SCC sets fuel rate for Dominion
The State Corporation Commission has approved a new fuel rate requested by Dominion Virginia Power that will take effect on July 1. The SCC accepted a plan that will spread the higher costs for fuel over a two-year period instead of the normal one-year recovery period. Ratepayers are not charged the financing costs of spreading the payment over two years.
For the average residential customer, the fuel rate increase means the monthly bill for 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity will increase $4.86 from $103.91 to $108.77. If the full increase was recovered in one year, the monthly bill of a residential customer would increase $8.17 to $112.08.
According to Dominion Virginia Power, the increase was driven, for the most part, by rising fuel prices and the effect of last year’s hotter-than-normal summer and colder-than-normal winter.
The fuel rate is the portion of the electric bill that pays for the fuel used to generate electricity and the purchase of power from the wholesale market. Dominion Virginia Power is statutorily entitled to recover its prudently incurred fuel costs. This is a dollar-for-dollar recovery, and the company can make no profit on recovery of fuel expenses.
The fuel rate is reviewed annually by the SCC and re-set, as necessary, to reflect actual fuel expenses for the previous year and projected fuel expenses for the coming year.
Kini named Fellow in Hospital Medicine
RMH hospitalist Ganesh D. Kini, MD, PhD, has been named a Fellow in Hospital Medicine by the Society of Hospital Medicine.
Dr. Kini was one of 175 hospitalists across the nation who were inducted as Fellows in May at SHM’s Hospital Medicine 2011 conference in Dallas, Texas.
Dr. Kini serves as medical director, Hospital Division, RMH Medical Group, which includes hospitalists, cardiothoracic surgery and palliative care. He also is an adjunct clinical assistant professor for the James Madison University physician assistant program. He joined the RMH Medical Staff in 2006.
Becoming a Fellow is an avenue for special recognition for Society members who have distinguished themselves among their colleagues and the hospital medicine specialty. To be designated a Fellow in Hospital Medicine, an applicant must be a hospitalist for five years, a member of SHM for three years, and demonstrate his or her dedication to quality and process improvement, commitment to organizational teamwork and leadership, as well as lifelong learning and education.
“Until now, hospitalists have not had a way to distinguish themselves from their colleagues,” said SHM’s CEO, Larry Wellikson, MD. “The FHM designation gives hospitalists a chance to set themselves apart and be recognized for all of their work that continues to make hospital medicine the fastest growing medical specialty in history.”
Dr. Kini graduated from St. George’s University School of Medicine in Grenada, West Indies. He completed his internship and residency at the University of Virginia, Roanoke-Salem Program. He is board certified in internal medicine.
“I feel fortunate to be part of the fine team of hospitalists and care coordinators at RMH who strive to provide the highest quality of care for our patients,” said Dr. Kini. “Members of our team are actively involved in improving patient safety, satisfaction and quality of care. Our goal is to continue to practice state-of-the-art hospital medicine at RMH.”
John McGowan, MD, president and CEO of the RMH Medical Group, added, “Dr. Kini is to be congratulated for attaining this level of recognition. It reflects both his and the entire team’s dedication to the highest standards of inpatient care. I expect that other RMH hospitalists will be recognized as Fellows in the future.”
SHM is the premier medical society representing hospitalists. Over the past decade, studies have shown that hospitalists decrease patient lengths of stay, reduce hospital costs and readmission rates, and increase patient satisfaction. Hospital medicine is the fastest-growing specialty in modern healthcare, with more than 28,000 hospitalists currently practicing.
AAA: Gas prices impact July 4th travel
Gas prices are predicted to deter some Virginians from traveling this July 4th holiday weekend with close to 1.1 million expected to celebrate Independence Day with a trip of 50 miles or more from home, a decrease of 2.4 percent (or just about 27,500 less) over last year’s holiday.
“The 2010 numbers represented a robust increase in the number of Virginian’s traveling for Fourth of July. This year’s holiday forecast remains strong despite the impact of sustained high gas prices,” said Martha Mitchell Meade, manager of public and government affairs for AAA Mid-Atlantic. “With current pump prices nearly one dollar more this year compared to last, fewer Virginians will be hitting the roads this year.
