Across Virginia
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A new study shows the price tag for long-term care in Virginia is rising. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that a report shows the median annual cost of a private room in a nursing home went up nearly 7.7 percent to $102,200 from 2017 to 2018. Costs for home health aides in Virginia also rose.
The survey was conducted by Genworth Financial. Senior Brand Marketing Manager Gordon Saunders said a shortage of skilled workers helped explain some of the price increases. Not all costs went up. The median cost for assisted living facilities dropped 1.25 percent to $53,415.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A large county in Virginia that was home to a myriad of problems on Election Day is studying what went wrong.
The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports Chesterfield County’s Electoral Board has ordered an investigation and a report on problems residents had with voting.
Voters complained of long lines and wrong ballots on Election Day. Chesterfield was home to a highly competitive U.S. House race.
The Virginia Department of Elections said on Election Day that two county precincts were ordered to stay open two hours past the normal closing time because of voting problems.
The county’s report is due to the Board of Supervisors in the next 60 to 90 days.
Turkeys get Presidential Pardon 2017
BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) — The pair of turkeys that President Donald Trump pardoned on Tuesday will be living out their days at Virginia Tech. The turkeys named “Peas” and “Carrots” are going to a place called “Gobblers Rest” in Blacksburg, Virginia. It’s a home created for them at the university’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. This is the third consecutive year that the turkeys pardoned by the president will go there.
Poultry immunologist Rami Dalloul said in a statement: “We love that the birds are coming back to Blacksburg to roost once again.” Dalloul sequenced the turkey genome a few years ago. The university said his efforts led to whole new levels of understanding the birds, as well as genetics.
(Va. ABC photo)
Virginia’s liquor stores are joining in on today’s Black Friday action — and they will do so again three days from now on Cyber Monday. You have to spend at least $100, but if your pre-tax purchases reach that amount, it’s 20% off today at the ABC stores. As WFIR’s Evan Jones reports, you can find similar savings on-line Monday, but you must pick up that order at a state store outlet.
MATTAPONI, Va. (AP) _ Police say a woman was hit by a pickup truck while sleeping in a sleeping bag along a Virginia highway. Virginia State Police said in a statement that the crash happened early Wednesday on northbound U.S. Route 1 in the Mattaponi area of Caroline County. Police say the preliminary investigation shows the woman wrapped in a blanket and sleeping bag was sleeping on the paved part of the right side of the road when she was hit by a Ford F350. Police say the woman was flown to a hospital with life-threatening injuries.
VT Concept Drawing
It has been one week since Amazon announced it will build a new headquarters complex in Alexandria — and the major role Virginia Tech played in Amazon’s decision became clear. The decision is seen by many as significantly elevating Tech’s global stature and role into the next century. WFIR’s Evan Jones has more:
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam has removed two members of the State Air Pollution Control Board after the citizen review board delayed a key vote on whether to allow a natural gas compressor station in a historic African-American community.
News outlets report that Northam’s move has angered minority groups and environmentalists, who say the governor is trying to improperly influence the board in order to help Dominion Energy build a new natural gas pipeline.
Northam’s office said the board members’ terms had expired this summer and their removal was unrelated to the pipeline.
Earlier this month the board issued a surprising delay on a vote to approve a permit for a natural gas compressor station in Buckingham County. The new vote is set for Dec. 10.
The Winter Storm Warning has expired, but the National Weather Service has issued a special weather statement saying additional glazing of ice is possible on trees, power lines and other elevated surfaces. And ice on trees may remain heavy enough to cause additional power outages.
From the National Weather Service: Bulk of the heavy rain has moved north of the area this afternoon. However, light rain and drizzle will likely persist into this evening. Majority of the area has seen temperatures warm into the mid 30s, while a few locations are still experiencing temperatures near 30F. Additional glazing of ice is possible on elevated surfaces such as trees and decks. Ice on trees may remain heavy enough to cause limbs to snap resulting in additional power outages.
