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For many Virginians, the day will come where they will have to evaluate whether or not their loved one’s driving habits are a risk to themselves and other motorists.  But it’s not easy to make that assessment, especially when the senior driver doesn’t think it’s time to put the license away and rely on someone else.  AAA Mid-Atlantic is providing a free way for older Virginians to test their skills at home—and without fear that their license will be revoked if they perform poorly.

AAA cites data revealing that for the next 20-years, more than 10,000 “Baby Boomers” will turn 65 each day.  Other statistics indicate that Virginia is the 16th highest in traffic fatalities where a driver was 65 or older—with 134 of those fatal crashes in 2010 alone.  But AAA-Mid-Atlantic spokesperson Windy VanCuren says those numbers are declining, and she attributes some of that to the tools on the Senior Driving website.

“So you’ve got tools for the Seniors to test their reaction time, their flexibility, things that tend to deteriorate as you get  a little bit older, and then you’ve got tools for the family members on how to approach their parents or loved ones when it might be time to change some of the driving habit,” says VanCuren.

She says it’s very interactive, and can also be a proactive tool for those who aren’t quite Baby Boomers but may need to brush up on their skills and new laws.

The link to the website is:  www.aaa.com/seniordriving

–Tommie McNeil

About 40 people rallied at the University of Virginia today to demand that the medical school stop using live cats to teach young physicians and paramedics how to insert a breathing tube into newborn infants.

Dr. Ulka Agarwal stood outside the Rotunda talking with reporters about the campaign mounted by her employer – the Physicians’ Committee for Responsible Medicine. That group says the University of Virginia should adopt state-of-the-art technology to train doctors and first responders who may someday have to help a newborn baby, struggling to breathe.

“They’re using cats to train the residents to treat humans, and you don’t have to be a doctor to know that the anatomy of a cat or kitten is very different from that of a newborn human, and now that there are lifelike simulators that simulate a newborn, there is just no excuse for still using cats and kittens,” said Agarwal.

She was surrounded by about three dozen people who agreed. “I wanted to be there to show my support for the cats who have no voice, who are being mistreated and brutalized at the medical school,” said Stanardsville resident and cat owner Carol Bratton.

From inside UVA’s Rotunda, pediatrician John Kattwinkel told the media that only three cats are involved, and they’re actually an excellent model for learning to intubate infants. He said the university uses two mannequins for preliminary training, but they’re not ideal. “The reflexes are not there, the feeling the tissues is not there, and it’s a tricky task and it has to be done in 30 seconds, and the mannequin certainly is not an adequate model,” said Kattwinkel.

He says most universities had caved to public pressure rather than stand up for the best teaching techniques, and UVA’s staff veterinarian, Sandy Feldman, insisted the three cats used in training – Alley, Kiki and Fiddle — are anesthetized and do not suffer. “The day after they have this, we give them analgesics for pain, and we give them soft food to eat in case their throat is sore, and then this procedure is not done again for almost a year. These are three cats that we take very good care of, and we like to think that they’re helping us take care of innocent children that are in trouble. Some of these people come into this class. When they have to do this to a live animal, they can’t do it. They freeze up because they’re worried they’re going to do harm. Can you afford to have them freeze up when they’re treating an infant that’s in trouble?” asked Feldman.

Feldman added that several inspectors had certified the humane treatment of the animals, which are purchased from a laboratory supply breeder and are retired after ten years of service.“They live in about 440 square feet of space these three cats, which is substantially larger than my office. They have all kinds of toys. We groom them every day and give them treats. We’ve been visited by the state veterinarian, by the Commonwealth Attorney of Albemarle County, the USDA inspector. They all met the cats. They interacted with the cats. They find absolutely no problem. I’ve worked on racetracks and seen a lot of things. I’ve been in the food animal industry. Let me tell you something. This is nice. If I was a cat, this is the program to be in.”

He said 500 people had trained on the cats since they were acquired in 2004, and he asked the public to put this situation in perspective. “What’s more important – three cats that are very well cared for, or your daughters and sons, your grandchildren?” He suggested animal lovers consider the plight of 7 million feral cats in this country – or the 3.5 million shelter animals euthanized each year, and Kattwinkel proposed they help raise money for development of virtual reality training, which would give health care professionals the real feel of inserting a breathing tube and allow for the permanent retirement of training cats.

– Sandy Hausman

A new American Legislative Exchange Council study puts Virginia ahead of most other states on economic competitiveness and related policies. While some studies suggest the Commonwealth’s emphasis on budget cuts hurts its residents, it’s that very approach that gives Virginia the number three ranking in the “Rich States, Poor States” analysis.