AAA continues to see strong resiliency among the traveling public as they head out year after year in mass to spend time enjoying holidays. However, “for the second holiday in a row, we are seeing a change in who is traveling with fewer traveling by car and many more traveling by air due to the impact of the recession and gas prices on those in the lower income brackets,” said Meade.
Automobile travel is expected to be down by 3.5 percent (943,000 forecasted auto travelers in Virginia), while air travel will rise by a whopping 21.5 percent or by nearly 15,400 people in spite of the fact that air fares are expected to be up about 11 percent over last year. Total airline passengers in Virginia are expected to reach close to 87,200.
“Although gas prices are impacting the average travel distance, median spending will actually be up this year due to the changing profile of the holiday traveler,” Meade said. “The average distance traveled by Americans during the Independence Day holiday weekend is expected to be 573 miles, 7 percent less than last year, yet median spending is expected to be $807, an increase of 25 percent from $644 last year.”
Waynesboro PD honored for technology efforts
Waynesboro Police Chief Michael Wilhelm accepted the prestigious International Association of Chiefs of Police-iXP Excellence in Technology Award at a ceremony held June 14 in San Diego.
The IACP award program recognizes law enforcement agencies’ superior achievement and innovation in the field of communication and information technology. This highly competitive international award program is designed to recognize exceptional, innovative, and extraordinary achievement in law enforcement technology-based programs, efforts, or initiatives that benefit law enforcement as a profession.
The Waynesboro Police Department was recognized for the effective deployment of a complex multi-unit license plate reader technology program that serves as an example for other law enforcement agencies to follow. The federal grant funded project was coordinated by Waynesboro’s Computer User’s Group. This group of sworn and civilian personnel insured that policy, privacy, and training issues were effectively addressed before deploying the cutting edge technology.
The National Institute of Justice (Office of Science and Technology) and SPAWAR’s Advanced Law Enforcement Technology Branch provided operational, research, and technical expertise that allowed Waynesboro Police Department to apply the findings of numerous LPR research projects from around the country within a single LPR program. The expertise developed among WPD’s officers and IT support staff has already been called on by other police and sheriff’s departments in the region, state, and nationwide.
Wilhelm was invited by IACP and the National Institute of Justice to present an overview of the award winning project at the IACP’s Law Enforcement Information Management (LEIM) Section Conference in San Diego. His travel-related expenses were reimbursed by the U.S. Justice Department. The IACP LEIM conference had over 600 law enforcement executives and technologists in attendance. Chief Wilhelm was able to take advantage of the no cost training opportunity to bring technology related ideas and resources back to the department.
Chris Graham: Somebody has to do it
I don’t want to comment on the specifics of the ongoing investigation of the hiring of a full-time executive director for the Valley Community Services Board. Having served on several boards in the past, I’m sure that there are some details regarding the hiring that we’ve not been made privy to and may not be.
What I want to do here is comment on the investigation itself. The reports of the death of community journalism have not exactly been exaggerated. Staff cuts and hiring freezes and the like have been hurtful to local papers across the country, including here in the Greater Augusta market. Even here at the AFP, which didn’t exactly have much room to cut, we’ve had to refocus our priorities in order to survive, and that’s meant a painful reduction in in-depth investigative journalism, which takes time and thus gobs of money to support.
To cite an example from our recent past: We spent upwards of nine months looking into the hiring of the new Waynesboro voter registrar in an investigation that concluded that the hiring was done in violation of the spirit if not the letter of the law. That no action was taken as a result – the local Commonwealth’s attorney’s office declined to pursue the matter further being key among the lack of action from the officialdom – is beyond the point.
Good journalism isn’t done to have heads roll or win awards. It’s done for its own sake, mainly because it has to be done.
Here’s to hoping that local newspapers continue asking the hard questions and demanding answers. Somebody has to be willing to tell the emperors when they’re naked.
Defensive miscues cost P-Nats
Three errors doomed the Potomac Nationals on Sunday in Kinston, contributing to three unearned runs in a 5-4 series-opening victory for the Indians. With the loss – in which the Nationals committed multiple errors for the 11th time in their last 18 games – Potomac has dropped three straight games, while the Indians notched their sixth consecutive win. The P-Nats have now lost seven of the first eight games with the Indians in 2011.
