Over the 4th of July I was in Manassas with family watching the fireworks. I could not help to notice that there were others at the same event tweeting about their experience in old town Manassas. One particular twwet caught my attention. Derrison Steer, also know as @OSUscooterGRAD on Twitter, mentioned that he was going to post a video comparing the Manassas fireworks to the Fairfax Fireworks. I asked him to send me a link and I would post the video here on LinkingDC.com. Thank you Derrison for sharing this video!
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Alexandria, Virginia - June 29, 2010 -- Citing questions regarding how Duke Realty came to provide an "unsolicited bid" to the Army for a BRAC move as well as environmental concerns, nearby impacted residents are asking Congress for a full General Accounting Office investigation.
BRAC 133 is part of a decision by Congress to relocate personnel to facilities that are designed to increase protection in a post 9/11 environment. In the 2008 Defense Authorization Bill , Congress agreed to allow the Department of the Army to review alternative locations (near but outside of Ft. Belvoir). The legislation identified a government owned warehouse location adjacent to Metro and VRE. Following the adoption of that legislation, the Department of the Army received an unsolicited bid to instead develop land located at the intersection of I395 and Seminary Road, which has no Metro or VRE access, is not in the vicinity of Ft. Belvoir, is in a primarily residential area, and is located near hospitals, elementary schools and elderly assisted living communities.
Residents want a full GAO investigation to determine what influenced the decision to move to this area and how an unsolicited bid came to the Department of the Army. In addition, the residents want to know why the Department of the Army ignored the proximity to a nature preserve and question their suggestion that this residential area is equal to the alternate location.
The chosen location sits within ½ mile of a medical office building that serves over 1,000 patient visits daily, a mile from one middle school, two elementary schools, a fire house with an ambulance station, and Inova Alexandria Hospital, is less than a mile from Northern Virginia Community College and directly across from a large apartment complex and elderly assisted living communities and has no Metro access. This section of Seminary Road acts as the link for ambulances that serve Inova Alexandria Hospital. In an April 5, 2010 letter to the City of Alexandria, VDOT stated that even with the traffic improvements proposed by the property developers, the project will have a debilitating effect on the region.
Site Creates Terrorist, Traffic and Environmental nightmare for residents
At a time when Government failure to provide proper BP oversight has resulted in the largest environmental disaster our country has ever witnessed, it is again creating a security and transportation nightmare that could be avoided, had this unsolicited bid not been ushered through without adequate review. The Department of the Army has admitted that this building does pose a terrorist threat that cannot be "mitigated." In fact, in an August 12, 2009 letter to Senators Warner and Webb, the Army states: "Vehicles can still try to infiltrate the site or detonate a device just outside the secure perimeter regardless of whether the RIF (Remote Inspection Facility) is on-site or not. It is virtually impossible to reduce all risk associated with possible aggressor attacks.
The residents of the area state in the petition that "this new building is a travesty. It represents government and congressional decision making at its absolute worst, and we believe it represents a political rather than logistical decision. The initial failure to exercise proper oversight and leadership is now being compounded by the failure of our elected representatives at all levels of government to come to grips with the fiasco that they have caused. "
"We are astonished that given the security, environmental impact and potential threat to the surrounding area that construction of this building is proceeding with seemingly little Congressional intervention. We urge immediate action., " the residents noted.
The petition has been delivered to Congress today and the attached signatures represent residents, doctors, patients and businesses in the area directly impacted by the building.
For further information regarding this issue, including comments on the traffic management plan, letters to Congress, Defense Authorization language, and a suit filed but sealed by the Department of the Army please contact us.
Additional information can be found at: http://drop.io/brac133
MISSOULA, Mont.—The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation today voiced its official support for the concept of restoring elk populations in Virginia, and praised the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries for its research and analysis of five proposed alternatives for restoring a species native to the Old Dominion State.
“There is no higher calling in conservation than restoring a native game species to sustainable, hunt-able, balanced populations,” said David Allen, RMEF president and CEO. “When the citizens of Wisconsin, Kentucky and Tennessee decided to bring elk back to those parts of their former range, we were there to help, and those successes are among the most rewarding and popular accomplishments in our organization’s history.”
