Construction Begins for Amtrak Service to Roanoke

~ Northeast Regional service expanding in Virginia ~

RICHMOND –  Governor McAuliffe announced that the Commonwealth of Virginia, Amtrak, Norfolk Southern and the City of Roanoke are beginning the first phase of construction for the platform that will serve intercity passenger rail service to the Star City.

Amtrak service to the city will be an extension of the successful Northeast Regional train from Lynchburg and is anticipated to start in 2017. The service will provide a same-seat trip from Roanoke to Lynchburg, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia and cities as far north as Boston. 

“Bringing passenger rail service back to Roanoke will be an enormous economic driver for the region and the entire Commonwealth,” said Governor McAuliffe. “I look forward to working with the parties involved to get this project completed so that Virginia families and our economy can benefit from this expanded service as soon as possible.” 

It has been 34 years since intercity passenger rail service has served Roanoke.

“Construction is a major development in our efforts to bring Amtrak service to Roanoke,” said Jennifer Mitchell, Director of the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation.“This new service is an example of the significant expansion of the Commonwealth’s passenger rail service. I appreciate the commitment of Amtrak, Norfolk Southern and the City of Roanoke to make this new service a reality.”

Virginia continues its ongoing commitment to congestion mitigation by offering the public alternate transportation choices to driving on congested highway corridors like I-81, Route 29, I-95, and Route 460 while expanding mobility and increasing connectivity for travel throughout the regions served by and along the Northeast Corridor.

“There is high demand for passenger rail service in Virginia as demonstrated by considerable ridership growth throughout the Commonwealth,” said Jay McArthur, Amtrak Principal Officer, State Partnerships. “We have developed a strong partnership with the Commonwealth and look forward to Roanoke as another service expansion in Virginia’s successful rail program, providing passengers with a convenient and pleasant service to Washington and other Northeast Corridor destinations.”

Roanoke is the latest step for Virginia to lead the way as one of the few states in the country to successfully negotiate the addition of new intercity passenger rail service in major rail corridors, balancing freight and economic development needs with additional intercity passenger rail options.

“Norfolk Southern and DRPT have a track record of success in implementing passenger service in Virginia,” said James A. Hixon, Executive Vice President, Law and Corporate Relations, Norfolk Southern Corporation. “We have made investments in our network, here in Roanoke and across the state, to ensure that passenger service is done safely and efficiently.”

“Given our history as a railroad town, the return of passenger rail is very exciting for the citizens of Roanoke,” said Roanoke Mayor David A. Bowers. “We are thrilled to see this initiative move forward, and anticipate the time when passenger service will once again be available to those who want to make connections, both inside and outside The Star City.”

(Never mind improving highways or building better roads.  Never mind the high fuel prices.  Traffic is actually down yet congestion is up?  How does that work?)

Related articles

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• Governor McAuliffe Names Six Members to Commonwealth Transportation Board
• Governor McAuliffe Announces 75 New Jobs in Botetourt County
• Governor McAuliffe Announces 135 New Jobs for Northampton County
• Governor McAuliffe Announces 37 New Jobs in Charlotte County
• Governor McAuliffe Announces Eight 2015 Virginia Regional Teachers of the Year

A Possible Answer to Ebola?

English: Ozone therapy for dental application (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By Dr. Mercola

Ebola is heavily featured in the news these days, bringing lots of fear and concerns. Can anything be done to successfully treat or prevent this horrific and highly lethal disease?

Dr. Robert Rowen who is a leading expert on oxidative therapy, offers an intriguing answer in this interview. By invitation of the President of Sierra Leone, he’s going there to teach health care workers how to treat Ebola using ozone.

“I do ozone, ultraviolet blood irradiation therapy, and high-dose vitamin C,”he explains. “All of these collectively belong to a family of therapies called oxidative therapies.

In my opinion – and I’ve been doing them longer than any other living person in North America; since 1986 – especially ozone and ultraviolet [therapies] are among the most powerful therapies for healing across the board of anything I’ve ever seen in my career... It does so by stimulating your own body to heal.”

Ozone Effectively Inactivates Viruses

Ozone is quite versatile, as you can administer it in many different ways. It’s extraordinary in terms of its anti-infective and antiviral action, and it has virtually no toxicity, making it a prime candidate for both prevention and treatment.

