Governor McAuliffe Announces Leadership and First Meeting of Railroad Safety and Security Task Force

Location in Virginia (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Richmond, VA – Governor Terry McAuliffe today announced that Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security Brian J. Moran and Secretary of Transportation Aubrey Layne will co-chair the interagency Railroad Safety and Security Task Force, and that the panel will conduct its first meeting on June 4^th, 2014 at 1:00pm at the Virginia State Capitol Building in Senate Room 3.

“This task force is an important step toward ensuring that Virginia is doing everything it can to keep our railroads and the communities around them safe, and that we are prepared to respond to incidents like the derailment and fire in Lynchburg earlier this month,” said Governor McAuliffe. “I have asked Secretaries Moran and Layne to bring our public safety, transportation and environmental protection agencies together to investigate what happened in Lynchburg and make recommendations of how Virginia can work with the federal government to keep our communities and our natural resources as safe as possible.”

The Railroad Safety and Security Task Force will include representatives from the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT), the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM), the Virginia Department of Fire Programs (VDFP), the State Corporation Commission (SCC), the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), and the Virginia State Police (VSP). The task force will solicit input from industry stakeholders, local governments and members of the public and produce a report of recommended state and federal actions to prevent railroad accidents and ensure that Virginia is prepared as possible to keep communities safe in the case of a future incident.

“Last month’s incident in Lynchburg could have been much worse, but local, state and federal responders worked together to keep the public safe and clean up the wreckage as soon as possible,” said Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security Brian J. Moran. “I want to thank Governor McAuliffe for forming this task force to ensure that every corner of Virginia is as prepared to act in the case of another accident as Lynchburg was, and that we are working with our federal partners to keep another incident like this from happening again.”

Secretary of Transportation Aubrey Layne continued, “Virginia’s railways are critical to the commerce and trade of the entire nation, and operating them safely should be priority one for the Commonwealth and our federal and industry partners. This task force is our opportunity to increase interagency cooperation, solicit public input and formulate recommendations to keep our railways and adjacent Virginia communities and resources as safe as possible.”

Governor McAuliffe announced his intention to form the Railroad Safety and Security Task Force earlier this month while touring the site of the April 30^th train derailment and fire in downtown Lynchburg, VA. 

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Governor McAuliffe Announces Selection of Virginia for School Broadband Pricing

Internet Access Here Sign (Photo credit: Steve Rhode)

Governor McAuliffe Announces Selection of Virginia for School Broadband Pricing Project

Goal to Lower Costs and Increase Bandwidth for School Divisions

Governor Terry McAuliffe announced today that Virginia has been selected to participate in a pilot project to help school divisions lower the cost of high-speed Internet access and increase digital learning opportunities for students.

EducationSuperHighway (ESH) — a San Francisco-based non-profit dedicated to improving Internet access in schools — selected Virginia because of the commonwealth’s leadership in digital learning and because of data suggesting that Virginia schools are paying more than the national average for Internet access and network connectivity.

According to ESH, average monthly megabits-per-second costs for Virginia school divisions are $26 for Internet access and $7 for network connectivity, compared with respective national averages of $22 and $3. ESH data also indicate that the percentage of Virginia schools with less-than-ideal access and bandwidth exceeds the national average.

“Ensuring that all Virginia communities have equal and affordable access to broadband technology is a critical component in developing a 21^st Century Virginia economy,” said Governor McAuliffe. "I am grateful that EducationSuperHighway has selected Virginia for this important project which will use transparency to drive down broadband costs and provide greater opportunities for innovative learning in classrooms across the Commonwealth.”

“Virginia is leading the nation in the effort to lower school broadband costs across the state," said Evan Marwell, CEO of EducationSuperHighway. "We are thrilled to partner with Governor McAuliffe to ensure that all of Virginia's students have access to high-speed Internet for 21st-century learning."

School divisions are using an ESH online portal to report detailed information by the end of August on Internet access and broadband pricing.  After analyzing the data, ESH will produce a comprehensive report in early 2015 on access and pricing for all participating school divisions.

“School divisions will have the ability to compare and evaluate prices across the state and determine whether they are getting their money’s worth in access and bandwidth,” Secretary of Technology Karen Jackson said. 

Working with the secretary of technology, Secretary of Education Anne Holton and the Virginia Department of Education, ESH will identify factors and practices driving up costs for school divisions and provide technical assistance to school divisions on cutting costs by promoting transparency, encouraging competition, and identifying new service options.

