By Jacqueline Raithel, Contributing Writer

Jan. 19, 2011

Alcoholic energy drinks have created quite a buzz in recent years. Unfortunately, their high alcohol content, sweet flavoring and colorful packaging have made them a favorite alcoholic drink for teens.

“The drinks are very sweet – sickeningly so – which I think is done to appeal to young people,” said Wayne Frith, executive director of Chesterfield SAFE, a substance abuse prevention organization. “Kids like sweet stuff.”

Read the full article here, in the Chesterfield Observer.

By Jacki Raithel

There’s no need to give up the green just because the holidays are through – you can be green all year long. And, if you went green for Christmas, just a few minor adjustments will make you green for the year. You can check that off your list of new year’s resolutions.

For the full article check out the CGE blog.

By Jacki Raithel

General Electric is ready to introduce a new environmentally friendly refrigerator to U.S. markets in June of this year. The green fridge will cost a pretty penny, but maybe the dramatically decreased carbon footprint would be worth it.

For the full article check out the CGE blog.

“Slowing down with chi gong”

By Jacqueline Raithel, Contributing Writer

By Jacqueline Raithel, Contributing Writer

Dec. 29, 2010 

As the holiday season wraps up, county residents have defied a national trend by donating their time for those who need it most. Some nonprofits throughout Chesterfield report that despite the current economy, the number of persons volunteering is actually increasing.

This goes against a UCLA study, indicating volunteering is down nationally due to the economy.

Read the full article here, in the Chesterfield Observer.

By Jacki Raithel

This fall’s developments for American wind energy have created quite a whirl – among other things, the Department of the Interior announced an initiative to speed the process of siting, leasing and constructing wind-energy projects along the Atlantic Coast, and Google announced an investment of $1.8 billion in a project to build a network of transmission lines that will connect future off-shore wind farms to electrical grids on the East Coast. Maybe, hopefully, some synergy can be created by interaction between the two initiatives.

To read the full article visit the CGE blog.

By Jacki Raithel

At CGE we focus on green energy – like solar and wind energy – but we’re not forgetting that we can preserve energy and natural resources by going green in other ways too. With the holiday season upon us, there are some great ways to spread Christmas cheer without damaging the environment, or breaking the bank. As Liz Szabo from USAToday points out, many of the green solutions to Christmas wastefulness are also simpler and cheaper than the ways we typically celebrate.

For the full article check out the CGE blog. 

By Jacqueline Raithel, Contributing Writer

Dec. 8, 2010

With corporate giving still down this year, many Chesterfield nonprofits are counting on the generosity of individual donors to keep their organizations afloat.

“The biggest difference is the lack of corporate support,” said Amy McCracken, Richmond Animal League’s executive director. “The money that corporations had in the past, they just don’t have right now. We’re relying more and more on individual donors in the community.”

Read the full article here, in the Chesterfield Observer.

By Jacqueline Raithel and Stephanie Rice

April 27, 2009

Homeless people in the City of Richmond are diverse from race to age to language, but they have one thing in common: they’ve met HOPE.

The Homeless Outreach Partnership Enforcement unit within the Richmond City Police Department was started in December 2007 by Rodney Monroe, chief of police until November 2008. Monroe noticed that there was not a connection between police and homeless in Richmond, so he got creative and started a temporary HOPE unit, said Sgt. Shane Waite, supervisor for HOPE. Current Police Chief Bryan Norwood made the unit permanent.

The unit, composed of Waite, Officer SoniaAustin-Moore, Officer Kuti, Officer McHugh and Victor Little, a social worker, build relationships with homeless people and connect with services so that they can get off the street. The unit also works with local citizens and businesses that have complaints or concerns related to homelessness.

“Homeless services are a big puzzle,” Waite said, because there are so many and each has a different schedule for services and different requirements.

Waite called homelessness a vicious cycle, because people who have been homeless usually have bad credit so they cannot get approved for a lease for permanent housing. If they cannot find a place to stay other than the streets, it is difficult for them to escape their addictions. If they are alcoholics or drug users, they cannot keep a steady job to pay for a place to stay and establish their credit.

The HOPE unit tries to build a rapportand trust with homeless, Waite said, and they have so far been successful.  

“We keep reaching out to them day by day by day,” he said.