Dr. Rowen’s YouTube channel1 contains a number of videos demonstrating and discussing what these therapies can do. With bacteria, ozone works by puncturing the membrane of the bacteria, causing it to spill its contents and die. It also inactivates viruses, and does so 10 times faster than chlorine.

“I’ve told my patients and readers, please know where your closest oxidative physician is, because your life might depend on it, and if you have the wherewithal, to get an [ozone] machine to purify water.

It can be easily adapted in the privacy of your home, so that you can administer it rectally for whatever condition you have,” Dr. Rowen says. 

Ozone—The Most Powerful Natural Oxidant in the World

Chlorine is being used overseas right now for Ebola to disinfect clothes and isolation suites, etc. But ozone actually disinfects 10 times faster than chlorine. It’s the most powerful natural oxidant in the world.

Ozone also has the advantage of stimulating the immune system, and modulating it—either up or down depending on what your system requires.

“Right now, we’re faced with probably one of the most horrific epidemics human kind has ever known. That’s a virus called Ebola that is transmitted by personal contact [through] bodily fluids and, actually, it may be also be airborne,” Dr. Rowen says.

“What I don’t know – and I’m trying to investigate – is how easily it is transmitted from person to person. I’m not sure that it’s easy to get, because if it was, everybody should be dead by now in many of the villages, and not everybody is dead.

On the other hand, we know that there are aid workers who have gotten the disease and died even though they were wearing full suits...

Anybody who works with Ebola are putting their lives on the line because there are no conventional therapies for this; none, except getting supportive care...”  

How Ozone Works to Combat Infectious Disease

As noted by Dr. Rowen, Ebola hijacks your immune system and suppresses it. Once your immune system realizes the virus is there, it launches a cytokine storm, and it is this cytokine storm that leads to massive tissue destruction and capillary leakage.

This is what causes the hemorrhaging associated with Ebola. Ozone modulates the cytokine storm.

It’s anti-infective. It improves circulation and blood flow, oxygen delivery, and likely upregulates mitochondrial respiration, thereby generating more energy in your cells. Oxygen is one of the most important things your body needs for tissue healing when you’re riddled with infection.

There’s an experimental, still unapproved treatment for Ebola called ZMapp. It offers passive immunity to the virus. This is not a vaccine but three monoclonal antibodies that have been humanized by genetic engineering and grown in tobacco plants. It’s very costly and time consuming to produce and it’s not yet commercially available.

ZMapp works with your body’s immune system, slowing down the viral load to give your body enough time to respond and not get killed by the cytokine storm. It’s not really a drug in the conventional sense, as it acts simply by slowing down the virus from reaching the cells.

This is similar to ozone’s action, but ozone could potentially be more effective, as it works both indirectly and directly. It’s directly toxic to the virus while being harmless to your body’s own cells, and also indirectly enhances your immune system function. Regarding potential safety concerns of ozone, Dr. Rowen says:

“Ozone is only hard on the lungs, but it can be given in other ways. It can be given intravenously. It can be given in the bladder, in the vagina, in the rectum, via injection – anywhere. It’s just [that] it can be tough on the lungs. You don’t want to be breathing it...

Also, the way ozone can be done is dirt cheap. And in a place like Africa, where there are thousands of people with this and there’s just no money, can you imagine what it will mean to the planet if we can treat this disease with a therapy that will cost probably less than 10 dollars per patient?”

Historical Use of Oxidation Therapy Has Proven Its Benefits

While in Sierra Leone, Dr. Rowen will use ozone on himself and his team every single day to prevent contracting the disease, and will continue the treatment for some time afterward.

“I have less fear about Ebola with [ozone therapy],” Dr. Rowen says.”I mean this and I’m speaking honestly. Yes, Ebola is a fearsome disease. But I know the power of ozone and oxidative therapies. I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t have absolute confidence that we’re going to dramatically cut the death rate.”

Oxidation therapy was actually discovered during the great influenza outbreak of 1918—a time when people were dying like flies across the world. A physician in India named Dr. Oliver was treating viral influenza—which has no treatment even today—and when he administered intravenous hydrogen peroxide, which costs a couple cents to do for materials, he cut the death rate by 50 percent.

“His comment at the end of his article published in The Lancet, a major medical journal, was, ‘This is more remarkable because we only treated the worst cases.’” Dr. Rowen says.

According to Dr. Rowen, ozone therapy is also very beneficial for heart disease, immune diseases, injuries, and chronic degenerative diseases such as osteoarthritis. As an example, Dr. Rowen has found that ozone is about 85 percent effective in knees and only slightly less effective in hips, when given as an injection.