“Every student in Virginia deserves access to high-quality digital content,” Secretary Holton said. “Our strategy for closing achievement gaps must include a concerted effort at both the state and local levels to make sure that slow connection speeds and inadequate networks don’t bar the way.”   

EducationSuperHighway says the broadband pricing project will include two states, with the second state being named later this summer.

Last month, ESH and the Washington-based Consortium for School Networking called on the Federal Communications Commission to increase federal E-rate funding for schools and libraries by $800 million annually to support much-needed improvements to wireless networks. E-rate provides subsidies to school systems and libraries through fees paid by telecommunications companies. 

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Ready Virginia app presented to President Obama during hurricane season briefing

Official photographic portrait of US President Barack Obama (born 4 August 1961; assumed office 20 January 2009) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

App users will now receive instant notification of weather hazards

WASHINGTON – The free Ready Virginia mobile application that helps people prepare for emergencies and stay informed during disasters was demonstrated to President Barack Obama May 30 in preparation for hurricane season, which started yesterday and extends through Nov. 30. The president’s annual briefing was held at FEMA headquarters and included three presentations on innovative apps that reach people with critical emergency information. Virginia was the only state invited to present.

“I am proud of the work the Virginia Department of Emergency Management has done on this innovative app that will help Virginians stay informed and prepared in the event of a hurricane or other disaster,” said Governor McAuliffe.

“We were very proud to showcase the Ready Virginia app,” said Brian Moran, Virginia secretary of public safety and homeland security. “We know it’s important to meet people where they are, particularly during emergencies, and many of them are on mobile devices.”

“The invitation to present during this high-level, pre-hurricane season briefing was very timely,” said State Coordinator of Emergency Management Jeff Stern, who described the app’s features to President Obama following an introduction by Secretary Moran. “In fact, that day we had added push notifications to the app that allow users to receive instant weather warning alerts for their area from the National Weather Service. This is a critical safety feature to have, especially when you’re not tuned in to local radio or television.”

The Ready Virginia app for iPhone® and Android™ devices was developed by the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) as an interactive tool that makes it easier to be prepared for emergencies. Users can make a customized emergency plan, identify and collect needed emergency supplies, and get the latest disaster news when there are widespread or high profile disaster events in the commonwealth.

Among the app’s features are:

• Alerts: real-time weather and hazard alerts for your location
• Plan: make your emergency plan and share it with family and friends
• Local: GPS-enabled evacuation routes, flood risk updates, emergency manager contacts
• Checklist: essential emergency supplies to have in your kit
• Threats: learn what to do to prepare for the most likely disaster events in Virginia
• Disaster news: stay informed on current emergency events or browse through previous disaster blogs

When Hurricane Sandy impacted the commonwealth in 2012, 40% more people used mobile browsers to access VDEM’s website than during Hurricane Irene the previous year.

The hurricane preparation briefing was moderated by Lisa Monaco, assistant to the president for homeland security and counterterrorism. NOAA Administrator Kathy Sullivan briefed the president on hurricane season. FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate and Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson discussed progress on the federal government’s efforts to prepare for and capacity to respond to severe storms. 

Read President Obama’s pre-hurricane briefing remarks:  www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/05/30/readout-president-s-briefing-ahead-2014-hurricane-season

Learn more about the Ready Virginia app: http://www.vaemergency.gov/readyvirginia/additional-resources/mobileapp

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Governor McAuliffe Announces Appointments to Virginia College and University Boards of Visitors

Newport News Victory Arch (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Today Governor Terry McAuliffe announced his appointments to the boards that govern Virginia’s higher education system, including the Boards of Visitors for Virginia colleges and universities, the Virginia State Board for Community Colleges and the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia.

“Virginia’s higher education system is one of the best in the world and a cornerstone of our economic future,” said Governor McAuliffe. “As I spoke with each of these appointees I urged them to use their positions to help manage our colleges and universities prudently, to find cost efficiencies in order to keep tuition rates as low as possible and to embrace innovation in order to prepare every Virginia student to compete in a 21^st Century economy.”

