwealth specifically, and the nation in general.

In the letter the governor writes, “Earlier this week, I met with Mr. Goldman and his team to discuss this matter in greater detail.  We agreed that the elimination of the “prior use” rule to allow private investors to utilize the Federal Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit in the process of renovating aging school buildings for future use in the same capacity, would have a positive impact on Virginia’s students, teachers and parents in communities all across the state. We also agreed that we must continue to work to press federal lawmakers to make this change. In that effort, specific, concrete facts about the true impact of such a change would be extremely beneficial to our federal representatives as they lead this effort.

Therefore, today I am asking you to lead the Department of Education in a review of all existing school buildings, including buildings not currently being utilized, and create a detailed inventory of all building facilities owned or operated for public elementary and secondary education.  The report should include the age, location and current use of each facility and be compiled and submitted to me no later thanNovember 1, 2013.”

The full letter is available here. Results of the review will be made public immediately upon completion.
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Monday, August 26, 2013

Governor McDonnell Announces Board Appointments

English: Governor of Virginia at CPAC in .
English: Governor of Virginia at CPAC in . (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
RICHMOND - Governor Bob McDonnell today announced appointments to the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia and the State Board of Community Colleges.  He also announced appointments to six other Virginia boards and commissions. Further announcements regarding additional appointments in the McDonnell administration will continue to be made in the months ahead.


Board for Barbers and Cosmetology
·         Margaret B. LaPierre of Richmond, Licensed Master Esthetician and Holistic Health Practitioner with Skin Therapy of Virginia

·         Claude G. Perkins, Ph.D of Richmond, President of Virginia Union University
·         Dr. Monroe E. Harris, Jr. of Richmond, Oral Surgeon at Virginia Oral and Facial Surgery

Broadband Advisory Council
·         R. Bryan David* of Lynchburg, Executive Director of the Region 2000 Partnership Economic Development Council    
·         Tyrone W. Franklin of Surry, Surry County Administrator 
·         Ray Lamura* of Richmond, President of the Virginia Cable Telecommunications Association 
·         Gary P. Schwartz* of Locust Grove, Director of Technology for the Rappahannock Electric Cooperative
·         Duront Walton* of Richmond, Executive Director of the Virginia Telecommunications Industry Association   

Citizen’s Advisory Council on Furnishing and Interpreting the Executive Mansion
·         Harry Davis* of Richmond, Author
·         Clay D. Hamner* of Richmond, Owner of Lythos Studios
·         Mark W. Herndon of Richmond, Owner of Buckhead’s
·         Lauranett L. Lee* of Richmond, Historian and Curator of the Virginia Historical Society
·         Ashley H. Peace* of Mechanicsville, Commercial Real Estate Analyst with MGMiller Valuations, Inc.
·         Daphne Reid* of Petersburg
·         Mary Miley Theobald of Richmond, Historian and Freelance Writer
·         Steve Wood* of McLean, Vice President, Program Manager at Citigroup

Commonwealth Transportation Board
·         The Honorable William H. Fralin, Jr. of Roanoke, President and Chief Executive Officer of Medical Facilities of America

State Council of Higher Education for Virginia
·         Dr. Pamela R. Moran of Keswick, Superintendent of Albemarle County Public Schools
·         Dr. Carlyle Ramsey of Alton, President Emeritus of Danville Community College

State Board of Community Colleges
·         Darren Conner of Callands, President of Southeast for Dewberry
·         James Cuthbertson of Glen Allen, retired healthcare executive
·         Idalia Fernandez* of Centreville Director at Community Wealth Partners & President of Yaya Speaks, LLC
·         Benita Thompson Byas of Potomac Falls, Senior Vice President of Joint Ventures and Vice Chair for Thompson Hospitality

Virginia Aviation Board
·         William E. Coburn of Carrollton, Systems Analyst with Northrop Grumman
·         Charles M. “Charlie” Quillin, Ed.D. of Abingdon

*Denotes re-appointment
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Monday, August 19, 2013

Gloucester Virginia Crime Reports; Sheriff's Reports

In the 15100 block of George Washington Memorial Highway

A single-vehicle accident on Aug. 4 resulted in the issuance of two summons to Nicholas Fleming Clay, 19, of Clarksville, Md., for underage possession of alcohol and reckless driving.

In the 14700 block of George Washington Memorial Highway

A resident reported a breaking and entering on Aug. 4 between 7 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. There were no signs of forced entry and no items were reported as stolen or damaged. Entry was made through an unlocked door.

In the 3300 block of Woodside Street

A Hayes resident reported on Aug. 4 damaged property that occurred sometime over the past day. The victim reported that sugar was put into the gas tank of his vehicle.

In the 3000 block of Ross Drive

Deputies arrested on Aug. 4 Ronald Wayne Lynch, 51, of Ross Drive in Gloucester, on a charge of public intoxication in the area of Abingdon Mobile Home Park.

In the 6800 block of Waltons Lane

Deputies were called on Aug. 6 to a shoplifting at Walmart. A man and woman were observed by a loss-prevention employee removing clothing items valued at less than $200 and concealing the items in the woman's purse before passing all points of sale. The man and woman were located near the scene and additional items stolen from Ollie's with a value less than $200 were discovered. The property was returned and summons for petit larceny were issued to Darrell Wayne Taylor, 27, of Freewelcome Lane in Gloucester and Kathryn Casey Lerma, 21, of New Point Comfort Road in Port Haywood.

In the 6100 block of Shady Lane

A resident reported on Aug. 6 the larceny from a truck parked at a residence that occurred at approximately 5:30 p.m. A man was observed removing tool items with a value less than $200 from the bed of a pickup and leaving. A summons was issued to William Colby Jackson, 19, of Shady Lane in Gloucester.

In the 7600 block of Foster Road

A resident reported the larceny from a garage that occurred sometime since July 28 when the home owner was out of the area. A Cub Cadet lawn mower, trimmer and Yamaha four-wheeler were taken with a value exceeding $200. There were no signs of forced entry.

In the 6800 block of Waltons Lane

A shoplifting was reported Aug. 7 at Walmart when an employee saw a woman placing craft and cosmetic items inside here purse and passing all points of sale. The items, valued at less than $200, were recovered and returned. A summons for petit larceny was issued to Tianna Jean Marble, 26, of Lord Carrington Drive in Gloucester.




In the 7300 block of John Clayton Memorial Highway

A two-vehicle accident on Aug. 3 at 5:54 p.m. resulted in the arrest of Joshua Lee Davidson, 32, of Grove Court in Gloucester, on charges of driving while intoxicated, first offense, possession of schedule I & II controlled substances, possession of marijuana, first offense, and possession of a schedule IV controlled substance.

In the 4200 block of Hickory Fork Road

A resident reported on Aug. 3 the larceny from a residence that occurred at approximately the beginning of July. There were no signs of forced entry. A range finder and knife set were reported as stolen with a value exceeding $200. It's unknown why there was a delay in reporting the larceny.
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