Jonathan Williams, director of ALEC’S Center for State Fiscal Reform, says the study used 15 different policy variables, and how each state dealt with fiscal crises weighed heavily.  He said 20th-ranked Maryland raised taxes and targeted businesses to fix its budget shortfall—and as a result, one wealthy county lost a billion dollars when a company pulled out to find a better business climate. Delegate Riley Ingram said Virginia, in contrast, cut spending but improved its business relations—which were some reasons why Rolls Royce decided to move here:

“The reason they chose Virginia was the education system, the K -12, the Higher Ed—all that played a part in it. Virginia Tech, the University of Virginia–all of our higher education schools, the community college system–John Tyler, Richard Bland is right there–the two year only junior college in Virginia, but the big thing—the big thing, was Virginia Right-to-Work,” said Ingram.

The ranks of neighboring states ranged from 12th to 39th.  Only Utah and South Dakota ranked higher than Virginia.

–Tommie McNeil

This year marks the 200th  anniversary of the Marshall Expedition, an important event in the history of Virginia commerce.

Andrew Shaw and his six-man crew from Lynchburg are setting out to re-trace the expedition in a flat bottomed boat, called a batteau.  They worked together to build the 43-foot wooden boat that will carry them up nearly 360 miles of waterway. They’ll travel up the James River from Richmond, through the Allegheny Mountains, and downriver to the Great Falls of the Kanawha in West Virginia.

They’re backed by a National Geographic Young Explorer’s Grant, which Shaw says allows them to retrace Chief Justice John Marshall’s 1812 expedition– a little-known river survey that proved essential to Virginia’s economic growth.

Roger Nelson, President of the Virginia Canals and Navigations Society, says the survey was done in support of George Washington’s plan for westward expansion. “That was his vision, to build this canal system that linked the Eastern Seaboard with the Mississippi River Valley. He could envision the riches that lay out there,” says Nelson.

John Marshall and his crew of about a dozen commissioners journeyed up the James River and through the mountains to see if this canal system could actually be completed.  They made their month-long voyage with a boat designed just for the task– a batteau.  Poling the boat up and down the river, the crew essentially transformed the Piedmont from a rough frontier to a thriving agricultural region.

Today’s crew will primarily use the tools of Marshall’s time, spending much of their journey upstream, through rocks, swift water and rapids. To follow the progress of the Mary Marshall and her crew, you can check out their blog at vacanals.org/marshall.

–by Kelley Libby

As federal and state funds for higher education dry up, many universities are putting new emphasis on what’s called Tech Transfer – patenting and licensing the inventions of faculty members.  Sandy Hausman reports that these inventions can be profitable, but critics warn there are pitfalls on the way to wealth.

Minorities comprise only a small portion of Virginia’s legislature—including 18 members of the Legislative Black Caucus—but the Minority Political Leadership Institute is now grooming its class of 2012 for public office.  There to greet them and provide motivation during a luncheon was Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling, who advised them to avoid the type of political discord that’s part of Washington politics. But the Republican Lieutenant Governor also addressed the lack of diversity within his own caucus.

Bolling told the group that regardless of ethnicity or affiliation, political leaders cannot be effective if their goal is to create divisiveness and polarize issues based on their own personal views and ideology. He says his concern is that Virginia is moving in that direction and if it is to continue to be great state, elected officials must learn to focus on what they can agree on rather than how they disagree. But he believes that also means having diverse views and broader representation, including within his own party:

“The face of Virginia has changed dramatically over the course of the past couple of decades. So, as party, we’re always looking for ways to get our conservative principles and values in front of different ethnic groups and folks of different backgrounds and walks of life and encourage them to come into our party and hopefully make them feel at home in our party. And there are efforts where we’ve done a good job at that and there are efforts where we’ve not done such a good job at that,” said Bolling.

There are more women in the current 2012 Minority Political Leadership Institute.  Although GOP women serve in the General Assembly, Bolling would like a greater number to be elected.

–Tommie McNeil

Virginia’s Wounded Warrior Program has launched an online pilot project to teach families of veterans how to help their loved ones adjust to civilian life.  The “Family of Heroes” interactive simulation will also help relatives recognize and respond to post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health challenges.

The resiliency training was prepared in collaboration with the Virginia Department of Health. The initial project targets the families of 280,000 veterans in the state’s northwest region. But the Virginia Wounded Warrior Program’s Executive Director, Catherine Wilson, says plans are to expand it if the results are beneficial.