The Governor’s appointments to Virginia’s college and university Boards of Visitors and higher education boards are below:

Christopher Newport University

·         Bill Ermatinger, of Newport News, Corp VP & CHRO of Huntington Ingalls Industries

·         *Vicki Siokis Freeman, of New York City and Newport News, Owner, PS Paperie

·         Charles B. "Brad" Hunter, of Portsmouth,  Assistant Vice President - Commercial Lending, TowneBank

·         The Honorable Gabe Morgan, of Newport News, Sheriff of Newport News

·         The Honorable Dr. Ella P. Ward, of Chesapeake, Chesapeake City Council member

College of William and Mary

·         *Sue H. Gerdelman, of Williamsburg

·         Christopher M. Little, of McDowell, Retired

·         William H. Payne, II, of Henrico, Principal with Bull Moose Strategies, LLC

·         Lisa Roday, of Henrico, Consultant

George Mason University

·         Mahfuz Ahmed, of Great Falls, CEO, Digital Intelligence Systems LLC

·         Claire Dwoskin, of McLean, President, Children’s Medical Safety Research Institute

·         Jon Milton Peterson, of Fairfax Station, Principal, The Peterson Companies

·         Tracy Schar, of Fairfax, Vice President of Marketing, Comstock Companies

James Madison University

·         The Honorable William T. Bolling, of Mechanicsville, Senior Vice President and Managing Director for RCM&D and former Lieutenant Governor of Virginia.

·         Warren K. Coleman, of Henrico, CFO Harper Associates LLC

·         Vanessa M. Evans, of Charlottesville, Associate Director, Ron Brown Scholar Program

·         Lucy Hutchinson, of Falls Church, Senior Manager for Executive and Commercial Recruiting of Capital One

·         Edward Rice, of Vienna, Consultant

Longwood University

·         Eileen M. Anderson, of Glen Allen, CFO of InfoPro Incorporated

·         Katherine Elam Busser, of Goochland, CEO, Virginia Children’s Hospital Alliance

·         Lucia Anna “Pia” Trigiani, of Alexandria, Attorney at Law, MercerTrigiani

Norfolk State University

·         The Honorable Lamont Bagby, of Henrico, Director of Operations at Peter Paul Development Center and Henrico County School Board Member

·         Elwood B. Boone III, of Virginia Beach, President, Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital

·         *Thomas N. Chewning, of Richmond, Retired Executive Vice-President and CFO of Dominion Resources

·         *Bryan D. Cuffee, of Virginia Beach, Vice President of Development for Gold Key / PHR Hotels & Resorts

·         Larry A. Griffith, of Annandale, Senior Vice President Programs and Student Services, UNCF – the United Negro College Fund

Old Dominion University

·         Carlton Bennett, of Virginia Beach, Law Partner at Bennett and Zydron, P.C.

·         Jay Harris, of Bristol, Connecticut,  Sportscenter Anchor, ESPN

·         The Honorable William D. Sessoms, Jr., of Virginia Beach, President/CEO of Towne Financial Services Group and Mayor of Virginia Beach

·         Lisa Smith, of Norfolk, Community Volunteer

·         *Fred J. Whyte, of Virginia Beach, President of Stihl Incorporated

Radford University

·         The Honorable Andrew Fogarty, of Chesterfield, retired

·         Susan Whealler Johnston, of Berryville, Executive Vice President and COO, Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB)

·         *Steve Robinson, of Chapel Hill NC, Assistant Basketball Coach at the University of North Carolina

·         The Honorable Javaid Siddiqi, of Chesterfield, Director Hunt-Kean Leadership Fellows

State Board for Community Colleges

·         Dr. Thomas Brewster, of Falls Mills, Superintendent, Pulaski County Public Schools

·         Eleanor Saslaw, of Springfield, retired career educator and former President of the Virginia State Board of Education

·         The Honorable Michael J. Schewel, of Richmond, Partner, McGuireWoods LLP

State Council of Higher Education for Virginia

·         Marge Connelly, of Keswick, financial services executive

·         Henry D. Light, of Norfolk, retired Senior VP Law of Norfolk Southern Corporation

·         Bill Murray, of Henrico, Managing Director, Public Policy, Dominion

University of Mary Washington

·         *Holly Tace Cuellar, Coronado, CA, Membership Development Coordinator, IABM

·         The Honorable R. Edward "Edd" Houck, of Spotsylvania County, former State Senator

·         Fred M. Rankin III, of Stafford, President and CEO of Mary Washington Health Care

University of Virginia and Affiliated Schools        

·         L. D. Britt, MD, MPH of Suffolk, Henry Ford Professor & Edward J. Brickhouse Chairman, Eastern Virginia Medical School

·         Frank M. “Rusty” Conner III, of Alexandria, Partner, Covington & Burling LLP

·         Barbara J. Fried, of Crozet, Chairman, Fried Companies, Inc.

