State Agencies Respond to Ongoing Winter Storm

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Virginians urged to stay home due to hazardous road conditions

RICHMOND, Va. – During the latest winter storm to affect the Commonwealth, the Virginia Emergency Operations Center, the Virginia Department of Transportation and other state agencies continue to assist Virginians by processing requests from local governments and matching them with the appropriate state agencies and utilities for response.

“This major winter storm has brought six to 18 inches of wet snow across Virginia, and the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, the Virginia Department of Transportation and many other agencies and private sector partners are doing great work to continue to respond and make sure people are safe” said Governor McAuliffe. “We expect this storm to continue to bring a mixture of snow, sleet and freezing rain throughout the evening, and ask we Virginians to keep themselves safe and assist our storm responders by refraining from any unnecessary travel. Many of our roads remain difficult to pass as snow and ice continue to fall, and refraining from traveling helps speed up road clearing operations.”

While most roads are open, more than 950 are in moderate to severe condition, which means they are mostly or partially covered with snow and/or ice.  People should call 511 or go towww.511Virginia.org before traveling.

Throughout the state, there are 1,400 customers without power.  Most power outages are due to fallen tree limbs. 

Here’s a list of current state agency storm response efforts and how they are assisting Virginians:

·         Virginia Department of Transportation crews are conducting road clearing operations, and their goal is to have all state-maintained roads passable within 48 hours after a winter storm ends so that people can travel safely.  For example, a VDOT crew member and plow responded to the scene of a Spotsylvania County ambulance stuck in a ditch on Salem Station Boulevard in Spotsylvania County.  The ambulance was on its way to an emergency.  The VDOT plow cleared a path for the ambulance to drive on, while county fire and rescue personnel were able to tow the ambulance from the ditch. VDOT has deployed more than 12,300 pieces of equipment including trucks and plows.

·         More than 200 Virginia National Guard personnel are staged strategically across Virginia to support state and local emergency response.  An additional 50 soldiers, airmen and members of the Virginia Defense Force are on duty to provide mission command, administrative and sustainment support for units in the field.  Virginia Guard is staged at readiness centers along the Interstate 81 corridor, in the central Virginia area along Route 29 and Interstates 64 and 95, and areas of Northern Virginia to be ready to support possible response missions. 

·         The Virginia State Police continue to respond to traffic crashes and disabled vehicles resulting from the storm and hazardous road conditions.  All available troopers have worked extended shifts throughout the night and Thursday to help people by responding, investigating and clearing crashes.  VSP has responded to at least 1,000 traffic crashes and more than 900 disabled vehicles across the Commonwealth since 4 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 12.  The majority of crashes involved damage to vehicles and no injuries to people. 

There are a number of potentially life-saving actions that people can take, including:

·         Charge your mobile devices so you can continue to hear information from official sources if the power goes out.

·         Have emergency supplies in your vehicle.  If you are stranded you will need water, food, blankets, a flashlight and extra batteries at a minimum. 

·         Have a battery powered and/or hand-crank radio and extra batteries for emergency information.  Listen to local weather forecasts and instructions from local officials.

·         Avoid overexertion while shoveling snow and cleaning up from the storm, no matter your age or physical condition.  Shoveling snow or pushing a car can bring on a heart attack or make other medical conditions worse.

·         If you need help for an elderly or disabled person during the storm, need information on warming shelters, or are concerned about an unsheltered individual or family, call 211 or visitwww.211virginia.org.  When you call 211, a trained professional will suggest sources of help using one of the largest databases of health and human services in your community and statewide.

·         Get winter weather preparedness information at www.ReadyVirginia.gov and download the new Ready Virginia app for iPhones and Android devices.