The officers try to get people into programs such as the Conrad Center Freedom House, which feeds homeless people breakfast and dinner everyday.

Conrad is the first step, Austin-Moore said, then its housing programs, alcohol or drug programs, even work programs. The goal is to eventually get them into permanent housing.

“We try to deal with the social work first [as opposed to policing]” Little said. “We can try to circumvent the system if we need to. Obviously, we can’t do it every time though. We’re real problem solvers though.”  

A few months ago, a former addict and homeless man that HOPE officers had been working with was turned down for a lease on an apartment. The officers “went to bat for him,” his lease was approved and Waite was recently told by the landlord that he is a model citizen.

The officers also work with CARITAS, First Baptist Church, the Salvation Army, the Daily Planet and other services for homeless.

The officers spend Monday through Friday riding through Richmond and talking to “the regulars,” people who have been homeless for a while. They check up on them to see if they are doing well and follow up on any appointments or arrangements that were made beforehand.

Most homeless people in Richmond hang out in Monroe Park and the Broad St. Corridor. Several services for homeless people such as Homeward, the Daily Planet and churches are on Broad St. and there are several bus stops, where it is not illegal to sit for several hours. They also sit outside gas stations, CVS and 7-11, but some are on a “banned” list from the CVS near Broad St. and Boulevard.

There were problems in the past with people sitting outside the Daily Planet all day, Waite said. Some were doing drugs and drinking, saying they had an appointment, but the officers made people leave and have kept them from loitering after officials from the Daily Plant complained.

Some homeless give the officers information about who is stealing and getting in trouble with other homeless.

“Sometimes they give us good information and sometimes they’re just a pain,” Austin-Moore said, “But, I’m not gonna­­ lie, I’ll go back to them every time – it’s like candy.”

Austin-Moore is relatively new to the unit so some of the homeless people will not talk to her, she said.

“One said he’d talk to me cause I’m a girl,” Austin-Moore said with a laugh. “I’ll play that.”

The officers also arrest people for larceny, trespassing and most often being drunk in public. They can give people tickets for misdemeanors such as panhandling, but the tickets do not do much, Waite said. If a homeless person gets a ticket, they usually cannot pay it and the only thing it affects is their ability to get a driver’s license in Virginia.

Some of “the regulars” include Mister Mitchell who has lived at the end of Carlton St. in a tarp tent for seven years, J.R. “The Governor” who sits on a bus stop bench in front of 7-Eleven on Boulevard and Broad St. and the many people who sit in Monroe Park until they are not allowed to be there after dark.

“If you push them, it helps them get going,” Waite said, which is what happened to another “regular,” Joe.

Joe was an alcoholic who spent most of his time in Oregon Hill. After the HOPE officers met him, they got him into a rehabilitation program. He failed out a few times, but eventually made it through and has been sober for over a year. He graduates from his rehab program soon and is looking for yard work.

Some homeless people just move from place to place within the city. The officers will find their encampment and tell them to move, so they move a few blocks down.

There people who have not responded to the officers with enthusiasm. Philip is an alcoholic who has been homeless for several years. The officers see him around the city constantly and he tells them the same story every time, Waite said. He is trying to find work and has a plan but the officers have been able to get him in any programs so far.

The officers also meet travelers, or homeless people who do not stay in one city or state, but go from place to place with backpacks and sometimes their dogs. Most of the time they are in their 20s, have facial piercings and tattoos, Waite and Austin-Moore said. They also tend to be more hesitant to trust the officers and do not like to cooperate with them.

Before the HOPE unit was started, most police officers thought all homeless were like the travelers including Waite, he said. They were frustrated with homeless people and had no patience or time for them.

Now the HOPE officers work to build relationships with the homeless and they seem to respect them for that.

Robin, an alcoholic who panhandles throughout the city and who the officers have been working with, told Waite he was a good man.

“He treats me with respect and integrity,” Robin said.

By Jacqueline Raithel

April 26, 2009

“It’s like they put walls up around here. I just can’t get out.”

Paul got out of prison yesterday, but he’s been stuck on the streets of Richmond for three years.

He used to dig wells in New Jersey, but after a divorce he jumped in his Jeep and headed south. He got another job digging wells in Charles City, Va., but when he found out he needed a new $2,000 motor for his Jeep, he came to Richmond, where he said he had hoped he wouldn’t need a car to find a job.

