Gloucester VA Links and News

Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Governor McAuliffe Announces More Than $8.2 Million in Community Development Block Grants

~ Projects include water and sewer service, downtown revitalization, and housing rehabilitation ~

RICHMOND – Governor Terry McAuliffe today announced more than $8.2 million in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding for 12 projects in Virginia. Since 1982, the federally-funded CDBG program has been administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), and Virginia receives approximately $17 million annually for this grant program.

Speaking about today’s announcement, Governor McAuliffe said, “In order to build a new Virginia economy, we need to use all available resources to improve the lives of Virginians. These projects help provide better infrastructure, affordable housing, and revitalize downtown districts to create sustainable and vibrant communities across the Commonwealth.”

Speaking at an event in Bassett, Virginia, Secretary of Commerce and Trade Maurice Jones said, “The CDBG program continues to help localities across the Commonwealth make the necessary investments to stay competitive and thrive in today’s economic environment. These funds are critical in order to help our communities, particularly those in rural areas, become the best places to live, work and conduct business.”

CDBG grants are awarded through a competitive process. Most projects benefit low- and moderate-income persons, and many projects are targeted for the prevention or elimination of slums and blight conditions.

During this year’s competitive cycle, 22 proposals were submitted by 21 localities, and 11 projects received the initial funding, with two projects receiving multi-year funding and one project receiving a letter of intent. Multi-year funding projects are those that will receive a contract allocating a portion of the funds this year, and after achieving specific performance targets, the project will then be eligible for additional funding. The letter of intent project is worthy of funding but lacks key components necessary for the project to be immediately implemented, and the grant allows the locality to address the missing key components.

2015 CDBG Community Improvement Grant Awards:

Locality	Project Name	CDBG Award
Buchanan County	Hurley Regional Water Project Phase VI	$ 1,000,000
Town of Damascus	Damascus Downtown Revitalization	$ 659,400
Dickenson County	Georges Fork Sewer Project	$ 1,000,000
Town of Dungannon	Dungannon Economic Revitalization	$ 700,000
Henry County	Smith River Small Towns Business District Revitalization	$ 700,000
Town of Smithfield	Pinewood Heights Redevelopment Project Phase III	$ 1,000,000
Town of Strasburg	Strasburg Downtown Revitalization Project	$ 700,000
Wise County	Roda, Osaka and Stonega Sewer Phase II	$ 690,000
Town of Wytheville	Freedom Lane Housing Production	$ 505,625
Town of Appomattox	Meadowlark Neighborhood Improvement Project Multi-year Funding	$ 1,000,000
Town of Pulaski	Kersey Bottom Neighborhood Revitalization Project Multi-year Funding	$ 1,000,000
Town of White Stone	White Stone Comprehensive Project Letter of Intent	$ 1,400,000

Governor McAuliffe Statement on the Supreme Court of Virginia

RICHMOND – Governor Terry McAuliffe issued the following statement on the legislature’s failure to elect a Justice to the Supreme Court of Virginia:

“I am shocked and saddened that Republican leaders denied a sitting Supreme Court Justice a hearing, even as she sat at her desk, across the street from today’s Joint Courts of Justice meeting, continuing to serve the citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia. This is not the Virginia way to treat anyone, let alone an outstanding female jurist. Republicans have yet to raise a single concern about Justice Roush’s legal skills or her integrity. Indeed, they have repeatedly acknowledged that her qualifications are unmatched.

“Republican leaders ultimately were incapable of electing anyone, leaving the state’s highest court in a state of uncertainty. It is disgraceful that Republicans have turned a serious decision affecting Virginia’s entire judicial system into an embarrassing partisan circus. I call on lawmakers to return to Virginia’s time-honored traditions for electing judges. I ask that they walk across the street and invite Justice Roush to a new hearing, one that is open and fair, and gives this highly qualified judge the respect she is due.”

Friday, July 31, 2015

Rush Limbaugh On Planned Parenthood

English: Rush Limbaugh at CPAC in February 2009. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The thing that I'm having trouble with is the attitude of the White House, the Democrat Party and leftists. None of it...
Posted by Rush Limbaugh on Friday, July 31, 2015

As this issue continues to move forward it turns out that a 4th video has just been released and it is more shocking than any of the 3 previous videos. People want to get rid of Confederate monuments but seem complacent on the issues of life? People are upset about a lion being killed in some far away country but the murders going on in our own front yards mean nothing? Now that is what you call very heavy indoctrination of the masses. Swayed by big media that really cares nothing about you other than controlling your opinions. At what point do you get involved and say enough is enough? Yeah, we know, let someone else do it.

National Insanity Hits Mathews CountyThe

Posted by Marsha Maines on Thursday, July 30, 2015

The war against history that has been raging for weeks now has moved to Mathews County. The supposed threat that history posses on some people who are ignorant has no end in sight.

The 4 clips above come from a popular Walt Disney cartoon featuring Donald Duck. They promote racism and nazism. Yet there is no public outcry against Walt Disney for having created a bunch of these types of cartoons. What is interesting to note is the Nazi swastika is a slight variation from a very ancient religious symbol. Everyone cries that we should not forget our world history so that we do not ever repeat it. So one has to ask, if everyone is removing Civil War American History, we will be doomed to repeat that which some say is racism. So are we really being told that these folks want a return to slavery? People being bought and sold on blocks like cattle? The Confederate flag was a sign of Confederate state rights. Nothing about slavery. Slavery did not come into play in the Civil War until Abraham Lincoln threw it in at a much later date well after the war started and the Confederate flag was created.