Floyd County is among the areas hardest-hit by icing-related power outages. Appalachian Power reports that as of early afternoon, close to 8,000 Floyd County customers were in the dark. More than 37,000 are without service in Apco’s Virginia service area.
From Appalachian Power: Ice, sleet and snow are sweeping through Appalachian Power’s Virginia and southeastern West Virginia service areas today, knocking out power to more than 58,000 customers. Much of the damage is caused by trees that have fallen under the weight of the ice and sleet mix. This has also caused many downed power lines in these areas. As the storm continues throughout the day, more outages could occur.
The greatest ice accumulations are occurring in the counties of Grayson, Carroll and Floyd in Virginia as temperatures will remain near to just below 32 degrees for much of today. Moderate ice (1/4-1/2” with some heavier pockets up to 3/4”) is expected in these areas. By sunset tonight, temperatures are expected to gradually rise above freezing in all areas, allowing for melting and the end of the icing threat.
Contract crews moved into place yesterday have joined local crews and are restoring power where it is safe to do so. These areas include Christiansburg, Woodlawn, Independence, Floyd, Wytheville and Roanoke in Virginia and Princeton, Bluefield and Beckley in West Virginia.
This morning, additional Appalachian Power assessment teams are moving in from areas that were not impacted, including Huntington, Charleston and Wheeling in West Virginia, as well as Kingsport, Tenn. Neighboring crews from Kentucky Power are also assisting in restoration efforts.
VT Concept Drawing
Virginia Tech plans to create a $1 billion campus in Alexandria to accompany Amazon’s construction of a Virginia headquarters a few miles away in Arlington. Tech’s “Innovation Campus”, as it will be called, will focus on graduate degrees. The first 100 students will begin their studies in temporary buildings next year. WFIR’s Evan Jones has more:
NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon, which has grown too big for its Seattle hometown, said it will split its much-anticipated second headquarters between New York and northern Virginia.Each will get 25,000 jobs. In addition, the online retailer said it will open an operations hub in Nashville, creating 5,000 jobs.Its New York location will be in the Long Island City neighborhood of Queens, while its Virginia offices will be in a part of Arlington that Amazon is calling National Landing, a made-up moniker for an area around Reagan National Airport that encompasses Crystal City and Potomac Yard.
The decision ends intense competition between North American cities to win Amazon and its promise of 50,000 new jobs. Some locations tried to stand out with stunts, but Amazon made clear that it really wanted incentives, like tax breaks and grants. The company received 238 proposals before narrowing the list to 20 in January. With Long Island City and National Landing, the company is choosing two waterfront communities away from overcrowded business districts, giving Amazon space to grow. New York, already a financial and media powerhouse, has been trying to attract more tech workers. And northern Virginia has been looking to fill its 1980s-era buildings after thousands of federal employees moved elsewhere.
Amazon is referring to the two new locations as headquarters even though with 25,000 jobs each, they would have fewer workers than its Seattle hometown that houses more than 40,000 employees. Amazon said Seattle will remain as one of Amazon’s three headquarters. The extra space will help the rapidly growing company. Launched in 1995 as an online bookstore, Amazon now produces movies, makes voice-activated Echo devices, runs the Whole Foods grocery chain, offers online services to businesses and designs its own brands of furniture, clothing and diapers. There were early signs that Amazon had its sights set on New York and northern Virginia. Among its 20 finalists, the company had selected two locations in the New York metro area and three in the D.C. area.
Being near the nation’s capital could help Amazon with lobbying efforts as the company, and other fast-growing tech giants, face rising scrutiny from politicians. Plus, CEO and founder Jeff Bezos has a home in Washington D.C., and he personally owns The Washington Post. Amazon’s workforce has ballooned to more than 610,000 worldwide, and that’s expected to increase as it builds more warehouses across the country to keep up with online orders. The company recently announced that it would pay all its workers at least $15 an hour, but the employees at its second headquarters will be paid a lot more.