·         John G. Macfarlane III, of Darien, CT, Managing Partner of Arrochar Management LLC

Virginia Commonwealth University

·         *William M. Ginther, of Midlothian, retired banking executive

·         The Honorable Franklin P. Hall, of Richmond, Attorney and Chairman of the Board of Hall & Hall, PLC, former Member of the Virginia House of Delegates

·         Colette Wallace McEachin, of Richmond, Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney, Richmond Commonwealth's Attorney's Office

·         *The Honorable Alexander B. McMurtrie Jr., of Richmond, retired and former Member of the Virginia House of Delegates

Virginia Military Institute

·         *Bruce Gottwald Jr., of Richmond, Managing Director of Jonah, LLC

·         Conrad M. Hall, of Norfolk, retired President and CEO of Dominion Enterprises

·         Richard K. Hines, V, of Atlanta, GA, a partner of the law firm Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLP

·         The Honorable Joe R. Reeder, of Alexandria, Shareholder at GreenbergTraurig and former United States Under Secretary of the Army

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

·         *Michael J. Quillen, of Bristol, Founder/retired Chairman Alpha Natural Resources 

·         Wayne H. Robinson, of Greensboro, North Carolina, Chief Diversity Practice Leader, Wyndham Mills International, Inc. and Senior Pastor, New Millennium Christian Center, Inc.

·         Mehul Sanghani, of Vienna, President & CEO of Octo Consulting Group, Inc.

·         Horacio A. Valeiras, of La Jolla, CA, Managing Principal of HAV Capital LLC

Virginia State University

·         *Harry Black, of Baltimore, MD, City of Baltimore Chief Financial Officer

·         Thursa D. Crittenden, of Suffolk, retired broadcast television and public affairs executive

·         Charlie W. Hill, of Hampton, President of the Hampton Roads Prostate Health Forum and retired Executive Vice President, Human Resources of Landmark Communications, Inc.

·         Dr. Alma C. Hobbs, of Richmond, retired

·         Xavier R. Richardson, of Spotsylvania, Executive Vice President, Mary Washington Healthcare

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Governor McAuliffe Announces Administration Appointments

Downtown Richmond (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

RICHMOND – Governor Terry McAuliffe announced additional appointments to his administration today. The appointees will join McAuliffe’s administration focused on finding common ground with members of both parties on issues that will grow Virginia’s economy and create more jobs across the Commonwealth.

Secretariat of Commerce and Trade

Meggie Lareau, Special Assistant

Meggie Lareau interned in Scheduling & Advance in the Governor’s office this past spring and was a part of the Governor-elect transition team beforehand. She also was deputy campus organizer for the McAuliffe campaign at the University of Richmond during her senior fall semester. She just graduated with a B.A. from the University of Richmond this May. She majored in International Studies concentration in Modern Europe and minored in Latin and Iberian Studies and History.

Secretariat of the Commonwealth

Board Appointments

Agriculture and Forestry

Virginia Beef Industry Board

• Marnie Potter Caldwell of Lexington, Field Representative, Rockbridge Farmers Cooperative
• George L. Jones of Brookneal, Beef Cattle Farm Manager, End of the Road Farms
• Mark A. Sowers of Floyd, Partner, Huckleberry Dairy

Virginia Pork Industry Board

• J. Nelson Link* of Alton, Owner, Link Farms Incorporated
• The Honorable Frank W. Nolen of Grottoes, former member of the Senate of Virginia and Owner, Grazelen Farm
• T. Sean O’Hara* of Richmond, Financial Institution Liaison, The Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond

Commerce and Trade

Virginia Coal Mine Safety Board

·       R. Thomas “Tom” Asbury of Wise, Safety Manager,  Alpha Natural Resources

·       Mike Kennedy of St. Paul, United Mine Workers of America (State of Virginia)

·       The Honorable Joseph Tate of Clintwood, Retired Circuit Court Clerk, Dickenson County

Virginia Gas and Oil Board

• William S. Harris* of Big Stone Gap, Retired
• Bruce A. Prather* of Abingdon, Consulting Geologist, Olin and Muriel Prather Charitable Foundation
• Donald L. Ratliff* of Big Stone Gap, Vice President of State Governmental Affairs, Alpha Natural Resources, LLC

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