Three years later, Paul doesn’t have a job. Instead, he spent 30 days in prison for trespassing and assault. Because of the weakening economy and the impending summer weather, homeless shelters around the city have been closing or limiting their services, leaving men like Paul with few places to go.

In the winter there are sometimes more than eight shelters open, said Victor Little, a homelessness specialist for the city’s department of social services. In the summer, sometimes there’s one open shelter.

“They do their beds like a lottery system,” Paul said about the shelter he had been staying at before his time in jail. “Basically, you pick a number and if you don’t pick a bed number, you gotta go.”

Without a bed, many of Richmond’s homeless find shelter in large bushes or small wooded areas. Some use bushes as simply a place to stay covered during the night, others take up permanent residence, usually using tarps or even a tent.

Richmond police often find encampments of homeless men near the train tracks. In recently discovered camp just off the tracks near North Boulevard and West Leigh Street police found tents, old clothing, empty boxes and hundreds of empty beer, water and Gatorade bottles. Several men had been living in woods there. As long as the homeless aren’t causing trouble and the land owners aren’t opposed to it, police usually leave the men alone, but just down the tracks in another camp, police found several stolen bikes. That camp is empty now – police took its resident into custody.

Just a few yards down the tracks, “Boxcar Willie” used to have his camp there too. Boxcar Willie is in his mid 80s. He’d been living at that spot in the woods for more than 20 years, but he’s gone now. He’s one of Richmond’s success stories.

“One day it was cold and he finally said, ‘I need help,’” Little said. “We pretty much took care of him that day.”

Little is a part of a five-man unit from the City of Richmond Police department. The HOPE unit – Homeless Outreach Partnership Program – consists of three officers, a sergeant and Little, a social worker. The unit is responsible for monitoring the homeless in Richmond, trying as often as possible to deal first with social issues, and then criminal, Little said.

On an average day the unit splits up and patrols the city, checking in with their “usuals,” talking with them, figuring out who wants help and who’s satisfied on the street.

“There are some people that enjoy [being homeless],” HOPE officer Sonia Austin-Moore said. “They want it to be that way. They like getting their $20 check every month.”

The HOPE unit is prepared to help those that do want help. Austin-Moore keeps a stash of bus tickets in her pocket for the homeless who have doctor’s appointments or referrals to the Conrad Center.

The Conrad Center – Freedom House, near Churchill in Richmond, is a non-profit organization that helps the homeless by not only providing food and clothes, but also counseling services and opportunities to meet with therapists about the drug and/or alcohol problems with which many homeless people deal.

Although anyone is able to visit the Conrad Center, Little frequently gives homeless people referrals to the center because the HOPE unit has good connections with the center and respects the work it does, he said. The Conrad Center is a first step in the right direction for overcoming homelessness, he said.

After speaking with members of the HOPE unit, Boxcar Willie was driven to the Daily Planet, another center similar to the Conrad Center. He’s now in medical respite and social services is helping him search for affordable, permanent housing. Boxcar Willie’s process was very quick, because he when he spoke up, he really meant it, Little said.

In some cases, Little said the HOPE unit has the opportunity to circumvent the system if necessary.

“Obviously we can’t do it every time,” he said, “but we’re really problem solvers.”

It won’t happen in a day, but Little gave Paul a referral to the Conrad Center too. From there, it’s up to him.

“There are success stories,” Little said, “but people have to want help.”

Written by Jacqueline Raithel

March 14, 2009

In trying financial times, it may come as no surprise that homelessness in Richmond is on the rise.

Between January 2008 and January 2009, the number of homeless people in the city increased by 6.9 percent from 1073 to 1150, according to reports published by Homeward, an umbrella organization for several of the city’s homeless shelters. Although the difference is only 77, homeless people in Richmond represent 0.5 percent of Richmond’s total population of about 200,000, according to U.S. census information.

Demand for Richmond’s homeless shelters increased by 26 percent in that same time period, said Margot Ackermann, research and evaluation director at Homeward.

Ackermann attributed some of Richmond’s homelessness to foreclosures and loan defaults.

“We’ve seen people becoming homeless within a year of foreclosure,” she said. “Those numbers are two times what we saw in July. People have certainly been experiencing homelessness because of foreclosures and bankruptcies.”