Allen encouraged Virginians to get involved in the process. The public can comment on the agency’s proposals at a series of meetings and online by Aug. 1, 2010.
About the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation: Snowy peaks, dark timber basins and grassy meadows. RMEF is leading an elk country initiative that has conserved or enhanced habitat on over 5.7 million acres—a land area equivalent to a swath three miles wide and stretching along the entire Continental Divide from Canada to Mexico. RMEF also works to open, secure and improve public access for hunting, fishing and other recreation. Get involved at www.rmef.org or 800-CALL ELK.
(PRBuzz) June 30, 2010 -- The LGA 1800 (Criminal Law) class at Virginia College in Pensacola, Florida, recently participated in two mock trials as a class project as part of the school's Paralegal Studies program. Officer Dennis Salon with the Pensacola Police Department was the guest speaker, and he educated the students on police reporting procedures. John Booth, a local attorney, assisted the students by presenting them with a case and the overall trial process. The students researched the issue and prepared for the trial presentation. The preparation included opening statements, closing statements, witness statements, impeaching a witness, and presenting the case before Paralegal Studies adjunct instructor Dan Turberville, who is a retired local judge.
The second case was an administrative hearing. The paralegal studies students of Virginia College participated in the trial procedure before a three-judge panel: Dan Turberville, Cheryl B. Jaye and John Booth. The students gained a great deal of real-world experience preparing for this assignment and, according to the Virginia College instructional staff, did an excellent job.
For more information on the many degrees offered at Virginia College in Pensacola, Florida, or any of their other locations throughout the United States, please call them at 800.342.7342, or visit online at www.vc.edu.
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(PRBuzz) June 30, 2010 -- The Computer Networking Department at Virginia College at Huntsville, Alabama, recently made available a great new opportunity for their students. Kenneth Todd, the Huntsville Testing Center Administrator, worked with one of the school's academic partners, CompTIA, who has begun a scholarship program. The IT Merit Award Scholarship program recognizes outstanding accomplishments by students and adult learners who have trained for and received CompTIA certification through the CompTIA Education to Careers (E2C) program, CompTIA Authorized Delivery Partners program, and the CompTIA Learning Alliance (CLA) program.
For a student to be eligible for an award, students must have received their training from or currently be enrolled in training offered by a CompTIA educational partner organization, such as Virginia College. The student nominee also must have received a CompTIA certification recently.
The Networking Department from Virginia College at Huntsville had three students were selected to receive a $500 scholarship. These students are James Gooden, Chad Knapp and Ashley Everson. They were recently honored publicly during the school's Networking Awards Day.
For more information on the many degrees offered at Virginia College in Huntsville, Alabama, or any of their other locations throughout the United States, please call them at 800.342.7342, or visit them online at www.vc.edu.
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(PRBuzz) June 30, 2010 -- Students at the Mobile, Alabama, campus of Virginia College can now ride The Wave mass transit buses free as part of an agreement between the school and the city's transit authority. Students need only show a student ID and one other valid picture ID to have unlimited free rides on the buses. Two buses in the system will carry a special Virginia College "wrap," encouraging everyone to inquire about the school's career programs in such areas as healthcare, medical office, business, cosmetology, and computer design.
"We are happy The Wave is willing to offer this special benefit to our students," says Campus President Eric Berrios. "We work hard to make the student experience better for everyone and this will help with transportation problems for many of them. It will also encourage them to continue using mass transit once they graduate and begin their new careers. This fits well with our company emphasis on saving energy resources."
Virginia College at Mobile is owned by Education Corporation of America, which also owns Virginia College campuses in Pensacola, Biloxi, and 13 other cities, and has just opened Ecotech Institute in the Denver, Colorado, metro area. Ecotech Institute prepares graduates for careers in renewable energy and sustainable design.
For more information on the many degrees offered at Virginia College in Mobile, Alabama, or any of their other locations throughout the United States, please call them at 800.342.7342, or visit them online at www.vc.edu.
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