The Nationals (30-43) surged out in front with a helping hand from the Indians’ defense in the second inning. After K-Tribe (42-31) starter T.J. House walked Steven Souza to open the inning (he would walk four batters for the third time in four starts), House retired J.P. Ramirez and then hit Sandy Leon. After Souza stole third, J.R. Higley hit a bouncing ball to third that scooted under the glove of Adam Abraham and all the way into the left field corner, scoring Souza and putting runners at second and third. Justino Cuevas then roped a double to deep left field that put Potomac ahead 3-0.
The lead was short-lived. Cameron Selik never looked comfortable on Sunday afternoon, and gave three runs back in the Kinston second. After Abner Abreu led off the frame with a single, Chase Burnette hit a chopper to second base. Jeff Kobernus ranged to his left to glove it, but his throw drew Cuevas off the second base bag. The throwing error would bite the Nats: after Tyler Cannon flied to right, Doug Pickens singled to left field to score Abreu. After a wild pitch moved the runners to second and third, Delvi Cid singled to pull the Tribe within one. Casey Frawley’s sacrifice fly scored a third, unearned run to tie the game at three.
Potomac took back the lead in the fourth when J.R. Higley homered to deep left field.
Casey Frawley hit a blooper to shallow center field to open the fifth. Jeff Kobernus raced back on it but the ball kicked off his glove. After Anthony Gallas flied out to right, Adam Abraham hit what appeared to be a double play ball to short. The ball skipped through the legs of Cuevas and put runners at first and second. Abreu then tripled to right to plate two runs and give the Tribe a lead they would never relinquish.
Kyle Landis and Rob Bryson kept the Nationals’ offense at bay for four and two thirds innings of relief; Potomac mustered just two hits off the relievers.
The Nationals look to snap their three-game slide on Monday in Kinston with Danny Rosenbaum on the mound against Clayton Cook at 6:30 P.M.
Pelicans down Sox
The Pelicans picked up right where the Indians left off, holding the Salem bats to three hits in a 4-1 victory for the visitors at LewisGale Field on Sunday afternoon. Myrtle Beach lefthander Robbie Ross stymied the Sox over six scoreless innings, while reliever Chad Bell was one strike away from completing the shutout when Bryce Brentz blasted an 0-2 pitch over the wall for a solo homer. The long-ball got the Red Sox on the board, but the game ended one batter later when Dan Butler flew out to left.
Ross became the first eight-game winner in the Carolina League by dealing economically for six frames, facing more than three hitters in an inning only twice. The Red Sox did not get a man past first base until the sixth inning against Ross, who struck out four and walked nobody to lower his ERA to 2.67.
Salem starter Ryan Pressly was nearly as dominant in the first couple innings, but surrendered three doubles in the third that produced two Pelican runs. Andres James used his first extra-base hit of the season to drive in Jared Bolden, and James scored two batters later when Mitch Hilligoss smacked a double to the warning track. Up 2-0, the Pelicans added their third tally off Pressly in the fourth when Jared Hoying singled, stole second, and scored on Santiago Chirino’s single, giving Myrtle Beach a 3-0 edge.
Pressly earned a quality start with six innings and just three runs allowed on eight hits, but also suffered the loss, falling to 4-7. The Pelicans scored their fourth run thanks to a wild pitch from Anatanaer Batista in the top of the eighth that allowed Hilligoss to scurry home. Batista yielded one run in two innings of work, while Michael Gleason dealt a scoreless ninth with a pair of strikeouts for the Sox.
Even though the pitchers were solid, the Red Sox offense could not measure up, scoring just one run for the second straight game. Kolbrin Vitek went 2-4 and Brentz blasted the ninth inning bomb, while the rest of the Sox lineup combined to go 0-22 against Ross and Bell. Salem has scored just six runs in the first four games of the second half, all setbacks.
Even with a 46 minute rain delay interrupting the rhythm between the sixth and seventh innings, Sunday’s tilt became Salem’s quickest game of the season. Not including the 46 minute break, the two squads needed just one hour and 55 minutes to complete the nine-inning contest, ten minutes shorter than Salem’s 2-1 win over Myrtle back on May 6.