In Richmond, the percentage of multi-unit housing structures, 42.1 percent, is nearly double the average percentage in the rest of the state, 21.5 percent. The median income for Richmond households is more than $30,000 lower than the rest of the state, according the U.S. Census Bureau. Overall, in a state where less than 10 percent of residents are below the poverty level, 22.4 percent of Richmond residents live in poverty.

Richmond’s network of homeless shelters provides two types of housing for homeless people: emergency and transitional. Emergency housing is meant for short-term use for between 30 and 90 days. Transitional housing can be used for up to 24 months.

“The key piece is providing a bed,” said Erika Haskins-Jones, director of program analysis at Homeward. “They also provide case management, also sometimes employment referrals, healthcare. The goal is to help the family figure out what the next step is. Ultimately, that plan is to provide stable housing.”

Many of these homeless shelters cater to individual people and families, but homeless children fall into a different category and are most often dealt with through the school system, Haskins-Jones said.

Because parents are often reluctant to notify the school if they and their child are homeless, schools work to recognize students who show signs of homelessness, said Mary Herrington, a licensed clinical social worker and Coordinator for the Richmond Regional Homeless Education Program.

Some of the outward signs of homelessness include frequent address changes, poor performance, falling behind and lack of socialization, Herrington said.

Before becoming completely homeless, many families move from place to place, often staying with extended family or friends. As a result, students are moved from school to school without the opportunity to settle in. Although curriculums are designed to be similar, schools rarely teach exactly the same material and homeless students can miss material or lose track of their classes, she said.

“Homeless children look like any other child, there isn’t a big H on them,” she said. “We have to look for other signs.”

For some children whose families are staying in shelters, churches and shelters provide tutoring programs. College-age volunteers sometimes work with students to improve their academic performance and encourage attendance, Herrington said.

In some situations, the Richmond Regional Homeless Education Program is willing to provide transportation for students whose emergency shelter is not in the district or even county of their original school.

Unaccompanied youth, who live separate from adult supervision but do still have family, are sometimes called “throwaways” and have few options. Many throwaways are displaced because of family conflicts and spend time staying with friends or family, but don’t admit to being homeless.

Neither the city nor the schools have the means to account for the number of students who fall into that category, therefore there are really no programs that cater to that specific group, Herrington said.

Other cities, such as Portland, Ore., or Seattle, Wash., provide specific services for those children, but Richmond does not. Funding is hard to come by, but Herrington said the Richmond Regional Homeless Education Program was advocating for programs and services appropriate for throwaways.

The program is also advocating for services aimed to support families with teenage boys, who are frequently turned away from shelters that are ill-equipped to house them.

“A lot of shelters will not take boys over 12,” Herrington said. “They’re physically not set up in the shelter to take that [because of] bathroom facilities and concerns with privacy, so boys will sometimes have to be separated from families. This is a problem that I think needs more attention than it’s getting.”

Richmond’s homeless shelters will continue advocating for increased funding and expanded programs, especially for children, but for this year, despite a general increase in homelessness, Homeward reported a 9 percent decrease in the number of reported homeless children from January 2008 to January 2009.

* Stephanie Rice, Elizabeth Hyman and Kaileigh Connolly contributed to this story. 

By Jacqueline Raithel, Capital News Service

Feb. 13, 2009

RICHMOND – Funding for Virginia’s water quality improvement programs appears to be safe for now, despite deep cuts to the state budget.

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine’s budget proposal set aside $20 million for controlling nonpoint source pollution, which is a result of poor land management that allows runoff water to collect pollutants, said J.C. Berger, chairman of the finance committee for Virginia’s Association of Soil & Water Conservation Districts. That runoff includes pollution such as sediments, toxins or excess nutrients, which ultimately flow into streams, rivers, lakes or the Chesapeake Bay.

So far, the House has left in place all $20 million while the Senate has trimmed funding to about $18.5 million, Berger said. The difference will have to be resolved in joint committee.

Despite cuts in other areas of environmental funding, the money going toward nonpoint source pollution prevention was encouraging, said Kendall Tyree, association administrator for the conservation districts.