“I’m actually injecting oxygen. One percent of it is ozone O3, 99 percent of it is oxgen O2. They’re getting a blast of oxygen and they’re getting ozone. There are two effects,” Dr. Rowen explains. “(1) They’re getting oxygen, the most important thing those cells need to heal and (2) they’re getting ozone. Ozone instantly modulates the inflammation. It knocks out the excessive nitric oxide that’s in the joint. It increases other chemical mediators that reduce inflammation.”

Other Oxidation Therapies

Aside from ozone, other oxidation therapies include hydrogen peroxide, intravenous vitamin C, and ultraviolet light. Dr. Rowen has done intravenous hydrogen peroxide since 1989, and it’s very inexpensive. One drawback is that it’s hard on your veins, and can actually make your veins disappear. Ozone doesn’t do that. Ultraviolet blood irradiation therapy is another excellent modality, although it’s not quite as versatile as ozone. You can find an article discussing ultraviolet blood irradiation therapy on Dr. Rowen’s website.2, 3

“[The article] is called ‘Ultraviolet Blood Irradiation Therapy: The Cure That Time Forgot’... [Ultraviolet blood irradiation therapy] was done widespread in this country until the ‘60s. And then when you could take a pill, it was wiped out. There are political reasons why it was wiped out, too. I know that for sure. But it’s still being done,” he says.

Then there is high-dose intravenous vitamin C. While vitamin C is an antioxidant, it also promotes the production of superoxide dismutase. Dr. Rowen explains how:

“[W]hen you give high-dose vitamin C intravenously, the ascorbic acid leaves the bloodstream and goes into the interstitial fluids where a series of reactions occur that incite a greater production of superoxide dismutase, which gets converted by the body into hydrogen peroxide. When you give intravenous vitamin C, you are actually giving hydrogen peroxide.”

Ozone Therapy for Cancer

Still, ozone therapy is a superior approach to all these other alternatives. Dr. Rowen has even used it for cancer, and while not a magic bullet, it has successfully reversed some cases of cancer, including metastatic cancer. It’s important to realize the outcome varies from individual to individual, and most are also implementing dietary and supplement protocols. He notes:

“There are articles out there where ozone therapy is recommended now by many people as a potential treatment for cancer. Why? Because tumors are hypoxic. Hypoxic means low oxygen. The research is showing that the more enrichment of oxygen you can get into the tumor, the better it’s going to behave. And ozone increases oxygenation of the body.

If you get more oxygen into the tumor, you’re going to get a better-behaved tumor aside from modulating your immune system. Hyperbaric oxygen is probably really valuable. But it’s expensive. It’s time-consuming. And in my experience – I’ve done both—I would take ozone any day over hyperbaric oxygen.

With cancer, we do a combination approach: Intravenous—either ultraviolet and/or ozone therapy. There was a monograph published 40 or 50 years ago by a man named Olney... He had listed several patients with cancer who were cured using ultraviolet blood irradiation therapy and cleaning themselves up – detoxifying with certain supplements.

We also do what’s called minor autohemotherapy. In that, you take a small amount of blood, about 5 or 6cc. You shake it up with ozone rather vigorously, and then reinject it [intramuscularly] almost like an autovaccine. I believe personally that that stimulates the immune system.

The third pillar of what I call ‘triple oxidation’ is giving a small amount of gas intravenously... intravenous oxygen. This therapy has been around in Europe for 60, 70, or 80 years... [I]t seems to stimulate other aspects of the immune system, particularly an enzyme called 15-lipoxygenase-1 (15-LOX-1). That enzyme... has very strong anti-cancer properties.”

Treatment Plan for African Ebola Patients

The treatment method Dr. Rowen will implement in Africa is using direct intravenous oxygen gas (99 percent oxygen, O2, and one percent ozone, O3)—a therapy pioneered by Dr. Howard Robin who will accompany Dr. Rowen on this trip. Again, this is NOT air. It’s a metabolically active gas that is absorbed by your body.