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Governor Announces Mid-Session Revenue Reduction of $140 Million

Terry McAuliffe (Photo credit: mou-ikkai)

Governor Announces Mid-Session Revenue Reduction of $140 Million

Due to Weak January and Year-To-Date Revenue Collections;

Offers Budget Actions to Cover Reduced Revenue Growth

RICHMOND- Today, Governor Terry McAuliffe briefed House and Senate budget committee leaders on the preliminary mid-session revenue reforecast numbers. This review involves an analysis of two elements: updated economic information and actual revenue collections for the first seven months of the current fiscal year, which started July 1, 2013. The Governor offered several budget solutions to cover the reduced revenue growth that was projected.

“Although our underlying economic forecast has not changed, it is clear that the current revenue receipts warrant caution,” said Governor McAuliffe. “In order to remain prudent, we must adjust our revenue estimates downward, which will help reduce future risks. After consulting with my economic team, it is my recommendation that we reduce the general fund revenue estimates for fiscal year 2014 by $125 million and the general fund revenue estimate for fiscal year 2015 by $15 million.” 

Total general fund revenue collections fell 5.9 percent in January with declines in all major sources except corporate income tax. On a year-to-date basis, total revenue collections fell 0.5 percent through January, lagging the annual forecast of 1.7 percent growth.  Total revenues are tracking behind the forecast due to declines in individual withholding, and non-withholding, and recordation taxes. In January, receipts for individual non-withholding declined by 25.3 percent and withholding (the State’s largest general fund revenue source) declined by 1.9 percent.  Recordation tax collections declined by 33.3 percent in January. 

These results are important as January is a significant month for revenue collections from individual estimated payments, sales taxes on December sales and corporate income taxes from large retailers. This combined with an analysis of the underlying economic fundamentals in the economy and revenue models forms the basis for the annual mid-session revenue reforecast presented to the 2014 General Assembly. Since December 16, the economic fundamentals on which the December forecast is based have not changed and continue to point to modest economic growth.

However, through January, fiscal-year-to-date revenue collections have declined by 0.5%  -- or 2.2% below the annual December estimate of a 1.7% increase.  The revenue sources that have underperformed the most have been individual non-withholding and the corporate income taxes  – both very volatile sources of revenue.  Given the performance to date in all sources, combined with the difficulty in forecasting individual non-withholding receipts in April and May, the Governor is recommending that the prudent step is to reduce the December forecast by $125.0 million in FY 2014 and $15.0 million in FY 2015.  General fund revenues are now expected to increase 1.0 percent in FY 2014 as compared to the 1.7 percent increase in the December forecast.

Given the timing of this mid-session reforecast, which occurs just in advance of the House and Senate money committees reporting out their respective versions of the budget on Sunday, the Governor further offered select budgetary actions to address the change in revenues. 

“It is my sincere hope that these budget actions will help the House and Senate in their respective budget deliberations in light of the timing of the lower revenue forecast I am recommending today,” said Governor McAuliffe.

There were eight budget adjustments that Governor McAuliffe proposed to address the lower revenue projections (see attachment).  None of these adjustments impact core services or entitlements. 

These adjustments include:

o   The elimination of the FY 2016 estimated payment to the revenue stabilization fund,

o   Use of additional Lottery revenues,

o   Capturing uncommitted balances across the budget, and

o   Reducing the unappropriated balance from $51 million to $11 million. 

BACKGROUND

The FY 2016 payment into the revenue stabilization fund is based upon revenue growth in FY 2014. Since the majority of the revenue decline, $125 million, is applied to FY 2014, the entire required deposit of $59.9 million in FY 2016 is eliminated and no longer needed.

While general fund revenues are being adjusted downward in FY 2014, Lottery revenues are expected to exceed the previous forecast by $15.5 million.  The Chairman of the Lottery Board notified the Governor in writing this week that due to low prize payouts and significant sales through the first half of the fiscal year, largely associated with a very high Mega-millions jackpot, the net proceeds available for public education are projected to increase by $15.5 million. This additional Lottery revenue can be used to offset general fund expenses in public education with no reduction in services.

In addition to the excess lottery balances, the Governor has also identified balances in the Literary Fund that may be used to offset general fund teacher retirement costs, balances from unclaimed accounts previously held by a former state agency that may now be deposited to the general fund, and appropriation balances in other programs that are not going to be needed. 