Money for these programs comes from the state’s relatively new Natural Resources Commitment Fund, which was created to support what the state calls “agriculture best management practices,” through the Virginia Agriculture Best Management Practices Cost Share Program. The Fund, created in 2008, receives a portion of one percent of the state’s sales tax revenue. The state helps farmers and operators by supporting the use of best management practices, Berger said.

The state contributes to these practices in a wide variety of ways, he said. The BMP Cost Share program helps pay for cover crops, which farmers can plant after the harvest in order to prevent water runoff. BMP Cost Share Programs also support less disruptive ways of seed planting than plowing, such as using no-till drills, which plant seeds without disturbing the soil around them. For livestock farmers, BMP Programs contributes in way such as helping to build and maintain nfences that will keep cattle away from streams, Berger said.

“The ultimate goal,” Berger said, “is to improve water quality in the streams.”

The General Assembly preserved program funding up to this point, but plans to cut operation funding for all state agencies, which will include the department of conservation and recreation and the conservation districts.

The conservation districts, which received a 7 percent cut last year and a 5 percent cut this year, will likely face another 8 percent operational funding cut next year, said Anne Creasy, legislative aide to state Sen. Ryan McDougle (R-4). Creasy also said funding cuts could impact smaller programs that promote Bay cleanliness, but for now, Berger said the funding was “in good shape.”

During a period of two years, Berger said the conservation districts’ operation funding will have been cut by $600,000, for all 47 districts. The state is broken up into 47 conservation districts, which are part of a national network of conservation districts, established in the late 1930s by former President Franklin Roosevelt. Now, each district is responsible for working to improve the conservation of natural resources, specific to their localities, through programs such as the BMP Cost Share Program.

Currently, each of the state’s districts works off a budget of about $75,000 – less than the average funding for the past 10 years (1997-2007), which was about $78,000, Tyree said. In reality, the minimum funding necessary to fully operate each district is about $120,000, she said – significantly more than the state is providing.

By Jacqueline Raithel, Capital News Service

Feb 6, 2009

RICHMOND – Gov. Timothy M. Kaine promised to veto spending cuts to pre-kindergarten programming, but amidst efforts to handle a projected $2.9 billion budget shortfall, legislators say pre-k programs are low on their lists of priorities.

Kaine proposed an increase of more than $10 million for pre-k programming, such as the Virginia Preschool Initiative, which currently costs $58.6 million. At the same, time he proposed cutting more than $400 million from public education.

State Sen. Ryan T. McDougle (R-4) called the funding increase “irresponsible,” in light of the current fiscal climate, which he said he was afraid would include a shortfall even greater than the governor predicted.

“I’m very concerned about the revenue estimates,” he said. “I don’t think we should be funding any new programs, at all, like pre-k, particularly when we’re looking at a revenue shortfall of $3 to $4 billion.”

Although pre-k programs are wonderful opportunities, preserving funding for the state’s K-12 education system is higher on the list, according to Anne Creasy, McDougle’s legislative aide.

Some areas, such as Northumberland County, would remain largely unaffected by a pre-k spending freeze, or even a cut. Northumberland County Public Schools already receive federal funding under Title I, which awards grants to schools with high poverty rates.

Because the county would still receive Title I funds, VPI funds are not as crucial, said Sephronia Smith, general supervisor of the Northumberland County Public Schools. However, if funds for VPI are cut, the county may have to limit the number of students in its pre-k programs, she said.

For counties that rely more heavily on state funds, rather than federal grants, such as Title I, spending cuts might have a much greater impact, Smith said. Those programs would also be the most impacted if the governor’s proposed $10 million increase passes in the budget.

That money would go toward expanding current programs, and establishing new programs, which the governor has said he believes will improve students’ reading abilities and scores on standardized tests, such as the required yearly Standards of Learning Tests.

Early childhood education has been closely tied with future success.

“Pre-k is really important,” said Lorena Watrous, principal of Lancaster Primary School (K-3). “There’s a lot of research that shows the benefits.”

As a response to research, Kaine has worked to improve pre-k programs through several initiatives, such as the Strong Start Initiative and the Start Quality Initiative. He’s even gone so far as to establish in July 2008, an Office of Early Childhood Development, which spans between the Department of Education, Social Services and the Department of Health, in order to better meet the needs of the state’s children before they reach kindergarten. 

As a part of this work, Kaine has consistently worked to improve funding, so this year’s proposal is merely following suit to several years of increasing funding.