General Robert E Lee, Recollections and Letters from Chuck Thompson

Take a look at Robert E Lee's account of the Civil War and one has to ask if it was about slavery. Slavery was an issue since it started in Colonial America and was despised by many. The first slave owner in the Colonial America was a black freeman who had to take his claim to court in order to be allowed to own a slave. The problem today is ignorance. Its a lack of many of a true history education and that is by design. Stop believing what you see on TV. Its only entertainment and not designed to be accurate. Liberal liberties are taken everywhere to keep you dumbed down. The Confederate Flag is still a symbol to so many of American Freedom and rights. Not about racism as only a very few claim. Once again it seems we are going to let the few control the majority and allow the violation of our own rights and thoughts just dwindle to dust.

GMO News You Can't Use

English: GMO maize test, Bourgouin-Jallieu, Isère, France. Français : Test de maïs OGM, Bourgouin-Jallieu, Isère, France. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The EU has long had a much more skeptical view of genetically modified organisms than the US and has heavily restricted...
Posted by GMO Free USA on Thursday, July 30, 2015

GMOs: THE WORLD'S GREATEST SCAM. GMOs are a threat to food security. The introduction of genetically engineered...
Posted by GMO Free USA on Thursday, July 30, 2015

NEW REVIEW: Glyphosate linked to gut and neurological problems by way of synergistic effects with aluminum. Many...
Posted by GMO Free USA on Thursday, July 30, 2015

Poor Landfill Deal

In the early 1990’s Gloucester’s elected leaders and paid staff made the decision to open a landfill that would receive trash from numerous localities including some in other states. Those leaders and staff made a deal with Waste Management of Virginia to allow them to operate the new landfill for 20 years under a self extending contract based on the landfill’s remaining capacity. At that time Gloucester taxpayers completely funded the ever rising costs to operate the old county landfill, so the picture painted for the taxpayers back then and even today is one of not having to raise taxes to fund trash disposal. Such service does have significant value to the taxpayers, but the questions is; did the leaders and staff back then make a good deal? Information on contracts of similar landfill operations in neighboring communities obtained under FOIA suggests a very poor deal was made on behalf of Gloucester taxpayers. The following are just a few examples of how bad the deal is.

Gloucester’s deal included monthly payments to the County of $.50 per ton for all waste received from outside of Gloucester. That rate has grown to a whopping $.83 in 23 years. Other Counties are getting $2.00 to $10.00 per ton. Gloucester receives no royalties from electricity generated by the abundantly growing and long term supply of methane gas produced from trash decomposition. Other neighboring Counties are getting a royalty of 10% of all gross profits from the sale of such electricity. Other Counties are getting 25% of net profits derived from recycling.Gloucester gets nothing. The loss to Gloucester taxpayers in these areas annually is likely over a million dollars.

Currently some of our elected leaders and paid staff assert thatGloucester’s benefit from the landfill deal comes from the trash convenience centers and being able to dispose of trash for free. They claim any increase in tonnage fees and such being paid to the County will result in Gloucester residents paying for trash disposal. This does not appear to stand up under scrutiny, as the other counties that made better deals have as many or more convenience centers and are also able to dispose of trash for free. Again, these are just a few examples of how badGloucester’s landfill deal is. Our elected leaders should seriously consider bringing Waste Management back to the negotiation table and work out a better deal. Increased revenue from the landfill could be used to build a couple of new libraries so the County stops wasting over a quarter million dollars every year to rent two libraries. There are many things that can be accomplished with increased revenue from the landfill and savings derived from owning our own libraries instead of leasing them.

Convenience Centers

Sussex County has 7 plus 1 at landfill

Amelia County has 6 plus 1 at landfill.

Charles City County has 2 plus 1 at landfill.

City of Hampton has 1 in Newport News.

Gloucester County has 4 plus 1 at landfill.

Recycling

Amelia County receives 25% of net profits.

Charles City County receives payment to cover expenses of recycling

program not performed by Waste Management.

Gas Generation

Amelia County gets a royalty equal to 10% of the gross revenue from

any sale.

Charles City County gets a royalty equal to 10% of the gross revenue

from any sale.

Inspections and Sampling

Amelia County gets $120,000 annually

Charles City County has $225,000 fund established and replenished

annually by Waste management.

Gloucester County gets $77,087 annually.

Revenue

City of Hampton made $1.6 million in 2014.

Charles City County plans on $1.3 to $1.5 million annually.

Sussex County made $4.8 million in 2014

Gloucester County’s 2016 budget estimate of revenue from

landfill rent is a sorry $263,406……..

Kenneth E. Hogge, Sr.

Gloucester Point, Virginia

Are The Shofars Sounding?

People are drawing connections between the sounds and Revelations 8:2 which says, “And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets.” Those trumpets are said to herald the beginning of the end times.

Source: http://www.glennbeck.com/2015/05/18/some-people-are-saying-these-trumpets-are-a-sign-of-the-end-times/?utm_source=glennbeck&utm_medium=contentcopy_link

From Glenn Beck website. Not normally a fan of Glenn Beck, but found this video rather interesting as well as disturbing. You can read more on this at the Glenn Beck website linked above.

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Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Governor McAuliffe Announces More Than $8.2 Million in Community Development Block Grants

Governor McAuliffe Statement on the Supreme Court of Virginia