On Monday, the Red Sox look to Anthony Ranaudo to help snap the current five-game skid, as Salem hosts Myrtle Beach in the middle-matchup of the three game set at LewisGale Field. Ranaudo makes his fifth Carolina League start opposite Miguel De Los Santos, who is lined up for his Carolina League debut on the mound. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05.
Robert Hurt: Protecting jobs by defending Virginia’s right to work status
Over the past two and a half years, the Administration has imposed several unnecessary government regulations and mandates on the private sector that have destroyed jobs, stifled innovation, and slowed our economic recovery.
Despite the fact that unemployment still stands unacceptably high in the 5th District and across the nation, the Administration continues to overstep its bounds, taking steps and pursuing policies that make it more difficult for our job creators to put people back to work.
A recent and troubling example of this is the latest move by the unelected National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to block Boeing from building a new plant in South Carolina. The NLRB’s lawsuit has the potential to cost thousands of jobs. But even more, this government intervention on behalf big union bosses represents a direct attack on our economic freedom.
The federal government should not dictate the business decisions of private companies while destroying jobs in the process. Right to Work states, such as Virginia, should not be penalized by an intrusive and overbearing federal government for their ability to attract new business, investments, and jobs. And the NRLB’s complaint in this case threatens to undermine the economic competitiveness of all states that have Right to Work laws.
That is why I signed on as a co-sponsor of the Job Protection Act, which prevents the NLRB from moving forward with their case against Boeing or attempting similar action against other companies. The Job Protection Act clarifies that the NLRB cannot order an employer to relocate jobs from one location to another and guarantees an employer the right to decide where to do business within the United States.
Virginia is the northern-most Right to Work state on the East Coast, which has made the Commonwealth one of the best places to do business and has helped promote job growth across the 5th District and the state. I remain committed to protecting and defending our Right to Work status at the federal level, which is a critical component to our success as we all work to move our economy forward.
The effort to create jobs also hinges on our ability to identify and eliminate burdensome regulations that are hindering economic growth. One example of such an initiative is my bill H.R. 1082, the Small Business Capital Access and Job Preservation Act, which was favorably reported by the Financial Services Committee this past week with both Republican and Democrat support. H.R. 1082 will help restore confidence and certainty to the marketplace by reducing unnecessary government mandates so that our small businesses can access capital more easily and more jobs can be created and preserved. I look forward to the bill’s consideration by the full House of Representatives.
If you need any additional information on these or any other issues, please visit my website at www.hurt.house.gov or call my Washington office: (202) 225-4711, Charlottesville office: (434) 973-9631, Danville office: (434) 791-2596, or Farmville office: (434) 395-0120.
Robert Hurt is a United States Congressman.
Augusta Health named one of top community hospitals
Becker’s Hospital Review has published its list of 65 Great Community Hospitals, recognized as high-performing leaders in patient care, clinical quality and community outreach. Augusta Health in Fishersville, Virginia is one of the hospitals selected.
To compile the list, the Becker’s Hospital Review editorial team analyzed and reviewed data from sources including the US News & World Report, HealthGrades, American Nurses Credentialing Center and Thomson Reuters to identify remarkable hospitals. For inclusion on this list, hospitals needed to have fewer than 550 patient beds and minimal teaching programs.
Becker’s Hospital Review is a bimonthly publication offering up-to-date business and legal news and analysis relating to hospitals and health systems. Its content is geared toward high level hospital leaders and includes hospital and health system news, best practices and legal guidance.
Waynesboro Senior Center Weekly Report
The Farm Market Fresh for Seniors Coupon signup day will be on Wednesday, June 29 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. with doors opening at 8:30 a.m. for pre-screening.
Eligible people receive $40 in coupons to purchase fresh, locally grown fruits, vegetables, and cut herbs at the Staunton, Verona, and Waynesboro Farmer’s Markets this summer. To qualify for the program, individuals must be 60 years of age or older, live in Staunton, Augusta County, or Waynesboro, have a monthly income of no more than $1,361 (single) or $1,839 (couple), have transportation to one of the Farmer’s Markets, and be present to pick up the coupons.