Ozone (O3) reacts immediately in your blood to stimulate a cascade of reactions creating something called ozonized biochemical molecules, which are highly metabolically active in the immune system and in blood circulation. As noted by Dr. Rowen, it’s “extraordinarily effective” and “dirt cheap to do.” Aside from the initial purchase of an oxygen tank and an ozone machine, the cost of treatment is limited to the price of one syringe per patient. Dr. Rowen explains the process as follows:

“You start slow with 20cc. [Dr. Robin] works up to a maximum of 120cc of gas. He gradually increases the concentration. Now, there are two issues: Initially, in the early stages of this treatment, you can get a cough and some chest tightness, which eventually with further treatments modulates and goes away. It doesn’t seem to be a big problem... [but] can be a little uncomfortable, because it takes about five to 10 minutes for it to go away.

The other problem that concerns me a little bit more is if you do this repeatedly over and over again, it can do to the vein what intravenous hydrogen peroxide does – it can make it go away. I have not seen that with major autohemotherapy, [in which you’re] taking the blood out, treating it with ozone, and putting it back in... But if you give ozone gas intravenously, yes, it’s going to act like hydrogen peroxide... Now, when you’re dealing with something like Ebola, I would be happy to sacrifice a couple of veins for a cheap, quick fix.”

Will Big Pharma Sacrifice Lives to Maintain Monopoly on Expensive Ebola Treatments?

If direct intravenous oxygen turns out to be successful, we can expect the government of Sierra Leone to announce to the world that it has a treatment for Ebola, as Dr. Rowen and his team are going there at the invitation of its President. That will make international news very quickly. On the other hand, there are commercial interests that stand to make billions, maybe trillions of dollars, on Ebola treatment drugs and/or vaccines, whether such drugs are effective or not. So it would be naïve to think that they will not make a sincere effort to suppress inexpensive oxidation therapies for the treatment of Ebola and other potential pandemic diseases...  

“Will it be suppressed? Probably yes,” Dr. Rowen says. “I’m not afraid to tell you that my biggest concern in this is that we will be in greater danger from those interests than we will be from the Ebola itself... But you know, it’s something that I have to do. All of us who are going, we’re being guided by something much higher. It’s something that I have to do no matter the risk, because the risk is far greater if we don’t do it.”

Indeed, perhaps the greatest risk of all is that the therapy will be unsuccessful for treating Ebola, and that the disease will keep spreading unchecked around the world. As noted by Dr. Rowen, the Ebola pathogen is unlike most other pathogens, and may not respond like other viruses.

“I can usually get rid of herpes zoster (shingles) in a couple of days with ozone therapy, and we can cure a lot of these other acute conditions. But Ebola is a pathogen unlike anything that we’ve ever seen before. I don’t know what’s going to happen when we do this. Maybe the patients are just so toxic that they’re going to be overcome by anything we do. I don’t know... If it doesn’t work, I don’t want to see ozone discredited for all the other miracles it does,” he says.

Why Ozone Therapy Stands a Good Chance of Working Against Ebola

Still, despite such cautious doubts, there are very positive indications suggesting oxygen therapy might be the answer the world needs right now to successfully respond to this situation. As mentioned earlier, ZMapp works by slowing down the virus, allowing your immune system more time to kill off the virus itself. Tests suggest ZMapp can be effective if given early enough, and ozone is orders of magnitude more effective at boosting immune function.

Moreover, ozone also inactivates viruses, which ZMapp does not do, which actually allows you to build immunity against the pathogen. “Since we’re neutralizing the virus, now you have viral particles that are still antigenic – not infectious but antigenic – that can stimulate your immune system, which in itself will make the antibodies,” Dr. Rowen explains.

Basically, that is an authentic “vaccine.” This is how you develop a natural immunity to the virus. I for one eagerly await Dr. Rowen’s results, and will hopefully have the opportunity to interview him again to learn about his first-hand experiences treating Ebola in Africa.

“I wouldn’t go and put myself at risk if I didn’t think that what I’m taking there to use to help these people wouldn’t also take care of myself,” Dr. Rowen says. “I’m really excited about it. I’m really hopeful that this is going to change the world... I pray about this every day. It’s my prayer that the result we get in Sierra Leone is going to change the disease-maintenance paradigm of the world. I call it ‘the sickness system.’ We need a paradigm shift.”

More Information

I strongly endorse Dr. Rowen’s recommendation to locate a clinician who can administer the oxidative therapies discussed here, because they really can be crucial—not just for virulent infectious diseases such as Ebola, but also for a wide array of other chronic diseases, from heart disease and degenerative joint disease to cancer.