The other program balances that will not be needed and whose appropriations can now be reverted or deposited to the general fund including the Federal Action Contingency Trust (FACT) fund, some economic development fund balances, and some pilot education program balances.

Finally, the remainder of the gap will be closed by reducing the unappropriated balance by approximately $40 million, from $51 million as it was in the introduced budget to $11 million.  The large unappropriated balance was intended to offset potential revenue losses so this adjustment is in line with its intended purpose.

January 2014 revenue letter, State of Virginia from Chuck Thompson

January 2014 revenue data, State of Virginia from Chuck Thompson

The above PDF's are the attachments that were included with the original source of the story at the Governor's office.

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Governor McAuliffe Announces Virginia Adopts National Cybersecurity Framework

. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Commonwealth is first to use new framework as part of efforts to reduce cybersecurity risks to critical infrastructure

RICHMOND - Governor Terry McAuliffe announced today that the Commonwealth of Virginia will adopt the new National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) framework into the existing Commonwealth risk framework to help identify and communicate cybersecurity risks.

NIST today announced the framework, and Virginia immediately adopted it into existing cybersecurity efforts.

“Adding this framework to the existing efforts led by the Secretary of Technology, Chief Information Officer, Chief Information Security Officer and the Virginia Information Technologies Agency will strengthen the Commonwealth’s ability to fight cyber crime and further enhance Virginia’s position as a leader in cybersecurity,” Governor McAuliffe said. “Virginia has an award-winning cybersecurity program in place, but must continue to advance our ability to keep our families and businesses safe and make the Commonwealth the national hub for the cybersecurity industry and the jobs that come with it.”

The new framework will help to enhance the systematic process for identifying, assessing, prioritizing and communicating cybersecurity risks; efforts to address risks; and, steps needed to reduce risks as part of the state’s broader priorities.

NIST coordinated the development of the framework with a broad array of stakeholders from the public and private sectors as a result of a federal executive order to develop a way to address cybersecurity risks to critical infrastructure. Input was provided by public and private infrastructure owners and operators, industry leaders and other stakeholders in workshops, meetings, webinars and other information sessions over the past year.

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Governor McAuliffe Applauds House Passage of SOL Reform Legislation

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Governor Terry McAuliffe and Secretary of Education Anne Holton released the following statement today applauding the unanimous passage of House Bill 930, which would reform the Standards of Learning (SOLs) by reducing the number of tests to focus students and teachers on key areas in each grade level and establishing a process to review remaining SOL assessments in order to maximize their effectiveness:

“I am pleased that the House of Delegates has acted in a bipartisan fashion to pass this bill, which represents a meaningful step toward reforming the Standards of Learning to continue to evaluate students and teachers, without stifling innovation and creativity in the classroom.

“This legislation was the product of the leadership of Delegates Tag Greason and Rob Krupicka, who worked alongside Secretary of Education Anne Holton and my policy team to craft a bill that will allow the Commonwealth to track student performance while better freeing teachers to teach and students to learn. As the legislation moves to the Senate, my team and I will continue to engage actively with the process to bring legislation to my desk to reform the SOLs and strengthen Virginia’s ability to prepare our students to lead in the 21^st Century economy.”  

Secretary Holton added:

“I want to thank Delegates Greason and Krupicka and their colleagues in the House for working so closely with Governor McAuliffe’s team to get this important legislation passed. This bill will improve the quality of the instruction Virginia students receive in the classroom, and should serve as an example of what we can achieve when we work together in a bipartisan way.”

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Governor McAuliffe Virginia’s Rise to Third in Nation on Advanced Placement Tests

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African-American and Latino Students Narrow AP ‘Equity Gaps’

Governor Terry McAuliffe announced today that Virginia again boasts the nation’s third-highest percentage of public high school seniors qualifying for college credit on Advanced Placement (AP) examinations, according to the College Board’s 2014 AP Report to the Nation. Virginia students ranked fifth in last year’s report — despite an increase in AP achievement — after holding the number-three spot for five consecutive years.

