AP
WASHINGTON (AP) _ The wait time for new patients seeking a primary care doctor at the VA Center in Richmond, Virginia, is more than 72 days — roughly five times what the Department of Veterans Affairs had set as a goal. VA guidelines, now abandoned, said veterans should be seen within 14 days of their desired date for a primary care appointment. The department has since said that meeting that target was unattainable given existing resources and growing demand. Other VA facilities in Virginia also exceed that goal. In Hampton, the average wait time is just under 58 days. In Salem, the average wait is 34 1/2 days. The numbers were released Monday by the Department of Veterans Affairs as part of a national audit.
State Sen. Phil Puckett
(D-38)
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ The governor’s office says a Democratic state senator is resigning, giving Republicans a one-seat advantage in the chamber in the middle of a bitter battle between the parties over Medicaid expansion.
Gov. Terry McAuliffe spokesman Brian Coy says Sen. Phil Puckett notified the governor’s office Saturday that he’s stepping down.
Puckett could not be immediately reached for comment.
Republican Delegate Terry Kilgore says the Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization’s executive committee is considering giving Puckett a staff job. Kilgore is the chairman of the commission.
Senate Democratic Leader Richard Saslaw says Puckett’s resignation will be effective Monday.
McAuliffe’s office said in a statement Sunday that he was deeply disappointed by the resignation of a fellow Democrat and the uncertainty that creates around expanding Medicaid. McAuliffe favors widening the health care program for the poor.
dday.org
BEDFORD, Va. (AP) _ Organizers are expecting up to 10,000 visitors to attend the National D-Day Memorial’s events marking the invasion’s 70th anniversary. Today is the D-Day anniversary. Nicole Johnson with the National D-Day Memorial Foundation says event organizers have been working with local tourism groups to ensure visitors have a place to stay. There are only two hotels in Bedford, where the memorial is located. Johnson says some visitors are staying in hotels as far away as Botetourt County. The Sheraton Roanoke Hotel and Conference Center is expecting 400 people to attend its annual dinner for the D-Day anniversary. Sales associate Heather Massey says guests are flying in from as far as France, Ireland and England.
For more information on the events for the 70th anniversary commemoration at the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, CLICK HERE.
Gov. Terry McAuliffe
BRISTOL, Va. (AP) _ State leaders are asking Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe to establish a statewide task force to tackle growing heroin use in the state.
The Bristol Herald Courier reports that Virginia’s U.S. senators and 10 congressmen sent a letter to McAuliffe this week.
U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith said that he’s had reports of increased heroin problems in the 9th District.
Griffith said a statewide effort would help law enforcement work together and get federal money to help tackle this issue.
A McAuliffe spokeswoman said addressing the spread of heroin is important to the governor and he’s tasked state officials to find ways to combat the crisis.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Virginia House Republicans say a budget stalemate could lead to $340 million in cuts to local school districts and a freeze on construction projects at state universities.
GOP leaders briefed reporters Wednesday at the Capitol on what could happen if the state can’t access a rainy day fund because the General Assembly didn’t pass a budget before July 1.
Republicans and Democrats are deadlocked on whether the state budget should include an expansion of the state’s Medicaid program.
Both sides blamed each other Wednesday for the continued impasse.
State lawmakers are set to meet next week to discuss other potential budget cuts.
Photo courtesy Lynchburg Fire Department
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ A state official says a CSX inspection found a defect in a railroad track the day before an oil train derailed in Lynchburg.
The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that Massoud Tahamtani told a state rail safety task force about the defect Wednesday but could not elaborate on its nature or say whether it contributed to the April 30 accident.
Tahamtani, the State Corporation Commission’s utility and rail safety director, said railroads have 30 days to analyze and act on defects they discover.
CSX deferred comment to the National Transportation Safety Board, which said it is still collecting information.
Nobody was injured in the 17-car derailment. Three cars carrying Bakken crude from North Dakota plunged into the James River and one caught fire, prompting a brief evacuation of parts of downtown.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ The debate over new abortion clinic regulations is restarting at the Virginia Board of Health.
Gov. Terry McAuliffe last month directed the board to review the regulations and appointed five new board members who support abortion rights. The board meets Thursday for the first time since receiving the order. Activists on both sides of the abortion issue say they plan to speak during a public comment period.
The regulations adopted last year require existing clinics to meet the same strict building standards as newly constructed hospitals. Supporters say the regulations are intended to protect women’s health, but opponents say the aim is to put clinics out of business.
The board must complete its review by Oct. 1.
Gov. Terry McAuliffe
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Gov. Terry McAuliffe has established the Virginia Energy Council to develop an energy strategy for the state. The governor issued an executive order Wednesday creating the council of 20 to 25 members. He says the council will deliver recommendations for the state’s energy plan, which will be submitted to the General Assembly in October. McAuliffe said the state must develop an aggressive strategy to maintain jobs in the energy sector and to be a leader in new energy technologies. He said the state should speed development of renewable energy such as solar and offshore wind, look for energy efficiencies and promote a diverse portfolio of energy sources.
usps.com
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The U.S. Postal Service has settled alleged underground storage tank violations at five facilities in Virginia. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says the Postal Service agreed to pay civil penalties totaling $55,258. The Postal Service also took corrective measures and certified that the facilities are now in compliance with federal and state underground storage tank regulations. The EPA had alleged that the Postal Service failed to conduct tests to detect leaks, failed to test line tightness, and failed to investigate or report a suspected leak. Violations were alleged at the Prince William Branch in Woodbridge, the Woodbridge Main Branch, the Dulles Vehicle Maintenance Facility in Sterling, the Cave Spring Facility in Roanoke and the Hampton Vehicle Maintenance Facility in Hampton. The Postal Service didn’t admit liability in the settlements.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ An advisory panel is scheduled to begin its review of Virginia rules on so-called fracking for natural gas.
The Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy has assembled the review panel, which is set to meet Wednesday in Richmond.
The review comes amid growing interest by energy companies in the Taylorsville Basin in eastern Virginia. It contains 1 billion cubic feet of natural gas.