Picnic at Churchville Senior Center
The three area Senior Centers (Churchville, Staunton, and Waynesboro) like to get together periodically to enjoy special programs and fellowship with each other. It has become a tradition that the Churchville Senior Center hosts an Independence Day gathering for all of us because they are located in a park setting that is perfect for a summer picnic.
This year that event is going to be on June 30, a few days before the actual holiday. So the Waynesboro Center will be closed for on-site meals and programs on that day while we go celebrate with our friends from the other centers. We will also be closed for the actual holiday, July 4. Meals on Wheels will be delivered on June 30, while we’re at the picnic, but will not be delivered on Monday, July 4.
Weekly Menu
MONDAY :Vegetarian pasta bake, brussels sprouts, baked sliced apples
TUESDAY: Turkey in herb sauce, brown rice, broccoli, pears
WEDNESDAY: Salisbury steak, mashed potatoes with gravy, carrot coins, fresh fruit
THURSDAY: (Meals on Wheels Only) Chicken salad, potato salad, coleslaw, fruit cup
FRIDAY: Hamburger steak, tomato, lettuce, onion, macaroni and cheese, fruit
Lunch is served at 11:45 a.m. each day. All meals are served with milk and bread and provide one-third of the daily nutrition value required for adults. Call 942-1838 to make reservations by 10 a.m. on the day you plan to attend.
Waynesboro Senior Center
The Waynesboro Senior Center, sponsored by Valley Program for Aging Services, invites people 60 years of age and older to participate in a variety of programs to be offered in the coming week. The center, at 325 Pine Ave., in the Jackson-Wilson building, is open 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Transportation is provided as needed by a VPAS van driver, who also helps with shopping trips and appointments to local doctors. Contributions toward expenses are accepted. Additional information can be found at www.waynesboroseniorcenter.org.
Submitted by: Janice Gentry, Waynesboro Senior Center
P-Nats drop finale in Myrtle Beach
Four unearned runs in the first inning set the tone for a disheartening 11-3 loss in Myrtle Beach on Saturday night that gave the Pelicans a victory in the first series of the second half. The Pelicans rode 18 hits, a strong outing from Barret Loux and a trio of big innings to victory in the rubber match with the Potomac Nationals.
The Nationals (30-42) made their biggest noise of the evening before the first pitch was even thrown: manager Matt LeCroy was ejected before the game after a prolonged argument with home plate umpire John Bacon as the lineup cards were exchanged. Bacon had gifted the Pelicans (42-30) a victory in the 14th inning on Friday night by ruling that Eury Perez did not make a game-saving catch in the left-center field gap, even though replays proved Perez clearly did. The P-Nats applauded their skipper from the dugout, but the first inning appeared to take the wind from their sails.
After a leadoff single by Larry Garcia off starter Paul Demny and a walk to Jared Prince, Demny got Ryan Strausborger to fly out to right field for the inning’s first out. He then induced a ground ball to first off the bat of Chris McGuinness. Steven Souza fielded the three-hopper but fired the throw into left field, allowing Garcia to score. After Vinny DiFazio popped out, the Pelicans rattled off three consecutive two-out hits and plated three more unearned runs.
With the way Barret Loux pitched, the 4-0 lead would prove enough for the Pelicans. The righthander allowed two runs over six strong innings with six strikeouts and just one walk, earning his seventh victory of the season – and third over the P-Nats.
His only trouble came in the Potomac fifth. A leadoff walk to Justino Cuevas was cashed in when Jeff Kobernus roped a two-out single to right. Destin Hood then hit a line drive toward the gap in left field. Racing to cut it off, Pelicans centerfielder Ryan Strausborger kicked the ball into the left field corner, allowing Kobernus to score from first. Hood was credited with triple and an RBI, and the P-Nats were back in it at 6-2.
They tacked on another run in the seventh. Kobernus launched a deep home run to left field off Trevor Hurley that pulled Potomac within three. Evan Bronson relieved Demny and breezed through the seventh, retiring the Pelicans with just five pitches. The eighth was not nearly as smooth.