According to the College Board, 28.3 percent of Virginia’s 2013 graduating seniors earned a grade of three or higher on at least one AP examination, compared with 27.2 percent in 2012 and 16.5 percent in 2003. Only two states — Maryland at 29.6 percent and Connecticut at 28.8 percent — had higher percentages of seniors earning qualifying scores.

Speaking about the report, Governor McAuliffe stated, “Growing and diversifying Virginia’s economy is my top priority, and that begins with a world-class education system. This report shows that Virginia is a national leader in preparing our students for college or to join the workforce in a high demand field. I am proud of the progress Virginia schools, students and teachers have made expanding advanced placement and improving scores, but we’ve still got work to do to ensure that every child has access to a world class education in a Virginia public school.”

Secretary of Education Anne Holton continued, “Every year, more of our high school students accept the challenge of these college-level courses and assessments and gain critical knowledge that will prepare them for higher education and the workforce. What this study says is that Virginia students have built a strong foundation for advanced learning and that they have teachers and principals who encourage them to reach higher.”

The 2014 AP Report to the Nation also cited Virginia’s progress in narrowing "equity gaps" for African-American and Latino students. An equity gap describes the difference between a subgroup’s participation or achievement in AP testing and the percentage of overall enrollment represented by the subgroup.

The number of African-American seniors graduating from high school having taken at least one AP examination has more than doubled in ten years. In 2013, 4,753 African-American students participated in AP testing, compared with 1,682 in 2003. During the same period, the percentage of African-American graduates earning at least one qualifying AP score rose 2.5 points, to 7.7 percent in 2013, compared with 5.2 percent in 2003.

The number of Latino Virginia graduates who took at least one AP examination has more than tripled since 2003. In 2013, 2,867 of Virginia’s Latino graduates took at least one AP test, compared with 920 of Latino graduates in 2003. During the same period, the percentage of Latino graduates earning at least one score of three or higher rose 2.6 points, to 7.8 percent, in 2013, compared with 5.2 percent in 2003.

Overall, 34,901 of Virginia’s 2013 graduates took at least one AP examination during their high school careers. Of these students, 22,426 earned at least one score of three or higher.

Virginia students may substitute AP examinations for end-of-course SOL tests in corresponding subject areas. Enrollment in AP courses is among the criteria for recognition under the Virginia Index of Performance awards program created by the Board of Education to encourage advanced learning and achievement. Virginia also promotes AP participation through the Early College Scholars initiative and the Virtual Virginia online-learning program, and uses federal grant money to subsidize test fees for low-income students.

Six Virginia school divisions were recognized by the College Board as honor roll districts for raising achievement on AP examinations while increasing access to the courses. The divisions making the College Board's 2014 AP Honor Roll are as follows:

·         Falls Church
·         Henrico County
·         King George County
·         Manassas Park
·         Montgomery County
·         Virginia Beach

The College Board also recognized the Catholic Diocese of Richmond as an honor roll district.

The most popular AP course among Virginia’s 2013 graduating seniors was US History, followed by English Language and Composition, US Government and Politics, English Literature and Composition, Psychology, World History, Calculus AB, Biology, Statistics and Environmental Science.

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Sounds That Heal? 528 Hz Frequencies, Free Sleepwalker Soundtrack In 528 Hz

English: A diagram showing four sinusoids of frequencies 1200, 1400, 1600 and 1800 hertz (green, purple, orange and red). Also shown is the summed signal (black) and the sinusoid with the same period as the beat frequency (f 0 , 200 Hz). Above is the spectrum of the signals. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Recently we came across information on what is called healing sounds.  It's referred to as the 528 Hz frequency.  We have been looking at a lot of information surrounding this so called new science and technology and though we had to dig through a lot of hype, we are finding that there seems to be some justification to the claims, though not to the level that claims are made.

  We were first asked to take a look and evaluate the below video and start our research there.

