Updates from Henrico Citizen

The House has passed a bill requiring Virginia school boards to give students’ parents information about eating disorders. Delegates on Thursday unanimously approved House Bill 1406, which states, “Each school board shall annually provide parent educational information regarding eating disorders for pupils in grades five through 12.” The bill’s chief patron is Delegate Richard Bell, R-Staunton, a retired high school special education teacher and coach. Democratic Delegates Mark Keam of Vienna and Kaye Kory of Falls Church are co-sponsoring HB 1406.

Members of the House and Senate are optimistic that at least some of the 10 bills to crack down on texting while driving will make it past the legislative deadline called crossover day. At the start of the session, three such bills were filed in the Senate bills and seven in the House. If a bill has not made it out of the House or Senate by Tuesday, it is left on table for the year. Beginning Wednesday, the House can consider only bills approved by the Senate, and the Senate can consider only legislation passed by the House.

The House and Senate are headed in different directions when it comes to repealing Virginia’s “King’s Dominion law,” which generally prevents public schools from opening before Labor Day. On Monday, the House will consider approving a bill that would make local school boards responsible for setting the school calendar and authorize them to start classes before Labor Day if they want.

Students receiving degrees from Virginia’s public colleges and universities may struggle to find employment, after a House subcommittee killed legislation that would have given small businesses a $2,500 tax credit for hiring such graduates. House Bill 1303 was introduced by Delegate Charniele Herring, D-Alexandria, who proposed an incentive system for small businesses that hired people holding an associate’s or bachelor’s degree from a public institution of higher education in Virginia. In her eyes, small businesses are the cornerstone for moving graduates from the classroom to the real world.

Gov. Bob McDonnell is urging state legislators to approve recommendations from his School and Campus Safety Task Force that would increase sentences for illegally buying guns, require mandatory lockdown drills at schools and establish more comprehensive suicide prevention programs. McDonnell sent the General Assembly a letter Friday outlining the panel’s initial recommendations.

Gov. Bob McDonnell has reason to celebrate after the House Finance Committee on Wednesday approved a key part of the transportation plan that he hopes will define his term. “Our effort to enact a long-term solution to Virginia’s transportation funding challenges took a major step forward,” McDonnell said. “I am pleased that legislators from both parties voted in support of our plan.”

The Child & Family Healing Center (CFHC) at United Methodist Family Services (UMFS) will open a new four bed cottage on Feb. 4. The new cottage, named the Generosity Cottage, will be used by children currently in the CFHC program who are one to three months away from successfully completing the program and are beginning to prepare to return to their communities. The cottage will be gender-specific and the space used flexibly dependent on the needs of the program. The CFHC is an intensive residential treatment program for girls ages 11 to 18 with emotional and behavioral problems and for boys ages 11 to 18 who have engaged in sexually harmful behaviors.

Henrico-based hourly employment network Snagajob wants to recognize the hourly workers who make your Super Bowl party possible. The company announced a Twitter contest encouraging people to recognize hourly workers by Tweeting @Snagajob to describe why the workers deserve recognition, using the hashtag #BigGameTips. Participants have the chance to win as much as $200 to cover their food and beverage bills and as much as $100 to use on tips.

Gov. Bob McDonnell’s transportation budget would provide millions of dollars for road and rail projects along Interstate 64 from Newport News to Richmond to ease traffic congestion. According to McDonnell’s office, his transportation budget would allocate $64 million for reconstructive paving and $85 million for capacity improvements on I-64. Capacity improvements would widen the lanes so cars have more room to travel. McDonnell’s transportation plan, dubbed “Virginia’s Road to the Future,” would invest a total of $3.1 billion into the state’s transportation network over the next five years. About $1 billion would go toward more than 150 rail and transit projects.

Chilly, a dog who resides with his owners in Henrico, will be featured on an episode of Cake Boss on Monday, Feb. 4. Known to many locals as "Chilly the Tie Dyed Poodle from Carytown," Chilly was married in the world's most expensive pet wedding this summer, which will be featured on the episode. He is now a therapy dog and visits children, retirement homes, and anyone who might be feeling down (by request).