The first five batters reached base in the Myrtle eighth: three singles, a walk and a hit batter plated a pair of runs and kept the bases loaded before DiFazio finally flied out for the first out. After Potomac gunned down Prince at the plate for the second out, three more hits put the game out of reach and put Myrtle Beach ahead 11-3.
Ryan Kelly pitched a perfect ninth to wrap up the win for Myrtle Beach, who inched ahead in the season series with Potomac with their seventh win in 13 contests with the P-Nats.
Potomac opens a three-game series in Kinston Sunday afternoon at 4:30 P.M. Righthander Cameron Selik takes the mound for Potomac in the stadium where he made his Carolina League debut. The broadcast can be heard online at www.potomacnationals.com beginning at 4:05.
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Jim Bishop: She sowed seeds of love in children’s garden of learning
Posted on June 27, 2011 · Leave a Comment
And so become yourself because the past is just a good bye.
Teach your children well . . .”
- Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (1970)
VIRGINIA BEACH – What times we live in. I’m sitting at water’s edge of the outdoor pool at our favorite vacation spot – the 37th Street Courtyard by Marriott, which we discovered several years ago when another beachfront motel was full and we needed to find alternate lodging.
We’re glad we did. Not only is this place up at the north end of the Virginia Beach resort strip, but it’s more removed from the main flow of traffic, tourists (that’s other people), noise and other irritants that keep one from having a perfect getaway.
If we weren’t here at this moment, I would be attending my final meeting of the Crisis Management Planning Team (CMPT), yet another in the myriad of acronyms that my work place thrives on. Instead, we are spending three glorious days celebrating Anna’ completion of 29 years of teaching in the public school system, most of that in Rockingham County – at the former Keezletown Elementary School, then Peak View Elementary and winding up in kindergarten at the new Cub Run Elementary next to Montevideo Intermediate.
I ask the good frau how it feels to be finished, to having bid farewell to her last group of children on Thursday, June 9, and knowing she wouldn’t be gearing up for another year by the second week of August.
Without a pause, she pumps her arm skyward and says, “Yes, it feels great! I can slow down a bit and even take some time for myself instead of immediately using my brief time off to clean the house and whatever else fills the few short weeks I have before I start preparing for another year in the trenches.”
Anna is definitely handling this retirement business differently than I am. She is making the transition to this new life stage with the same grace and aplomb as she handled her demanding years of teaching, each year more challenging and stressful than the previous one.
Unbeknownst to Anna, I was invited to attend the final all-school assembly at Cub Run on Anna’s last day.
I walked into the noisy gymnasium packed with children, faculty and some parents and spotted Anna sporting a tiara – would YOU like to be queen for a day? I asked her – a corsage and several necklaces which were gifts from students.
Her principal Kenny Boyers offered glowing words of affirmation on Anna’s “patient and gentle, yet firm” ways of relating to her pupils. The entire assembly gave her a standing ovation, something Anna said she’d never before received, feeling overwhelmed but grateful for this special recognition.
The last day of school was “rough,” Anna said, as she hugged each of her 20 students good-bye and realized that never again will she be so attached to a group of children. Children cried, colleagues cried, and Anna cried. One child held her picture all day and wanted her teacher to move in with her. Leaving Cub Run was, in a word, “bittersweet” for Mrs. Bishop.
The next day, June 10, Anna was feted by her kindergarten team and received more accolades and gifts. One colleague noted, “You have touched and made a difference in the lives of more than 800 young people.”
Meanwhile, back at the beach, the weather forecast called for thunderstorms for the next day, and we prepared ourselves, emotionally and otherwise, with alternate plans. Instead, the sun rose brilliantly over the eastern horizon and thin afternoon clouds kept the temperature near ideal for beach and poolside lounging, swimming and postponed book reading. Somebody up there likes us, I thought repeatedly.
The next morning, we reluctantly check out of our room, and other than heavy, stalled traffic causing some delay in the Richmond area, we arrived home safely, grateful for the brief respite and feeling better equipped for whatever lies ahead.
For me, that includes less than two weeks until joining Anna in being gainfully unemployed, adjusting to a completely different schedule and, I fear, getting underfoot at home. I fully expect my veteran teacher-spouse to apply some of her classroom techniques to keeping her ornery husband in line.
I wonder how long before she puts me in “time out.”
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