Okay.  The above information is interesting but leaves a lot of questions on the table.  From our research, the radio show is rather old and when we dug further, the full story behind the phenomena wasn't very credible or convincing.  528 Hz is said to come from a Bible revelation and secret code from the book of Numbers.  The code was said to be some lost ancient mathematical code that was part of a revelation that some doctor had.  Here is the real deal on that so called lost mathematical code.  They used numerology and called that the ancient and lost mathematical code to finding this new frequency which is ancient.  We are not joking about that.  Numerology is embedded in the Bible according to these folks.  It may be, we don't know.  We will leave that argument up to others.

  From what we gather on the above sound recording on the video, it's really nothing more than an octave scale change.  One argument that seems rather justified that we found in all our hours of research so far is that modern western cultural music is pitched at an octave that does create a certain amount of disharmony.  In other words, if you have ever felt bad after listening to hours of music you really enjoy, it's based on the frequency of the recordings.

  To date we have spent hours listening to modern rock music that has been converted to the new frequency of 528 and we do not feel bad after listening to the music all day.  But then again, we are still in the early stages of our own tests.  With some of the songs we are very familiar with, we have found that the beats per minute have been increased from their original recordings, so we have some questions about that.

  To check this out for yourself, we are putting in a link to a site that has numerous genres of music and a talk radio that is all produced in the 528 Hz format.  The link is just below and is to 528 Records.com.

http://www.528records.com/radio/main_station

Here is a video that is said to be recorded in the 528 Hz frequency that is designed to help you sleep better.  The problem is that it's only available online for this length of time of just over 3 and a half hours.  So it's only good for partial sleep if you can stream it for that length of time.  We made arrangements to test this during sleep.  We can't say either way at the moment if this is better than other relaxing music or sounds designed for such a purpose.  We are testing a number of tunes and frequencies to see what may be considered best if any.

  On some early test results we have found that certain music is beneficial to sleep and we woke up more refreshed than without it.  It was not in the 528 Hz frequency mode however.  We also were able to remember our dreams more vividly and the dreams were in color which is unusual as I am a male and we normally dream primarily in black and white as opposed to color for females.  This could also be attributable to a placebo effect however and that issue is not being discounted.

  

We have found this track that is one of the better tracks available for free download that is supposed to be in the 528 Hz recording sound.  If a song is lousy at production, the 528 Hz does not improve the sound recording by any means.  A perfect example exists above in the soundcloud track samples at the top of this post.  Annoying is still annoying no matter what frequency it's recorded at.

  We have our own inhouse music production technology that we can play around with tracks and see what we can do to produce our own 528 Hz tunes.  We took a track from our own files and converted it over to 528 Hz.  It's a Wolfang Amadeus Mozart piece from his 40th symphony, Molto Allegro as our experiment.  The original track was 10 minutes and 14 seconds long.  The new converted track is 8 minutes 13 seconds long which explains why the beats per minute are faster on the songs on the 528 Hz radio stations.  It's compressing the tracks when changing the frequency range and does create a discernable difference.

  There is no question about the fact that music is a vibration that has the ability to affect our moods and character.  The question we have yet to answer however is whether or not the 528 Hz frequency is a better more healing frequency as claimed by it's founders.  It's more compressed increasing the beats per minute.  We have not found any independent research outside of those who have founded the 528 Hz claims however.  But we have not done a lot of digging for it either.  It's a nice story so far, but one must keep in mind that those promoting it have something they are trying to sell and we have already found flaws in some of their other arguments on other issues.  So we are already skeptical on the claims.

  At present, the founders have a site where they sell converted music at some rather high prices.  $19.97 per CD compilation is rather high in our book.  Especially when we usually give music away.  And since we can convert our own music into 528 Hz, why bother?  In the future we may do an article on how to convert your own music to the 528 Hz frequency.  It's really not all that hard.  It only took us a few minutes to figure it out.  Now there is also the same arguments being made at the 432 Hz vs present 440 Hz frequencies.  Go figure.

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