During his campaign for the governorship in 2005, Kaine promised universal pre-k, for those that wanted it, but later scrapped the plan because it would’ve cost upward of $300 million.

In 2006, Kaine established the Start Strong Council, which researched and developed strategies for increasing programs for the state’s 4-year-olds. Following the Council’s advice, in 2007 Kaine proposed $4.6 million (but only received $3.5 million) for a pilot program that sought to expand and diversify the reaches of VPI, which provides funding to pre-k programs that benefit at-risk 4-year-olds.

At-risk determination is specific to the location, but according VPI, includes factors such as poverty, homelessness, family stress (violence, crime or unemployment), health or mental development issues, low parental education level or speaking English as a second language.

In order to receive state money, pre-k programs can apply to the state department of education, but must provide proof that they will achieve the goals set forth by VPI, including a “measurable range of skills and knowledge essential for 4-year-olds.”

In addition to educational goals, the programs much demonstrate sufficient parental involvement, children’s health services and social services, and transportation.

Funding for these programs was planned to increase by 20 percent ($22 million) in the 2009-2010 fiscal year to a total of $80.6 million, so that state would be committing almost $6,800 per child in the program, which would include more than 4,800 additional children.

However, since announcing his original budget plan, Kaine trimmed the increase by $11.9 million to account for 15 to 19 percent nonparticipation, meaning fewer programs than predicted signed up.

By Jacqueline Raithel, Capital News Service

Jan 23, 2009

If you used plastic bags to transport your groceries home last time you went shopping, your future supermarket experience might be different.

State Del. Joseph D. Morrissey, a democrat from Highland Springs, has proposed a bill that would ban all retailers from distributing single-use plastic bags. The ban is all inclusive, meaning it would prevent retailers such as clothing and electronics stores from circulating single-use plastic bags, as well as your local grocery stores.

“Most people seem to be concerned about plastic bags,” Morrissey said. “Plastic bags are bad for the environment. They get stuck in crops, they take up space in the landfills, they’re bad for birds and it uses oil to produce them.

“The goal is to severely reduce or eliminate the consumption of plastic bags.”

In 2008, the General Assembly approved several studies of the impact of plastic bags in Virginia, including the Virginia Plastic Bag Coalition. The VPBC is composed of industry leaders from the various impacted industries, such as food industries, plastic production, waste industries, farming, retailers, newspapers and state representatives.

Findings from the Coalition’s research showed that plastic bags are the No. 1 contaminant of the state’s cotton industry, are difficult to recycle, are a cause for a significant number of deaths to Virginia marine life and are generally not biodegradable. According to the same study, plastic bags are also the preferred choice for carryout.

However, the VPBC also revealed that although the majority of retailers supported increasing awareness of the hazards of plastic bags, they strongly opposed any state mandates against the use of plastic bags because they felt it would be a disservice to customers.

One such retailer is Emily Hynson of Hall’s Super Market in Colonial Beach, Va. Hynson, who said she had been in the grocery business for 55 years, called the proposed legislation “insane.”

“Things need to be put in plastic bags,” she said, “like slimy chicken. There’s a purpose for paper and plastic. If you put cold things in a paper bag and they get sweaty, you’ll put it in [a customer’s] car, they’ll get home and it’ll fall right through.

“For a lot of things, it’ll use three too many paper bags. They’re not saving trees.”

Hall’s, an independent grocery store for 108 years, has managed to stay in business despite an increase in the number of large chain stores, but Hynson said banning plastic bags would be another way that the government would be making it harder for independent businesses. Hynson predicted the store’s expenses would go up if the legislation were approved.

There may be an initial economic impact, Morrissey said, but it would be small and he said that his hope was a lifestyle change. He said the idea for the bill came from a change he witnessed while living in Ireland several years ago.

In 2002, the Irish government passed a tax of about $0.33 per plastic bag, or gave customers the option of purchasing reusable cloth bags. Within weeks, plastic bag use decreased by more than 90 percent.

Now, shoppers in Ireland keep reusable cloth bags in their homes, cars and offices and when they need to make a trip to the store they bring a few along with them, said Morrissey, who has continued to use cloth bags since his return to the United States.