Brantley Tyndall, a Richmond bicyclist, used his only form of transportation to show up in support of Bicycle Action Day at the Capitol. This session, Virginia legislators have introduced several bills that advocates say would make biking safer across the commonwealth. Tyndall says he relies on biking as his means of transportation, because it’s fast, cheap, fun and environmentally friendly and it keeps him healthy. While Tyndall himself hasn’t been involved in a bike accident, he knows several people who have.

The House passed 99-0 a joint resolution bill today that offers tax exemptions for spouses of soldiers killed in action. The bill provides a real property tax exemption for their primary residence. This bill adds to the current legislation that provides tax exemptions for spouses of any veteran with a “one hundred percent service-connected, permanent, and total disability.” HJ 551 extends these rights to the spouses of soldiers killed in combat.

A bill that aims to prevent death or injury from falling soccer goals has cleared the Senate and is now being considered by the House. The Senate voted 33-6 last week to approve Senate Bill 933, known as the Movable Soccer Goal Safety Act. A movable soccer goal is a freestanding structure that consists of at least two upright posts, a crossbar and support bars but no secure form of support or restraint.

The Virginia Department of Transportation will hold a public information meeting tonight to share draft findings from a year-long process to determine whether cost-effective improvements can be made to the existing two-mile stretch of Springfield Road (Route 157) between Nuckols Road and Staples Mill Road in Henrico County. The study analyzed safety and mobility of the existing corridor for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians, and also evaluated the possibility of constructing a new Springfield Road within the dedicated right of way between the Winterberry and Kings Forest neighborhoods.

The Henrico County School will present its proposed 2013-2014 annual financial plan to the Henrico County Council of PTAs Jan. 29 at Henrico High School, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Following the presentation, the board will hold a public hearing to solicit input on the plan. The school is located at 302 Azalea Avenue. The meeting is open to the public and interested citizens are invited to attend. Anyone who is disabled and needs assistance at the meeting should contact Andy Jenks at 652-3724.

Many of the students are working on getting back into the flow of waking up early to their alarms and working hard since their return to school after winter break. Hermitage Technical Center was happy to welcome students back to their second home and tech center family. As students begin to crowd the hallways again, teachers are scurrying to turn in drafts of their mid-term exams for administrative approval.

The students of Henrico High School have mixed feelings about the outdoor campus. Getting outside between classes gives students a chance to clear their minds and get some fresh air. As one student said, “Experiencing nature helps you refresh.” Here, in the height of winter, the outdoor campus of Henrico High School is bittersweet, but despite the bitter winter winds, there are countless sweet memories of weather on the HHS walkways.

John Rolfe Middle School had a few things happen in December. On Dec. 21, the last day of school before winter break, students had their nine-weeks Indian party. At the beginning of every nine weeks students receive a John Rolfe Indian with the word “Indian” on it. If you have any negative behavioral problems, you lose a letter off the word “Indian.” If no letters were lost in the nine weeks, then you can attend the party. The party was in the gym, and there were lots of things to do. You could play basketball, hula-hoop, jump-rope, throw a football and even dance!

Amy Jones, 38, had a 4.0 GPA in school but dropped out after her insurance stopped covering the costs of her medication. She suffers from a mental health disorder and substance abuse. “I ended up self-medicating, and I ended up here in Richmond at a facility center, which is helping save my life, because it’s helping me to get back on track, get my medications again, so that I can be productive again,” Jones said.

Del. Peter Farrell, R- Henrico, is sponsoring legislation that would give local governments the option to establish and maintain a defined retirement plan for its employees in lieu of other retirement plans. Farrell said this bill was part of his priority to give local governments the option of having more power to govern its own citizens. “Respecting [local governments’] ability to self-govern in a measured way is important,” Farrell said. “They have the right and capability to make decisions on their own.”