AP
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Two state agencies will coordinate their reviews of potential permits for hydraulic fracking for natural gas in Virginia’s coastal plain. Gov. Terry McAuliffe announced Wednesday that the Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy and the Department of Environmental Quality have signed a Memorandum of Agreement. McAuliffe said the move will help ensure the state focuses on protecting the Potomac Aquifer, which supplies about half of Virginia’s water. There’s an estimated 1 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in the Taylorsville Basin. A Dallas energy company plans to drill in tens of thousands of leased acres south and east of Fredericksburg. Some local officials have expressed concerns about some of the chemicals used in fracking being injected into an area near the Chesapeake Bay.
BEDFORD, Va. (AP) _ Centra is holding two public forums in Bedford this month to address the future of health care in the community. The town hall-style meetings will be held Thursday and Aug. 28 in the Liberty High School auditorium. Both meetings will begin at 6 p.m. Centra acquired Carilion Clinic in July. Carilion Clinic had 50 percent ownership of Bedford Memorial Hospital. Centra spokeswoman Diane Riley tells The News & Advance (http://bit.ly/1mIRWwi) that the company will use resident feedback from the meetings to develop a strategic plan for the hospital.
Former Virginia
Gov. Bob McDonnell
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Virginia Beach Mayor William Sessoms will be on the stand when the corruption trial of former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell and his wife, Maureen, resumes in federal court in Richmond. When court ended Tuesday, Sessoms, the president of TowneBank, was testifying about Bob McDonnell’s application to refinance a loan on one of the two beach rental properties that McDonnell and his sister own. Sessoms will answer more questions Wednesday, the 13th day of the trial. The McDonnells are charged in a 14-count indictment with accepting more than $165,000 in gifts and loans from former Star Scientific Inc. CEO Jonnie Williams in exchange for promoting dietary supplements made by his company. McDonnell’s initial failure to disclose the Williams loans on bank paperwork is the basis for one of the counts.
BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) _ State and federal leaders are visiting Virginia Tech to discuss research being done on unmanned aircraft systems. Officials say Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Michael Huerta and Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe are scheduled to visit the Blacksburg campus Wednesday. The visit will include a demonstration of a six-rotor, unmanned aircraft gathering information at a mock auto accident scene. Last year, Virginia Tech was selected by the FAA as a research site for unmanned aircraft systems. Led by Virginia Tech, the mid-Atlantic-based component of the national effort will also involve the University of Maryland and Rutgers University in New Jersey. The research will help guide the agency as it works to introduce commercial versions of the unmanned aircraft into busy U.S. airspace.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ The Virginia Department of Transportation is working to make roads safer for both wildlife and motorists. The agency’s research division is conducting a three-year study on animal travel patterns that is set to be completed in late 2015. Officials say the study targets a section of Interstate 64 on Afton Mountain in Albemarle, Augusta and Nelson counties due to the high number of related crashes in those areas. When the study began in 2012, deer-vehicle collisions were the third-most frequent type of accident in the region. Officials say the study is a step forward in understanding how, when and where animals are crossing roads and how to adapt accordingly.
Former Virginia
Gov. Bob McDonnell
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ A doctor has testified that the businessman who is a key figure in former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell’s corruption trial tried to impress him with an introduction to movie director Steven Spielberg. Dr. George Vetrovec says former Star Scientific Inc. CEO Jonnie Williams was trying to interest him in conducting research on the company’s s anti-inflammatory Anatabloc at the time, in October 2011. Vetrovec says that at Williams’ request, former first lady Maureen McDonnell introduced him to Spielberg at a reception for the movie “Lincoln” at the Executive Mansion. Also Tuesday, one juror in the McDonnells’ trial was replaced. U.S. District Judge James Spencer gave no explanation. The McDonnells are charged with accepting more than $165,000 in gifts and loans from Williams in exchange for promoting his company’s supplements. They could face decades in prison.
Former Virginia
Gov. Bob McDonnell
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ One of the jurors in the public corruption trial of former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell and his wife, Maureen, has been replaced. U.S. District Judge James Spencer met twice in chambers with lawyers Tuesday morning before convening court and announcing that a juror had been dismissed and was replaced by an alternate. He gave no explanation. Between the two closed meetings, a somber Bob McDonnell sat at the defense table with his back to his wife and stared at the wall for several minutes. The McDonnells are charged in a 14-count indictment with accepting more than $165,000 in gifts and loans from former Star Scientific Inc. CEO Jonnie Williams in exchange for promoting his company’s nutritional supplements. They could face decades in prison if convicted.
Former Virginia
Gov. Bob McDonnell
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ The onetime chief of staff to former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell says he had no idea at the time that his boss had received thousands of dollars in gifts and loans from a wealthy businessman. Martin Kent testified Monday in the public corruption trial of McDonnell and his wife, Maureen. They are charged with accepting more than $165,000 in gifts and loans from the former CEO of a nutritional supplements company in exchange for promoting his products. In August 2011, a luncheon was held at the governor’s mansion for Star Scientific Inc. CEO Jonnie Williams to launch his signature product, Anatabloc. McDonnell spoke at the event. Kent said McDonnell was busy that week dealing with natural disasters and could have removed the event from his sch
ROANOKE, Va. (AP) _ Divers have recovered the body of a Vinton made from Smith Mountain Lake. The Roanoke Times reports 73-year-old Ronald Lemons disappeared July 31 when the boat he was riding in collided with another boat on the lake. Sgt. Karl Martin of the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries says Lemons’ body was recovered on Saturday. Lemons was fishing with a friend in the evening near Smith Mountain Lake dam when the bass boat collided with a cabin cruiser. Lemons’ friend and the three occupants of the other boat were rescued by people on a nearby pontoon boat. Officials had be searching for Lemons ever since the collision. Authorities will try to reconstruct the event through information from witnesses and evidence collected by divers.
Former Virginia
Gov. Bob McDonnell
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ An associate of the wealthy businessman at the center of former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell’s corruption case says he initially had reservations about his colleague’s dealings with McDonnell and his wife. But Paul Perito testified Friday that he eventually concluded that Star Scientific Inc. and its chief product could benefit from what he called “the halo effect” that would accompany the governor’s association with former Star CEO Jonnie Williams. The McDonnells are charged in a 14-count indictment with accepting more than $165,000 in gifts and loans from Williams in exchange for promoting his products. Perito is a former Star executive. Williams testified under immunity that he lavished gifts on the McDonnells only to get their help and gain credibility for his company and its anti-inflammatory product, Anatabloc.