Inspired by the Irish, and the general knowledge that “plastic bags are bad,” Morrissey filed the bill just before the opening of this spring’s General Assembly session. Although he said he was concerned about the economy and the bill’s impact on the plastic industry, he said he would rather people were employed making good products instead of bad products.

Contrary to the belief of the 1950s, paper bags are better than plastic, but not as good as reusable cloth, Morrissey said, something which Hynson may be able to agree with, in part.

“We sell cloth bags,” Hynson said, “and they’re wonderful – they save me money. But chicken still leaks through, or bloody steak or hamburger meat. I still put chicken in plastic. If you put chicken in a cloth bag and it leaks onto the seat or floor of your car, you won’t smell it in January, but in the summer, you’ll know.”

By Jacqueline Raithel, Capital News Service

Jan. 13, 2009

Members of the Virginia General Assembly will be busy this spring working to balance a budget that’s suffered a $3 billion dip since last year and looking for ways to improve the efficiency of state.

That’s why Del. Albert Pollard Jr., (D-99) introduced a bill proposing that Virginia move to an annual budgeting process, rather than the biennial process currently used. An annual budget would do two things: shed light on the budget process and save the Commonwealth money, said Carmen Bingham-Kilduff, legislative aide to Pollard. Bingham-Kilduff called the bill a form of accountability and a way to “make the government work more efficiently for people.”

Pollard’s proposal has garnered support across the aisle from Del. Christopher Saxman, a Republican from Staunton, who has signed on as a co-patron for the bill.

The local area has been well represented – along with his budget bill, Pollard has presented upwards of 13 bills to the House and local Sen. Richard Stuart (R-28) has his name on more than 30 for the state Senate.

Among these bills, are several aimed at protecting the Chesapeake Bay and the fishing and crabbing industry that provides income for many Northern Neck constituents. Pollard’s proposals include creating no discharge zones in the Bay’s tidal creeks and Stuart introduced legislation that would begin a series of analyses pertaining to the Bay and its related industries.

Staying more district oriented will be a priority for Pollard this session, Bingham-Kilduff said. He’ll work to support the crabbers and the individual watermen, which are the area’s big industry.

“We’ve got to find a way to do what we can to balance the economics of the industry while keeping the Bay clean,” she said. “And, we’re looking at ways we can help watermen affected by the closing of fisheries and the general downfall of the economy. We want to help them through difficult times.”

However, economic relief is hard to come by because of the state’s budget shortfall. Despite a commitment to remain district oriented, one of the things you won’t find in Pollard’s stack of legislation is a request for local budget amendments.

In order to absorb the $3 billion loss, legislators will be making tough decisions about cutting state services and decreasing spending. This decreased spending will likely affect areas such as education and healthcare, Gov. Tim Kaine said in his State of the Commonwealth speech at the beginning of this spring’s Assembly session.

Kaine also suggested increasing the cigarette tax by $0.30 per pack, which he said would raise the tax to roughly one half the national average.

Although the district could use an increase in revenue, the idea of raising taxes and user fees at a time when everybody is already feeling the impacts of the current economy is not the way to get things done, Bingham-Kilduff said.

“[Pollard] made that decision [not to request budget amendments] across the board,” she said. “It was hard with lots of organizations relying on funding, but he didn’t feel like it was the right thing to do.”

With the interests of the local area in mind, budget amendments may not have made the cut, so to speak, but bills concerning golf carts and specialty license plates did.

Both Pollard and Stuart are petitioning the Assembly for authorization of golf cart use on the roads in the Town of Irvington. According to Virginia law, a town must have its own police force in order to legally operate golf carts or utility vehicles on public roads. If passed, the bill would waive that provision, allowing the citizens of Irvington to save money on gas by travelling via golf cart, Bingham-Kilduff said. Irvington is off the beaten path, so it’s unlikely that golf carts would upset the traffic patterns, she said.  

In addition to saving energy with golf carts, Stuart proposed issuing specialty license plates that would partially fund the Northern Neck Land Conservancy, which promotes tourism and conservation in the area. Standard license plates cost $10, but these plates would cost $25 with the extra $15 going toward the Conservancy.

Pollard’s request for specialty license plates would celebrate members of the Virginia Defense Force, a completely voluntary group of men and women who assist the Virginia National Guard and serve as the state’s militia. The plates would be similar to those commemorating members of the national military.