“The program actually allows the family member to choose an avatar or a character and to engage in practice conversations with a family member who is a combat veteran, for example, that maybe experienced post-traumatic stress or some kind of post-deployment stress.  And they give various different situations where the family member can learn to communicate with the military member that is just coming off of deployment. So it’s sort of a real-time, interactive conversation that without really being aware, it’s teaching new skills on how to communicate,” said Wilson.

The simulation also teaches signs and symptoms, how to motivate the veteran to seek help, and where to go for assistance.  The free online training can be accessed at:  familyofheroes.com.

–Anne Marie Morgan

At least one group of Virginians is opposed to an obscure provision in state legislation passed last month to change the Commonwealth’s voter identification law. Other citizens have called the entire measure “voter suppression” and asked for a gubernatorial veto. But as Virginia Public Radio’s Anne Marie Morgan reports, while the Virginia Voters Alliance supports the bill, it also called on the Governor to revise it.

Before reaching a budget deal, General Assembly members say they made concessions on both sides, to make the negotiations work.
But  they could not come to an agreement on transportation issues, which will now have to be tackled during the next session.

The $85-billion budget gives state employees bonuses in December and raises next year if revenues hit targeted goals.  It also adds $214-million to public education, and Prince William Senator Chuck Colgan says they fought for cost-to-compete funding, which is essential for his region.

“We finally settled it for $28-million the first year subsidized and the second year $12-million however, the $12 million would be subject to an increase next year—we don’t know yet how much,” said Colgan.

House Majority Leader Kirk Cox says they discussed it, but there was limited progress on toll mitigation for Hampton Roads and Northern Virginia. “Our position in the end was that we had great compromises in the big areas of K-12, Health, Higher Ed. We felt like it was sort of a last minute add-on. It simply buys down the tolls for a limited period of time, it really doesn’t take much money off the projects,” saids Cox.

The budget also adds $44-million for Health and Human Services and $141-million for Higher Education. The full legislature will likely vote on the budget April 17th.

—Tommie McNeil

Tired of Internet sexual predators slipping through the cracks, Virginia’s law enforcement agencies have united for Operation Phalanx, a first-of-its-kind effort that has resulted in the arrests of 20 suspects and nearly two dozen search warrants.

Those arrested hail from all over Virginia and some have ties to international websites. Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli provided legal counsel during the week-long sting operation and says the difficult work was less tedious once the state’s two Internet Crimes Against Children Task Forces and other agencies collaborated for the first time.

Cuccinelli says despite budgetary constraints, the Virginia ICAC units are among the most aggressive and advanced in the U.S… and show why funding should continue.

Virginia is moving into Phase Two of its Chesapeake restoration plan—as mandated by the federal government.  This means that localities along the Chesapeake Bay watershed must have their own plans in place as required by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Deputy Secretary Anthony Moore says the six states and District of Columbia in the Bay restoration project have been working on this for years. The EPA first mandated that they develop nitrogen, phosphorous, and sediment reduction goals.  In Phase Two, localities must develop their own plans and will assess their progress in five years—when they must have achieved 60%  of their goals. Virginia has provided tens of millions of dollars each year for this, and Moore was asked if Washington was doing its part.

“We have made it clear that this is an unfunded mandate by the Federal Government and the Federal Government needs to continue to help us fund this program,” said Moore, who added that localities have also contributed for their regional benefits.

“Nitrogen and phosphorus levels have gone down, our oyster population is coming back, the crab population is doing better than expected—rockfish, bald eagles–we’ve seen lots of improvement but we still understand that we still have a little ways to go.”

Moore says soon they will conduct an analysis to determine the state’s return on its investment. He also says volunteer cleanup efforts contribute significantly and help mitigate costs to the state.

–Tommie McNeil

In Richmond, House of Delegates and Senate budget conferees have resumed negotiations on their competing budgets and say they are actually close to agreement on many programs, such as higher education funding.

Both budgets are in the $85-billion range.  But House conferee Kirk Cox says the totals differ, and his team opposes the hundreds of millions in toll-relief for Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads.  “They spend a lot more money than we have.  From a macro-level, we have a lot less debt in our budget that they have.  They have a lot more bonding.  We just really feel like that’s a lot of bond money to buy down tolls—doesn’t make a lot of sense, the details of what other projects suffer because of that,” says Cox.

Senators say the relief is badly needed and especially fitting for Hampton Roads, where tolls will begin before the construction does.  They’ve also insisted on their r