To learn more about the general use of oxidative medicine, which include ozone therapy, ultraviolet blood irradiation therapy, and intravenous hydrogen peroxide therapy, please see my previous interview with Dr. Rowen. Again, of the various oxidative therapies available, ozone appears to be the best overall, as it’s the most versatile. It’s particularly beneficial for blood treatments, infection, and chronic fatigue.

Oxidative therapies work by stimulating your immune system, enhancing mitochondrial processes, and facilitating healing with virtually no side effects, and can be used either as treatment or prevention. They can also be used as a potent anti-aging health strategy for general wellness. I also encourage you to look at Dr. Rowen’s channel on YouTube,4 where you can find a number of examples of what oxidative therapies can be used for so that you can avail yourself of this relatively inexpensive and incredibly safe therapy.

To locate a clinician who can administer oxidative therapy you can try the following sources:

• Dr. Rowen’s website has a list of oxidation doctors, trained by Dr. Rowen and his team
• American College for Advancement in Medicine (ACAM.org)
• International College of Integrative Medicine (ICIMED.org)
• OxygenHealingTherapies.com also has a list of doctors trained in a variety of oxidation therapies
• American Academy of Ozonotherapy

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Governor McAuliffe Announces 69 New Jobs for Town of Pulaski

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

~James Hardie Building Products to invest $25 million to expand 

manufacturing operation ~ 

RICHMOND - Governor Terry McAuliffe announced that James Hardie Building Products Inc., an international manufacturer of fiber-cement siding for the construction industry, will invest $25 million to expand manufacturing capacity at its operation in the Town of Pulaski. Virginia successfully competed against Florida and Illinois for the project, which will create 69 new jobs.

Speaking about the announcement, Governor McAuliffe said, “James Hardie Building Products is an important employer and corporate partner to the Town of Pulaski and has thrived since the establishment of its manufacturing facility nearly 10 years ago. The company again chose Virginia due to our low cost of operations, robust workforce and strategic location with close proximity to suppliers and markets, and this project is a great testament to the Commonwealth’s competitiveness in the marketplace. This significant investment and expansion will enable James Hardie to add a new product line, increasing overall production and ensuring the operation’s future longevity in Pulaski.”

“Today we celebrate the continued growth and success of James Hardie Building Products’ manufacturing operation in the Town of Pulaski,” said Maurice Jones, Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade. “A quality, stable employer like James Hardie is a valuable asset in any community, and the addition of 69 new jobs is significant news for the region.”

James Hardie is the global leader in fiber cement technology. It invented fiber cement siding products in the early 1980s as a durable, lower-maintenance alternative to wood and vinyl. James Hardie products combine innovation and versatility to offer a variety of design possibilities, matched with specific performance attributes relative to the climate where the product is being used. Currently installed on more than 5.5 million homes in North America, James Hardie products have earned a favorable reputation within the industry and have been specified in some of the country’s most prestigious projects. For more information about James Hardie visit http://www.jameshardie.com.

"James Hardie is excited to grow its Pulaski manufacturing capacity to not only bring jobs to the area, but also increase U.S. production,” said Bob Grove, Human Resources Manager for James Hardie. "This expansion is an example of James Hardie’s commitment to serving the communities in which it is located, and meeting the ever-growing demand for innovative fiber cement products.”

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with the Town of Pulaski, Pulaski County, and the New River Valley Economic Development Alliance to help secure the project for Virginia. Governor McAuliffe approved a $250,000 grant from the Governor’s Opportunity Fund to assist Pulaski with the project. The Governor also approved a $200,000 performance-based grant from the Virginia Investment Partnership program, an incentive available to existing Virginia companies. The company is also eligible to participate in the Virginia Enterprise Zone Program, administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development. Funding and services to support the company’s employee training activities will be provided through the Virginia Jobs Investment Program.

“This announcement is wonderful news for our community,” noted Mayor Jeff Worrell. “We are very proud of the Pulaski facility, and it’s a tribute to its excellence that this significant investment is being made.”

"It is great to see the expansion of James Hardie, and we are pleased with the continued partnership with the Town of Pulaski in the initial location and the continued expansion of this plant,” said Joe Sheffey, Chair of the Pulaski County Board of Supervisors. “James Hardie has been a great corporate citizen, serving both the County and the Town with assistance on various projects, including substantial Hardie Board donation on community projects, and in rebuilding following the tornados. We commend James Hardie for their success in the market place and thank them for their decision to invest in their Pulaski, Virginia plant."